AT THE FORWARD BATTERY
"Hey Garrus! What are you doing?" John greeted his best friend.
"Just checking the weapons systems. You can never be careful. I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise. And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner." Garrus replied.
John was surprised at Garrus' reply. "Are you sure you're okay working with Cerberus?"
"I can't exactly judge your judgment. Not after I got my own squad killed." Garrus replied bitterly.
"You got your own squad killed? How?" John felt it unbelievable that Garrus of all people would get his entire team killed.
"It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me. A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then he disappeared. Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming." He paused. "It's hard to trust people now-a-days John. You won't know who will betray you."
"True, Garrus. But there are people who you can trust." John said. "What exactly happened?"
Garrus looked at John for a moment sadly. "After you were gone, the Council denied the existence of the Reapers officially and the public accepted that. During that time I was working with C-Sec. I had seen what they were trying to do."
"Hiding the truth about the Reapers?" John asked knowingly.
"Exactly. They knew the truth would send the whole galaxy into panic. So they covered it up with some bullshit. I just had enough. Your death meant nothing to them?" Garrus looked at John, shaking his head. "I then heard of a local drug smuggler. Something over which I could distract myself for a while. I got to the smuggler, and he let me know his contact was on Omega. But before I could find the supplier, Miranda found me. She explained everything and I agreed." He explained.
John looked at him curiously, "You knew she was a member of Cerberus. Why did you agree to work for her?"
Garrus smiled slightly, "It was simple, John. It was about you. Even if there was a slight chance of getting you back, I had to take it. Also I had seen Miranda's desperation. She really wanted you back and I just got the feeling that if someone could, it was her. Liara agreed with me then. We trusted Miranda." Garrus said, intentionally hiding the details about Miranda, upon her request. "And she didn't disappoint."
John smiled back. "She didn't." He agreed. "Anyways what happened then?"
"While I was looking for the smuggler, I came across Sidonis on Omega. We agreed to work together to take the smugglers out because we both had the same goals and two guns are always better than one, aren't they?" Garrus said, smirking at John. He smirked back. "I changed my name to 'Archangel' then, so no one could link me as an ex-C-Sec officer or part of Normady's squad. The two of us were doing good but soon ten more joined in - a salarian explosive expert, a batarian tech expert, and various former mercs, security consultants and C-Sec agents."
"C-Sec?" John asked, surprised.
"I wasn't the only one who knew the truth, John. Like me they couldn't serve based on the lies. Anyways by then, we had an exceptional team and together we declared war against the Omega's criminals. Several gangs even united who hated each other to take us out. But they failed. Badly. We had won the war." Garrus paused for a while. "My team members wanted to settle down, live a normal life with the credits they earned. But I wasn't ready to stop. There were still more criminals on Omega in the areas which were out of our reach. I pushed my team to use their funds to get access to those areas instead of letting them live their life. I…." Garrus seemed almost hating himself for his decision back then. John gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"If you don't want to continue, I will understand, Garrus." Johns said, gently to his friend.
"No. I must get this out." Garrus said strongly. "I wanted to cure Omega. But I was wrong. Sidonis was captured by the Blue Suns. They paid him enough to betray me and the rest of my squad." Garrus murmured. His eyes were burning with anger.
"What did he do?" John asked.
"He tricked me into leaving the hideout to strike an alleged Blood Pack gun running operation in the Kenzo district of Omega. I never suspected that he had lied to me. After I found no Blood Pack and returned to our hideout, I saw helplessly as the Blue Suns bombed it and gunned down the rest of my squad." Garrus sighed sadly. "You know my father always told me that I had to be strong to do the right thing even when it is difficult. I thought he was wrong but he wasn't. He knew better. I knew when my whole squad was gone the gangs of Omega won't stop until they had my blood on their hands. I was alone. I had resigned to my fate, apologized to my father for not listening to him. He told me to give up my 'target practice' and return home. I almost agreed but then…." Garrus smiled. "I saw you."
John nodded at his friend. His expression is grim. "Do you know where Sidonis is now?"
"No. His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega but I'll keep hunting. I lost my whole team, except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him…. And correct that." Garrus said, his teeth clenching in anger.
"And I'll be there to hand you a gun." John said. "As always."
"I know, John." Garrus replied. "So, have you talked with our new recruit?"
"Not yet. She is quiet for now. She got what she wanted." John said.
"She is dangerous, John. Her biotic abilities are incredible." Garrus said worriedly. "And she is a bit unstable. If anyone can handle her it's you."
"I am amazed at your confidence in me, Garrus." John smirked.
"At least someone has to." Both Garrus and John chuckled.
"We will need her help to fight against the foes such as Collectors." John said.
"What do you think about her hostility towards Cerberus?" Garrus questioned.
"I don't know, Garrus. It must be something about her past." John answered honestly.
"You know her hate for Cerberus can endanger life on missions?"
"I know and I will make sure that it doesn't happen." John assured him.
"Anyway, thanks for coming by John. I've got some things to take care of." Garrus said.
John nodded and left his friend with the calibrations.
On his way to the elevator Kelly Chambers wanted his attention. "Commander. The Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the debriefing in the room."
John nodded.
DE-BRIEFING ROOM
"Shepard. I think we have them! Horizon…. One of our colonies in the Terminus System just went silent. If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?" The Illusive Man spoke while smoking a cigar.
"Not yet." John replied.
"Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know. Two of your former crew, Ashley Williams and Kaidan Alenko….. They're stationed on Horizon."
"Last I knew, Ashley and Kaidan, both were Alliance. Why are they out in the Terminus Systems?" John asked suspiciously.
"Officially it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies. But they are up to something and if they had sent both Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko, it must be something big."
"We should send a message to the Citadel. The Alliance can give us reinforcements." John proposed next.
"Not until you investigate." The Illusive Man disagreed. "I don't want the Alliance getting in our way. Once you have the situation under control, I'll send the message personally."
"The Collectors just happened to pick a colony with two of my former crews? I don't buy it." John knew something was not right. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially if they're working for the Reapers."
John nodded. "Send the coordinates. We'll head straight there."
"This is the most warning we've ever had Shepard. Good luck." The Illusive Man said before ending the connection.
The communication with Illusive Man ended as John found himself back inside Normandy again. "Joker, set a course for the Horizon. I've got to go see the Professor." He ordered.
"Aye, aye, Commander."
XO'S CABIN, NORMANDY SR-2
Miranda woke up with a start. She was sweating heavily. She looked around her room and let out a sigh of relief. That dream again. It was getting worse day by day. Same dream every night.
Miranda found herself in a strange place, Everywhere around was dark, as if she was standing in black space. To her eyes only one thing was visible at a distance. She couldn't make it out from this far. As she got closer she realized what it was. It was a cylindrical platform standing in the middle of the darkness and on top of it stood a boy. He was no older than fifteen to sixteen years old. When Miranda came close to make out the boy's face her eyes widened in recognition.
John…..
He was looking towards her with a frown on his face.
"I've waited so long for you and you never came to see me, Miri." He said in a robotic tone.
Miranda panicked. "No, John. It's not true. I tried. I looked for you everywhere, every day. But I couldn't find you."
"You are lying." John accused her. "I was always there with you. Why didn't you call me? I would've come for you."
"John…." She hesitated. "That's not true. You don't believe that."
"Yes. I do believe it. I've waited long enough for you. Now, I am going. You will not find me again." John said.
"No. Please." Miranda requested, while crying desperately. She couldn't let him go.
"Goodbye." Then he jumped and disappeared into the darkness.
And she woke up.
Miranda knew this was her greatest fear. When he died two years ago, she somehow found the strength to bring him back. She believed in herself that she could do it. And she did but if he dies again or leaves her again, she won't be able to cope with it. It will be too much for her heart to bear. This time she won't be able to survive even for the sake of her sister.
She tried to push the negative feelings at the back of her mind but for some reason she felt that her dream was a warning.
At that moment EDI's image appeared in her room. "Miss Lawson, you are requested to meet the Commander and the others in the debriefing room." She said in her synthetic voice.
"What's going on EDI?" Miranda questioned.
"The Illusive Man tracked down the Collectors on Horizon. We are going in." EDI replied and her image disappeared.
We are going after the Collectors?
For some reason Miranda had a bad feeling about this mission. She just couldn't shake away the dream of John leaving her. She just couldn't. Nevertheless, she will follow him anywhere, even to death. So she quickly got up and went to the debriefing room to meet John and the others.
HORIZON
Miranda dressed herself in dark blue armor and head to get her weapons. She found the others there. Acknowledging Jacob and Garrus, she went to get her weapons. She took the M-9 Tempest as her primary and the M-6 Carnifex as her sidearm. She prefers light weapons because they allow her to move freely. She saw Garrus had already armed himself with the M-92 Mantis sniper, M-15 Vindicator assault rifle and an M-3 predator. Jacob as always is armed with an M-22 Eviscerator and a sidearm. Zaeed the mercenary has armed himself well with an M-96 Mattock. The weapon has a low fire rate but it can deal heavy damage. Jack was there too along with Mordin. She didn't need any weapons though but still was carrying an M-22 Eviscerator and a sidearm like Jacob. And Mordin was carrying a SMG and a sidearm. He wouldn't fight unless it was absolutely necessary, he was going as a scientist to learn more about the Collectors.
The team was in the debriefing room momentarily. John stood there at the end of the table with his arms folded over his chest. He was armed with M-76 Revenant, M-22 Eviscerator, M-97 Viper, M-12 Locust, M-5 Phalanx and a ML-77 Missile Launcher.
Miranda was always amazed how he could carry so many weapons on his back and still move gracefully. It was as if he never felt the weights of those weapons that he carries on his back. She thought maybe it is because of how strong he is and she knew he is not an ordinary human.
"Professor, you sure those armor upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?" John questioned.
"Certainly impossible. But in limited numbers, it could confuse detection, making us invisible to swarms." He paused and then dropped the bombshell. "In theory."
Jack was the first to react. "Are you fucking kidding me?!"
"In theory?" Miranda asked, ignoring Jack's reaction.
"Experimental technology. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Looking forward to seeing if we survive!" Mordin explained without any reaction.
"Fantastic!" Garrus sighed.
"Commander, drop zone in ETA 5 minutes." Joker informed through comm.
"Acknowledged." John responded back and looked to his team. "Everyone be prepared. We are about to face an unknown enemy and have no idea what they are capable of. Keep your eyes open."
Everyone nodded. Miranda's eyes met John's. She just couldn't shake away the nagging feeling at the back of her mind. Her sub-consciousness was telling her that something bad is going to happen down there.
HORIZON, ABOUT 30 MINUTES AGO
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams observed the techs working on the massive guns that were installed by Alliance to protect the colony against possible threats. Her gaze was on the engineers who were trying to fix the guns but her mind was elsewhere – on John Shepard.
Is he really alive? That was the first question that came to her mind. There were rumors that the dead Spectre had come back from the dead but it was only a rumor. None can give proof that he has come back. Even Councilor Anderson has heard the rumors but he seems to believe them. When she voiced her doubt to him, his only reply was – "If anyone can cheat death himself, it's John Shepard."
It is true that man is irreplaceable. She has heard about many great soldiers, who played great roles for the benefit of humanity but none of them can be compared to John Shepard.
He was something else. She thought with a sad smile.
She remembered the time when she took him by surprise and almost kissed him, telling him silently how she felt about him. She must admit that it was a bold move but… she had to. To her surprise he never returned her affection, instead he just stared at her with eyes full of determination. She sensed that there was something he wanted to tell her when they went to hunt Geth but those words remained unspoken and she will never know what he wanted to say that day. Unless… the rumors are true and he is truly back but that is unlikely.
The Alliance sent her and Alenko as a protection to this colony because of an unknown threat – Human colonies are missing one by one and no one knows why or how or who were behind them. When teams were sent to investigate for colonies no clues were found, no signs of struggle, no blood, nothing, everything was intact except the recordings of the video cameras were scrambled and there was no sign of human life. The colonies remained deserted. She and Alenko saw the scenario with their own eyes and truly there was no evidence.
She turned her head around when she heard footsteps behind her. It was Alenko, who was coming towards her with a grim expression on his face. She could sense that something was wrong. Immediately she stood up to face him.
"Something wrong?" She asked tensely.
"Yes. Look at this." He answered after holding a data pad in front of her.
She gently took it with a curious look wondering what is written in the data pad. Her question was answered when she read it and her eyes became wide with disbelief.
"It….. it can't be." She croaked.
"I am afraid, it is true. He is back and working for Cerberus." Kaidan said angrily. He just can't believe that the Commander will work for Cerberus. He knew perfectly well what they were capable of.
"Are you positive?" Ashley asked, still doubtful.
"About him being alive? Yes. He is working for Cerberus? Yes." Kaidan replied.
"How can you be so sure that he is alive?" Ashley asked hopefully.
"Shepard was spotted in Omega in conversation with Aria T'Loak." Kaidan said.
"What was he doing on Omega?" Ashley looked confused.
"He was looking for a mercenary named Archangel. They both disappeared that day and hundreds of gang members were found dead. That's the report I have heard." Kaidan explained.
Ashley nodded in understanding. "What did Admiral Anderson have to say about the rumor of Commander's involvement with Cerberus?"
"He only said that she trusts him and refused to reveal anything else." Kaidan said.
Ashley kept her gaze towards the ground, "I don't know what I should think. I want to trust him but the mere idea of him working with the terrorists is preventing me from….. you know…."
"I understand but…" Whatever Kaidan was about to say remained unspoken when his gaze fell on the sky. It wasn't only him, everyone stopped their work and focused their attention on the sky to see the sky turn black and a particular area was filled with unnatural lighting. A chill ran down Kaidan's spine because he saw this before.
"What the hell is that?" Someone shouted.
Kaidan and Ashley shifted their attention to their left. Their eyes widened to see a thick swarm of insects coming towards them.
"Everyone get inside now!" Kaidan yelled while shooting at the insects but it had no effect as they were simply too many in number. Kaidan soon realized that the sky didn't turn black, it was the insects that made the sky look dark. He and Ashley kept firing to give the civilians some time to get inside but they failed. Within seconds each and every civilian was attacked by the insects and after that they just stood like a statue. Ashley dragged Kaidan behind a cover. Then they heard a strange sound coming from the sky. Ashley and Kaidan peeked from cover to see a massive and strange spaceship was coming down from the sky slowly and the sound was coming from it.
"What is that?" Ashley whispered but Kaidan didn't answer. Confused, she turned to look at him to see him frozen in place and another swarm of insects were hovering above her head. Her eyes widened when she saw those strange insects come flying towards her and in the next second she saw blackness.
THIRTY MINUTES LATER
The team carefully begins to approach the colony. John signaled everyone to stop and turned to Garrus who was on top of a small hill a few feet away. "Garrus, you see anything?"
"Negative. I don't have a clear view from here. I need to find a higher ground." Garrus replied.
"I don't see any higher ground anywhere." Jacob said.
"Come on." John signaled his team to follow him. Since they landed he didn't hear any kind of sound from anywhere. The whole area was deathly quiet. Reading his mind, Mordin explained, "The seeker swarms have probably frozen all the colonists by now."
"It seems so." John said. "But they are still here." He added indicating towards the massive Collector ship which was still there.
"The Collectors are still here." Zaeed agreed.
John nodded.
"What is that thing?" Jack suddenly said, earning everyone's attention. A body of a husk lay on the ground a few feet away from them. Everyone stepped forward to take a closer look.
"This one seems like the husks, the Geth used on Eden Prime." Garrus said.
"The geth got that technology from the Sovereign." Mordin said.
"Shit! So the Illusive Man was right! The Collectors answer to the Reapers." Jack concluded. Miranda gave her a look which said 'Told you so'. Jack turned away from her in annoyance.
"Looks half-human. Guess we know what happened to the colonists." Zaeed said.
"No. On Eden Prime, victims were turned into husks by impaling them on spikes. We haven't seen any. The Collectors must have brought the husks. They are taking the colonists alive for something else." John said.
"The Collectors must be experimenting on the colonists. What are they up to?" Miranda murmured.
"Sounds almost worse than what Cerberus did to me." Jack deadpanned.
"The only way to find out is to stop them." Miranda said ignoring Jack's comment.
"These aren't the same creatures we fought on Eden Prime. They're more advanced. Evolved." John said.
"They still die when you shoot them." Garrus said.
"The Collectors aren't getting away with more victims. Let's move out." John said, already stepping forward.
They proceeded further with the hope that they would find someone alive but they were only greeted by deathly silence. John pressed himself against a wall and peeked to see the area in front of him. 'There isn't much cover if we get into a firefight.' He thought. Then his eyes fell on a number of pods lying on the ground. They are the same pods which he saw in the video recorded by Veetor but they were empty.
When he stepped forward to check the cabins for survivors he heard a buzzing sound approaching them. Everyone heard it.
"We got company!" Garrus yelled, jumping behind a cover.
"Shit! They can fly!" Jack said.
The Collectors fired on them but there were no bullets. They were armed with some kind of laser weapon.
"This shithole has lasers!" Zaeed yelled while firing. He put a couple of bullets in a Collector's chest which died instantly.
"Looks like their body is as fragile as ours." John said. He came out from cover and spread bullets on the Collectors from his Revenant machine gun. He fired just for five seconds and then dove for cover but a beam from one of the Collector's rifles hit him before he could dive for cover. Luckily his shield managed to absorb the entire impact otherwise the shot would've penetrated his armor easily. He checked his shield to find that it had gone down completely.
"Commander! You okay?" Jacob asked.
"I am fine but my shield is down. Those beams are dangerous." John warned.
"Understood." Garrus said while tossing a grenade at a Collector who was hiding behind a cover. The impact of the grenade killed him and sent its body flying away.
For the next few minutes they fought with the Collectors and they learned that those creatures can cast biotic barriers to protect themselves for a short amount of time, their firepower was also far more superior. The only relief was that those creatures have weak armors and go down easily if they are hit.
"This will be a lot harder than I thought." Garrus mumbled.
"We don't have time to waste. Let's move." John said. He won't let anyone become the victim at the Collector's hands. He won't. He kept his eyes towards the back covering his team as they moved forward.
After a few minutes of navigating through the colony they encountered another group of Collectors. But this time the enemy group was smaller in number than the previous one but still they had to be careful because of their weapons. Soon the Collectors were overwhelmed by the combination of bullets, grenades, biotic and tech attacks. Jack sent three Collectors in the air with a powerful shockwave for others to finish them with precise shots. Miranda used warp to crumble a Collector who was approaching from left. Zaeed threw an Inferno grenade at the feet of a Collector which was protecting itself with a biotic barrier. With the blast the Collector was engulfed by fire and died instantly. Jacob also used his biotic powers to good use along with Mordin who burnt down a few Collectors with his tech attack. John took down a number of Collectors with headshots giving them no chance to return fire. Garrus just stood behind a cover and with deadly accuracy he kept on blowing the head of the Collectors with his sniper.
They stepped forward when the Collectors were dead but they had to stop as a horrific scene greeted them. A woman was lying on the ground and a man stood over her, who was giving her a hand to help her get on her feet but they just stood like a statue, unmoving. John approached forward to see that both of them were surrounded by some kind of stasis field. Then he saw that both of their eyes were moving and focused on him.
"Shit! They are still alive!" Jack said, surprised.
John bent down on one knee in front of the helpless victims and turned to Mordin who was looking at them curiously.
"Professor, what do you think?"
"Seems to be some kind of stasis field – keeps you conscious, but completely helpless." Mordin explained.
"Can't you help them?" John asked when he saw the victims eyes were screaming for help.
"I don't have enough information to produce a counter effective medicine. Need more testing." Mordin explained.
John bowed his head, feeling helpless. These two people are just in front of him and he is helpless to do anything.
"I am sorry." He said looking towards them and stretched his hand to place on the man's shoulder for a small comfort.
"Don't touch them, Shepard!" Mordin warned but it was too late.
As soon as John touched them, a few seeker swarms left the victim's body and attacked him. "Arrgh!" John grunted in pain as he felt their bites on his skin. But nothing else happened. Miranda was horrified. She immediately rushed forward to help him but she didn't need to. She saw him looking towards the ground where a small swarm of insects lay destroyed.
"Interesting." Mordin said in amazement.
"You okay?" Miranda asked.
He nodded.
"What the hell just happened?" Jacob asked, confused.
"The seeker swarms couldn't touch him. They malfunctioned as soon as they came in contact with his body. Very interesting." Mordin said with excitement in his tone.
"What is interesting besides those things got destroyed?" Jack asked Mordin.
"The key to destroy the seeker swarms lies within his body." Mordin answered.
John nodded again but didn't say anything. He was lost in his thoughts. When those things came in contact with his body he heard a voice inside his head which he recognized immediately. He can never forget that voice, it was still fresh in his head. It was the mechanical voice of Sovereign. He has a suspicion that the Collectors are being directly controlled by Reapers and that's not a positive thing.
"I heard something." He softly said, getting everyone's attention. "When those things bite me."
Everyone stopped and looked at him. "What did you hear?" Garrus asked.
"I think I heard Sovereign inside my mind. The same mechanical voice." He looked at Garrus.
"I remember it." Garrus confirmed.
"So, the Reapers are behind all these. The Illusive Man was right." Miranda commented.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
They found more civilians in a similar state as before and they could do nothing to help them. Pushing the helplessness at the back of his mind John led his team forward. On the way they discovered a Collector weapon which Jacob kept to himself for further inspection. They didn't have to proceed further, they just took a few steps ahead when they were ambushed by the Collectors again. This time they were more in number and they completely surrounded the rescue team.
"Damn they are coming from all directions!" Garrus warned after blowing off a Collectors head.
"Don't let them get close!" John yelled as he fired on the Collectors.
The team was faring well against their enemies when suddenly a Collector began to glow and float in the air. Its whole body was on fire as if it was wearing flaming armor. Then they heard the mechanical voice of Sovereign himself.
"Assuming direct control."
The voice John heard when the seeker touched him, was now heard by others as well.
"What the fuck is going on?!" Jack yelled, tensed.
"It's Sovereign." Miranda answered.
Garrus nodded in confirmation. He remembered that voice very well. Still after so many times that mechanical sent a chill down his spine.
Everyone focused their fire on the possessed Collector but it was hard since there were more coming at them from all directions. Everyone focused their fire on the possessed Collector when the team took care of the rest of them. The possessed Collector staggered from their combined attack and eventually died.
"They seemed endless!" Jack yelled after sending a powerful shockwave towards the group of the Collectors, scattering them around.
"Don't lose your focus, Jack!" John yelled back over the sounds of gun fires.
And just like before another Collector was directly possessed by Sovereign making it glow in a flaming armor. Its attacks were violent and dangerous and it had much more powerful barriers and armor than the normal Collectors. It was not easy to take it down, but warp ammos combined with biotic attacks were enough to take down its barrier then kill it. Just like before, once it got killed its entire body turned into ashes in mid air.
The entire team let out a sigh of relief when there were no more Collectors left.
They reached a safe house which was locked from inside.
"Locked? Perhaps there are survivors inside." Miranda said.
"Only one way to find out." John nodded at Miranda.
At once she began to work on the lock of the door and it only took a few seconds for her to unlock the door. The safe house was small. There wasn't anything important to notice inside except the armory. Then they heard a sound coming from behind the machines.
"We've got company." John warned aiming his pistol towards the source of the sound with everyone else imitating his action. "Come out!"
A man slowly stepped in front of them from behind the machines. He looked shaken, his eyes were wide with fear. By the looks of his uniform he seemed to be a mechanic. "You…. You're human. What are you doing out here? You'll lead them right here!" The man stuttered.
"I cleared a path! You're lucky you're not in the hold of a Collector ship right now." John said, putting down his weapon. Everyone else did the same.
"Those things are Collectors? You mean….. They're real? I thought they were made up. You know… propaganda. To keep us in Alliance space."
"Tell us what happened here."
"We lost our comm signals a few hours ago. I came down to check on the main grid. Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and there were swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I sealed the doors. Damn it…. It's the Alliance fault! They stationed Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko here and built those defense towers. It made us a target!" The man spat.
"Where are those two Alliance reps?" John asked. His heart beat rose slightly in anticipation at the mention of his former crew mates and friends.
"I heard they both were some kind of heroes or something. Didn't mean nothing to me, though. Would've rather they just stayed back in Council Space."
"Any idea what they were doing here?" John suppressed his anger and ignored the mechanic's complaints about his former teammates.
"Supposed to be helping us get the defense towers up and running. I got the feeling they were here for something else. Spying on us, maybe."
"You said the colony has defense towers. Are they functional?" John again ignored his comment and asked what was necessary.
"It was a gift from the Alliance. High powered GARDIAN lasers. Supposed to keep hostile ships from landing near the colony. Had to build a massive underground generator just to give it enough juice. Only we couldn't get the targeting systems online. So the Alliance gave us a giant gun that couldn't shoot straight ahead. Stupid sons-of-bitches."
"Why do you think this is the Alliance's fault?" John questioned, with a bit of anger in his voice.
"We're just a small colony. Nobody bothered us before we started building those damn defense towers and drew attention to ourselves. I left the Council space to get away from the Alliance. Nothing good ever comes from getting mixed with them."
"The Collectors are targeting remote colonies. The Alliance was trying to help."
"I don't need their help. Too many strings attached. The reps said they were just here to get the towers online, but mark my words…. There's more to it."
"We can use those towers against the Collector ship." John said, looking at Garrus.
"You'd need to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right."
"We can figure it out. Just tell us where to find it." Miranda cut in irritation. She was itching to slap the guy across the face and kick his arse.
"Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base."
"It's probably better if you just stay out of the way."
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."
"Didn't expect anything better than that from you. Asshole." Miranda mumbled the last part under her breath. She was irritated because the man was blaming the Alliance and in turn he was insulting John indirectly.
"I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck. I think you are going to need it." The man said and unlocked the door while scowling at Miranda, which she ignored.
They exited the safe house to find themselves at the other side of the colony and against more Collectors. This time the Collectors had husks with them and a strange large creature. It had a small head, two legs and arms compared to his body. Its face looked like a husk but it was huge compared to a normal human body. Occasionally it sent shockwaves at them which was very dangerous. A single attack was enough to bring down shields and cause damage. Zaeed was unlucky and got hit by one of its shockwaves and his shield was down instantly but his armor managed to prevent any physical damage.
"Fuck! That was close. That thing is dangerous." Zaeed cursed from behind cover.
The group couldn't concentrate their attack on a single enemy because the area was swarming with husks and Collectors.
"Garrus fall back and take out that creature." John ordered.
Garrus nodded and slowly crept back towards a cover far away. From there he had little chances of getting hit by the Collectors so he carefully aimed his rifle at the strange creature which was causing problems.
Jack in the meantime sent a shockwave at the approaching husks scattering them successfully. Miranda sent a warp attack on the hulking creature but the attack just staggered it for only a second. No major damage was done.
In the meantime Garrus got the hulking creature in his scope. Wasting no time he unloaded six sniper bullets on the head of the creature killing it immediately.
"Husks approaching from the left." Jacob warned after throwing a grenade at their feet. The explosion tore their body apart.
A husk managed to come near John and swing its bony claws at his head. John ducked down and countered with a crunching attack on the creature's skull with the butt of his shotgun. As the creature faltered back, he blew it into pieces with a shot from his shotgun. To their relief there were no more hostiles present in their path. They quickly followed the way described by the mechanic. Unlocking another door they faced another group of hostiles, luckily they were fewer in number than before. With only bumps and bruises they cleared the area and John could tell that they were faring well against the Collectors.
"They have already boarded the Colonists. We are running out of time." Miranda said with her gaze fixed on the huge Collector ship.
"We need to fix those damn guns. Miranda can you do anything?" John requested.
She stepped forward after nodding at him. After a moment she stepped back with a dejected look on her face. "I can't. The main battery is malfunctioning. We need to get the generator fixed first."
"All right. Mordin." John pointed towards the professor, "Bring the generator online. I will contact Normandy. Maybe EDI can help."
The three individuals nodded at him and went to fix the underground generator. John turned to others. "Normandy? Do you copy?"
"Joker here. Signal is weak, Commander, but we got you." Joker responded over the static in the radio.
"EDI, can you get the colony defense towers online?"
"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time to bring the towers to full power. I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output." EDI replied in her synthetic voice.
"Great. We play piggy in the middle while she sorts out the batteries." Jack deadpanned.
"Team. Defensive positions." John ordered.
Everyone scattered around the area hearing his order. Garrus secured a good sniping point at the far end of the opening. It gave him good cover and a good view of the area. Everyone took cover and waited for the generator to come online.
Within a few moments the generator became online and within the next few moments they were ambushed by the Collectors from all directions. This time there were too many.
"They are desperate to protect their ship." John said to Miranda while firing at the Collectors.
Husks, Collectors, Scions – the large and ugly creatures were swarming the whole area. The area became a small battlefield. No matter how many they killed, more appeared to take their place.
"We can't go on like this forever. We will run out of ammo eventually." Miranda suggested.
"EDI, how long?" John asked through comm.
"ETA five minutes, Commander." EDI replied immediately.
About four minutes passed when John's comm channel came alive. "Commander, we have got a problem here." Joker said.
"What's going on Joker?"
"My connection with the system is terminated, Commander. You have to manually reconnect me with the system." EDI said.
"Damn!" John cursed.
"I will do it, Commander." Miranda said. "We are running out of ammo and won't last much longer at this rate. We have to get the defense towers online."
"You won't be able to reach there and work on it in the middle of this gun fire." Jacob protested.
"I have my ways." She snapped. "Besides, we are running out of options." Miranda said, determined. She wasn't about to budge from her decision. This had to be done.
"All right." John agreed against his better judgment. "Everyone provides Miranda covering fire."
For a moment Miranda looked in his eyes which were full of concern for her. With a small reassuring smile, she went past him towards the control, sneaking behind the numerous crates that lay scattered around the area. The Collectors didn't spot her, as she crept from cover to cover.
"EDI, I will manually establish a connection with you any minute now." Miranda whispered in her comm.
"I am ready, Miss Lawson." EDI acknowledged.
Miranda eyed the controls from her cover and looked for any Collectors nearby. So far all of them were busy against the gun fires combined with biotic and tech attacks. She saw they weren't paying much attention towards her. Silently she proceeded towards the controls and began to establish a connection with Normandy. She quickly typed in the codes to re-establish the connection and dashed for cover. But she was too late. A bug-like machine came flying down and stomped on the ground sending shockwaves in every direction. Miranda was the one closest to it. The shockwave sent her flying a few feet away and she crashed against a pile of crates. She saw blackness.
The machine began to glow and took no damage from the team's attacks.
"Miranda, you okay? Miranda!" John shouted seeing her not moving at all. Miranda lay there completely still, not moving a bit. Like a dead person.
It was Freedom Progress all over again. Something broke inside John.
Meanwhile others had managed to deplete the barrier around the machine and caused sufficient damage to it. But it was still not ready to go down. It sent another shockwave and scattered everyone around, as it began to recharge its barrier. The machine was not the only enemy they were facing. Numerous husks and collectors were also attacking them from all around simultaneously. And more husks began to appear around them.
Jack used her powerful biotic attacks to destroy the collectors and the husks, but even she was getting tired. Everyone could see she was running out of energy. Jacob also used his biotic attacks against the collectors but his attacks were no good against the giant machine. Then the worst thing started to come towards them, the cloud of miniature insects. The collectors had summoned them. According to Mordin the countermeasures could hold against a small number of those miniature mechanical insects but not in a large amount. They were in big trouble.
"Aww! Not this." Garrus said, looking towards the sky.
Jack gritted her teeth in anger. She tried to summon her biotics but failed. She had no more energy left to summon a powerful biotic blast that would destroy the clouds of mechanical insects.
One husk tried to attack Zaeed, his gun clicked empty but he blocked thc creatures attack with his rifle and pushed a flaming grenade into its mouth and then kicked it back. Jacob used his biotic power to throw the creature into the crowd of other husks who were coming towards them. The explosion of the grenade killed the entire group of husks.
But the more they killed, more appeared to replace them.
"These things are endless!" Jacob said, while helping Jack on her feet.
Jack looked at John standing completely still like a statue. "What the hell is he doing?"
Garrus looked at John after hearing Jack's words. "Damn it! John!" He called but there was no response. "Professor, hold Jack." Garrus handed over Jack to Mordin.
"I can still fight." Jack said angrily.
Garrus ignored her. His concern was for John. The large machine was getting near him and he was not moving. His gaze was fixed towards Miranda's unconscious body. He tried to get close to John to shake him out of his thoughts but he couldn't push forward. They were surrounded.
"I don't want to die like this." Jack murmured.
"We are not going to die!" Jacob protested. "Keep firing!"
But at that moment everyone saw in shock every collector and husk around them suddenly turned into dust, including the cloud of mechanical insects. It was John. His whole body was surrounded by a black aura and his eyes were glowing blue with pure biotic energy.
With the other threats gone, the team began to concentrate their fire on the machine but it was still alive. Suddenly a shockwave came out of nowhere and sent them crashing against the walls. They saw stars in their eyes. It was when the machine recharged its barrier. When their vision cleared their eyes widened in awe. John Shepard was looking at the machine with pure rage in his inhuman eyes. Within the blink of an eye he teleported near the machine and with a powerful punch he broke one of its legs. Even the barrier around the machine couldn't stop it. The machine crumbled down on the ground helplessly. He turned his head around and observed more Collectors approaching him. With a slight wave of his hand he sent a shockwave towards them which melted the Collectors into thin air.
"This is unreal." Jack whispered. Her mouth was hanging open.
John grabbed the broken leg of the machine and stabbed its body with it, making a hole in its armor. He threw the leg away on the ground and with a devastating punch his hand went right through the armor, inside the machine's body. He pulled out his hand holding some mechanical parts and wires. He picked up the huge machine over his head effortlessly and threw it away from where Miranda lay unconscious. Immediately sparks began to fly and the machine exploded into small tiny pieces. The defense guns were already online and the Collector ship had to leave against the massive fire power. Everything returned to normal around the colony except that they took all the colonists with them.
John slowly knelt down beside Miranda and again took her in his arms. To everyone's surprise, including John, she slowly opened her eyes.
"What happened?" She asked groggily, looking at John. His eyes were normal again and the black aura around his body was gone.
"Are you okay, Miranda?" John asked, his eyes full of concern.
"Yeah." She said in a hoarse voice. "Probably cracked a few ribs but otherwise I am okay."
John helped her up on her feet. She groaned as she felt the pain of the broken ribs.
Jacob also came near her. He also looked worried. "Miranda, you don't look okay."
"Just a few broken ribs, Jacob." Miranda ignored his concern. It was really nothing. What she endured today in the fight against the collectors was nothing compared to what she had endured in Henry Lawson's hand in the past.
"No! Don't let them get away!" They heard a voice from behind. It was the mechanic.
"You are out here?" Jack asked with her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah! Um…. My friends need me. Well…." He stammered.
John knew that their efforts were futile. There was no way they could get back the colonists. He felt ashamed of himself.
"No one can do more than you have done, Shepard." Zaeed said, looking towards the sky.
At the name 'Shepard' the mechanic looked at John surprised. "Shepard? Wait, I know that name. Sure, I remember you. You are some kind of big Alliance hero."
John was about to open his mouth to correct the mechanic that he is no hero. He is a soldier but someone interrupted him before he could voice his protest.
"Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre….." Kaidan said as he stepped in their view.
"….. Savior of the Citadel." Ashley finished the sentence for him. Then she looked at the mechanic. "You're in the presence of a god, Delan. Back from the dead." She added glaring at the mechanic.
John looked both surprised and delighted to see his friends and teammates alive and unharmed.
"I thought you were dead, Commander. We all did." Kaidan said, shaking John's hand. His eyes fell on John's companion. Two Cerberus members - one female, one male, a mercenary, a bald headed woman with tattoos covering her whole body, a salarian, and Garrus. All stood side by side with the Commander except the Cerberus woman, who was sitting on a crate and the salarian seemed to be examining her midsection. Kaidan couldn't help but stare at the incredibly beautiful woman sitting on one of the large crates. He was a man after all.
"It's been too long. How have you been?" John said, getting Kaidan's attention.
"That's it? You show up after two years and act like nothing's happened? I would've followed you anywhere, Commander. I thought…." Ashley's voice broke. "I thought you were gone….. I….. You were more than our Commander. Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"
Miranda didn't like what she was hearing. More than a Commander? She knew exactly what Ashley meant by 'More than a Commander'. She decided to end this conversation then and there.
"Excuse me?" Ashley stopped accusing John when she heard the female voice. She looked past John to see an extremely beautiful woman with blue eyes, raven hair and perfect body, dressed in a skin tight suit, was sitting on a crate holding her midsection as if she was in pain. The unknown woman glared at her and Kaidan, then spoke when she got both Ashley and Kaidan's attention.
"Maybe we can talk about personal issues later. Now we have more important matters which needs our attention." Miranda replied in a cold tone. "And to answer your question, he spent the last two years in a coma while we tried to bring him back. He had no choice."
"We?" Kaidan questioned, then he noticed the logo on the woman's dress. Surprised he looked at John, "You are with Cerberus now? I can't believe the reports were right." "Reports? So much for security." Miranda rolled her eyes.
"Alliance intel said Cerberus could be behind our missing colonies. We got a tip that this one could be the next to get hit. We went to Anderson, but he wouldn't talk. But there were rumors that you weren't dead. Worse that you were working for the enemy. And Garrus you too?" Kaidan said the last part looking at Garrus who didn't reply.
"Our colonies are disappearing. The Alliance turned its back on them. Cerberus is the only group willing to do something about it." John explained.
"Bullshit! I know what Cerberus is like. They talk about putting humans first, but at what cost? I wanted to believe that you were alive….. I just never expected anything like this." Kaidan said with a sad expression on his face. "You've turned your back on everything we stood for!" He accused John.
"Alenko…" Ashley tried to stop him. She also felt betrayed but a small part of her heart still wanted to believe that John Shepard could never stand for something wrong. It was not just…. Him. And she was not ashamed to admit it to herself that she still loved him, despite his rejection.
"Kaidan, you know me. You know I'd do this only for the right reason." John said, placing a hand on Kaidan's shoulder. "You saw it yourself, the Collectors are targeting the human colonies and they're working for the Reapers."
Kaidan sighed and calmed down a bit. The man standing in front of him was still Commander Shepard after all. But Kaidan removed John's hand from his shoulder. "I want to believe you, Commander. But I don't trust Cerberus. They could be using the threat of a Reaper to manipulate you. What if they're behind it? What if they're working for the Collectors?"
"Damn it! Kaidan!" Garrus interrupted angrily. "You are so focused on Cerberus that you are ignoring the real threat!"
"You are letting how you feel about their history get in the way of the facts." John added, calmly.
Kaidan's expression softened a bit. His eyes darted from Garrus to John. "Maybe. Or maybe you feel like you owe Cerberus because they saved you. Maybe you're the one who's not thinking straight." Kaidan shook his head like he just couldn't believe what he had just heard. "You've changed. But I still know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier. Always will be." He paused and stepped back. "I've got to report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they believe your story or not." Kaidan then turned around to leave. Ashley seemed hesitant as if she didn't know what to believe. But Kaidan stopped when he heard the sound of a snort behind him.
He turned around. It was the Cerberus woman. She was looking at him mockingly with a hint of a smile on her face. "Did I say something funny?" He glared at her.
Miranda's blue eyes suddenly turned cold as she stared down Kaidan Alenko. "Of course. For someone who worked with Commander Shepard to take down Saren, those words were unbelievable in their mouth. Because if you had really known Commander Shepard, you'd have never blamed Commander Shepard for being a traitor."
Kaidan's eyes moved from Miranda to John, then again back to Miranda. "And you think you know him well, Cerberus? How? By digging into his mind while he was in a coma?"
"You have no idea, Lieutenant." Miranda replied coldly.
"I could use someone like you on my crew Kaidan. It'll be just like old times." John interjected, trying to stop the argument between Miranda and Kaidan.
Kaidan shook his head. "No. It won't. I'll never work for Cerberus. Goodbye, Commander. And be careful." He then walked away leaving no room for arguments. But Ashley was still there, standing with a sad expression on her face.
"What about you, Ash?" John asked, looking at Ashley.
Ashley crossed her arms over her chest and looked down towards the grasses at her feet. "I…." She hesitated. "I can't decide what to believe, Commander. I need some time to think. I will let you know my decision when I can make up my mind."
John nodded with disappointment written all over his face. Ashley quickly closed the distance between her and John, and hugged him.
"I am very happy that you are back, Commander. And I am sorry." She whispered in his ears and then she was gone.
John saw her go, just like Kaidan, sadly. It didn't make him sad that his friends didn't join him, but the fact that they didn't believe him. At that moment he placed a hand on his shoulder. It was Garrus. "Don't be sad, John. I am with you. Always."
John smiled slightly and looked at Garrus. He was really glad that Garrus was with him. The big turian never doubted him and even joined the crew without any question, despite it being fully Cerberus crew except only a handful ones.
Trust.
Hard to get these days even from friends.
He still felt lucky though that he had Garrus at his side. And maybe Miranda too.