Zrocker119: I Can't believe how long it has been since I last updated this story. For those that have joined recently, I welcome you. And to those that have been waiting for nearly a year, I can only offer my most sincere apologies. I wish that I could offer a somewhat decent excuse behind the wait, but I've got none. Sure I've moved and gotten a new job in between this chapter and the last, but the truth of the matter is that I just hadn't felt like doing anything that involved Mass Effect.
But in the last couple of weeks, I just suddenly had the urge to continue working on this story once again. Can't explain why, but I just haven't been able to stop thinking about it. And so I dusted off the old doc that I had started like 10 months ago and just started typing. Like, 70% of this chapter didn't exist until about a week and a half ago.
Now I'll admit, I'm not the happiest with the first scene or two. But rather than remain hung up on them, I just said screw it and just continued typing till it was done. So, thank you for your patience, and hope you enjoy.
P.S. I went back and edited the part in the last chapter where Garrus remarks on the Slayers' height. I had no idea Garrus was 6'2! I always thought he was taller!
-DOOM Effect-
-Chapter 8-
Start
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If somebody had told Tali that one day, not only would she live in humanity's most prosperous colony, but also be an associate with possibly the galaxy's most dangerous individual, she would've called them crazy and told them to leave her the hell alone.
But now? Now she would just shrug an answer and go about her day.
Four years. It certainly didn't feel like that much time had already passed.
Every day she woke up in her bedroom that sectioned off from the rest of the house via an airlock. With the entirety of the living space sealed off from the rest of the house and constantly sprayed with anti-bacterial spray and monitored, Tali was able to roam without the use of her enviro-suit. This was a luxury that couldn't even be afforded on the Liveships due to the constate danger of something breaking down.
But here? On Eden Prime? With VEGA's help, the research, design, and construction had been laughably easy. With him overseeing everything, the entire project had only taken a matter of weeks.
VEGA.
It startled Tali just how used to the A.I.s presence she had become. How accepting she was.
All her life, she had been brought up with the constant fear of A.I. due to the association with the Geth. Of the legacy left behind by her ancestors'. And yet, no matter how hard Tali tried, she couldn't bring herself to hate, let alone fear the human-made A.I. Well, at least not anymore that is.
Oh, she had been downright terrified when it had introduced himself to her all those years ago, and for good reasons. After all, the last three hundred years had been absolute hell for her people because of synthetics.
Restricted to a fleet of ships so old that it was constantly on the verge of breaking down. Fear that a single breach in their suits could spell their end. That was no way for an entire race to live. No, forced to live.
But VEGA...Tali had come to learn that it was an entirely different manner of machine.
From what she had been told by Alex, VEGA had been created with the sole purpose of ensuring the survival of human life, a directive that had been expanded upon to include all sentients after meeting Alex, even if it was at the cost of the A.I's existence.
And when the time had come for the A.I. to sacrifice itself so that Alex could complete his mission, the Slayer had gone out of his way to create a backup of the machine and had stored him away in his armor.
After everything they had gone through, Alex considered the A.I. a friend, one of the few he had.
Between that and learning that VEGA was the one that had helped Alex rescue her and countless others from a life of slavery, Tali had gone against her instincts and had given the two the benefit of the doubt.
So far, that moment was proving to be the greatest of her life.
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Despite the setback from his little escapade on the Citadel, having VEGA alter the information he had forwarded to Eden Prime to include Tali in the arrangement had been a surprisingly simple affair. While the head honchos of the Colony had been surprised by the last-minute addition of a Quarian, as only humans had lived on the planet so far, the people had been very welcoming.
It had been a little suffocating at first with all the curious eyes on her, but time had dulled the wonder and now she was just another colonist in their eyes, working to improve Eden Prime to the best of her ability.
For Alex, adjusting to life as a productive member of the colony had been a much simpler affair for obvious reasons. Despite his large stature and altered physiology, he still appeared human, so fitting in hadn't been an issue.
Anyway, while Alex kept up the act as a simple engineer throughout the day, the night was when he worked towards his true objective. Finding the location of the Prothean Beacon. Something that was much easier said than done, as to his knowledge, the exact location was never specified. All he knew was that it would be dug up eventually.
So, much to his dismay, Alex was all but useless at this point in the operation. All he could do was sit back and hope the VEGA caught wind of something.
And so that's what Alex did. He kept himself busy of course. When he wasn't out keeping up the ruse as a civilian, he spent most of his time in the garage. Or to be more specific, underneath the garage. It certainly wasn't easy to build a workshop beneath the place without having anyone learn about its existence but they had gotten it done. Certainly helped that he was able to work throughout the night were no sane person would still be up.
Of all the perks he had gained from his fusion with The Slayer, requiring neither food nor rest was truly the greatest boon. It allotted him so much more time to work. Time that had not been wasted.
At that current point in time, Alex had holed himself in the garage and stood looking over some schematics that VEGA had forwarded to him a few minutes earlier. It was of a new design for his Praetor Suit.
And holy shit had VEGA gone above and beyond. Bult in thruster backs to allow maneuverability in mid-air, a shoulder-mounted launcher capable of firing multiple types of explosive ordinance. A damn near-complete overhaul that would require him to cannibalize his current suit. But just by looking at the specs laid before him, Alex could already tell that it would be worth it.
"How long would this take to complete?"
A nearby monitor sprung to life with an image of VEGA's avatar. "Factoring in the time to strip your current Praetor Suit down to its basic components for repurposing, it will take approximately 73.683 hours for a complete reconstruction."
Alex clicked his tongue. That meant he would be without his armor for just over three days.
Three whole days.
A lot of shit could happen in that short amount of time.
"Still nothing on the location of the beacon?"
"All communications emanating from the alliance have been about standard patrols. Although today is the base Commanders birthday so there is that." Alex chuckled at the AI's humor. "No information regarding the discovery of any Prothean technologies."
'Let's hope it stays that way for just a bit longer.' Alex mused to himself. "Well, we better get started."
He gathered up some tools from the table nearby and got to work on dismantling the nigh-indestructible suit. This would be practically impossible to do, but thanks to the knowledge gained from merging with The Slayer, Alex knew exactly how to accomplish the task.
Because despite his straightforward approach to dispatching his foes, memories revealed to Alex that The Doomslayer was far a simple-minded brute. The Slayer had a knack for tinkering, especially when it came to weapons. This was a hobby that meshed well with Alex's former life as an engineer, who had also loved to tinker in his spare time.
As he began working on dismantling the arms, he heard the fabricator VEGA had constructed kick on, most likely printing out an armor rack as well as the specialized tools that would be required later down the line.
Though this was going to be a right pain in the ass, Alex didn't bother to hold back the bloodthirsty grin that threatened to split his face in two. He couldn't wait to take this new suit out for a test run.
The large, retractable blade that VEGA was aiming to include looked particularly promising.
However, his excitement would have to be put on hold for the moment as Tali rang him on his Omni-tool. Reining in his grin, Alex answered. "What's going on, Tali?"
"...You forgot didn't you," she let out a sigh of exasperation. "We agreed to meet Tim and Samantha tonight at the bar remember?"
Alex frowned. He hadn't forgotten actually. "That's not till they get off shift though. I've got plenty of time till then."
"Alex, they got off the clock thirty minutes ago. We're all here waiting on you."
He looked at the clock and blinked in surprise. Damn, Tali was correct and that it was already 5:30. Sighing, he set the tools down. "Apologize to them for me. I'll be there in ten."
"Right. See you in a few."
Tali hung up, leaving Alex and VEGA in awkward silence.
"I'll continue with the project. I have had more than enough time to learn the inner workings of the suit and will be able to proceed without issue. The estimated time frame I provided only factored in myself. Having you here would have only decreased the total time by about 30%."
Alex shook his head, an amused expression on his features as several pairs of mechanical arms dropped down from the ceiling. They picked up the available tools and got to work. Having the most advanced A.I. in the galaxy as a companion sure was useful.
Leaving the workshop, it took only a few moments for Alex to exchange his oil-stained shirt for a fresh one, throw on a jacket and be out the door. But not before making sure the entrance to the workshop was locked up well and tight. Even with VEGA watching over the place it never hurt to be too sure.
Only once Alex was certain that the place was secure did he finally exit the house and hopped into the skycar parked just outside. From there it was only a short flight to the agreed-upon bar.
The bar itself was nothing special but it was always busy at this time. And why wouldn't it be? The beer and booze were cheap and the food was good enough to eat. Only two things one needed after a long day of hard work.
The door slid open and Alex was immediately assaulted by the sounds of dozens of people chatting, drinking, and relaxing. Most, if not all, had just gotten off shift so all were just looking to unwind. He glanced around the room, spotting Tali at a table close to one of the walls, with two humans seated across from her.
All of them took notice of his entrance and flagged him down.
"About time you got here," Tali said once he took a seat.
"Sorry for the delay. I was-"
"Caught up with something. We've heard the same excuse over a dozen times now."
The one that spoke was Tim Anders, one of the colony's hundreds of engineers that kept the auto farms maintained. He was in his early thirties, with short blond hair, a well-kept beard, and a healthy tan. And while he wasn't nearly as built as Alex, few people were, he was a man that looked capable of handling himself in a scrap.
Seated next to him was his wife, Samantha, or Sam as she likes to be called by her friends. Unlike her husband of ten years, she was in administrative work and spent most of her day indoors making sure that equipment and people were being sent to the right locations. So whereas Tim was rough and uncut, Sam kept herself clean and proper, only letting her long brown hair down when they were outside of work.
Alex had been introduced to the couple by Tali a few years back when she had been called out on a repair job that had required her to head into one of the crop fields. Tim had been the one to tag along with her and the two had hit it off.
While Tali got along with most of the people she encountered in the colony, the Anders were the only ones that she would see outside of work.
Alex flagged a waitress and ordered a drink before looking at Tim. "You know how it is. Once you get caught up in tinkering, time just slips on by."
This earned him a chuckle or two from the couple.
"Well then, what were you so caught in that it made you forget about our little meetup," questioned Sam.
"Probably something to do with guns," Tali said, sipping her drink through her suit's build-in emergency induction port(she refused to call it a straw no matter how much Alex insisted on it being one). Thanks to VEGA, the port itself filtered out all harmful bacteria. This allowed her to enjoy most dextro-based drinks without fear of an allergic reaction.
"I'll have you know that I was working on an armor design." Alex took a hearty swig of his whisky, enjoying the subtle burn of the alcohol.
"Are you ever going to show us these designs of yours," asked Sam. She and her husband had known about Alex's tinkering for some time now but hadn't seen any of his work up till that point.
Alex responded with a shrug. He might ask VEGA to come up with a design or two that wouldn't immediately out him as the Slayer just to satisfy the couple's curiosity.
He raised his glass and began to take another drink when VEGA spoke to him through his earpiece. Once the message had been delivered, it took all of Alex's self-control to retain his air of casualness.
It wasn't until almost two hours later, after bidding their friends a good night, that Alex and Tali were flying back home in the skycar that she spoke up.
"Is everything alright?" Samantha and Tim may not have noticed the subtle shift in Alex's posture, but Tali had been living with him long enough to know when his mind was off somewhere else.
She received no response. He simply continued to stare forward as he drove. Just as she began to believe that he would remain silent, Alex spoke. And the gravity of his words chilled Tali to her core.
"The Beacon has been found."
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Garrus released a slow, measured exhale. The cold air of his environment caused his breath to turn into mist the instant it escaped his mouth. Even with the insulation built into his armor specifically for this kind of environment, he was still freezing his ass off. He couldn't stand the cold. It always, without fail, caused one particular plate of his crest to itch up a storm.
Fighting off the urge to shiver for the hundredth time, Garrus instead steeled himself and resumed looking through the scope of his rifle. It had been almost three weeks since he had come to this frozen wasteland of a planet and he had spent the entirety of running recon of the small compound that had been built into the side of a ravine.
Garrus had been taking detailed notes of weapon placements, guard posts and shifts, and supply drops. He knew that there was a total of 78 personnel on-site. They were a mix of Humans, Turians, and Batarians. Every single one of them was armed with state-of-the-art assault rifles and covered from head to toe in heavy armor much like he was.
That's good for them but it wouldn't matter in the end. With the armor-piercing mods he had loaded into his HMWSR sniper rifle, it didn't matter what kind of helmet his target was wearing. If he lined up his shot and decompressed the trigger, they were done for.
But luckily for the majority of these guys, Garrus was only here for one of them. And speak of the devil and he shall appear. Or at least that's how he believed the phrase went. He was still getting a handle on human slang.
Anyway, getting back on track, Garrus lined up his crosshairs on the head of the human that had just exited the main building of the compound. Confirming that it indeed was his target, Garrus gently placed his finger on the trigger. As he began to decompress it, his Omni-tool suddenly lit up as a call came in.
He stared at it incredulously for a moment as he saw who was calling. It continued to ring as his gaze flicked between it and his scope. With a roll of his eyes, he decompressed the trigger before finally answering.
"You sure do pick the worst times to call."
"We both know that I wouldn't call unless it's important. By the way, how's the mission going?"
"Well, I just popped my target's head like a grape, so it's going pretty good," Garrus remarked. Folding up his rifle, he placed it on his back and began the process of walking back to his ship which was hidden a few clicks away from his current position. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of speaking to you, Nihlus."
Even though he couldn't see his old mentor's expression, Garrus instinctively knew that the older Turian was shaking his head in exasperation.
"Just got a new mission from the Council. I want you in on this one."
"Really now? The great Nihlus wants my help? Sounds like it could be fun," far enough away from any prying eyes, Garrus, at last, stood up. Damn was he glad to no longer be crawling in the snow. "What's the mission?"
"There'll be two objectives. First, is to secure the Prothean Beacon that has been discovered on Eden Prime."
Garrus nearly tripped over his own feet. Had he heard Nihlus correctly just now? "Hold on. Did you just say what I think I heard you say? Because I swear you said something about a Prothean Beacon."
Nihlus chucked on the other end. "No, you heard correctly. The Alliance just informed us of its discovery not thirty minutes ago. I've been instructed to ensure it arrives in Council-controlled space."
Garrus nodded as he began walking through the snow once more, now with a little more urgency in his stride. "Okay. What's the secondary objective then?"
Garrus didn't know why, but he instinctively knew that Nihlus had an amused gleam in his eyes when he spoke again.
"How do you feel about assessing a potential Spectres?"
Garrus would later swear up and down that the noise that left his mouth at that moment was only because he happened to slip on a patch of ice that was hidden beneath the snow.
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"So, this part goes here?"
"That's right."
"And this piece attaches to the side there."
"Yep. Then you press this into place."
"Oh. I think I see what to do next."
Alex allowed himself a small smirk as the kid finished assembling the mock rifle. "Nice going, Simmon."
Simmon was Tim and Samantha's eldest child, having just turned fifteen the other day. It wasn't uncommon for either Alex or Tali to watch the Anders children. Today they were watching both Simmon and his younger sister, Lisa.
While Tali kept the three-year-old Lisa entertained in the living room with both television and coloring books, Alex had taken Simon into the garage. The boy was adamant about joining the Alliance Navy when once he was old enough to enlist so Alex, with permission from the kids' parents, got him started with some light exercises and weapons drills whenever he was over.
Every weapon they used was a dummy one, so there was no risk involved. At least not until he was certain that the kid could handle it. Not that it would matter in the end as his time on Eden Prime was quickly coming to an end.
"I think I've got it," Simmon said, holding out the assembled gun for Alex to inspect.
Examining it, he found nothing out of place and nodded in satisfaction. "Good job kid."
Simmon looked quite proud, but his expression fell when Alex disassemble the whole thing in no time at all and handed him the pieces. "Now do it in half the time."
There were a few choice swear words from the teen, but he begrudgingly accepted the pieces and got back to it.
While he was in the middle of that, Alex heard the sound of a shuttle touching down. Opening the garage door, he saw Tim and Samantha parked beside his and Talis. He waved them over as they got out of the shuttle.
Tim was the first to reach them, shaking Alex's hand as he does. "You two seem like you're having fun."
Alex offered a shrug as they watched Simmon further his familiarization with the guns' many components. "Kid's a quick learner. Gonna make one hell of a Marine someday."
"He definitely gets that from his grandfather," Samantha commented, ruffling her son's hair affectionately before heading inside to check in on their daughter.
Alex and Tim fell into a comfortable silence, watching Simmon carefully assemble the rifle with increasing speed, and before too long, the weapon was completed once more. The kid scanned it carefully before handing it over for a more keen inspection.
"Now you starting to get it," rather than disassemble it again, Alex stashed the rifle away and patted him on the shoulder before heading inside. Entering the living room, he found Tali seated on the couch, reading something on her Omni-tool while Samantha entertained her daughter.
"Thanks again for watching them," Samantha sent them a grateful smile.
"It's no problem," Alex responded. Grabbing the remote, he was about to switch off the T.V. when it suddenly flickered to static. Narrowing his gaze, he flicked between channels only to be greeted by the same white noise.
'Something is interfering with all long-ranged radio frequencies,' VEGA said in his earpiece.
Tali noticed what was happening as well and was about to speak when Tim and Simmon entered, fiddling with his Omni-tool. "Hey Sam, could you try calling Markus? I was in the middle of asking him about our time off next week when I lost signal."
"Sure thing honey," setting their toddle on the couch, Sam tried dialing up their boss but was greeted with a no signal available symbol. "Huh? That's weird. Was there supposed to be a solar storm or something?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Tali spoke, trying to see what it was that was causing the sudden interference.
Alex meanwhile had moved toward the window, able to see the main settlement out in the distance. What he saw caused his stomach to clench up. A dark cloud had formed directly above the settlement and descending from the very center with streaks of red lightning arcing off of its black hull, was a ship.
Even from this distance, Alex could see how truly massive the construct was, eclipsing even the enormous stature of the demonic Titans by a wide margin. And all around it flew dozens upon dozens of smaller, insect-like suttles. One of such had broken off from the main force and was heading straight towards them.
They must have been monitoring all of the settlements' radio frequencies and detected them.
Closing his eyes, Alex let out a deep sigh and glared out at the approaching craft. Looks like the quiet before the storm had finally ended.
"Everyone move into the garage."
All the activity behind him stopped.
"What?"
"Now," gone was the usual warmth to his voice, replaced by a cold determination. Stepping aside he heard Tim swear as he saw what lay in the distance and what was coming. "We need to move."
For civilians with no experience in these sorts of situations, Tim and Samantha did an admirable job at suppressing their panic as they ushered their kids out of the house and into the garage, with Alex and Tali following behind them. Tapping his Omni-tool, the floor opened up and revealed the stairs that lead down into his workshop.
"In you go! Hurry," Alex urged everyone inside, "VEGA, how far along is the suit?"
"While a majority of the Praetor Suit has been reconstructed, the armoring around the biceps is still unfinished, leaving them exposed."
"W-who is that? And what is all of this," questioned Tim as he and his family looked around the room, their eyes lingering on the multitude of weapons. They had known that Alex was a bit of a weapons nut, but this exceeded their expectations by a mile and then some.
"A friend, and let's just say that I wasn't always an engineer and leave it at that." Ignoring his friends' questioning look, Alex moved until he stood before the mostly constructed Praetor Suit. While it wasn't completed, it was functional and that would have to do.
Closing his eyes, he thought about the interdimensional backpack that stored all of his weapons and allowed him to switch between them at will. But instead of his beloved tools of death, he imagined the being encased in his armor.
Alex saw a brief flash of light through his eyelids. Opening his eyes, the suit, sans helmet, had moved from the armor rack and onto him. Raising his left arm, the newly added blade that sat on his gauntlet extended briefly to its full length and retracted. Nodding in satisfaction, Alex slid on the helmet, taking in the redesigned hud.
Satisfied with everything so far, he approached the bench located on the opposite end of the room. VEGA had done more than just redesigning the Praetor Suit as many of his more conventional weapons had undergone a complete overhaul.
The HAR had been beefed up substantially. The tried and true .50 BMG AP had been switched out for 20 mm, explosive-tipped rounds that were on a delayed timer. This gave the round additional time to pierce enemy armor before destination, ripping the target apart from the inside. Due to the heavier payload, the entire weapon was constructed out of Tungstronium, an incredibly dense and durable alloy that Alex hadn't even heard of before. According to VEGA, it was developed by the UAC and had still been in the testing phase when the Hell invasion of Mars had kicked off. But even with the little amount of intel, VEGA had determined that it was more than capable of withstanding the enormous stress that would be put on the frame.
Additionally, the Heavy Cannon, as it was far closer to a cannon than an assault rifle, had been designed with a scope, making it a perfectly functional sniper rifle. And if its standard form of firepower wasn't enough, then the high-explosive, micro-rocket packs mounted on either side of the barrel were sure to finish the job.
He pulled back the slide and with an oh-so-satisfying metallic Chunk, the first round fell into place.
"What the hell is happening, Alex!?"
Tim's inquiry went ignored. The Heavy Cannon disappeared into his hammerspace as he moved on to the next gun.
Off all his weapons, the Combat Shotgun had received the least amount of adjustments. The sleek look from before had been changed so that it more resembled a classic, pump-action with wood furnishings. The barrel was still interchangeable and retained the sticky bomb mod, only now it packed a bit more of a punch and could hold five charges instead of one.
The burst fire mod though had been scrapped completely. In its place, Alex and VEGA had designed the Full-Auto mod. Instead of a short, three-round burst, the barrel could be swapped out for a three-barreled, Gatling shotgun. Because at the end of the day, there was no such thing as too much lead being put down range.
"Alex!"
The floor shook and all talking ceased, the only sound remaining was that of Lisa letting out a quiet whimper. Samantha and Tim did what they could to comfort the distraught toddler, but the sound of an explosion above made their efforts for naught.
A shadow fell over them. The family looked to see Alex looming over them, two, unmodified avenger assault rifles held in his large hands. Saying nothing, he shoved on into Tim's hands before walking over to Simmon, who had been watching everything with wide, terrified eyes.
"This situation is fucked. There's no denying that. But now isn't the time to freeze up." Though his voice still carried an edge, there was a semblance of compassion. He loaded the rifle and held it out. When the teen reached for it, Alex pulled back a bit.
"This is no longer training. If you take this, then you're damn sure that you'll use it when the time comes."
Simmon stared for a moment longer before making another grab for the gun. This time, Alex didn't pull away.
Giving him a sharp nod, Alex turned back towards the other even as the sensors in his suit picked up movement directly above them. Bringing up his Omni-tool, he projected the image from a micro camera that sat in one of the corners of the garage, allowing them all to see what was going on.
There was a sharp intake of air as Tali saw the forms of the machines that had driven her people from their home world. Though she had accepted VEGA as an ally, she still held onto the deep-seated hatred for all other artificial intelligence. "Geth!? Why are the Geth here!?"
"That's a Geth!?" Tim and his family were equal parts surprised and terrified of the race of sentient A.I. They had heard of them, of course, but never did they imagine that they would see one in their lifetimes.
"My best guess? They're here for the Beacon the Alliance dug up the other day." That eaned some questionable stares from the family but he ignored them. "I'm going to head out and do what I can to draw attention away from here."
He raised a hand, forestalling any questions or arguments. "Tali, once I've cleared the area, head up and see what you can scavenge. The more intel we have the better."
Tali's posture screamed that she wanted to come along, but they both knew that she would only slow him down. And so, with a sigh of resignation, she placed a palm to the top of her face mask and shook her head. "Just, at least try to leave at least one of the Geth slightly intact. I might be able to glean something from its data banks."
VEGA decided to chime in as well. "Shall I assist you, Ms. Zorah? As you know, I am more than adequate in cyberwarfare."
"I couldn't stop you even if I wanted to."
"I had hoped that by now that you would understand that I value our friendship enough to listen to your request, Ms. Zorah."
Alex shook his head. The two of his closest friends interacting with one another was just as entertaining as ever. "I'll try my best."
Gesturing for everyone to move towards the back of the room, Alex positioned himself at the stairs and gave VEGA the signal to open the entrance. And with a slow, metallic grind, the doors slid open.
The moment they had opened far enough for his broad frame, Alex dashed forward, assisted by his armors' newly installed booster kit. Within less than a second he was out in the garage, noting that the doors and part of the roof had been blasted off.
Detecting movement behind him, Alex spun around, his right arm outstretched. The Geth appeared in the doorway to his house at the same moment the weapon appeared in his grasp. By the time the machine could finish processing the phenomenon, the two-pronged grappling hook located beneath the gun's twin barrels launched forward.
The prongs ignored the Geth's kinetic barriers, embedding themselves into its chassis. The metal directly around the pierced area began to glow as the hook began to emit an immense amount of heat. As the chest of the machine began to slag, the chain connecting the hook to the gun retracted, pulling its skewered prey with it.
The moment the Geth was pressed flush against the barrels, Alex pulled the trigger. The gun's twin, 4 gauge barrels erupted with great gouts of lead and fire. The Geths' relatively thin armor offered little to no protection, with its entire upper body being completely obliterated and the wall directly behind it now painted white.
Some of the conductive fluid land on Alex as well. As it began to slide off, he gave a low chuckle. He popped the break-action, the spent shells ejecting to make way for the fresh ones. Less than a second later, he snapped the gun closed and charged forward.
Another Geth stepped had stepped into the doorway only to be bulled over and impaled on Alex's retractable blade. Twisting around, he severed the machine in two, throwing one half at another Geth that had been lining up a shot.
The Super Shotgun barked in his hand, and the Geth was reduced to little more than scraps. A red haze filled his vision. It had been so long since he had last cut loose. Dismissing the weapon, his Omni-tool came to life, forming into a crimson blade and its more material sibling extended.
Alex crashed through the living room window, landing out in the open for all the surrounding Geth to see. Glaring up, his now glowing gaze took in their encroaching forms. Even as they open fire, he charged forward. As he tore through the opposition he found his gaze lingering on the colossal Reaper in the distance. A bloodthirsty grin stretched across his lips.
With this invasion, the war for the fate of the galaxy had just been started and he was going to do whatever it takes to ensure that his side came out on top. Blowing away one Geth with his Auto Cannon, he tore off the head of another before stomping on it. His eyes fell on the Reaper once more. But this time, he instinctively knew that it was now aware of his presence. No doubt at least one of these Geth had managed to report back to the collective.
Good. He wanted them to know that he was coming. Finishing off the last of the Geth in the immediate area, he turned and scowled at the sight of both his and Tim's shuttles, now nothing more than smoldering wrecks.
Looks like he was hoofing it to the settlement.
"VEGA. Plot me the quickest route to the excavation site." loading fresh shells into his Super Shotgun, he started sprinting, following the trail that his friend had highlighted for him. The time for remaining in the shadows was over.
Now, it was time for him to Rip and Tear until nothing of the Reapers remained.
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Commander Jane Shepard really didn't like being lied to. It didn't matter what or how small of a matter it was, she hated when someone tried to pull the wool over her eyes.
So when she was told by Anderson that the reason why not one, but two Spectres were tagging along for the maiden voyage of the SSV Normandy just to see the effectiveness of the ship's stealth systems, Jane had struggled to keep her expression in check. Certainly wasn't helped by the killer headache she was fighting.
Stupid L2 implant fucking with her. As she stood in the cockpit, palm pressed to her skull, Jane once more considered going under the knife to get the L3. Sure the surgery ran the risk of leaving her with permanent brain damage, but at least she would suffer from constant migraines.
"Sorry Joker, could you repeat that?"
Jeff Moreau or as he preferred to go by, Joker, gave an exasperated sigh. "Really, Jane? I know that you tend to ignore anything that comes out of my mouth, but this is bad even for you."
"That's because you're constantly a jackass," Kaiden said from the co-pilot seat. He glanced back at Shepard with a look of understanding. "Migraines again?"
"It'll pass. They always do." Jane waved away his concerns. She would swing by the infirmary in a bit and get something from the doc. But back to the matter at hand. "So, what were we discussing again? Something to do with the Spectre's right?"
Kaiden stared at her for a heartbeat before shrugging. "Joker was just complaining about them tagging along. I'm of the opinion that he's just being paranoid."
"Come on, Kaiden. Even you have to admit it's strange that the Council would send two of their best."
"Hate to give him credit as his ego is inflated enough as is, but Joker's right." Jane ignored the smug look the pilot sent her way and continued. "The Council sending two Spectres to only observe this test flight would be like the Alliance sending a squad of N7 to pick up a higher-ups lunch."
"You see! Even Shep agrees with me. I win, you lose."
As the two took harmless shots at one another, Captain Anderson's voice came from the comms, requesting Jane's presence down in the comm room. Responding with an affirmative, Jane offered her friends a parting wave before turning on her heels and marching down the command deck. She passed several crewmembers, stopping briefly to exchange words with Navigator Pressly.
She also encountered Dr. Chakwas and Corporal Jenkins near the back of the deck, offering some choice words to curb the younger marines' eagerness to prove himself to the brass before telling the good doctor that she would most likely be stopping by later. While her headache had lessened to a certain extent, there was still a small, constant throb that just wouldn't disappear.
Having finally reached the doors to the comm room, Jane was about to head inside when she noticed that someone was waiting there.
It was one of the Spectres, seeing as they were the only Turians on the whole damn ship. This one wore a suit of heavy armor, sans helmet. In its place, he had a tactical visor that covered only his left eye.
Seeing her approach, he pushed off the wall he had been leaning up against and met her halfway. "Ah, Shepard. Glad I was able to catch run into you before the big meet-up."
Quirking a brow, she crossed her arms. "You've got me at a disadvantage here, Mr…"
"Garrus Vakarian and the most awesome Turian you'll ever meet." He said with a confidant swagger that didn't seem forced in the slightest.
A snort escaped from her before Jane could stop herself. Of all the ways she expected this encounter to go, that hadn't been one of them. Seeing the amusement in his gaze, Jane cleared her throat. "Well then. I can say for certain that I wasn't expecting an introduction like that."
"I take pride in my ability to throw off people's expectations," he said with his species equivalent of a smile. "I have to say, you're not nearly as dolled-up as the posters and interviews have made you out to be."
Jane didn't even bother to suppress the shiver that ran throughout her entire being. The last thing she wanted to think about"Please, don't remind me of those. I swear you'd think the PR team was having me try out for a modeling job."
Garrus chuckled and Jane found herself smirking as well. "Now then, what can I do for you? You didn't stop me just to say hi, did you?"
"Would you be surprised if I said yes?" he questioned. At her blank stare, he shrugged. "Just wanted to get introductions out of the way and see your response. More than a few of the other crew members have been eyeing me up with suspicion. At least I hope it was suspicion. Otherwise, I fear that they might make a pass at me."
Another snort threatened to escape but she managed to clamp it down. "I won't lie and say that I've had nothing but good interactions with Turians."
"I've read your file. Even the parts that are normally covered with black ink." At her silent glare, Garrus shrugged. "Spectre, remember? And I've got to say, you are holding up remarkably well for someone that's been through as much shit as you have."
Jane took a deep, calming breath and exhaled through her nose. "Is there a point to all of this? Because my Captain and your friend are waiting for me."
"Just wanted you to know just how much about you I know and where I stand. After all, we'll be seeing a lot of each other." And with that, he turned around and headed into the comms room.
Janes' brows furrowed in confusion as she replayed his parting words. Just what had he meant by that? Before she could ponder on it further, the doors opened once again and Garrus poked his head out.
"If it makes you feel any better, Captain Anderson isn't in there yet," And he retreated inside.
In a rare moment for her, Jane drooped her shoulders and pinched the bridge of her nose. Even with everything that had happened in just the last twenty-four hours, she had an uncomfortable feeling that today was only just getting started.
.
.
.
More often than not, Jane hated it when her gut feeling proved to be correct.
Not two minutes into speaking with her Captain and their two Spectre guests was she informed that not only was it that their true mission to Eden Prime was to transport a Prothean Beacon back to Council space for study but that she was also going to be evaluated as a potential candidate for the Spectres.
First, she was given the title The Hero of Elysium and all of the unwanted fame that came with it. Then there was the whole incident on Akuze, the aftermath of which she was still dealing with to this day. And now, if things went smooth enough, she would have to deal with shouldering everything that came with being the first Human Spectre.
If there was some higher being in the universe, then it just loved to keep shitting in her breakfast.
Before she could fall even further into her thoughts, the familiar and welcomed voice of Anderson reached her ears.
"Shepard?"
"I'm here. Just…processing it all." Taking a breath, Jane returned her attention to the here and now. Given everything that was now riding on her, she couldn't afford any distractions. "Alright then. How are we going to-"
Before she could finish, Joker's voice came through the room's PA system.
"Captain! We've just received a transmission from Eden Prime. You better see this!"
Sensing the alarm in the pilots' voice, Anderson brought a swift end to the meeting. "Bring it up on the screen."
The room's main holo-screen came to life, depicting a static-filled video taken from what appeared to be a helmet camera. Once it cleared up a bit the four of them were immediately bombarded with the sounds of weapons discharge and explosions.
"-peat! We are under attack !"
"Get down!"
The camera shifted as the one recording was shoved to the ground by a woman wearing a white and pink combat suit before returning fire.
"We've suffered heavy casualties! I repeat! Heavy casualties! The attackers came out of nowhere! We need immediate-"
Whatever the soldier had been saying, along with the sounds of combat, was drowned out by a low, humming sound that quickly built into a deafening horn of sorts. The camera turned about, showing that all of the soldiers that had been fighting for their lives literal seconds ago now staring into the sky. The camera operator followed suit and Jane caught a brief glimpse of something in the clouds before the screen went to static.
"There's nothing after that Captain," spoke Joker. "Everything just cuts out. No comms traffic or anything. Just white noise."
"Reverse and hold it at 38.5," Anderson ordered. Joker did as ordered and rewound the footage. Upon stopping at the designated point, the four of them could now clearly see what it was that all of the troops in the footage had been staring at.
Garrus was the first to put into words that question that was on all of their minds. "What in the spirits is that?"
None of them had the slightest clue. Though she didn't voice it, it almost looked like the blackened hand of some sort of metal giant reaching down through the clouds to Jane. Its fingers curled in slightly as if to pluck up any unfortunate soul from the planet and into the upper atmosphere.
"How far out are we?"
Joker took a moment to respond. No doubt double and triple-checking all of his instruments to ensure that his information was 100% accurate. "Seventeen minutes Captain, and no other Alliance ships in the area."
"Bring us in fast and quiet," Anderson turned and looked each one of them in the eye. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."
Garrus and Nihlus shared a look before nodding, the latter of which turned around and exited the room. "I'll get our gear prepped."
"Make sure to grab the big guns," Garrus replied. Jane caught the slightest shake of Nihlus' head before the doors shut behind him. "Well then. I think it's safe to say that this entire mission has just gone FUBAR. So, what's the plan, Commander?"
Jane nearly did a double-take. He was asking her. "What?"
The Turian gesture toward her. "This is still your mission, Commander. Nihlus and I are just here to observe and offer what aid we can give. With that being said, how do we proceed."
Though she didn't look at him, Jane knew that her Captain was watching her closely and gauging her response. And she didn't aim to disappoint.
Jane squared her shoulders, she glared at the static image still on the screen before finally looking at her commanding officer. "Have Joker take us as close to the dig site. We'll drop off a small squad that consists of Alenko, Garrus, Jenkins, Nihlus, and myself. From there we'll regroup with any survivors before making our way towards the Beacon's last known location."
Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught a brief look of approval from Garrus. Seems he was on board with her decision. "Go get suited up, Commander. You'll be needing more than just your navy blues for this one."
Despite the completely and utterly fucked situation that they had unknowingly flown into, Jane found herself smirking at the Spectres' words. Seems that not all of those that worked directly for the Council had a pole the size of the Normandy stuffed up their ass.
.
.
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-End-
Zrocker119: Can't promise when I'll have the next chapter out. But I can guarantee that the wait won't be nearly as long now that we've officially reached the start of the game's story. And if there's was one thing I've had planned out since the very beginning, it's Alex and Jane meeting for the first time. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you all next time!