Zrocker119: Well...can't say I'm too surprised by the responses towards how the last chapter. Some liked the darker direction it went, others absolutely hated it. It's what I was expecting. Regardless, here's the next instalment. Again, special thanks to Dracomancer1 for Beta reading. Your help is appreciated as always!
On another note, you guy and gals play Old Gods part 1 yet?
-Doom Effect-
-Chapter 6-
Start
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It was like walking onto a set in the aftermath of a horror vid scene. That was the only way Garrus could describe the state of what had been the most popular club for the Citadel's more seedy individuals, but which was now crawling with C-Sec officers.
A silent alarm had gone off about three hours ago. Since it was from the well-known base of operations of the notorious criminal Fist, many at the station, Garrus included, had thought the human was just fucking with them. Wouldn't have been the first time.
Despite second thoughts from every officer on duty at the time, a squad shuttle was sent to investigate. All doubt vanished when the two officers that were sent reported back with confirmation of bodies.
Sometime later, Garrus was now crouching over the remains of a Krogan whose skull appeared to have been caved in. Not even an arms length away lay the body of a human decked out in heavy armor, his upper and lower halves connected by nothing more than his small intestine.
And these were the only two that they had found to be mostly intact. Garrus had counted at least fifteen other bodies, but it was hard to figure out an exact number due to the others being in various states of dismemberment.
Garrus had seen many things throughout his years as a detective...but he had never seen carnage on this level. Nothing even came close.
"Spirits," Garrus looked over his shoulder to see his fellow detective Chellick watching as another officer tried to get a good DNA sample from a pile of discarded limbs. "Just what the hell could have done this?"
Now that was the million-credit question.
"Any signs of Fist?" Garrus asked a human officer that had just returned from the back.
"Maybe. Found a-," She paused, looking about ready to throw up. "Found a puddle in the back office. It-it looks like every piece of furniture in there was used to bludgeon whoever was back there to death. They're still trying to get a decent sample."
Garrus put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go and get some air. You look about ready to lose your dinner."
"H-how are you so calm?" She asked.
"To be completely honest, I'm barely holding it down myself." With an encouraging nod, she left the building. Turning his attention back to the scene, Garrus looked at the large caliber bullet casings that littered the floor.
"Why gunpowder?" Chellick asked. Ever since the discovery of element zero, mass accelerator weaponry had revolutionized combat and had become the standard for every space faring species, leaving powder-based weapons as nothing more than collector items to be sought out by wealthy individuals.
Using the camera function of Omni-tool, Garrus zoomed in on one of the casings and saw that they were .50 caliber rounds by Earth imperial measurement. Upon further inspection, he also found several dozen 8 gauge shotgun shells amongst the carnage.
"Whoever did this has a thing for classic human weaponry." Garrus bit back a sigh. He could already imagine the headache it would be once the news got wind of this. That they had been able to keep lid on it up till this point was a miracle in and of itself.
Spirits, the PR for this case was gonna be a fucking nightmare.
On the bright side, the uniqueness of the weapons made the list of potential suspects much narrower. But what didn't make sense was just how the perpetrator managed to acquire, let alone set up such a large caliber weapon. Guns like that needed to be mounted onto an object to even use.
Hell, the only way it would've been possible was if the one in question could somehow telep-
Garrus' eyes went wide at that train of thought. Bringing up his omni-tool, he began rapidly shifting through the hundreds of notes he had taken over the course of the last year.
"Woah, Garrus slow down."
But Chellick's words went ignored as Garrus continued on like a turian possessed. Until he finally found what he was looking for: eyewitness reports, taken by those that had been rescued from slavers by an unknown party.
Or at least, they had been unknown at the time.
Then, rumors started coming into the Citadel during the past month. Rumors that spoke of a new power that had established itself on the criminal center of the Terminus system, Omega. One that had close relations to Aria herself.
Garrus wasn't one to believe in rumors, not without hard facts to back them up, but the evidence was unavoidable. Both the level of carnage that he was looking at and the weapons used matched the descriptions given to him by those that he interviewed. The only difference being that the one responsible didn't have a convenient airlock to space the remains.
If the rumors were true, which Garrus now believed them to be, he had a name to put at the top of it all.
Looks like The Slayer had come to the Citadel.
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Three days. That was the amount of time that had passed before the next body had turned up, intact in this instance. Well, for the most part. The face of the victim was little more than a bloody pulp, so they wouldn't be getting anything from facial recognition.
The only reason they even knew who the victim is was due to one of their employees being the one to call it in.
Regardless, Garrus didn't need to look around for long to know who was responsible. The sheer brutality was the only clue required to know that this was the work of The Slayer. What confused the detective was the location itself.
The Slayer had an established pattern in the Terminus, that being he only hit those with ties to the Batarian slave markets. From what the techies had managed to pull from Fist's computers so far, the crime lord had done more than just dip a toe into that pond so he fit the description.
But what possessed The Slayer to target a pawn shop of all places? It didn't make any sense. Or rather it didn't on the surface. What it implied however told another story. One that Garrus wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear.
"Detective."
The Turian in question turned around to see one of the officers stationed outside approaching him, a human woman that he didn't recognize following in suit just a few paces back.
"Hoster," Garrus greeted with a nod. While they didn't converse often, he knew the man was a good cop. "What's going on?"
"Just received new orders from Pallin. Due to the nature of the suspect, Alliance Intelligence is gonna be joining the investigation." Hoster gestured to the woman that had accompanied him.
Stepping out from behind her guide Garrus got his first good look at the agent he would be working with. And he had to admit she was quite attractive, for a human at least.
She was decently tall for a human female, with blonde hair that was pulled back into a tight bun and green eyes. And though she wore the standard Alliance Navy officer uniform, it didn't quite conceal all of her more womanly curves.
Having done all that was required of him the C-Sec officer gave a quick nod and left the scene. With him gone, Garrus and the agent were the only ones left on the premises.
"Normally I'm not the biggest fan of having someone but in my investigation, but given the circumstances I'm not going to turn down help." He offered a hand, knowing that humans tend to appreciate the gesture. "Garrus Vakarian."
She looked at the offered limb for only a moment before taking it in a strong grip. "Kathrin Merrett. A pleasure to be working with you, detective."
"What do you know so far?"
"Just what I've read from the reports," Kathrin glanced at the remains of the victim and Garrus could visibly see her holding down her disgust at the state of the body. "So, I'm told that we've identified the victim."
"Still waiting on the DNA work, but we're certain he's the owner of the place, one David Wykes." Garrus brought up all that they had on the man. "Divorced twice with no immediate family. Been living on the Citadel for the last five years."
"Criminal history?"
"Just a few charges of disorderly conduct. Nothing so serious as to warrant an arrest, let alone cold-blooded murder." The two were currently behind the main counter where the body laid. Garrus took a moment to glance at the countertop's edge, specifically the spot that was stained with dried blood.
"This is where our perp first struck."
Kathrin examined the spot he pointed out. After a moment she raised a delicate brow. "How can you tell?"
"The blood. There's much less of it when compared to the area surrounding the body. Judging from the splatter, our perp slammed Mr. Wykes' face onto the counter, most likely breaking his nose." That was only an educated guess on Garrus' part, but one that he felt was accurate.
"I'm guessing the camera in the back corner here won't help?" Kathrin asked, earning a shake of the head from the detective.
"Everythings been wiped. That doesn't surprise me. The Slayer's known for covering his tracks."
A moment of silence passed between the two. It didn't last long. "So, you really do think that it's him. The boogieman of the Terminus System."
Garrus would've frowned had he been capable of doing so. "Yeah, I do. This. The slaughter at the nightclub. The sheer brutality of it all. Everything matches what we've gathered on him. There's no mistaking it."
A look of uncertainty flashed across Kathrin's features before being immediately forced down. "If that's the case, then why kill Wykes? Fist makes some sense, given his extensive criminal dealings. The only reason he wasn't behind bars was because we could never pin anything to him..."
She shook her head, "but Wykes was just a pawn shop owner with only a minor criminal history. Why the sudden deviation? It doesn't make any sense."
Garrus stood in silent contemplation. Why the Citadel and why now? What was The Slayer trying to accomplish with these killings? Garrus knew that there was something to this whole mess that they were missing. A piece to the puzzle that would hopefully set them on the right track to catching this guy.
Because regardless of how he personally felt about it, Garrus couldn't allow The Slayer free reign on the Citadel. Though there was one thing that he was certain of. He wasn't looking forward to the inevitable confrontation.
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It wasn't until the doors to her personal office were sealed that Councillor Tevos allowed the calm and collected mask she had been holding for the last couple of hours to finally slip as she all but collapsed into her chair. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she let out a long and tired sigh.
The meetings between her fellow councilmen were becoming more and more stressful with each passing day. Not since Humanity disruptively found its way into the galactic community did she feel so utterly drained of energy, and all due to the arrival of a single man.
The Slayer.
When the rumors about his existence first reached council controlled space Tevos, and the rest of the galactic community, brushed them aside as just that. Rumors. Even when hundreds of freed prisoners came through the Relay every few months, claiming that they had been rescued by a single person, they rationalized that it was nothing more than a group of highly skilled individuals.
But as the months went on, Tevos found herself slowly beginning to doubt.
Now the bodies were starting to pile up on the Citadel. She had only read the weekly reports submitted by the Executor, but even then Tevos had barely been able to contain the urge to vomit. The sheer brutality on display was something that she had never witnessed.
In little over a week this man, though by this point she very much doubted he was human to begin with, had racked up a body count of over a hundred. The majority of whom were criminals and the like, but some had just been ordinary people.
Now, they couldn't hide it from the public any longer. The Slayer had made certain of that with his most recent action.
It had been during their last meeting when it happened.
Tevos, Sparatus and Valern had been discussing the latest reports on the string of grisly murders when all the monitors in the room had suddenly flickered on. They were blank for a moment, then a list of names started scrolling across. Many of which had a red line going through them.
Tevos had recognized those that were crossed out, and she knew that her colleagues had as well. For they were the names of those that had been identified amongst all the dead.
And then the audio played.
It was a simple message.
Short and to the point.
But spoken with a seething rage that sent tremors down her spine.
One that was followed by a symbol burning into existence.
The same symbol that had been found carved into every single one of the ships that had belonged to those slaving crews that had been slaughtered.
"I'm coming for you all."
Shuddering at the memory, Tevos opened one of her desk's many drawers and pulled out a bottle of Serrice ice brandy that she had imported all the way from Thessia. It had cost a substantial amount of credits and was one that she had been saving for some time.
She didn't hesitate to crack the seal and pour herself a generous amount. She very nearly down the glass in one go but was somehow able to hold back. Only after topping it off did Tevos take a seat and bring on her terminal.
Tevos stared at the number, hesitant to go through with the call. But things had escalated too far. She required answers...and the councillor knew where to find them.
Pressing the call button, Tevos sat back and waited.
Less than thirty seconds went by before the screen flickered and the smirking face of Aria T'Loak appeared.
"Well now, this is a surprise."
"Aria." Tevos greeted her tone neutral.
"Hey now, you called me. No need to sound so disappointed that I picked up," The Queen of Omega responded with a small frown. "I take it that this isn't a social call."
"When has it ever been?"
"Within the last century? Never." Aria let out an exaggerated sigh. "I'm starting to think that you don't want to be associated with me." She noticed the drink in the councillor's hand and smirked. "Oh wow. Must be one of those days."
Letting out a humourless laugh, Tevos took a sip of her drink and Aria saw that there was a slight shake to her hand. "Sister, I-I need your help."
For the first time in centuries, Aria had no scathing remark or witty comeback. The fact that Tevos had called her "sister" and was asking for help was enough to leave her in a state of quiet shock.
With a deep sigh, the Queen of Omega let her criminal persona step back and allow the older sibling to take the reins for the first time in three hundred years. "What can I do?"
"Just tell me everything that you know about The Slayer."
Aria paused before asking. "For what possible reason do you need to know about that man?"
"Because as of today, he's left over a hundred corpses in his wake. All but a few have been torn to pieces. We've got the best that C-Sec and the Alliance has to offer, but at the rate things are going, the Council will be forced to place the station under martial law and bring in the Spectres." Tevos shook her head. "In the thousands of years that this station has been under our control, we've never had a threat like this reach the Citadel."
"We are severely under-equipped to handle the situation."
Aria was silent. Several moments pass before she pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. "Give me a moment. I need to add someone to the call."
Before Tevos could say anything, Aria had already gone through the process of connecting to whoever she needed to get in contact with. Regardless of how she felt, the connection was made and a new window opened. But like the two sisters, this one had no visual to go along with the voice that spoke.
"Rrrgh, I'm a bit busy, Aria." The one speaking was male. Either that or they were using a voice modulator, but she had the feeling that this was their true voice.
"I'm sure that whatever it is can wait for a moment."
The Asari Councilor blinked. Her drink must have been stronger than she originally thought. Because other than herself, Tevos had never heard anyone address her sister so casually.
The Counselor nearly jumped out of her skin as the sound of a weapon discharging echoed within her office. Thankfully the volume was low enough that the security outside couldn't hear it.
"They really can't. Besides, it seems that you're already in the middle of something yourself." Another shot rang out, followed by the sound of someone screams of terror getting cut off.
"I was under the impression that the purpose of your trip to the Citadel was to lay low for a bit." Aria paid the ensuing firefight no mind and continued on as if everything was fine. "So imagine my surprise when the sister I haven't heard from in centuries calls, telling me that bodies are turning up left and right and asking for any information that I could give on The Slayer."
"So Alex, mind cluing me in?"
It took much longer than Tevos would ever admit for it to finally click in her mind just who it was that her sister was currently speaking with.
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Alex would never admit it but he was genuinely surprised by Aria's words. He had known about her daughter prior to his arrival, but a sister? That was new information.
"And just who is this sister of yours?" He questioned whilst caving in some poor bastard's skull beneath his boot. "Until very recently my actions have been kept under wraps by C-Sec. Meaning that she must have connections with those higher up."
"Why don't you ask her yourself."
He spared a quick glance at the upper corner of his visor and saw that there indeed was another person in the call.
"Is this really The Slayer?" Came the voice of who Alex could only assume to be Aria's sister. "If you really are, then why? Why are you killing all of these people? Why name all of those you plan to go after? What is the point of it all!?"
"Who is it that I'm speaking with?"
"This is Councilor Tevos. Now answer my questions."
This time Alex actually froze in place at the metaphorical bomb that was just dropped. It wasn't until rounds glanced and ricocheted off his armor that he snapped out of his stupor. He leveled his HAR and unloaded a hail of mini-rockets that reduced the ones that had been shooting at him into piles of blood and gore.
Thankfully this was the last remains of opposition in this storage facility, so now he had a moment to spare.
"To answer your first question, yes, this is The Slayer." He paid the councilor's sharp intake of breath no mind and spoke as he walked towards the back of the facility. "As for the why? Let's just say that those named are involved in certain trades that I found wanting."
"Found wanting?" Tevos asked in disbelief.
As he approached the final area of the facility, Alex didn't bother waiting for VEGA to open the door, opting to just plunge his fingers into the seams. The resistance offered up by the magnetic lock held for a few fleeting seconds, but his supernatural strength proved to be more than a match. With the sound of screeching metal, The Slayer ripped the doors asunder, revealing the darkened room.
For a normal human it would have been impossible to see what lay beyond, but for Alex the crushing darkness was only a minor hindrance.
VEGA didn't need to wait for specific instruction from his partner. A quick dive into the facility's systems and the lights kicked on, though the AI took care to have them set to the lowest setting so as to not blind those that were held captive within.
With the room now bathed in a soft light, The Slayer switched on his helmet camera, allowing the two sisters to see through the live feed.
Dozens of faces stared at him from behind bars, each one carrying a lifeless gaze. While they varied between the main Council species, all of them barely reached into their teens. The fact that this storage facility was only the first of many on this accursed station made him curl his lips in pure disgust.
"You wanted to know why I'm doing this. Now you do." Alex heard Tevos about to speak, but he didn't care and cut the connection before she could finish her first word. Taking care to not frighten these kids any more than they already were, he made his way into the room.
As he walked towards the control panel that would open the cells, all the children moved towards the rear walls. The action caused his fists to clench in barely-restrained rage and his heart to ache but he didn't fault them for their caution.
The horrors they must have endured was something he didn't want his mind to ponder on. For them, it was all over. But for those that were on that list, the ones responsible for this atrocity?
For them, the nightmare was about to truly begin.
His thoughts on the coming carnage were put on hold when his omni-tool chimed once again. Thinking it was Aria, Alex was about to ignore it, but on second glance he saw that it wasn't the Asari crimelord. The name belonged to someone that he hadn't talked to since his first day arriving in this reality.
After another moment of thought, he answered.
Despite the current situation, the Slayer allowed himself a small smile. "Tali. Though you've caught me at a bad time, it's good to hear from you."
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It had been by pure chance.
When Tali first arrived at the Citadel a couple days ago, the very last thing she expected was to be in her current situation. Yet here she was, in the Presidium, waiting anxiously for her company to arrive. When she had spoken to Alex just a few hours ago, he had stated that he was wrapping something what she knew about the man, he was most likely ruining some poor bastard's day.
Who was she kidding? She knew exactly what Alex had been doing when she called. She had been working a repair job when the nearby newsfeed had been hacked, displaying the list, the symbol and the promise that followed.
Tali was sure she had broken some sort of record from how quickly and professionally she had finished the repairs to the shuttle she had been working on. She was in such a hurry that she hadn't even waited to make sure the credits had cleared before leaving the repair shop. All Tali knew was that she had to contact Alex.
So here Tali was, hours later, casually waiting for the man single handedly responsible for an untold number of deaths. So many, butchered without batting an eye. Keelah….But this was also the same man that had saved herself and countless others from a life of slavery. With that information in the forefront of her mind, Tali decided that she would hear the man out. She owed him that and so much more.
Tali was forced out of her thoughts as somebody leaned against the railing beside her. As she turned to face the mystery man, she almost didn't recognize him at first. When last she saw him, he had the makings of a beard and his hair had been much shorter.
While the sides of his head were kept short, Alex had allowed the top to grow out a bit, giving him a faux hawk-like hairstyle, and he was now clean-shaven. He was also without his armor and due to his choice of casual wear, she could see just how little the armor actually bulked up his form.
When she stood next to him, Tali looked even more like a twig by comparison.
After a moment of silently staring into the crystal clear waters of the Presidium, Alex turned to her. "Tali," a small smirk played on his lips, "you look well. How have you been?"
She crossed her arms under her chest with a shrug. "Can't complain really. Somebody always needs something repaired, so work's pretty easy to find."
Alex nodded. "That's good to hear. But we both know that you didn't call me just to catch up."
"You're right," Tali shifted from one foot to the other, wringing her hands nervously. "I-I just need to know why?"
Alex knew what exactly she was asking about. "...Are you sure?" His gaze bore deep into her own. "The answer to that question isn't a pleasant one."
"I saw what you did on the ship." Tali bit back, surprising herself with the amount of snark in her voice. "I doubt it'll be anymore disturbing than that."
Shecould see his internal debate between the pros and cons of informing her of the specific details. After several moments of silence, Alex nodded before putting an arm over her shoulder and pulling her close.
The sudden proximity surprised the Quarian, but the words he whispered nearly caused her to freeze up.
"Didn't notice till now, but we've got eyes on us. I'm gonna lead us out of here. Lean into me a bit and act like this is normal." Though his voice was low and even, she could detect some trace of annoyance as he began to lead them away from the railings and into the crowd.
His head tilted, an action that was unnoticeable to all but Tali. Looking out of the corner of her gaze, she caught sight of what appeared to be a small earpiece.
"Damn," Alex said quietly. "Should've known that they would've put him on the case. Things just got more interesting."
"What is it?"
"Let's just say a friend of mine is currently hacked into C-Sec's communications. They've got one of theirs and the Alliance's best trying to figure out the purpose behind the killings. Not sure just how, but they've got an eyewitness that places me near Chora's Den right before everything went down." He paused. If Tali listened hard enough, she could just pick up a voice coming from his ear piece but was unable to discern what was said.
"Hmm, that's not good."
"What now?"
"Sorry, but it looks like they're operating under the assumption that you're the tech expert that's been helping me."
"What!?" Tali kept her voice at a whisper, but even she could tell it was an octave or two higher. She had reason for it though. She was potentially being charged with premeditated mass slaughter.
Sure she had a solid alibi for why it wasn't here, but many wouldn't be able to see past her being a Quarian. In their eyes she was little more than a suit rat.
"That does make this a tad bit more difficult."
"How are you so calm?"
"Let's just say that I've had things much more terrifying than the Citadel's finest chase after me in the past." Alex had faced down the literal forces of Hell and didn't so much as flinch. A couple of space cops didn't even come close to that level of heat. "But first let's get somewhere more private."
"And how do you plan on doing that?" Tali couldn't help but ask. If the reports that had been released to the public were anything to go on, a sizable amount of C-Sec's forces were being directed towards the capture of Alex and anyone potentially associated with him.
"I'll think of something."
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"We've got eyes on the suspect. He appears to be heading towards the Presidium."
"Good. Maintain a respectable distance at all times. You've all read the reports about his capabilities. If this is our man then the Presidium could turn into a literal warzone if we spook him."
With his piece said, Garrus cut communication with the officers that were tailing the suspect and turned to the rest of the officers given to him, two dozen in total. They were assembled in a large troop transport shuttle a few sectors away. He motioned for them to ready up.
As the rest of them checked over their weapons and gear, Garrus activated his omni-tool, pulling up what they had on the suspect.
Name: Flynn Taggart
Place of Birth: Earth
Age: 39
Occupation: Former Alliance Marine, current occupation unknown.
Family relations: Deceased.
Garrus would have frowned had he been capable. The file was incredibly barren of heavy details and barely met the Citadel's minimum ID requirements. Looking through it, he saw only one real blemish on the man's records. Apparently there was an "altercation" involving him and a superior officer.
The exact details surrounding the reason behind the altercation weren't available as they required approval from the top brass of the Alliance Marine corps, but Garrus was able to learn that the officer in question was in a medical coma for some time afterwards, and that Mr. Taggart was dishonorably discharged.
Discharged, not imprisoned. That didn't sit right with the turian. While he didn't know the exact details surrounding the Alliance and its due process, a soldier leaving a superior officer in such a state that they needed to be placed in a medical coma should've called for a much more severe punishment.
But that wasn't the only thing on the detectives mind. Just a few hours ago the department had gotten an anonymous tip about a disturbance in the warehouse district. The caller had reported what sounded like large caliber gunfire before hanging up.
Garrus and his partner were on the Tayseri ward following up on a case lead when the call came in, so they hadn't been part of the response group, but what the officers reported nearly made the detective fly into a fit of rage.
Not only did the officers find even more bodies in the Slayer's wake, but an entire section of the storage facility, one that didn't show up in official reports, had several dozen children, mainly consisting of Asari, Humans and Turians, waiting for them. The oldest, a turian barely into her teen years, had given them a data slate, saying that the one that had saved them wanted them to have it.
It had been a shipping manifest containing delivery points to various points within the Terminus. There had been no names listed, just details pertaining to the cargo and the amounts paid.
Somehow, to Garrus' shock and horror, someone had managed to establish a slave trade on the Citadel itself. It was something that he had thought impossible, but the evidence was there. After taking the children into protective custody and questioning those that were willing to speak, Garrus learned that the Slayer was not only responsible for rescuing them, but had been the one to call it in.
But how had the Slayer learned about all this before C-Sec? An even darker thought crept in, was if everyone he had killed up till that point had been involved? The list of names that had been displayed across all the monitors in the Citadel, those that the Slayer had threatened to come after...were all of them involved as well?
"How is everything?"
Shoving those thoughts aside, Garrus turned to see Kathrin approaching him. Like himself, she had opted to trade her standard uniform for something more combat-efficient. Whereas Garrus had gone for a set of heavy armor, she had gone for a light combat skin with minimal armor plating. Her choice to forgo more armor certainly drew some appreciative glaces from some of the assembled officers as the body suit accentuated her curves.
Like a true professional, she of course paid their looks no mind as she waited for the Turian's response.
Had it been anyone else, Garrus would've ordered them to put on something a bit heavier but after being partners on this case for nearly a week he had learned more about her. One of the key things being that Kathrin was a powerful Biotic. In fact he would go so far to say that she was one of the most powerful ones that he had ever encountered.
And while he doubted even the strongest barriers would hold under the kind of weaponry the suspect could apparently call forth at will, they would be enough for her to find cover.
"We've got eyes on the suspect." He said, answering her question. "Sitrep on tapping his communications?"
She shook her head. "Not going well. Whatever encryption software he's using is unlike anything our experts have encountered before."
Garrus nearly bit out a curse. Looks like they were just gonna have to do things the old-fashioned way.
"Detectives! We've got something."
The two stopped what they were doing and moved to the surveillance monitors located near the front of the armored vehicle. The holographic screens displayed the live footage shot from helm-cams of the two undercover officers tailing the suspect.
"Who is that?" Kathrin asked, pointing to the female Quarian standing next to Taggart as the two began to converse.
"Not sure, but we may have just found the unknown tech expert that's been helping him." He leaned over and spoke into his ear piece. "Try and get a little closer. I want to know what they're talking about."
Getting a silent confirmation, the officers carefully made their way through the thinning crowd. Their mics picked up a lot of chatter, but the officer running surveillance was able to clean up most of it.
"-ed to know why."
"Are you sure? The answer to that question isn't a pleasant one."
"I saw what you did on the ship. I doubt it'll be anymore disturbing than that."
"What are they talking about?" Kathrin was the only one to voice the question they were all asking themselves.
Garrus' eyes narrowed when Taggart put his arm around the Quarian. The man seemed to whisper something to her before leading her away at a casual pace. While the interaction looked natural enough, it ended up being the Quarian that gave it away. Just as the duo were about to leave the immediate area, she glanced just a bit too far behind them for a casual gaze.
"They know."
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-End-
Zrocker119: And so the chase begins. Should only be another chapter or two before the true adventure kicks off. Really looking forward Alex and Shepards first encounter.
On a side note, I've started another Doom story with Valen, the Betrayer as the MC so feel free to check it out if your interested. Till next time.