*A few hours earlier.*
The briefing felt like it took longer than usual for Gordon. Probably because he just had his ass chewed out by the chief, and now had an annoying as fuck suit-gyp riding his ass. His sergeant's monotonous droning pissed him off even more today. Big elephant looking motherfucker. How'd a xeno make sergeant anyway?
"With barely contained mirth: Detective Gordon, we've all heard you get your second asshole from all the way out here. With mock concern: How did it feel? Was the chief good?" The Elcor sergeant's nostrils flared in pleasure as it ribbed Gordon.
"Fuck you asshole. Get on with it." Gordon shook his head and took a seat, focusing his eyes on the whiteboard and projection.
Aela, meanwhile, was caught in a coughing fit, desperately trying to suppress her laughter.
"Don't you start now." Gordon gave her a sidelong glare.
"With amusement: Already getting along with your new partner, I see. Good."
"...Can we get to the brief now?" Gordon sighed.
Fucking overgrown walrus- whatever the fuck you're supposed to be.
"In a professional tone: Right then. Back to business. APB was posted out in District 13. With gravitas: That's right - the slums. Though what isn't a slum on Earth these days. Gravely: Suspect was last seen holed up in an abandoned slaughterhouse, where he keeps his base of operations. You've heard it all before- abducts folks, harvests their organs and implants, and sells them on the black market. Targets the elderly, and women. Soft targets. Scum of the earth. Deals in slaves, too."
The Elcor deflated slightly.
"Sarcastically: Who wants it? First one with their hands up gets the case." The screen changed from a picture showing the grotesque states of the victims, to a shot of the hideout, and then to a mugshot of the perp- a scarred and bug-eyed looking Turian.
Nobody wanted to go to District 13. It was practically a warzone. The worst of the worst of slums. But- things were different for Gordon. It wasn't just a paycheck to him.
Gordon tensed up as soon as he saw the metalhead, split-jawed bastard. A xeno was bad enough. But a Turian? Hell no.
His hand shot up into the air, which earned him a "What the fuck?" from Aela. This was why he joined the APD.
"Mockingly: Eager as ever, aren't we, Detective Gordon? Can always trust you to bring in a Turian collar."
"Gordon, he's based in 13! What are you doing?" Aela hissed.
"Shut it, suit-gyp. Stay back at the station if you're too much of a pussy." Gordon grunted. "I'm taking this bastard down."
Aela simply shook her head. "Volunteering for District 13? You're crazy. Haven't you heard the stories?"
"With loud annoyance: Alright, cut it out you two. You can have your marital spat later. I was going to assign it to our resident racist with a deathwish anyway. Detective Aela, you're stuck with him. We're short-handed, cases all over. It will just be you two, and a handful of uniforms. If there's heavy resistance, and only then, can you call in back-up. Here's the case files, off you go now. Stake out the place, move in when he inevitably slinks back there to harvest his latest victims. Would prefer you take him in alive, though wouldn't blame you if you killed the bastard."
The Elcor pushed the thick folder and data chip towards Gordon.
"With nonchalance: Now then, let's move on. Keith, you're headed to a traffic accident..."
The Elcor's voice droned on as Gordon got up and left the briefing room, followed by a pissed off Aela.
"Why, Ancestors why? Why did you have to pair me with a suicidal racist piece of shit, of all people!?" Aela wailed, to no one in particular.
"I can hear you." Fucking bitch.
"That was the point, Piggy."
...
*Present time, in the patrol car, headed to the APB to find and apprehend the suspect.*
Gordon's thumb slammed against the eject button one last time before he finally gave up, and sinked into his chair.
Aela paused her jam out session as the surroundings changed from high-tech well kept buildings and turned into dilapidated abandoned apartment complexes and potholed roads. Gangsters posted up all over the streets stared them down, and homeless camps were scattered throughout.
Aela sighed in frustration. "Piggy, if you have a deathwish, it's much easier just to stick a barrel down your throat and pull the trigger. Don't have to drag me along with you."
"For the last time. I can turn this car around any time, and your Quarian ass can sit back in the station. And just so you know, if you get a suit puncture, you're on your own." He growled.
"Surprised you even knew about that, you ignorant asshole. And I don't expect you to help, kezid. Prick." Aela spat out.
"Good." Gordon grunted.
"So what's the plan anyway? We just gonna waltz in through the front door?" Aela asked.
"I'll be offering you to him as a slave. To fuck, or harvest, or whatever the sick fuck wants to do."
"The FUCK?" She said, turning in her chair to face him, with a hand on her gun.
Gordon chuckled. "Relax. We'll lure him out, get him to meet us and then spring the trap. Your immuno - compromised organs are worthless anyway. And Quarians die after a single fuck, don't they? Not much bang for the buck there either. Pun intended." He added, sneering.
"Fuck you, clown."
"You wish you could." He said, smirking.
"Not even if you were the last bosh'tet remaining on Earth."
"Trust me, the feeling is very much mutual, suit-rat."
...
The hood of the car was battered with droplets of night rain, as the neon colors of downtown swirled amongst the pooled reflections.
Gordon gave his pistol a once over, and made sure his plate armor fit snugly in place.
Nowadays, the APD was militarized on par with the Alliance marines. The Corpo PMCs and Black Ops Agents, Ganger Enforcers, and flood of weapons circulating through the hands of organized criminals made that a necessity. Many APD branches were beholden to or compromised by one or two megacorps or crime families, but the one Gordon belonged to retained its integrity, for the most part. Every uniform wishing to promote to Detective had to go through a training program almost as rigorous as the training for N7 commandos. And Gordon was among the top scorers.
"I've made contact with the bastard, meeting is on, wants us to meet him at the slaughterhouse the Elcor mentioned. Ready?"
"... Do I really have to get tied up like this?" Aela held up her ziptied wrists.
"He'll likely send a lackey to talk to us first, see if we're legit. We need to sell it for him to come out and appraise the merchandise himself."
"...Right. Why can't you be the bait?"
"Oh don't be such a pussy. The ziptie is loose. Just pull your hands apart when it's time to get shooting. You do know how to shoot, right suit-gyp? They teach you that before you head out on pilgrimage?"
"I was raised here on Earth asshole. And I bet I'm a better shot than you. Top marks at Academy."
"Horseshit." Gordon said, as he closed the unmarked car's trunk with a final thud. "Come on. Meeting's in 30."
...
"Officer Chang, sit-rep." Gordon whispered.
"My boys are in position, Detective. We have a perimeter set up."
"Good, stay hidden. Pop out when I signal."
He was glad his team of uniforms were all human cops. They'd get the job done right. Not like those xenos.
Aela fidgeted in irritation. "My wrists chafe." She hissed.
"Shut up." Gordon hissed back.
Finally, the double doors opened and a scarred Batarian flanked by two Krogan walked in.
Gordon raised an eyebrow. "I want to speak to Rex. Who the fuck are you?"
The batarian bust out laughing. "Human. You got some real balls, speaking to me like that."
He walked up and jabbed a finger into Gordon's chest.
"As far as you're concerned, *I'm* Rex. Capische?" The batarian's laughter faded into a scowl.
"No deal unless I can speak to Rex. Go fetch your boss, you fucking Squint."
The Krogan standing besides the Batarian broke composure and began laughing uproariously. "HA! The human's got a quad."
"Sh-shut up, fools. What do I pay you for. Nevermind. I take it this is the slave you're offering? Yes... yes, she'll do nicely..."
The batarian swaggered up to Aela, and placed a hand on her waist, tracing a finger along her ample hips. "Yes..." His four eyes dilated in perversion."How much you want for her?"
"I'm not gonna repeat myself. Rex, or no deal."
The batarian pulled out his gun, and jammed it against Gordon's temple. "I don't think you realize the situation you're in."
Suddenly a metallic voice boomed out from behind him. "Enough, Gorlak. This is not how we do business." A Turian towering above the Batarian by at least 2 feet strode up and forcibly lowered his gun.
He flared his mandibles by way of a smile. Gordon forced himself from grimacing in rage.
"I am Rex. Let's talk business."
"Kyle Reeves. Selling this slave here. She's young, and quite a beauty underneath that mask."
The Turian stared at her, looking at her from head to toe, as if scrutinizing livestock. "Yes, quite so. But I'm sure you realize the difficulty in maintaining Quarian slaves? Cleanrooms and antibiotics don't come cheap. Why should I buy her from you?"
"She's a good fuck. And obedient." Gordon said, slapping Aela on the ass, causing her to stumble forward a bit.
I'll fucking kill you! She thought.
Rex chuckled, his mandibles hissing and vibrating. "That's all you can ask for, really. You have quite a way with words, Mr. Kyle Reeves. 1000 Credits."
"2000."
"... 1500."
"1800."
"Deal. You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Reeves. I'll be taking her now."
"NOW!" Gordon yelled into the comms as Aela broke free from her restraints in one fluid motion, just as the Turian had grabbed her and pulled her over to his side.
Gordon popped off a shot clean through the left krogan's skull, while Aela jammed her combat knife into the right one's throat.
"What the!?" Rex yelled, backing away. "G-gorlak, do something!"
The Batarian snarled, and sprayed his rifle at Gordon, who dived behind a pile of nearby crates.
"Shit! Fucker's pinned me down." Gordon growled.
"That sounds like a you problem." Aela said, as she flanked the Batarian with her pistol, and dropped him with two shots in the gut.
"GUH! You BITCH!" Gorlak cried out, before crumpling in a heap.
Rex meanwhile, turned tail and made a break for the rear exit, where he was met with Officer Chang and the rest of his team, decked out in full body armor and armed to the teeth.
"You set me up!"
"You figure all that by yourself, you split-jawed fuck?" Gordon growled, as he backhanded the Turian sadistically, sprawling him onto the ground before placing a knee on his back and handcuffing his talons. "Don't fucking move, or your brains are gonna paint the ground, like your krogan boyfriends over there." Gordon pointed at the two giant corpses behind them, blood oozing in puddles already.
"Fuck you, human! You don't scare me. I've harvested the organs of hundreds of fuckers looked just like you. You're not so tough."
Gordon saw red. He smashed a fist against the Turian's face- which suddenly looked a lot like the face of the Turian that killed his father. He punched again. And again. And finally, gave him a brutal kick in the guts, causing the Turian to double over, puking over himself on the ground. "Say that again, asshole. I dare you."
Rex whimpered weakly in response.
Aela grabbed him by the shoulder. "Gordon. That's enough. He's been neutralized."
He raised a fist, then dropped it. His glazed over eyes regained its luster and he heaved a shuddering sigh, before popping a few more pills from a small cylindrical canister hidden in his pocket.
"Take him away officers. And clean up the mess." Aela commanded, and gestured towards the Batarian and Krogan corpses.
"Aye." Officer Chang said, avoiding looking at Gordon as he helped the half-conscious and dazed Turian up. His face was fractured in a few places, and his mandibles leaked blood. "Come on, Turian. Up you go."
...
Gordon rubbed at his split open fist, hastily wrapped in bandages. The car sped through the streets, sloshing through the rain as they headed back to the station to finalize the paperwork for the collar.
"What the hell is the matter with you. You're a real piece of work, aren't you?" Aela asked.
"... You don't know me." Gordon snarled.
"I know you're a psycho."
"Took him in alive, didn't I? Fucker was armed. I could have shot him dead."
"... True. But not without beating him to within an inch of his life. You know, I've read your dossier." Aela said, rubbing at her wrists.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. You've got quite the record of brutality incidents- mostly on xeno perps."
Gordon remained silent.
Aela continued- "Can I ask why? I mean, I know how humans are, but you're on another level."
Gordon sneered. "You know why. I'm a 'racist asshole.'"
Aela shook her head. "There's more to it than that."
"Cut the bullshit. Why do you care?"
"Because we're partners, and I have to work with you. I'd rather not work with someone who's an actual total fucking psycho just for the sake of being a psycho."
"Better send in another transfer request then huh suit-gyp?" Gordon said, turning away.
Aela sighed.
"... Back there, you stopped beating him after I told you to stop. Why?"
"Didn't want to catch another charge." Gordon said, waving it off.
"... What were those pills you took?"
"Listen. Stop that shit. We're not friends. You're not my shrink. Cut the 20 questions bullshit. You do your job, I do mine. Don't like it? Ask the Chief for a transfer. I got nothing to say to you." Gordon said, a vein popping in his temple. Why on Earth this suit-gyp who supposedly disliked humans was bothering him so much was beyond him.
"Have it your way, Pervy Pig."
"Good. That's much better. Also, Pervy? That's new."
"That's for slapping my ass earlier."
"Had to sell it to the metalhead, lower his guard."
"Sure, whatever you say, Pervy Pig."
"Yeah yeah. I need a fucking drink after today."
"I know a place." Aela said, after a pause.
"Did I fucking ask?" Gordon grunted. "Your ass is gonna be at your desk, burning the midnight candle, filling in the paperwork for the collar today."
"Nah, we'll let the uniforms do that."
Gordon sighed. "Can't even let me drink in peace, can you?"
"Chief's orders." Aela said, smirking beneath her helmet.
There's something more to him. I saw the pain in his eyes as he was beating on the Turian.
"Ugh. Fine. Lead the way, and it better not be some Suit-gyp bar."
She smiled. "You'll see. I think you'll like it."
Gordon sighed again. "Can I at least have control of my own goddamned radio back?"
"No."
"I really hate you, you know that? How'd I get stuck with not only a xeno partner, but an asshole xeno partner? God, I actually miss Regus now, the metalhead bastard. He at least didn't fuck with the radio."
"Fuck you too, Gordon." She said, socking him lightly on the arm.
She punched in the nav codes to the nightclub, as Gordon tried vainly to shield his ears from the Quarian techno-pop, as waves of neon washed over him through the windows and the rain.
...