I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.
Reaper
David opened the door and the first thing to greet them was the dried bloodstain on the wall and the bloody, unrecognizable corpse below it. He knelt, grimacing. "I recognize the gashes. He was mauled by Husks."
"Terrific," Shepard sighed. "Be ready for anything."
"There better not be collectors here," David grumbled.
They walked down the hallway in silence. The area they were in had bright white walls and new tech. It was an airlock structure built for Cerberus supply ships to dock at the derelict Reaper, and there were computers with video logs in them along the way. One had an officer talking about the crew being nervous, and about feeling like the walls were pressing in on him. Another was a talking about the head scientist staring at samples and apparently saying he was listening to them. After a few minutes, they passed into another airlock, only for the ship to suddenly jerk, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
"Normandy to shore party," Joker radioed.
"What just happened?" Shepard asked.
"The Reaper put up kinetic barriers," Joker said. "I don't think we can get through from our side."
"So...it's alive still," David said, then sighed. "Great."
"Agreed," Tali said. "As curious as I am about Reapers, I'd rather not be trapped inside one."
"We'll have to take down the barrier generators from in here," Shepard said as David was scanning a computer nearby, which was connected to power cables coming from the Reaper. "Any idea where they are?"
"Oh fuck," David groaned. "I found them. You're not going to like it."
"Why?" Shepard asked.
"It's the Reaper's Mass Effect Core that's sustaining the barriers," David said. "It's also sustaining our altitude."
"So when we take the barriers down to escape, the wreck falls into the planet core," Shepard said, Tali groaning.
"And that means everyone dies, yeah, I got it," Joker said.
"If any helmsman can pull us off this thing before it reaches crush depth, it's you," Shepard said. "We'll make a sweep for survivors and recover what data we can. Stand by."
"Aye aye," Joker said. "Good hunting."
Shepard opened the next door and they walked into the Reaper itself. Black metal pipes and struts, black steel grating floor, massive open tunnels in every direction with the only floors essentially being catwalks, mutilated corpses lying scattered here and there, some form of gloom obscuring everything from sight down the tunnels. Just what David would expect, just with less Husks.
"So, Tali," David said. "You've been with Shepard a while, right?"
"I have," Tali nodded.
"Does he ever take the crew somewhere nice?" David asked. "Like a beach resort? Or a bar that isn't Afterlife?"
Tali laughed. "No. I think the nicest place we ever visited was Earth's moon, during which mission, we were being shot at by a rogue VI that controlled an army of security drones."
"Lovely," David said. "Guess I shouldn't expect martinis and a spa day anytime soon, then, huh?"
Tali laughed again. "If you ever manage to convince Shepard to go to a spa, or drink a martini, take a picture for me."
"Uh, I'll take one too, if that's okay," Joker agreed.
"No one's taking my picture in a spa," Shepard said. "Another computer."
David quickly hacked in and they watched a security feed of two workers remembering being the groom in the exact same wedding, marrying the same girl, one who, according to both of their memories, was hit on by the best man at a different wedding and kicked him down the church steps.
"Oh lovely," David said. "So now even our memories aren't safe."
"Yours are," Shepard said. "You have a graybox."
"True," David said. "Wonder how long they were here before this video."
"Probably a few days," Shepard said. "Let's go. I'd like to get out of here before that happens to us."
David nodded and they turned to keep walking, only for the hoarse, weak roar of a Husk to ring out, a dozen of them beginning to climb over the sides of the catwalk. David swore, flashing out of sight instantly and feeling his body burn in the places it had been wounded. He grit his teeth, gripping his Locust tightly to still his hands' trembling and slowly the burning began to fade.
"There are high-pressured tanks by the husks," Tali said calmly. "Do you want me to blow them up?"
"I've got it," David said, swallowing hard.
The Husks reached the first pair of explosive barrels on the left side and David shot one of the two, both of them erupting into a massive explosion, obliterating most of the Husks. Two of them slammed into another pair of explosive containers just as more scrambled over the side, rushing past the explosives, only for another shot from David to blow them up as well, blasting them all apart. David waiting, eyes scanning the smoke for movement as it began to thin, but once it was cleared, there were no Husks left standing.
"That worked better than I expected," David said.
"Not bad," Shepard said. "That was ea-"
"Don't jinx us, Commander," David said. "Please."
Shepard nodded. "Good point. Let's keep moving."
They turned to continue down the path just as several burning, red Husks climbed onto the catwalk, charging at them. David shot one in the face and it exploded.
"Shit!" David yelped. "What the fuck!?"
"They explode!?" Tali demanded, shooting one with her shotgun and getting a similar result.
"I fucking hate Husks!" David shouted, blasting the last one with a ball of cryogenic fluid from his omni-tool's fabricator, only for the ice to turn into projectiles, slamming into their shields but not breaking through. "Not doing that again."
"Everyone okay?" Shepard asked.
"I'm alright," Tali said.
"I'm not getting close to any Husks from now on," David said.
Shepard and Tali both agreed and they continued along the catwalk. They neared a left turn where a massive bundle of cables rose from the center of the catwalk just as two Husks stepped out of it, only for their heads to burst into paste, both collapsing.
"Sniper!" David warned.
"Someone's alive here?" Shepard asked. "Be careful. They may be indoctrinated."
"I'm going to stay invisible now," David said, winking out of sight. "That shooter's, good enough to get two headshots in under two seconds from far enough away that we couldn't hear the gunshots. I'm not taking any chances."
"It's fine," Shepard said. "We'll try not to shoot you."
"Much appreciated," David said. "I'll scout corners."
He moved up and around the corner, seeing nothing, not that he'd expected to. Just as soon as Tali and Shepard rounded the corner, on the other hand, Husks, both blue and red, began to clamber onto the catwalk. David groaned, swapping his Locust for his rifle and beginning to fire, targeting the red ones at a distance, as was Shepard using his own rifle, while Tali quickly slaughtered anything that got close using her shotgun. After about a minute, David spun and fired past Shepard's head carefully, dropping a pair of Husks before they could reach him. A moment later, Shepard grabbed Tali around the waist, spinning and allowing a Husk's claws to crash into the back of his shield. Tali blasted the Husk and thanked him, the two continuing to slaughter Husks as David did the same. David moved forward a bit, toward a larger open area with massive machines on either side. However, as he reached it, a Scion stepped into view from behind one of the machines.
"Scion!" David warned, diving into cover just before a trail of explosions shot past him.
He leaned out, sending a ball of explosive gasses into the Scion, the explosion not killing it, but managing to blast a half-dozen Husks around it. A moment later, Shepard and Tali began to blast the Scion rapidly with their guns, Tali using her pistol currently. David leaned out and formed an omni-bow, firing a bolt into the blue thing on its back. The bolt exploded and killed the scion, only to hurl a red Husk directly at David with the concussion. David swore loudly, diving to the side just before the Husk exploded, hurling him into one of the large machines, David hitting upside down and groaning, falling to the ground in a heap.
"David!" Shepard said, running over with Tali. "Are you alright?"
"Great," David groaned. "Can we call it a day and go home now?"
Shepard sighed, offering David a hand and pulling him back to his feet. "I wish we could. Come on. We should keep moving before any more Husks find us."
"If only walking around could help with that," David said, turning to follow them, only to stop, staring past the edge of the platform they were on at dozens of massive metal spikes, on which the Cerberus science team was impaled. "Uh...Shepard?"
Shepard and Tali both walked over, taking in the sight.
"We've seen these before," Tali said. "Dragon's Teeth, your people call them. The Geth used them on Eden Prime."
"Anyone impaled on them is turned into a Husk," Shepard said, looking around.
There were more Dragon's Teeth on the walls, though free of corpses, and the way the platform was arranged gave David a distinctly church feeling, just not a church he'd ever visit.
"See how the room is arranged?" Shepard asked. "They treated this place like some kind of altar."
"That's messed up," David said. "So, what, those people are sacrifices?"
"No one in their right mind would want this," Tali said.
"They were indoctrinated," Shepard said. "We've already seen it with the security footage."
"That's probably true," David said. "I'm getting the creeps standing here. Can we please go?"
"Good idea," Shepard nodded.
They walked away from the altar, back off the platform and through a door they'd passed during the gunfight. It led to another airlock, which had to equalize the pressure between the room they were leaving and the one they were entering. As it did, the female automated announcement cheerfully announced that safety was a priority, and that it had been five days without a work-place death.
"Didn't miss it by much, did we?" David asked.
"No," Shepard said. "Maybe if we'd been quicker..."
"The science team would have been completely indoctrinated still," Tali said. "There's nothing we could have done."
As they entered the next room, they found it was even bigger than the one they'd left, with massive containers of God knows what marked with Cerberus's symbol. However, just as soon as they were away from the door, three Husks suddenly scrambled over the edge behind Shepard. David spun to shoot them, only for their mystery sniper to drop both Husks with a bullet each, all three of which passed directly over Shepard's shoulders. They all turned to where the bullets came from and saw a Geth.
"Shepard-Commander," the Geth said.
"I think the indoctrination is kicking in," David said. "I'm hallucinating a talking Geth."
"It's not just you," Tali said.
"No, it definitely talked," Shepard said.
"Is that N-Seven armor strapped to its chest?" David asked.
"Looks like it," Shepard said as the Geth turned and walked away.
Just then, Husks began to swarm over the sides of the catwalk, all three turning and forming a tight circle, shooting them rapidly.
"It shouldn't have been able to talk," Tali said. "A single Geth is no more intelligent than a Varren."
"The moment I see a talking Varren, I'm going to have Doctor Chakwas evaluate me for psychosis and test me for drugs," David said.
"Priorities," Shepard said, forming a singularity, which caught a pair of explosive Husks.
David shot one, the explosion sending the other crashing into an explosive container surrounded by Husks. The resulting explosion destroyed all the Husks around it, and the three of them quickly dropped the handful that were left.
"There, now can we talk about the talking-" David stopped, shoving Tali aside with his right arm and ramming Shepard away with his left shoulder as his omni-tool formed a shield bigger than his body just in time to block three explosions from a Scion's cannon.
The shield shattered and David crashed into a wall of black pipes, crashing to the ground, unconscious. Shepard swore, he and Tali opening fire on the two Scions in the room. The room itself was the level they were all on, a raised section in the middle with the three gigantic storage containers, and a flight of stairs leading to a lower level that wrapped around the raised platform with the containers, then a second staircase leading back up to the catwalk away from the room, where the Scions were. Shepard sprinted down the stairs, meaning to get a clear shot at the two Scions, only for Husks to begin flooding over the side of the lower level.
"Shepard!" Tali shouted, beginning to shoot the Husks that Shepard was struggling to fight off.
Finally, David groaned, stumbling to the top of the stairs and typing on his omni-tool. "Shepard, get up here! I'm going to short out my omni-tool for the next half hour to fry them all!"
Shepard and Tali worked together to form Shepard a path back to the stairs and David fired a blast of electricity that looked like a bolt of lightning past Shepard into the Husks chasing him. The electricity jumped from one to the next, all of the Husks shrieking and spasming before collapsing, black smoke curling out of their head. David sighed, slumping to the floor against the side of a computer, reaching up to feel his head, his hand coming away with blood.
"Yeah, that's a concussion," David said, just as the Scions stepped into view. "Shit."
Before they could shoot, however, Shepard's Particle Beam crashed into the first, slicing into the massive blue thing on its back in seconds, causing it to explode. The plasma splashed over the other Scion as well, but it merely shrieked in pain and swung its cannon around. Before it could fire, a combat drone appeared behind it, zapping it and drawing its attention, allowing Shepard to kill the second Scion as quickly as the first. Once finished, he knelt in front of David, applying medi-gel to his head.
"Thanks for the shield, by the way," Shepard said. "You saved me and Tali."
David smiled. "At least I can save someone."
Shepard helped him up and they headed down the stairs, David stumbling and swaying but moving. He activated his helmet so that gunfire wouldn't give him a headache when the concussion began to set in, and they quickly headed up the other set of steps and followed the catwalk again. From the top of the stairs, there were two more storage tanks on the right, then a ramp leading down to a square catwalk with a gap in the middle around one of the Reaper's support struts. David pointed toward the far side.
"There's probably a Praetorian there with our luck," David said.
"Please don't jinx us," Shepard said. "I already did at the beginning."
"No kidding," David grumbled, just as Husks began to scramble over the sides of the catwalk. "I'm just going to stop talking now."
They opened fire on the Husks, but David noticed the difference instantly. Without being able to turn invisible to calm his Fight or Flight response, he was shaking and trembling badly. His breathing was rapid and shallow, and he felt his head spinning. He clenched the grip of his rifle forcing himself to take exaggerated breaths, not calming himself any in doing so, but keeping himself from having a panic attack, or fainting. They began to work their way down toward the square catwalk, only for two more Scions to step out. Shepard swore, instantly grabbing his Particle Beam weapon and opened fire on one while David focused on the other and Tali focused on the Husks. It came as a sort of blessing that there were no explosive Husks yet, but just as soon as David managed to kill the Scion, several red Husks scrambled over the side beside him. He shrieked in surprise and fear, push kicking one into the rest and knocking them all off the platform again. However, when they exploded below it, the concussion shook the catwalk and a metal groan echoed through the ship.
"Oops," David grimaced.
"Run!" Shepard said, the three of them taking off at a sprint just before the catwalk behind them began to collapse.
After several turns, and sprinting past a swarm of Husks and two more Scions, they dove into an airlock just before the last of the catwalk broke free and fell. David groaned, lying motionless on his back for several long seconds before standing and looking down over the edge of the platform.
"Let's never do that again," Tali said.
"Yeah, my bad," David said. He turned, walking over to a computer sitting in front of a wall of data storage devices and typing on it for a few moments. "I've got the IFF. Let's go see about blowing up a Mass Effect core without killing ourselves, shall we?"
Shepard nodded and they opened the next door, only to stop. There was a shutter blocking the door, one designed to withstand much heavier weapons than they had. On the other side was a wide platform with the sides a few feet lower than the middle, connected by stairs running the length of the platform, and there was a computer at the far end, the Mass Effect Core visible beyond the end of the platform. The Geth was standing at the computer, two streams of orange electricity connecting its hands to the computer as it most likely tried to hack it. Behind it, several Husks were moving forward to attack it. It turned, shooing them and managing to kill the two closer ones, but it neglected to kill the rest, instead getting the shutter up just in time for a Husk to slam an arm into its head, dropping it. David dropped the remaining two husks quickly and they ran over to the computer.
"Tell me you can shut that thing down," Shepard said as David typed on the computer.
"Yeah, about that," David said. "We have to physically destroy the core, and whatever's left of the Reaper is fighting me for control. I can't keep the shields open long."
"Do what you can," Shepard said.
David nodded, drawing his Locust and turning, shooting several Husks with it, Shepard and Tali working together to keep them away. Then, he turned back to the computer, typing for a few seconds.
"Got it!"
He said, turning away from the controls and replacing Shepard, who pulled out his Particle Beam weapon, firing it into the exposed core. Husks swarmed toward them, seeming to want to stop him, but together, David and Tali were able to hold them back. David felt himself starting to slip again but forced himself to stay calm. Suddenly, Shepard swore.
"Shield's closed!" Shepard said, switching back to his rifle and taking over for David, who turned back to the computer.
He typed quickly, his attempts at hacking being overridden several times before he got it again. "Open!"
He spun, drawing his Locust in time to use it to knock a Husk's arm into the air, redirecting a slash aimed for Tali over her, then shot the Husk and several more. Just as the shield closed again, Tali swore.
"I'm out of Thermal Clips!" Tali shouted over Shepard's gunfire.
"Take my pistol!" David shouted back, typing on the computer.
She grabbed it and began to fire quickly. "Where are your thermal clips?"
"It doesn't need them!" David said. "Open!" He turned, grabbing his Locust again and opening fire. "It cools down!"
Tali nodded, returning to firing. After a few seconds, Shepard tapped David's shoulder. He turned, quickly getting the shields open again then turned as a dozen red Husks scrambled onto the platform.
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" David shouted. "Don't leave me behind!"
"What!?" Shepard asked, just as biotic power shone from David.
David turned, swiping a hand from behind himself over his shoulder at the core, all of the burning Husks streaking through the air, slipping between the closing shields of the core and exploding against the core itself, the shield locking in the force and allowing the blast to multiply, destroying the core.
"Ha," David said, swaying. "Got...you." He collapsed, Shepard catching him as the ship began to shake, rapidly growing more and more violent.
"Dammit David!" Shepard swore. "Tali, grab that thing! We're bringing it with us!"
Tali nodded, grabbing the Geth and grunting as she lifted it, following Shepard to the right side of the platform and followed a catwalk leading out to a hull breach where Joker could fly over next to them. The Normandy pulled up beside the ship, dropping at the same speed and allowing Tali to hurl the Geth into the port side airlock while Shepard shot the Husks trying to get to them. Shepard threw David next, Tali jumping immediately after. Both landed into the airlock and Tali turned, shooting the Husks as Shepard jumped. Shepard landed in the airlock and EDI closed the door, Joker flying away from the Reaper. Shepard opened the interior door as soon as he could nd Jack stepped into the airlock, eyes widening instantly.
"David!" Jack gasped, kneeling and feeling for a pulse. "Oh Fuck! David! He's barely breathing!"
"Move!" Shepard said, lifting David and heading for the elevator, Jack following as Miranda and Jacob arrived to take the Geth somewhere it could be secured.
As soon as they reached the medical bay, Chakwas stood and gestured at a bed. She began a cursory exam and her brow furrowed.
"What happened?" Chakwas asked.
"He hit his head earlier in the mission, then at the end he used his Biotics to throw a bunch of Husks, then collapsed," Shepard said. "Except he's worse this time."
Chakwas nodded, picking up a syringe and injecting it into his thigh. A moment later, David sat bolt upright, gasping for breath.
"What was that?" Jack asked.
"Adrenaline," Chakwas said. "Whenever he uses his Biotics, his body consumes too much energy and starts to go into a state of rest. I just woke him back up."
David groaned, laying back down and holding a hand to his head. "My head's killing me. I think my concussion's setting in."
"It is," Chakwas said. "Three days of rest and you'll be fine."
David nodded. "Thanks Doc."
"You were supposed to come back safe," Jack said.
"I believe the deal was alive," David said, pushing himself up, swaying even before standing. "Help me to the armory?"
Jack nodded and helped him out of the room to the elevator, Shepard helping as well. Once both were out of their armor and had locked their weapons up, Shepard left to call the Illusive Man and David and Jack headed back to their hole, David sighing in relief when the darkness helped with his migraine.
"Do you have any idea how scared I was when I saw you passed out in that airlock?" Jack asked.
"Sorry," David said. "Thanks for getting me to Chakwas."
Jack sighed, shaking her head. "You're going to be a handful forever, aren't you?"
"I hope not," David chuckled, wincing. "Being a handful hurts."
"That's what you get," Jack said before her gaze fell to the floor for a moment. "So...I promised you an answer."
"It's alright if you don't have one," David said.
Jack shook her head. "I do. I...I want to try. I'm not sure if I'll be able to actually let you in, and I can't promise I won't get scared and freak out, but I want to try."
David smiled, nodding. "Alright."
Jack smiled before it faded slightly. "Um..." she swallowed, actually blushing slightly, and David had to hold a laugh in at seeing Jack, of all people, actually being shy. "Can I...kiss you?"
David chuckled, nodding, and Jack leaned forward hesitantly, kissing him, David kissing her back instantly. It was a bit awkward, at first, partially because of Jack being shy, but after a moment, Jack relaxed, settling into the kiss with a sigh. After several seconds, she turned, moving over to straddle his lap so they wouldn't have to turn to the side to face each other, and her hands cupped his cheeks as she let out a shaky breath, deepening the kiss. Her tongue slipped out, trailing along his lower lip to urge him to let her in and he granted her request, his tongue meeting his. After a couple more minutes, Jack finally pulled away, both breathing harder and Jack smiling slightly.
"That was...different," Jack said.
"Sorry," David winced.
"What?" jack's brow furrowed before here eyes widened. "Oh! No, no! It was good! You're not a bad kisser or anything. It was just...different. I've obviously kissed people before but...it was different with you. It felt...I don't know. It made me feel...warm. But at the same time...it kind of felt like I was drowning. And my chest hurt a little."
David chuckled. "Those are called emotions. We weak bitches have them."
Jack rolled her eyes. "Very funny. I just mean...it was different. I've never felt anything like that form something as simple as a kiss."
"Is that good?" David asked.
"I...don't know," Jack said. "Maybe."
David smiled. "I can work with maybe."
Jack smiled, and leaned forward again. She hesitated for a moment before kissing him again, David kissing her back and letting her set the pace.
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