Zrocker119: Well well well. Would you look at that? Only took me three months this time around. That has to be a new record for me. On a more serious note, I'm very happy about the reception that the last chapter received. It really helps keep me motivated to continue writing. Now, enough of the sappy sap and onto the slaughter!
-DOOM Effect-
-Chapter 9-
Start
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Janes' boots hit the ground with a solid thud, bending her knees slightly to help absorb the impact. Even though it had been close to a five-meter drop, the impact compensation system integrated into her armor made it feel like she had just hopped out of bed. She quickly leveled her shotgun and scanned the area. Her helmet's eye trackers helped highlight potential ambush sites and sniper nests.
She heard more impacts as the rest of her squad landed behind her, their weapons unfolding as they fanned out and took up positions that would allow for covering fire in case they were ambushed.
After a moment of silence, no hostile life forms came bursting forth. It was always refreshing to not immediately come under fire at the start of a deployment. After taking another moment to double-check their surroundings, only then did she allow the barrel of her weapon to drop, but only slightly so. "Ground team to Normandy. You pick up anything in the area, Joker?"
"Scanners are coming up clean for the immediate area, Commander. Be advised that I've got a large group of unknown signals closer to the dig site. 400 meters out and holding position."
"Solid copy, thanks for the heads up. Nihlus, how are things on your end."
The second squad, consisting of Nihlus and Jenkins, had been dropped off half a click east of Shepards and co's current location. They would have to cut through a small but dense patch of woods to proceed towards the dig site, but with Jenkins having been born and raised on Eden Prime, the marine had in-depth knowledge of the surrounding area required for them to reach their destination ahead of the main party with little to no issue.
"Progress is steady, Shepard. We should reach the main transportation hub shortly and proceed to the dig from there. No sign of any survivors yet. We'll keep you posted."
The Spectre cut the call and Jane turned to address Garrus and Kaidan. "You heard what Joker said. We've got a group of potential hostels holding up directly in our path. Kaiden, you're on me. Garrus, scout ahead and let us know what you see."
Garrus gave a swift nod before triggering something on his Omni-tool. A second later, his form disappeared from their sight, with only the subtlest of blurs to clue them in on his position. But even with her keen eyes, she lost him the moment he moved ahead. It sure paid to have access to the latest tech.
Jane gave an appreciative whistle before she spun around and marched in the direction of the dig site at a brisk, yet cautious pace. Kaiden was right beside her, rifle shouldered and ready for combat. The pair made their way forward, passing a small group of what Jane could only describe as a group of floating tumors that pass for this planet's native fauna. She knew that every planet had its own unique ecosystem, but come on, this was weird even by most standards.
The walk forward was oddly quiet, especially for a place that had been an active war zone for who knows how many hours. The silence unsettled her and filled her with a foreboding sense of dread. For it to be this silent, it could only mean that the defenders that had sent out the distress call were either dead, captured, or in hiding. Judging from the live feed that she had witnessed not even thirty minutes ago, she had a gut feeling that it was the former.
Before she could travel further down that depressing tail of thought, Garrus' voice came over the comms.
"Got movement 100 meters out. Can't tell what it is just yet. Too much flora blocking my line of sight." There was a momentary pause before he spoke again. "Holy shit! That's an Alliance marine!"
"How many!? What's their status!?" Jane picked up her pace, Kaiden right beside her.
"Just one. Female. Seems uninjured, but she's moving fast. Like she-Contact!"
The sharp crack of a rifle echoed from up ahead. With the life of a fellow marine now on the line, the two humans decided to tell subtly to go fuck itself and took off at full tilt. Rounding a collection of large boulders and cresting a hill, they saw the marine that Garrus had spotted.
With her pink and white armor, she was hard to miss. As were the ones chasing her.
They were clearly synthetic, but unlike any that Jane had ever seen. All of the drones she had encountered were usually blocky and had sharp edges. But these were all smooth, with armored heads and chests, while their limbs looked something along the lines of artificial muscle fibers.
She had questions, many of them in fact, but they could wait till later. For now, she had a marine to pull out of the fire.
Jane focused her attention on the one that was closest to the marine. Her body became alight with biotic energy and her vision went dark. It lasted for less than a second before the world bloomed back into view. Only now the distance between herself and the machine was non-existent, having closed the 30-meter gap with a Biotic charge.
The target of her charge had been knocked onto its back and was in the process of picking itself up, only to be met with the barrel of Janes' shotgun pressing against its flashlight head.
She pulled the trigger. Dew to their proximity, the machine's shields couldn't register the projectiles even when things photoreceptor collapsed inwards and blew out the back of its downward curving head.
Janes' barriers flared as the others focused their fire on the newly arrived threat, peppering her form. But this was far from her first rodeo. Her body flared once more as she sent the marine she had just saved sailing over a nearby bolder with a Biotice pull before diving behind cover herself, sliding in beside Kaiden who was looking the marine over for injuries.
"Thanks for the save," her breathing was labored, indicating that she had been exerting herself for some time.
"Don't thank us just yet," Jane responded, peeking out from behind cover to take well-aimed shots at their foes. Kaiden and their new ally joined her seconds later, adding their rifles to the fight, with a sniper round adding to it all every couple of seconds.
Between Jane and Kaidens' biotics, Garrus' marksmanship, and the marine's concentrated fire, the firefight lasted less than two minutes. The machines, while durable and boasting stronger-than-average shields, were simply no match for their combined firepower.
By the time the gunfire came to a stop, the opposition was little more than piles of sparking scrap metal.
"Well then," Jane began, her breathing not labored in the slightest despite the liberal use of her biotics. "I'd say that went rather well."
"I'd say. Damn things didn't even stand a chance. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, Sir," she said and snapped a quick salute. "Again, thank you for the save. Not sure how much longer I would've been able to survive."
Jane returned the gesture. "Commander Jane Shepard. That's Saff Lieutenant Alenko and our little guardian angel providing sniper fire is Spectre Garrus Vakarian."
As she spoke, Garrus appeared a few feet away from them, his cloak deactivating as he crouched over the bodies of their foes. "You give me too much credit, Commander." And he believed those words. He had looked over her files with a critical eye and even after reading the reports on the Elysium raid, he had been somewhat skeptical about her Biotic prowess.
But after seeing her in action firsthand? Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if she could fight an Asari commando to a standstill. But praise could be sung another time. Because now they had a whole new problem.
He turned his attention to the bodies they had just made. "What the hell are Geth doing here?"
The three humans' eyes went wide at his question.
"These are Geth," Jane walked and crouched beside him. "I had heard of them, but this is my first time actually seeing one with my own eyes."
Garrus nodded and stood. "You and everyone else for the last 300 years. Cause last I checked, this is the first time they've ever been outside of the Perseus Veil."
Jane followed suit, a calculating look on her face. "You think what I'm thinking?"
"I don't know. Are you thinking that they're here for the beacon? If so, then yeah. We're thinking the same thing." Resting his sniper across one shoulder, he raised his free hand and pressed a finger to the side of his visor. "Nihlus, do you read me? We've encountered hostiles and rescued a surviving marine. We're dealing with Geth."
There was a moment's delay before a response came through their comms.
"Come again? Did you just say, Geth? Spirits, what the hell is the galaxy coming to if they're crawling out of their corner of the galaxy? Alright then. Jenkins and I are almost at the hub. We'll secure the area and wait for you there."
"Copy that. Watch your backs. I've got a bad feeling about this and you know how accurate I am when it comes to those." With that warning, Garrus ended the call.
"So much for a simple retrieval mission," muttered Kaiden.
Jane spared him a glance. While she didn't say it aloud, she held the same sentiment. They hadn't even been on the planet for 10 minutes and she could already see that the whole situation was well beyond fucked. There was no getting around that.
But that didn't mean she was going to sit on her ass and do nothing.
Checking over her gear to make sure that a stray shot hadn't damaged anything before Jane turned her attention to Williams. "You've been here longer than any of us. What's the fastest way to the dig sight?" It was paramount that they reached the Beacon before the Geth did. But if what they had seen so far was any indication, she felt that lady luck wouldn't be on their side.
Her intuition was proven true when the Gunny spoke her next words.
"Sorry Commander, but if you were hoping to find the Beacon then your shit out of luck. The egg heads moved it to the main transit hub this morning."
Jane cursed internally but nodded. Looks like they would be meeting up with the others even sooner than she thought. 'Let's just hope that nothing else about this damned mission goes wrong.' Saying a silent prayer, she motioned for everyone to fall in.
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Nihlus didn't say it out loud for fear of chancing fate, but he was greatly relieved when he and Jenkins only found a few of the Geth platforms patrolling the hub. Not only that but he was also surprised. From what they had very briefly seen from the transmission, he had prepared to fight tooth and talon for every scrap of ground.
He had seen footage from the Quarrians during their brief war with the Geth and thus was aware that Geth operated at their best when in great numbers from shared processing power. For them to leave this part of the transit hub with only a token guard meant only one of two things.
The most likely reason was that they had already cleared the area and these platforms were left behind to clean up any strays that were still lingering around. The second, and the far more absurd reason, was that someone else was still alive and drawing the attention of the main force.
He nearly discarded the thought as soon as it popped into his skull, but as he was about to do as such, a conversation roughly half a decade prior floated to the forefront of his mind. One that he had had with a particular human while enjoying a meal at one of his favorite food stands.
Had The Slayer been telling him the truth? Had he actually done what he said that he was going to do and come to Eden Prime? It hadn't been the first time that such a thought had occupied his thoughts, but it had been one that was so absurd that he always brushed it off.
But what if he had actually followed through with it? After all, hiding in plain sight was a viable strategy if the one hunting you believed that you were somewhere else.
Regardless if his theory was correct, Nihlus had more important things to focus on. The main one is to secure the area and wait for Shepards' party to arrive. And with the element of surprise on their side, he and Jenkins did just that. Even though he was obviously still green and eager to prove himself, the young marine managed to keep himself collected and picked off his assigned targets with patience and precision.
If the kid survived this mission, Nihlus would be sure to give him a favorable report to his captain. Maybe that would help to further curb his eagerness.
When the short firefight was over, the two of them carefully made their way down to the center of the hub, making sure to move from cover to cover as they did so in case there was a straggler or two.
"My god," Jenkins stopped beside one of the dozens of human bodies. Dropping to a knee, he rolled the body onto its back to see the glassed-over eyes of a woman who couldn't have been a year younger than him. Judging from the wounds on her chest, she had been gunned down while fleeing for cover.
He could feel unbridled anger flood through his veins when a taloned hand pulled him up by the shoulder.
"Keep it locked down, Marine." Nihlus' voice wasn't cold per se. He had just seen so and dealt with so much death throughout his life that he had learned that it was best to hold the emotions back until he was alone and behind closed doors. "There's a time and place and the middle of a warzone isn't either of them."
Jenkins stared up at him. His gaze was full of righteous furry, but the Spectres' words had their desired effect and he quickly calmed down. "I'm sorry. It's just…this place is my home. To come back and see all of this."
Nihlus patted him on the shoulder, gave it a firm shake, and returned his attention to scanning the area. He had only just begun to turn around when Jenkin's eyes went wide.
Without saying a word, the marine shoved him aside and raised his rifle, but before he could pull the trigger, someone else fired first. His shields sprang into view for a second before getting overwhelmed and failing.
From where he had been thrown to the ground, Nihlus felt something splash against the side of his face before the lifeless body of Jenkins fell in front of him, right eye bursted and the back of his skull gone.
"Shit," Rolling behind cover, the veteran Spectre came up, his rifle at the ready. But as he saw who stood sighted at the other end, his trigger finger hesitated. A look of confusion spread across his face as his eyes went wide.
"S-Saren!?"
"Hello, Nihlus." His former teacher didn't share such hesitation and decompressed the trigger.
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Having just finished dealing with another wave of Geth and resuming his breakneck pace towards the dig sight, Alex only just barely heard the sound of weapons fire in the direction he was heading.
With the word "Fuck" endlessly repeating in his head, Alex pushed his supernaturally enhanced body to go faster. As the environment closest to him blurred past, he called upon his shotgun, racking in a fresh shell. Cresting the next hill he wasn't surprised by the sight of a rapidly approaching drop. Across from it appeared to be a transit hub.
Thanks to the map provided by VEGA, he knew that this was the hub closest to the dig sight. Not slowing down in the slightest, Alex jumped just as he ran out of earth to run on. Easily clearing the gap created by the tram system, he crashed into the metal flooring with a deafening slam, his knees easily absorbing the kinetic energy generated from the eight-meter drop.
Straightening, he proceeded forward at a brisk pace, his head on a swivel as he scanned for any signs of life. Friendly or hostile. Regrettably, he found neither. Only the recently deceased of both Geth and Human alike. However, a feeling of dread crept up his spine when he spotted two bodies that stood out from the rest.
Kneeling beside the one decked out in marine gear, he waved his Omni-tool over him as VEGA accessed the body's own.
'Corporal Jenkins. Currently assigned to the SSV Normandy.'
Alex felt a wave of confusion wash over him. Last he checked, this kid was supposed to be accompanying Commander Shepard and unfortunately die at the barrel of a Geth drone. Regretable, the kid had still met his end, but not where he was supposed to.
Well, things had already gone way past the scripted events of the games, so he shouldn't be all too surprised that things had changed further. With gentle motions that he rarely used, Alex closed the marine's sole remaining eye.
"I'm sorry things turned out this way." With a tired sigh, he looked at the other body that was tucked halfway behind a crate that they had most likely been using for cover. He didn't even need to scan this one to know who it was.
Not only was the one in question undoubtedly a Turian, but one that he had met previously.
"Nihlus."
He had gone down with a fight. That much was certain. The crate he had been crouched behind was scored with mass accelerator rounds and the telltale signs of biotics warping the metal. Nihlus himself had fallen onto his side. The left side of his head had been messily torn off, exposing part of his brain that looked remarkably intact.
Sighing he began to stand when VEGA suddenly spoke.
'I am detecting brain activity. Mr. Nihlus is still alive.'
Alex would forever deny it, but his brain did shortcircuit just a bit at his friend's words. He followed this up with an ever-intelligent, "What?"
'He has suffered major head trauma, but his brain is still active.' VEGA, thankfully, didn't comment on his current mental state and was as professional as ever. 'If you work quick enough, he may yet survive.'
No more needed to be said. Passing his shotgun to his off-hand, Alec called forth a high-tech, yet, unassuming injector of sorts. One of the first things they had done upon securing a base of operations in this universe was re-engineering the advanced medical technology that had been on the Mars facility which VEGA had overseen.
Though nanotechnologies were highly illegal throughout the Galaxy, Alex hadn't given a shit and had greenlit VEGA to mass produce them in the form of portable injectors like the one he currently held.
Though they weren't nearly as efficient due to carrying a much smaller nanobot package, they were still leagues more effective than medi gel due to the nanobots scanning the target before immediately targetting cellular deficiencies. Unlike medi gel, which, while an effective clotting and sealing agent, isn't capable of compensating for massive blood loss or for halting infection.
Both of which the nanobots were capable of doing, on top of promoting cellular growth. It couldn't grow back a limb, but the injector in his hand just might give Nihlus the fighting chance to push through this.
Doing his best to not agitate Nihlus' wounds further, Alex gingerly inserted the needle into the base of his neck and pressed the button. As the nanobot package was delivered, Alex heard the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps behind him.
Quickly applying a salve of medi gel to seal the open wound, Alex spun around, shotgun raised and ready to launch a sticky bomb. With how much things had changed, he wasn't taking any chances. In this instance, his caution was proven unfounded as he took in the sight of three, heavily armored Humans and a singular Turian sprinting towards him.
Immediately lowering his gun, he turned back to Nihlus to make sure that he had been stabilized, only to jerk his head back towards the new arrivals as it clicked that there was Turian with them. One that he recognized even under all that armor.
"You're a long way from the Citadel, Officer Vakarian."
The squad of four slowed to a halt, weapons raised and trained on him. At least that was until Garrus placed a taloned hand on the N7 humans' rifle and slowly pushed it down.
"Easy, Shepard. This is a guy we can't afford to piss off right now."
Shepards' helmeted head turned towards him. They stared at one another, having a seemingly silent conversation before she lowered her gun fully, motioning for the others to do the same.
The slight drop of the Turians shoulders betrayed his immense relief. "I shouldn't be as surprised as I am to find you here in the middle of all of this. And, quite frankly, we don't have the time to play catch up."
"You know who this is, Garrus," questioned Shepard, the lense of her helmet not leaving Alex's still crouched form.
Garrus nodded. "Shepard, meet Flynn Taggart, otherwise known throughout the galaxy as The Slayer."
"The fuck," exclaimed Ashely, disbelief heavy in her tone. "You're telling me that the boogie man of the Terminus is real?"
"I prefer to go by Alex. And your right. We don't have time." Standing to his full height, he stepped to the side. With him no longer hindering their sight, they all caught an eyeful of Nihlus and his current state.
"Spirits!" Rushing over, Garrus rushed to his mentor and friend's side. Checking the wound, his shoulders shook with rage before his head snapped towards Alex. "What happened!?"
"Something put a mass accelerator round through his head. Thankfully, they did a piss poor job of making sure that he was actually dead before moving on. He's stabilized for now, but he needs evac asap." He turned towards the other body. "Sorry to say that the same can't be said for the kid over here."
Shepard stomped over to Jenkins side. Her fist clenched, and in a visible display of anger, she biotically punched the ground beside her. "God damn it!"
Calming herself, Shepard put two fingers to the side of her helmet. Since he wasn't patched into their comms, Alex wasn't able to hear what was transmitted. Could he have had VEGA hack their comms? Absolutely. The A.I. had yet to come across a firewall that he couldn't breach within nanoseconds of encountering.
But that was beside the point. If he wanted to work alongside them, then he needed to earn their trust. And so, at least for now, he would abstain from anything that could be interpreted as too invasive of their privacy. But if things boiled down to a matter of life or death, then he would hold nothing back to ensure their survival.
"Okay, this is going to be the plan." Shepard turned to Kaiden and Ashely. "Normandy is inbound for pick up. The two of you with stay and watch over Nihlus until evac arrives. In the meantime, Garrus and I will continue making our way to the main hub and secure the Beacon."
"Are you sure that's a good-" Ashely began to argue before Kaiden laid a hand on her shoulder.
Having served alongside her for years, Kaiden knew that once Shepard had made up her mind, there was little that could be done to change it. And while internally he didn't like the thought of leaving her, he would do as he always had and trust her judgment.
"Roger that, Commander."
Her attending turned towards Alex and he could feel her eyes scanning his armored form.
"If you really are The Slayer that I've heard so much about, then I'm guessing you won't mind tagging along."
Alex raised a brow at the suspicion lacing her tone but he wouldn't hold it against her. He understood where she was coming from.
Before he could begin to formulate a response, his motion tracker picked up movement. Seconds later, the sound of a tram pulling up reached their ears. He didn't hesitate. In one, smooth and well-practiced motion, he turned on a dime, raised his Shotgun, and fired.
The sticky bomb was deflected by the arriving Geths' shield, but that did little to save it as the explosive stuck to the ground beside it, detonating a second later. Its shield winked out and it was sent flying forward while its nearby brethren were staggered.
Shepard and her squad opened fire, shredding the vulnerable Geth before switching to the remaining targets. But they were forced to divert their fire when Alex rushed forward, chest lowered and arms held out at his sides.
He crashed into the first Geth he reached, nearly folding it in half as he cared it forward. Maintaining a firm hold, he pivoted and threw it at the next closest one and the two spattered against a cargo container.
Rounds peppering his shields, he calmly summoned his Heavy Cannon and aimed. Just as he was about to pull the trigger and unleash hell on the sole surviving Geth, a purple ball of energy smashed into his target, rocketing the machine back at neck-breaking speeds.
Blinking, he saw Shepard standing where the Geth once was, biotics wafting off of her form. A couple of blasts of her shotgun later and the machine's head was gone with a shower of sparks and a splash of white fluids.
She looked back at him. Even though he couldn't see through the glare of her lens, Alex instinctively knew that she had a challenging look in her eyes. The lens of his helmet was much more transparent, so he knew that she could see the savage smile that spread across his lips.
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With the threat taken care of and with Ashely and Kaiden watching over Nihlus, Jane strode onto the tram that the Geth had arrived on. Garrus and The Slayer were not far behind her. Approaching the control terminal, she was about to set their destination when it suddenly turned on and the tram began to move.
Turning back, she saw The Slayer, Omni-tool active even though both of his hands were occupied with supporting that enormous rifle of his.
Garrus glanced at him with a knowing shine in his eyes. "Let me guess…your tech expert?"
"My tech expert."
Garrus gave an exasperated sigh. Raising his sniper, he used the scope to look down the length of the tram for any more enemies. Surprisingly, he found none lying in wait for them.
He lowered his gun. "Seems like we're in the clear. I'm guessing we have you to thank for that?"
"They've been sending bodies at me since the start of this shit show." In a move that caught Jane off guard, The Slayers' helmet seemed to wink out of existence along with his weapon. "They're probably consolidating whatever they have remained at the main hub."
He deposited himself on a nearby crate and crossed his arms. "I'd take these next couple of minutes to prepare yourselves. Who knows what kind of opposition we'll face once this thing comes to a stop."
Jane took a couple of seconds to observe the man that was apparently the living legend that she had heard so much about. Dark hair, dull, red eyes that seemed to have a slight glow, and a strong jawline. He was certainly interesting to look at. She would give him that much.
Magnetizing her shotgun to her lower back, Jane followed his example and took a seat on the crate across from him. Removing her helmet, she set it beside her and ran her fingers through her red locks.
"So," Garrus began, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. "How long have you been going by Alex? Not that I blame you for taking on an alias, of course. Can't exactly go by your real name after the stunt you pulled."
The Slayer shrugged. "Alexander. Flynn. Both were my real name at one point or another. I just prefer Alex a slight bit more."
Jane looked at him with a questionable gaze. "Both were your name?"
"It's complicated," was all that he replied. He gave a curious glance to Garrus. "So, how does a C-Sec officer end up on an experimental stealth frigate alongside a Spectre?"
Garrus let out an exaggerated sigh. "Why am I not surprised that you know about the Normandy? As for your question, I resigned from my position at C-Sec a couple of days after you left the Citadel. I'm in the Spectres now."
The slightest twitch of one of Alex's brows betrayed his surprise. Garrus was a Spectre? It would seem that the surprises were gonna keep on coming one after the other. "Well then, I guess congratulations are in order."
Jane, meanwhile, continued to watch the interaction from the sidelines. The two had history. That much was obvious. And from what she had heard of The Slayer's exploits, chances were high that it was one that was a history soaked in blood. But from what she could see happening right in front of her, it would seem that the two had parted on favorable terms.
Whether or not that would hold up was still up in the air. Jane believed herself to be a good judge of character, but she was no miracle worker. She had only known Garrus for an hour, and though he seemed like a decent enough guy, she didn't actually know him. She trusted him enough to watch her back and see this mission through to the end, and if they both survived with minimal injuries, she would be more than happy to chat with him over drinks.
But Alex? The goddamn Slayer? She hadn't known what his face looked like until less than a minute ago and all of the information she had to go off of were stories and rumors. Not exactly the best base to build a profile. Let alone if even a fraction of the stories that she had heard were true.
"So, what's with the change of armor?" It hadn't escaped Garrus's notice that his newly reunited acquaintance was sporting a new look. "Can't say that the look doesn't suit you, but the exposed bits on your arms make it seem like you're trying to show off."
While Jane was in silent agreement with Garrus's assessment and that only Krogan could afford to leave such weaknesses exposed, she wouldn't deny that Alex's large, well-sculped muscles were enjoyable to look at.
"I was in the middle of modifications when this all kicked off. Didn't exactly have the time to finish." Alex briefly looked at his exposed biceps, making a mental note for him and VEGA to finish what they had started once the Beacon had been secured. If it could be secured.
Any further attempts at casual conversation would have to be put on hold as the unlikely trio saw their destination rapidly approaching and that their ride was rapidly coming to an end. They all shared an understanding look. Alex and Jane donned their helmets before they all pulled out their respective primary weapons.
Checking the scope of his HC Alex looked to the other two, the tram beginning its deceleration. He opened his mouth, about to speak, when VEGA suddenly spoke into his comm. The tram came to a complete halt. Jane and Garrus began to depart when they noticed their remaining companion still rooted where he stood.
"Alexander?"
The Slayer remained silent for a moment longer. Just as the two were about to ask again, the galaxy's most notorious killer gave a slow, tired sigh.
"We've got another problem."
How was it that he had, somehow, managed to forget about the fucking nukes?
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It had only been roughly three minutes since they had stepped off the tram. While that might not seem like a long period of time in the grand scheme of things, when the bullets were whizzing past one's head, seconds could feel like an eternity. Even more so when you were on a time limit.
And when said time limit determined if the entire settlement would have a chance to rebuild or become nothing but a smoking crater, every decision made could spell defeat or victory. That was how things usually worked.
But as Jane pulled another Geth out of cover with a precise application of Biotics, the sight of her latest acquaintance charging head first into the thickest cluster of tangos served to remind her that these were anything but normal circumstances.
The Slayer, or Alex as he liked to go by, was a complete antithesis to how modern-day firefights were supposed to work. Instead of taking cover and carefully picking his targets, he proceeded forward with a degree of unhinged aggression that would make a Krogan Berserker both proud and red with envy.
She would know. She had fought and killed plenty of those over the years.
He was never in one spot for long. Always moving, always shooting. Even when his kinetic barrier fell he didn't retreat behind cover. He merely continued forward, slaughtering all that barred his path with brutal efficiency.
The only time he paused in his unrelenting slaughter was when he reached one of the multiple nuclear devices that had been placed strategically throughout the central hub. And even then it was only long enough to wave his Omni-tool over the device. In the time it took for him to complete the simple act of waving, two things would occur.
First, the explosive would be disabled. That was to be expected. What followed next was what caused a not-so-small amount of concern to rise within her gut. Once Alex's hand completely passed over the explosive, the entire device would wink out of existence in a manner that was identical to how he switched weapons on the fly.
And in the next minute, the fifth and final explosive followed suit, and an immense amount of pressure fell from their shoulders. With the threat of death via nuclear fire no longer dangling over their heads like a guillotine, all that remained was for them to eliminate the remaining Geth and secure the Beacon.
With how much of the heat Alex had been drawing, Jane and Garrus had already managed to pick off a large portion of the Geth, leaving only a few stragglers to clean up. Something that became all too easy to accomplish now that Alex was no longer distracted with disarming nukes.
Between the three of them, it took all of two minutes to reduce the remaining enemies into nothing more than smoldering piles of scrap metal. Garrus gave a final look around the area through the lens of his scope before giving the all-clear.
"That seems to be all of them-" the Spectre was cut off by a blaring horn that encompassed the entire area.
Garrus and Jane both clutched their ears, staggering in pain as the noise threatened to deafen them. Through blurry eyes, they saw that Alex remained unaffected by the sound. He stood, staring undauntingly at the massive black ship that had begun to depart, disappearing into the clouds above.
The Slayer's fist tightened, feeling the knuckles pop before he forced himself to calm down. The time for retribution would come, but not today. Sovereign and the bastard riding inside of it would live. For now.
"Okay. Now, we're in the clear," resumed Garrus once his ears finally stopped ringing. By the spirits that ship was loud.
"Any injuries," Jane inquired, taking her helmet off. Her attention soon fell to Alex who continued to stare off into the space that the ship had once occupied. "I saw your shields drop during the fighting. You take any hits?"
"No," Alex tore his gaze from the sky. Sending his gun into his hammerspace, he strode past the others, heading towards the edge of the storage area where the Prothean Beacon could be seen.
The device was completely untouched. A pretty impressive feat when one considered the amount of lead that was thrown around not a minute earlier.
Jane came to a stop beside him. Though her stance gave off an air of cold professionalism, she couldn't quite keep the wonder out of her eyes as she took in the sight of the ancient piece of technology.
"I'll be damned. A functioning Prothean Beacon." She glanced at Garrus as he walked by, his Omni-tool active. "When was the last time one of these was unearthed?"
"Busted ones? More often than you would think. But functional? Spirits, long before any of us were born."
The two heard a dismissive snort from the Slayer, who, Unbeknownst to them, was several Eons old. Even with the memories of the original Doom Slayer, not even Alex could give an exact number. VEGA could probably give a decent estimate, but that was a question that could be explored another time.
"You should probably call in your ship."
His suggestion broke whatever spell Shepard had been under. Shaking her head, Jane brought a finger to her ear and spoke. "This is Shepard. The Geth have been eliminated and the Beacon is secured and ready for transport."
Before Joker could reply, Jane's attention was snatched away by Garrus letting out a startled shout. Whipping around, she saw that the previously dormant Beacon had somehow become active and that the Spectre was seemingly being dragged towards it by some unseen force.
With only a split second to process what she was seeing, Jane acted before she could even begin to properly think. Tossing her helmet, she ran towards the Turian and wrapped her arms around his midsection, and planted her feet on the floor. But even when she activated the magnetic grips of her boots, she felt them being pulled closer and closer to the device.
Biotics flaring, she wrapped Garrus in a cocoon of blue energy. Just as she was about to throw him out of the Beacon's area of effect, she saw someone reach past her and grab onto Garrus. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Slayer beside her.
Muscles bulging, he pivoted, and in one fell swoop, ripped the Spectre from her grasp and threw him clear across the loading dock where he crashed into a wall some thirty meters back.
Mouth agape at the casual display of strength, Jane almost missed the feeling of her feet leaving the ground. Snapping out of her stunned daze, she quickly grabbed onto Alex's forearm.
Though he knew what was going to happen and was prepared to push events along the predetermined path, Alex made the mistake of locking eyes with Shepard. She was no longer the collected Commander that he had witnessed. Where there was once a calm determination, there was only terror.
Memories came forth. Ones of civilians and soldiers alike, having the same terror-stricken gaze as they witnessed the forces of Hell ravage their homes and loved ones. It was a gaze that never failed to fan the flames of rage that burned within the very depths of his soul.
And, in an act of instinct, Alexander wrapped his finger around Shepards' forearm, locking her in an unbreakable grip. He began to pull, and for a moment, the two felt the Beacon's grip on Shepard wane.
Jane stared at him, the beginnings of a smile on her lips. Through the visor of his helmet, she could see him doing the same, but then she saw his eyes go wide. In the reflection of his visor, Jane saw the Beacon light up like a Christmas tree.
They only had a moment to stare at one another before he was pulled off his feet. With nothing no longer anchoring them to the ground, the Commander and Slayer were pulled into the air, coming to a stop before the Beacon. Suspended some ten feet in the air, the two could do naught but stare as the glow around the Beacon intensified.
And the next moment, visions began to flood their minds.
Jane was used to pain. She dealt with it every day. Her L2 implants saw to that. But if one were to combine all of the migraines she had had in her life, then they might get a drop of what she experienced in those moments as the Prothean Beacon tore through her mind, forcing information that she couldn't even begin to comprehend to take root.
Even though most of the information being planted in her brain was little more than a blur of images, she recognized what appeared to be a race of aliens being slaughtered by synthetics. Who was on either side of this battle, Jane had no way of knowing.
Besides her, Alex was undergoing the same treatment. But whereas Shepard was currently experiencing the most painful sensation of her life, he had experienced the most grueling forms of mental and physical torment at the hands of Hell's most depraved and insidious demons. Compared to what they had inflicted upon him before he had torn them limb from fucking limb, this was little more than a mild headache.
But even so, that didn't mean he enjoyed it.
Thankfully, the experience wouldn't last. Not even a full five seconds went by before the device exploded, the shockwave sending the two of them flying. Shrugging off the effects as soon as they ended, Alex managed to roll backward and into a crouch the moment he touched the ground.
Shaking his head, Alex looked to see Shepard lying on the ground in a lifeless heap a short distance from him. Moving to her, he took a knee and gently raised her so that she rested in the crook of his arm.
"What the fuck just happened?" Questioned Garrus. He had mostly recovered from his impromptu flight, his armor having absorbed a majority of the impact. But even so, he walked with a noticeable limp.
"Something triggered the Beacon. Damn thing implanted something in our minds." Adjusting his grip, Alex held Shepard in a bridal carry and stood. As he did so, a strong gust of wind swept through the area.
Looking up, the two saw the Normandy make a circuit around the loading area before making its final approach. It touched down thirty or so meters away with the loading bay doors facing them. The doors opened, revealing a ten-man squad of Alliance marines lining the opening.
At the front stood Captain David Anderson, sporting a full heavy kit with Ashely and Kaiden flanking either side of him. Once the ramp lowered, Anderson marched down it. The marines immediately spread out and began to do a sweep of the area, with Ashely and Kaiden sticking close to the Captain.
"Nihlus," questioned Garrus once they were close enough.
"In the ship's infirmary. He's in bad shape, but Dr. Chakwas is monitoring him." Anderson's eyes drifted behind them to the smoldering Beacon before cutting to Alex. The Lieutenant and Gunney had informed him of the unexpected addition. But even with prior knowledge, the Aged Captain still found himself unprepared for meeting the Galaxy's most notorious killer.
But when his gaze fell onto the unconscious woman held within the Slayer's arms, the edge all but completely vanished from his eyes. Closing his eyes, Anderson let out a long sigh. "I've got plenty of questions. But…the debriefing can wait. Right now, I want Shepard in the infirmary asap."
To the surprise of all those present, the famed Slayer nodded in agreement. "There's much for us to discuss. But before we leave," He stepped closer, prompting many of the surrounding marines to raise their rifles, only to immediately lower them when they remembered that he was still carrying the Commander. "There's a small group of survivors hunkering down at my current residence and I refuse to leave without them."
Anderson didn't hesitate for a moment. "Send the coordinates. Joker will have us there in a matter of minutes."
His words caused a noticeable drop in Alex's shoulders as a massive weight was lifted off of them. If it wasn't for the fact that he was still carrying Shepard, he would've given the Captain a Night Sentinals Salute. But he would just have to settle for a more vocal form of appreciation.
"Thank you, Captain."
"Don't thank me just yet," turning on his heels, the Captain marched back up the ramp and into the bowels of the Normandy. The contingent of Marines followed suit, making sure to keep Alex in the middle on the off chance that he attempted anything.
Alex took the treatment in stride and simply followed a few steps behind Anderson. Garrus came up beside him. Leaning over he whispered. "So, any chance that Ms. Zorah is one of those survivors you mentioned? I never had a chance to apologize for what went down back then."
Even with everything that had transpired during the last couple of hours, Alex snorted in amusement. It would seem that, despite everything that his presence had changed, Garrus had remained relatively unchanged.
At least he still had that going for him.
.
.
.
-End-
Zrocker119: And just like that, The Slayer and Commander Shepard have officially been introduced. And as you can see, their fates have been irreversibly intertwined thanks to the machinations of the Beacon. And I for one can't wait to write their future interactions. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Feel free to favorite and follow if you did, and if you're feeling especially kind, please leave a review.
Till next time!