Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Gears of War/Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you for your wonderful feedback and ideas. I really appreciate the amount of feedback that you've shown. As such, I've edited the previous chapters, and this new chapter, in response to your feedback. Every little bit helps, and I thank you for it.
I'm also going to give you all a special treat by posting this new chapter today. After that, it'll be the usual two day wait for a new chapter.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gears of War or Mass Effect franchises. They are the properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Studios, The Coaltion, Epic Games, etc. 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.
Citadel
Tayseri Ward
January 16th, 2183
For most people that lived on the Citadel, commuting to work via air bus or air car was a routine part of life. Once one sat down inside of one such vehicle, all they needed to do was sit down, select the destination they were heading to from the list of places stored in the flight computer, and away they went. Allowing a computer to handle flying was not only safer by most people's reasoning, it also allowed them to do a number of things, such as finishing up work, or playing video games.
Such an automated system, however, made Marcus more than a little nervous. True, he could understand the need for automation, such as in JACK's case, as well as when it came to other parts of life, but extending that automation to transportation was a little much, in his opinion. The fact that he was inside such an automated air car was more than enough to make him nervous.
The other reason, however, was due to the lack of armor plating that was on the vehicle. Unlike the King Raven, where there was enough armor plating to stop the projectiles from small arms like the Lancer, the air car had little in the way of actual armor. The aesthetically pleasing metal body that covered up the chassis would do little to stop the projectiles from a Hammerburst II, the standard rifle used by the Locust Horde.
Looking behind himself and to his right, he could see that he wasn't the only one that shared this sentiment. Cole seemed to be trying to relax, though it was clear from his body language that he was facing difficulty in that regard. Carmine's expression was hidden, though it was clear that, he too, disliked being inside of a mode of transportation that wasn't well armored.
It was Baird, though, that was having the least enjoyable time. The mechanical genius turned soldier was nervously looking at the canopy that was currently enclosed around them, while also tapping a part of the metal chassis experimentally with a knuckle. "I really hate this thing," he frowned. "Feels like we're flying around with a target sign painted across this vehicle. I like the computers, but not the machine itself."
"Take it easy," Cole said to Baird in an attempt to ease the man's rattled nerves. "It ain't gonna be for long. Just gotta get to this 'Tayseri Ward' and then we can walk as much as we please."
Fortunately for Baird, it wasn't long before they came to their destination. The engines of the air car whined softly as it came in for a landing, with the vehicle landing on a long concourse before the engine turned off. A moment later, the canopy deployed, allowing all four Gears, who were more than relieved to be at the journey's end, to get out and move around. "Finally," Baird beamed. "I was getting close to having a panic attack."
Ignoring his friend's overly dramatic reaction to their transit, Marcus looked around in the ward they were in. From what he could tell, they were in a small portion of Tayseri Ward, with the concourse they were on leading to an open courtyard. There, he could see signs that pointed to different parts of the ward's upper levels, while others showed advertisements in dozens of different languages.
In addition, he could see the other sapient lifeforms that inhabited the Citadel. He'd spent much of the time he and the others spent at the Normandy studying what the galaxy called the 'Codex,' which he'd learned was an encyclopedia for various topics in the galaxy. There, he had learned about the various species of the galaxy, from what they looked like, to various parts of their culture. Getting used to them would take time, and he found that he had to stop himself from reaching for his Boltok every time he saw a Turian, Salarian or Asari. However, he did try to look for races that had something in common with Gears like him.
Of them all, he found that, oddly enough, he related to the Turians the best. The militaristic, autocratic meritocracy that was their government had caused him to wonder if the Turians had, unwittingly, created an idealized version of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. So far, though, their track record when it came to Humanity wasn't all that good, though he was willing to give them a chance, if only a single chance. They'd better not piss me off, though, he thought. I'll talk later with Anderson on that. He looks old enough to have been through that conflict.
Nearby, Baird was looking at each of the species of the galaxy with interest. "Hey, it's those… what'd you call them? Salarians? Yeah, that's it, Salarians. I gotta admit, I admire their intelligence; wish they didn't look like a grub's long lost cousin, though." He shivered slightly.
"Hey, they probably trying to get by as best they can, same as us," Cole said reassuringly, while he patted Baird on the shoulder. Internally, he felt the same unease as the others, but having been born in a family that had taken good care of him, and due to the better parts of his nature, he was willing to give the Council Races a chance. "Gotta admit, though, those Asari look quite good. I ain't thinkin' of marryin' one, though. I'm more comfortable with my own species." Carmine, once more, remained silent, though his body language indicated that, he too, was both curious and wary of the species inhabiting the Citadel.
This commenting and musing would've gone on, except for the fact that they heard another air car landing. Turning around, Marcus watched as Shepard and his team got out of that one, followed promptly by JACK, who cloaked moments later. That was due to the fact that Baird, just before they landed at the Citadel, had programmed JACK to remain cloaked until he was needed in combat. Sensible, Marcus decided. We don't need every fucking member of the Citadel asking us where we got JACK. Our armor and weapons will draw enough attention as it is.
Shepard, seeing that the others had arrived safely, walked over and asked, "Had a good journey?"
"Not really," Marcus frowned.
"Oh, I see," Shepard frowned as well. "Well, not to worry, we won't be using the air cars that much, if I can help it. I've always been more of a 'boots-on-the-ground' kind of person." Looking around, he said, "And there's our C-SEC Investigator."
Following Shepard's gaze, Marcus turned around to see a male Turian that was leaning against a nearby wall. Said Turian was dressed in light C-SEC armor, with armor plating only present on the torso region, and even then, not enough to restrict mobility. The armor was a dark blue and black color, and it covered every portion of the his body, save for the head and neck. Looking at the his face, Marcus noticed the alien's single horned crest, as well as the blue eyes that tracked him and the others with a single minded, avian-like, focus. The alien was also wearing what appeared to be a visor, with a holographic screen over one of his eyes. His facial markings were the same vivid blue that his eyes were, which further complimented his appearance.
Spotting the group, the Turian pushed off from the wall and approached them. As soon as he was close enough he said, "Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I'm the Investigator assigned to Saren's case." A moment later, he extended a hand.
Nodding, Shepard shook Garrus' hand and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Garrus. What's the story?"
"Dr. Michelle called in and informed us that she had someone that had information on Saren's case," Garrus explained. "According to her, the person in question, a Quarian, came into the clinic with gunshot wounds and was running a high fever. She treated her, and as far as we know, she's still here at the clinic." Peering behind Shepard and towards the Gears, he asked. "Were they cleared?"
"Yes," Shepard nodded. "I don't see the robot they have with them. Probably still in the air car." He shrugged, though.
"Actually, he's around," Baird explained. "He's just invisible."
"Invisible?" Garrus asked.
"Yep. Light refraction field technology. I'd explain more, but the science would probably fly over your head."
"Sounds interesting, actually," Garrus remarked, his mind automatically recalling the meanings of various Human idioms one of his human coworkers had told him about. "I've always been interested in technology, so we could discuss that kind of thing." Clearing his throat, he said, "Still, we have a job to do."
"Right," Shepard nodded. "Marcus, you fine taking orders from me, if necessary?"
"Yeah," Marcus replied, though the tone of voice indicated he wasn't too happy taking orders from someone he didn't know all that well. "Just don't be fucking stupid about it."
"Bad CO's?"
"Yep."
"I understand. I'll do my best not to disappoint you. Time to go, though." With that, the team proceeded towards the clinic. It wasn't long before they reached the clinic, with the sign above the door holding a red +, the standard red cross associated with the medical industry. A single door led inside, though the lock on the door was a red color.
"That's not normal," Garrus frowned. "Michelle's clinic is usually open." Tapping on the console, he frowned. "S'kak, the door's locked."
"Maybe I can give it a try," Baird suggested.
"No," Garrus replied. "I've got it." Activating his omni-tool, he activated a program installed onto it, before inputting a series of commands. An orange circular hologram appeared over his talon, before splitting into multiple segments that began to rotate around where his hand was. "Got it," he beamed, just as the panel turned green. Closing the omni-tool and standing up, he pressed the open icon on the panel.
Nearby, Marcus watched as the door opened. Rather than rotating inwards, two glassy panels on either side of the door slid up and down rapidly, before the opaque components did the same thing, resulting in the door opening. Looking inside, Marcus could see what looked like a small clinic, with a small half-wall that separated a waiting area from a series of medical cots up ahead. The rest of the room continued off to the right, hiding most of it from his sight.
As soon as he saw the people inside, though, alarm bells began to ring in his head, and he subconsciously reached for his Boltok. A woman with red hair and of olive complexion was standing inside, dressed in a white and red uniform that indicated she was a doctor. Her green eyes were wide with fear, though, courtesy of the three men near her. Each one was dressed in a red and black jumpsuit, and one had a visor. The stance they had, though, indicated that they were there for reasons other than a checkup.
"I swear! I didn't tell anyone!" the woman, Michelle from the looks of it, half-screamed, half-begged.
The lead thug smiled cruelly. "That was smart, doc," he said threateningly. "Now stay smart and keep quiet when that detective comes around. Otherwise we -" He looked to his right a moment later, and spotted Marcus, who had fully pulled out his Boltok by that point and was pointing it directly at him. Before the thug could react, Marcus fired the revolver.
At this distance, it was a guaranteed hit, especially since Marcus was aiming for the head. Long hours of practice on bottles swaying in the wind on strings had taught Marcus how to hit a moving target, and at range. In addition, the thug, thinking that he didn't need additional protection, had, in a moment of stupidity, turned off his kinetic barrier generator. As such, the thug was dead before he even knew it.
The revolver let out a loud POP-BOOM as it fired, sending a .454 caliber round out of the muzzle, and straight through the air towards the thug's head. The bullet, traveling at just a hundred meters under Mach 2, punched through the air and into the thug's head. The incendiary compound in the tip ignited, generating temperatures hot enough to melt osmium alloy, burning a large crater into the man's skull. In the next ten milliseconds, the bullet, designed to penetrate osmium alloy plating and UHMWPE, pierced the thug's skull as though it had not existed. The wound channel, combined with the kinetic energy of the impact, caused the thugs head to explode in a gory mess of blood, brain matter, bone and organs. Having only moderately slowed down, the bullet tumbled and continued on, before embedding itself into the wall, punching a hole into it.
Michelle screamed as the shower of gore landed partly on her, while the rest was splattered onto the ground and wall. She threw herself to the floor, trusting in the partition between the waiting room and the actual clinical area to protect herself from gunfire. The thug's body, now headless above the lower jaw, collapsed to the ground, while blood spurted into the air and splattered onto the floor and wall. The other thugs, caught off guard by the gunshot, shouted in panic, horror, and shock as they watched the lifeless corpse of their leader fall to the ground dead.
At that moment, Garrus, who'd been behind Marcus, shot past the veteran Gear and, maneuvering quickly, rounded the partition's corner and fired at the thugs. By now, however, the thugs had regained their composure, and had activated their kinetic barrier generators. Sand grain sized projectiles traveling at extreme velocities ricocheted off of the barriers.
At the same time, however, Marcus exchanged his Boltok for the close range option he had brought along, having exchanged it with Carmine after getting some much needed rest on the Normandy. Pulling out the Sawn-Off Shotgun, he advanced deeper into the clinic, vaulting over the half-wall that formed the partition and in front of Garrus. When the first thug came into view, he pulled both triggers on the weapon.
There was a loud BOOM as the Sawn-Off Shotgun's barrels discharged, sending a spray of shotshell pellets towards the thug. Marcus was pushed backwards by the force of the recoil, but his aim remained true, with the shot from both shells flying directly on target. While the thug's kinetic barriers were calibrated to stop certain projectiles at a higher velocity, they didn't have the strength required to block a veritable wall of buckshot, let alone two salvos. The spray of pellets tore the man's chest wide open, splattering blood and gore onto any nearby surfaces. The man fell to the ground, dead in an instant.
The other thug, having realized what was going on, remained in cover. Acting on autopilot, Marcus advanced around the corner and, cornering the man behind the crate he was hiding behind, delivered a powerful left jab to the man's face. Years of exercise inside his own armor, combined with many more years of combat, led to the man's jaw and nose shattering like they were made out of glass. As the man spun around, Marcus, opening up the shotgun's two barrels, looped it around the man's neck and, once the man's jaw was held firmly between the barrels and breech-face, twisted hard to the right.
A loud, bone shattering CRUNCH filled the air as the vertebrae in the thug's neck were twisted, then snapped by the force that Marcus put in the twisting motion. The spinal cord was severed like a string, with the base of the skull shattering, and the brain stem snapping in half, killing the thug instantly. Letting go of the body, Marcus watched as the thug slumped forwards, his face sliding down the wall, and leaving a smear of blood from the man's shattered nose and jaw, the head hanging at an unnatural angle. Flicking his wrist, Marcus closed the breech of the Sawn-Off Shotgun.
The fight, while intense, had only lasted for fifteen seconds, but the end result were three dead thugs, one traumatized doctor, and a C-SEC Investigator that had watched it all happen. Walking over to Marcus, Garrus said, "By the Spirits, you showed no quarter at all. Where'd you learn to fight like that?"
"You don't want to know," was Marcus' simple reply. The tone of his voice, combined with the way he looked at Garrus, silenced any and all talk that would've happened otherwise.
Shepard, who was making his way inside, looked at the scene with widened eyes. "Fuck," he muttered, eyes scanning the scene of the fight carefully. "You weren't messing around when you said you knew how to fight, back on the Normandy. Still, you took a considerable risk shooting the thug. He could've shot the doctor, and you could've done the same as well."
"I'd have killed him anyways," Marcus replied, though reassuringly, he added, "I know how to pull off a head shot without injuring a civie." Walking over to Michelle, he helped her to her feet and asked, "You alright?"
"I-I'm fine," Michelle stammered, even as Shepard, who'd pulled out a few disposable wipes, cleaned off the gore from the first thug. "Thanks to you."
As he cleaned her off, Garrus came over and asked, "Michelle, who were those people?"
"I… If I tell you, they might come after me."
"They'll have to get past Marcus first," Shepard remarked. "From the way he fought, they wouldn't stand a chance. I know you're scared, but if you tell Garrus and I who those men were, we'll do what we can to keep you safe."
That was enough to reassure the doctor that she was going to be OK. "They… they work for Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."
"Not anymore," Garrus told the others. "Fist works for Saren now, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it."
"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" Michelle asked, incredulous. "That's stupid, even for him! Saren must have made him quite the offer!"
"Shadow Broker?" Baird asked, a little confused.
"The top information broker in the galaxy," Garrus explained. "Buys and sells secrets to the highest bidder. The name comes from the fact that no one knows who the Shadow Broker really is. Some thing it's a male, some a female, others think it's a group of people working under an assumed identity." Looking at Michelle, he asked, "You said you had information. What was it?"
"A few hours ago, a Quarian came into the clinic," Michelle explained. "She'd been injured, a gunshot wound. I treated her, and during my doing so, she mentioned that she had something for the Shadow Broker. When I went to get some supplies, she slipped out of the clinic via an air vent."
"I see," Garrus mused. Looking at Shepard, he said, "That Quarian must've had something that would be valuable to the Shadow Broker, something that Saren really wants to keep a secret."
"Information that could convict him of attempted murder and conspiracy," Shepard mused. "That means it's time that we paid Fist a visit. Where can we find him?"
"Down in the lower levels of this ward," Garrus explained. "It's more of a dive than an actual bar."
"Lovely," Baird remarked. "That means we have to deal with shitbags and that kind of crap."
"Well, it's what we've got to do if we're going to pop this bastard," Marcus decided. "Shepard, we're coming with you and the others. We don't really have anywhere else to go, plus people wouldn't appreciate four guys tearing up the place without any authority."
"I thought as much," Shepard nodded. "Let's go."
. . .
Once it was certain that Michelle was going to be alright, the eight people that were present began moving down into the lowermost levels of the ward. That led them to another stall of merchants, after which, they passed through a door and into the seedier part of Tayseri Ward itself. Here, the lowlifes and undesirables of Council space tended to gather.
As they entered the small room, which would take them to the bar in question, Marcus stopped in his tracks. The reason why he stopped was quite simple: his instincts were warning him of a potential threat that was in the immediate area. The cause of those alarm bell was also simple: the silence that pervaded the place, and the lack of people in the area.
It wasn't just limited to him either. Cole and the others had come to a stop as well, with Baird actually becoming dead silent from the lack of sound in the area. Sensing this silence, Shepard turned to Marcus and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Quiet," Marcus shushed him, before moving behind the wall that led to the street beyond. Slowly leaning out of cover, Marcus gazed ahead to see what was going on.
The street beyond was shaped like a rectangle that surrounded a very long drop. The walkways had half-walls that prevented anyone from being able to fall over them. Nearby, on the top parts of the wall, one could see the holographic outline of a strip dancer, as well as a glass and olives. The door was also nearby, with the door panel indicating that the bar was closed.
It was then that he spotted two individuals that were near the door. Two Turians, each one dressed in civilian garb, were standing near the door, each one in a seemingly relaxed state. The way they were looking around, as well as the way they were glancing at the door, indicated that they were there for something other than imbibing the drinks that were through the door. One of them, spotting Marcus, tapped his buddy on the shoulder, with both of them looking towards them.
"I don't think those are party goers," Kaidan, having seen them as well, frowned.
"Looks like we've got trouble," Marcus agreed.
"Any idea what they're up to?" Shepard asked.
"Well, we're not here to sell cookies, so they know something's up," Marcus said knowingly. Rather than wait for permission, he primed his Lancer and moved out into the open, trusting in his body armor to keep him safe.
As soon as he did, one of the Turians said, "It's one of them. Kill them." Both Turians pulled out handguns, each of them modified to fire armor piercing rounds. At that, Marcus ducked into cover, while the two hostiles fired, their rounds bouncing off his armor, and then the cover he was behind.
That prompted Shepard and the others to open fire themselves. Bullets zipped through the air as Garrus and the others took cover, before leaning out and contributing their own bullets to the exchange. This came as Marcus' cue to take out his Lancer and, after making sure there was still ammunition in the chamber, fire back as well.
Four rounds punched through the first Turian's chest after overwhelming the barriers, killing the alien instantly, while the second took a round to the lower chest, spinning him around and sending him to the floor. Before he could recover, Shepard and the others rushed forwards, kicking away the attacker's weapon and holding him to the ground with a knee. "Hands out!" Garrus shouted. "Keep them right where we can see them! Who do you work for?!"
The Turian said something in reply, though it was in another language; in addition, judging by Garrus' facial expression, it was a very grave insult. In reply, he pushed his knee deeper into the other Turian's back, causing the latter to give a cry. "Who? Do? You? Work for?" Garrus enunciated.
"No need to ask him," Kaidan added, holding up a datapad of some kind. "These two were hired to kill us, and to abduct Marcus and the others."
"Why, though?" Garrus asked. "That's the real question." Just as he said this, the other Turian began to thrash and growl, before howling in agony. Turning him over quickly, Garrus watched as foam started coming out of the assassin's mouth, before the Turian finally went still. "S'kak, he must've poisoned himself."
"Coward," Baird said flippantly. "Either way, that's one more dead dumbass, and the rest of us are still standing. So, what are we waiting for?"
"We'll have to be careful," Garrus frowned as he looked at the deactivated door panel. "Fist probably knows we're here right now, so he's probably got thugs getting ready for us. Still, I doubt he'll be expecting eight fully armored people coming to apprehend him."
"And me as well," a voice added. Turning around, Marcus and the others found themselves looking at a massive alien. It stood on two thick, digitigrade legs that supported a waist that was somewhat thinner than it's chest and upper body. A pair of arms that ended in four fingered hands were connected to the shoulders, while a hump on it's back gave it a hunched appearance. It's head, however, was massive, with a large red plate, that had a gash on one side, while the two red eyes looked at them with the scrutiny that only a warrior could have.
Marcus, having read up on his alien races, knew what it was: a Krogan. Krogan, in his opinion, were what might happen if a Berserker had greater intelligence, though lacked most of the metallic natural armor that rendered such beings invulnerable. That lack of protection, however, was more than compensated for by multiple redundant organ systems, as well as a regeneration that would make even a Grub turn green with envy.
"Who are you, humpy?" Baird asked sarcastically. "You coming here for Fist as well?"
"Watch who you call 'humpy,'" The Krogan growled at them. "The name's Wrex, and as for Fist, I'm coming for him alright. The Shadow Broker hired me to kill him."
"Not happening," Garrus, who was fully standing up now, bit back. "We're going to take Fist into custody if I can help it. We need him so that we know where the Quarian is."
"Hey!" Carmine interrupted, speaking up for the first time in a while. "One thing is clear, ladies; we have to get inside Chora's den. Every moment went spend out here arguing with each other is another moment the thugs inside have to prepare. So how about we get our heads out of our asses and get that fucking asshole?"
"I can get behind that," Marcus nodded. "Besides, Carmine, you took the words out of my mouth. We can argue semantics later." Charging his rifle, he said, "Oh, and we're going to find out where the Quarian is at, Wrex. Don't piss me off."
Wrex examined the Human for a moment, blood-red eyes scanning every centimeter of Marcus from head to toe. From what he could tell, the human was wearing armor that made the natural armor that some Krogan have look like it was made out of tissue paper, and the dings and scratches present showed how many times it had saved that Human's life. He could also smell the acrid stench of smokeless powder on the human's skin, and the very faint, coppery scent of blood.
All of that, combined with the dangerous looking rifle in the human's hands, told Wrex that this man had been through the wringer, and had come out relatively sane and intact. After a moment, he said, "You've got a quad, Human. Not many would stand up to a Krogan like that, especially one that looks and smells like you. Alright, we find out where the Quarian is at, then I'll collect my bounty."
"I'll take that as a yes," Marcus nodded. With that, the team proceeded towards the door.
"Looks shut down," Garrus observed, "but I'll bet you a million creds that Fist has a veritable army in there waiting for us." Looking at Marcus, he asked, "Can that rifle really do the job?" The only response he got was Marcus revving the chainsaw bayonet, with the motor giving a loud roar before it died as Marcus disengaged the motor.
"You've got a chainsaw as the bayonet of your rifle?" Wrex asked. "Now I wonder how big your quad really is."
"That seems a little… barbaric," Garrus remarked. "What kind of war necessitated such a weapon?"
"I'll tell you later," Marcus replied. "Now, can someone open this fucking door?" In response, Kaidan began to hack the door silently. Before long, the door fully opened, with Marcus taking cover on one side, while Cole moved to the other.
As soon as the door opened, and the team was out of the door's view, bullets zipped through where they'd been standing seconds before. In response, Marcus pulled out the last of the bolo Frag grenades that he had, before pulling the pin and tossing it through the door way. There was a single beep, before a loud BOOM echoed in the bar, followed by a scream of agony. With the initial threat dealt with, Cole and Marcus moved inside, Lancers firing as they assaulted any enemy forces in their line of sight.
A whole group of thugs were inside the bar, with most having taken cover behind whatever chairs and tables they could knock over. One was standing on where strippers would've been dancing at, while the Bouncer, a large Krogan with a shotgun, was firing at Cole. The thug that had been inside of the bar counter had his upper body splattered all over the wall, courtesy of Marcus' grenade.
"Oh, yeah! I've got enough for all of ya!" Cole shouted, firing the Retro Lancer that was in his hand. The powerful battle rifle, while on semi-automatic mode, was more than enough to tear large holes into tables that some thugs were hiding behind. Spotting the incoming Krogan, he fired at a few thugs to make them duck down, before deploying the bayonet and charging, a roar coming out of his mouth. Seeing this, Baird kept up suppressing fire with his Lancer, preventing the thugs from firing on Cole.
The Krogan, seeing this, charged as well, though he didn't realize that this had spelled his doom. Both individual slammed into each other with titanic force, with the bayonet plunging deep into the Krogan's torso. Cole promptly lifted the Krogan into the air, though it was clear from the slightly slowed movement that he was struggling to lift the seven hundred kilo heavy alien. Twisting the bayonet, he flipped the alien over his head, before turning around and firing a single round into it's skull, causing it to explode.
"HAH!" he shouted as he took cover and reloaded. "You think you can stop the Cole Train?! Here's the problem with that idea: the Cole Train's movin' too fast for you to stop! WHOOOOO!"
Meanwhile, Marcus and the others were quickly cleaning out house. A Turian that was with the thugs got too close, and it was here that Shepard and the others saw something that would stick with them for a long time. Realizing that the alien was too close for him to fire on, Marcus revved the chainsaw bayonet, bringing it to full power before bringing it down on the base of the alien's neck.
There was a loud roar as the chainsaw bayonet ripped through the fabric armor the Turian was wearing, before the teeth began to cut deeply into the alien's carapace and flesh. The Turian screamed, a loud, double-toned wail of agony, as he tried to pull himself off of the bayonet's teeth. Unfortunately, the teeth had hooked in fully, with Marcus cutting through the Turian's chest and out the side of it's waist with shocking speed. Blue blood splattered all over Marcus and his rifle as the Turian fell down, with most of the upper body falling away from the lower one.
"Wow!" Marcus frowned as he took cover. "That's a lotta blood!" Nearby, Shepard's eyes had gone wide at the horrific sight, though he shook himself and continued to fight.
Eventually, all of the hostiles inside of the bar were dead, though most of the casualties were from Marcus and Cole. Looking at the Turian that had been sawed in half, Garrus said, "Spirits… I thought I'd seen everything when I was in the Hierarchy military. Now… now I realize that I haven't seen anything."
"I'm impressed with that Human more than anything," Wrex remarked, pointing at the very dead Krogan Bouncer that was lying on the ground. "Lifting a Krogan into the air after impaling him with a bayonet? Very few Humans can do that." Turning to Cole, he asked, "What's your name?"
"Augustus Cole."
"Cole," Wrex remarked. "That was impressive. I'm starting to see why you call yourself the 'Cole Train."
With that, they proceeded to the back of the bar. Walking to a door, Shepard opened it up, only to have a pistol pointed into his face. Said pistol's owner was a man wearing the uniform of a warehouse worker. His hands were shaking, and the man's eyes had fear written all over them. "Stop, or I'll shoot!" he ordered, though his voice cracked with fear.
"Warehouse workers," Kaidan observed. "We must've killed the real guards."
"Stay back, or we'll shoot!" another warehouse worker shouted.
Keeping calm, Shepard cleared his throat and said, "You know, this might be a good time to find a different place to work. Is this dingy place really worth it trying to kill me?"
The worker, hearing this, looked uncertain for a few seconds, then lowered his handgun. "Y-yeah. Good idea." he admitted. "I never liked working for Fist anyways. Fucking asshole underpays and overworks us!" With that, he and the others left, moving past Shepard as quickly as they could.
"Nice work, getting them to leave," Marcus remarked.
"Would've been faster to shoot 'em," Wrex pointed out.
"Shooting people isn't always the answer," Garrus countered. "Still, we've got a former Shadow Broker agent to deal with."
"Agreed," Shepard nodded. With that, they proceeded towards the door to Fist's office and went inside. It was slightly brighter than the bar had been, with a pair of partitions keeping them from seeing the actual office. Leaning around the corner, Shepard could see a desk nearby, with a man standing behind it, and a pair of what looked like armored compartments. Moments later, those compartments opened, revealing turrets inside.
"Why do I have to do everything myself?" Fist, the man behind the desk grumbled. "OK, puny soldiers. Time to die!"
"Baird?" Marcus asked.
"JACK's on it," Baird replied. Moments later, JACK, having floated behind Fist and towards one of the turrets, decloaked and fired the modified stun gun mounted on one of his arms. While not particularly powerful, it was just enough to scramble the turret's optics, allowing Carmine to fire his Torque Bow.
There was an explosion as the bolt detonated, blasting apart the stunned turret, while Marcus and Baird fired on the second in unison. That turret also detonated, with Fist hiding behind the desk. Realizing he was beaten, and outmatched, he shouted, "Wait! Don't shoot! I surrender!"
Walking over and kicking the man to the ground, Shepard pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Fist's head. "Where's the Quarian?" he asked.
"She's not here!" Fist shouted. "I swear!"
"He's no use to you," Wrex frowned. "Let me kill him."
"Wait! Wait! I don't know where she's at, but I can tell you where to find her. The Quarian isn't here, said she'd deal only with the Shadow Broker himself!"
"Face-to-face? Impossible. Even I was hired through an agent."
Marcus, on a nod from Shepard, roughly hefted Fist to his feet, before slamming Fist into the wall. Fist, after licking his lips nervously, said, "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Even I don't know his true identity, but she didn't know that. I told her I'd set a meeting up, but when she gets there, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."
Grabbing Fist, with Marcus stepping back, Shepard asked, "Give me the coordinates. Now!"
"Here," Fist replied, handing Shepard a piece of paper. "In the alley behind the wards. If you move quickly enough, you can rescue her."
Just as Shepard was about to ask another question, there was a loud KRA-THOOM as Wrex fired his shotgun, blasting Fist's chest apart. The man slumped to the ground, dead, his eyes rolling into the back of his head. "What are you doing?!" Garrus, who'd been splattered with blood, shouted.
"The Shadow Broker hired me to kill Fist. I don't leave jobs half done."
Shepard, however, was livid, as he smacked Wrex in the face. The blow, though, had as much effect as hitting a wall. "We don't shoot unarmed prisoners!"
"How many lives were ruined by this one man?" Wrex asked quietly. While irritated that Shepard had hit him in the face, he had more than enough self-control to ignore it. Besides, the blow, to a normal Krogan, would've told them that they were in disgrace, though that was ignored by him as well. "He brought this on himself. Besides, we have more pressing matters to tend to."
"That Quarian's dead if we don't go now!" Garrus nodded.
"Agreed," Shepard nodded. "Marcus, you'll take point with me. The rest of you, fall in. We've got a Quarian to save."
(Author's Notes and Q&A)
RandomReader: Thank you for that information. Projectiles from mass accelerated weapons would have to travel much slower in order to avoid undergoing fusion. I got that tibit of info concerning the speed of mass accelerated projectiles from the Codex for Mass Effect: Andromeda. With that in mind, how fast do you think they would actually be traveling to avoid that, while still remaining effective?
dethbringer66: I understand your complaint completely. Still, if you don't mind, could you enable Private Messaging please? It irks me whenever I can't answer a question someone has with a Private Message. I have, however, gone back and edited that chapter to correct the error you spotted.
Reikson: Thank you for your feedback. I also agree with your assessment. Modern projectiles wouldn't be able to penetrate COG armor plating. The COG likely uses a Semi-Armor Piercing/High Explosive round, or a very hard Armor Piercing round, to penetrate that kind of armor. I do agree that the increased momentum, combined with the metallurgy used in the projectiles, is part of the reason why COG weapons would do more damage compared to mass accelerator weapons. With that in mind, what would the metallurgic composition of each round be? In addition, would they be SAPHE rounds, or pure AP rounds? I look forwards to your answer.
OmegaDelta: Other people from Sera might show up. I won't reveal who, though.
JawsOnYou67: I'll be making revisions and corrections in the previous chapters to correct that. Thank you for your feedback. Every little bit helps me write better stories and chapters.
edboy4926: I'll correct that in the upcoming chapters. Thank you for pointing it out.