Chapter 6: Man's Reach Exceeding His Grasp
Archer led the team back to the entry point, from there they divided into a further two groups with Tali opting to remain with Shepard. She wanted to hear what this bosh'tet human had to say for himself...trafficking with geth. Of all the dumb-ass things to do. But then again this was Cerberus who believed they could subjugate anyone into their 'Grand Army'
Shepard sent a very silent thank you to the younger woman and gave the order without saying a single word that Tali should use her vast knowledge of the geth to dig deeper than this Cerberus lackey was willing to give up.
"You have my thanks, Commander Shepard. You bought us some time, though probably not much. This isn't over yet."
"You certainly owe us an explanation, but first… just exactly who are you?" demanded Shepard."
"Dr. Gavin Archer, chief scientist at this facility...and probably the only one left. As for the explanation. This is Project Overlord. An attempt to gain influence over the geth by interfacing a human mind with a VI. The results have been...less than satisfactory. "
Behind him Tali's metallic voice made a scoffing disgusted sound. Just out of the corner of her eye, Shepard saw the hooded woman shake her head. "That's putting it mildly." came the Engineer's jaded response
Shepard crossed her arms, and found herself agreeing with her Chief Engineer. "I'd have to see what you'd call a disaster." Surreptitiously the Spectre activated her omni-tool not only to record the conversation but she was transmitting it live to the rest of her team. She wanted this fully on record, especially when she made her reports to the Council and Alliance Brass… well mainly Anderson and Hackett.
"You can't dismiss the entire project. We did succeed at least partially." He made a point to avoid all eye contact with the young quarian. "My brother David volunteered to serve as a test subject, but his mind couldn't handle the VI connection." Archer turned from the window and indicated for Shepard to follow him. As he walked he entered the larger chamber with the great bay window the same window they had seen from the reverse side.
From here they could see what the rest of the ground-crew was doing. Jack stood at the head of a dozen or so filled coffins as both Miranda and Kasumi moved the bodies into several more capsules. All told there had to be twenty bodies by now. As far as Jack was concerned one more filled coffin was one less Cerberus lap-dog she had to kill.
One might have thought Miranda would show something over the death of colleagues but with not knowing them personally she had no immediate connection other than they were once Cerberus. The only one not fully disassociated oddly enough was the thief. She seemed a bit disturbed over how many dead there were, yet not necessarily they had died but rather how they had come to their ends.
Shepard's gaze followed Archer's. The man was more clinical as he looked over his deceased colleagues-almost wistfully. It was almost as if he were reading a scary part in a bedtime story written for a child.
"He's like a virus now, infecting our networks and seizing control of any technology he finds. It's why you have to destroy the dish. Imagine if his program got off world." he said referring to his brother.
"What's the worst case scenario?" Shepard cut to the chase.
"A technological apocalypse. Every machine, every weapon, every computer could be turned against us." Archer started pacing back and forth as if standing in a lecture hall and not in the confines of a tech-CIC. "If he hit the extranet, who knows where it would end."
"How does he take control of electronics?" Shepard asked giving a look to Tali who had a very fair idea just how this override was accomplished but the known facts and knowledge they had, the better able they were to face this DAVID-VI. After hearing the HULK had a name Shepard had to force herself not to think of the VI as something akin to AVINA with a bad electrode-day.
Again Archer pointedly avoided looking in the quarian's direction. "This is a hybrid intelligence the likes of which I've never seen. I don't know where the man ends and the machine begins."
Tired of being deliberately overlooked Tali stepped up and pointed an accusatory finger at the human male. "You should have considered that before you started your experiment!"
Archer took a step back. His voice shifted from explanative to defensive. "We couldn't be expected to account for every outcome! Certainly not the abomination David has become."
"They are geth! There is only ONE outcome, you stupid bosh'tet! Or did the destruction of my home planet and the near destruction of the Citadel and the near death of the Council and all souls aboard the Destiny Ascension not clue you in? No of course not. Your Illusive Man wanted all that power, didn't he?"
Archer looked down for a moment, then looked up this time he did look to Tali before returning his attention back to the Spectre. "Davi...the VI has fortified itself in the main laboratory at Atlas Station. It's in lockdown now." He pointed to the large computer terminal with a display screen showing three parallel bars indicating power output / input.
"To enter, you need to manually override security from our facilities in the Prometheus and Vulcan Stations. "
"How does the lockdown work?" Shepard asked.
"It's a fail-safe procedure in the event of an emergency. Normally, all three project leads have to agree to cancel the lockdown." Archer reached the computer panel and turned a handle on a circular valve and pulled it upwards. As soon as he did the amber glow of the top bar decreased and turned green, indicating the lock was thusly removed. "I'm the only one left now."
Archer pointed to his chest. "I can give my authorization, but you'll have to manually reset the other two yourself."
Shepard nodded her understanding but her next question was not of the lockdown or the stations. "And what happens if I have to kill your brother?"
Slowly Archer went back to his desk. He stared at a holo of himself standing next to a much younger bald-headed man-a youth really. In the picture David seemed to be all of sixteen maybe seventeen. By appearances David had autism... which Archer no doubt exploited.
"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that." Archer said taking a seat.
"Before I head out I need a lot more intel. And if my Chief Engineer needs very specific information. You will give it to her." there was no more for arguments. Shepard had every expectation of being obeyed. "Now, tell me more about Project Overlord."
Archer cut a glance to the hooded quarian, his face unreadable as hers. "We wanted to turn the geth's religious impulse into a weapon. When we saw them following Saren, we realized they could be swayed."
Once more Tali made a disgusted sound. "They weren't swayed by Saren." she said slowly as if speaking to someone with less then three digits in their IQ. "It was Sovereign. A living ship... a very old advanced AI. Of course they were 'swayed' by it. Geth are software, they can be overwritten by someone who knows what they are doing and can act swiftly enough. Sovereign was more than capable. All the Reapers are."
"Exactly." Archer said. "And if a proper figurehead was created-a virus with a face, if you will-the geth might be controlled. Didn't you try something similar when you downloaded the VI from Ilos into a geth?"
"We seized a geth platform, not geth." Tali automatically corrected. "Wait, how do you know about that?"
Shepard answered for Archer. "Cerberus has spies everywhere, remember? LT Stevenson?" There was a weighted pause.
Tali didn't need to be reminded it was because of the theater nurse who had been present during those long days of Shepard's surgery and the gestalt's birth between Shepard and Liara. It was because of that nurse who sold out Shepard and because of that Secura was murdered within the womb.
"Doesn't surprise me in the slightest TIMmy knew about Vigil. Nor dose it surprise me that Cerberus went for such an ambitious undertaking." Sheared had continued.
"But don't you see we had to try? It would be the perfect weapon—victory without casualties! We could avoid war with the geth altogether. That was the plan anyway."
Tali winced within her helmet. It was the same argument her father had and it led to his and all those on the Alarei to die as well. Just like here. Man's reach exceeding his grasp indeed. Apparently it went for human men as it did for the quarians.
"I want to know about the stations. Start with this one. What happens here?" Shepard forged on.
"This is Hermes Station, our communications uplink with the wider galaxy. If you hadn't destroyed the dish in time, the outcome would have been catastrophic."
"And the other two stations?" Shepard demanded.
"Vulcan Station is our geothermal plant. It generates power for all four outposts."
Smart. Both women agreed. Power without waste or pollution-always a plus.
"Prometheus Station is a crashed geth ship full of dormant machines. We use them for out experiments."
"Keelah! This is the Alarei all over again!" Tali shook he head. Her father and Cerberus how could they be so alike—to have failed in so very similar circumstances?
Had they been alone, Shepard would have placed a comforting hand upon her wife's Trusted. Instead she gave a soft look that had the same effect. "What can you tell me about Atlas Station?" she asked swiftly as not to allow the Cerberus man to see the hidden communication.
"Atlas Station is the main laboratory where all out VI experiments take place. It's your final goal once you've overridden the lockdown. It is also where my brother...became something else."
Roman myths...Atlas held up the world, Vulcan was the god of fire and Prometheus...well in this case Shepard had a deep feeling it wasn't the actually Roman myth as much as reference to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein...Prometheus Unbound. Artificial life run amok
"So what went wrong with the experiment?" Asked the raven-haired woman.
"David volunteered to interface with the VI to give it genuine consciousness...
Behind Shepard, Tali muttered under her breath. "Yes. I just bet he 'volunteered.' More like was volunteered."
This time both humans pointedly ignored the comment, Archer forged on with his explanation as if he hadn't heard the outburst and Shepard cast a warning look, despite agreeing with it. David was more than likely coheresed into volunteering for this obscene question.
"Theoretically it would have been safe, but...with the artificial intelligence there is no such thing as safe."
Finally he admits it's an AI! This time Tali kept her mouth shut but her body-language said it all. And if the quarian was reading Shepard correctly and by now she had learned to interpret human body language, the Spectre was thinking alone the same lines.
"Then you shouldn't have attempted it." Shepard cast her hand out and waved it across the air to make her point.
"And what if you have never attempted to find the Reapers, Commander Shepard? Where would the galaxy be then? Sometimes you have to ignore the risks"
"That's hardly the same thing!" the Spectre nearly snapped back "I want to end them, end their Cycle of destruction, not control them! If we don't fight—we die!" she shook her head. "One would have thought you people learned about trying to control people as if they were your omni tool. You know like the rachni. Oh hey why not learn from history, like what happened the quarians and the Mourning War. But hey what the hell you're with Cerberus so you people know better, right?"
"Human-computer interface is invaluable to the scientific community, Commander Shepard. We couldn't lose this opportunity." Archer argued.
"I've got news for you Archer, if I'm called into a situation or any Spectre is for that matter, you already lost. Tali, we're going and we're going to put an end to this."
"Aye aye Captain." The title was used just as it had been within the Flotilla.
Once outside Shepard contacted the Normandy calling for all team hands on deck and they were to bring the new Hammerhead. Of course that meant the rest of the crew had to land with shuttles. Once the flagship team assembled Shepard gave them a SitRep.
"Two stations: Tali, you'll head one of the teams and hit Prometheus Station. You'll need a sniper so of course take Garrus. Mordin is added tech support. You know as well as I do how effective tech-explosions work against geth. And you'll need biotics so Thane and Samara will be your back up.
"Jack, Miranda, Kasumi and Grunt, Zaeed you're with me to hit Vulcan. Once each Station has been neutralized, we convene at Atlas. Find whatever Intel you can on the research they were doing here. There has to be more than what the good Doc told us. We all know enough about Cerberus that we weren't told the whole story. And we also know that they more than likely will start it up again, just like they tired with Gillian Grayson...guess you call her Subject 0 - 2.0"
"The Ascension Program." Miranda concluded
"Wait! You said that Ascension was Alliance not Cerberus, Shepard." Jack accused the Commander of betraying her trust.
"It is. And Grissom Academy is safe. And yeah Cerberus tried to covertly influence a young girl named Gillian Grayson since infanthood. They put her in the custody of one of their former agents, a guy named Paul Grayson and he raised her. When she started showing early development on biotics, something that Cerberus engineered, the kid was placed in Grissom Academy. But their sleeper agent in the program was found out and eliminated."
"That's the same girl that fled to the Flotilla." Tali took up the narrative. "Cerberus was hunting her; she was nothing more than an asset to them, albeit a very powerful one. Just property—she wasn't a real person to them. Just someone to program and control.
"Those bosh'tets boarded one of our ships, nearly killed everyone on her to reclaim this girl. They made the mistake to think just because we are forced to live in our suits that the quarian are a weak people. They were wrong."
Jack spun on her heel to Miranda. "Suppose you're going to say what those assholes did to that kid were not Cerberus either-not really or this fucker Archer and what he did to his brother is not really Cerberus?"
"I wouldn't presume." the ex-Loyalist answered. "But accusing me of the crimes that may have happened here and what occurred to that child will not aid us now will it? We can either do something about it, or talk about it. I prefer to act."
"As do I." Shepard said cutting off any further provocation form Jack or anyone else. Strangely the rest of the party had been very silent during the whole exchange. "Two teams, four Hammerheads. According to their motorpool manifest this facility has three of their own."
"Led to believe we had the prototype. Only one." Mordin sounded almost disappointed that the tiny scout vessel they had acquired on Zeona wasn't exactly a one-of.
"Probably is Professor." Garrus chimed in, trying to cheer the other male up. "Then these guys got the first off the line."
"Does it matter if we posses the only unique version of such a vessel or no, if they allow us to achieve our objective?" asked Samara. When no one offered further comment to the Justicar's' question she titled her head in a very matriarchal way that forestalled any further arguments.
"All right people you have your orders and stay frosty. No telling what this David-AI / VI can do. Just like at the dish expect a very heavy resistance at each data cluster you uncover and from each station, especially after we shut it down.
"Probably a lot like shutting down the VI on the Lunar Base. You all remember it became more difficult the further we pressed on and each juncture we shut down. Expect turrets, rocket-drones, kinetic shields, mechs a hell of a lot of geth, especially on Prometheus,
"No doubt DAVID will have the CCTV on us at all times so destroy any cameras you come across. We won't have the time for a hacker's war to override them. According to Archer it didn't mater which one of the facilities they hit first only that they both had to be shut down or they would not be able to access Atlas station. If we could hit it, I'd have a third strike team secure but with the lockdown that's not going to happen.
ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME
Almost as soon as they were out of Hermes Station's motor pool the M-44's VI announced that the geographic conditions indicated there was an aesthetically pleasing view near by.
*You know what I find aesthetically pleasing?* Grunt said from inside the Hammerhead he shared with Zaeed, *all that meat walking around on six legs. Let's hit a few of them and bring something back to the Normandy to munch on.*
As if taking him seriously the vehicle's VI responding in the negative. *Analysis: Defenceless herbivores are no match for guided missiles.*
*Pyjacks ain't either, still fun whacking the shit out of them with AA towers.* the young krogan chuckled. *Besides, I'm hungry.*
*You're always hungry.* Zaeed scoffed.
*Krogan.* Grunt gave a very simple explanation, which got the rest of the team in their various hovercrafts laughing.
"You and Zaeed want to go hunting dull-witted space cows rather than come with us to hit Vulcan Station, go ahead. Just make sure you take out any roving clankers along the way, and we'll need Kasumi." Shepard said.
*Naw, playing with geth in a volcano is way more fun.* Grunt guffawed.
*It's not my idea of a good time.* Kasumi scoffed.
"I'm ready to see what this baby can do. Open her up Shepard." Jack urged child-like. "Come on!"
Shepard craned her neck to look behind her to see that despite being strapped into the gyro-seat Jack used the backs of the two front seats to pull herself forwards as if to will the older woman to hit the turbo by sheer thought alone. The Spectre willingly complied. Truth be told she wanted to see that the M-44 Hammerhead could do, how it measured up to the Mako.
The Hammerhead shot ahead at super sonic speeds, which knocked Jack back into her seat, the gyro-locks working as the craft went from 30 kmh to 120 within seconds.
"Whoohoo! Not bad for a little dinky rover!" the ex-con smirked giddily. "Still has shit-armour plating."
"I was thinking the gun needs work." Shepard shook her dark locks. "It can only swivel vertically. But it has a higher rate of fire than the Mako and has guided missiles. These are even better than those on the Mako."
*Maybe Garrus can calibrate it instead of spending all his time toying with Normandy's main gun." Tali jibbed. *He tinkered with the Makos guns back in the day.*
*Here there wasn't a lot to do on the old SR-1 and besides if I went anywhere near her main guns, Williams would have put a bullet in my fringe.*
*If a rocket didn't kill you by hitting the side if your face, doubt a bullet to the brain would have done any damage.* Grunt commented in a very off-handed compliment to the turian's constitution- or perhaps it was a very strange insult. Either way it got the older male to chuckle.
*What I don't like is this thing will pop like an over heated tin-can. Little shields and no kinetic barriers.* Zaeed grumbled.
*Plus side.* came Mordin * M-44 comes with very sophisticated repair system. Much faster, more efficient than the Mako's reliance on omni-gel. Still must manoeuvre constantly to avoid enemy fire. Very problematic. Good for scouting for mineral deposits, terrain. Not so much as a vehicle of war. Poor design for the infantry.*
"Yeah makes me miss the Mako. Even if she had crappy mass effect aligned thrusters but that baby could climb." Shepard waxed nostalgically. "And she could take a hit."
*Well with you driving she had to.* Garrus jested. * Recall a few times we turned more than a few barrel roll going down some mountain face or another.*
"Shut it. My driving is just fine."
The others laughed.
"You're a crappy driver, Shepard. The only thing worse than your driving is your dancing. " Jack tossed.
"I just feel the love, thanks."
"Don't know how someone who can move like you do on the battlefield but has no sense of rhythm."
"Keep it up Jack and your walking back." The good natured tone was still there, but a tad colder than it had been a moment ago. Still the others in the Hammerhead including Shepard chuckled
*Give me a Tanka, any day.* said Grunt ignoring the digs at his Battlemaster. *Superior armour, guns and what it can't climb it crushes. And sure is a hell of a lot more roomier. This thing is cramped.*
*How are you fitting in there anyway, Grunt?* Tali asked.
*Not very well.* this came from Zaeed. *He's practically taking up two damn seats himself.* there was a sound of scuffling. *Move over you big lummox.*
*You got plenty room, human. Quit your bellyaching.*
*It is a bit tight in here,* Kasumi agreed with. *And the other seat your hogging is mine.*
*You're a small wiry squishy thing, you're fine.*
*Next time Jack rides with you, I'll stay with her Cheerleader.*said the thief.
There was an awkward silence before Shepard spoke again: "You know what I want to get my hands on? One of those new Nomads. Now those...babies can move. All the power of a Mako and the manoeuvrability of this Hammerhead. Tell me that isn't sweet."
*Unfortunately the Council has decreed the prototypes and all proceeding models were all destined for the Andromeda Initiative.* Samara said. *But, I can see the appeal.*
*They get all the cool new toys.* groused the turian. *Why can't we ever get the cool toys? Hell it'll be another six hundred years before they even get to use them.*
*Think the SR-2 counts as a new toy.* Tali said nonchalantly.
*All that flash is fine, but I prefer subtle.* echoed Kasumi. *And the Normandy is a beautiful girl. And she runs so quietly. I'm not used to hearing my own thoughts.*
"Best thief in the business, not the best known." Shepard quoted the thief from their first meeting.
*Exactly.*
*I know what you mean, Kas. Took me a long time to get used to the silent running of the SR1 and the SR2 is just was silent.* Tali agreed. *No ship in the Flotilla runs the quietly.*
Whilst they had been talking the crews had been piloting towards their destinations. Shepard and Zaeed pulled their Hammerheads to an immediate halt as they came up upon a river of magma.
*Well shit.* Zaeed murmured.
*Oh...this is so not good.* Kasumi sounded worried.
*Analysis: debris field provide adequate support for vehicle.*
"This might have been problematic in a Mako; the Hammerhead can handle the leapfrogging. Skiff the surface of those floating rocks, just like skipping stones across a lake."
To demonstrate her meaning, Shepard jumped the hovercraft to the nearest boulder that practically sank as soon as the craft skimmed its surface but the Spectre skilfully 'bounced' the Hammerhead from boulder to boulder before it sank beneath the stream of molten lava.
Zaeed waited until Shepard had her Hammerhead across the river, then he started his run. Hop. Hop Hop-
"Ah...Shit!"
"Watch'it!" Kasumi yelped.
Zaeed spun his head to the hooded woman, "You wanna drive?"
"Yes!"
"Well too damn bad, cuz you ain't."
"Warning, M-44 shields are not conducive to molten lava."
"Ah shut up, stupid machine." Grunt groused then punched the dashboard.
"Hey Dumbass, violence and tech, not fucking good bedfellows." Zaeed snapped his head to the krogan, "Especially when I'm trying to fucking play 'Frogger' in volcano spew."
"Whatever."
"If you weren't bred from a frigging tank, I'd punch your mother."
"Go ahead and try, Shepard will turn you into a mess of spineless bloody goo."
"Of course you're going to call Shepard—mother."
*You do of course realize everyone can hear you.* Shepard shot back.
*HA Ha Ha... Mommy Shepard. That's fucking funny.* Jack snickered
*Yeah? You think so? You know what happens when you say 'Your Mama.' to a krogan.* Shepard challenged.
Silence.
*He—ey, Shep...love your son. Good boy-takes after his mother.*
"She's my Battlemaster!" Grunt said defiantly. Then more softly. "Right, Mother?"
*Right.*
There was a lot of laughter.
*Focus.* one word from their Commander was enough to still all any chatter. They all had a job and they knew the score and what must be done. Time for trench / gallows humour was over. Now it was time as the military liked to quip to become frosty.
Once across the lava flow, Shepards' team code locked as Mako moved further into Vulcan station's territory. One of the things that stood out to the Spectre was an unmanned security station which currently and thankfully had dormant security measures. There was also a very peculiar crate that seemed to ready for shipping.
Not taking any chance of missing an opportunity, Shepard piloted her Hammerhead to recover the package. At such time the M-44's AI informed them that the crate was an information package on Project Overlord that other research cells needed to review.
*They are not getting their grungy hands on this." the Spectre said. Instead she'd send the package directly to her wife, then to Anderson. According to the AI, five more such packages remained. This information she passed along to the other teams that said Intel would never be passed to Cerberus. Once collated all the details were to be handed directly to Shepard and no one else.
ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME~ ME
*Shepard this is Archer. I'd advise extreme caution; Vulcan Station as I said earlier is our geothermal plant. They stopped reporting in shortly after the episode...* his voice fizzled out into white noise.
The Hammerhead's VI spoke. "Warning: VI's presence with in plant machinery Advise: caution."
The next area seemed to be almost an obstacle course.
Once more the VI spoke. "Scanning area: Analysis: Vulcan station provides adequate velocity to enhance vertical lift."
"This should be fun." Shepard said without sarcasm.
The Spectre piloted the Hammerhead towards the free flowing jets allowing the velocity of the jet stream to repulse the craft upwards to reach the upper levels of the cave system. Once they ascended the Spectre very skilfully dodged, dismantled and shot at the defensive measures DAVID had erected. At each destruction of a turret, there was a garbled mechanical sound of pain as if someone had broken the finger joints of hand with a hammer.
On reaching the upper levels, Shepard guided the two Hammerheads through the tunnels up another level to the same lava river or rather an 'upstream' portion of it. Once across there was yet one more of the vented jet stream to push both vehicles further upwards into the caldera.
Once there, both vehicles came to a rest next to the garage site of Vulcan Station. After disembarking the toneless female voice of the stations AI warned them that the controls were not only offline but that the core systems had been compromised.
Despite the earlier razzing of her piloting skills, Shepard easily and expertly navigated the Hammerhead to one of the inactive jets and waited for the air-vents to open. When it did it the upward thrust against the hull of the ship was not unlike detritus caught in a geyser flow. The Hammerhead launched upwards landing on the upper tier of the venting station and very near the lavafall
Within moments Zaeed, Kasumi and Grunt's vehicle landed at Shepard's starboard side. Neither hovercraft ventured much further for the mouth of the cave system that would take them the rest of the way to Vulcan station was guarded by unmanned turrets. Though saying it was unmanned was a bit relative considering that the VI infection had spread to the turret's CPU and overwritten its Friend / Foe subroutines.
*Time to test out what these puppies really can do.* Zaeed said.
"Fire at will." Shepard gave the command.
With both missile launchers opened the Hammerheads made very short work of the stacked turrets despite being overrun by the DAVID VI. And just as with the geth with the turret's destruction the VI made a chattering noise of pain and anger.
Past that point the cave branched left towards the northwest and right lead back towards the lava flow. Shepard made no comment but steered her craft towards the lava.
"Looks like we play 'Frogger' again," she said "if we want to get up there"
*Hell of a way to get to work in the morning.* quibbled Zaeed.
"What dumbass engineer decided with was the best way to get into the plant?" Jack echoed the sentiment behind the old merc's words.
*Cerberus.* answered Grunt.
"Yeah well they royally fucked up." Jack hurumphed.
*Including themselves.* Zaeed followed.
Miranda was long past rising to the bait every time someone knocked the organization she had dedicated the better part of her life to.
"More than likely the operatives within this station flew in via shuttle, not a Hammerhead," her tone offhand as if it was more than obvious that was how the station was crewed.
Shepard didn't say a word as she parked the hovercraft just outside the stationed entrance. Almost as soon as she and the rest of her team touched ground a mechanical female voice announced yet another warning about the automated controls being offline and that the core systems had been compromised.
"Good bet everyone in there is toast." Grunt jibbed to which only Jack snickered. "Get it toast, because of the lava?" he chuckled.
"Not funny Grunt." Chided Shepard, however true the quip had been. "You two stay with the hovercrafts in case DAVID tries to ambush us with mechs or geth.
"Roger that," Zaeed said without further ado.
"I hate playing guard dog," Grunt mumbled once he was sure his battlemaster was out of earshot. But from the stairwell, came the Commander's voice:
"Yes, but you do it so well."
"Whatever. Hey how come Kasumi gets to go?"
"Because I need her tech expertise." Shepard shot back.
Up the stairs around a dog-legged hall the primary unit of Shepard's team came in to the first opposition of Vulcan Station.
There were seven of them, LOKI mechs and they were severely out matched. They would have been had there only been three with the Spectre. Clearly DAVID had underestimated Shepard and her squad, perhaps assuming like the workers and security forces of Cerberus they were easy prey.
They were not.
Miranda and Kasumi used overload on the mechs causing them to stutter in place unable to use their weaponry. Shepard, Jack, Grunt and Zaeed took the opportunity and opened fire. The males used heavy rifles; Shepard used a singularity. Jack deployed a warp.
The chaises of the mechs swirled caught in the turbulent spiral of a micro-singularity event. The warp sent them back into hibernation mode if only for a moment. It was enough for the men to finish the job.
It was a very swift if not almost disappointing encounter allowing the team to push through to the waystation's control room
*Warning: Pressure levels in A3 have exceeded maximum threshold. Manual override is required.*
Shepard and Kasumi moved towards the central computer console to do just that. Miranda however moved for the researcher's terminal and activated the playback button.
*Engineer's log: We registered a huge spike in energy consumption. My technicians traced it to the experiment at Atlas Station. We're trying to raise them now.*
Kasumi locked her omni tool into the computer's hard drive and activated the override programme that she and Kaji had written to hack into the locks and bypass the firewalls and inner security of any system. It had yet to fail her. Once she did the computer announced that the venting of the outflow was successful.
She practically jumped when DAVID's chittering scream sounded again. Both the engineer's laptop and the terminal in front of her were overtaken by a digitized green cubic face.
Both Grunt and Zaeed raised their weapons but the grinding sound was only the turbines of the venting systems restoring to functionality. More to the disappointment of Grunt who was looking forward to getting in the muck with a bunch of Tinnies.
Returning to the hovercrafts they both made use of the venting stations once more to propel the light-weight vehicles up the canyon wall into a tertiary tunnel system within the active caldera
They simply followed the pipes along the canyon walls to back to the lava river only to cross it a third time albeit from the opposite bank. This time however took a bit more daring and far more skill and a touch of luck to hit the debris fields. They had to use a bounce and hover manoeuvre on longer rock formations in order to cross. Once they did the canyon pipeline lead them to a series of step formations which were of course guarded by turrets.
Bounce up, fire, bounce down, rinse repeat. From behind them Zaeed was making good use of the vent hovering in place allowing Grunt to take over as gunner.
"Like playing whack-a-mole. Only we're the moles armed with missiles hitting the whacker in the face." Jack drawled.
*Yeah! Haha hahhahha." Grunt's deep belly laugh crackled over the radio. "Rocket in the face, should tell that one to Garrus. HAHAHAHAHA.*
* I heard that!* Garrus said. * You just gotta be bad-ass enough to get up afterwards and brush it off, right Shepard."
"Never took a rocket to the face."
*No, but you had a whole spirits damned Reaper fall on you.*
"Hmm... Good point." the Spectre chuckled.
The team got into a looping pattern; lift up the canyon walls by vertical thrust, play lava –leapfrog – vault-boost more walls, until at last six of them came to Vulcan Station proper. Once inside Vulcan Stations and gasses cloyed the air, making it necessary for the rebreather in the helmets to activate.
That same feminized computer from the previous stations announced that once more pressure levels this time in valve D4 exceeded maximum threshold and manual override was required.
"Damn, this brings back memories of Rift Station. Same female voice too." Shepard said. "Think she's named Mira?"
*Probably not, but one of her 'sister' programs surely.* Tali said.
"Don't care." Jack interrupted. "Kas can you do your thing or not?"
"Already on it." the thief said. Tapping into the program and "got it!"
The air pressure started to pop open valves shattering weakened joists in the catwalks, making the metal grating buckle and fall or spring up into misshapen barricades. All around them were the dead.
"Poor slobs." Zaeed said looking at the mangled biotics. "Even for me that seems a little excessive."
"This coming from the guy who decided on destroying a fuel station potentially killing dozens or worse to get your revenge on Veto was a good thing." Shepard cocked an eyebrow.
"Yeah well after that beam fell on me pinning to the fucking ground like a goddamm bug, and you pointing the gun in my face before turning it around... can change a person's perspective. "
"Um-mh." Shepard nodded her head as if to express her disbelief. Still maybe the old dog did learn a few new tricks. Like how to give a damn about another person's life and not just the next pay check or round of beers.
"So where the hell are the fucking ...oh nevermind." Grunt interrupted the humans chatter only to be interrupted himself by fire from a hovering tri-legged assault drone.
The drone bounced in the air once before activating its mag-locks on the girding at the far end of the chamber. It was joined by several others, all heavily shielded with kinetic barriers and enhanced tech-armour.
"Hell yeah!" Zaeed joined Grunt in his glee for destruction
"Let's pop some candy!" Jack barked out, her body shimmering in sapphire as she pulled up her biotic barriers.
The enemy was trying to box the five of them into an impassable juncture of the catwalks in a pincer movement. Trouble was, Shepard had read the same manual as did everyone on her team, and knew how not to get caught.
With their backs facing one another, the biotics were able to throw warps, lifts combined with pushes which together caused biotic explosions.
*Received an S.O.S from Atlas station. Archer has declared a project emergency. We're trying to shut down the power generators to starve the VI, but it's already hacked our automated systems! I'm ordering my people to sabotage the plant anyway they can!*
As soon as the logs stopped playing DAVID made his presence known by appearing in the terminal screens. He was increasingly becoming displeased and vexed by Shepard's push.
"That explains the 'excessive' part." Miranda said softly looking out at the wrecked station. Of course the mechs could have done such a thing, but to destroy the station didn't seem logical if you merely remove the organic elements as they had at Hermes Station.
"Why the hell do that? Then those fuckers would be trapped in here along with all those damned mechs."
"But also locking ht mechs up as well, allowing the other stations to buy time." Miranda explained. "Sometimes, just sometimes, nobility can be found in Cerberus agents. Even self-sacrifice."
Jack looked as if she were about to toss a 'whatever' out at the Cheerleader but snapped her mouth shut, thinking better of it.
From the researcher's bay the team continued to negotiate the defunct station taking care to avoid pockets of venting fire from the fuel lines and broken catwalks.
The processing area was a vast chamber of grunters, grating and rock that soared over their head by several stories. Here DAVID had an ambush set. LOKI armed with heavy rifles opened fire barely allowing Shepard and her squad to duck to cover behind the support beams.