Chapter 54: D-Day
Author's Note: Well, we did it. As of this chapter, The Hero Rises has received over 500 reviews. This is a significant milestone, ladies and gentlemen, one I couldn't have reached without you. To all the readers who stuck with this series, and all the people who took the time to write a review, my humble and heartfelt thanks.
As a reward for reaching this goal, I am pleased to announce a new original one-shot: Playing Cards with Judas. Set in the Heroverse, this fanfic will reveal just how the Salarian First Fleet was acquired—particularly as it wouldn't have been available as a War Asset given the choices Shepard made. Unfortunately, that's all I can reveal at this time, as I haven't even started writing it yet. The Hero Rises is my main writing priority at the moment, so the one-shot will have to wait. I'm afraid I can't even give an ETA on when it will be posted, only a promise that I will do so as soon as possible.
Speaking of time, I also have to inform you that there won't be a chapter next month. I'll be out of town around that time and might not have access to the Internet. Furthermore, it's become harder and harder to finish chapters 'on time,' as evidenced by the late posting of this chapter. Rather than rush Chapter 55 out beforehand or hope that I can find a stable connection to post a chapter on time… I'm just going to delay things until November instead. My apologies for any inconvenience or disappointment.
It would have been a magnificent sight, I'm sure. Soldiers of all ages, genders, ranks and races marching out, sporting resolute faces and a wide array of stunning weaponry. Dozens of vehicles rolling out, the dull growl of their engines filling the air. All you needed was some sunny weather, a band or two and a crowd of excited civilians and you'd have a bonafide parade on your hands.
Of course, the situation was anything but celebratory. The races of the galaxy had come together to fight through the streets of London, block by war-torn block. There would be no civilian crowds to cheer us on. No parade or celebration. All we could expect was a lot of dead bodies and a lot of mindless hostiles.
We passed the former as we made our way down the streets. Some had been lying there for days, weeks, maybe more. Others had just fallen, the first victims of this desperate assault. All those bodies, just lying there out in the open. A silent testament of the staggering toll this war had taken. A grim reminder that any one of us could be next.
Perhaps the sight should have made us pause. Gave us reason to be afraid.
But we all knew what was at stake. Yes, the mission could come at a terrible cost. Maybe even the cost of our lives. But we would do what we must to get the job done. We would stay the course. We would fight.
And with that decision made, any fear we might have felt simply… faded away. It didn't disappear entirely, mind you. It just became part of the situation. Something we could use to focus and think more clearly. Something that would get us through the next hour, and the one after that, and the one after that.
We carefully made our way down a hill and into the area that Anderson had euphemistically called 'No Man's Land.' Sure enough, it was swarming with hostiles. Using my HUD, I motioned for each team to hide behind a large piece of rubble. I waited until we were into position before giving the signal to strike.
EDI and Miranda kicked things off with twin fireballs, which only set a pair of Cannibals on fire… until the biotic blasts from Liara and Kaidan caused the flames to spread out and engulf several more. While the Cannibals were flailing about, I sent an EMP towards a nearby Marauder, lifted my sniper rifle and fired. And missed. Stifling a snarl, I fired again. This time I landed a headshot. I used my last round to drop another Cannibal before returning to the safety of cover.
As I ejected my spent thermal clip and reloaded, I saw James pick off any Cannibals that hadn't succumbed to our initial assault of pyrotechnics. Garrus and Javik had just pulled off a combo attack of their own. Meanwhile, Tali was harassing a few more hostiles with her combat drone, trying to keep them off balance.
And it seemed to be working. The few hostiles—mostly Cannibals—I saw were running around, trying to fire back and getting picked off for their trouble. There was one lone Marauder trying to establish order before I weakened its shields with another EMP and put a bullet through its head. It was time to press the attack. "All teams advance by fire and movement," I ordered.
Receiving acknowledgements from Miranda and Garrus, I rose to my feet and moved forward. As soon as I saw EDI and Liara follow, I activated my cloak. It didn't take long before I spotted a trio of Cannibals. The first one I took out with a sniper round and a fireball. The other two were caught up in Liara's singularity… before EDI's plasma ripped them apart. I scanned the area for any more hostiles, but the coast was clear. Team Two quickly appeared on my left. I didn't have to look around to see that Team Three would move up to secure our right flank.
"All companies report in," Coats requested over the comm.
"Artillery companies Able through Foxtrot are en route."
"Roger that. Golf through November taking up right flank. Pressing forward."
A lone Mako arrived on the scene. I knew from long experience that it was more than up to the task of manoeuvring round or over the uneven terrain, and it could soak up a lot of damage before returning fire. But there was no denying that it was a single AFV moving through an urban battlefield. (1) In this environment, the Mako was the most vulnerable out of any of us.
Sure enough, it came to an abrupt halt as it came under heavy fire. The only upside was that now we could see where the next hostiles—more Cannibals—were hiding. "Let's backup the Mako," I said. "Team Two to its left, Team Three to its right. Team One is mobile. Weapons free."
Miranda and Garrus led their teams to firing positions on either side of the Mako and engaged the Cannibals. I took out a couple Cannibals, then scanned the battlefield while reloading. "There," I hissed, pointing a finger at a pair of Marauders perched on a balcony. From their position, they could monitor the battlefield and issue orders. Well, not for long, I decided.
EDI and Liara quickly made short work of their shields. They quickly retreated before I could fire more than a shot, but we'd driven them off for now. I used my remaining rounds to take out the last of the Cannibals. Seeing that the coast was clear, we continued forward, pausing only to reload or pick up spare thermal clips.
"Anybody know how the hell we're supposed to take down a destroyer with tanks?" some marine asked sarcastically.
"Thanix missiles can do a fuckton of damage," another marine replied confidently.
"If you say so."
"Cut the chatter," Coats scolded. "You heard the admiral—no retreat."
Coats was right—and not only about reinforcing Anderson's orders. We couldn't have idle chatter clogging the comm channels, not when we needed them to relay orders or sitreps. (2) A fact my squad knew full well.
I spared a glance at the Mako… only to see it had gone up in flames. No idea when it had happened. A quick scan told me that there was no one alive in there. Damn it. All we could do was move on before the fire reached the fuel cells and blew it to smithereens.
We picked up the pace, jogging towards another Mako. This one was still intact and operational; a fact made clear when it abruptly moved forward, raised its cannon and began firing at a Harvester that loomed overhead. Checking my sensor feeds, I realized that the flying Reaperfied horror wasn't the only threat nearby. Miranda and Garrus came to the same conclusion, quickly leading their teams to either side of the Mako like before. I rotated through the comm frequencies until I found the one used by the Mako crew and opened a channel. "Mako crew, this is Commander Shepard," I identified. "Concentrate fire on the Harvester. We'll keep the infantry off your back and assist when possible."
"Copy that."
Teams Two and Three were already engaging the enemy with biotics, plasma, concussive rounds and bullets. While EDI and Liara joined the fun, I blew a Marauder's shields apart with a sniper round. The Marauder quickly ducked out of the line of fire, so I drilled a hole through a Cannibal's head, set another on fire and waited. It wasn't long before the Marauder popped up again… and drifted right into my sights. One shot, one kill. As I reloaded, I glanced at the Harvester, wondering if I should lend a hand. Then I saw another Marauder. I dropped an EMP on its head, fired two shots to take it out, then snapped off a fireball and my last remaining shot at the Harvester.
Reload. Cloak. Take out a Cannibal. And another. Fire at the Harvester. Reload. Repeat. Deploy plasma. With an unholy cry, the Harvester exploded.
But there was no time to celebrate. There were still Cannibals to take out. And the brief blip on my sensors told me a Banshee was in the area as well. I activated my cloak and began scanning the battlefield. As soon as I saw it, I fired. It quickly blinked away, reappearing to its right, but I knew I had hurt it. "Team Three, keep the Cannibals at bay. Teams One and Two: concentrate fire on the Banshee."
The Banshee advanced with a deceptively languid pace, one belied by its sudden surges forward. But this wasn't the first time we'd tangled with one of its kind. We kept up the pressure with of rapid fire, mixed with biotics, plasma and—in my case—sniper rounds. It wasn't long before its biotic barriers were torn apart.
Then it began fighting back, responding with a biotic blast of its own. I rolled out of the way, came to my feet and snapped off a fireball; one that landed just Liara had tagged it with her own biotics. We kept up the pressure, sending a constant barrage towards the Reaperfied asari. Team One had to scramble as it fired another biotic blast at us, but Team Two was able to keep firing. In the end, I managed to take it out with a shot from my sniper rifle.
Any thoughts of a reprieve were dashed by an emergency call over the comm. "This is Lieutenant Chow. We're pinned down at grid Delta-Hotel-Niner-Ait. Taking heavy fire from the second story. Requesting assistance."
That was the same area of No Man's Land we were in. I listened for the sound of weapons fire, quickly found Chow's squad holed up in an alley and traced the weapons fire back to a building on the opposite side of the street. "This is Commander Shepard," I replied. "Hang tight. We'll try to clear the building." To my own squad, I said "Lock and load, people."
Teams One and Two quickly converged on the building, Team Three following after Garrus took out a Cannibal on the roof. Finding a door, I waited until the squad was back together before opening it up and leading my people in.
We found ourselves in a garage. There were a few parked vehicles… and a lot of husks. As they turned to face us, I heard someone call out over the comm "Foxtrot and Bravo are taking heavy fire."
Well, Foxtrot and Bravo would have to wait. We kinda had our hands full. I quickly switched to my submachine gun, knowing my usual sniper rifle would be ineffective against the highly mobile husks. I fired off a few bursts before pulling out a grenade and letting it fly. Liara set up a singularity on one side of the garage while Tali deployed a combat drone on the other, funnelling the majority of the husks into the centre. There were a lot of fireballs, biotics and EMPs waiting for them.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the garage. We turned towards the sound, took it all in and began dealing with the husks as quickly as possible so we could concentrate on the Brute lumbering towards us. Switching back to my sniper rifle, I lined up a shot and fired—ignoring the warning that the Brute was a mere twelve metres away. There was a flurry of explosions as the squad began chaining together biotics, plasma and concussive rounds. I pitched in with a few fireballs of my own, when I wasn't firing my sniper rifle and reloading as quickly as I could. It seemed to disappear beneath a cloud of smoke, only to emerge stronger than ever. Backpedalling, I kept firing. Around me, my squad did the same. Finally, the monster went down.
When the smoke cleared, I saw a lot of dead husks… and the corpses of two very large Brutes. I hadn't realized another Brute had joined the party during all the chaos. Thankfully, this wasn't our first rodeo with these things. We quickly cleared the rest of the garage before starting to search for a way up. The elevator was out of commission, but thankfully there was a nearby ladder we could climb.
"Chow to Shepard. Getting slaughtered out here, Commander!"
"Copy that," I replied. "We're on the second floor." And approaching a cluster of hostiles if my sensor feeds were any indication. Activating my cloak, I snuck forward—
"Damn it," another voice cursed. "Kilo Company's being routed." (3)
—and flinched, much to my surprise. Tension must have gotten the best of me, I decided. Telling myself to calm down, I leaned around the corner and took in the room. Couple Marauders, one Cannibal… and a Ravager. The Reaperfied version of a rachni-turned-mobile artillery unit and it was perched on the high ground. No wonder Chow and her squad were in trouble. I mentally noted the location of the hostiles, then ducked back before my cloak shut down and silently issued orders with my HUD.
I started things off with a fireball, aimed at the closest Ravager. EDI and Liara followed up with an EMP and biotics while the other teams engaged a pair of Marauders. I took out a Cannibal with my sniper rifle and took a shot at the Ravager. By that point, my omni-tool had prepped another round of plasma, which I happily deployed. The Ravager soon fell, followed by the Marauders.
"Charlie Company's been taken out."
There were only a few more Cannibals, along with a Marauder. Liara ensnared the former with a singularity while EDI dropped an EMP on the latter. I fired a shot from my sniper rifle, then set the thing on fire.
"Clear!" Miranda shouted.
"Clear!" Garrus confirmed.
"Shepard to Chow," I said over the comm. "Hostiles neutralized."
"Thanks! We're moving again. Chow out."
We had a bit of breathing room and I was determined to make the most of it. While the rest of the squad sat down, reloaded their weapons and grabbed a bite to eat, I took the opportunity to explore. I went past a comfortable-looking sofa, walked around a bookcase and saw a hastily-made bed. Looked like we were in someone's apartment.
Near a mural of some kind, I spotted a computer that was somehow still running. I leaned over and pulled up the latest e-mail:
Mom, Dad:
I can't reach you guys. I tried the office, and your personal comms. No one's answering. And the news was saying that the bombings are getting worse, and then the power went off.
Look, I know I'm supposed to stay put, but I can't reach anyone and I'm getting really worried about the twins. I'm going to head off to the school to pick them up, okay? I'll bring any other of the kids I find, too. You can yell at me when we meet up at the emergency shelters.
Love,
Kay
It was only when I turned around that I saw a charred, emaciated body lying on the bed. I hoped it wasn't Kay.
Shaking my head, I returned to the squad. "Vacation's over, people. Up and at 'em."
"Scrounged up a few more thermal clips," Garrus told me. "And a med-kit."
"I found a door over there," Miranda said, pointing off to my left. "But it appears to be jammed. If we can't get it open, we'll have to go back down the ladder."
I took a look. The locking mechanism was supposedly off-line, but the door refused to open. I couldn't figure out how to reboot the damn thing either. After a minute, I just used another grenade and blew the damn thing apart. Once the smoke cleared, we found out why the door was jammed—a husk had its arm stuck in the wiring. It waved its other arm our way in an attempt to say hello—or, more likely, to claw our eyes out. We looked at each other, shrugged and blew it away. Then we stepped over its twitching body and moved on.
"All right, people," Coats suddenly said over the comm, "eyes peeled. The buildings will give us some cover, but it gives them a place to hide too."
Which was precisely why fighting in urban environments was so damn dangerous. We all knew that, so Coats shouldn't have had to state the obvious. Unless he was giving a last-minute warning to any militia volunteers who hadn't had the benefit of formal military training.
"Roger that," someone else replied. I chose to stay silent.
Coat's warning about staying alert did pay off, though, as I spotted a Marauder and a Cannibal up ahead. Presumably they were on patrol—before the EMP, fireball and barrage of gunfire cut things short.
Moving past their burned, bullet-ridden bodies, we headed towards the next checkpoint and the Marauders guarding it. Again, EMPs and plasma made short work of their shields. This time, though, they had the presence of mind to scatter before we could follow up on our initial assault. "Teams Two and Three—lay down cover fire. Team One on me."
"Acknowledged."
I darted forward, pausing only to line up a shot and take out a Marauder. EDI and Liara dealt with the other one. As we found cover behind a slab of concrete, my comm came to life. "This is Echo Company. There's not enough room to maneuver the tanks in here."
"Backtrack if you have to," Coats replied, "but find another route ASAP."
"Acknowledged."
Presumably that was the end of that conversation. I couldn't say for sure as a loud explosion went off right beside me. As soon as the dust settled, I poked my head back out and saw another Ravager. It was heavily damaged, thanks to a steady barrage of biotics and plasma from Teams Two and Three, so I only needed a few shots to finish it off.
A stream of gunfire drew my attention to a trio of Marauders. Ducking down, I snapped off an EMP and began firing back. My team couldn't get a good angle on the hostiles, but we certainly kept them occupied until Team Three had a chance to move up. I knew when they were in range, though, as that was when another EMP landed on top of them, followed by the tell-tale green sizzle of Javik's biotics and Tali's combat drone.
Figuring they could handle the Marauders, I directed Team One to a far more pressing problem: the Brute that was stomping towards us. I squeezed the trigger and fired a round into its centre of mass before launching a fireball. Liara was next with her biotics. EDI got off another fireball before I emptied the rest of my clip into the hulking monstrosity.
"This is Delta… we're being overrun!"
Miranda and James finished off the Brute with a one-two punch of her biotics and his concussive round, so I turned my attention to a fresh pair of Marauders. My EMP and sniper rifle took out one of them, but the other one was still moving.
"What's your location?" Coats wanted to know.
A frantic scream pierced my ears before fading into a bloody gurgle.
"Goddamn it," Coats muttered.
I tracked down the other Marauder and took it out, but there were more on the way. "Looks like every Marauder on the block wants to come out and play," I told the squad. "Take them out. Team Two: keep an eye on the left and make sure no one tries to flank us while we're occupied."
Raising my arm, I fired off another EMP. Only one Marauder got hit, but I wasn't going to be greedy. Besides, Garrus had an EMP of his own, which he launched while I was getting a headshot.
Before Garrus took out his Marauder, he took the time to issue a warning: "Husks incoming!"
"Team One's on it," I responded, following suit with a sniper round. There were only four of them—well, three now, but they could have been trouble if they snuck up on us. But now that we were on to them… Liara slowed them down with a singularity, EDI blew it up with a fireball and we did a little mopping up.
After Teams Two and Three had finished off the last remaining Marauders, we reloaded and continued on our way. It was eerily quiet. The vehicles around us were abandoned, there was no one about, all the lights were out—well, that wasn't quite true. There was a vehicle burning merrily up ahead. More importantly, my sensors were picking up movement in a shop to our right. Cannibals, as it turned out.
We heard their growls a few seconds before they appeared, and they were blindly firing without bothering to line up a shot. Very sloppy, in other words. Needless to say, we did not follow their example. Within a couple seconds, the only hostile still standing was a Marauder who had the sense to stay behind cover. Tali deployed a combat drone to keep it busy while we flanked it. Then all we needed was an EMP and a single shot at point-blank range.
"Able Company's broken through. Christ, that destroyer is huge."
"Hold your position. The rest of Hammer is still en route."
Yes, we were. Just as soon as we set this Cannibal on fire. And knocked that Cannibal on its ass with some biotics. And hit the other Cannibal right in the kisser with a concussive round. And… well, you get the idea. There were a lot of hostiles. Thankfully, we were able to use the full force of the squad to keep them at bay and suppress them while one team or the other snuck around to get the drop on them. And we had the advantage of numbers for once—we only faced one or two of them at a time.
Before long, they were all finished. I checked my chronometer. Only ten minutes had passed since we first set out from the FOB. Could've sworn it was longer. Shaking my head, I reloaded my weapons and did some scrounging. Found a few cans of food, but I was more interested in the spare thermal clips. Lord knew we'd used a lot of them. And we'd use even more before the day was done.
The comm came to life again as we left the shop. "Able Company to Command," a marine hissed. "The destroyer's spotted us. We're prepping Thanix missiles now."
"Hold your fire," Coats said. "You won't do anything but piss it off."
"Roger that, but we may have no choice."
"Understood."
Right. Places to be, giant building-sized monsters to kill. Just as soon as we deal with the latest horde of Cannibals. Most of them were hunkered down in a corner building across the street—the exception being a pair of scouts that we quickly dispatched. Activating my cloak, I snuck forward, making my way past a huge blown-out pit in the street and up the concrete pillar that had fallen across it. Judging from the look of things, it had once been a restaurant, complete with roll-up doors to bring in sun and fresh air on happier days. Bringing up my HUD, I silently told the rest of Team One to join me while Teams Two and Three moved to cover each door.
EDI and Liara had just arrived when Able Company got back on the comm. "Destroyer just took out half our company," a marine panted. "Firing remaining missiles."
"Any effect?" Coats asked.
"Negative. Can't get a lock, something's messing with our guidance."
Great. So whatever was spoofing the targeting sensors of our air support was jamming our infantry as well.
"We're almost there, Able. Hold on."
And on that note of desperation, I sent the signal and we sprung our ambush. Fire and biotic energy arced overhead and took out a pair of Cannibals. Popping up, I fried a Marauder's shields and popped its unprotected head like a ripe melon. EDI and Liara dropped another Marauder with an EMP, biotics and several bullets fired in rapid succession. And Tali's combat drone drifted in, relentlessly firing shot after high-yield shot until the last Marauder finally succumbed to its injuries.
The only way out—other than going back on the street—was through a door. I would've gone back out—despite the lack of scenery—were it not for the fact that my sensor feed was lighting up again. Someone was hiding inside, the chances they were friendly were slim, and I really didn't want any surprises sneaking up behind us. So we had to check it out.
Naturally it was locked. I signalled for the other teams to join us and crouched down to start disabling the lock.
And that was when Coats got on the line again. "We're at the rendezvous. Hammer companies, report in."
Of course, that was when the door opened and the inhabitants inside announced their intentions by way of indiscriminate gunfire. As I activated my cloak, I could barely hear some nameless marine give his reply: "Bravo and Delta Companies have sustained heavy casualties. No word from Able or Charlie. Echo, Foxtrot and India are here, but severely depleted. Lost contact with Golf."
Garrus and I each took out a Cannibal while EDI and Miranda deployed their EMPs. The Marauders they hit were still trying to recover when Liara and Kaidan stepped forward and attacked with a synchronized display of biotic fury. James fired several shots into another Cannibal, then loaded a concussive round and let loose. And Javik seemed to be competing with Tali—or, to be more precise, her combat drone—to see who could get the messiest kill.
"Able's already engaged the destroyer and took heavy casualties," Coats said grimly. "Still awaiting status update. In the meantime, all companies prep Thanix missiles. Be ready, people."
Tali's drone drifted around the corner and began firing. We took that as a cue to follow suit, past all the tables and chairs, into a back dining room of some sort. The only clientele we could see, however, were Marauders and Cannibals. More Marauders and Cannibals. (4) Once again, I started things off with an EMP and followed up with a headshot.
"How are we supposed to take that thing down?" the marine continued.
"We wait for it to get close," Coats said grimly, "then we hit it with everything we've got."
Much like we weren't holding back in dealing with the hostiles here. Once again, we were hitting them with enough plasma, biotics and EMPs that the number of rounds we expended were fairly minimal. Which was the point, after all.
"Sir, be advised that our guidance systems are well and truly buggered."
My eyes widened as they saw a Brute stepping out of the restaurant's kitchen. We'd be buggered too if we didn't deal with that thing at a nice, safe distance. Lifting my sniper rifle, I fired a shot.
"Roger that. Our engineers are on it."
The last Cannibal went down and we all began targeting the Brute with everything at our disposal.
"Think it's got something to do with the beam."
By this point, the Brute was definitely suffering under the sheer onslaught of our attack. We could have finished it off then and there if it wasn't for the arrival of some reinforcements. Our first hint was when bullets started ricocheting off our shields. Ducking down, I saw a Marauder and at least two Cannibals. "Teams One and Two: keep firing at the Brute," I shouted. "Team Three, keep the other hostiles at bay."
Garrus began firing headshots at Cannibals with an almost unprofessional glee, compared to Javik's grim stoicism. Tali contented herself with zapping a Marauder with an EMP before deploying her combat drone for the umpteenth time. Meanwhile, Liara, EDI, Miranda, James and Kaidan unleashed a full barrage of biotics, plasma, concussive rounds and overall pyrotechnics. I was tempted to add to the conflagration, but settled for a simple shot from my sniper rifle.
I quickly looked around for a hostile to set on fire. A Cannibal was considerate enough to volunteer. Two more Cannibals took exception to my action, but were promptly subjected to various biotic shenanigans—courtesy of Liara and Miranda. Kaidan used the cryo mod on his gun to freeze them solid. Then James proceeded to shatter them with his fists—something I couldn't exactly fault him for.
Once again, we took a minute to reload, catch our breath and search for thermal clips to replenish our dwindling stock. I consulted the map on my omni-tool. The quickest way to our destination was to go out the back door of the restaurant and head down the alley.
It seemed a good decision at the time. The alley was wider than you'd expect. It was relatively clear of debris. And the echoing gunfire was emanating from that general direction. Encouraged, I picked up the pace, with the rest of my squad hot on my heels.
We were almost at the end of the alley when the Brutes smashed through the wall of the left side building, bursting into the alley with a snarl. Yeah, that's right. I said Brutes. Plural. Two of them, to be precise.
"Damn!" Garrus cried out. "Brutes on the way!"
"No shit, Sherlock!" I snapped. (5) "Pull back, by fire and movement. EDI?"
EDI promptly responded with a fireball while Teams Two and Three retreated. The lead Brute roared—whether in pain or annoyance, I wasn't sure—and leapt forward… only to run right into a point-blank shot from my sniper rifle. The Brute came up short, stumbling as its gargantuan partner ran into it. The two began shoving each other, each eager to take the lead and close the distance. For our part, we were happy to let them slug it out while we kept pelting them with shots. I activated my cloak before firing my sniper rifle again, while Liara deployed her biotics.
By this point, the Brutes had settled matters between them and were loping towards us. In fact, they were only a couple metres away when Team One disengaged from the fight. As we exercised a tactical withdrawal—otherwise known as running like hell—Team Two covered us with plasma, biotics and a well-placed concussive round. That last contribution finally took down the first Brute, much to James's delight.
Team Three immediately moved to engage the second Brute. Tali was trying to stall the monster with her combat drone, with limited success. I suppose the image of the Brute batting Chatika around like a glowing volleyball would have been amusing in other circumstances, but I was busy reloading my sniper rifle. Garrus was too busy firing concussive rounds. And Javik was busy being Javik—and, also, hurling biotics.
Now armed with a fresh thermal clip, I activated my cloak and fired, just as EDI and Liara ganged up on the Brute. The combined onslaught was finally too much for the beast. Its steady pace slowed to a stagger, punctuated with the gunfire it was soaking up, before it finally collapsed to the ground.
We didn't even have a chance to catch our breath before the comm came to life again. "They're sending in more ground forces," some random man said.
"They're coming in behind us," a woman chimed in.
"They're coming from everywhere!" another man yelled.
So we could expect more fighting in the next few minutes. Well, we knew that going in.
"They're going for the tanks."
Aw, crap.
"Protect the tanks at all costs!" Coats ordered. "Without those missiles, we've got no chance!"
On that desperate note, I started to pick up the pace. I only stopped at the edge of the alley. Partly to scan my surroundings before blundering out into the open. Partly to scoop up some much-needed thermal clips. And partly to scan through an open datapad to see if there was any intel—which there wasn't, aside from the fact that London had to modify their standard evacuation plans in light of the fact that the Reapers were less interested in property damage and more interested in wholesale slaughter.
That brief pause may have saved our lives. Just as we were about to step out, the ground suddenly shook. A bright red light pierced the gloom, almost blinding us with its intensity. (6) We waited for what seemed like far too long before resuming our approach, emerging onto a thoroughfare filled with abandoned vehicles. Up ahead, we could see a missile battery… along with far too many dead men and women. A lone asari ran towards us, no doubt hoping to find some kind of refuge, only to be mercilessly cut down by gunfire.
As the squad hastily found cover, I noted the Reaper, looming over us like some eldritch deity. Based on the last conversation I overheard, there was no way we could possibly take it down without the missiles I saw earlier. That meant securing the area from all the hostiles roaming around. Using a combination of HUD commands and hand motions, I ordered Team One to follow me around the left side of the missile battery. Team Three would go around to the right. That left Team Two to stay behind, both to cover our six and to offer reinforcements if one side or the other encountered more resistance than we could handle.
With that decided, it was time to go to work. Activating my cloak, I crouched down, lined up a shot and gently squeezed the trigger. The Cannibal I'd targeted dropped on the spot. Turning to the left, I fired another shot and was rewarded by another Cannibal going down for the count. Meanwhile, EDI and Liara were ganging up on a Marauder. Seeing that they had things under control, I dealt with two more Cannibals—setting one on fire and shooting the other in the head. Reloading, I spotted another Marauder. I quickly snapped off an EMP before raising my sniper rifle and firing a shot right between the hostile's beady little eyes.
To my surprise, that was it. There were no more hostiles in the immediate area. "Clear," I finally declared.
"Clear," Miranda called out from the rear.
"Clear," Garrus agreed, making it three for three.
"Time to put this baby to good use, yeah?" James asked, patting one of the missiles.
"If it isn't too late," Miranda frowned. "By all accounts, most of the companies that engaged the Reapers were wiped out." (7)
"Let's find out," I said, lifting a hand to my comm to get in touch with Coats—
"Commander. Do you read me?"
—only he got there first. "Loud and clear, Major."
"Where are you?"
"Next to one of the Thanix missile batteries."
"That's the first bit of good news I've heard so far. If only we could fire the damn things."
"I've heard some of the comm chatter," I told him. "From what I could gather, it sounds like the beam's jamming our missile guidance as well as our air support. All the companies that engaged the Reapers thus far haven't made much headway."
"That about sums it up. We can hit the destroyer, but we'll never make the precision strike we need to take it out. I'm open to suggestions, Commander."
Great, 'cuz that made two of us. "Stand by," I said, stalling for time. I turned around, looking for some kind of inspiration. Some kind of sign—aha! "EDI?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"How's the Normandy doing? And is there any chance that she—and you—can help us out?"
"The Normandy has taken minimal damage, but is still operating within acceptable parameters, thanks to Jeff's superior piloting skill," she said, with a faint hint of what sounded like pride. "Regarding your second question, I may be able to use the Normandy's systems to enhance the missiles' targeting capabilities."
"Excellent."
"I'll need you to open a link to the Normandy from the missile systems so I can make the necessary changes."
"Okay."
"Warning: I am currently engaged in multiple tasks, such as firing the Normandy's weapon systems, assisting Engineering with emergency repairs, countering the Reapers' efforts to jam Sword communications again and coordinating attacks with the Alliance Fifth Fleet."
Aw, crap. "Meaning…"
EDI confirmed my worst fears. "Meaning I may have to suspend operations of this unit while the upgrade is in progress."
I wanted to curse out loud. Or cry. EDI was basically saying she'd have to shut the mech—the woman in front of us—down so that she could focus on the targeting upgrades. Which meant we'd be a soldier short. Which meant a horrible situation had just become slightly worse.
Mind you, the alternative was to fire shot after useless shot until the Reapers wiped us out. Given that option… "On it," I declared. I ran to the missile battery and accessed the controls. "Major Coats: you hear that?"
"Sounds like good news, Commander."
"We'll see," I said. It only took a moment to deactivate the firewall controls and establish a link with the Normandy. "EDI? You're up."
EDI crouched by the missile battery. "I'll let you know when I've adapted the targeting systems."
"Got it."
Before I could say anything, the comm came to life once more. "Hammer. This is Admiral Anderson. The Reaper ground forces are making a push. Hold your ground. Protect those tanks until we can get a shot."
I looked at the rest of the squad. "You heard him, people. We need to protect the tanks and buy EDI some time. Team Two: cover the left side; Team Three take the right. Liara, you and I will go wherever we're needed. Got it?"
"Got it!" the squad shouted in unison.
There was no more time to speak. The Reapers' infantry were already on the move. Activating my cloak, I raised my sniper rifle, aimed and fired. Then I fired again. And again. Two Cannibals and one husk, down for the count.
I crouched down to reload. My eye couldn't help but glance over the ammo counter. Thirty-six shots. Guess I'd have to make each and every one count. Peering through the scope of my sniper rifle, I spotted a Marauder and immediately deployed an EMP. By the time I lined up a shot, Liara had already followed up with a biotic blast. One shot was enough to take it out, though the sound was muffled by a deep, droning noise that seemed to vibrate in my very bones.
Team Three was easily managing the hostiles in their area, thanks to the fact that most of them were husks and the fact that Tali's drone was acting as a very effective distraction. Team Two had more of a challenge, but a steady mix of biotics and bullets were sufficient to handle things.
A few blips on my HUD prompted me to turn around. Looked like a Marauder was trying to lead some goons around to launch a sneak attack from the rear. Not if I had anything to say about it. Liara hit one husk with her biotics before turning her submachine gun on the Marauder. I set another husk on fire, finished both off with my own submachine gun, then switched back to the sniper rifle in the hopes of eliminating the Marauder.
No such luck: it was smart enough to duck down and scuttle back. So I wound up taking out a few more Cannibals and husks. Assessing our situation, Liara summoned a singularity and yanked the Marauder right from its cover. I blew the singularity—and the Marauder—up with a stream of plasma before ejecting my spent thermal clip and slamming a new one home.
The loud droning noise blasted out again. This time, I happened to glance up in time to see the Reaper destroyer fire its main weapon, its discharge so loud we could hear it even at this distance.
"Corporal Nahanee to Commander Shepard" a woman called out over the comm. "Commander Shepard, do you read?"
"I read you. What's your sitrep?"
"Well and truly fucked, sir. Wave of hostiles just overwhelmed our position. We tried to hold them off, but they destroyed our trucks."
Aw, crap. And fuck. Crap and fuck.
"Your left flank is gone—repeat, gone. Multiple hostiles headed your way! Sorry, sir."
Somehow, repeating my earlier profanity out loud seemed like a really bad idea. "Not your fault, Corporal," I said instead. "Hang in there. Shepard out." To the squad, I yelled out "Heads up! We've got more incoming. Watch our left—"
I never got to finish my warning. Team Two suddenly dove for cover as several shots ricocheted off their shields—a clear sign that the hostiles we'd been warned about were already here. Team Three were hard-pressed to keep the right flank clear—judging by the sudden flurry of Javik's biotics, Garrus's sniping and Tali's combat drone. And EDI was still working on the targeting sensors. That meant it was up to me and Liara.
Cloaking for what seemed like the umpteenth time, I sniped a pair of Cannibals. As my cloak disengaged, I noted that Liara had grabbed two more Cannibals in a singularity. I let them spin around while I fired at yet another Cannibal. Behind it, I could see a Marauder, whose location I sent to Team Two.
The response was prompt: Miranda fired an EMP at the designated coordinates without popping her head out and risking her cover. James was a bit more daring, standing up to fire a concussive round. Kaidan quickly used the cryo mod on his assault rifle to freeze the Marauder before shattering it with a single shot.
Meanwhile, I used an EMP of my own to weaken the shields of two more Marauders. Then I loaded another clip and opened fire. Two shots took out one of the Marauders, the third dispatched a Cannibal trailing behind. By that point, Liara had finished off the hostiles captured in her singularity and was turning her wrath on the remaining Marauder. Scanning for another target, I acquired yet another Marauder for a brief moment. Gritting my teeth, I tried to find it again.
I found something worse. "Banshee!" I warned. "Left side!"
"Little busy!" Garrus replied.
"On it!" Miranda reassured us.
Miranda and Kaidan immediately hit it with every ounce of biotic might at their disposal. The Banshee shrieked, then flickered forward and to the side. As soon as it slowed down, Liara hammered it with her own biotics. I fired a shot from my sniper rifle, preferring its long range to the more effective rapid fire of my submachine gun. It wasn't long before the Banshee's barriers collapsed, at which point it tried to blink forward and close the distance—only to run into a fireball from yours truly. James pitched in with a concussive round. Then Miranda launched another biotic attack.
By that point, the Banshee was almost down for the count, so Kaidan chose to switch things up with an EMP, which he aimed at a Marauder. I used the last few shots from my sniper rifle to finish off the Banshee and the Marauder. Ejecting the spent clip, I ruefully noted that left me with only twenty shots.
Then I saw another Banshee.
We immediately subjected the grotesquely pregnant Reaperfied asari to a biotic barrage, supplemented by my sniper rifle, which soon had its barriers hanging on by a thread. I don't think it was a coincidence that a trio of Cannibals chose that moment to attack. We managed to finish them off, but not before they fired off some grenades that had us scrambling out of the way. Rolling to my feet, I glimpsed a Marauder and snapped off an EMP. I figured the Marauder had probably directed the Cannibals—maybe the Banshee, too—and wanted to give it something else to think about. My momentum carried me behind a fallen pillar, so I took the opportunity to swap clips again.
And that was the Banshee blinked into view, right in my path.
I frantically fired a shot, threw myself back, rolled to my feet, jumped out of the way of its biotics, replied with a stream of plasma and fired again. Then I had the presence of mind to activate my cloak while Team Two pummelled the Banshee with biotics and concussive rounds. Reaching to my belt, I armed a grenade and threw it at the Banshee before firing my last shot at a Cannibal.
Eleven shots left. I said as much out loud.
"Here!" Liara shouted, sliding a thermal clip towards me. I grabbed it, nodded my thanks and quickly outlined our next attack. Raising my arm, I launched another fireball at a Cannibal and scurried to the side, almost tripping over a dead soldier. As Liara finished the Cannibal off with biotics and bullets, I fried a Marauder's shields before taking its head off with a single shot.
Only then did I look down and see all the thermal clips sticking out of the dead soldier's belt. It was like finding the mother lode. Crouching down, I quickly scooped them up and distributed my largesse amongst the squad. Now we could hold out for a little bit longer. My eyes darted back and forth, seeking the next target.
A glint caught my eye and I dared to scurry forward again. To my delight, I found even more thermal clips. And a Hydra missile launcher. Was the universe finally making amends for all the grief and suffering it had put me through?
"Commander," EDI announced, "I have successfully reprogrammed the targeting sensors. Target lock acquired. Missiles are ready for launch."
Apology accepted, universe! "Got it!" I yelled. "You heard her, people. Back to the truck!" (8)
The missiles were already on standby, exhaust gently billowing from their engines, by the time I reached the launch controls. "Firing!" I declared, stabbing the button with satisfaction. With a deafening roar, two missiles launched from the truck. They streaked towards the Reaper…
…then abruptly veered to one side.
"Attempting to counter interference," EDI said. "Please stand by."
We watched intently as the missiles seemed to fly behind the Reaper. "Did it hit?" Kaidan asked intently.
The ground shook as one of the missiles slammed into a mailbox behind the Reaper and exploded. The other missile blithely flew into a building and blew an unsuspecting gargoyle to smithereens. "That would be a no," I groaned. "EDI, what happened?"
"Analyzing. It appears the Reaper is still too close to the beam."
I looked at the firing controls before turning my gaze to the body of the truck, hoping that the readout was wrong. Naturally, it was correct. The universe still hated my guts. Figures. "We're down to two missiles."
"And we haven't even scratched it," Javik spat, fists clenched in rage.
"Then we can't waste those missiles," Miranda declared. "It's imperative that we get the Reaper to move out of the beam's influence," Miranda decided.
"And closer to us," James added.
"But how?" Liara asked. "What could possibly convince the Reaper to move out of the beam's area of effect when nothing we have presents a serious threat?"
"Nothing we have presents a threat," I repeated, a kernel of an idea slowly taking root.
"So we have to make it think otherwise," Miranda said.
"Even if we don't have anything," I put in.
"But the Reaper doesn't have to know that," Miranda nodded.
"It would have to be something big."
"On the same scale as the Reaper itself, perhaps."
"So… a ship?"
"Or something that looks like a ship."
"You two still do that," Garrus sighed. (9) "Even now. The mind boggles."
Ignoring Garrus, I turned to EDI. "The missile truck has a communications suite to send and receive telemetry. It's how you were able to link to the Normandy. Can you use it to broadcast a signal that mimics a starship's power signature? Make the Reaper think that one of our ships touched down and is about to fire?"
EDI considered that. "Yes. Yes, I believe I can."
"Good. Do that. Also: can you upgrade the targeting sensors on the other missile trucks? The way you did with this one?"
"Affirmative. However, coordinating multiple updates will require significant processing power, so I will have to suspend operations of this unit once again. Once the broadcast signal and targeting updates have begun, I can re-establish a connection and join the fight."
"Do it," I said firmly. "The sooner we get started—"
"Anderson to Shepard."
"Shepard here," I replied.
"Hammer's being overrun at every turn. Reaper ground forces are converging on your location."
And the news just kept getting better.
"We're fighting our way to you… hold on, Commander. Hold on."
"Keelah," Tali said, her voice shaking almost as much as the shotgun she held in her hands. "How can there be more of them?"
"We're about to find out!" Garrus replied, pointing a talon off into the distance. "Here they come!"
"Hold on, everyone," I said aloud. "Stick together. We can do this."
We had to do this…
EDI quickly got to work while the rest of us went back to our earlier firing positions. We didn't have long to wait—as a Brute came lumbering onto the scene. As soon as I saw it, I set it on fire. James traced my fireball to the Brute, loaded a concussive round and fired it off. Liara and Miranda followed up with their biotics. And a shot from my sniper rifle was enough to take it out.
Shame that there were two more where that one came from. Javik immediately let his biotics loose on the lead Brute, Kaidan right on his heels. Then Tali summoned a combat drone to start harassing the big lugs. I indulged my inner pyromaniac again while James continued his love affair with concussive rounds. Then Liara and Miranda unleashed a can of biotic whoop-ass. A few more bullets were enough to finish the second Brute. Then we could start on the third.
As we unleashed another barrage, an unsettling thought occurred to me: while our attention was thoroughly captured by hostiles that could literally rip our limbs off and pound us into mush, it would be a golden opportunity for some other hostiles to sneak around and flank us. "Teams Two and Three: keep firing. Liara and I will check our flanks."
My suspicions were proven correct as soon as I went around the missile truck and saw a fourth Brute about twenty metres away. It's a testament to how often I stumble into life-and-death situations that I immediately activated my cloak and launched some plasma—rather than freezing up on the spot, screaming at the top of my lungs or turning around and running like hell. Liara hit the Brute with her strongest biotics, because she'd picked up far too many bad habits from me. Our next move was to open fire—me from my sniper rifle, Liara with her heavy pistol. And then we had to dive out of the way, because even our minimal self-preservation skills recognized that a charging Brute was something to be avoided at all costs.
The Brute pounded the pavement where we had been standing a moment ago. Then it just stood there and looked at its hands, as if wondering why they weren't dripping with gobbets of human flesh and asari guts. It was still staring when we unleashed another round of plasma, biotics and bullets. Finally, it sunk in that the people it was looking for were still alive and kicking. By that point, though, it was grievously wounded. A single shot was enough to take it down.
Unfortunately, we had taken a few wounds of our own. Tali was lying on the pavement next to a beat-up skycar. Garrus had no shields and was bleeding from a cut on his face—the unscarred side. And Kaidan was coughing up blood while attempting to reload his assault rifle. And there were two Brutes running around—I wasn't sure at this point whether one or both of them were the latest turian/krogan monstrosities to join the party. Frankly, I didn't really care.
Picking the Brute that looked far more beat-up, Liara and I did another round of plasma, biotics, and straight-up shooting. Thankfully that was enough to finish it off. Miranda and Javik immediately hit the remaining Brute with twin biotic blasts. James pitched in with a concussive round. And I quickly accessed the medical systems of Tali and Kaidan—Garrus's scratch wasn't really a concern right now—and remotely told them to inject some medi-gel. (10)
Tali rose shakily to her feet, saw the Brute, and instinctively fired her shotgun. Unfortunately, she missed. Kaidan took an extra second to pull himself together and managed to hit the monster with his biotics. Another fireball from yours truly was enough to put it down.
Which was probably a good thing, because that was when the Harvester touched down. I wasn't sure whether it was delivering more hostiles or simply wanted to attack us directly, but right now it was by far the biggest threat on the board. "Hit the Harvester with everything you've got!" I shouted.
The response was a devastating bombardment of biotics, plasma, concussive rounds and bullets that completely overwhelmed the Harvester. In fact, we blew up the flying horror before it could let a single shot off.
Of course, it was too good to be true. An unholy shriek pierced the air. We all looked at each other grimly, recognizing the telltale cry of a Banshee. While everyone immediately reloaded, I ran for the Hydra, which I had dropped next to the missile truck. Something told me I'd need the heavy weapon.
Several Cannibals emerged from the alleys and converged on our position, led by two Marauders. Kaidan and Garrus immediately hit the latter with their EMPs, Liara and Miranda detonated them with their biotics, then I set one on fire while James knocked the other on its ass with a concussive round. That was all the attention I could spare for them, as my sensors picked up the Banshee. I immediately spun on my heel, planted my feet and fired. The missile flew straight and true, taking out the Banshee's barriers—along with a nearby Cannibal. Dropping the now-spent missile launcher, I pulled out my trusty sniper rifle, cloaked and fired. Liara attacked with her biotics, then frantically began firing her heavy pistol. I fired again, wondering why no one else was joining in. Presumably they were busy. Hopefully, they had things under control.
It took another minute to finish off the Banshee and I could turn my attention to the other teams. Apparently, things had taken a turn for the worse. Tali was down again. So was Kaidan. Miranda, Javik and Garrus were still standing, but both were wounded. As I watched, another Banshee blinked onto the battlefield. Her first biotic attack hit Garrus like a freight train, sending him flying into a skycar with a sickening thud.
So. Three squadmates down. Two wounded. One thoroughly occupied with digital trickery. A Reaperfied asari barrelling down on us. And we were no closer to taking down the Reaper than we were when we started this fight.
We were so very, very fucked.
(1): Armoured Fighting Vehicle. Shepard had some familiarity with driving such vehicles, much to the chagrin—and nausea—of anyone who had the misfortune of travelling with him. (2): Situation Reports. (3): Shepard would have the authority to access multiple communications channels, enabling him to get a more comprehensive, albeit confusing, understanding of the various battles being waged around him. Long experience and practice allowed him to make sense of the overlapping conversations and pick out any pertinent information. (4): It was likely that these units made up the majority of the Reaper infantry forces, particularly as they were equipped with projectile weaponry. (5): A fictional human private detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887, Sherlock Holmes was renowned for his keen skills of observation, forensic science and logical reasoning. In this case, however, I am sure that Shepard was being sarcastic. (6): Based on subsequent analysis of battlefield reports, it's likely that this was an attempt by allied forces—including asari, krogan and turians—to ambush the Reaper destroyer. The attack ultimately failed, due in large part to the lack of fire support. (7): Which suggests that Miranda was monitoring some of the command channels as well. (8): Actually, the rest of the squad was already by the truck. Shepard was the only one who had to return, thanks to his scrounging. (9): Shepard and Miranda developed a habit of finishing each others' sentences, a testament to the strength of their relationship. I must confess, it could be rather amusing at times. (10): This function was available since the start of the war. The fact that Shepard only made use of it now, rather than personally going over to administer medi-gel himself, speaks volumes about how dire the situation was.
