A /N: Hey guys!
So, we finally reached ME3, it only took….. A year and 5 month? Damn, that's a long time. Anyway, I hope to close the gap between the two games in this chapter, so there should be quite some explaining. I hope you enjoy! And please, leave some feedback, it would mean a lot!
Kind regards
KanisRussell
The 6 months since the downfall of the collectors and Mads' imprisonment had went differently for each person involved. Mads had spent his time in prison cell, though this had to be the most luxurious prison cell he ever had set his eyes on. But, the fact remained that he was still in prison. He wasn't free to walk around. He wasn't free to choose when to eat, smoke or anything else. He did, however, have a lot of free time, and so his mind lingered on a lot of different things. Sometimes his faith, other times what needed to be done, mostly... They fell on Tali.
Tali had an equally hard time. She had been made Admiral, and while she enjoyed holding this position, she found herself with a lot of responsibility. She wasn't used to it. Her mind would linger on Mads, perhaps even more than his would linger on her. She had lost contact with him, almost certainly because of an alliance ban on communication to him. She was worried.
She never knew a Quarian bond could be this strong, and that it could even work with a human. But, nothing about all of this was normal. Her heart ached for his, and she was certain the situation was the same with him. Her very soul was incomplete without him. But, she held out hope that they would be reunited soon enough. She had always believed him on the reaper ordeal, even though so many doubted him.
Conrad had a field day when he found out Mads had been locked up. No news outlet would shut up about it. It was impossible to wipe the smirk of his smug face that day. In his mind, Romanov deserved to be locked up, even though it was only for just a short while. That also meant that Conrad was able to focus on other matters.
His own criminal empire on Omega and the in the Terminus system was looking good. He had effectively killed off his completion with his tactical play. He enjoyed the monopoly he held, but he still shared it with Aria. Though their relationship was still kept hush-hush behind closed doors, they had begun to help each other out more as the months passed.
Though, it wasn't trouble free. Things had gone to shit some time ago. Aria lost her daughter, Liselle, to Cerberus no less. There were many factors involved in that killing, but Conrad swore to seek revenge on whoever hurt his lover like this. There were rumors, and Aria herself believed that Liselle's lover was the one who killed her. A certain Paul Johnson. But, different rumors were about, one said that Kai Leng was behind it.
Conrad certainly had enough to do. He wasn't about to lie down and rest. There was also the matter of a "Reaper Invasion" that Romanov had been preaching about. Conrad didn't believe it, but some in his crew did. Only time would tell if Romanov was right or not. He couldn't be bothered with rumors about a possible race of machines there to kill them.
Still, some part of him was compelling to start preparing. He would fool himself, saying it was for "Extra security measures." Though, that was a lie. Romanov always did have a way with words.
William was busy as well. He was sadden to hear of Romanov's imprisonment, but he was proud of him. Giving Cerberus the finger, stealing their ship and crew and living to tell about it? Not many people could do that. But, William knew, that with Romanov no longer with Cerberus, their little truce was officially over. This meant that Outer Heaven could finally go back and do what they always should have done.
William believed in what Romanov said. He had never known the man to be a liar. He was fair and maybe a little unorthodox, but not crazy. That's why William did everything he could to prepare in whatever way was necessary. That didn't mean he stopped hitting Cerberus in raids, in fact, he doubled his efforts. His recruitment was also beginning to grow. He had a fleet of about 13 warships under him now. It wasn't nearly as much as Cerberus had, but it was enough to be a thorn in their side. As long as he was mobile and hit them in guerilla tactics, they would be fine. He knew how they operated.
Things were looking up. He had managed to get Miranda on his side. She had quit her job, and he helped her, as long as she helped him. Very few know of the affair they used to have in their time with Cerberus. William still didn't know if there ever were any feelings from her side. He knew that some feelings lingered within him still.
Still, Cerberus was hot on their tail, and her father was out to get her sister. They helped each other as much as they could. William thought he could see the tell-tale signs within her, that she might be interested in something a little more than... Letting off steam. But, he knew that he had things to attend to as well.
He had done business with Sergei the Merchant. A legend in arms smuggling now. He supplied just about everyone, and he was damn good at it. If you had the money, he had what you needed. No dumb questions asked, well, sometimes he did, but he didn't mean them. He was quite a likeable character, when he wasn't busy drinking. Man was as thirsty as a fish. No one knew much about him, but something must have happened in his life.
12/3/2186
Vancouver, Canada.
Mads knew nothing of what was happening outside. His only link was a lieutenant named James. Latino by the looks of it. He mostly treated Mads with respect, and Mads tolerated him. Mads even offered some small advice every now and then, because the young James seemed ambitious. He had strength, but Mads wasn't sure about tactical know-how. It was hard to tell nowadays.
The day started like any other. It was quiet, and the sun was shining like always. The coffee he was served always tasted awful, probably came from some discount coffee maker they found. But, it was still a luxury some other prisoners didn't get. He enjoyed and savored the moment. The fire detacher laid dismantled on the table by the window. Something he did every time he smoked. Simply because he couldn't be bothered to call on the guards every time he wanted to smoke.
Mads tried to get the zippo to work, but it was clear that he needed new lighter fluid, perhaps even a new wick. At least, after several tries, the lighter produced the desired flame. Mads took delight in the nicotine as it entered his system. Mads had nothing but time, and had spent most if it keeping himself in shape as much as possible.
Mads looked out over buildings in Vancouver. His Prison cell was located quite a way up. He wasn't sure which floor it was on, but that didn't matter. The feeling he had this morning told him that it probably won't matter for much longer. Sure enough, James stepped, without knocking of course, and saluted Mads, like he always did.
"Captain?" James asked.
"The alliance reckons I'm not a captain anymore, James. I think it would be wise if you stood by those standards." Mads replied, keeping his eyes looked on the mountains in the distance.
"And you're not supposed to smoke in here." James wittily replied.
"And what will you do about it, lieutenant?" Mads asked, finally turning his eyes to James. He took another drag of his cigarette.
"Nothing at the moment. They want to see you." James answered. Mads looked at James for a moment and look one last long drag of his cigarette, before putting it out in the make-shift ashtray, that used to be his bowl for his cereal.
"Guess I better not keep them waiting." Mads remarked. He hadn't shaved his beard since he was imprisoned, so he looked less than presentable to an alliance court.
"You know the drill." James said as he stepped forward to Mads. Mads held out his hands as James cuffed them. This back and forth was getting old, but they hadn't called for him since he was imprisoned, so he would guess that this was it.
James guided him with a hand on Mads' shoulder. Mads hummed silently as they walked through the corridors, that were unusually busy and full of people. It didn't take long before Mads spotted Anderson through the crowd.
"You're dismissed lieutenant. Come with me Romanov." Anderson ordered. James saluted Anderson before leaving. Mads was now guided by Anderson.
"It's good to see you again Anderson." Mads said.
"It's good to see you as well son." Anderson replied as they continued along.
"So, care to tell me what's going on?" Mads asked.
"Hackett issued the order to mobilize the fleet. Everyone is trying to get everything in order." Anderson answered.
"I see. So, is it finally happening?" Mads asked further, still being guided by Anderson's firm hand.
"We can't tell. I think it's too early to confirm." Anderson replied.
"We both know it is." Mads remarked.
"They are scared shitless, Romanov. All your reports are nothing but theory to them. If it is true, they need you." Anderson explained.
"Yes, no use for me until the shit really hits the fan." Mads said.
"Stop that. For all the shit you pulled, you should consider yourself lucky you got off that easily." Anderson reminded Mads.
"I guess that's the way it is." Mads replied.
"Come on now, we're not too far away." Anderson guided Mads forward. Anderson went in front to greet a few people, leaving Mads standing awkwardly in the middle of the room with his hands cuffed.
In the crowd ahead, Mads spotted a familiar face. One he wasn't certain he would ever see again. Kaiden Alenko, the name sounded so foreign when he heard Anderson said, especially with the added 'Major' in front. It would seem Alenko hadn't been sitting on his ass for the past 6 months, unlike Mads.
"Captain?" Kaiden asked as he spotted Mads.
"Kaiden, I hear you have been promoted." Mads remarked. "Sorry, I'm out of the loop these days." Mads explained.
"Yes... I have been promoted-" He was about to go on, when Anderson interrupted him.
"What's going on up there?" Anderson asked.
"I'm not sure. It's hard to tell. They asked me to stand by for orders, and that's what I'm going to do." Kaiden replied.
"Understood-" Anderson said.
"Admiral!" One of the personal urged them to go on. Mads and Anderson left, with Kaiden giving Mads a nod on the way.
It was busy in the committee room as well. People were flying around, trying to get answers to something Mads consider already explained. Of course, no one wanted to believe him. They gathered up on their high table, looking down upon Mads and Anderson.
"Admiral Anderson, Romanov. We're glad you could make it." They greeted.
"What's the situation?" Anderson asked.
"We were hoping that Romanov could shed some light on it." They replied. "Reports are coming in... And it's unlike anything we have ever seen before. Colonies and outposts have gone dark. Pretty much everything beyond the sol relay has gone dark..." One of them explained.
"We have no clue what it is, but it is incomprehensible powerful." Another one added.
"You know what this means?" Mads asked, there was silence, and most eyes in the room were turned on him. "It means the reapers have come for us, it means our civilization will be harvested. But most of all-" Mads started. Now, he had everyone's undying attention.
"... It means I was right." Mads could see the fear upon their faces. They scrambled to do something, anything to fight back.
"What can we do?" One asked.
Mads hummed in response as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You should have prepared. I gave you 6 months. But, to survive this, we need to give it all we have. We stand together, firm and brave." Mads replied.
"Is that what you propose?" The other one asked in disbelief. Mads was ready to give back another answer, but he was cut off.
"-Admiral, we lost contact with the lunar base!" One said from the sideline.
"The moon? But how?" Anderson asked in disbelief.
"The U.K headquarters have visual!" One brought up the image on the screen, and Mads knew already. It was similar to the Geth attack on Eden Prime so long ago. They were being attacked, and it wouldn't be long before they arrived in Vancouver.
Mads began to softly hum to relax himself. Everyone was beginning to freak out, which was understandable in the given situation.
"Ama-zing grace... How sweet the sound... That saved a wretch... Like me." No one knew what to do in that moment. Being caught unprepared was a real shitty situation to stand in.
"I once... Was lost... But now... I'm found." Reports were pouring in from all over Earth. It was true, and it was the most bitter thing Mads had ever known. He had been right, and we wished he hadn't been.
And then, they came. "Was blind... But now... I see." They attacked Vancouver. Their laser beams shot straight through the glass, and they hit the room... Twice. Second time, Mads was knocked out. Blackness engulfed him.
Tali felt a strange feeling. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She knew right away that something was wrong. True enough, they got word soon after that earth had went dark. She knew Mads had been right, and now it was confirmed. She prayed for his safety, and hoped he would be alright.
Tali excused herself to her admiral office to deal with it. She knew deep down that he could handle it.
Mads came back into reality not long after. Smoke filled the room, the fire system tried fruitlessly to put out the fire. Mads was still cuffed as he came back into reality. He was not hurt, at least not in any critical way. Mads realized that he had to survive, and promptly did the only thing he could think off.
He had read it somewhere, long ago. If one was too dislocate his thumb, escape from handcuffs was possible. It was the only thing he could think about doing. So he did it. It hurt alright, but it actually worked. Mads managed to get his one hand free, and decided to let the cuffs hand from his right wrist... For now. He relocated the thumb on his left hand and slowly stood up.
The office was a mess, so many dead alliance officials. Mads checked for survivors, and found that most of them died in the blast. Some might argue they would be the luckiest ones, the ones who wouldn't have to fight this war... But Mads knew there was no such thing as lucky anymore. He heard some footsteps approach him, and he looked back and spotted Anderson in a ruined alliance uniform.
"You okay son?" Anderson asked.
"It would have been nice if you uncuffed me before putting me in here. I had to dislocate my thumb." Mads replied with a sigh.
"Yeah, but at least you know how to escape handcuffs in the future." Anderson joked, and Mads' face formed a smile, even if it wasn't the right time or place.
"We have to get out of here. I ordered the Normandy ready before the attack, so let's hope they are ready." Anderson said as he tossed Mads a firearm. It was a standard alliance pistol, nothing fancy. Mads just hoped to God his weapons was on the Normandy.
Anderson barked some orders to Kaiden. He hoped they would be able to meet at the rendezvous point. The city was falling apart, the reapers had showed up in force, and it was clear that this would be no normal enemy. There would be no easy victory, sacrifices had to be made. This was clear, and quite frustrating.
They began to make their way out. They had to use a... Creative exit, since the normal one had been shot to hell. They exposed themselves by taking the rooftops, but they really didn't have much of a choice in the matter. They had to get where they were going, and they had to move fast.
Husks were filling the scene, and not the normal human kind... No, these seemed different. 4 eyes were the dead giveaway. These were the Batarians who died. No doubt the reapers had them doing their bidding now. It was a sad fate, even one Mads wouldn't wish upon anyone, even the Batarians. There was no way to help them, only thing left to do was move on. They had get where they were going, and that meant scaling and climbing through all the buildings on the way.
Mads had never seen a city turn into rubble as fast as this. The reapers knew what they were doing, and Mads hated to grant credit to them. Still, he knew his purpose. No time for weeping for souls already lost. They went down to the waterfront, and they saw it all clearly from here. Half the city was either burning, or it was in ruins. Rebuilding would not be easy.
The signal was weak, and Mads and Anderson hoped that the radio down the by crashed shuttle would work. Some poor alliance soldiers were struggling to stay alive, one of them wounded. Anderson tried to care for the wounded soldier as best he got, all while trying to get the damn radio to work.
Those Batarian husks began to pour in. A full on assault on their position. Mads picked up an assault rifle and began to defend their situation. Two things were clear in that moment. One: He hadn't used a rifle with a thermal clip in. And second, he was out of shape with his marksmanship. Still, he made do... For now.
They kept coming, not stopping for one second. Mads tried, he really did. But, the numbers were clearly outnumbering the bullets in his clip. "Anderson, I could use some back up!" Mads requested as he kept firing.
As if a prayer answered, the Normandy came flying. It cleared them all out in no time. Hellfire raining down from above. Mads looked up with a smile as it flew by. The Normandy saved the day once again. Mads knew they had to board it. It was a matter of regrouping and organizing. Mads and Anderson rushed to the Normandy.
It had landed on a small rise, where rubble had been piled together. Mads stood upon the loading platform of the Normandy, when he noticed Anderson hadn't followed him.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Let's go!" Mads urged.
"I can't. I have to stay. You know that." Anderson replied.
"Then I stay as well." Mads remarked as he began to walk down.
"You can't. I need you out there." Anderson ordered.
"This is my home too! I was born here!" Mads fired back.
"I know, but you are more useful out there than back here." Anderson explained. Mads knew he was right, but it felt like betrayal to Mads. To leave it all behind, while it was still burning none-the-less.
Anderson dug out something in his pocket. It was Mads' dog tags, Mads had no idea where he got it, and why he was carrying it around. But Mads caught it in mid-air as inspected it.
"Welcome back... Captain. " Anderson smiled. Mads nodded at him. So, that was it? Just like that, he was back.
"Be safe. I'll bring back everything I can." Mads replied.
"I know you will. God speed Mads." Anderson said he began to walk further away. "Now, GO!" He ordered and Mads took the order.