Chapter 50
Mr. Rhoddy's Revenge
Ty closed his eyes and rested his head back against the window behind him as he waited for any other questions. He received none so he continued to speak where he left off with his eyes closed. "When I was three and my brother was six, my dad started getting calls from this Dr. Vance. He wanted to see us so he could run more tests on us and my dad essentially told him to fuck off because if it wasn't for the fact they needed him to give us the past seeing ability he wouldn't have used him."
"After a few weeks of getting badgered by his calls, it stopped and my dad knowing better knew it was far from over. My mother went out with me and my brother one day to the Citadel and brought us down into the wards where Flux is so we could look out at all the arms of the Citadel because of how beautiful the sight was…"
Twenty Years Ago
Cassie was holding the hands of three year old Ty and six year old Z as they walked through the lower Wards to the great view she was bringing them to see: the Citadel arms that expanded out into the distance sheltering more than millions of people in city like areas. Cassie's clothing was similar to Thane's but more feminine and her complexion was like Kolyat's.
Both brothers had long hair like they did in the present and wore the same type of clothing, just smaller. They also appeared similar to their present selves only with a distinct lack of tattoos and more innocence. Their mother brought them there because it was a breath taking sight to see and she hoped that their father would be able to meet them there soon so he could share with them the experience.
They stopped at the balcony and she looked down at them. "So who wants to ride on my shoulders and who wants to be in my arms?"
"Ty can ride on your shoulders. I got to last time." Z answered.
The elder brother was already watching after his little brother making sure Ty was given fair opportunities, sometimes to the point of sacrificing his own opportunities so he could let him have a great experience even if the younger brother wanted him to have it.
Cassie smiled at that. Her sons were marvelous kids and she was already so proud of whom they were turning out to be. They'll brighten the Galaxy when they are older. I just know it. "Okay. Up you go, Ty." She lifted her youngest up and onto her shoulders then picked up her eldest. "Can you see it?"
"Whoaaaa." The brothers said in unison.
"Those are the Citadels arms."
"Look at all those lights. Are those people's houses?" Z asked.
"Yes. Millions of people from all the races live on those arms, coexisting together in this great galaxy." It was a shame that wasn't the full reality, but she would not let her sons know that even on this grand structure that people still couldn't coexist.
"How come they can't co-ex-ist all the time and stop the fighting that daddy and grandpa have to do?" Ty asked.
Cassie smiled again. Her sweet young son never liked that fighting was necessary, always believing if people stopped looking at what made them dissimilar and just focused on being a cohesive unit that fighting wouldn't be necessary. "Well because not everyone in this galaxy believes in coexisting. Some believe that their race is superior and they shouldn't have to coexist. They believe they are in the right, but as you have pointed out it is wrong and they shouldn't think in such a way because we are all children of this galaxy."
"Those people are dumb." Ty said immaturely.
"Do you think anyone out there could ever unite everyone together?" Z questioned.
She hoped someone could. She prayed that the need for killing others for the sake of war, conflict or political gain would end, but she did not fool herself in thinking that she would see the day come herself. The Spirits did not move quickly, for things like that could not be rushed or the fighting would emerge again. "I do not know, my son. I do not know. Maybe if no one steps up, you two could be the people."
The brothers looked at each other with smiles. "Awesome." They said in unison.
The Present
Ty's vision came back to normal and realized his eyes were opened while he revisited the memory. He shook his head to get his bearings and began taking note of everyone within. Samara and Kasumi had different looks of confusion but Shepard wore one of worry. "You okay, Ty? Your eyes went purple and you stopped talking?" Shepard asked.
What the fuck was that? Ty thought. I was seeing that all from her perspective and I never joined minds with her…unless as a child it happened or maybe through my own memories that are awakening my mind is opening hers as well…Okay that's just confusing me even more.
"I'm fine. Where was I?"
"She brought you two to the Citadel arms to show you two the beauty then you stopped." Kasumi answered.
Ty nodded. "Alright, I remember now." In more ways than one. "While we looked on we conversed on some stuff and stared out at the arms. That's when the attack happened. My dad told me she was trained by the Hanar to be an assassin but she had two little kids with her and trying to stop people from kidnapping your kids all the while trying to fight off people is difficult for anyone."
The past moment that flashed into Ty's head threw him out of whack mentally with the sudden memory of his mother being there but he regained his composure mentally quick enough to catch Miranda's question. "They tried to kidnap you and your brother on the Citadel?"
"They had been watching my mother and knew where to find us, so they sprang their attack and tried to get away. My father found out from a contact of his right before it happened and tried to reach my mother on her omni-tool. For some reason he couldn't, jammed comms is my bet. He flew to the Citadel since he was in the area and tried to get to her as quick as he could. The men had beaten my mother down pretty hard and were still beating her down when my dad found them. They met their end quickly..." The past flashed into Ty's head again but he continued talking as he saw the images happening.
His memories were awakening.
Twenty Years Ago
A few minutes passed by after the initial conversation when Cassie felt a sudden hit in the back of her knee making her fall backwards and lose grip on both of her sons. "Get the kids and keep her down!" Someone ordered.
Her training kicked in as she kipped up and looked at her assailants. There were twelve of them, not the best odds, but they already had Ty in their hands and she was not about to let them kidnap her children. "LET HIM GO!" Z screamed as he started attacking the kidnapper with Ty in his hands. He stomped on his foot and punched him below the belt making him turn over and drop his younger brother.
Cassie sprung her attack as well using any means necessary to take the assailants down. She punched one in the face three times and followed it up with a brutal uppercut that knocked him to the ground. Two attacked at the same time trying to punch her but she caught both arms and twisted them together then followed it with two hard kicks to the gut that sent them careening into more of their friends.
Z had grabbed Ty and retreated behind their mother with him keeping his younger brother behind him and having his fists up ready to fight. "I'm going to kill that kid." The man Z downed said as he picked himself off the floor. Cassie roundhouse kicked another assailant then dodge a punch from another following it with a hard kick to the side of the knee, hyper extending it.
One grabbed her from behind putting her in a choke hold while two went to attack her. She kicked at them both keeping them away until Z ran up and yelled, "Let my mom go!" He then fired off another two low blow shots making the man let out a high pitched yelp and loosened his grip enough for Cassie to flip him over her head and onto the ground. She was hit by a punch to the face and a kick to the gut by two other assailants that had gone after her while she was in the choke hold, but she recovered quickly.
Two assailants went for her sons, but the Drell turned and took them down with an elbow to ones temple and trapping the others arm and breaking it. Though it was a good thought to take them down, it also opened her up for the three remaining assailants that hadn't been taken down by her or Z to rush her from behind and take her down hard.
There was an earth shattering scream from Ty that surprised everyone. His eyes had turned fully purple and his veins became bluer as his muscles tensed out and he went after the three who were stomping his mother.
Though he was only three, his lack of size and strength didn't stop him from stomping and breaking their feet or elbowing them in the pills. With his older brother behind him they tried fighting off the assailants with stomps, low blows and even some skilled punches that they picked up from watching their dad and grandfather train with each other and just now from their mother.
They had a few members jumping up and down grabbing their feet and a few others on the ground mumbling curses while holding their family jewels. The beating Cassie had received was harsh and she was feeling it as her sons were trying to help her up. "Come on mom. We have to go. This is no time to rest." Z said as he lifted one of his mother's arms up onto his shoulder.
Ty had the other arm over his trying to help but despite their best efforts it wouldn't work. At this age, their hearts were strong but they didn't have the man power to stop the fighting. They were snatched up leaving them to thrash and yell in a fruitless endeavor of breaking free to help their mother who was being stomped and kicked repeatedly again. Not even their anger at that age could make them strong enough to break free, but they continued to thrash and fight making it very difficult for the people to carry them.
Their dad arrived on the Citadel and had sprinted down to the Wards only to run into the slow elevators. When the last elevator finally arrived he bolted out in search of his family only to find his lover being stomped and kicked by three assailants. "This bitch is going to pay for her kid hitting my balls and for her breaking my arm." One said as he kicked and stomped.
Anger took control of Mr. Rhoddy. He sprinted and tackled one to the ground then gouged a knife into his throat giving him a trachea. He got up and dodged a few punches then broke ones wind pipe and used another knife to stab the other repeatedly as he dodged attacks until he got an opening and gouged it into his throat as well.
He took his knives back and put them away as he went to his lover, helping her up off the ground. Cassie couldn't believe that her children had gotten stolen from her. All of her training and she couldn't even keep them safe. "Tim, they took them. They took Ty and Z. The boys tried to help me fight them, but I wasn't able to protect them and now they have them." Cassie said with tears rolling down her face.
"They can't be off the Citadel yet. We can still get them back. Can you still fight Cassie?" She nodded with a fire burning in her now. She was badly wounded but she would not let them take her children not while she still had strength left. Tim handed her a gun. "Take this we aren't taking these bastards alive. Franklin's on his way here and will try to head them off if they get to a shuttle. Did you see which way they went?" Cassie pointed in the direction they had taken the kids. "Let's hunt them down then."
The Present
"My dad and mother, though she was badly injured, started going after us immediately. They found us being boarded on a shuttle with some of the mercs who the guy hired. It turned into a blood bath for them…" Ty explained.
Twenty Years Ago
Tim and Cassie gunned down the assailants without hesitation leaving the area around the shuttle full of dead bodies. They moved quickly to the shuttle and opened the door revealing Z holding Ty in the corner of the ship with their eyes closed. "Buddy, it's just us now. Come here." Tim coaxed.
His eldest got up and walked over to them with his brother in his arms a shocked look on frozen on his face. The father got them out of the shuttle and both parents hugged their children tightly not wanting to let go. Tim couldn't rest yet, not until he knew they weren't harmed. He pried Ty from his brother and checked him over for injuries, injections or anything else that they could've done to him, but found nothing. He handed him to Cassie and let her hold him in her arms and nuzzle him trying to get him out of his shocked state.
Tim checked over his eldest son next. "I heard you fought hard for your mom and brother."
Z nodded. "Not hard enough though. I have to train harder so I can fight like you and her so no one can ever hurt her or him again."
Tim smiled at his son's determination to train hard when he was older, "Did Ty help at all?"
"He lost his temper and let out this battle cry that scared me. His muscles got bigger and his veins became really blue. He gained a lot of strength and broke a few feet. He'll be awesome someday."
The father smiled and looked over to his lover. "I think they are fine. It doesn't seem like they had any chance to hurt them severely." She nodded and held onto Ty tight still telling him how much she loved him and how sorry she was. He was in a complete state of shock and though Tim didn't know now, he would soon find out that neither of his sons would remember this day or who their mother was.
As Tim turned back to his elder son, Cassie suddenly jumped into him and pushed them down. A shot rang out and his instincts kicked in. He pulled out his gun and turned towards the gun shot where a lucky survivor had sat up enough to get a shot at him. He wasn't lucky much longer with three bullets lodged into his skull.
The father turned back to see Ty walk over and kneel at his mother's side as she was holding her chest. "Cassie." Tim said in a shocked tone as he knelt down at her side.
She had a bullet wound above her heart and minutes to live if she was lucky. She caressed Ty's face. "Ar- are you leaving us mommy?" Ty asked stuttering slightly in shock.
She nodded. "Yes it is my time. Do not mourn my loss. I will always be with you." Cassie put her hand on his small chest where his heart was and continued. "In here." She brought her hand to the top of his head. "And in here. Always remember to stay true to your heart. You don't gain strength from hate so don't let hate consume you. It will only bring evil. Great strength comes from the love you have for those you fight for."
"I will mom, but I- I don't want you to go." Tears were beginning to leave his eyes.
She caressed his face again. "My sweet Ty, you will grow to be such a wonderful person. I only wish I would be there with you through all your life." Cassie coughed. "But my time is up in this life. I will be waiting for you all one day on the shores of the afterlife. Until you reach me I will be at your sides watching over you. Never stop fighting for what you believe is right and just in this universe. I love you Ty."
"I love you." Ty said softly.
Cassie turned to Z who was at her other side next to his dad who was in such shock he couldn't say anything. She caressed her eldest son's face as well. "Take care of your brother like you do now and never stop believing you can make a difference in this galaxy. You can be whatever you want as long as you put your mind to it. Stay strong for me, my son. I love you."
"I love you to mom."
Cassie looked at their father now and grabbed his hand with her remaining strength. "Hold me in your arms one last time." Tim got her in his arms. "I will be watching over you and someday we will see each other again. Take good care of our children, Tim. They will brighten the galaxy someday as you have brightened my life."
"You are my heart and soul, Cassie."
She smiled her beautiful smile not allowing her death to change anything about her. "You were mine as well, but now they must be your heart and soul for the rest of your life until we all join each other on the shores of the afterlife someday in the distant future."
"Keep a close eye."
"I will. I love you."
"I love you." Tim said as his lover passed away in his arms.
The Present
Ty stared at the wall on the other side of his room as he came out of his past. He could remember it clearly now and could feel the sudden pain of loss of his mother striking him hard. He hardened himself up and continued his explanation. "My dad told me that my mother loved us all dearly and would have loved to watch us grow up, but granting us the ability to live was more important to her. She had seen the gunman and had enough time to put me down gently and push my dad and brother out of the way, taking the bullet to her chest right above her heart."
"She died within a minute but not before telling my father she loved him as she died in his arms. She gave her life to save his and my brother's since the shot would've killed both. After my dad and grandfather got us to safety his rage took hold of him like it does me and my brother and my grandfather before him."
Ty hadn't noticed but his voice had become hollow with a mixture of sadness and loss taking the rest of the space. "Where was C-Sec?" Shepard asked.
"I asked the same thing. My dad told me he didn't know until later that the group that Vance hired had paid off the right officials to turn their cheek. My grandfather hunted them down afterwards for being crooked cops since, well, that was his job mixed with revenge."
"Tell me your dad got that Vance guy and that asshole didn't get away." Jack said with bitterness towards Vance and his cohorts.
"My dad said he hunted him and hunted him and every time he got close he'd get away."
Shepard shook her head in response as did Kasumi and Ty assumed a few others over the comm, but Samara remained composed. You could see her mind working as the others were reacting to the information. "Bullshit! That fucker deserved to die for what he did to kids including and then that ordered hit on the Citadel...it's fucking bullshit!" Jack seethed.
"That's terrible, Ty." Tali said.
"Does your father still hunt him or look for leads?" Garrus asked.
Before Ty answered Shepard caught his eyes. Her eyes held pain in them likely for what he was explaining and for him who had pain in his eyes as well, though he was unaware of it. Although neither of them moved from their spots, the distance between them felt like it didn't exist as the N7 attempted to pour her comfort telepathically to the wounded warrior.
"Is he still out there somewhere?" She asked.
Ty shook his head. "No, he's dead… but not by my father's hand."
"Bull fucking shit!" Jack raged.
"Your father didn't even get to kill the guy who killed your mother?" Miranda asked with a slight agitation in her tone. Whether it was because of Jack being linked in or because of the story Ty could not say.
"That piece of shit. How the hell did he get away with that?" Jack fumed.
"Girls let him talk and you'll get your answers." Shepard told them.
"Sorry this has actually really gotten under my skin." Miranda responded.
"This is really pissing me off not knowing how this asshole died."
"I know I am new to this ship and crew, but talking isn't going to let you find out. I am sorry if I'm too blunt, but I would like to know the ending to this story as well. Please Ty, continue." Samara said calmly.
The biotic's seemed to calm down at their words. Ty gave a nod of appreciation to Samara and Shepard then continued. "Before my grandfather died, my father finally caught up to the bastard. The guy was hiding on a ship. After blowing his way through guards my father finally reached the man who took his lover away and tied him to a chair so he couldn't go anywhere as he beat the crap out of him. He was able to let out some frustration, but Vance had other plans…"
Sixteen Years Ago
Tim was wailing punch after punch to Vance's face and body, not letting up the attack while he releasing every bit of emotion he had been holding inside. The doctor's face was bloodied and bruised but he was still conscious and that was the plan.
The rage filled man hit Vance with another hard punch then stopped. Vance spat blood onto the floor then met his eyes. "You feel better yet?"
"You smug piece of shit." Tim pulled out a knife and impaled it through his hand making his enemy scream out in pain. He started spinning the knife around eliciting more screams until he tore it out. "Do you feel better NOW?!" He stabbed it into his other hand. "My kids don't even remember who their mother is because of you and I've tried for four years to get them to remember! I finally had to tell them a lie that they fully believe now about the woman I love. Do you understand now how much pain that has caused me?!"
Vance was screaming bloody murder as Tim moved the knife around in his hand. He finally tore it out and used the blunt end to smash Vance in the nose hard, breaking it with the single hit. "What other experiments did you conduct on my children that you didn't tell me? My oldest son can merge his minds with anyone he touches to see their past or let them see his and he's been knocked unconscious with a bloody nose for an hour because of it. My youngest son's body changes when he loses his temper and it changes his mental outlook on everything turning him into what he refers to now as his demon!"
"That's all I did." Vance cried in pain. Tim took another knife out and stabbed both knifes into the doctor's thighs and started moving them around as he screamed. "I swear that's all I did I swear it! Your sons gain strength from losing their temper just like you do, all I did was increase it tenfold, that's why their bodies change! I don't know why your oldest can see everyone's past and show them his, it wasn't a part of the experiment!"
He took the knives out. "Why did you send those men to take them away then?"
"I wanted to run more tests and experiments on them at their ages to see what else I could do. They wouldn't have remembered it." Vance pleaded.
Anger surged through the father as he took his knife and drove it deep into Vance's stomach and screamed into his face, "You sick fuck! Those are children you are talking about and because of your bullshit they lost their mother! They can't even remember she even existed and loved them!"
Tim took the knife out and used medi-gel to heal Vance's bigger wounds. He wasn't done with him yet. "You're the one who wanted the kids experimented on, remember? You came to me."
"I didn't believe in experimenting on kids, but that was the only way Cassie could have her wish. She was against it as well. The sliver of hope of having human children with Drell qualities was the only reason we came to you."
"Hope is overrated and look what that got you two." Vance said with an evil smirk. Tim's anger exploded as he wailed punch after punch on Vance until he finally stopped and cut his shirt down the middle so he could inflict more pain on him. What caught his eye was something strapped to the doctor's chest that was counting down from seven now. "I hope you said goodbye to your kids Mr. Rhoddy, because you won't be seeing them again."
Tim kicked Vance in the chest making the chair roll backwards to the end of the room while he dove out of the room and into the hallway. The explosion ripped a hole into the ship and sucked the burnt dismembered corpse of Dr. Vance into the vacuum of space.
Cassie could finally rest in peace with the man behind her death finally dead.
The Present
"Four years of harboring the anger and hatred and the guy blows himself up. As I grew into my teens I found out me and my brother could see any past moment or anyone's past without contact. When I told my dad this he told me it was a rare case in humans that so far only me and my brother had. Apparently not even Vance knew that we'd gain that ability or where it came from, but however it happened it's lost now since he's dead and my dad destroyed all his work. Now you all know the truth of how I got this ability and what happened to my mother and how the man behind it all died. It's not a happy story, but I'll try next time we do something like this to tell a better one."
"You have no memory of your mother now though?" Kasumi asked.
Ty wasn't stupid. Kasumi already knew that he had seen all those memories again. In his mind though he had decided that for now he wasn't going to tell anyone that he had seen almost everything they had talked about. For now that wasn't information he felt like sharing, not after reliving it and reopening a wound he had no idea was there.
"Exception of the sunset on Earth, I don't remember anything. Everything I told you was what my dad had told me and my brother."
Kasumi gave him a knowing look but he shook his head in an attempt to have her drop it since he didn't want to talk more on it. She nodded slightly in understanding and kept quiet. "Your father must've had a hard time for a while." Garrus said.
"Yeah and my grandfather was murdered the next year after Vance died."
"Ouch."
"My sentiments exactly."
"Least that bastard got what he deserved." Tali said in an attempt to remain positive.
"He deserved worse than that. I'm shutting this thing off before I tear this ship a new one." Jack said.
"Later Jack." Ty bid farewell.
"Yeah…whatever."
"If she rips anything out, I'm sending Tali and Shepard after you." Joker told him.
"You been listening this whole time Joker?"
"Figured I should in case someone tries talking to me about it."
Mordin clear his throat. "Though I do not have much new information on your condition, I would gladly share what knowledge I have with you and if you seek to know more there may be some tests we can perform to find out." He offered.
"Is it voluntary or are you going to knock me out with some STG punch if I say no and do it anyway?" Ty asked trying to find some humor.
"Blunt trauma is not the way now. It would be far easier to drug you…Though I would never do such thing unless it was asked of me by a volunteer…Hmm that did not sound much better. Yes my experiment would be voluntary. You do not have to do it if you do not want to know. It is just my scientific curiosity."
"Let me think about it Mordin. I don't know right now if I want to."
"Understandable. I will be here if you would like to know. Until then I must get back to finding out why a scale itch has found its way onto the Normandy. So far answers are troubling." Mordin said then signed off.
`"That doesn't sound good. If I see any of you scratching, I'm staying the hell away from you. Anyone else signing off?"
"I have some reports that still need doing. I'll talk to you some other time, Ty." Miranda dismissed herself.
"You big partier you. Later."
"I need to finish up some calibrations and…" Garrus was interrupted by deep sighs from Tali, Shepard and Ty. "What?"
"You and your calibrations. You need to find yourself a girlfriend, Garrus." Tali said.
"And you can talk with how much time you spend cleaning those engines." Garrus argued.
"That's different." Tali retorted.
"I think you have spent the same amount of time with those engines as you have telling us about your immune system in those elevator rides on the Citadel." Garrus fired back.
"This conversation is over." Tali said flatly.
"Tell me about your enviro-suit again." Garrus continued.
"I have a shotgun." Tali retorted seriously.
"Maybe another time."
"Get to work you two, I'll talk to you later." Ty said.
"Bye Ty." Tali said then shut her comm off.
"I'll see you later." Garrus followed.
"If you still want to talk tonight, Ty, I'll still be up with some Ice Brandy." Chakwas informed him.
"I'll stop by if I stay up. Later Chakwas."
Chakwas shut her comm off and Ty looked over to EDI's platform. "EDI is that everyone on the comm."
"Yes Ty."
"Alright feel free to leave if you want and make sure Joker doesn't continue eavesdropping if you do."
"Ass."
"Logging you out, Ty."
"Bye EDI."
