1 2/3/2186
Normandy, In Earth's orbit.
Leaving Earth in its most terrible moment was along the hardest things Mads had ever done in his life. It was one of the things he regretted. But, he knew Anderson was right. There was only so much he could do on earth, compared to what he could do in making sure everyone got their shit together in the wider galaxy.
No doubt the reapers had made a coordinated attack, denying the different races the ability to band together. It was about survival now, and that was really ironic considering that the only way they would survive was by coming together and working as a team. The sorry excuse for soldiers on board were having quite a hard time dealing with it, some were taking it okay. Most were in shock, and to be honest, that was understandable in every way.
"This is bullshit! We can't leave!" James had somehow gotten on board as well. Mads wasn't sure if that was intentional or not, but he couldn't be picky about his staff at that moment.
"Where the hell are you going Captain? The fight is back there." James pressed the issue.
"Shut, the, fuck, up." Mads put pressure on each word. "Don't think for a fucking second I don't care about what is happening. That is my home too, and I'll fight to death for it." Mads replied in an angry tone as he pointed his finger at him.
"Then why the FUCK are we leaving the fight?" James asked.
"Because we need allies, and I'm going to get them. Do I need to make it more simple for dumbass?" Mads' tone was as mocking as it was serious. James was about to speak up again, when Joker voice could be heard over the comms.
"Captain? Congratulation on the rehiring and all that, but Admiral Hackett would like a word with you."
"Got it Joker. Put him through." Mads replied. "And James, we will talk in detail about this later." Mads added. James had an angry look on his face as he stepped away. No doubt to mumble curses under his breath. Mads quickly went to the terminal in the hanger bay and awaited Hackett's hologram.
When it finally came through, it was clear that there was some sort of interference in the call. Hackett's voice cut off now and then, and his hologram couldn't display properly. "Captain – Manov – Good to – ou again." It started.
"Same to you Hackett. How can I help you with?" Mads asked.
"We have – heavy losses – force is – can't defeat -" The transmission was bad to say the least.
"Anderson has ordered me to the citadel. We will find help there….. Hopefully." Mads replied.
"Before – We need you – Mars outpost – Other we – lose the system -"
"Understood sir, we'll be heading there now."
"We – researching the archives – Dr. Tsoni – A way to defe – reapers – only way – stay in – tact – Hackett out."
"Joker! You heard that?" Mads asked.
"Loud and clear Captain. I have set the course for the Mars archives." Joker replied over the comms. Mads began to make his way over to the armory in the corner of the hanger bay. To his delight, his weapons and armor was there. At least the alliance had kept it there.
"This is goddamn loco!" James remarked.
"Mars? What the hell are we supposed to find there?" Kaiden asked. Mads hadn't seen Kaiden on board, but it was nice knowing he was there. Even if he didn't fully trust his old Captain yet.
"Good fucking question. But I'll take whatever can aid us in this war. Hackett says he has a means of stopping them, I think it's worth checking out." Mads replied as he began to equip his old armor. "Better suit up." Mads ordered as he snapped his belt in place.
They had all jumped on the shuttle once they were within reach of the archives. Joker had tried his best to get in contact with the people there, but the base was not answering. Though it appeared online, Mads couldn't help but feel that something must be off. He figured he would be likely to see combat again there. Though there was no telling at this point. Better safe than sorry. James piloted the shuttle, and Kaiden was busy double checking his weapons and armor for any faults. He too must be nervous. It had been so long since he had last seen Kaiden, and he wondered what might have changed since then.
Mads had never actually been to the Mars archives. He never had the time or the proper clearance to be there. It was not actually open to the public. He had not, however, expected this to be his first time. And he would imagine that it would be quite a different experience than the normal tour guides. Everything looked normal from above, but things have a habit of changing for the worse when you get closer.
And worse it did get. The facility was dark, and they still couldn't raise anyone. A storm was already brewing in the distance, and would likely catch up at any moment. They had to move fast, getting stuck in a storm was less than ideal. When the door finally opened, and the sun blinded Mads for a moment, he saw the base in all its glory.
The rock cracked beneath his boots as he began to move along. James and Kaiden were not far behind. "Keep up and stick together." Mads ordered. He was given affirmative in response from both of them. They didn't have to walk very far before gunshots were heard, it came from just up ahead.
"Holy shit! That's a fucking firing squad." James remarked in horror as they saw the scene in front of them. The enemies hadn't noticed them yet, and Mads made gestures to his squad to tell them to get in position. "Pick your target and fire on my signal." Mads ordered. They both went to separate covers.
The pricks didn't know they were there, and Mads hoped to get the drop on them in the regard. "Fire!" Mads yelled and they all opened fire. It took a few seconds for the soldiers to notice where the fire was coming from. By the time they figured it out, half of them were already dead.
They returned fire, but Mads, Kaiden and James had to advantage of cover. There pricks probably had their own head up their ass and thought no one else was coming for them. Standing out in the open like mindless idiots. They fell as Mads, Kaiden and James moved closer. But it only revealed something more ugly.
There was no mistaking that mark on the military rover. This was Cerberus, and no doubt they were here for the same thing they were. They seemed like this bad cold you couldn't get away from.
"Are these guys Cerberus?" James asked confused as he eyed the mark.
"It sure does look like it. Jesus fucking Christ." Mads replied.
"What are they doing here?" Kaiden asked.
"How the fuck should I know?" Mads asked back.
"You were with them." Kaiden stated.
"And I'm not anymore. Where the fuck are you going with this?" Mads asked.
"I don't know. But it seems awfully convenient that they show up here." Kaiden remarked. Mads decided to save the argument for later when they were in the clear.
They moved further, and saw more rovers parked outside the entrance. "Doesn't seem like they came in force." James observed.
"No, and that might mean they had help from the inside." Kaiden added.
"It's possible." Mads said. The air was so thick with tension between them. They could almost barely tolerate each other at this point. They entered the decompression room to enter the facility. Mads hit the button and waited for the oxygen to refill the room and the pressure to be stabilized.
"Romanov, I need you to be honest with me right now." Kaiden demanded as he approached Mads as the air was flowing back in.
"About what?" Mads asked back. He knew, but he needed to hear it from Kaiden.
"Cerberus. What the fuck are they doing here? How am I not supposed to ask when you were with them" Kaiden asked bluntly.
"Kaiden you motherfucker. Let me tell you something, I broke ties with Cerberus after destroying the collector base. I AM NOT in the mood for this talk. You're trying to be someone new, someone I can't recognize, and it pisses me off. I USED to think of you as a brother, and you have the nerve to accuse me of collaborating with the enemy? I spent the last SIX MONTHS atoning for my actions, and I had NO FUCKING contact with Cerberus during that time, in fact, I had no contact with ANYONE." Mads ranted.
"It's true, the captain has been under surveillance ever since his trial. There is no way in hell Cerberus could have contacted him. We would have known." James came to Mads' defense.
"Well…. I guess - … I'm sorry." Kaiden remarked.
"Don't bring it up again, Kaiden. I'd rather not explain what every idiot could figure out." Mads said as he removed his helmet. The oxygen was back, but there was no telling if that would continue to be the case for what was ahead.
The doors opened, and it revealed a cargo area. It was filled with resources that was probably used for the maintenance of the base. They didn't get very far before they heard a rattling coming from the vents above. Mads silent gestures for them to be ready for a fight. They awaited whoever it was to spring from the vents.
Mads hadn't expected the person who jumped from the vent, well that wasn't true, Hackett had informed him that she was there, but Mads had expected Liara to have more grace than to crawl through vents. Though, this situation didn't allow for personal preference for any of them. Liara flexed her biotic muscles and sent the Cerberus soldiers, that were following here, flying.
Liara finished off the remaining soldiers still alive with a few shots from her pistol. Her expression was cold and unreadable in that moment. But she was a needed ally in this fight, and Mads hoped she still had the resources of the Shadow Broker.
"Liara! Good to see you!" Mads greeted as he stood up from cover and walked towards her.
"Romanov. Thank Goddess you are alive, and free." Liara replied.
"So am I." Mads remarked.
"I heard about earth….. I'm sorry." She said.
"Yeah, well- … Me too," Mads added.
"Leaving was less than ideal for my soul….." Kaiden said.
"Kaiden, I'm sorry…." Liara started, but changed subject. "But… Why did you come here?" She asked.
"Hackett ordered us to. Said you might have an ace in the hole for us….. Or something that could at least aid us." Mads answered.
"I do believe so." Liara began to walk towards the window. Mads could see that James was close to falling to his knees to thank the Lord. "We discovered plans for a Prothean device….. If my theory is true, then it could destroy the reapers." Liara finished.
"Plans? Here on Mars?" Mads asked confused, how come they were never found before? Or were they just ignored? How big is this place?
Liara explained the circumstances involved. The hows and whys made a little sense, but not much. At least Liara was using her powers as the Shadow broker for the common good. She explained what she thought it was, and while it seemed like a long shot, they could use the good news….. Everyone could. The only challenge was Cerberus, and they were quite the challenge.
They were fast approaching, and Mads had to make sure their exit was covered. James was sent away, to his disapproval.
Mads had never truly faced the Cerberus forces before…. Well, he had, but that was over two…. No, three years ago and they had probably changed since then a lot since then, if their armor was any indication in the matter.
Cerberus had not fought these people. They had massacred them in the most brutal way. That's why Mads had no problem cracking their skulls. There were quite a few of them, even though they did not show up in full force. Still, they would have needed a lot more to do this job. Kaiden's theory seemed more and more likely with each passing second.
Mads tried to unlock the path before them, and Liara attempt to uncover what had happened that morning on the Mars base. None of them were successful. A vid showed a strange woman, and Kaiden asked who it was. Dr. Eva Core, which was a recent addition to the crew working on Mars. Mads stored that information in the back of his head, it might become useful later.
Liara spoke about the construction happening outside, that could be a possible path. Considering their current options, they went for it. It was already a race against time. They equipped their helmet and braced themselves for the strong winds outside. The storm was getting closer, and it only meant that time was running out. It also meant that getting in contact with both the Normandy and James was getting harder.
The room they came to painted a gruesome picture. The room had been vented while the staff was still inside. It was clear to Mads that there was a mole in the system, and that Cerberus was truly beginning to show their true colors. As they moved through the dark room, they came down to some windows. Mads could see Cerberus troops behind them, and realized they couldn't see them. Mads gave the order to open fire, and quickly took down the lot of them.
The security booth up ahead gave some answers to questions that had lingered in their minds. Dr. Eve really was the mule.
"I should have realized it! If only I wasn't so focused on finding a way to stop the reapers!" Liara blamed herself for the countless death that happened today.
"There was no way you could have known. Only thing to do is set things right." Mads replied as he took off his helmet. The room had been pressurized again.
"But what if there is no way to stop the reapers?" Liara asked.
"It's worth a shot. I'd take whatever aid I can get my hands on, and I'll die before surrendering." Mads said.
"Your belief speaks volumes Captain." Liara remarked. They knew they had to get going before it was too late. They pushed forward, slowly but surely. There were more than enough foot soldiers to match them every part of the way.
They had even turned the base's security system against them, and it was annoying. They had to avoid a giant turret to proceed, which meant leaping from cover to cover in the hopes it didn't shoot them while moving. It didn't help that as soon as they were in the clear of the turret, Cerberus soldiers rushed out of the control room.
It took some time, but the feel like the brethren. Now, they were faced with the issue of getting the tram across so they could proceed. Liara tried her best to get the system back online and working, but nothing seemed like it would work at that moment. Kaiden, however, found something.
"Hey captain! Come take a look!" Kaiden yelled. Mads went over to see what has going on. Kaiden was checking a Cerberus soldier's body.
"What's going on?" Mads asked.
"I think he's helmet has a transmitter-" Kaiden was about to continue when he got the mask to open up, and revealed something quite horror like.
"Holy shit, he looks like a husk!" Kaiden observed.
"Well I'll be damned. Is this what Cerberus is up to?" Mads asked, mostly to himself.
"How do we know if Cerberus haven't pulled a similar trick on you?" Kaiden asked, that disapproval was back in his voice.
"Do I look like a fucking husk?" Mads asked back.
"Well no, but they could be controlling you in other ways." Kaiden replied.
"Listen here you selfish prick. I have gone to hell and back for the good of all people. I have saved your sorry ass more times than I can count, and you still doubt me. Listen, nothing I say or do will convince that I am the same." Mads ranted.
"You're- You're right. Best to move on then." Kaiden admitted.
"Agreed." Mads replied and took the transmitter into his hand. He hoped Cerberus would buy it. He made up the team name and hoped it was good enough. It would seem they did indeed buy it. Mads ordered Liara and Kaiden into position to await their guests and give them a warm welcome. The Cerberus team had no fucking clue as they pulled up to the station.
They met their maker, and Mads, Kaiden and Liara qucikly jumped upon the tram to get to the other side. But the Cerberus bastard got them good. They had placed some explosives on the tram line, effectively immobilizing them. Good thing Cerberus tried to clear them out, which gave them a new tram to work with.
They pulled into the station, and credit where credit is due, these soldiers put up a good fight. They had top notch gear, which the alliance could learn a thing or two from. It was with slow steps they proceed, since the soldiers came flooding out in a last attempt to stop them.
When the room was cleared, they entered the main hub. This was it, the place the plans were stored. It was an amazing sight, but clearly they weren't there to admire the view. There was more pressing issues. Mads made them split up to find more information and get what they came fore. Liara quickly got to work.
As Liara began, a hologram appeared. The man of the fucking hour was there. The Illusive man himself, or should we say, Jack Harper?
"Captain Romanov. What a pleasant surprise." The illusive man began.
"Well, look who it is." Mads remarked.
"The protheans are so enriching to study. They left all of this, and yet the alliance has done nothing with it." The Illusive man said.
"Cut the shit and get to the point." Mads said.
"This data holds the key to ending the reaper threat. We have to get control, control of the very threat."
"You want control of the reapers? You are as crazy as ever."
"And you are as short sighted as ever. You made a fool out of me, Captain. If you continue down this path, bad things will happen. To repay you for what you did, I shall reveal a little about you to the wider galaxy." The Illusive man responded.
"Fuck you!" Mads snapped.
The illusive man disappeared with a smile on his face. Cheeky fucker. Liara quickly discovered that the data was gone, and Mads was almost sent into a wave of panic at that mention. Kaiden found the mule, and tried to take her down. Only to be knocked down himself.
"She's got the data!" He yelled, and Mads' eyes quickly snapped to the running woman. He began to sprint after her. Mads kept firing at her as he ran, but she seemed damn near immortal. Didn't matter, he hadn't met an enemy he couldn't kill so far.
Cerberus was giving air support, and Mads had a hard time keeping himself in one piece as he ran after the doctor. With each passing second, his desire to rip his head off grew. Mads tried his best to get in contact with James, but the signal was still very weak.
A shuttle came to pick up the doctor, and Mads was losing hope as he saw her jump on the vessel. "FUCK! James? Joker? DOES ANYONE READ ME?" Mads yelled into his ear piece. Mads had never dodged a panic attack as fast as when he saw James in the shuttle flying at high speed towards the Cerberus shuttle. James crashed into it, and it was clear that the shuttle wasn't going anywhere. James landed as Mads tried to get back on his feet.
Mads quickly checked if everyone was alright, and attempted to guide James into landing. As James landed, Kaiden got Liara back to the shuttle. There was a banging on the doors, and Kaiden looked to see a very much alive Dr. Eva. She was no human, it was a damn robot. Kaiden tried his best to take it down, but it was fruitless. The machine grabbed Kaiden by his helmet and lifted him up.
"LET HIM GO!" Mads yelled as he pointed his magnum at the machine. It then began to bang Kaiden's head against the metal of the downed shuttle. Mads began to fire his magnum at the machine, hoping to God that Kaiden wasn't dead.
The machine snapped it's eyes to Mads once Kaiden had stopped moving. Mads fired off all the rounds in his chamber, and it wasn't until the very last one the machine finally fell. Mads quickly rushed to the aid of Kaiden. This was not how he thought it was going to go. Mads checked for a pulse, and was relieved to find one.
"Take the machine with us!" Mads ordered. He hoped that they might be able to get the data from it. Mads swung Kaiden over his shoulder and brought him to the shuttle. This war was truly on, and Mads hoped to God that Kaiden would live to fight with them.