The Party Grows
Shepard, Ashley, Kaiden, and Spider-Man walked into Chora's Den and were immediately met with loud music hitting their eardrums. They looked around and saw various people and aliens sitting down, having a drink, and watching some Asari dancing on a high stage above the bar wearing very provocative clothing.
"Hmm..." Kaiden hummed as he eyes the Asari dancers.
"Careful Lieutenant, you're drooling." Ashley said, causing Kaiden to blush in embarrassment.
"So who are we supposed to be looking for?" Spider-Man asked.
"A suspended C-Sec officer named Harkin. He may know where we can find Garrus." Shepard answered.
"Shouldn't be too hard. Not that big of a place." Spider-Man noted as he and the others started to walk through the club to find their guy.
As they walked, they noted some of the bartenders, patrons, and even the dancers stared at the group, or more specifically, Spider-Man, with the dancers giving him a sultry look and even one beckoned him to her for a dance, though he declined.
"You sure know how to stand out in a crowd." Ashley said.
"I don't look for attention, it just follows me everywhere I go." Spider-Man said with a shrug. The four of them soon paused when they spotted an argument between two Krogan. One appeared to be the bouncer for this club and the other Krogan was wearing heavy red armor, with his head crest matching his armor's color and his face covered in scars.
"Back off, Wrex." The Krogan bouncer threatened. "Fist told us to take you down if you showed up."
"What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here." Wrex goaded the bouncer. "This is Fist's only chance. If he's smart, he'll take it."
"He's not coming out Wrex. End of story." The bouncer said sternly.
"This story is just beginning." Wrex threatened before walking off. He spotted the four humans and just brushed them off. "Out of my way, humans. I have no quarrel with you." Wrex continued to walk out of the bar, but he did eye Spider-Man for a brief moment.
"What was that all about?" Kaiden asked.
"Who knows, let's just try not to get caught in the middle." Ashley said before they continued their search. Ashley paused though and brought out her Omni-tool to bring up a picture of Harkin. "I think I found him, Commander." She said as she showed him a picture which was a perfect match to the guy sitting at a table.
The four of them made their way to the table Harkin was sitting on, but when he spotted them, he instantly had a look mixed with fear and anger when he spotted Spider-Man, before instantly standing back up. "No! No! You stay the hell away from me!"
"Guessing he's not a fan." Ashley said.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Spider-Man asked curiously.
"I wouldn't expect you to know me. I was just collateral damage for you and merry band freaks doing their 'hero' shit." Harkin said angrily. "A Turian criminal that was paying me off got busted by you, and hoped that blabbing about it to my superiors would get him a lighter sentence. Now look where I am."
"Least it's not prison." Kaiden said.
"Screw you, pretty boy." Harkin said in spite.
"Look, whatever beef you have with me and my friends, we don't care." Spider-Man said, trying to stay on task. "Me and my new friends here just weaned to ask some questions."
Harkin continued to glare at the hero before he slowly sat back down in his seat and eyeing the others with him. "Alliance military." Harkin said, not sounding impressed. "I coulda been a marine, you know. Instead I joined the goddamned Citadel Security. Biggest mistake of my life."
"Harkin, right? I was told you can help me find someone. A Turian C-Sec officer named Garrus." Shepard said.
"Garrus? Ha! You must be one of Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to take Saren down, eh?" Harkin said with a smirk. "I know where Garrus is, but you gotta tell me something first. Did the Captain fill you in on his big secret?"
"Is there something I should know about the Captain?" Shepard asked, not liking the tone this guy was making towards his superior officer.
"The Captain used to be a Spectre. Didn't know that, did ya?" Harkin said with a smirk. "It was all very hush-hush. The first human ever given that honor, and then he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad they kicked him out. Of course, he blames Saren, says the Turian set him up."
"Why'd they kick him out?" Shepard asked.
"Have to ask him. I never heard any details, but I'll bet it's a good story though. The hero's fall. Ha!" Harkin said with a smirk before looking towards Spider-Man. "Wonder what you and your group's fall will be like."
"You know, me and my friends have heard those threats so many times they don't really phase us anymore." Spider-Man said dismissively.
"Look, we're not here to spread gossip. Just tell us what we want to know." Ashley demanded as she glared at Harkin. "Where can we find Garrus?"
"Garrus was sniffing around Doctor Michelle's office. She runs a med clinic on the other side of the wards. Last I heard he was going back there." Harkin answered.
"There, now was that too hard." Spider-Man teased a bit, before getting a bit serious. "Stay out of trouble this time, Harkin. Otherwise you really will end in a jail cell."
"You think it was easy working for those damn C-Sec bureaucrats! All the reds tape I had to go through, all the times they profiled my actions every time they thought I did something wrong! I deserved a little cut of the action!" Harkin exclaimed angrily. "You gotta be tough to make it through this job, so don't talk to me about right or wrong. You soldiers and so-called heroes have it easy."
"You need to look in a mirror, sober up, and take some responsibility for yourself." Shepard said with a glare.
"Save your sermons this ain't no church. Now get out of here, you're keeping me from my drinking." Harkin said as he took a swig from his cup of alcohol. The four of them just glared at Harkin before walking away from his table.
"Glad you guys have more restraint. If it was just me, I would have decked him." Ashley said in slight anger.
"The thought did cross my mind." Spider-Man said with a chuckle.
"Why didn't Captain Anderson tell us he used to be a Spectre?" Ashley asked.
"Maybe it's not true." Kaiden suggested. "Harkin's an ass. I bet he's just messing with our heads." Kaiden then spotted a Turian sitting alone at a table, and a look of recognition came to his face. "Commander, I think that's the Turian general we're supposed to find."
"Who?" Spider-Man asked in confusion.
"An Asari asked us to look into him to try and stop him from spreading lies about her." Ashley answered quickly.
Shepard walked up to the Turian and addressed him. "General Septimus."
"Commander?" Septimus noted before taking a drink. "What do you want?"
"What's bothering you general?" Shepard asked.
"I've seen a lot of horrible things in my days, and there is only one woman in this galaxy that helps me forget." Septimus grumbled.
"So if you feel that way, then why spread lies about her?" Kaiden asked.
"Cause she rejected me. Me! Septimus Oraka, general of the Turian fleet." Septimus said angrily.
"Is she really worth it? There must be other women." Shepard suggested.
"It's not just any woman I want, it's her, and her alone." Septimus said in slight sadness. "Look kid, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't waste your time."
"You need to start acting like a general if you want to beat this." Shepard said strongly.
"I spent all my life acting like a general and what did it get me." Septimus grumbled. "No, those days are over. I'll just be what I am: a turned, lonely, worn-out soldier."
"Look, I may not know exactly what's going on." Spider-Man spoke up as he sat down next to Septimus. "But I know that a general like you shouldn't just give up on life. Time's may get tough, but what really proves that we're stronger is that we keep going."
"So you think it's that easy? Just straighten up and act like a general?" Septimus asked.
"Nothing's ever easy, but it should be worth fighting for." Spider-Man said strongly. The three Alliance marines couldn't help but look at Spider-Man in approval by his words. He was definitely wiser then what they were led to believe.
"Huh, maybe you're right, kid. Sha'ira is worth the effort, even if she won't have me back." Spetimus said.
"That's good to hear." Shepard said in approval. "This is no place for someone of your stature, general."
"Alright. I'll go to her, after I've taken a cold shower...or two." Septimus said before looking at Shepard. "You and your friend here are bright kids. How would you like to earn a few extra credits?"
"It's not anything illegal, right?" Spider-Man said wearily.
"There's an Elcor diplomat who believes Sha'ira gave up his secrets." Septimus explained. "It's not true because I told him that. I just need you to convince him of the truth."
"How do we do that?" Spider-Man asked.
"Take this data pad. It shows where I got my info." Septimus gave Shepard the data pad. "It will exonerate Sha'ira and convince the Elcor."
"Thank you, general." Shepard said.
"Well, here's to soldiers acting like soldiers." Septimus said as he held up his drink. "Thanks, you two. You know, Commander, you might make a good general yourself one day." Septimus then set his gaze to Spider-Man. "And you, I know about all the good you and your comrades do for the Citadel, and unlike most of my kind who are all about the rules and regulations, I just want to say you are doing a damn fine job helping the Citadel."
"Thank you, general." Spider-Man said with a humble nod. "That means a lot coming from you."
With that done, the group managed to walk out of Chora's Den to head to their next destination.
"Hard to imagine a general like that getting so upset about a woman." Kaiden said.
"That's because you don't understand women, Kaiden." Ashley said with a smirk.
"I'm not sure if they'll ever be understood." Spider-Man muttered before getting back on track. "Well, we know where we are heading."
"That's right. We need to get to Doctor Michelle's clinic." Shepard said.
Spider-Man activated his Omni-tool and hit a few buttons. "I just gave that info to my friends, so they'll meet us there."
"You're friends? You mean the other Avengers?" Kaiden said in an almost eager tone. Ben seemed like a pretty cool guy, so he was curious on what the others were like.
"You sure they can get there in time?" Ashley asked. "Harkin did say it's on the other side of the Wards."
"Trust me, they're quick enough." Spider-Man said with a smirk under his mask.
"Alright people, we know where we're going. Let's take the Transit Car and get to the doctors clinic." Shepard said as they went to the Transit Car. The three Alliance soldiers hopped inside, but noticed there wasn't room for their new partner. "Spider-Man, if you want, we can just walk there."
"No need." Spider-Man said good-naturedly and then jumped right on top of the Transit.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Kaiden asked.
"Trust me, this is nothing." Spider-Man said.
The three Alliance marines looked at each other before giving a slight shrug and decided to trust the hero's judgement. When the Transit Car took off into the air, they were surprised that Spider-Man actually stuck to car and didn't seem to lose his grip at all.
The ride didn't take that long as they eventually made it to the other end of the Wards and were close Doctor Michelle's clinic. As the group made their way towards the clinic door's, Ben checked his Omni-tool and got a message from Vince that they were close by.
"This is it." Kaiden said as they walked up to the door.
Before they could enter, Spider-Man placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder, halting him from entering and causing the others to pause and look at him. Ben looked at the door very closely at the door and he felt a little tense. "You guys might want to keep a hand on your weapons." Spider-Man warned the others.
"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked in confusion.
"I guess you can call it a gut feeling." Spider-Man said cryptically.
The group became a bit confused by what he meant by that, but nevertheless they did keep their hands close to their weapons and opened the door. The moment the door opened they were witnessing the sight of a group of armed men approaching Doctor Michelle who cowered back.
"Please, I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" Doctor Michelle said fearfully.
"That was smart, Doc." The lead thug said. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut and-" He stopped speaking the moment he spotted the Normandy crew walk in, but gasped when he saw Spider-Man walk in with them. He then pulled Doctor Michelle close and held a gun to them. "Awe crap, it's one of those Avengers!"
"Let her go!" Shepard demanded as he and the rest of his squad pulled out their pistols.
All of a sudden, Garrus came out from behind one of the pillars in the clinic and shot the lead thug right in the head. This caused Doctor Michelle to get lose and hide while the rest of the thugs looked on in shock before they started firing at everyone.
"Open fire!" Shepard ordered as he and the rest of his squad returned fire while taking cover.
Spider-Man leapt on the ceiling and spring boarded right into one of the thugs, knocking him to the ground before punching his lights out. A second thug tried to shoot him, but he launched a web line to the gun and yanked it out of his hand, before delivering an uppercut that knocked the guy back.
The last two thugs were quickly dispatched thanks to Shepard, his crew, and Garrus shooting them down. One tried to at least fire at Doctor Michelle as a last ditched effort to complete his mission, but Kaiden halted his movements with his Biotics, and Ashley shot him down.
"Perimeter secure." Kaiden declared, though that was proven false when five more thugs walked right in through the entrance.
"Not quite." Spider-Man said as he got in a fighting stance while everyone else raised their weapons at the thugs, who raised their weapons as well.
Before anyone could open fire, a sword came flying in from the window and pierced one of the thugs in the shoulder and pinned him to the wall. Everyone looked on in shock by what happened, except for Spider-Man who couldn't help but grin under his mask.
Suddenly a portal opened up from the ceiling with Vince and Erik jumping through it and facing the thugs. One of them tried to shoot at the two newcomers, but Erik called back his sword, which inadvertently freed the guy that was pinned to the wall, and sliced up the weapon that belonged to thug that almost shot him, before punching him in the face, knocking him out.
The last three thugs tried to shoot at them, but Vince created a magic barrier that protected them. When they stopped firing, Vince's hands glowed orange before he waved his hand, causing the thug's weapons to glow orange before they turned to dust, much to every onlookers surprise. Before the thugs could reach for their other weapons, Vince just used his magic to bind each of their hands in energy shackles, before Erik knocked them out with a quick jab to the head for each of them.
Erik and Vince turned around to look at the stunned faces of the Alliance squad plus Doctor Michelle, but Garrus and Ben, who removed his mask, just smiled in relief at their arrival.
"For once, can we not make a dramatic entrance to save your butt, Ben." Erik said with a chuckle as he walked up to Ben and gave him a fist bump.
"Good to see you guys arrive just in time, either way." Garrus said.
Vince knelt down next to the thug whose shoulder got pierced, then concentrated some magic in his hand causing it to glow, before placing it on the wound. The thug grunted in pain from the touch before he passed out, but when Vince removed his hand, the wound was already healed.
"Holy shit..." Ashley whispered in slight awe at what she saw.
"I see you've made some new friends." Vince noted as he saw who Ben was with.
Shepard finally snapped out of his shock before he walked up to them held out his hand. "That was...really something. I'm Commander John Shepard of the Alliance, these are Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams."
"Nice to meet you guys." Erik said as he shook hands with Shepard followed by Vince. "I'm Erik, and this is Vince."
"Doctor Strange, to be precise." Vince said. Kaiden couldn't help but snicker at the name, causing Vince to roll his eyes.
"You serious?" Ashley said with her eyebrow raised.
"That was great timing you guys." Garrus said. "Gave me a clear shot at the bastard."
"You took him down clean." Shepard acknowledged.
"Though you gotta be careful, Garrus." Ben cautioned. "Hostage situations can go bad pretty easily if your not careful."
"Your right, Ben, I'll remember that." Garrus said with a nod, as he acknowledges he could have handled that situation better. He then turned to Michelle who came out of her hiding place. "Doctor Michelle, are you hurt?"
"No, I'm alright." Michele said aster taking a few breaths and looked at each of them gratefully. "Thanks to you, all of you." She then set her sights on the three heroes of the group. "You are the Avengers. Thank you for coming to my rescue."
"Happy to help, miss." Erik said with a smile.
"We were here to, you know." Ashley grumbled with a light pout.
"Yeah, but, to their credit, they are technically superheroes." Kaiden whispered to her with chuckle.
"Do you know why those guys were threatening you?" Ben asked.
"And by chance, do you know who they work for?" Shepard added.
"They work for Fist." Michelle answered.
"Who's Fist?" Vince asked in confusion.
"Fist is a known crime lord who runs the club Chora's Den. He has quite a lot of people in his payroll, which is probably why C-Sec can't arrest him." Garrus answered.
"They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian." Michelle explained.
"That name sounds familiar." Erik noted.
"I've heard about Quarians." Kaiden said. "They're a nomadic race that spend their entire lives in a suit and live completely in their fleet."
"And they're the ones who created the Geth." Ashley added.
"Does this have anything to do with the investigation against Saren?" Shepard asked the Turian detective.
"I think it might. Doctor Michelle, tell us what happened." Garrus urged to the doctor.
"A few days ago, a Quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run." Michelle explained.
"Did she say anything as you helped her?" Vince asked.
"She asked me about the Shadow Broker." Michelle answered. "She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."
"Probably from Saren, if this does have anything to do with him." Kaiden suggested.
"If those guys trying to kill you three at Chora's Den were anything to go by, it's a big possibility." Ben said.
"All the more reason to find her." Shepard said. "Do you know where she is, doctor?"
"I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker." Michelle answered.
"You know, I'm starting to lose less and less faith in this supposed Shadow Broker if they have this criminal Fist working for them." Vince said with a slight glare.
"He doesn't work for him anymore." Garrus contradicted. "Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it."
"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker?" Michelle said in disbelief, thinking that Fist must have lost his mind. "That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer."
"So Saren is using Fist to get to this one Quarian?" Erik asked in confusion.
"She must have information that Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker for." Garrus said.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about this Quarian?" Shepard asked Michelle.
"I'm not sure. Like I said, she wanted to trade information for a place to hide. She' didn't...wait a minute!" Michelle's eyes widened in realization. "Geth! Her information had something to do with the Geth!"
"She might have information that could link Saren to the Geth." Kaiden said.
"Which, in turn, could connect him to the attack on Eden Prime!" Ashley said with vigor.
"There is no way the Council can ignore this!" Garrus said strongly.
"Time to pay Fist a visit, then." Shepard said before looking at the two new Avengers to this group. "I know we just met, but Ben said you two are capable fighters, and from what I've seen you can be a great help to us. So I'm asking you, will you help us with this?"
"You don't have to worry about a thing, Shepard." Erik said as he shook the Commander's hand. "You can count on the two of us."
"So long as this Saren is loose, I got a feeling that more innocent people are going to get hurt. As Avengers we need to do everything we can to stop him." Vince said as he to shook Shepard's hand. "The Avengers will help out in any way we can."
"Glad to have you two on board." Shepard said with a smile.
"This is your show, Shepard, but I want to bring down Saren just as much as you do." Garrus spoke up. "I'm coming with you."
"You're a Turian like him. Why would you want to bring him down?" Ashely asked in an almost accusing tone.
"They may be the same species, but that doesn't mean they're anything alike." Ben pointed out in Garrus' defense.
"I couldn't find the proof I needed for my investigation, but I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council, and a disgrace to my people." Garrus said strongly.
Shepard gave a nod to Garrus, liking how strongly Garrus wanted to bring Saren down., before shaking his hand. "Welcome aboard, Garrus."
"You know, we aren't the only ones going after Fist." Garrus pointed out. "The Shadow Broker hired a Krogan bounty hunter named Wrex to taste him out."
"Yeah, we saw him in the bar." Ashley said.
"A Krogan might come in handy." Shepard said with intrigue.
"Yeah, take it from us. Those guys hit pretty hard." Ben said.
"Good thing we hit harder." Erik bragged with a smirk.
"Yeah, we saw some of your vids with you guys taking on a Krogan or two." Kaiden said.
"How did you guys even managed to do that?" Ashley asked as she wanted to know how these guys could take on one of the dangerous aliens in the galaxy.
"We'll tell you about it later." Vince said before focusing back on Garrus. "Where can we find this Wrex?"
"Last I heard, he was at the C-Sec Academy." Garrus answered.
"What's he doing there?" Kaiden asked.
"Fist accused him of making threats, so we brought him in for a little questioning." Garrus explained. "If we hurry, we can catch him before he leaves."
"Or before he picks a fight with someone." Vince added.
"Let's move out everyone." Shepard ordered as he and everyone exited the building, with Ben putting his mask back on.
"We can take the stairs that's not that far that should lead us to an elevator to C-Sec Academy, or we can take a Transit Car, though not sure if we can all fit." Garrus said.
"I've got a better idea." Vince said as he walked up Garrus.
"You really got to poke around my head again?" Garrus asked sarcastically.
"You're the one with the knowledge, so yeah." Vince said with a light smirk.
"I'm sorry, what's happening?" Kaiden asked.
"Just a little magic trick." Ben said with a smirk.
"Yeah right." Ashley said with smirk, thinking it was a joke.
She, as well as everyone else, was proven wrong when Vince placed a glowing hand on Garrus' head, then waved his other hand in a circular motion. This caused a swirling portal to open up in front of everyone, stunning the three Alliance soldiers to the core. Ben and Erik chuckled at their reaction before they walked through it, along with Vince and Garrus. The three soldiers were a little hesitant, until Shepard decided to step forward.
"Commander, are you sure about this?" Ashley asked cautiously. "We have no idea what we're in for with these guys."
"Maybe, Williams, but I can tell that these are people we can rely on." Shepard said.
"I'm right behind you, Commander." Kaiden said with a nod.
Ashley sighed before she nodded as well. "Same here."
The three soldiers stepped right through the portal and were shocked to find themselves at their intended destination, C-Sec Academy. Every C-Sec officer close to the portal stepped back in shock at the sight of the portal, and were close to bringing their weapons out, but stopped when they saw the Avengers step out of the portal, as well as Garrus, Shepard, Ashley, and Kaiden walk through as well.
"What the...how did you..." Ashely said in disbelief.
"That was...something." Kaiden said as he didn't really know what to make of it.
Shepard was stunned as well, but he couldn't help but make a little joke to lighten the mood. "That sure kicks an elevator's ass."
"You have no idea." Ben joked as well.
"Come on, I think Wrex is being questioned this way." Garrus said as they all walked to different section of C-Sec Academy.
Sure enough, they did manage to see the red armored Krogan being interrogated by a human C-Sec officer while two Turian officers kept guard to make sure Wrex didn't try anything.
"Witnesses saw you making threats at Fist's bar. Stay away from him." The human officer demanded.
"I don't take orders from you." Wrex said in defiance.
"This is your only warning, Wrex." The officer threatened, though Wrex wasn't the least bit intimidated.
"You should warn Fist. I will kill him." Wrex said as he glared back and got in the officer's face.
"You want me to arrest you?" The officer said.
"I want to see you try." Wrex said with a smirk. Wrex looked to the side and saw Shepard, his squad and the Avengers walking in his direction, so he just walked away from the officer to see what they want.
"Go on! Get out of here!" The officer exclaimed, having enough of Wrex for one day.
As Wrex stepped up to the group, his eyes settled on Spider-Man. "You were at Chora's Den, same as me. You following me, Avenger?"
"You know us?" Spider-Man asked curiously.
"Hard not to. Vids of you three have been spreading across the galaxy, most notably you taking on full-grown Krogan." Wrex answered before setting his eyes on Shepard. "Do I know you, human?"
"My name is Shepard, and I'm going after Fist. Thought you might want to tag along." Shepard answered.
"Shepard...Commander Shepard." Wrex muttered, thinking he's heard that name before, until it dawned on him. "The hero of the Skyllian Blitz. I've heard a lot about you."
"We figured it'd be best if we worked together instead of against each other since we're after the same guy." Erik pointed out.
"Hmm." Wrex hummed in thought before looking strongly at Shepard and each of the Avengers. "We're all warriors here. Out of respect I'll give you all a fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist."
"Fist knows your coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together." Garrus pointed out.
"My people have a saying: seek the the enemy of my enemy, and you'll find a friend." Wrex said with a nod as he and Shepard shook hands.
"Glad to have you on the team, Wrex." Shepard acknowledged.
"Let's go, I hate to keep Fist waiting." Wrex said in an almost eager tone.
"Now we just need to get to Chora's Den and get to Fist." Ashley said.
"Vince, think you can..." Spider-Man said as he gestured to his head.
"On it." Vince responded as he did the same thing to Ben with what he did with Garrus and opened a portal to Chora's Den.
"Huh." Wrex muttered as he eyed the portal. "There's something you don't see everyday."
"I gotta feeling this day's going to get even weirder." Ashley said to herself before she and everyone else stepped into the portal.
The group soon found themselves back at the front of Chora's Den, but something seemed to be off about the place. There was no music playing and the lights were completely off.
"Looks like it's shut down." Garrus noted.
"Fist knows were coming." Wrex said in a low tone.
"Probably on edge with a Krogan bounty hunter and an Avenger walking into his bar." Ben said.
"Yeah, but whatever he's got shouldn't be a problem for us." Erik said confidently as he brandished his sword.
"You seriously bringing a sword to a gun fight?" Ashley questioned.
"Hey, it's a special kind of sword." Erik pointed out.
"Either way, keep your guard up, people." Shepard said as he, his squad, Garrus, and Wrex drew their weapons and kept them up.
The moment the front door to the club opened, they group was met with opened fire by a dozen of Fist's hired thugs hiding either behind the bar or the patrons tables, and even one thug up on the highest stage above the bar. Everyone stepped back away from the entrance to avoid getting shot at, with Garrus and Shepard the only ones returning fore from both sides of the door.
"Bad customer service of this is how they treat their guests." Spider-Man joked.
"We need to get past these guys if we want to get to Fist." Kaiden said.
"I have an idea." Vince spoke up.
The sorcerer used his magic to create a dome barrier around the entrance, which deflected all of the shots fired at them. This gave the group. Chance to enter Chora's Den to find cover of their own.
As soon as Vince brought down the magic shield, Spider-Man was the first to literally spring into action as he web-zipped up to the high stage where one thug was and kicked the gun out of his hand. The thug tried to punch him, but the hero just easily moved out of the way before delivering an uppercut and sent him falling to the ground, crashing into a table.
Two thugs tried to shot at him, but Garrus moved forward and shot them in the head with his sniper rifle. Kaiden used his biotics to lift two more thugs in the air before slamming them hard into the wall. Ashley continued to shoot and managed to kill two more thugs trying to shoot her. A third one was about to hit her with a pistol, but Erik saw it coming as he got in front of her and deflected each shot with his sword. Erik then charged at the thug with impressive speed before he could fire again, then used his sword to slice the pistol up before delivering a powerful kick that sent the thug crashing to the wall.
Ashley was stunned at first before she walked up to Erik and gave him a grateful. "Okay, I guess that sword is okay in a gun fight."
"You bet it is." Erik said jokingly with a smirk.
Vince gathered some magic into multiple energy balls around him before firing them at a few more thugs, knocking them out as soon as they hit. Shepard Squated down by a table to avoid getting shot at, but as soon as he saw an opening he came back up and shot them down with his rifle. Wrex was like a walking tank as he just kept moving while shooting down every thug that got too close with his shotgun.
"WREX!"
Wrex couldn't help but grin as he saw the same Krogan bouncer that stopped him before run right towards him in valiant charge. Wrex decided to humor him as he charged as well and the two met in a collision of strength. The Krogan bouncer tried to push forward, but Wrex simply grabbed him by his sides before tossing him right into the wall. The bouncer tried getting back up, but Wrex shot him right in the midsection with his shotgun. He was still alive, but barely, as Wrex walked up to his downed form before pointing his gun at him.
"Told you this story was beginning, but looks like yours just ended." Wrex said before finishing the Krogan bouncer off with a final shot.
"This way." Shepard said as soon all of the present guards were dead. The group entered a hallway in the back and went through another door, but paused when they saw two men with guns in their way.
"Don't come any closer!" One of the men demanded.
Vince noticed something about these men that made them stand out. "Those are uniforms."
"Warehouse workers." Garrus elaborated. "All the real guards must be dead or detained."
"Stay back or we'll shoot!" The worker said as they pointed their guns at them.
"This may be a good time to find somewhere else to work." Shepard suggested to them.
The two workers looked at each other before they put their guns down and hastily made their way out. "Yeah, yeah, that's probably a good idea." One of them said.
"Yeah, I never liked Fist anyway." The worker said as they both left.
"It would've been quicker to just kill them." Wrex said.
"Killing people isn't always the answer." Vince said.
"Besides, they were just small fry. Could barely hold their pistols straight." Ashley said.
"Let's go, people." Shepard ordered as the squad went down the hall. They eventually made it to an opening that led to a pretty large office and spotted Fist sitting at his desk. Shepard raised his rifle up and aimed it at him. "It's over, Fist. Surrender."
"Why must I do everything myself." Fist said lowly as he glared at Shepard and the Avengers. "I've been expecting your arrival, Avengers, but now its time to die!"
Fist pressed a button on his desk, causing two pillars to rise up on both sides of his office where turrets popped out of them and began firing at them. Vince was quick enough to create a magic shield that protected.
"I've got these guys!" Spider-Man declared as he leapt up and shot a web line at one of the turrets before he yanked it out. He gave it a spin in midair before letting go, causing it to hit the second turret and making an explosion that knocked Fist down to the ground.
"Woo! Nice one, Ben!" Erik cheered.
"Okay, that's impressive." Wrex said with a slight smirk.
The group walked up to the down Fist who held his side in pain before looking up at them in fear. "Wait, don't kill me! I surrender!"
"Smart move, but an even smarter one would be telling us where the Quarian who came to see you is." Vince said as he glared at the man.
"She's not here! I don't know where she is that's the truth!" Fist pleaded.
"He's no use to you now. Let me kill him." Wrex said simply.
Fearing for his life, Fist scrambled back to his feet and tried to plead his case. "Wait! Wait! I don't know where the Quarian is, but I know where you can find her! The Quarian isn't here, said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself."
"Face to face? Impossible." Wrex said in suspicion. "Even I was hired through an agent."
"Which means..." Kaiden said before pausing as he and the others were starting to get it.
"That's right. Nobody ever meets the Shadow Broker. Ever. Even I don't know his true identity." Fist said as a smirk slowly creeped his face. "But she didn't know that, so I told her I'd set up a meeting, but when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her."
Everyone's eyes widened at that news. Once that Quarian arrives, Saren's men will torture her for that info she has, then there will be no more use of her.
Shepard glared at Fist before he grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. "Give me the location! Now!"
"Here on the wards, in the back alley of the markets." Fist answered. "She's supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry."
Spider-Man's mask lenses narrowed in determination before he ran out of the office as fast as he can move, even firing a web zip line to go faster.
"Ben, wait!" Shepard called out.
"Don't worry, Commander, he can save her faster than we can." Erik said.
"Yeah, but he may need back up." Ashley said.
"He may act like a goofball sometimes, but Ben's one of the toughest Avengers we know." Vince said, having full confidence in his friend and teammate. "If anything, Saren's men are the ones who are going to need backup."
All of a sudden, Wrex pulled out his shotgun and shot Fist point blank, shocking everyone present.
"What the hell!" Kaiden exclaimed.
"What are you doing?!" Garrus asked the Krogan in disbelief.
"The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave a job half done." Wrex said simply.
"He was unarmed!" Vince said as he glared at the Krogan. "We could have brought him in to the police, to answer for his crimes!"
"He did answer for them. I just sped things along." Wrex said without any guilt.
"Vince is right. We don't shoot unarmed prisoners!" Shepard said as he to glared Wrex.
"How many people have died because of him?" Wrex asked rhetorically. "Anyway, don't we have something more concerning at the moment."
"He's right, Commander." Ashely spoke up. "We need to get to the Quarian."
The group soon ran out back to the bar, but paused when they came face to face with another band of thugs with their guns all pointing at them.
"How did Ben get past these guys?" Kaiden asked while giving a tired sigh.
"He must have just left before they arrived." Vince said simply.
"Great." Erik said with an eager grin as he brought out his sword and got in a fighting stance. "More for us then."
Wrex couldn't help but laught at Erik's remark as he prepped his shotgun. "I'm starting to like you, human."
"Why do I get the feeling these guys are gonna get us all killed." Ashley grumbled.
Shepard couldn't help but chuckle silently as he prepped his rifle. "Well, no one lives forever, Williams."
/
Spider-Man followed the directions Fist gave as he crawled along the walls of the back alley of the markets. He wasn't sure how many of Saren's men would be here, so he figured that for now a stealth approach was the best option. He eventually spotted some figures in the distance of the alley and figured that was where he needed to be.
Ben perched himself on the wall and saw who was here. There were a couple of armored Salarians off to the side, and it looked like they were being led by a lone Turian. He also noticed the Quarian they were looking for, who wore a black and purple suit over her body, with a few hints of silver plating, especially on her right arm, a purple hood, and, what was most iconic for all Quarians, a mask that covered her entire face. Though Ben did not know this yet, her name was Tali'Zorah
"Did you bring it?" The Turian asked.
"Where's the Shadow Broker. Where's Fist?" Tali asked in both suspicion and fear.
"They'll be here." The Turian said as he ran his hand along Tali's arm a bit suggestively, which really made Tali uncomfortable and mad.
"No way." Tali said as she slapped the Turian's hand away. "The deal's off."
The Turian glared at Tali before he gestured to the Salarians, causing them to walk up with their weapons ready. Tali stepped back in fear as she figured out what this was really about. She'd have to think quickly if she wanted to get out of here, maybe she could use one of her grenades to distract them and think of a way to escape, though she'd have to be fast.
Seeing she was in trouble, Spider-Man leapt off the wall and shot a couple of web lines that yanked the weapons out of the Salarian's hands. The spider themed hero landed in front of Tali, shocking her as well as her attackers.
"Seriously, it takes all of you to pick on one girl? Is there any decency left in this universe?" Spider-Man joked before looking towards Tali, who even though he can't clearly see her face, he can still see that her eyes widened by the mere sight of him.
The Turian snapped out of his shock as he grabbed a weapon, and the Salarians reached back and pulled their secondary weapons. "Kill this bastard!" The Turian ordered.
The Salarians and Turian fired at the web head, who jumped out of the way to avoid getting shot. He then dashed forward and delivered a spin kick on one of the Salarian assassins before elbowing the other in the face. They tried to retaliate, but Spider-Man jumped up and delivered a split kick to their heads, that made them stagger back.
"Let's give these bad boys a try." Spider-Man muttered as he fiddled with his web launchers. He aimed his hands at the two Salarians again before firing a single web line that attached to their chests. The hero pressed a button on his web launchers with his thumb, causing an electrical current to flow through the web lines and electrocute the Salarians, before they fell unconscious. "Yes! Taser webs! Man, I'm glad I got those fixed up!"
Spider-Man's spider senses tingled as he rolled out of the way to avoid getting shot at by the remaining Turian assassin. The assassin was fuming as he just fired randomly at the hero, who jumped in multiple directions to avoid getting shot.
"I'm gonna kill you!" The Turian assassin exclaimed as continued to fire at the hero.
"That's what they all say." Spider-Man said as he jumped up in the air, fired a couple web lines at a crate, and then flinging it at the assassin. The crate crashed right into their Turian, causing him to collide with the wall and get knocked out before the hero landed back on the ground. "And you know what, it never comes true."
Tali just continued to look on in shock at what just transpired before her very eyes. Honestly, she thought a pathogen got through her enviro-suit and caused her to hallucinate, cause no human, at least she assumed he was human, could have such strength and agility like this one displayed.
Seeing as the danger has passed, Spider-Man walked over to Tali and spoke to her. "Are you okay, miss?" Spider-Man asked.
Tali snapped out of her shock slightly as she regained her bearings. "Uh-yes, yes I'm alright." Tali answered after taking a few deep breaths, before looking back at her savior. "Who...who are you?"
"I'm Spider-Man, but you can just call me Ben." Spider-Man answered as he removed his mask. That confirmed to Tali that this man was human. "You don't have to worry anymore; the Avengers are here to help you."
"The Avengers?" Tali asked in confusion. Soon enough, the rest of the Avengers and Shepard's squad came running by. Tali was a bit on edge by the new arrivals, but judging by Ben's carefree look at the sight of them, they appear to be friendly.
"Guys, glad you could finally join us." Ben said.
"Yeah, we would have been here sooner, but we had some unwanted guests." Erik said with an easy grin.
Shepard soon approached Tali, who still looked a tad but nervous. "I'm Commander Shepard. Are you alright, miss?" Shepard asked Tali.
"I am okay." Tali said before she started to have a look of anger. "Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him."
"You don't have to worry about that scumbag anymore." Ashley spoke up while gesturing towards Wrex. "The big guy here killed him back at his club."
"I was hired to do a job, and I did it. Simple as that." Wrex said nonchalantly.
"We're you hurt in the fight?" Shepard asked.
"Ben was able to protect me, but even he didn't I know how to take care of myself." Tali said before looking towards Ben, and gave him a grateful nod. "Still, you have my thanks."
"You're welcome." Ben nodded back.
"We have reason to believe that you have evidence against a Turian named Saren." Vince pointed out.
"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life, but not here. We need to go somewhere safe." Tali said.
"Any ideas? I don't think our apartment is big enough for all of us." Erik pointed out.
"We could take her to the human embassy. Your ambassador will want to see this anyway." Garrus suggested.
"Good idea." Kaiden said in approval. "Whatever evidence she has, Udina will want to see every bit of it to present to the Council."
"Well then, let's get moving everyone." Ben said as he and everybody made their way to the direction of the human embassy.
The team went through a lot of trouble to get whatever information Tali might have, but with her with them they may finally have a chance to see what this whole ordeal is all about.
They just hope they weren't too late to stop whatever Saren was planning.
/
Hey everyone, here's a new chapter I hope you all enjoy. And with this, this'll be the last chapter I will get out in quick succession because I had it saved. Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but I'll try to get it out soon.
Now we have almost all the party members of Mass Effect, except for Liara at the moment, joining the crew of the Normandy, which I am really excited about since they are such memorable characters. Now since I am going to have all party members accompany Shepard on the missions, and the game only allows two party members per mission, I will definitely miss some dialogue they will speak, but I'll try to get as much as I can.
Another thing to note is that the MCU Disney+ shows are really amazing, and I said in chapter 1 that their events will not be a part of this story, but after watching WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier (along with Loki starting out really awesome)I can definitely say that I will be incorporating most of their elements into my story. I'll even incorporate some elements of Agents of SHIELD and the Marvel Netflix shows as well, but only some of them.
That's pretty much all I have to say, but if you have any questions, I'll try to answer them without giving up too many spoilers.
Have a great day everyone, and I'll see you all next time.