Cato paced uneasily outside of Ayita's room.
He had done so for the past hour; trying to work up the courage to knock on the door. "Ask her yourself." yeah that's great advice Sgt. Massani, Cato scoffed to himself as he paced. After a long moment, he placed his ear against the hatch to Ayita's room.
He could hear her breathing, and perhaps sobbing; but he wasn't sure.
After a moment, he knocked on the door while sending a tendril of his mind out to contact her. After a long pause, he felt Panic, Fear, Terror; and above all, Pain. Deciding that enough was enough, he said; "Ayita, I'm coming in."
Please don't be naked. He thought to himself as he walked in; the last thing he wanted was for a repeat of the Locker incident.
As he walked in, he saw Ayita curled up on her Cot; sparking energy into a nearby exposed socket while the shadows around her face had been dropped. Her Emerald eyes had dimmed to almost nothing, and the whites of her eyes were tinted red; streaks of tears running down her face.
"Ayita…" He said slowly.
"Cato…" She replied telepathically, but her tone made it clear just how depressed she was feeling.
"Ayita, what happened? What's so bad about this 'Cumberland' that causes so much pain for you?" He asked, choosing his words carefully as he sat down next to her; and after a moment of debate, set his hand on her shoulder.
Then it slammed into him all at once.
Death! Pain! So much Pain that it made him want to scream as loud as his lungs could manage.
Cato yelped and fell off the cot, holding his hand as he felt phantom pains from it; as if his fingers were melting off of his hand and being replaced by claws, his head was being drilled, and his stomach was being torn open.
"Cato!" This time there was alarm and concern in Ayita's voice; she had stood up from her cot and was kneeling next to him. There were more tears in her eyes and she looked at him holding his head, "Oh God… I'm so sorry, I forgot that I could share memories of others!" She exclaimed, taking his hands and looking at them as if to check there wasn't any real damage.
"I'm… I'm okay, but by the Homeworld; what was that?" He asked, still somewhat stunned; to the point he hadn't noticed that they were still holding hands.
"That is how it feels to be taken over by a Headcrab and turned into a Zombie." She replied.
"Kheelah, what happened at this Cumberland place?" He asked again.
"It would be best that The Ayita Shephard shows The Cato'Zorah that which he asks for. One picture is worth a thousand words; if that were true, how many words would a memory convey?" A familiar gravely voice asked.
Both Vortals turned to see Ulysses standing in the entrance to Ayita's quarters, cane in hand; cloak drawn close around him.
Cato could feel the unease coming from Ayita turn to fear and worry as the elderly Vortigaunt walked up to them. "It is always better to face that which one fears with others they trust." He explained, as he set a hand on each of their shoulders, "And trust is built up slowly over the illusion of time. If you desire to heal, The Ayita Shephard, this is something you must face together."
He sent a jolt of energy through them both, and darkness swallowed them whole.
Liara watched the Elderly Alien send her friends to what he called 'The Room'.
As much as the Aliens seemed to hate the idea of Melding, she still could not help but think of all the similarities to it as she saw the Human and Quarian slump over to the ground.
"The Liara T'Soni would best reveal herself to us, and explain why she believes this… Abomination known as the Meld is so similar to our abilities."
Liara froze where she stood; as much as she hated to admit it, this Alien terrified her.
It terrified her because it was essentially the exact opposite to the Asari in every way; Asari became more beautiful as they aged, this race just seemed to grow uglier. Asari loved influence and diplomacy, this one seemed to despise it; preferring solitude, and blunt speeches to get its point across.
But what terrified her the most was that there was one thing it did have in common with the Matriarchs she had been surrounded with when she had grown up; and that was Power.
"We still wait for an answer… and an appearance."
Hopefully, it wasn't easily offended like most Matriarchs she had met; because she had the distinct feeling that she was in trouble.
Cato opened his eyes, and took in the darkness that was the room.
He was dressed in his old Uniform of the Quarian Monarchy; his ceremonial Senhi, gilded in purple and silver, draped almost to the floor, while his Realk was the gold inlaid steel of a Royal Guard. All that was missing was the traditional pike.
Though that was unimportant next to the other occupant of the Room. Ayita stood across from him, almost exactly as they had been when they had woken up in the mine. Her modesty only preserved by a sheaf of bone and bead chest armor and an intricately embroidered skirt.
There was a fierceness about her that was both daunting and compelling.
He took a hesitant step forward and extended a hand. "As I am to serve my people as their shield and spear, let me also serve you now. Show me what I must know." As soon as the ideas formed he felt silly about them; she could tear him from stem to stern if she wanted.
How was he supposed to-
He was startled out of his insecurities when she gripped his hand. "Thank you Cato. This is a very hard memory to face." She smiled up at him. "I do not share it with the rest of the base, because so many others share the same memory. It can become... agonizing."
She turned and waved a hand, and the Room morphed into a rustic brick and mortar town. He could hear a nearby river and see a mountain ridge in the distance, straight as a laser.
It was winter, snow was falling lightly; already beginning to pile up on the ground. But it didn't seem to affect the people any; there were dozens of humans walking around in the square, happily stopping at shops and talking with others. Children had begun to take the snow and press it into their hands; which confused Cato, until he saw them throwing the balls of snow at each other.
The squeals of laughter, mixed with the laughs of many of the adults as they watched the children enjoy themselves.
The old brick and stone building off in the distance reminded him of the Extranet pictures of Monasteries on Thessia, only smaller and more… inviting somehow. Despite the somewhat rundown appearance of the town, it was clear that the people here were happy and content with what they had; it reminded him of home back on the fleet.
Boom! He froze at the distant boom, but relaxed when he saw no one in the memory react to it.
Perhaps I imagined it. He thought to himself.
He stopped looking around and looked at Ayita, who seemed to be shivering slightly; whether it was from the cold or from the memory he was not sure. He tried to take off his Sehni to give it to her like when they spied Miranda's true form; but just like before, he could not remove it.
Remembering what he did the last time, he thought of something warm for her.
A fur covered cloak with an almost Varren-like hood appeared in his hands, and he walked over to her and set it over her shoulders. Ayita immediately drew it around herself; quickly taking the Varren-like headpiece and putting it over her head.
She flashed him a quick smile, and opened her mouth to say something; Boom!
She stopped and cringed, and Cato stepped closer to her; this time it didn't seem like they were the only ones to have heard the booming noise. The townsfolk, or rather the memories of them, stopped and looked seemingly behind where Cato and Ayita were standing.
Ayita squeezed her eyes shut, but Cato turned and gasped.
Boom!Boom!Bo-Bo-Boom!Boom!Bo-Boom!
He watched in openmouthed horror as what appeared to be Artillery shells rained down from above. The far off guns were firing so fast and with such frequency, it sounded like someone was banging a chorus of hammers against a sheet of battleplating.
The shells began to slam into the ground, the impact killing some humans as the townsfolk scattered; and the horror was only just beginning. He watched as Headcrabs began to jump out of the ends of the shells, immediately jumping and latching onto anyone that got near it.
Human militiamen immediately began shooting the headcrabs; while others began corralling the Civilians away from the shells, leading them to other parts of the city. But it did no good as more shells slammed into the ground, the surrounding buildings, even into clusters of people.
Ayita was openly shaking now, and Cato knew why.
As the people were zombified, he could feel their pain; the horrible feeling of the disgusting little creatures burrowing through his skull and into his brian. The feeling that you were no longer in control of your own body.
Ayita had fallen to her knees and had tears running down her face; her eyes still shut tight, her hands pressed to her temples. Cato knelt down, and put his hands on her shoulders; and flinched as the barrage of voices assaulted his mind.
Help Us!
Please!
Oh God Please Help! It Hurts!
Heeeeeeeelp!
I Can't Control Myself!
My Head!
The Voices were overwhelming, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. He noticed Ayita relax slightly, and slowly open her eyes again; the destruction around them slowed somewhat.
She gasped as the pressure of the memory subsided. "I… I can't feel the pain anymore." Her eyes watered again, but this time from joy. "Thank you!" She exclaimed, before throwing her arms around Cato's shoulders and hugging him tightly.
Cato slowly, and hesitantly returned the hug.
"Thank you! The pain and the voices! They're still there, but I can tolerate them somewhat." She gasped, still crying.
Cato wasn't really sure what to say, but he opened his mouth regardless. "Auntie 'Raan used to say that 'the weight of memory is a terrible burden when carried alone, but the lightest of loads when shared'."
The room began to lose its cohearence as Ayita, for the first time in as long as she could remember, allowed the memory to fade.
Ayita opened her eyes, and smiled; wiping her face of any tears that remained, while Cato groggily sat up and groaned.
"I'll never get used to that." He grumbled, rubbing his eyes.
"Cato…" Ayita said next to him, and he turned to look at her; he could see that she was practically beaming as she reapplied the shadows around her face, "Thank you…"
He smiled back, "You're welcome; c'mon, let's go see what the commander's got planned."
They both stood and walked out of her Quarters, to find Liara and Ulysses standing there; Liara sweating bullets and Ulys glaring her down.
Ayita tilted her head in confusion, "Master?" She questioned.
"It is not of concern to either of you, The Ayita Shephard or The Cato'Zorah; we were simply educating The Liara T'Soni on the errors of her ways," was all Ulysses said as he turned and walked down the hallway, his cane thumping on the ground; "Come, The Anderson is requesting Volunteers."
Cato and Ayita looked at each other and shrugged, while Liara shuddered and ran down the hall; hugging the wall to stay as far away from the Vortigant as possible.
It was a short walk, and they could hear Anderson talking as they walked in.
"I know many of you have strong feelings about Cumberland; both what was done there, and our evacuation. However we need to get to the reinforcements from South Mountain to breach Hades Gate, and that means going through the Cumberland Narrows if we want to make it there in time."
He pointed to a paper map on a corkboard for everyone to see. "We need to avoid the old National Freeway due to Combine mechanized patrols, so we'll be going cross country through Manny's Gap, then up and over Stone ridge." He traced a path through a shallow valley and up to a ridgeline overlooking a river. "We'll need to follow the mountain stream beds into the outskirts of La Vale to avoid the worst of the Walker patrols."
One of the rebel fighters stuck a hand up. "Isn't that going to take us through the Combine auto-plantations?"
Cato leaned over to Ayita as the group murmured. "What's the problem with this La Vale?" She took his hand and he perceived automated farms sown with alien crops and anti-personnel mines.
"I know the route we need to take is difficult, but it is necessary. We need to secure the objectives at Hades Gate or the Consul and the Combine will have both a weapon of unprecedented power, and the ability to spread throughout this galaxy. Countless lives are at risk. Adding to that, we have a unique opportunity to secure aid in our fight against the Combine." Anderson nodded, and Nihlus stood up and faced the group.
"You have come to know me and my compatriots. In our short time together, I have come to know and respect your tenacity, your ingenuity, and your compassion in aiding us despite your own plight." He paused as if to gather himself. "I have not shared this until now, but I am an official representative of an interstellar political league. I vow before all of you, that I will carry word of your people's plight, and I will return with a liberation force; even if I have to personally recruit every member of it."
Ayita eyed Cato curiously. He shrugged. "The SPECTREs are a group of agents for the Council. His word will carry a great deal of weight. As to whether the Council will act..."
Ayita could feel the bitterness he tried to restrain at the mention of the Council. She had her own mixed feelings on the organization. Her link with Cato meant she had long since learned the full name of the alien government, and felt very wary of anyone who ruled from a Citadel.
Anderson stepped forward. "Obviously, we will not be leaving the base unmanned. However I would never ask anyone to take this journey in my stead. I need at least a dozen volunteers to pull this off, and I do mean volunteers; there will be no compulsory recruitment. If I only leave with ten, or even five people, then that's who I'll take."
He stepped back and waited. Zaeed stood almost instantly. Dr. Chambers and Greg Adams were close on his heels. They were joined by Adams' two assistants: Gabby Danniels and Ken Donnely. About a dozen other fighters followed suit.
Anderson gave a proud, but sad smile. "Welcome aboard, ladies and gentlemen. I'll give you tonight to get squared away and ship-shape. We leave at moon set."
As Cato and the others exited the 'Airlock', he balked at the blast of cold air.
In the three days he and the rest had been stuck underground, it had snowed; and it had snowed a lot. At least ten, maybe fifteen centimeters of snow had piled up on the ground; it was beautiful, the flurries and the moon shining behind the clouds gave the land an almost ethereal appearance.
Shivering, Cato pulled the Camouflaged 'Parka' closer around himself; his Sehni doing little to block the cold.
Turning around, he noticed pretty much all the humans looked like they were fine with the cold; some, in fact, looked energized by it. It was his fellow Council Aliens that looked the most uncomfortable with the weather; Garrus and Nihlus huffed and immediately their fringes dipped while they drew their own human provided coats around them.
Tali, like him, squinted her eyes and bucked slightly but seemed mostly fine otherwise. It was a novel and unwelcome experience, having the air itself attack their eyes.
Wrex seemed to be the least affected, just snorting before he deployed his helmet; while Dr. Solus shivered and immediately started rambling about 'body heat'. Liara looked very uncomfortable in the cold, while Ulysses just tightened his cloak as he took in the sights.
Miranda and Ms. Kelly both drew up their hoods, Miranda looking fascinated with the snow as the flurries blew right past her face, even going so far as to catch a snowflake on her tongue and giggle.
Ayita tilted her head, and Cato could feel genuine happiness from her as she held her hand out and felt the snow touch her skin. She shook her head, and she quickly pulled on her glove; her Black Ops Suit and her PCV mixed with her Sehni like 'Poncho' keeping her more than warm.
"It's beautiful…" Liara whispered as she took in the sight.
"Also dangerous, we'll need to be careful not to push ourselves too much or else we'll begin to sweat; and make ourselves susceptible to hypothermia." Zaeed grumbled as he walked to the front, slinging his Assault Rifle.
"Will this delay us any?" Liara asked as the wind suddenly picked up.
"It shouldn't if we stick to the paths and don't dawdle." One of the Volunteers shouted, a male by the name of 'Corporal Mitchell'.
"We'll have to be careful once we reach the automated farms; they use massive heaters to keep them warm, and it will be around 32 Degrees Celcius in the fields and the surrounding area." The engineer called Donnely added.
"Alright, Corporal Mitchall, you take Private Grace, and Private Jobb and bring up our rear. Mr. Vakarian, Mr. Kryick, Shephard you three have the best eyes and senses; you're on point. The rest of you follow in a staggered formation, don't bunch up; last thing I need is for one random mine to blow the whole group to kingdom come." Anderson ordered.
"Yes sir." Everyone Chorused, and began their long journey to South Mountain.
Tali was huffing as she walked.
The beauty and novelty of the 'Snow' and the Mountains that had dotted the landscape around her had long since worn off. Now she was tired, irritated, and ready to drop to the ground and eat something; followed up with a nice long nap.
"Tired?" asked a voice next to her.
Tali jumped and looked at the human soldier that had volunteered to go with them; Corporal Mitchell was his name. Cato, Zaeed, and Dr. Solus had taken the lead now; and they were nearing one of those 'Automated farms' Commander Anderson had referred to.
The ground looked like it had been freshly tilled, and there were already plant buds beginning to sprout up from the ground.
"Yes… a little bit, just cold mostly." She admitted, not liking the fact that she had to admit to such weakness in front of battle hardened soldiers like this Corporal.
"Hm… you won't be soon, those damned heaters around the field make it feel like your being gut punched when you walk into them. It's why we humans dress in layers, because temperature swings like this happen often; even before the War. It could be ten degrees in the morning before the sun comes up, and it would reach thirty by the time the sun would set." Mitchell explained.
Tali gaped at him; Kheelah, even before this war, their environment was crazy. She thought.
"Should I start taking off my jacket and everything?" She asked innocently, before her face tinged purple as she realized what she just said.
Fortunately for her, the Corporal took it in stride; "Nah, we'll be in it for only a few minutes at most; and just like how the heat is a punch to the gut; the cold is a slap in the face, It'll be fine."
Right as he said that, they entered the 'bubble' of heat surrounding the farm.
Most everyone was about halfway down the field; Cato, Shephard, Zaeed, and Dr. Solus having just about reached the edge.
Tali began panting and picked up her pace to get out of the field faster. Mitchell chuckled and started jogging with her, ignoring the sweat running down his own face. "Slow down there little doggie, it's not tha-"
BOOOM!
Tali flopped to the ground, her ears ringing and her head pounding.
Ohhh… what just hit me? She wondered, blinking to try and clear her vision. As her vision cleared, she saw that everyone had dropped to the ground fully prone; all having drawn their weapons, including Shephard and Cato, as their position left them ill suited to use their powers.
Only Ulysses remained standing, staring towards her and Corporal Mitchell.
Wait… Mitchell… Tali blearily turned her gaze to the right; and had to fight down a scream. The humans entire right side was a bloody pulp; his leg and arm having been blown clean off.
"TALI!" Cato screamed from up front.
"SHUT UP!" Anderson bellowed at Cato, looking around; "We've walked into a minefield; this is a fake farmfield. That mine has probably triggered an alarm by now; we need to get out of here. Ms. Zorah, Mitchell! Are you okay?!"
"I'm Okay… Mitchell is dead!" Tali wheezed back.
Andersons face fell for a moment, before Zaeed shouted; "David! It looks like there's a wall and a road up ahead."
"All right, Everyone mark your spots, take out your knives and Bayonets; and work towards Zaeed." Anderson ordered. "Grace! Jobb! Work your way towards Ms. Zorah and the Corporal's body. Retrieve his SAW, and make sure Ms. Zorah's okay."
Tali blinked as the other humans began drawing their knives, and began poking the ground in front of them. Her fellow survivors of course had no clue what they were doing, and after a moment Liara shouted, "What are we supposed to do?"
Tali stiffened, as did all the others when they felt Shephard touch their minds; and she saw that she was supposed to poke the ground in front of her at a shallow angle so the blade would hit the side of the mine rather than the top of it.
Cursing to herself as Shephard's mind withdrew from hers; Tali quickly began to mimic the humans actions, sweat rolling off of her head as she worked. The heat, mixed with the rush of adrenaline, the rather labor intensive method of mine searching, and her nervousness were all causing her to sweat like a rushing river.
Ulysses made her feel even worse when he just walked down the center of the field; humming something in his people's language while he did so.
Deciding that it would be easier to walk his path rather than make her own, Tali shifted towards the middle.
Blinking, she noticed that at least half had already made it to the middle and had crossed the street; taking up positions behind the stone wall on the other side.
How did they get there so fast? She wondered.
Just as she thought that, Sgt. Massani shouted, "David! The Patrol's coming in!"
"Alright Zaeed, spread everyone out across the wall and set them up for an ambush." Anderson replied before turning to everyone still stuck in the field, "Pick up the pace! We need to be out of here yesterday."
Frantic, Tali began poking the ground faster and faster as she tried to get to the middle where Ulysses had walked. "Bosh'tet! K'urwa Drań! What does he think I'm doing?" She cursed to herself as she crawled and poked with her knife.
Her borrowed uniform and 'parka' were suffocating, to the point that it felt like she was breathing in water.
"COMMANDER!" Massani bellowed, pointing down the road.
Tali looked up in horror, and realized that it was only herself, Private Grace, and Private Jobb that were still in the field. Jobb and Grace were still clumped together; while she was a healthy distance away from them.
"Ms. Zorah! Privates! You'll never make it! Build up a wall of rocks and dirt and lie prone on the ground; don't move unless they spot you!" Anderson ordered.
Tali looked at the other two humans, who both looked very calm facing the very real prospect of getting spotted and killed; Grace just waved to the Commander with a slight grimace, "We'll be good! Go on!"
Anderson nodded, and sprinted to the other side of the road; hopping over the side and out of sight.
Tali for her part took his advice and immediately began grabbing the biggest rocks she could find and began piling them up in front of her. Oh Kheeleh! Ancestors protect me! She prayed, drawing her weapon and getting as low to the ground as she could manage.
She just hoped her prayers would be answered.
"Stay down, and get ready!" Anderson whispered-shouted as everyone set down their packs of supplies and pulled out their guns. Now that they were out of the field, the cold air was blowing back down on them; everyone shivered as the sweat that had soaked into their clothes while stuck in the minefield began to freeze.
Ayita pulled out her bayonet and attached it to the end of her Winfeild.
Neither she nor Cato could use their powers here, for fear of leaving behind traces for the Combine to track. She quickly Cycled the bolt, and made sure the attached Energy Plug was secure as she loaded in all twelve rounds; thanking the Vortessence that she had gotten the bullet reservoir upgrade for the rifle.
The two trucks and the staff car rounded the bend, packed to the Brim with CP's.
Since this was a 'low traffic' area, the CP's didn't even warrant a full APC; they had scrounged by with salvaged vehicles. Ayita quickly aimed at the CP Commander, but held her fire; even as everyone got their weapons ready, Anderson continued saying "Hold it… they might miss us."
Just then, the CP Commander shouted something from his car, and the three vehicles stopped in the road; right in front of the group. The CP's looked bored, sitting around and holding their weapons at relaxed angles.
"Hold it…"
Ayita tensed but did as he ordered; even as the enemy Commander pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked out into the field. After a long moment, he said something into his radio; his voice completely garbled to the point that Ayita couldn't make out a word he had said, but she knew that he had spotted Tali, Grace, and Jobb.
The CP's didn't look all that alarmed or energized; which meant that they thought it was a corpse pickup.
Ayita quickly sent a very closely guarded tendril of thought to Tali, Liara, Cato, Wrex, and felt the Aliens tense as she whispered in their minds "Get ready… Don't use your Powers, or else the Overwatch AI will detect the Dark Energy Fluctuations." Before cutting the connection.
Click… Ayita looked slightly to the left and saw that Anderson had pulled the pin on the grenade he was holding, but still kept his fingers over the Spoon. "Hold it…" He cocked his arm back, before bellowing "FIRE!" Hurling the grenade at the trucks.
Everyone popped up over the wall and began firing their guns; any that had the ability to use Full Auto was using it now. Ayita fired and the Civil Protection Commander fell to the ground dead, a large hole in his chest from the 'Inverse Mass Effected' bullet.
The CP's not killed in the initial barrage immediately scattered and began taking cover to try and fight back, clearly caught completely off guard by the ambush the rebels had laid for them.
Already explosions were going off from the grenades that Anderson and Zaeed had started throwing; blasting CP's unfortunate enough to be caught in the explosion's radius.
Ayita took aim again, as a CP tried to set up a mounted Pulse LMG; using her Holographic Scope, she fired again. The Collaborators head exploded from the round, and he slumped over and dropped the LMG.
Wrex was laughing and cheering as he fired; mowing down any CP's that were caught in the open, Cato was taking careful aim and mostly headshotting the CP's with his Pulse SMG; Miranda fired a pistol at any that got close to Wrex and Dr. Chambers, while Liara tried to shoot for the chest.
Garrus and Nihlus were precise as always; headshots every single time they fired.
Ayita for her part tried to keep an eye on the field; Private Jobb had appropriated Corporal Mitchells LMG and was firing at the CP's, while Private Grace fired his MP7 in bursts, trying to aim for the CP's heads as he fired.
Tali looked like she was alternating between panic, and deadly calm; firing her shotgun and Pulse SMG intermittently.
Ironically that saved Tali's life, as the CP's seemed to deem her a secondary threat.
Ayita watched as a squad of CP's focused their fire on Jobb and Grace, and she shot one of the CP's in the head to try and help; but it wasn't enough, as the line bullets slammed into the two Privates hastily made rock wall.
Jobb's head jerked back as a bullet blew through his forehead; and he slumped over, catching Grace's attention.
The man gritted his teeth and switched to full auto as the wave of bullets started to make their way towards Tali. Ayita stood up and fired another round into the nearest CP, and roared in challenge as she charged down towards the trucks.
"LETS GO!" Anderson bellowed, the others following Ayita's lead and charging down to the road.
Ayita crashed through a bush, and kicked the CP that was hiding behind it in the face even as he fired a burst into her PCV. The CP fell onto his back, and tried to crawl away; before Ayita drove her sword-like bayonet into his chest, twisting and withdrawing the blade just as Anderson taught her.
She looked around and saw that Anderson had been pinned by another CP spraying his MP7 into the truck that Anderson had taken cover behind; while two tried to flee down the road to where they had come from.
She saw that Grace had risen to a crouch to draw the CP's attention away from Tali; and watched in horror as they shot him in the shoulder, then the stomach, and then the chest. The Private fired a grenade from his SMG, then slumped over dead as a fourth and final round struck his heart.
Growling, Ayita rapidly fired two shots into the two CP's that were fleeing; and then put a round into the one that had been suppressing Anderson.
The Commander wasted no time, whipping around the truck; and spraying the four CP's firing at Tali, while the Quarian sent forward some kind of glowing purple ball that zapped the CP's and disrupted their line of fire.
The Quarian took the opportunity to jump from where she had taken cover, over to the path out of the minefield that the rest had laid out; and she sprinted down the field, roaring in anger as she fired her shotgun into the nearest CP's chest.
The others cleared the area as Tali fired into the dead CP over and over again, cursing in Kheelish while sobbing as she did so.
Soon, it was just Tali firing; and that too stopped when her gun finally overheated, and the Quarian collapsed. Cato and Ayita shared a look; and walked over to Tali while Liara knelt down next to her, carefully taking the Quarians shotgun away as she cried.
Slowly, the rest of the platoon of rebels walked up to the edge of the road and looked out towards the minefield.
Everyone stared at their dead friends, while Zaeed took out a pair of binoculars, looking at his three dead subordinates; before passing them off to Anderson and storming off to gather the group's supplies.
Anderson stared for a moment more, before ordering; "Let's move it out…" He turned to look and saw that everyone was looking outward or at each other and he raised his voice, "All right, all of you heard me; I said move it out!"
Everyone slowly turned and walked off to scavenge the gear and equipment, Cato and Liara helping Tali to her feet and guiding her away. Ayita went to follow them, then saw Anderson had not joined them; he had brought the binoculars up to his face again, before lowering them and turning and resuming their journey towards Cumberland.
Ayita was never sure, and never asked; but she thought she saw tears trail down Anderson's face as he walked away.
Pilot AN: So some bad news, the Upload schedule is going to become a little more sporadic for both stories; because my CALC III classes are going to take up the majority of my attention.
I suck at calculus, my brain isn't wired for it; the amount of time it takes to do one problem...
In any case, on this chapter; more development regarding the relationship between Ayita and Cato. And Frostburg… you may notice many parallels between this story and Half Life 2; and they are both mythology gags, and to show that the events of Half Life 2 and the areas and atrocities the Combine have committed are not one off things.
Beyond that I don't have much else to say; how 'bout you Ian?
Ian A/N: We get our first sense of what the Combine are actually to the Earth in this chapter, beyond simply defiling it. We also see the level they will sink to in order to secure territory. No spoilers, but if the Valley is what the Combine does with territory it controls, then Cumberland will be an object lesson on the price paid. More cameos inbound, so be ready folks.
Pilot: Right then, Check my profile for the link to the discord.
A TV Tropes page would be greatly loved and appreciated.
Leave a review and tell us what you think, the feedback helps us a lot.
And we will see ya when we see ya.