Ayita stared at the firepit that the others had set up; the fire creating endless patterns and generating an almost ghostly light.
Cato sat to her left, his face set like stone as he stared into it; Liara and Dr. Solus were already asleep, Tali having fallen asleep long beforehand. Though much to everyone's concern she seemed to stay away from everyone else; bundling herself up with a blanket and her borrowed uniform while propping herself up against the wall.
Nihlus and Garrus were both wide awake and near the door of the barn the platoon had taken shelter in; Turian's living on a Thirty-Two Hour day-night Cycle meant that they were still mostly okay to stand guard.
Miranda, Wrex, and Dr. Chambers sat around a lamp in a corner; the three of them talking, Miranda looking at the two adults in childlike wonder as they talked.
Anderson and Zaeed were sitting and talking quietly off in another corner, Zaeed nursing his flask unhappily.
All the rest of the platoon was scattered around and trying to get comfortable for the few hours of sleep they would get before they had to leave for the remainder of the Journey through Cumberland and to South Mountain.
Having reached the Outskirts, they had already had to deal with numerous zombies, though they had yet to enter the city proper. Despite that, no one was taking chances of Zombies sneaking up on them, hence the guards.
"How well did you know them?" Cato finally asked her telepathically, looking around the room as he did so; most everyone was either asleep or huddled around lamps like Miranda, Wrex, and Ms. Kelly.
Ayita shrugged, "About as well as you could expect; everyone knows each other, but as busy as we all are we never really interacted much. I remember Mitchell saying that he met my father once at something called 'a Barbeque'; and had invited him to another before Black Mesa happened.
Grace was quiet, but he was a crack shot with his MP7; and he was always calm in combat.
And Jobb was a nice man; always looking for trinkets for me when I was younger. He said I reminded him of his niece; I just wish I had gotten to know them better…
Jenkins too I suppose… I haven't really had time until now to process his death; he was clumsy, and a little stupid at times, but he had a good heart."
Cato took her words silently; Ayita could feel him thinking over what she had said, but didn't want to say anything that might upset her. She felt a little touched at his concern, but it was misplaced; "You should be worried about your sister, three people died next to her…" She finally said.
Cato turned his gaze toward where Tali sat propped against the wall, softly breathing as she slept.
"I know… but with how bad Cumberland is going to be, I don't know if I should comfort her now; or comfort her afterwards." He admitted.
Ayita nodded, and looked back into the fire; "I'm not… I'll admit that I… am not the best when it comes to dealing with people… but I believe it would be best to allow her to get her rest."
Cato just returned his own gaze to the fire; and Ayita could feel concern and worry ebbing from him, and since neither were tired enough to go to sleep just yet, she decided to put their freetime to good use.
"I suppose it would be best if we tackle another lesson while we have some time." Ayita told him.
Cato looked up in surprise, "Now? Is it really the best time?"
Ayita just shrugged, "May as well, if only to wear ourselves out somewhat and expend some of your Energy; it'll be useful if you run low on ammo and Energy and you need to improvise. Lifting and handling objects Telekinetically; you did it once on instinct when we confronted Jack, but it would be best if we refine it now." She explained.
Cato stared at her for a moment then shrugged; "May as well, no time like the present."
The two quickly got to work, lifting and handling the coals from the fire; even zinging them like bullets into the pit. Cato struggled as he worked to follow Ayita's instructions; like all of her lessons, it was blunt and to the point, and she did not hesitate to 'drop him off in the deep end' as Sgt. Massani had described the process.
Eventually, he was able to lift the coals and guide them around in the air without them wobbling around; which Ayita found satisfactory enough for the time being.
"Very good, a rather simple lesson; it will get harder once we start lifting the heavier things, but retrieving smaller things like Pulse Plugs and grenades shouldn't be too much of a hassle." She informed him.
Cato nodded and rubbed his eyes, before looking over at Sgt. Massani.
The human had fallen asleep, his flask still in his hand; but open palmed, and clearly only kept there by gravity.
Ayita caught his gaze and looked over towards the passed out Marine; and to his surprise actually giggled softly, "I dare you to try and steal his flask and get it here without touching the ground."
Cato blinked, "Er… are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked, somewhat suspicious that it might be a trick to get him in trouble.
"Think of it as a final test for the night." She said, though he could hear the challenging tone in her voice.
Cato narrowed his eyes, then allowed a small smirk crossed his face; "A Zorah never backs down from a challenge." He declared, and reached out to the Vortessence, slowly picking the flask up out of Zaeeds open hand; carefully, so as not to wake the old Marine up.
He got it about a meter off the ground, and drew it towards him when it stopped dead.
Blinking in surprise, he glanced at Ayita; who was audibly snickering, and Cato grinned. Two can play at this game Ayita. He thought, quickly using the Vortessence and whipping her Poncho into her face.
Ayita squeaked in surprise, and the block lessened enough for him to resume drawing the flask towards him.
Then it zipped downward; Bosh'tet, he cursed as he quickly redirected the flow to keep it up off the ground. Dirt zipped up from the ground and smacked into his face; and Cato quickly had to spit some dirt out of his mouth, quickly sending some of the yellow grass-like plant remains off the floor and into Ayita's face allowing him to regain control and stop it from hitting the ground.
Ayita immediately tried to use dirt from the ground to form a wall and obstruct him, but Cato zipped the flask around the wall; and deciding to trick her, immediately sent the flask towards her instead of himself, guessing that she was sensing the currents of the Vortessence and not actually watching the flask.
His guess proved correct, as she tried to immediately redirect the Flask in the opposite direction from its destination; which just so happened to be his hand.
"Ha! I got it!" He exclaimed.
"What?!" Ayita opened her eyes and looked at his hand in surprise. "How?" She demanded.
Cato just shrugged, mimicking the human gesture; "I just guessed that you were using the Vortessence to sense where I was directing it, not watching it like I was so you didn't have to worry about scrubbing dirt out of your eyes; thanks for that by the way." He explained, before looking at the flask with a wide grin, "And to the victor go the spoils."
He twisted the top and filled his mouth with its contents.
He immediately regretted his decision, and barely stopped himself from spitting out the vile drink. He quickly swallowed it so he didn't have to taste it anymore; but it just burned the whole way down, before the fire settled in his gut.
Coughing quietly, he almost threw the flask while Ayita tilted her head; her shadowed face not betraying anything, but the narrowed eyes did.
"I-Kheelah, That is… Bosh'tet, that tastes like a Piep'rzony p'ożar las'u." He exclaimed, coughing into his uniform sleeve.
"Let me try." Ayita yanked the flask out of his hand, and took a giant swig of it, filling her mouth with the drink just like he had.
The effect was almost instantaneous; she dropped the shadows, and the expression of regret and disgust almost made Cato lose all control and burst out laughing. Like him, she quickly swallowed it and didn't spit it out; and like him she was coughing and wheezing.
"Holy Shit! By God that is the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted besides cooked headcrab." She agreed, staring at the flask in horror.
Both shared looked at each other and quickly returned the flask to Zaeeds side, the Marine not even stirring as they did so.
Both shared a look and nodded; Never… Again...
Miranda looked around the old barn at the two dozen people. Some were moping, some were sulking, the two abominations were playing which she could sort of understand; they had survived and come out victorious. The two alien soldiers were the only ones acting normally and maintaining security.
It was a wonder to her that this 'Lambda Resistance' had lasted this long against the Combine.
"Alright Pyjak," she looked over the lamp at Wrex, "what's got your forehead all wrinkly?"
Ms. Kelly huffed beside him. "Must you call her all these awful names?"
"Well what am I supposed to call her; Miri?" The word came out tinged with disdain.
"And what's wrong with Miri, hm?" Miranda giggled as the mighty Wrex shrank back from the mildly dowdy doctor. Kelly squinted at him for a moment. "What does 'Miri' mean in your language?"
Wrex grumbled under his breath for a moment, then gnawed on a desiccated tuber they had found in the barn. "Nothing that bad; and neither is 'Pyjak'." He wiggled a claw towards Miranda. "Their tenacious fighters and consummate survivors; there isn't a corner of the galaxy you can't find them thriving, and no matter how hard anyone tries to kill them off they always bounce back."
Miranda puffed out at that; these pyjaks sounded like the perfect creature to represent her. She wondered if she could get a banner with one on it to represent her, like the Consul had.
"You still haven't answered my question; what had your face all scrunched up earlier?"
He chuffed slightly as Kelly backhanded his stomach. "If you have any questions, please ask. We all learn best when we ask questions."
"Miri. -ch-" Kelly looked sharply at Wrex, who huffed tiredly. "It means, 'Why'. It's a child's question."
Miranda paused in her thoughts. "Everyone except those two," she pointed at Cato and Ayita telekinetically juggling a hip-flask, "and those two," she gestured to Garrus and Nihlus, "is acting strangely." She locked eyes on the two elders across from her. "Miri?"
Wrex slammed his jaw shut and eyed Miranda cautiously while Kelly nodded in that knowing way she had. "They're grieving." The former assassin simply cocked her head slightly but kept rapt attention. "For the People who died today."
"Miri? Soldiers die all the time, especially if they are weak. Sparing them any additional thought beyond learning from their failures simply wastes energy." There was no malice in her voice, only a childlike curiosity, and a need to understand.
"How was Mitchell weak? He stepped on a landmine hidden in the ground." Kelly's voice was devoid of the reproach Miranda had come to expect from her questions to the other rebels. "What was weak about Jobb and Grace's defense of Tali?"
"It got them killed!" Miranda latched onto the idea, proud of her deduction.
"Perhaps, but they did so to save Tali's life." Wrex tempered his own voice from it's usual growl. "There wasn't any real chance they could have escaped once the trap was sprung. Had they not acted, Tali would be dead alongside them, and we would be down that many more fighters. Their sacrifice has helped keep us that little bit stronger."
"And so," Kell drew Miranda's attention again, "we grieve their passing; each in our own way."
"Miri," her head snapped back to Wrex, "I've killed more people, and lost more comrades in my life than you'll ever meet in yours, and do you want to know something?" Miranda leaned closer, eyes wide and nodding in anticipation. "At one point or another, every single one was a child; and children are precious beyond value, so every life from the cruelest mercenary," he thumped his chest, "to the wisest healer," he tapped Kelly on the shoulder, "has value."
"Even mine?" Miranda blurted out, then blushed and shrank at the presumption.
She quickly found herself engulfed in another matronly 'Kelly-Hug'. "Especially yours."
Miranda sat there; frozen despite the warm embrace, yet blazing inside despite the bitter winter chill.
Saren held in a yowl of pain as the human female punched him in the fringe. It was really painful; but he was a Spectre, he had dealt with far worse pain in his life.
"Hm… that does elicit a healthy dose of pain, but it's also very fast. Useful as a shock factor or as a disciplining mechanism; but not so useful as an elongated 'compulsive encouragement'." Dr. Lawson mused as the Female walked over to a nearby table and wrote down the Doctors words.
Saren didn't say a word or even sneer at them or anything like that.
He refused to give his captors the satisfaction of seeing him react beyond the heat of the moment; that was what his instincts and his training told him.
"Still giving us the silent treatment eh? Well it doesn't really matter…" Lawson said with a smile, reaching over to the table and retrieving a tool and examining the polished silver, "See we're not looking for any information that you can give per say; we're just trying to see what is the most painful for your species. And however much you endure it and give us the silent treatment, we still get what we want from this."
He gestured to a computer of sorts, and Saren had to fight to keep his expression flat; even though he had no clue if these humans could read his facial expressions. Thats…
"That's your brain right there, and we're capturing every single response your brain is having to what we're doing. So we're getting our answers regardless… truthfully, it's just fun watching you squirm thinking that you're winning in some form by not talking." Lawson stated, grinning.
He leaned on Sarens chair, and the Spectre got a close up look into his eyes.
It was the eyes of a person who took pleasure in what he did; and he was a person who had been given all the power in the galaxy to do whatever he wanted.
Saren seriously contemplated headbutting the human for a long moment; but he remembered the man's rules from that first night when they arrived. The Doctor was many things, Saren was sure, but he did not strike Saren as a liar. He had no idea what 'punishment' entailed for 'resisting interrogation' but he had a sneaking suspicion the Doctor would take it out on one of the Maidens from the ship.
Beep…
The alarm jostled the Doctor out of his stare and he frowned and walked over to the center of his lab where Saren had been tortured for the past few hours.
Saren watched him go, allowing his shoulders to sag somewhat as his exhaustion began to catch up with him.
The Doctors frown turned into a confused expression; and Saren could only tell since these humans were very much like Asari in appearances. "That… how is this possible?" The Doctor wondered, typing at his console as he talked.
"How is what possible Doctor?" The female asked, her voice had a soft monotone to it; but Saren could tell she was impatient to get on with their 'interrogation'.
Lawson typed in a few commands and the giant metal pillar in the center of the lab opened up.
A tube was drawn outward, and Saren couldn't help but stare at it; It was a Quarian infant... Grey-Light Purple Skin, backwards bending legs, Human-Asari like face, Human-Quarian like hair… No… five fingers and five toes… He realized in horror.
He wasn't sure what features were Human and what were Quarian; but he knew one thing. This human was making abominations against nature, and he needed to be stopped.
"Hmm... " Lawson continued, a wide grin breaking across his face; before he turned to look at the Female. "Well then… it would appear that O-1891141 is latently Vortal."
Liara trudged towards the gap in the ridgeline with everyone else. Her joining the mission aboard the Destiny Ascension was supposed to be a journey of knowledge and enlightenment.
And in a way, it had been. She now knew of a world under the grip of a tyrannical, despotic regime. She knew that extradimensional space and parallel universes were not simply the subject of academic conjecture, but real places inhabited by entities that could very well be vastly older and more powerful than even the Prothean Empire. She had also been enlightened about a core facet of her species, and the terrible injustice it could lead to.
There was a small part of her that railed at the idea that Melding was inherently evil. how often had Ayita dragged her and her compatriots into a telepathic link in the last few days; four, five times? Was that any different? What about her own actions with that wretched creature 'Jack' in the mine?
No, she took a calming breath, it was equally a violation as the Asari penchant for forcing a Meld when communications broke down. She glanced at Ayita near the front of the formation. Ulysses publicly chastised Shephard for that, so clearly it is as much an imposition in his eyes as a Meld. Still, she couldn't shake the conviction that Melding itself was not an inherent evil, only how casually her people used it on those they... the word Dominate sprung to the forefront of her mind.
She wanted to shake the thought out of her head. The Matriarchs had governed Thesia for 50,000 years, and helped guide the races of the Citadel Alliance for more than 2000 years. But that was a part of it, wasn't it. Nobody questioned Asari judgments for long. She had seen it with her own mother, when a recalcitrant Maiden or business partner challenged her, she would often take them into private chambers to discuss a solution.
One of her own Professors, a Matriarch at the university had implied Liara should '...come to her office and discuss this theory...' when that theory contradicted her own. When her mother found out, she had been furious but Liara hadn't understood why. Was that it? Had Professor K'Tano wished to subjugate Liara's will rather than defend her own academic position?
Liara was shaken from her ruminations when the humans all silently tensed. Wrex, Garrus and Nihlus all readied their weapons as well, with her and the rest of the survivors following suit. They were poised between two hills, one with a sheer bluff at the top. The river they had been following was now banked with cracked and crumbling concrete.
"Everyone, stay sharp." Massani's voice carried without booming through the valley. "We don't know how far they've wandered, and we can't afford a protracted fight. Avoid large groups, and only engage if you have no other choice."
Liara leaned towards one of the other fighters. "What is it we are supposed to be wary of?"
"Headcrab Zombies." The woman whispered. "Bout a decade ago, the Combine used them as bio-warfare in Cumberland. They loaded headcrabs into specially designed Artillery shells and then bombarded the city for days. About half of the town managed to evacuate, but most were children; since headcrabs have a preference for 'better' hosts; and children would make bad hosts. Easily a thousand zombies in there, and while some have probably died; and a good number were killed by fighters holding the line for the evacuation, there are still a lot."
The Rebel pointed towards Shephard, "She was just a child, and her mother had decided to visit the City on that weekend. Shephard was given to Anderson and they escaped, but her mother disappeared; most of us think she was zombified, but Anderson and Ulys don't think so. It's all rather mysterious."
At that point, the Rebel turned her gaze outward again; leaving Liara alone to digest what she had just been told. She was appalled at the idea of bio-warfare as a whole, but using parasitic creatures like those they had seen on the unfortunate varren-like creature their first day was beyond abhorrent. If...no, when they returned to Citadel space, she fully intended to work with Spectre Nihlus in helping to liberate this world.
They passed out of the gap and onto a plain; the ruins of a city were not far off.
It didn't bear the telltale signs of military bombardment, but rather had the appearance of a place long since abandoned, like one of those failed colonies she would occasionally find on a research expedition. Strangely, a red and black spire with a large mechanical clock seemed to have weathered the years unmolested.
There was a gasp, and she saw both Ulysses and Ayita staring at the tower. The elder's expression was as unreadable as always, but Shephard looked somewhere between disbelief and horror.
Ulysses turned fully to face the city. "Another Vortal has endured within this place."
Anderson violently shook his head. "Not a chance!" Liara could almost feel grief coming from him. "Nothing could have survived after-"
He and the rest of the fighters froze in place as a strange, chiming tune began echoing out of the city.
Kaiden slowly opened his eyes, frowning heavily as he did so.
And so comes others… He thought sadly, raising up from where he had been kneeling; bowing towards the cross at the altar. Thank you Lord, for sending us others to free us from our purgatory.
Turning on his heels, he walked towards the Bell Tower and quickly brought out the key and unlocked the door; drawing on his gift as he did so to make sure none of the demons had made it inside.
Closing the door behind him, Kaiden climbed up the stairs; methodical as he always was, making sure to check up on the nesting birds to see that they were fine as usual.
The grey-white-black ones were the most numerous; and the ones that he liked the company of the most. Whenever the great bells of the church rang, these ones would mimic it; singing as if they were a congregation of people as opposed to a flock of birds.
The Big Black ones were smart, and somewhat greedy; but they always brought trinkets for him, and he would give them seeds in return. They always cawed and chatted with each other and with him; and he could sense that they could understand him and understood what surrounded them.
Giving a nod to them as he passed, Kaiden soon reached the top of the tower; where he heard his compatriot and 'other' talking to herself as usual. "-so God said, 'It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion.'" She was saying. "'That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh'. Is that true Kaiden?" She asked, having probably sensed him enter like she normally did; not looking away from her bible.
"I would assume so Ashley, as it was what God said." He said with a slight smile, turning his gaze outward to the rest of the demon infested city.
"Hm… what troubles you so?" Ash asked, not looking up.
"It appears God has finally heard our prayers, others have arrived to help lead us out of this unholy land." He said, calling on his gift; and zapping the cluster of wires that sat at the windowsill.
He watched as a surge of Emerald Green energy traveled down the lines and into the rest of the city; activating the Demon traps that the wires were connected to.
Ashley stood up slowly and walked up to him, tilting her head; "You are certain of this?"
"Absolutely."
Ash grinned, the smile both genuine and somewhat Manic. "Then let us ring the bells and call forth the servants of the Lord and guide them to us and let them hear of our plight!" She exclaimed, walking over to a wooden panel of some kind with metal levers below it; and pulled out a piece of paper.
It had notes on it, with the words 'Alleluia! The Strife is O'er' written on the top.
Kaiden smiled as the sounds of the bells rang throughout the city; and readied his power for the battles to come.
Cato looked at the desolate town as he walked; the sad state of what had once been a thriving city made his heart ache.
That being said, he kept his palms charged in anticipation of needing to use it; the moans and groans of the Zombies was something that wormed its way into his ear. And he could feel the pain of the people being controlled by the parasitic creatures, he could hear their thoughts and their cries for help; the people were begging to die, to end their pain.
As much as he wanted to, Cato knew he couldn't; even just using his powers would likely draw a horde of Zombies, as they were attracted to noise.
Ayita for her part was visibly shaking, and had not left Cato's side ever since they had entered the City proper; her hands were sparking, and she kept looking over her shoulder and jumping at the slightest noise.
"Ayita… it's okay, you're with friends; you're not alone or a child this time." He said to her telepathically.
Ayita just looked at him, her glowing Emerald eyes were so dim that they looked like regular human eyes; "We left someone… we left someone here to die… My mother…" She squeezed her eyes shut, and Cato shuffled closer to her.
"You could not have known that… and your mother sacrificed herself to save you; you didn't even have your powers unlocked yet, what could you have done?" He asked.
"I…" She sniffed, "I don't know…"
She looked upward and blinked; Cato followed her gaze and saw some sort of Avian animal sitting on a nearby lamppost. None of the others noticed it, and kept on walking; but Ayita stared at it before she reluctantly turned and followed the rest towards the ringing church bells.
"What is it?" Cato asked, turning his attention back outward as he searched for Zombies and headcrab.
"That Raven… the Vortal that has survived here, he has bonded with them somewhat; and they allow him to use their eyes... He is watching us." She warned.
Cato balked and tried not to stare at the avian. "What, like Jack and the Antlions?"
"No… He does not control them… they are intelligent, far more than we give them credit for. They act of their own volition, and they feel… loyalty to him because he takes care of them. We must tread carefully… Whoever he is, he must not be entirely… sane, having only these birds for company." She replied.
Cato nodded absently. "There was a pilgrim that was recovered by my father's ship; he'd crewed on a freighter out of Kahje. The ship was carrying livestock bound for a Turian colony. The crew got sick en route to their next destination, so the captain disabled the FTL flight computer. When the Pilgrim woke up for his shift, the crew was dead, the FTL drive was disabled, and all he had onboard for company were W'reeks, and the corpses of the crew." Cato shivered involuntarily. "He drifted alone like that for 13 cycles; you'd say five years."
Ayita didn't seem to know what to say; until there was a loud moan that caused the whole platoon to freeze in place.
"Hold Fire!" Anderson hissed loudly, and everyone tensed as a Zombie staggered out of a nearby shop; the door long since blown off the hinges.
Cato had to hold his breath somewhat; the concept of smelling bad things was still new to him, and the smell of a living corpse was not the most pleasant one.
Suddenly, Ayita staggered next to him; and her palms crackled with Energy, the shadows around her face failing and her eye-glow now shining like stars. He could see the tears running down her face, and he could see the fear and revulsion written across her features.
The Zombie stopped, and moaned loudly again; before it turned to the platoon and roared.
"Shit!" Zaeed exclaimed as the Zombie immediately punched a nearby barrel towards the group; with Ayita still frozen, and Ulysses hunched in the middle and presumably saving his strength, Cato called on his power.
He stopped the barrel dead in the air, and decided they couldn't risk detection; so he zipped it back onto the Zombies head.
WHAP!
The Zombie gurgled and fell backward dead, and Ayita seemed to relax somewhat. With the threat eliminated, the Platoon slowly began their trek to the church; so Cato took the opportunity to sidle up next to Ayita. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.
"I… It's too much…" She stumbled and fell to her knees, and Cato had to grab under her arms to hold her up; half carrying her and half supporting her weight.
"Ayita?!"
"I can't! I can't do it! The pain… I can sense it all! I can still remember unlocking my powers! I felt all the people!" She whimpered, pressing her palms into her temples.
Cato looked back, and was relieved to see everyone was more focused on keeping an eye out for Zombies and Headcrabs. Only Miranda gave them a curious look; but she stayed to herself to Cato's relief.
So he focused on keeping up with the group and kept the majority of his attention on helping Ayita moving forward, "Ayita, remember; the weight of memories is only heavy if you carry it alone." He waited for her to look up. "You aren't alone, not any more."
Ayita stared at the ground, then took a deep breath; "I… you're right… I'm not alone." She said.
She locked eyes with him, and then gave him a quick hug.
It was fast, only a few seconds and while they had done the same while in The Room; for some reason, here in the real world, it seemed to last far longer and Cato froze in surprise. Ayita broke the hug, and smiled at him; while Cato's Grey-Light Purple face flushed a deep shade of Violet.
"Thank you Cato…" She said.
"Ah... I... uh-I…" He stammered, not really sure what to say.
Ayita giggled, "It's okay there Cato, it's not like we kissed or anything." She said.
"Er… right…" He replied, still somewhat stunned. As he struggled to say something else; a loud gasp drew their attention.
Cato and Ayita looked to see what had drawn the group's attention; and the moment was ruined. Standing on one of the balconies overlooking the main street was a young woman in a cobbled together assortment of clothes: black pants with suspenders, a white collarless shirt and a black fedora.
"Yea, though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you shall fear no evil; for I am with you!"
She raised a lever action rifle to her shoulder and fired off five rapid shots; each struck down a zombie.
"Make your way to God's house." She pointed to the church, then began reloading her rifle. "You'll travel safely, you'll neither trip nor fall, because we shall be right there with you," she raised her rifle again and took aim at a new group of zombies, "we shall keep you safe and sound."
She fired another shot, drawing a group of zombies towards a car. "I am the sword of his Lord our God, and he has loosed me upon you!" She shouted, running along the rooftops and out of sight, shooting her gun the whole way.
The group watched her go; everyone was stunned, except Ulysses and Wrex who just chuckled while mumbling, "Spirited little Pyjack." Only to shrink slightly under Dr. Chambers' glare.
Ulysses simply stumped forward on his cane; "We would be wise to follow The Hidden Lord's instrument."
Everyone looked at the Vortigaunt, stunned when he simply brushed them aside and continued through the City without a care in the world.
"Er… I suppose follow their lead then." Anderson ordered, clearly taken off guard.
Cato and Ayita shared a stunned look, before Cato asked; "Is she the Vortal?"
Ayita narrowed her eyes, "No… the Vortal trail leaves a very distinctive male signature; and she does not feel enthralled like what Jack did… I think that whoever else is with this Vortal, they are both reasonably… potentially… insane. We must tread even more carefully than before." She warned.
Right as she said that, a loud roar drew everyone's attention down a back alley to the right.
Over a dozen zombies were shambling towards them; but before anyone could fire, there was a flash of Emerald green from the roof.
WHOOOM!
A beat up old car, setup on some kind of winch, smashed into the ground; crushing almost all of the Zombies, and blocking off the rest from advancing on the group. Everyone looked up with wide eyes to the rooftop; and they saw a figure cloaked in shadows turn and run along the rooftops, just as how the woman from earlier did, the big black birds from earlier flying after them.
"Yes… very careful indeed." Ayita murmured, more to herself than to Cato.
But Cato agreed one hundred percent; making sure to keep his Abilities at the ready the whole way to the church.
Pilot A/N: Yes, there are very intentional parallels between Ravenholm and Cumberland; but this similarity is also to highlight the differences between Breen's administration in Europe, and Harpers administration in North America.
Breen had Ravenholm shelled simply out of apathy, he didn't care about the people inside or what happened to it; if they escaped, then so be it. If they died in it, oh well; no real loss. Harper had it shelled, with death squads at the ready to capture or gun down any rebels or survivors that made it out.
Now then, I'll be the first to admit while writing this I had been rather stumped over what to do with Ashley and Kaiden; beyond wanting Kaiden to be Vortal as a tradeoff to losing his biotics of course. Then Ian had the brilliant suggestion, that since Ravenholm had Father Gregori; and Ashley was a devout Christian canonically, how about we have our cake and eat it too.
As usual, we have added more to our Chekhov's Armory for this chapter; the most notable being the telekinesis, and Kaidens more… "Symbiotic" relationship with the Ravens and Mockingbirds. And that's what those birds are if you couldn't already tell.
Alright, What have you got for us Ian?
Ian A/N: For those who may be uncomfortable with religious motifs, oh well. This and the next chapter are chock-a-block full of them. It stands to reason that a church would be one of the few still standing structures after the apocalypse, and not for any religious reasons. Parrishes invest in building structures to house their congregation for decades to come, while most houses are built to last a generation at most before needing renovation.
Pilot: lets not forget that many great Cathedrals in Europe survived being shelled and bombed; and adding to that, the Birds… They are far more intelligent than we give them credit for, but as Kaiden would know and as Ayita pointed out with Wolves within the first two chapters; The Birds and Wolves are… semi-sentient I suppose would be the best term.
As Dr. Breen Himself said to Eli Vance towards the end of HL2; "Carbon stars with ancient satellites colonized by sentient fungi. Gas giants inhabited by vast meteorological intelligences. Worlds stretched thin across the membranes where the dimensions intersect. Impossible to describe with our limited vocabulary." So semi-sentient Wolves and Birds who likely have been affected by the Vortessence is not a stretch of the imagination.
Ian: Indeed. These structures are revered to this day due to their seeming impermeability to the inclemencies and vicissitudes of nature and war. It should come as no surprise then that any survivors of the 7 Hour War would congregate in these strongholds, and in turn be influenced by their surroundings.
The only other point of note is the character interlude in the beginning of this chapter. I will admit it was fun to write.
Pilot: Right then, Link to my Discord and my Alternate ME Humanity Challenge is on my profile.
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