Hey Fellas!
I just wanted to drop a little offer for all of you. Would any of you would like to join a Discord server where about 18 other writers reside? The server meant to give inspiration and help, but it's a good little community. If any of you are currently writing or thinking about writing and want a little help, feel free to PM me, so I can hook you up with the link.
And, some of you may have noticed the new coverart for the story, I said it would be here at some point... Right? Head over to my deviantart to get a better look.
Kind regards
KanisRussell.
20/8 2185
Deep down in the wards, Citadel.
Mads stepped into the room. Nothing much had changed since he had last been there. The desk in the middle was still there. It was a small room, not meant to draw attention to itself. Sergei looked up from the desk.
"Ah! Mads! So good to see you again." Sergei went up from the table and over to pull Mads into a very awkward hug. Mads managed to wiggle himself out.
"Yeah, it's good to see you as well Sergei. What happened to the young Turian?" Mads asked.
"His papa called him back, not like the little shit could learn anything anyway. Dumb as a rock." Sergei remarked as he sat down and gestured for Mads to sit down as well.
"Yeah, I could see that. So, how is business?" Mads asked as took his seat.
"Fucking booming! Thanks again for taking care of that asshat. He was never a good businessman to begin with." Sergei replied. "And have you put me gift to good use?" He asked.
"Oh hell yeah. It's fucking awesome, thanks." Mads said as he pulled it out and inspected it.
"No need to thank me." Sergei replied. "Oh, do you want a drink?" Sergei then asked with a smile.
"What do you got?" Mads asked back as he leaned back in his seat.
"Russian Standard Gold. It's supposed to be pretty good." He remarked as he fetched the bottle from a storage unit.
"Hell yeah. Pour me some." Mads smiled. Sergei placed a glass in front of him and opened the bottle.
"My belief is that the best deals are always made over a drink." Sergei commented as he poured the vodka in the glass.
"I'll second that motion." Mads said as he took a sip of it. It burned just right in his throat.
"By the way, who is that pretty little thing you have been dragging around today?" Sergei laughed. Mads' smile dropped from his face.
"Have you been stalking me?" Mads asked confused with a bit of anger mixed in.
"What? No! I saw you earlier with a Quarian." He said. "Don't worry, I don't judge." Sergei added.
"It's none of your business. Let's leave it at that." Mads said as he emptied his glass and sat it back on the table.
"Alright. You requested a shit ton of ammunition again. I can supply the 00 buck shots and the 7.62×39mm rounds, but there is a problem regarding 44. Magnum rounds." Sergei explained with a sigh.
"What do you mean?" Mads asked.
"The production of said rounds are not the top priority of the arms manufacturers. Recently, collectors and hunters have begun buying more and more, especially old ammo. I can't get you more for at least a week." Sergei said.
"I don't have a week. We are going on a new mission in a couple of days." Mads replied.
"I know you are a busy man, so I brought you a solution. Just... Hear me out." Sergei said before leaving the table to fetch a small protective case from a nearby table.
"I only have 2 boxes of 44. Magnum rounds, but I will give you this to make up for it." Sergei then put the case on the table and unlocked the pin on the lock. Then he opened it and showed it to Mads.
"'Glock 20... Really? Never took you for an Austrian" Mads asked as he rubbed his forehead.
"Hear me out." Sergei defended. "Now, it's no 44. Magnum, but its practical in its own way. 10mm has been used by law enforcement for quite a long time. There are stories of police officers killing polar bears with it-"
"Polar bears? No shit?" Mads asked.
"Yeah, it's wild. It was even too much for the FBI, they made their own version. This, however, is the real deal. Combine that with the easy and fast reload provided by the detachable magazine and the high fire rate. It's a beast of a firearm." Sergei continued.
Mads inspected the firearm, checking how fast he could reload and how good the sights were. Sergei had gone to get something else while Mads was checking the gun through. Sergei returned with a holster and placed it on the table.
"Hip holster, I know you can't let the other one go. This should be a nice fit on your left hip." Sergei remarked.
"Thanks." Mads said as he attached the holster to his belt.
"I hope you'll find some good use for it." Sergei replied.
"I hope so. How much do I owe you?" Mads asked.
Sergei forwarded a list of all the things he had provided and what the cost was. Mads looked through it. "You aren't going to charge me for the gun?" Mads asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Think of it as compensation." Sergei said as he took a sip from his drink.
"I see. Thank you." Mads quickly transferred the money to Sergei's secret account. When Sergei verified it had been received, he smiled.
"By the way... Did you have that... other thing?" Mads asked.
Sergei seemed lost in thought for about a minute, but then he snapped his fingers. "Ah yes!" He went over and brought over a folder over. A folder with some actual real paper inside. "Here you are. It took some digging." Sergei remarked.
Mads skimmed through the content of the folder and smirked at what he read. "And I assume this is accurate?" Mads asked as he took his eyes away from the paper.
"Indeed, had my best man on the job." Sergei laughed, almost like the question was absurd.
"You're my favorite customer, you know that? You respect the classics, not like all the youngsters and wannabe gangsters nowadays. Always looking for the newest." Sergei remarked as he leaned back in his chair.
"And you are my favorite suppler. Now, I need to get going." Mads said as he arose from his chair.
"Have fun... And good luck out there." Sergei said as Mads left the room with his new pistol on his hip. Sergei quickly organized for the remained ammunition to be delivered to the ship.
22/8 2185
Mads, Tali and Garrus stood in the comm room. Looking over whatever Intel the illusive man had seen fit to give them. It was an ancient dead reaper, and of course Cerberus had jumped on the opportunity to study it. The place had been dark for a little while now, so it was not far-fetched to think something went wrong.
Mads looked over the layout of the place. The cigarette still lit in his hand as smoke slowly went up to the celling. Tali was looking at the map as well, while Garrus was busy cleaning his weapon. Mads took a drag from his cigarette as he skimmed the information again.
"What are you thinking?" Tali asked while standing close to Mads.
"I'm thinking this will be messy. I think we should expect more than a simple pick up mission." Mads replied.
"I almost can't remember a single mission we have had yet that was simple." Garrus remarked as he continued cleaning.
"True." Mads replied while not taking his eyes off the map.
"Joker?" Mads called out. "How far to the dead Reaper?" Mads asked.
"45 mintues, Captain. Be sure to leave your signature there, you know 'Romanov was here'." Joker wittily remarked over the comm.
"Funny." Mads sarcastically replied as he put out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Alright, I'll go suit up. I'll suggest you both do the same." Mads said as he left the room.
Mads quickly suited up into his armor and pulled up his boots. He buckled the belt in place and made sure both the Magnum and Clock was well within reach. He then clipped on the speed loaders and magazines for both handguns. Lastly, he picked up his helmet and went up.
Tali and Garrus stood ready at the shuttle. If Mads knew anything, is was that the illusive man was probably full of shit. This was going to be hairy.
Mads equipped his helmet and nodded for the pilot to bring them in. Guess they were really doing it after all. Whatever problems would be faced on that station/dead reaper were sure to be solved with a bullet... Right?
These corridors... They seemed haunted. So empty, you could hear a pin drop on the other side of the room. The air, however, was thick with something, though not tension... Well... Maybe tension was there, but there was something else as well.
"Watch your six, don't go running off." Mads ordered as they moved in tight formation forward. His gut was screaming danger at him, and he never been one to turn down what his gut said.
"Copy that." Garrus replied, Tali gave a affirmative sound as well. They came across several terminals with audio logs in them. Slowly, it began to paint a clearer picture. Something real shady went on here. Something they couldn't control.
That was so often the case: something would go down and no one could control it. The main fault of humanity, believing you can control something. Oh boy, it had a way of back firing. The beauty of irony, it was a cruel mistress.
"мать бога" (Mother of God) Mads remarked as the giant dragon teeth stood before them. Poor crew members were impaled by it. They all looked at the scene in horror. While this sight was not new, it was the scale of it, and rather, what the hell had caused it.
There were no Geth in sight, no Saren replacement. It was more like... These people did it to themselves. In some weird sense of worship, almost like a cult. Mads' gut twisted at the thought, his mind racing to find whatever answers were to be found.
Then, Husks were coming for them. The crewmembers long dead, now serving their new master with the upmost loyalty. They still used the same old tactics, running straight forward and hoping not to get shot. Of course, that tactic relied on the enemy being scared and unprepared. Only problem was: Mads, Tali and Garrus certainly was prepared.
And, Mads got to try out his new toy. The Glock was far from bad, in fact, it was a breath of fresh air. He had never shot it before, only the Glock 17. And that was at a shooting range in Texas. God, he still remembered that trip to America, and how great it was. These thoughts however, were not suited for the current situation.
Blasting a couple of husk out of the way, they proceeded to the next room, and were really surprised at what happened. A husk tried to knock down Mads from behind, but a sniper shot rang out. The husk's limp body fell to the ground as they located the source. A Geth rose out was its sitting position.
"Romanov-Captain." It greeted before hurrying off. Mads looked at both Tali and Garrus with a confused look.
"What the fuck was that?" He asked.
"Unless I'm dreaming, that Geth just addressed you. With actual words. And didn't blow your brains out." Garrus remarked.
"But why?" Mads asked again.
"Who knows? Maybe it is trying to lure you into a false sense of safety?" Tali theorized.
"You're right, best not trust it yet. Let's move on. Things are bound to get more interesting with a Geth around." Mads replied.
The hordes of what was once the crew came at them once again, and oh boy, were there a lot of them! Garrus had switched to his assault rifle to keep up with Mads and Tali. Tali was sporting her usual shotgun, blasting them all off the catwalk. Mads used his trusted AK, tearing them to shreds. But, as luck would have it, more and more came.
It was soon clear that is becoming too much, they began overwhelming them. Garrus retreated a bit to make better use of his sniper. Mads had switched to his AA-12 to try and keep them at bay. 5, maybe 6 husks began to circle around Tali. They lunged at Tali. She did manage to kill two of them, but they knocked the shotgun right out of her hand. They pinned her to the ground, screaming their unintelligible nonsense at her, threating to rip out her throat with their teeth.
Mads felt the fury built up in him, the desire to protect grew to an all-time high. His shotgun gave a click as he pulled the trigger. "Shit" he muttered to himself, he did a quick scan around the room. It was clear any firearms would be at danger of harming Tali.
When he spotted it, it seemed so out of place. Nailed to the wall with a color that screamed Take and use me! He ran for the fire axe station at the wall. Mads punched out the glass, not even giving a second thought to the fact why there was a fire axe there in the first place. He had other things to worry about.
The glass shattered and Mads pulled out the axe. The heavy fire axe felt right in his hand. Mads ran towards Tali, midway he began raised the axe that required two hands to operate. The axe cut in to the first husk, the head dangling from the little piece of neck left. The next one, he made an uppercut with the axe. The husk's jaw was cut in half, making him look like the predator. Next husk was left without a head, it bounced on the ground and fell down to the darkness beneath the catwalk.
There was only one left, the one currently on top of Tali, trying to get close enough to bite down on her throat. Tali struggled as much as she could. She felt a ton of fear flow through her. Then, blood began pouring out of the Husk, landing on her visor and closing her vision. She felt the body weight of the husk being removed from her. She wiped off the blood on her visor and saw Mads trying to free his axe from the skull of the Husk. Mads placed his foot on the shoulder, and pushed until it sprang free.
Mads looked away from the Husk to Tali. "Are you alright?" He asked in a concerned voice as he ran over to her.
"I'm fine, thank you." Tali said.
"My pleasure. Let's get moving before more show up." Mads ordered.
Garrus came back and they both ran off to the next room. Once again, they saw the Geth, who seemed to be trying his luck with the controls on a terminal. In front of the Geth was the very thing core of the Reaper. And it seemed unstable, and it seemed to almost have a mind of its own. Which wasn't really surprising. They began walking towards the Geth. Mads wanted to question it, wanted to know why it had spared him.
However, a Husk ruined that chance... For now at least. It seemed to knock the Geth unconscious... or whatever the term was for robot going out cold. The husk turned its attention to them, but meet its maker before it could try anything.
Mads jugged over to the limp Geth body. Studying it. It was clear it was still operational. He stood up again, and turned his attention to the terminal. His hands moved quick, he didn't want to be here any longer than he needed to. The walls almost seemed like they were closing in on him. They had to destroy that core if they wanted to get out of there, but it would also create a giant explosion, so they needed to be quick.
Of course their work wasn't easy. Husks came at them while the reaper core shielded itself from their firepower. But it would open up every now and then, but it was a short window to place some shots.
Finally, it came in. It became even more unstable as it was clear that it would soon explode. "Take the Geth!" Mads ordered to Garrus.
"Mads! What are you doing?" Tali asked. She was furious that he was attempting to bring a Geth with them.
"Tali, I really don't have to argue with now. We need to understand what the hell is going on with that Geth." Mads replied as he helped Garrus lift it up. Tali knew that time wasn't really a luxury they had right now, so she decided to save it for later.
It was a close call as they used the lack of gravity to jump back into the Normandy. It did made transporting the Geth a lot easier, but... He would have to answer to Tali now. Mads ordered the Geth put down by the AI room where Edi's mainframe was located. He would deal with the Geth as soon as he had dealt with his better half. It that was even possible.
Yup, the first argument of a relationship is never going to be an easy one.