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Disclaimer: I do not own the Escape from Tarkov or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective property and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts and Battlestate Games. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Geneburn - Stranger
Citadel
Tayseri Ward
2183
Once they had left the Embassies, the team had taken an air car in order to get to Tayseri Ward, which was where Garrus wanted to meet them at. As the air car flew through the air, O'Connor looked around at the interior. The air car's interior reminded him of a futuristic version of the taxi's that he'd seen in New York at one point. Displays and controls where everywhere, though the back seats, just like back then, were fairly bare. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
When it came to comfort, though, that was where he had to frown. He hated the fact that he was inside of an automated taxi that was hurling through the air at nearly 420 kph, with only the onboard systems being able to fly the vehicle safely through the air, if the 'driver' wasn't military of course. As such, he felt tense and nervous as they barreled through the air at speeds that only a Bugatti Chiron could achieve on the ground.
He also hated the fact that it was unarmored. Give me an IFV, or even an APC any day of the week over this piece of shit. While those were uncomfortable, at least you knew that bullets wouldn't be able to hurt you at all. In here, I feel like I'm a target with a sign that says 'shoot me.' How these people do it, I don't know.
Eventually, however, they exited the Presidium and, after a short hop through the space between the arms, landed at Tayseri Ward. The moment he exited, he knew that he had entered his element. Before Tarkov, he had worked in other urban areas, such as the cities of the Middle East, as well as some areas in Europe.
As such, when he stepped out of the air car, he felt as though he was in a home away from home. The ward was bustling with the commerce and life of millions, if not billions, of people going about their business, doing their part to ensure that civilization continued to thrive in the future. Turians, Salarians, Asari, a pair of Krogan, Volus and other aliens moved and wove through the wards.
During the trip here, he'd also read about some of the alien races, courtesy of a data pad he'd been handed by Shepard. Of all the alien races, he had to sympathize with the Quarians. Forgotten and left to die in the stars, just like the Scavs in Tarkov, he had thought. Poor bastards. It doesn't help that their reputation is horrible.
As they walked along, he spotted an individual that was standing near the door to a clinic. The individual was a Turian that was wearing blue and black armor, had bright blue eyes and blue facial paint to match. The moment their eyes met, he could tell that the alien was studying him, analyzing him, almost as though he was a suspect.
That disappeared when the Turian spotted Shepard approaching. "Commander," he noted, standing up fully once more. "Garrus Vakarian, C-SEC. I'm the investigator assigned to the case."
"You asked us to meet you here," Shepard continued. "Why?"
"Dr. Michelle said that she had information to share with me," Garrus replied. "I was about to enter when I spotted you coming in, so I decided to wait until you landed." Spotting O'Connor, he added, "So, he was cleared?"
"Yes. Body cam footage and data stick with a dossier. All of it was genuine. He's really from the past."
"Good. I hate it when I have to arrest someone that's genuinely innocent. Grates on my nerves every time." After a moment, he said, "Well, let's not keep her waiting." With that, he hit the controls to enter the clinic.
The doors opened to reveal a room that was partially split in half by a partition. The partition consisted of a half wall that moved to the left until it intercepted a column, giving it the appearance of a window of sorts. A row of beds, with a window looking out into a garden vista, was present, along with doors that led into what looked like a storage area and more medical cots.
Then there was the woman inside, Dr. Chloe Michelle. O'Connor found that she looked pleasing, in a professional, workplace kind of way. She was dressed in a tightly fitting medical uniform that extended into a skirt that stopped just below her knees, with black shoes and tightly fitting black pants. Her red hair contrasted neatly with her green eyes, the latter of which held the compassion and dignity of a doctor that was dedicated to her work.
Currently, she was working on a patient that had, apparently, suffered a broken arm, as she gently set the Asari's arm before applying a cast to it. "There, that should do it," she told the Asari. "Just be a little more careful next time, please?"
"I will," the Asari replied. "I was stupid to let my attention lapse like that. If I had only paid attention, this would've never happened. Still, thank you for helping me out."
"It's the least I can do," Dr. Michelle replied. Hearing footsteps, she turned around to see Garrus, Shepard and the others walking inside. "I'll be back in a moment." Walking over to Garrus, she said, "Investigator, is there something I can do for you?"
"Yes," Garrus replied, his relaxed demeanor fading into one of professionalism. "I was informed that you had information to share."
"Oh, yes! I remember now," Dr. Michelle recalled. "About a few hours ago, I had a Quarian come inside. She'd been hurt, and she was very ill. Someone shot her with polonium rounds."
"Ouch," Garrus hissed, knowing how poisonous Polonium was. "That hurts. Go on."
"I gave her medical treatment, and removed the poison in her body. Her fever broke a few hours ago, so I gave her some more treatment. During treatment, she told me she had information that could help with some kind of case, involving a Spectre. I asked her to stay here while I contacted C-SEC. She should be inside, if I recall correctly." With that, she led them to the back area, opening the door a moment later.
The moment she did, she let out a gasp of shock. "W-what?!" she gasped, looking at the cot that the Quarian had been using. "W-where did she go?! I swear, she was right here!"
"Found where she got out," Garrus noted. He pointed directly at a grate in the wall, which had been loosened up enough to allow a person to squeeze through.
"Why would she run?" Shepard asked.
"I-I don't know," Michelle stammered, clearly confused and shaken. "Maybe she was just scared."
Or maybe she's not as innocent as she might be," Garrus murmured.
"Or maybe she doesn't trust anyone," O'Connor added
"Why do you say that? Any insights to share?"
"I read up on the Quarians while coming over here. Given the fact that she was shot, combined with the Quarian's poor, and undeserved, reputation, and that would give her a very low opinion of who can help her. I've seen the type before, given my line of work." Turning to Michelle, he said, "If I know people like her, she would find someone to trade her information in exchange for safety. Any information brokers around here?"
"Y-yes. There's one, his name is Fist. He's an agent working for the Shadow Broker. If she wanted to trade information for a place to hide, then that's who she would go to."
"Thank you," O'Connor replied.
"You're welcome. Just… make sure she doesn't get hurt. She's a scared young woman and I fear for her health." With that, the team left.
As they left, Garrus said, "O'Connor, you read my mind back there. How'd you do that?"
"I've had experience with people like the Quarian we're going after," O'Connor replied. "One of my contracts involved escorting a whistle blower to an information broker. Longest job of my life, but quite exciting."
"How so?"
"His bosses tried eight different times to kill him, and they were quite creative. Tried to make it look like an accident, only they didn't account for me. I got him there safe and sound, with nary a scratch on him, then I killed the bastard trying to kill him. Fucker deserved it."
"How so?"
"He was a pedophilic bastard that had a sadistic streak, and was extremely good at killing. I found out he had numerous outstanding bounties on him. Made a lot of cash, and did the world a service at the same time. At least the sick fucker is dead."
As he said this, Shepard noticed that O'Connor seemed rather casual about what had happened. Part of this was probably due to O'Connor's professionalism, but he thought he caught a glimpse of... something else under the surface. I'll talk with him when I have the time, Shepard thought. O'Connor's a merc, but I thought I sensed something under that hardened exterior of his.
"That's... disturbing," Garrus replied. "Still, if he was as bad as you say he was, then I can see why him being dead is a good thing." Clearing his throat, he got the group back on topic. "Fist owns a place down in the lower Wards, a 'gentleman's club' by the name of Chora's Den. It's more like a dive, if I'm being honest."
"It's a good way to hide illicit revenue," O'Connor agreed. "A high income business like that is ideal for shady business. Either way, flapping our lips won't get that Quarian. We're going to have to go to Chora's Den to get her."
"Agreed. It's in this area. Follow me."
. . .
Chora's Den, it turned out, wasn't that far from the clinic. In fact, it was a stone's throw away from the clinic, with the bar being located in the lower sections of the ward past a marketplace. As the door closed behind them, O'Connor froze where stood, his limbs stopping their movement completely. Within moments, his mind was whisked back to that particular day he found himself in this scenario before.
I can still smell the gunpowder in my nostrils, he thought as he recalled that day. Why did it have to be me? Why did I have to be the one that was forced to kill those people? I just wanted to live long enough to get back home, not become a -
"O'Connor!" Shepard shouted, startling the former USEC Operator. "You OK?" he asked, with Garrus standing by in the event that something happened. "You blanked out on us. You had this faraway stare in your eyes and you just stopped moving. Is everything OK?"
"N-no," O'Connor replied as he deciphered the cause of the flashback: the preternatural silence that had pervaded the area. "Listen. Notice anything odd?"
For a few moments, Shepard tried to pick out any sounds, only to find that nothing was making sound. It was Garrus who spoke up. "Yeah… it's too quiet. There's usually some noise around here."
"What, you think an ambush?" Ashley asked, eyes warily scanning the place.
"Maybe," Garrus nodded. "I'm guessing that lack of sound triggered a PTSD episode. You sure you can still function?"
"Yes," O'Connor replied. "I might have PTSD, and I probably do, but I won't let it stop me. If the enemy shoots me, they die. Either way, we need to be careful; if that silence is correct, it means there's an ambush nearby."
"Agreed," Shepard nodded. "Everyone spread out. Stack up on the entrance to the area leading to Chora's Den." Immediately, the team spread out, with O'Connor and Garrus stacking up on one side, while Shepard, Kaidan and Ashley stacked up on the other side. "Anything, Garrus?"
"Yep," Garrus nodded, his visor scanning the area ahead. "Two Turians up ahead, but they're too stiff and tense to be party goers. I think something's up." Looking at O'Connor, he asked, "I don't suppose you have a means of disorienting them."
"Would this help?" O'Connor asked. He pulled out what looked like a grenade, only it looked more like a teardrop instead of an apple, which was the shape most grenades had.
"What's that?"
"Zarya stun grenade. Creates a bright flash and a loud sound that disorients an individual. Less-than-lethal implement. I usually sell these, but I guess I forgot to empty them out of my backpack."
"That might work," Shepard nodded. "Can you throw one inside?" Instead of replying, O'Connor pulled the pin on the grenade and tossed it inside.
Moments later, they heard a loud BANG, with the walls briefly flashing as a brilliant white flash briefly drowned out any other sources of light. Loud shouts of pain, and a body falling over, indicated that the targets had been stunned. Rushing inside, Shepard and the others quickly closed in on the two Turians, both of whom had weapons in their hands.
"Hands in the air!" Garrus shouted, rifle raised and aimed at the two offenders. One tried to fire, only to be gunned down by Shepard and the others. The other one, being smarter, realized he was outgunned and dropped his weapon while raising his hands to the back of his head. Moments later, Garrus forced him to lie on the ground so he could search him, while Shepard and the others kept a close eye on the offender.
"Who do you work for?" Shepard growled at the Turian.
"No one," the assassin replied, wincing as Shepard placed his boot on his back and pushed down.
"Wrong answer. Who do you work for?"
"No need to ask him," Kaidan told the others as he stood up, a data pad in his hands. "They're assassins that Saren sent to kill Shepard and capture O'Connor. I guess they didn't anticipate the rest of us coming along."
Before anyone could act, the Turian they were holding down began to thrash. Flipping him over, Shepard watched as the Turian foamed at the mouth, roars and growls of pain coming from the alien as he writhed on the ground. After a few seconds, he went still completely, eyes rolling up into his head. "S'kak," Garrus snarled. "Suicide poison. Must've self-administered it when he was face down."
"Fucking coward," O'Connor growled, "but an effective way to avoid interrogation."
"Still," Shepard told the others, "that means that Saren knows we're onto him. He's getting desperate. All we have to do now is find the Quarian and get her away from Fist."
"That is if you reach him first," came another voice. Looking around, Shepard spotted the source of the words. It was a Krogan, a male, and a big one at that. He stood tall, a good foot and a half taller than Garrus if one included the hump, wore black and red armor, and had red colored eyes that glared at them. Weapons of varying types, from assault rifles, to shotguns, were on the magnetic clamps of his armor. Either way, it was clear he meant business.
"Who are you?" Shepard asked.
"The name's Urdnot Wrex," the Krogan replied. "If you're thinking that Fist'll cooperate with you, you're wasting your time. He doesn't work for the Shadow Broker anymore. He works for Saren now, and the Shadow Broker's pissed off about it."
"Dumb move," O'Connor remarked. "You never betray someone powerful unless you're fully prepared for it. If you aren't, you usually end up dead."
"Exactly. The Shadow Broker hired me to make an example of him."
"Did you know we were coming?" Shepard asked.
Wrex shook his head. "I didn't, not until your new guy here tossed in that grenade. It takes a lot to deafen a Krogan, even for a few seconds, but he managed it."
"We're going to arrest Fist, if that's the case," Garrus growled at Wrex.
"You really thing that'll work? The man has an army of lawyers at his disposal. He'll be out before you know it."
"We'll see about that, after his double life is exposed," O'Connor added. "If you don't like it, then I'll smash my rifle into your face and kick you in the balls, if you try to get violent that is."
There was silence as Wrex thought over those words for a few seconds, then he said, "Heh, you've got a quad, Human. Not many would talk to me like that, but something about you is different. Alright, we'll play it your way... for now."
"Then let's go," O'Connor nodded.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Shepard asked.
"If he betrays us, I can put a bullet in his dome."
"Fair enough. Let's try to do this without undue violence though."
The door to Chora's Den was literally a couple meters away, as the assassins had posted outside of it to catch Shepard and the others. As they approached, Garrus noticed that the lock was glowing an angry red, rather than the bright green that was normal. "Looks like it's shut down," he remarked.
"Fist knows were coming," Wrex added. "He's probably lying in wait." Looking at O'Connor, he asked, "You have more of those grenades?"
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" O'Connor asked.
"Yep. Toss in one of those, disorient the thugs, then burst inside, guns blazing. They won't expect it, and if they shoot at us, then we can shoot at them."
"I like the way your brain thinks. So, Shepard, you agree?"
"As long as it doesn't get us immediately killed, I'm all for it."
"Alright. Here we go." Moments later, everyone stacked on the door, while O'Connor pulled his last Zarya out of his backpack. "Garrus, have the door partially open, just enough for me to toss the grenade inside. That should allow me to get it in there without getting shot."
"You a good shot with that thing?"
"I practiced a long time with throwing grenades. I don't think a baseball pitcher has better aim than I do." With that in mind, Garrus complied, using his omni-tool to partially open the door. As soon as he did, gunfire raked the door, with some bullets flying out into the plaza they were in. Once the fire died down, O'Connor pulled the pin and hurled the grenade inside.
There were shouts of surprise, which were quickly replaced by shouts of pain and bodies falling over as the flash-bang detonated. As soon as it had done so, Garrus fully opened the doors, with the team quickly moving inside, weapons ready. True enough, the Zarya's detonation had disoriented the thugs, including the Krogan bouncer that was guarding the door.
Within seconds, gunfire rang out. O'Connor fired his M4 at the Krogan bouncer, as he immediately identified him as a threat. That assessment was correct, as the Krogan had recovered from the flash-bang faster than the thugs, and was now pulling his shotgun out. He never go the chance to fire, courtesy of four M995 rounds that pierced through his headplate, scrambling his brains in the process.
Switching to other targets, O'Connor took cover and fired two, three rounds bursts at a pair of thugs. The thugs, who were wearing no form of body armor, were completely helpless to stop their deaths. One slumped over, clutching at a gaping wound in his stomach, while another fell backwards, his head exploding as a round punched through it like air.
Nearby, Wrex and the others were firing as well. Kaidan, using his biotics, threw a number of thugs into the air, allowing Shepard and Ashley to gun them down as they floated helplessly in the air. Garrus, using his training, overloaded the kinetic barriers of another thug, before effortlessly nailing him in the head. Wrex, in this case, was a force of nature, as he barreled and blasted his way through thugs, painting the walls red, blue and black with blood.
Within thirty seconds, the firefight was over. For the most part, the bar was relatively intact, save for some holes in the wall, courtesy of the bullets from O'Connor's rifle, and a few overturned tables and chairs. "Minimal collateral damage," Garrus noted. "That means less paperwork for me to fill out. Good." Looking at O'Connor, he said, "Nice shots. I didn't expect an old rifle to perform so well."
"Good guns are outstanding in skilled hands," O'Connor shrugged. "Besides, I'm certain they'll find a solution to my gun soon." Looking at Shepard, he said, "I hope we don't have to deal with more firefights in the future. My spare ammo's down to a third of it's original amount. I've loaded all four mags, but unless we find an ammo manufacturer her on the Citadel, my guns'll be dry soon."
"We'll find a solution," Shepard reassured him. "I promise."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Wouldn't expect anything less. Now let's go talk to Fist." Moving towards the door in the back of the bar, they opened it up.
As soon as they did, Shepard found himself looking down the muzzle of a pistol. Behind said pistol was a man, his eyes narrowed, but his hands shaking with terror. "Stop, or we'll shoot!" he nearly shouted, his friend armed, though his eyes were wide.
"Warehouse workers," Garrus told the others. "All the real guards must be dead."
"Stay back, or we'll shoot!" another dockworker shouted.
They're scared, Shepard realized, but they need to know this place isn't safe. I've got an idea. Clearing his throat, he said, "You know, this would be a real good time to find someplace else to work." He didn't expect his charm to work out.
Surprisingly, it did, as the dockworker lowered his weapon and said, "Good idea. Why didn't I think of that. Alright, we're leaving."
"Yep," his buddy agreed. "I never liked Fist anyways. Fucking asshole overworks us, never gives us vacation pay..." With that, the dockworkers left.
"It would've been quicker to shoot them," Wrex remarked.
"Shooting people isn't always the answer," Garrus replied. Behind him, O'Connor nodded in agreement. There were a few times that he was tempted to shoot someone, only to not do so. In each one, his mercy had paid off in spades.
With the dockworkers out of the way, the team was free to move inside. Reaching another door, they stacked up before opening it, bursting inside moments later. The room they entered was an office, large enough to house thirty people standing up. A few chairs and tables were present, along with a large desk in the back. The room was warmly lit, with lights providing warm, ample illumination.
Said room was currently occupied by two individuals. The first was a man that was sitting behind the desk. His brown eyes were focused on Shepard and the others, with a surprised expression on his face. The other person was a Quarian, a female from the looks of it, that was wearing a black and silver colored environmental suit. Behind her purple face plate were two, silver glowing eyes that were wide with surprise.
Apparently Fist, the man behind the desk, hadn't expected anyone to come knocking, as he was motionless for a moment before said, "Who are you? Where are my guards?"
"Fuckers tried to kill us," O'Connor remarked. "Besides, Fist, I think it would be polite if you informed the lady here who you're really working for."
"What do you mean?" the Quarian asked, her eyes wide with worry and fear.
"Nothing to be concerned about," Fist replied. "I'll see our guests out." He reached for a control.
As soon as he did, though, Wrex surprised him by dashing forward, his massive bulk a blur as he barreled through Fist's desk and smashed into the man, pressing him against the back wall. "I don't think so," he growled out. "Nice to meet you, Fist. The Shadow Broker isn't pleased that you betrayed him."
"W-what's going on?" the Quarian asked, confused.
"Fist isn't working for the Shadow Broker anymore," Garrus clarified. "He's working for Saren now. According to this data pad I have here, he wanted Fist to 'get rid of the Quarian' while his assassins were tasked to 'kill Shepard and capture the unknown human.'"
With those words, the fear in the Quarian's eyes turned into seething rage, rage that was plainly visible even through her translucent faceplate. "You lying bosh'tet!," she practically screamed at Fist. "Those were your men that tried to kill me!"
"And they would've too," Fist snarled, realizing the game was up. "Who would've thought that a suit rat would be so good at not dying?" That earned him a punch in the gut from Wrex, causing the man to double over onto the ground.
"Why were you here?" Garrus asked the Quarian.
"I was going to trade some information that I found inside a Geth memory core for safety," the Quarian replied. "I thought I'd be safe, but now I know that I'll be hunted wherever I go."
"Not if you stick with us," O'Connor replied, walking over to her. "We're looking for evidence that will convict a Spectre of treason against the Council. Given that you told Dr. Michelle that you had such evidence, we figured you were important to our investigation."
"I see," was the dubious response. After a moment, she said, "Then I'll go with you. We shouldn't stay here, though, not with this bosh'tet." She glared daggers at Fist.
"What do we do now?" Kaidan asked.
"We get out of here," Shepard replied.
As he said this, O'Connor walked over to Fist. "So, you were an information broker, and a traitor at that. Fucking coward." In a move that surprised everyone, O'Connor smashed his fist into Fist's face, raking him in the mouth with a powerful right hook. Teeth flew out of Fist's mouth as a loud CRACK echoed in the air.
"AAAGGGHHHH!" Fist screamed, his jaw having been shattered from the blow. "Motherfucker!" Glaring at O'connor, he growled, "What do you want?", through his bloodied lips
"What does Saren know about me?"
"Nothing, other than he wanted you alive."
William was about to ask why when Wrex acted. Before anyone could react, he pulled out his shotgun and, shoving William out of the way, blasted Fist in the chest. The man was dead in an instant.
"What the -!" Garrus shouted as blood splattered onto his armor. "What are you doing?!
"The Shadow Broker hired me to kill Fist. I don't leave jobs half done."
"Motherfucker!" William shouted. "You fucking asshole! I was about to find out why Saren wanted me alive!"
"On top of that, you shot a defenseless man!" Shepard snarled. "We don't shoot unarmed prisoners!"
Wrex didn't seem to be bothered by what had happened, as he holstered his shotgun and said, "How many lives were ruined because of this one man's greed? He brought this on himself." Looking at William, he said, "Besides, Saren wanted William alive, if Fist is right. Killing Fist denies Saren a potential informant; plus, I snagged these when I charged him." He promptly showed the team a pair of OSD's that he'd grabbed when he smashed into Fist.
"I see," Shepard tersely remarked. "I'll let it go this time, but if you do it again, I won't be as nice.
"I'll only agree because we're both warriors, Shepard," Wrex nodded. "Next time, I'll warn you. Besides, we should leave when we have a chance. If the Quarian has the evidence she claims to have, then she's a HVI."
"Shepard," O'Connor added as he got up. "As much as I don't like what he just did, he does have a fair point. Eliminating Fist will deny Saren a valuable resource, though he could've done it in a less wasteful manner. Still, let's get out of here and go to the damn Embassies."
"Good idea," Shepard nodded, though he gave Wrex a single glower before they left.