2184, Later That Day, Citadel - Tom's Apartment

Thomas Fulton

The sliding metal door to my new safehouse closed with a jagged clank. As was my custom when choosing a place to bunk in, the dwelling was extremely cheap and not exactly clean. I threw my bag on the very uncomfortable looking bed and started to dig through it. After a moment of rummaging I found the new pants that I'd bought from a small military surplus store on the lower wards. They were dark blue reinforced combat pants made out of tactical mesh, C-Sec issue would be my guess. I was surprised that you could get this type of clothing somewhat 'legally', but then again, that slimy salarian behind the counter probably didn't have a license to sell even a goddamn pet fish by the looks of him. Not that I have anything particular against salarians but if you'd seen him, you'd agree with me. The man acted shiftier than a batarian on Elysium. After a while of musing, I threw the pants back on the road-worn bag and sat heavily next to it on the creaky bed.

My arrival to the station had not gone as well as I'd hoped. My weapon case did it's job again and the scanners didn't make a sound as I walked through them, but the turian at the desk looked at me quite suspiciously and peered over my info a couple of times. Eventually he let me through nonetheless, but I don't rightly know what I did to warrant his suspicion, though I suspect he was just a good old xenophobe. Looked the age to have fought in the first contact war too so maybe I just gave him bad memories or something. Would have been quite fucking shitty if I would have been nabbed, not because of my own error but just plain old rotten luck. But, well, I didn't get caught. Lucky me I guess.

I turned to look through the small worn window that decorated the yellowish white walls of my temporary home. It was night cycle on the citadel, so I couldn't go to C-Sec to execute my plan until tomorrow. I had nothing left to do this evening regarding that and I knew sleep would elude me right now, so I chose to go for the next best thing to use up the artificial night of the station. A glass of nice bourbon.


An Hour Later, Citadel - Dark Star Lounge

Thomas Fulton

The music from the club could be heard from a few blocks away already. Dark Star Lounge was not my first choice for a bar, but as it happens, since I last was on the station, my normal dive Chora's Den was apparently permanently closed after the owner was killed. Granted he was a real scumbag of a man, but that doesn't mean I can't be frustrated for having to look for a new place to drink. Soon the neon light bathed entrance of the club came to my view. The line was luckily not long so I gained entrance after a few minutes of queueing. The bouncer grunted at me to not cause any trouble as I walked by him.

I don't know what's with people targeting me today. Granted, they were not wrong, but they also presumably were not omnipotent so to them I should have looked like a normal human male. It was odd. Or maybe I was not that good at hiding my intentions. Well that realization didn't bode well for tomorrow.

Amidst my thinking I had arrived at the bar. "Any top shelf bourbon." I said to the asari bartender who nodded and started pouring my drink. The club was quite spacious on the inside, with a large dance floor, where humans and aliens were all swaying to the tune of alcohol, music and drugs. Some Alliance grunts on shore leave were loudly laughing at one table and in another two krogans were talking to each other in oddly subdued manner for their race. I sat down on the barstool as my drink slid before me.

"That'd be twenty credits, handsome." I just grunted an acknowledgement and paid the drink on my omni-tool and took a sip. It was quite good stuff, probably imported from earth. The asari, apparently aggrieved by my non-answer to her flirting huffed and went to serve some drunk or the other. I didn't care, my purpose here was to enjoy my drink and not satisfy some asari's need for company.

As I slowly consumed my drink, I again looked at where the Alliance marines were spending their night. There were about ten of them, still clad in their uniforms. Most of them looked to be quite ready to slide under the filthy looking table and pass out. Reminds me of my own time as a fresh faced marine back in the sixties, though I'd been an officer so long that my first thought was to go and order them to act like representatives of the Alliance military, not some drunken rabble. Old habits are hard to kick off, even if you really would want to forget them. It seems i got a permanent stick up my ass in addition to the tin legs from the Alliance. I amusedly blew air out of my nose for my own joke.

Turning my head back towards the bar before I'd go up to them against my better judgement, I heard someone sit on a stool next to me. The asari had left at some point and now manning the bar was a middle aged human man mixing some kind of vodka based drink for someone. I was about to take another sip of my bourbon when a familiar voice called out to me from the seat next to me; "It's been a while Major."

I nearly spilt my drink from surprise. Nobody had called me Major in years. I turned to look at the woman who I recognized and replied; "Corporal."

"Sergeant actually. Well, at least I was before leaving the military." Eline replied smiling at me, the scar on her face twisting on her cheek. I had not seen her since that day on Torfan as she was carried onto the med-evac, and to be frank I had not expected to see her again. With the discharge and all that, I had lost contact to most of my old unit, Rook being a notable exception. She was wearing a tight fitting black cocktail dress and her light brown hair landed on the shoulders. Compared to me, she fit into the general theme around the club a lot better.

"Well I suppose congratulations are in order then Sergeant." I raised my glass at her. "Well as I said I'm no longer in service, but thanks nonetheless Major." She replied and raised her own glass to toast with me, smiling even wider. "Just call me Tom, I haven't been a Major in a long time." I replied, taking another sip of my bourbon.

"Well then you have to call me Jess if I cant call you Major anymore Major... I mean Tom." Her blue eyes seemed to glimmer with amusement. She looked to be a few drinks deep already judging by how her smile didn't leave her face for a second. "What brings you to this place Tom? No offence but I don't remember you being the type to go to dance clubs that often." She continued.

"Hm, you remember right. My usual bar was closed quite permanently and this was rated to have good drinks. Haven't been to the citadel in a while so haven't had the time to look for a better place." I explained to her with a small amount of amusement at her antics. "And what about you? What brings you here?"

"Well I'm here for work but you need to unwind a bit sometimes, you know?" I looked at her with a blank face. "Oh, yeah sorry Mmm-Tom, I forgot you don't really do the unwinding like us normal people." She laughed a little at my now a bit sour looking face.

"I don't mean it as an offence, you just always did things your own, quite serious way. There's nothing wrong with that. In fact it was rather charming in a way." I noticed that she had leaned a bit closer to me during our conversation. She turned to the bar and started to order herself a new drink. "I guess I did." I said mostly to myself and drank the last of my drink. After she had managed to get a new drink in hand she turned back to me.

"So Tom, what have you been doing since we last met?" I didn't quite know what I wanted to, or could answer to that question, but something about seeing a friendly face in Eline, here of all places made me want to converse with her. "Worked as a mercenary for a while, recently I've been... travelling mostly." I said after a moment of thinking.

"Sounds exciting! Though nothing like I imagined. I'd have bet you to get a lovely wife, litter of children you'd keep in military discipline and start growing cabbages on some backwater colony, yelling at the other kids on your lawn like my family's childhood neighbor back on Earth." The absurdity of her thought of me growing cabbages made me genuinely laugh out loud for the first time in a long time. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but nothing like that I'm afraid." I said after I'd gotten my laughter in control, still smiling a little.

"Not even the wife?" She asked, sounding quite curious.

"I'll have to refer you to my earlier statement, but enough about me. What have you been doing since you left the Alliance? And if you don't mind me asking why did you leave?"

"Oh not at all. After Torfan and nearly dying I just felt that I needed to do something different. Something less dangerous, and so I've been doing same old tech stuff as in the Alliance, but without the bullets flying overhead. Nothing to raise your heart rate too much. But you know I do miss the adrenaline rush of getting a reinforced door open as assault rifles sing around me like a choir of whirling death."

"You make it sound very romanticized, but I do get what you mean." I mused.

Our conversation continued with variety of topics for the better part of two hours. She told me about her work and life after Torfan and I mostly told her about some of the places I've been to. During a lull in our talking she let out air of her nose contentedly and smiled at me.

"Tom, I am so glad I bumped into you in here. I wondered what happened to you after I was released from the hospital, and I heard that you too had been wounded and then discharged from the Alliance! I was so shocked that they really did that, almost didn't believe it."

"Yeah, well it seems the Alliance didn't need a legless, PR disaster of a soldier anymore." I replied in a what must have sounded like a bitter tone. And to be fair, I indeed am bitter at the Alliance. I won't deny that. "For what it's worth Tom, I think you made the right choice in the situation." She said seriously, looking me right in the eyes.

I sighed. "Sorry about that, don't let a bitter old soldier ruin your eveni... " Before I could finish my sentence and to my great surprise, she suddenly leaned over and pressed her lips to mine and kissed me. I was momentarily so taken aback of the sudden action that for a while I just sat there, her lips locked to mine. After a few seconds I had recovered from the surprise and I gently started to push her away from me and as our mouths were separated she opened her eyes and looked at mine in confusion for a moment until she seemed to realize what she'd done and quickly started to apologize. "I'm so sorry, that was entirely inappropriate of me, I didn't want... I mean I-" I cut her off with a uplifted hand. "It's fine Jess, it's just that I... can't. Not right now, not with anyone. I'm sorry if I led you on. It was not my intention.

"No, I'd just hoped... No I'm sorry Major. I should not have done that." She said starting out sadly but ending with her voice gaining strength and looking at me directly in the eye, but after she had finished she again moved her gaze at the blurry glass surface of the bar. The sounds of the club raved on around us, beats of some electronic music washing over me with force but it still felt like a dread silence had fallen over the room.

After a while I cleared my throat and stood up; "I think it's best if I get going. I have business to do tomorrow." She lift her eyes back to me and interrupted my exit with a hand. "Wait a second please, I'll send you my omni-tool contact info. If you ever need something or just want to talk, call me. I'd like to keep in touch." She said with a small smile, some of her energy returning to her.

I smiled at her, "I don't see why not." and opened my omni-tool to receive her contact info. After that we said our goodbyes and I started to walk to the exit and head back to the ramshackle apartment I was staying in. Before I was out I heard her yell after me; "It was nice seeing you again Tom!" I turned back and gave her a small smile again and then continued walking.

"You too, Jess" I sighed to myself as I left the club behind me and started through the dark and seedy alleys for my destination.


- The snow crunched under my combat boots as I advanced at the head of a formation. It was my squad, my friends; Jonathan, Emma, Paul, and... Nora. They were following me towards the skyscraper that was at the end of the street we were on. Pedestrians were all around us and gave way to us as we advanced. Hundreds of human faces watched as we moved slowly forwards, scanning the crowd and the other buildings as we went.

Eventually we reached the building and just as we were about to enter the building suddenly shifted form and became a smallish stand with some glowing metal orb levitating on it. I advanced towards the orb, but before I could grab it, a young kid in his teens moved to block my way. I recognized the boy and stopped to point my pistol at him. The kid did not flinch. I felt myself get angry. Why would he NOT MOVE? Why didn't he FEAR me!? I felt my anger bubbling over me and my finger pressed the trigger down. A red flash came from my pistol and the kid fell down. He looked like he'd been beaten and stabbed, not shot, but I did not care. I stepped over his prone form and extended my hand towards the orb. As I grabbed the object I heard Jonathan yell in panic behind me. I turned and saw that the humans that were on the street had turned into batarians that had dragged Jonathan to the ground and were clawing at him. I took aim and shot at the batarian directly on top of Jonathan and as my bullet hit, he turned into a human who fell dead with a hole through his head. I dropped my gun in shock of what I had done. I had shot a human, one of those I had sworn to PROTECT with my life! Rest of my squad started firing into the crowd that were now all human, mowing down dozens who fell dead on the ground, painting the snow bright red. I frantically yelled at them to stop firing and they did but the snow was already crimson with bodies as far as I could see.

Suddenly everyone, my friends and the crowd, turned to look at me as Nora walked to face me at the orb's stand. She picked up my dropped gun and handed it to me, and to my horror I rose the gun to point at her forehead. I tried to yell to warn Nora and drop the gun but nothing came out of my mouth and the gun held steady pointed at her smiling face. Others of my squad pointed their own weapons at themselves in front of the gathered crowd of humans, I tried to trash, to do ANYTHING but i couldn't. I felt my finger tighten on the trigger and with all my effort I tried again and again and again and again, but then... I fired. -

Early Next Morning, Citadel - Tom's Apartment

Thomas Fulton

"NORA!" I jumped up yelling in my bed. My breath was fast and heavy as I pressed my hands onto my forehead. I sat there on my bed in that position for multiple minutes until my breathing had eased back to a relatively normal level. I grabbed my pills from the table next to the bed and quickly swallowed a few of the capsules. I hadn't had the dream for a few weeks, but every time it came, it would change somewhat but the ending was always the same. They would shoot themselves and I would shoot Nora whilst holding the artifact.

I wiped the gathered sweat from my brow and opened my omni-tool to look at the clock. The orange display lit me and my dim surrounding aflame with it's glow as I peered at the time; 06:30 in the morning. Closing the omni-tool I sighed heavily, threw the cover off and rose from the bed and headed for the shower.

The cool water was doing wonders in clearing my head and as a added bonus, removing the slight headache I had from the drinking last night. It had been nice seeing a friendly face after a while, but I could not afford to let it affect my mission here. Speaking of, it would take me an hour or so to travel to the headquarters of the C-Sec so I'd be there in at a good time if I left after dressing and arming myself. There shouldn't be that many people there yet at that time, in case that my plan failed. It could get ugly.

I put on my usual get-up, only difference my newly acquired, and absolutely legal for civilians, pants. I then went to my weapon case and clicked it open. It'd probably be wise to go in armed lightly, if I arrived touting an assault rifle they might get a tad suspicious. I took a combat knife and slid it with a sheath inside my boot, to fulfill the role of a backup weapon. My Carnifex found it's familiar place under my arm, inside my jacket. I made a last mental sweep for anything that I might still need but couldn't think of anything else so I pulled up the hood of my coat and left the ramshackle apartment behind for the time being.


Approx. 8 AM, Citadel - C-Sec Headquarters

Officer Ilona Enstone

She had just arrived on the morning shift and not even a minute after sitting down at the desk, already someone had entered through the front door into the still empty lobby. A rather grim looking human man wearing a dark coat was purposefully striding towards the desk she was manning.

She mentally composed herself and readied her best customer service voice. She'd much rather be filing paperwork in the back, but she had promised to Vellus to cover for his morning shift at the desk, and what wouldn't she do for that sex god of a turian. Just thinking about him made her feel hot, Her dreaming was interrupted by the man clearing their throat, and she mentally cursed herself for her short attention span.

"Oh, hello and welcome to Citadel Security headquarters, may I be of some assistance?" Well at least she didn't stumble over her words too much.

"Hello, my name is Emmet Laverra and I'd like to inquire about one of your former officers, Garrus Vakarian." The grim looking man said without an ounce of smile. His stoicism put her on edge for some reason, but despite that she gave her best smile and replied: "Of course Mr. Laverra, please hold for a moment as I..." The screen on her desk gave a pinging noise as it informed her that the man standing in front of her had been recognized by the automated system. Her heart was suddenly beating much more rapidly than before as the screen informed her that the man standing at the desk was wanted for double murder on Illium, one of the victims being an Illium PD officer. She hoped that the man didn't notice her nervousness as she talked to him again: "I'm sorry Sir, but something urgent's come up. Would you mind waiting for a few minutes here?" She said as she leaned in to press the alarm button on her desk, intending to leave after having made the alert.

Suddenly the man was leaning over the counter and took a hold of her collar with his other hand and the other coming to stop her from pressing the alarm. She squeaked in panic as her finger managed to press the button before he could stop her. The man noticed this and pulled her more towards himself, glaring at her with cold grey eyes of a killer. She nearly fainted from breathing too fast.

"You really shouldn't have done that." The man said with a cold voice and from the corner of her eye she saw his other hand descending on her before the world was shrouded in black.

Thomas Fulton

The receptionist fell onto her desk and slid to the floor unconscious as I released her collar. Damn it all. She had managed to press the button before I could stop her. I instantly noticed from her body language that my cover was blown, though I don't know how they recognized me. I'd have to figure that one out later as I needed to get the fuck out of here and fast. I took off sprinting back towards the door I had entered through and saw a security screen moving from the side to block my passage. My artificial legs propelling me faster than my organic ones could, and I ran straight through the glass door of the station, covering my face as I crashed with the glass. Shards flew all around me as I continued running towards an alley nearby that I had planned my escape route to start from. Stinging in my side alerted me to a glass shard embedded between my ribs. The wound was bleeding quite heavily and I stopped for a second to break the part of the shard jabbing outside my body off so that it would not hinder my escape.

As I started moving again I could hear far away shouts telling me to stop and a cacophony of sirens nearing me. I paid them no mind. They would not shoot as long as there were people around. I sprinted further down the alley, dodging the people walking through it, and saw another way to the right. I took a turn there, nearly bumping into a turian that was cornering at the same time as me. When I was nearing the end of the alley, I saw an police cruiser stopping in front of the exit. Before they could exit their vehicle I pulled my Carnifex out and shot a few stray shots at them to give myself some time to think for a new route. I heard some screams from behind the police cruiser and hurried steps of people leaving the area. Bullets would start flying soon. There was a side entrance to some building on the left of me and I tried to open it. Locked. But it was not one of those infuriating sliding doors, but a regular door with hinges, so I pulled my leg back and kicked hard next to the handle. The door buckled inwards just as gunshots started to ricochet around me. I quickly ducked inside.

The building seemed to be a storage or a backroom of some store as it was filled with packaged goods of some sort. In the dim light inside I spotted another door on the other side of the room and ran to it. I opened the lock from the inside and exited to the alley on the other side of the building. Before I could scan the alley, I was bowled over by something.

I hit the ground hard and my vision blurred for a moment. My sight adjusted shortly back to normal and I focused on the person who tackled me. The human officer had not fared much better than me in the landing and seemed to be reorienting himself too. My Carnifex had flown a few meters away so I decided to lunge at him to try and take the officer's gun from it's place at his side. He unfortunately managed to position himself so that as I hit my him, my chest struck his shoulder, the glass shard in my side protesting with a sharp stabbing pain. I grit my teeth and tried to grab him in a headlock but he managed to duck away from it and with the same movement spun up and pulled his gun out.

"Don't move!" He yelled, but it was too late already as my leg swept his off the dirty ground of the alley. He landed with a painful thud on the ground, accidentally pressing the trigger as he fell. The bullet missed my head by an inch if even that. I quickly approached wrestling the gun from his hand and pointed it at his lying form. His eyes were full of fear as he looked at me. Moving the aim from his head to his leg I shot him in the thigh and then threw the gun down the alley. He screamed in agony as I collected my Carnifex from the ground and restarted my escape along the alley. The people had cleared quickly from the area and now I could hear only the screams of the guy I shot in the leg and echoes of sirens bouncing around me from the building around me.

My original escape plan was royally fucked I thought whilst I rounded a few more corners along the deserted alley until I came up to an exit again. The street beyond was very quiet, and I leaned out to look around; The sirens were clearly coming towards me but I could not see anything at the moment. There were two different streets branching off from this one close by and I decided to head for the one further away from the incoming sirens. I started jogging towards it whilst holding my quite heavily bleeding side.

Before I could reach there, a police cruiser without it's sirens came flying from the street I was headed for. I bit out a few choice words and doubled back towards the street closer to the ever closer looming sirens. The other cruiser turned on it's sirens also and turned to chase after me as I disappeared behind the street corner. The road I was on was narrow and the buildings lining it had no doorways into them. Only path was further down, where after thirty meters or so the street turned at a ninety degree angle to the left. I hoped that there was a way through there.

I could hear the screaming sirens stop at the entrance into the street and shortly after, running footsteps behind me. I rounded the corner and the last of my hope for escape disappeared. The alley ended in another building, with no way around it. There was no doors or windows on this side, only a large trash compactor. I just stared at the end of the street as the footsteps behind me reached the corner. Now that I was stopped, the blood loss was starting to affect me as my head felt quite light.

I heard atleast three different people shout at me to get on the ground and to surrender at the same time. I slowly threw my Carnifex to the ground and went to my knees as I held my side with one of my hands. Last I rose my hands behind my head, only one word going through my head at that moment.

"Shit."


Writer's note:

Took a while, eh? Please excuse any spelling mistakes.