W.i.t.G
Hey!
Chapter 4 already... We're flying through! Thanks once more to those of you favouriting, following, reviewing and messaging! I shall endeavour not to disappoint you! And to those of you who just read the story without reviewing, keep doing it! I'm not a review whore. I just want people to enjoy my story and tell me if its good or bad at certain points.
Keep it coming people! And for you Tali fans, we shall be seeing a more protective and epic Tali than any other seen before! Or so I hope...
Cheers!
"It was a huge mistake bringing you into that hearing Captain! You and Saren have too much history... No wonder the Council wouldn't listen to us!" Udina said, his voice becoming more annoying by the second as Captain Anderson visibly bristled at the words; "And Shepard! Can you not control yourself in front of the Council?!"
'Why does the galaxy love to send me whiny sacks of shit that give me a headache... Give me a break!' Shepard silently fumed as Udina carried on his rant, as they went down the stairs from the Council podium.
It was Anderson that exploded first however, "I know Saren! He's working with the Geth for one reason! To exterminate the entire Human race!"
They had stopped walking now, and were stood at the base of the stairs, near the exit to the tower. Anderson had a point to get across, and he would be damned if Udina would stop him.
"Every colony we have is at risk," bellowed Anderson, not caring if anybody was stopping to watch the spectacle: "Every world we control is in perilous danger! Even Earth isn't safe from that metal bastard!"
Shepard, Kaidan and Ashley merely stood there, content to let both men shout it out with each other. It was Udina's turn to counter Anderson, "He's a spectre, Captain! He's virtually untouchable! We can't do anything against him. You know that."
As Shepard began to zone out of the argument, he simply muttered to himself, "Fine... Why don't we try to find another way to expose him then? Actually get some evidence so those idiots on the Council can't refute the truth?"
Kaidan heard Shepard's comment however, and turned to face his commander before speaking, "Commander, what about that C-Sec officer; Garrus wasn't it? Do you think he could know anything else?"
Shepard grinned at the ingenuity shown by Alenko, "That's a good idea lieutenant. It's the best lead we've got." Kaidan gently smiled at the compliment; it was rare for the commander to voice his praise out loud.
The commander decided to intervene at this point in the conversation, "We think we have a way of exposing Saren!"
"And another thing, Ambassador..." Anderson continued his argument, oblivious to Shepard's shouting.
'Oh for fuck sake...' "Hey! Didn't you just hear what I said?!" Shepard's patience was beginning to wear thin. He'd already been shown up by Saren and the Council, he didn't want his captain and his ambassador ignoring a potentially successful idea.
Udina turned to face the commander, his face contorted with anger, before replying, "Commander, what the hell are you talking about now?!"
'Keep it calm, Shepard. Punt him in the bollocks later, once we've got this mess sorted...' With a sigh to release the anger that surged within him, Shepard continued, "Lieutenant Alenko has found another lead to exposing Saren."
That got both men's interests. Shepard continued, "We encountered a C-Sec Officer on our way to the hearing. His name was Garrus Vakarian, and he was the officer in charge of the investigation into Saren. If anybody was close to nailing Saren, then Garrus is our man; our best lead. Do you think you could find where he is ambassador?"
Udina nodded his head at the end of Shepard's proposition, before he responded, "I suppose it's the only lead we have that will be useful. I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track Garrus down. His name is Harkin."
Captain Anderson snorted with amusement at the mention of 'Harkin'. "Harkin? You honestly think that Harkin will be able to track Garrus down?"
Udina became defensive suddenly, "What's so funny, Captain?"
Anderson became serious once more, replying to Udina's comment, "The fact that you believe Harkin to be of any use. C-Sec suspended him last month for drinking on the job. The man's a walking distillery. I won't waste my time with that low-life."
Udina's face took on a vicious grin as he replied. "Good. Because you won't have to."
Shepard tensed up physically, hoping that Udina wasn't serious, "I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we uncover from this 'Garrus'. Shepard will handle this."
'Oh no you fucking don't!'
With unbridled passion, the commander spoke up in the captain's defence,"You can't just cut Anderson out of this!"
Shepard was going to continue before Anderson intervened:
"No. It's alright Shepard," Anderson said quietly. "He's right. I need to step aside. We can't let the Council use my past as a barrier to justice." Anderson heavily sighed. "I'd bet a hundred credits that Harkin's probably getting drunk in Chora's Den. It's a... Gentleman's... establishment down in the lower wards. He may be a drunk, but I guess it's better than nothing." Anderson finished, now looking visibly depressed.
Udina, however, visibly brightened at Anderson's suggestion. "It's for the best, Captain."
Udina turned to face Shepard now, "Commander, go down to Chora's Den and locate Harkin. Interrogate him for Garrus' location; it could be vital to the downfall of Saren." Shepard looked like he was about to say something but Udina cut him off, "Use any mean's necessary if you need too. Captain Anderson shall stay with me, as we have much to discuss."
And with that, Udina motioned for them to leave.
With a sigh, and a salute to his captain, Shepard turned about face, and exited the Council tower, Williams and Alenko at his sides.
As the doors shut, Ashley began her rant, anger lacing her words. "That son of a bitch! Who does he think we are?! His own personal lackey's?!"
It was Kaidan that tried to calm her down. With a false sense of humour in place, Kaidan began, "It's fine Chief, we go in, find Harkin, he tells us where Garrus is, we find the evidence we need, everybody wins!"
"If only it was that simple LT... What do you think, Commander?" Ashley said, trying to gain his input.
Shepard however, wasn't paying attention. His thoughts drifted back to when he was younger: to the times of being physically beaten up by the other kids on Earth; being treated like an outcast when he went to school on Arcturus; his friends being savagely ripped apart on Akuze by the apex predators of the galaxy: Thresher Maw's... These negative thoughts began to circle in the commander's mind like a murder of crows, until a final thought emerged, causing Shepard's fragile mental state to nearly shatter.
Lucy, and the Batarian's on Elysium...
Anderson being dismissed as casually as he was, had tipped Shepard over the edge. His friends had always been taken away from him, till he was left on his own; the last man standing.
The images that had been forcibly inserted into the human marine by the Prothean beacon had caused enough strain on his mental state to warrant a psychological evaluation, but with his memories of previous terrible experiences starting to leak in as well... The commander, cracked.
It was very rare for Shepard to lose control of himself mentally, allowing his rage to control him, but under times of strain and stress, it wasn't unheard of for soldiers to lose themselves.
Shepard turned around in the elevator, looming over the pair, his eyes glistening with a madness unseen before, his lips curled into a vicious grin. This was the face of a maniac released. This was a man you didn't mess with.
Shepard's voice was quiet and threatening, but his expression and passion sent shivers down the spines of both battle-hardened marines present, "What do I think? I think that we're going to find Harkin and we're gonna get the location from him, by any means necessary. Then, we're going to find Garrus and we're going to get the evidence from him, by any means necessary. Once we've done all of that, we're gonna shove it right into the faces of those stubborn bastards on the Council. And believe me, I'm gonna find Saren, and my knife will slice him open, from gut to neck, and I'll laugh my arse off as I piss on his mangled corpse. Let his shields protect him from that."
Kaidan gulped, and Ashley visibly tensed. They hadn't expected such a reaction from the commander.
"That sound good enough?" Shepard said, his madness spilling out, his mind replaying hurtful memories over and over in a tortuous cycle.
Both replied simultaneously:
"AYE SIR!"
"Good."
With that final statement, Shepard turned around, ignoring the two marines behind him.
The elevator ride continued in silence from that point, both marines unwilling to set Shepard off again.
Ashley had never seen anything like it.
But Kaidan had, a long time ago.
A mission that had gone wrong. Innocents being tortured and raped by Batarian slavers... One individual Shepard had known... Shepard had gone manic at the sight. His eyes burned with that same passion, that same unbridled rage that dwelled deep within him. There was nothing left of the slaver camp once Shepard had finished with it. And the slavers?
Kaidan still had nightmares to this day from what he saw.
Rumours spread throughout the Alliance that the Lion had gone crazy on a mission; the Lion had wiped out the slavers, single-handedly, with just his knife. The same one he carried from his survival on Akuze.
They weren't rumours to the men in Shepard's squad. It was pure, unfiltered truth. Shepard had annihilated them.
'Somebody watch over the idiots who cross us... Shepard's pissed and crazy.' Kaidan thought, staring at the back of the behemoth in question. He shifted nervously as his gaze met his boots.
'Somebody watch over our backs as well, and make sure we don't do something stupid...'
The Presidium was a place of tranquillity, of peace and stability; a hub of culture.
The wards were simply... A mess in comparison.
Different species, intermingling with each other. Vendors and stores peddling out their wares. Armed civilians simply walking around. Shifty pick-pockets watching the crowds, looking for their next target, for their next fix of red-sand. It was chaos. It was the opposite of everything the squad had previously seen.
It was more to the current Shepard's mood.
Hectic.
Unstable.
Unpredictable.
'I stood idly by when my friends were taken from me before. Akuze, Elysium, Torfan... I won't let Saren do it to me again. I'll die before I let that happen,' Shepard thought as he manoeuvred his body around a lumbering Elcor. Williams and Alenko were struggling to keep up with the charging commander, who was making his way to the seedier parts of the Wards.
As the commander moved once more around a corner at breakneck speed, Ashley decided to voice her opinions to Alenko:
"Hey, LT! What's wrong with the Commander?! He seems deranged! Psychotic even!" Ashley said as she started to pant with the effort of continuous running.
Kaidan was no better. He couldn't keep up with the inhuman speed Shepard was running at, "You don't want to know Chief. You really don't. Let's just say, If Shepard says jump, you say how high? Got it? You don't question anything he does when he's like this. He's dangerous at the best of times, but when he's like this... God help us all."
Ashley's face took on a worried look, but she remained silent as they continued to race through the Wards.
Once they had reached Chora's Den, Shepard wasted no time in entering the establishment. Ashley however, was fairly apprehensive when she entered.
All around, there were seats facing tables, tables occupied by scantily-clad Asari and female human dancers. Alcohol was being poured out in the gallons for the waiting, lecherous customers. A low orange light surrounded the interior of the establishment, illuminating the wandering waitresses in a vibrant back-drop of colour. All around there were different species. Humans, Turians, Asari, Salarians, even a couple of Krogan. All visitors to the seedy establishment. Ashley felt physically sick at what she saw. Even more at what happened next.
An Asari, her azure skin blending magnificently to her ruby red, skin tight outfit, approached the commander, who had stopped the group to gain a sense of his surroundings. She approached, like a lion to a gazelle, something predatory in her walk. Once near, she placed an arm around the commander's waist and placed her other hand on his chin, turning it downwards to face towards her. Her voice was smooth and sweet, trickling like honey... She moved her mouth closer to the commander's ear, to sensually inquire about whatever desires the large man was interested in.
Now, Ashley was going to be sick.
'I can't believe what I'm seeing... A two-credit Asari whore is going to get off with the commander!'
She bristled visibly with pent-up anger, which Kaidan noticed. Kaidan however was scanning the room methodically, as if looking for any hidden hostiles. His lack of attention to the scene in front of them was fuelling her anger further. Leaning in close as to keep the conversation private, Ashley hissed, "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Can't you see the commander needs our help?!"
His voice was subdued, but a serious tone stopped the fiery marine in her path when he replied. "You don't want to go anywhere near him. Believe me."
'I can't just let this happen. I won't let this happen...' Ashley thought as she silently fumed, not happy with having to accept the situation. She turned to see the commander smiling viciously down at the Asari on his arm.
All of a sudden, the Asari was flung half-way across the room. If it wasn't for the lieutenant's biotics catching her, she would have crashed into a table that was occupied by a Salarian and a human female. The commander soldiered on, whilst Kaidan's hands were glowing sapphire with biotic power, setting the whore down gently. Chief Williams glared at anybody stupid enough to defend the stripper, following closely behind Shepard.
Ashley could just about hear what Shepard was muttering to himself as she got closer, "I won't repeat myself to some whore. When I say I'm busy, I mean I'm busy."
'Looks like he's not interested in whores then...' Ashley thought, her mind working overtime as she began to scan the seedy club. Kaidan began to pacify the patrons that were riled after the show of biotics, before he swiftly followed behind the commander.
As they neared another door, they saw two Krogan's arguing with each other. One was bigger than the other, clad in red armor and armed to the teeth; 'Must be a mercenary of some-sort,' Ashley thought with curiosity.
The Krogan also had a massive scar on the right side of its face; a little bit like the commander's... The Krogan also had blood-red eyes and a deep crimson head plate, both of which were currently staring down at the slightly smaller Krogan. The second Krogan wasn't wearing much in the way of armour; 'And that must be the bouncer.' Ashley thought, realisation dawning.
The bouncer, however, still held an air of arrogance in its posture, as if it wasn't fazed in the slightest by the sight of the heavily armed mercenary.
It was the bouncer that spoke first, with a deep, rumbling voice, "Back off, Wrex." He shoved the armored Krogan away from the door, "Fist told us to take you down if you showed up."
'Wrex' replied, his own deep rumbling tone echoing with humour, "What are you waiting for whelp? I'm standing right here! This is Fist's only chance! If he's smart, he'll take it!"
The Krogan bouncer simply leaned back against the wall, next to the door, before replying, "He's not coming out Wrex. Get lost."
Wrex replied, a wicked grin showing, his sharp teeth glistening in the light. He thrust a stubby finger towards the bouncer, "This is just the beginning, whelp. Believe me when I say I'll be back to finish the job." And with that, Wrex turned away from his adversary, only to be met by Shepard.
Shepard didn't know much about Krogans. He knew how to kill them sure, but he didn't know how to communicate with them. Wrex seemed to be putting on a show of power in front of the bouncer; a show to intimidate.
'Fuck it. What have I got to lose? I've lost everything else...' Shepard thought with a wicked grin of his own, his scar being neatly presented as his lips curled.
"Out of my way human. I have no quarrel with you." Wrex said whilst standing taller, trying to outmatch the large Human in front of him.
Shepard simply stood to the side, and with a bow, let Wrex past. Shepard couldn't help but smile when he saw the expression of confusion on the bouncer's face. Moving towards the bouncer, Shepard quietly said, "I let him go, because he asked nicely."
The bouncer simply grinned at Shepard, before replying, his tone serious, "Nice move human. Now get out of here. You don't want to make the same mistake as Wrex was about to."
Unfortunately for the smaller Krogan, he had underestimated Shepard and the threat the large human posed.
Big mistake.
Shepard unsheathed his combat knife, and placed it inches from the bouncer's throat. He bellowed into the Krogans face, loud enough for everyone in the vicinity to stop what they were doing, "Where's Harkin?! Lie to me you fat son of a bitch and I'll slit your throat from ear to fucking ear! I'll watch you bleed, like a stuck pig. I'll rip off your face plate, and beat you to fucking death with it!" The knife was now placed against the Krogans throat, a thin trickle of orange blood dripped down the edge of the commander's gleaming blade.
With a throaty gulp, the bouncer croaked. "He's... He's over there! By the bar!"
"Good. You listen well. Make sure you keep that up." Shepard said, his face inches away from the bouncer's. Sheathing his knife, he pushed the unarmed Krogan away from him.
The crowd had stopped in their tracks. They were all staring at the maniac who had intimidated a Krogan.
Shepard simply ignored them as he waded through the throngs of people, intent on his target, not caring if Williams and Alenko were following or not.
They were following, but they were shaken to say the least.
It was generally considered reckless to fight a Krogan. But... To intimidate one, at close range with just a knife? That was simply insane.
They eventually found Harkin, sat at the bar, surrounded by empty bottles. Without a second glance, Shepard stared at the man, waiting for confirmation, "You Harkin?"
The drunken man turned in his chair and replied, his tone slurred due to the amount of alcohol he had drunk, "Yeah... I'm Harkin, w-who the hell are y-you?"
Shepard suddenly grabbed the man by his collar and dragged the drunken man out of the bar, as the crowd parted, allowing him a clear exit. Ashley and Kaidan followed behind, glaring at anyone stupid enough to speak up.
Once outside, Shepard unceremoniously chucked Harkin to the floor, before crouching down next to him, getting into Harkin's face, his voice but a whisper.
"Where's Garrus Vakarian? Tell me now, and I won't be forced to beat it out of you, or gouge your fucking eyes out."
Ashley and Kaidan were getting seriously worried about their commander now.
He wasn't acting his usual self; his humour, his smile, his threats... Everything seemed so different now.
He was a crazed hulking soldier, determined to complete his objective. Nothing more, nothing less.
Harkin had already pissed himself by now; the sight of Shepard and the tone of his voice had frightened him to different levels of terror.
With the smell of urine permeating the air outside the club, Harkin stuttered out his reply, his hands held up in front of him to show he was defenceless, "H-He's g-gone to that clinic... The clinic in the upper wards... Run by that D-Doctor Michel... P-Please don't hurt me! I didn't do anything wrong!"
By the end of his plea, Harkin was a blubbering wreck. Snot and tears mingled into a wet mess on his face.
The sight of Shepard angry, was not a sight to take lightly.
Shepard pulled the man up from his place on the floor, and spoke in a quiet voice, "Thank you Harkin. You've just saved me a large amount of time."
Slipping a credit chit into his hands, Shepard continued, "Go back into the club, tell them that you owed me money or something similar, tell them it was a misunderstanding. Go on, get out of here."
"T-Thank you... Thank you.." Harkin said, his crying not showing any signs abating.
Shepard simply walked away from the man, his objective was now set on the clinic in the wards; the clinic where Officer Vakarian was.
Except, he didn't know his way.
Turning around to face his companions, Shepard's manic rage didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon:
"Any of you two know where this clinic is?"
Both marines visibly stood at attention, hoping that they hadn't done anything to attract the commander's ire. It was Kaidan that spoke however, "I think the clinic's just across from the C-Sec headquarters, Commander."
Shepard stared down at his companions for what seemed like an eternity, before he spoke again, "Good work lieutenant, lead the way," motioning with his arm for Kaidan to move ahead. Kaidan simply saluted, "Aye, sir."
As the group began moving again, some of Shepard's old self began to appear through the cracks, "Let's get this done guys, then we can go back to the Normandy and go from there. I'm starting to get sick of this place already." Kaidan nodded in agreement, and Ashley smiled at Shepard's back. She had thought that he was going to kill Harkin, or something else reckless, but the commander she knew was still in there, just locked away...
She prayed to God that the old commander would come back soon.
Shepard looked at the clinic and decided it wasn't anything impressive. Rather, Shepard expected a little more.
It was a room off to the side of the stairs down to C-Sec headquarters. Nothing fancy or alluring on the outside, just simply the traditional sign for medical aid, a red plus on a white background.
'Must be universal...' Shepard thought with a hint of curiosity.
Getting close, they could hear raised voices and shouting coming from within the clinic. Through years of experience as well as hearing the sound many times before, Shepard could recognise the distinct whirring of a mass effect drive being activated. Shepard motioned the two marines to the sides of the doors.
Stepping to the side of the door as instructed, Kaidan remarked, "How should we do this commander? Do you want us to?-" He didn't get to finish however as Shepard simply unholstered 'Bonnie' and 'Clyde', and with his right fist, smacked the holographic panel on the door.
Upon entering, the voices became more distinct, and a conversation could be made out. A panicked female voice, French if Shepard had to guess, was the first to speak, "I didn't tell anyone, I swear!"
A gruff male voice was the reply, "Smart move Doc... Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart! Keep your mouth shut. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to that pretty face of yours now do we... It would be such a shame if the boys and I got a little bit too rough with our fun, if you know what I mean."
Shepard had enough. Painful memories were surging through his mind, fuelling his anger. The scars on Lucy's body; finding her in the state she was in...
It was too much.
"Like hell that's going to happen!" Shepard roared as he charged into the room, pistols drawn akimbo.
"Who the hell is that?!"
In total, there were six thugs. One had the doctor in a human shield position, pistol aimed at her head, while the other five were situated about the office. Raising his pistols to aim at the group, whilst Ashley and Kaidan moved up behind him, assault rifles drawn, and aiming on the closest hostiles.
Shepard could see out the corner of his eye a very familiar sight of a young Turian, clad in dark blue armor, a sidearm drawn to his side. With a nod of his head, Shepard continued, "I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance marines! If you touch a single fucking hair on her head, there'll be hell to pay!"
Shepard was merely waiting for the right moment.
The leader, or so Shepard assumed to be as he was the hostage taker, spoke up, "The Commander Shepard?! Bullshit! You're not him! Why would he be here?!" Fear laced the thugs tone.
Shepard sighed, 'The stupidity of some people is astounding sometimes.' Raising his pistols once more, to level on the unarmored heads of two of the thugs, Shepard shouted:
"NOW!"
The crack of a heavy pistol round being fired from Garrus' gun took the hostage taker completely by surprise; the round penetrated deep within the thug's skull, before exiting out the other side in a flash of gore. Brain matter and chunks of skull splattered against the white walls of the medical clinic, as well as on the white clothing of the Doctor. Garrus' voice could be heard afterwards, signalling for Shepard's assault to begin:
"Stay down Doctor Michel! It'll be over soon!"
How right Garrus was...
As soon as he had finished his warning, Shepard let loose with his dual hand-cannons, firing heavy penetrating shots into the skulls of the disorganised thugs closest to him. Alenko's and Williams' rifles began spitting out their rounds as well, in addition to Shepard's fast rate of fire.
The thugs were decimated.
Blood and tissue was splattered against the walls, along with more brain matter.
Once it was all over, and Shepard holstered his now smoking pistols, he reached down to pick the shocked Doctor off of the floor. It was Garrus that spoke first, "Perfect timing Shepard! You gave me a clear shot!" Garrus had the Turian equivalent of a grin on his lips as he said it.
When Shepard turned to face him, his grin abated, "You're lucky I was here. If I wasn't, would you have even thought about Doctor Michel when you pulled the trigger? The fact that you may have missed and potentially could have harmed her?!"
Although he had given the order to fire, if Shepard hadn't of made it in time, the thought that the Turian could be that reckless was worrying to say the least.
Garrus stuttered out his response, "I-I didn't think..." turning to face Doctor Michel, Garrus' voice took on an extremely apologetic tone, "I'm sorry Doctor Michel. I didn't mean to put you in danger."
Doctor Michel weakly chuckled at the Turian's apology, and turned to face both men.
Michel was a fairly attractive red-head, minus the blood and gore plastered on her face.
She began to pick brain matter out of her hair as she spoke, "I'm alright, Garrus. Thank you."
Turning to face Shepard she spoke once more, "And thank you to you as well Commander. You and your marines."
Ashley and Kaidan simply nodded their heads.
Wanting to get this mission over and done with as soon as he could, Shepard was as blunt as possible with his reply, "What did those men want from you Doctor Michel? What didn't they want you to tell Garrus?"
She hesitated. It was as if she was embarrassed or extremely nervous to say what was on her mind.
Garrus thankfully intervened, "It's okay Doctor Michel, you can tell them. I would like to know as well."
Michel visibly relaxed at Garrus' words, and began her explanation, "Those men worked for Fist. He didn't want me telling Garrus about the Quarian I helped earlier."
'Quarians... Aren't they nomads or something? I think I overheard someone calling them vagrants once...' Shepard thought curiously as Michel continued:
"A few hours ago, a Quarian came into the clinic; a gunshot wound. It was only a flesh wound, but to a Quarian, it can be deadly. I didn't ask any questions. Once I had finished administering the treatment, the Quarian became extremely nervous and asked me if I knew of any information broker's. I gave her the contact information for the local Shadow Broker agent: Fist. Apparently, the Quarian had some extremely important information that they needed to get rid of as soon as possible."
Kaidan started up at this point, "Wait, wait, wait! You're saying that Fist, the same Fist I'm guessing that owns Chora's Den, works for the Shadow Broker?!"
Ashley was thoroughly confused now. "Hang on, who's the Shadow Broker?"
'We're getting nowhere with this...' Shepard thought as his patience began to wear thin. Doctor Michel's response was immediate at least:
"Yes, Fist is an agent for the Shadow Broker; and the Shadow Broker is the most powerful of all the information broker's."
Garrus spoke up now, "Fist doesn't work for the Shadow Broker any more, that's the problem. He answers to Saren now."
'How the hell did we miss that massive piece of information?'
Doctor Michel spoke up now, "He betrayed the Shadow Broker?! That's stupid! Even for Fist! Saren must have made him quite the offer."
Garrus seemed to be deep in thought as he replied, "If Fist works for Saren now, then that means that the Quarian must have information that Saren's willing to kill for. Information important enough to cross the Shadow Broker..."
Shepard instantly understood what Garrus was getting at, and remarked positively at the new lead, "The Quarian must have information implicating Saren with the Eden Prime incident! We've got the evidence we need to show the Council they're wrong!"
Garrus joined in on the revelry, a tone of happiness ringing in his sub-harmonics as he continued, "We just need to find the Quarian... We need to go and find Fist!"
It was Kaidan that spoke up now, "If we're going to Chora's Den Commander, I think we should go and bring along that Krogan mercenary... Wrex wasn't it?"
Garrus piped up at this, "Wrex? Do you mean the big scarred Krogan mercenary in red?" Kaidan nodded, and Garrus continued, "In that case, you'll find him in C-Sec HQ. He was brought in after he tried to gain access to Fist again."
'A big wall of meat might be useful with my armour in the condition it's in...' Shepard thought, his mind trailing back to the battle of Torfan and his use of Batarian soldiers as living shields.
The commander spoke up now, his eyes retaining his manic passion, "It's settled then. Let's go and find this Krogan. Alenko, Williams, move out!" They followed the order at once. As the commander moved to follow his squad members out of the door, Garrus' voice stopped him in his tracks.
Garrus' voice held an undertone of desperation and there was a hint of dread there as well. A strange combination.
"C-Commander? If it's not too much too ask, d-do you think I could come along?" Garrus finished meekly, his head and shoulders drooping, as if he knew the answer already.
"I don't see why not. As long as you don't get in the way and do as I say. If anything, it's always handy to have an extra gun at hand. Let's go." And with that, the commander walked out of the clinic, letting the doors shut behind him.
'Did he just... He said yes! By the Spirits! The man said yes!' Joy filled Garrus as he rushed out of the clinic, hoping to quickly catch up with the commander.
With everybody gone, Doctor Michel simply muttered to herself, "I'll stay here and clean up then..."
Walking down the stairs to C-Sec HQ, Shepard could see his objective in front of him.
Standing in front of a group of C-Sec officers, was his wall of meat; his bullet sponge.
Wrex.
Getting closer, Shepard could hear the conversation occurring between Wrex and one of the officers: "I mean it Wrex. If you go near Fist again, we will bring you in and we will charge you," the shorter C-Sec officer was saying.
Wrex smiled, his toothy maw opened wide, revealing his sharp predatory teeth. His voice was the same deep rumble that Shepard remembered from Chora's Den.
"I'd like to see you try and bring me in." Wrex said, after which, a deep rumbling laugh came from the mercenary.
"I'm warning you Wrex..." And with that, the C-Sec officer walked away, his entourage following after him.
Wrex turned to see Shepard and his group, and with a smile still on his face and his arms now spread out wide, Wrex exclaimed, "Human! I remember you! You're the one from Chora's Den!"
Shepard stepped forward from the group. The commander thrust his hand out towards the Krogan, to which the Krogan wrapped his own meaty paw around Shepard's hand. If Shepard was to be frightened by the sight, it wasn't working. Smiling broadly at the Krogan, he addressed himself:
"I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Military."
Wrex seemed to be taken aback by his address, but the smile on his face just clearly displayed disbelief, "The Commander Shepard? The same Commander Shepard that survived a Thresher Maw attack on Akuze?" They had released hands by now, both staring at the other.
Shepard visibly flinched at the mention of the horrible cluster-fuck, but his smile didn't waver, "The very same. I suppose you have heard of me then..."
"Every Krogan knows of the Human that fought against a pack of Thresher Maw's in their own nest! That takes a quad Shepard, something Krogan can respect." Wrex said, with enthusiasm befitting a child.
"Yeah well, I won't be doing it again anytime soon. Believe me." A short bark of laughter emerged from the Krogan mercenary, before Shepard continued, "I hear you're after Fist? That right?"
"That's correct Shepard. Since we're both warriors, I'll tell you now: I intend to kill Fist. The Shadow Broker is willing to pay a lot of credits for his head..." Wrex said, his smile turning into a vicious grin by the end of his statement.
Shepard merely chuckled with the Krogan in front of him, before he responded, "Well... It seems we have a mutual enemy then. How about you join us? You get to kill Fist without breaking a sweat, and I can get on with my mission."
Wrex barked out a laugh before he replied as well, "My people have a saying Shepard, 'the enemy of my enemy, is a friend'." Moving back in for a close hand-shake, Wrex continued, "I'll follow your lead for this one Shepard."
"Sounds good to me. Fall in."
Turning around to face his other squad members, Shepard addressed them all, "Let's get moving! Fist's going to be hosting his own funeral, and we're all invited."
At this, Williams and Alenko waited for Shepard to move forward before falling in; Garrus simply moved behind the two Alliance marines, and Wrex took up the rear.
'Why do I feel like the Pied Piper all of a sudden?' Shepard remarked, a grin settling on his features. A fight was coming, and the maniac was going to get one.
As soon as they had approached the club, two Turian assassins had tried to ambush Shepard and his squad. What they hadn't expected however, was the speed of Shepard's throwing knives being thrown straight towards their unprotected throats. An echoing, ghastly gurgle of both Turians life forces bleeding out through their throats emanated in the area; blue blood gushed from their respective wounds like water breaking free from a broken dam; the echoing thump of their bodies hitting the floor gave the squad the signal to move towards the doors.
Leaning down, he plucked the knives from the corpses before unceremoniously pushing them to one side.
Shepard stood up and slotted the knifes back into their respective parts in his holster, on his left arm. Wrex stood, watching the spectacle with fascination, before he spoke up, "Shepard... I haven't seen somebody use knives like that in centuries. Why do you still use them?"
Shepard shrugged his shoulders as he prepped a shield boost program, his assault rifle having been gripped loosely in his left hand, "I guess I like to use them because they're quick, silent and efficient. I've used knives for years. I'm just comfortable with them."
The commander faced his other squad members: Garrus had equipped his sniper rifle, a Reaper II model, Alenko and Williams had taken out their assault rifles, and Wrex had his shotgun.
'I'm sure that thing should be attached to a tank or an armored vehicle... I might get myself one of those...'
As everybody nodded their readiness, Shepard smacked the entrance to the door, ready for anything.
As soon as they had entered, armed guards were waiting for them. Without hesitating, the commander fired a precise burst straight into the eyes of the thug closest to him. As the bullets began to fly around the room, citizens were ducking to the floor in the crossfire, hoping to avoid the rounds.
Shepard, although still in a blinded state of anger and hatred, could see that innocents were going to be hurt.
With a quick hand signal, Shepard motioned for Kaidan to launch a shock-wave into the room, knocking those standing up, onto their backs. Immediately afterwards, the squad moved into the room, each individual going a separate direction, but still giving covering fire for the rest of the advance. Shepard shouted over the din of the gunfire to Garrus, "Garrus! Get these civilians out of here!"
Garrus moved forward, letting off a round into the unprotected chest of a sniper on the catwalks, not even stopping to take aim as he continued to move towards the cluster of scared civilians.
Shepard moved to his next piece of cover in the room with Wrex following closely behind. With quick acquisition, the commander quickly dropped three armed thugs that were charging straight towards him; Wrex's shotgun boomed next to him, causing a thug's chest to explode in a shower of blood, bone, and guts.
The gore didn't faze Shepard. He was used to it by now.
The thing that did faze him however, was the surplus of reinforcements flooding in from the previously locked doors on the other side of the room. The extra guards, fifteen or so, surrounded the group of civilians that Garrus was trying to get to.
Garrus turned around to face his commander, hoping the man had a plan for the recently changed situation.
Shepard however, was seeing another shade of red.
A memory came bolting into the forefront of Shepard's mind as he remembered a mission where everything went wrong.
It was eerily similar.
Hostages were huddled into a group on the floor as the pirate's stood over them, weapons raised, ready to mercilessly execute them.
It was too painful. Shepard faltered for a slight moment... Garrus was still looking expectantly at his commander, hoping he would do something miraculous.
Death.
Destruction.
Innocents being slaughtered.
The beacon's images came flooding back, mixing with the painful memories.
Shepard's eyes glossed over as his rage began to cloud his senses.
The commander quickly placed his assault rifle onto his back before drawing his two sidearms.
Without any warning, Shepard charged forward.
His welfare was of no concern, as bullets pierced his already shredded armor, adding to his list of injuries. As soon as Shepard was close, he opened fire on the unprotected thugs, his pistols ripping the first wave of 'soldiers' to shreds. Once his pistols had overheated, Shepard charged forward, holstering them, and then immediately equipping his next line of offence... His knife was now in his right hand, and biotics in his left. He let loose a concentrated blast of biotic energy into the chest of one thug, while his knife embedded itself into the windpipe of another. A bullet tore through Shepard's gut, causing the man to falter slightly, before he rammed a biotically enhanced fist into a thug's face, teeth and blood flying everywhere.
The rest of the squad ceased fighting for a moment, just standing and watching in a mixture of awe and fear. Shepard was annihilating them. They were dropping dead like flies; the threat posed to the civilians was now non-existent.
Ashley looked on in surprise, whilst Kaidan was reminded of previous missions. The eyes, the movements... He was a graceful angel of death. It was all too familiar for Kaidan.
Wrex stood, watching the display of power, seemingly impressed, whilst Garrus looked on, terror apparent on his face.
Garrus was the last one to look into Shepard's eyes, but whatever he saw... It terrified him.
When the last man fell to Shepard's attack, he simply wiped the blood stained knife on the clothes of a dead thug, before suddenly falling to his knees, kneeling in a pool of blood.
Blood coated Shepard's features. His face was stained with it, his hair was drenched and his armour was wrecked. He had taken a number of rounds to his person, as well as putting additional stress on his biotic amp.
A few medi-gel dispensers still worked however, so the pain wasn't as bad as it could be. Shepard closed his eyes and let out a long, shaky sigh. It was Garrus that approached the human first, his movements displaying his hesitancy at what he may see again.
The eyes... They were something Garrus would never forget for as long as he lived.
Garrus approached and laid a hand on the commander's shoulder. Shepard's head snapped up to regard Garrus'. The Turian was extremely relieved to see the usual hazel eyes of Shepard staring back at him.
"Help me up..."
Garrus did as he was told, and lifted the heavy man to his feet.
The civilians were now being escorted outside by Alenko and Williams as Wrex lumbered over towards the pair:
"Are you sure that you needed me here Shepard? I'd heard the rumours and the stories, but..." Wrex said, awe laced his words as a chuckle escaped him.
Shepard weakly chuckled, before he turned serious, "Come on... Let's finish this."
The commander signalled for Alenko and Williams to guard the doors, in case any more reinforcements showed up, whilst Shepard, Garrus and Wrex continued through the locked door.
As they stepped through the boundary, two Krogan guards could be seen stood at the end of the hallway, nervously holding weapons. Wrex stepped forward, ready for confrontation, but it was Shepard that spoke, "I've just single handedly killed about fifteen of your friends, and you spineless pricks think you'll emerge victorious? Get the fuck out of the way."
Wrex added to that, "I'd listen to him whelps... He killed them as if he were fighting crippled pyjaks." If the sight of the blood drenched human wasn't enough initiative, being stared down by an experienced Krogan was.
Both Krogans dropped their weapons as they moved towards the door the trio were stood in. One Krogan remarked, "I don't get paid enough for this shit..." Wrex grinned viciously as he approached the door to Fist's office.
"He's in here Shepard. I can feel it." Wrex said, the thrill of a fight fuelling his movements.
"Garrus, cover us." Shepard said, as he took his own shotgun into his hands, and stood next to Wrex.
Garrus nodded his silent acknowledgement, as Wrex moved towards the door. Before Wrex could open it however, the doors opened of their own accord, and two automated turrets met the group. Shepard grunted in pain as he was pulled behind the door by Wrex, whilst Garrus dived to the other side.
"What the hell are we going to do now Shepard?! I can regenerate, but not that fast!" Wrex bellowed over the roar of automated gunfire.
For the first time in a while, Shepard was at a loss.
Until Garrus piped up, "I could sabotage the guns with my omni-tool!" Shepard merely nodded his acceptance, and Garrus got to work. Three seconds later, the automated firing ceased, and Wrex stormed into the office. Shepard smiled weakly before nodding at Garrus; the Turian smiled back in return at the maniac. Both men followed after the large Krogan.
Inside the office, Fist was cowering on the floor, his hands raised above his head in surrender, as Wrex's shotgun hovered behind the back of his head. Shepard replaced his shotgun for one of his sidearms; 'Bonnie' aimed down at the man in front of him as he asked his first question:
"Where's the Quarian, Fist?"
Fist stammered out his reply, sweat dripping down his face from fear, " I-I-I don't know where you're talking about! T-T-That's the truth!"
Wrex chuckled, an intimidating sound, before speaking, "He's no use to you now Shepard. Let me kill him!"
Fist screamed in terror at the feeling of the shotguns barrel being forced against the back of his head, before he squealed out his reply. "Wait! P-Please! I don't know where she is! I just know where she will be!"
'She? I thought... Ah fuck it. Doesn't matter...'
The words were still pouring out of Fist's mouth. "S-She said she would only d-deal with the Shadow Broker h-himself!"
"Face to face?! Impossible! Even I was hired through an agent!" Wrex grumbled. He was getting bored of all this talking.
"I know! Even I don't know his real identity! Nobody meets him. Ever. But she didn't know that. I-I told her... I-I told her I'd set up a meeting. But when she shows up... It will be Saren's men waiting for her," Fist finished meekly.
Shepard's anger peaked once more. 'This bastard will beg for his life ... But he'll kill an innocent with treachery? He doesn't deserve to live...'
"You son of a bitch! Tell me where this meeting place is now!" Fist physically recoiled as Wrex's shotgun jabbed him in the back of the head once more. "Why don't we make a deal? You tell me what I want to know, and you have my word: I won't shoot you."
"Okay... Okay! She's meeting them here; on the Wards; In the back alley by the markets. It's an old access corridor the keepers use. She's meeting them right about now. P-Please... I've told you all I-I know. I-I-I don't want to die..."
Activating his comms, Shepard informed Kaidan of the situation and ordered him to get to the meeting place as fast as he could; the commander also instructed the marines to set up a crossfire of the meeting place if possible; creating a 'killbox'.
Switching off his comm system, Shepard turned around to address Garrus, "Garrus, meet up with Williams and Alenko near the entrance to the corridor. Get up onto the walkways and find a suitable sniping position to cover the exchange. Copy?"
"Yes, sir." Garrus said, and complying with the order, left the office.
Wrex and Shepard were now left in the room with Fist.
The man in question hesitantly asked, "C-Can I-I go?"
Shepard sighed before he regarded the man, his expression betraying nothing, "I said I wouldn't shoot you... And I am a man of my word."
Fist visibly relaxed at this and let out a nervous chuckle.
Wrex however looked furious.
But before the Krogan could speak, Shepard raised his hand for silence, "You were going to send an innocent woman to her death, weren't you?"
Fist, his smug attitude back in place replied, "She's a Quarian... So what if she dies?! They're all vagrants anyway. They'd find her corpse, and launch it out of the nearest airlock."
'I'm afraid you're shit out of luck then, mate. That was the wrong answer...'
Shepard looked at Wrex, "Do it."
Wrex smiled a toothy grin as he regarded Shepard.
Fist was having none of it, "B-But... Y-Y-You said!"
Shepard rounded on the snivelling coward in front of him, "I said I wouldn't shoot you. And I won't. But Wrex here? I can't speak for him."
With that Shepard turned around and began to walk off when the booming sound of Wrex's shotgun going off met his ears. Shepard didn't turn around to see the mess; instead, he waited for Wrex to catch up.
As soon as Wrex got near, Shepard began speaking, "If you're up for some more fighting, follow me. If not, then thanks for the assistance."
Wrex just chuckled as he regarded the human, before he replied, "I haven't got anything else to do Shepard... Let's get moving!"
Shepard smiled at the Krogan warrior that had saddled up to his side, "Sounds like a plan. Now, let's double time it!"
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya stood nervously, fingers dancing together at her waist. She had been waiting for the past hour in the same dingey alley, waiting for the 'Shadow Broker' to make their appearance and take the Ancestor's be damned! Geth data from her. The data had been nothing but trouble since she had acquired it from a lone Geth soldier, one that had split away from its ordered patrol.
Removing the memory core and gaining any salvageable data was difficult enough, as well as escaping from countless Geth platforms who had relentlessly hunted her down until she'd left the Perseus Veil.
She didn't need assassins and spectres hunting her down as well.
'What would Father say, if he saw me now? Tali thought, her fingers still clasped together; her feet now nervously shuffling at the thought of her stern father and his disapproving comments.
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya was the only daughter of Admiral Rael'Zorah vas Rayya, and Mala'Zorah vas Rayya, two extremely competent and respected Quarians back on the Migrant Fleet.
Tali had always been given high expectations to meet, due to her parent's reputations. Her father was an Admiral within the Fleet, and her mother was... Her mother used to be a well-respected Chief Engineer on the live-ship, Rayya.
'Mother... What would you do? What can I do? Please... Ancestors guide me in my time of need.' A tear rolled down Tali's left cheek at the thought of her mother. She had died from an airborne infection when Tali was just seventeen years old. The pain and grief had never fully settled for Tali; the wound had never been able to properly heal.
'Keelah... It would take a miracle to get me out of this situation,' she bitterly thought, remembering the times of her childhood when things were simpler. For some reason, her mind drifted back to the time she had read about the Knights of the Quarian Order as a child; the knights were sworn to protecting Quarian civilians in times of need.
'It's not like I'm going to get a shining knight in armour, coming to my rescue. I'm lost, and I'm alone...' Another tear rolled down Tali's cheeks as she contemplated her situation once more.
Here she was, a lone Quarian pilgrim, out on her own with nobody to protect her. She was being hunted mercilessly by assassins and mercenaries, as well as a crazed spectre. She'd been shot. Shot! And now she stood, waiting for an illusive information broker to take away her troubles; to take away the pain and torment.
But it wasn't all bad. She'd made it this far; she could keep going. 'Maybe I could even get a shuttle out of this deal?' Tali's spirits raised at this thought, her confidence returning slightly as she noticed out of the shadows came a lone, brown-faced Turian. A Turian, with an ominous white skull, painted onto his face.
But he wasn't alone.
Out of the shadows came more men: Batarians, Turians, Humans... She didn't know much about humans, just that they were a fairly new species to the galactic stage; they were, however, incredibly violent and dangerous.
Her new-found confidence evaporated quickly at the sight of the thugs.
Her fingers began another nervous dance as she mentally counted the number of thugs that were in front of her, behind her opaque, purple-tinted visor.
'Why does he need this many people for protection?' She nervously began to think, her anxiety creeping up on her.
There were ten thugs. They had circled her by now, with the skull-faced Turian stepping forward first.
Too many to fight. No route of escape.
It was a hopeless prospect.
The skull-faced Turian began, "Do you have it? Do you have the information?"
'Oh Keelah... Here we go...' Nervously, Tali began speaking, her voice creating a slight warble due to her helmet, "W-Where's the S-Shadow Broker?" Her speech improved as the built up emotions stored within her, fuelled her passion, "Where's Fist?!"
"They'll be here. Don't worry..." The Turian moved closer to Tali. The Turian placed a hand on the side of her neck, then let it roll down her shoulder, before rubbing her arm.
'What does this bosh'tet think he's doing?!' Fury welled within Tali, as she smacked the hand away from her before decisively shouting, "No way! The deal's off!"
The Turian stood there, a smirk on his face as his words rolled off his tongue, "Such a shame... The suit I mean..." Turning to face the other thugs, the Turian continued, "I know boys! Why don't we get the information in a much more forceful manner... Then we can see what the suit-rat looks like! I haven't fucked a Quarian in months... Believe me, I'm gonna enjoy this..."
'Keelah... P-Please no!' Tali tried to run away, but a human grabbed her by the waist and chucked her onto the floor; into the middle of the now closing circle.
'They're going to... Keelah! Ancestors help me! Why won't you help me?!' Tali's eyes welled with tears as the men started to crowd around her. Grunts of approval rang through the air. The Turian's voice broke through however, a sick tone of humour lacing his words:
"I wonder what will kill her first; the infection, or us?"
'Ancestors! Do something!'
But the Ancestors did not hear her prayers.
Tali shut her eyes, tears streaming down her face, as her pieces of equipment, such as her omni-tool, were taken away.
Now, she was truly defenceless.
Tali crawled into a ball, and waited for the inevitable.
Shepard bolted down a corridor, intent on making it to the meeting in time. Wrex was doing his best to keep up. Although the large human had sustained numerous injuries, he was able to miraculously keep fighting.
The commander had heard from Kaidan recently, and was warned about the current situation. Apparently, Saren's men had already shown up.
And they were in force.
Kaidan advised caution as he mentioned that Garrus had already set up a suitable position and was just waiting for Shepard's signal.
As Shepard rounded the corner, he could see what the problem was.
A large group of thugs, about ten or so, were huddled around something on the floor. As Shepard got closer, he could make out what one of the thugs was saying:
"I wonder what will kill her first; the infection, or us?"
'No... No... Don't say that they're going to...'
An image of Lucy slammed into his mind. An ugly memory that would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Her scarred corpse branded with marks of being a slave.
The marks of a sex slave.
Discarded condoms laying around her body... Fluids lying in a pool on the floor... A recording playing in the background of screams and guttural sounds...
Shepard's eyes glazed over once more. The maniac had been unleashed. The pain of the memory, as well as the nauseating thoughts of what might occur caused an extreme reaction.
Shepard unsheathed his combat knife, the same one he had used against those criminals when he'd found Lucy. Turning around, he gestured his intentions to the Krogan warrior at his side by slowly dragging his own blade close to his throat, a twisted smile on his face, before activating his stealth cloak and charging forwards.
The commander had made it to the thugs in no time at all. The first thug in front of him was a Batarian.
'What a coincidence...'
With a quick flick of his hand, the combat knife was jammed into the back of the Batarian's throat. Blood erupted outwards as a primary artery was severed, thick yellow blood began to coat the other thugs and the floor they were standing on.
It was chaos from there on out...
The thugs were completely disorganised in their response; they lumbered slowly towards the enraged titan in front of them. They hadn't even bothered to draw their weapons. They simply thought that hand-to-hand combat would be sufficient.
'Big mistake...' Thought Shepard, a vicious grin splitting his lips as his knife was driven on home into the skull of another thug.
Shepard was now coated in a variety of blood types and colours: sapphire blue, crimson red, saffron yellow...
Wrex had already joined in a while ago, taking on two Batarians at once. They hadn't fared much better, as Wrex simply smashed their skulls together with his massive hands, causing a sickening crunch to resonate in the area. Garrus had been taking shots at some reinforcements, who had only just arrived, but were isolated. Ashley and Kaidan had created the killbox that Shepard wanted; in which their assault rifles would open fire on anybody moving away from Garrus' line of sight, or the commander's blade.
There were three thugs left after Wrex had finished with his foe; its forehead having been caved in after a powerful headbutt.
Jamming his knife into the gut of the skull-faced Turian, Shepard swiftly turned with the motion to face the remaining two thugs. He detached 'Lucy' and sprayed rounds into there bodies. With a loud thump, the bodies fell to the floor; dead.
Turning around, Shepard once more faced the skull-faced Turian, who had crawled over to lean against a wall, the knife still embedded into his gut.
Wrex stood with an amused expression as he approached the Turian. Getting close, Shepard yanked the knife out of the Turian's mid-section, and brought it closer to the Turian's face. The blade was coated in cobalt blood; droplets dripping from the serrated edges.
With the blade inches from his face, Shepard whispered, a terrifying sound as the Turian tried to avoid looking at the maniac's face:
"I wonder what'll kill you first? The shock, or the blood loss?"
With that, the commander took one of the Turian's mandibles in his left hand, and sliced it off with precision a surgeon would be proud of. The Turian wailed in agony, the pain searing his nerves, his fragile mind drawing a blank as the human in front of him laughed.
Wrex simply chuckled.
"Shh... Shh... It's okay, It'll all be better soon. Here, this'll make you feel better," Shepard quickly applied a dose of medi-gel to the open wound, causing the Turian to stare at the crazed human, "We don't want you dying too soon now, do we? No, no... I need you to stay awake."
The Turian began to close his eyes, his mind in such a state of shock that it had started to shut down.
A quick punch to the face, woke the thug back up again:
"Wakey wakey!"
Without letting up, Shepard took the remaining mandible and sliced that off as well.
The Turian, was in hell. His face burned with the agony of having two of his limbs being forcibly removed. The medi-gel was numbing the pain only slightly, but his gut churned at the sight before him; the maniac was putting on a show for the Krogan.
Shepard leaned in once more, a vicious grin on his lips, the light illuminating his features, portraying him as a ghastly spectre: "You will know my pain. That much is certain."
Shepard placed the severed mandibles into the Turian's mouth; placing them at an angle so it allowed the thug's mouth to stay wide open.
Crying in agony, the Turian could only look on in pure horror as the deranged human in front of him removed a grenade from a bandolier on his right arm. Leaning in close once more, Shepard finished his speech:
"I'll see you in hell."
Placing the grenade into the Turian's mouth, Shepard simply smiled at the thug before him. As he began to stand up, skull-face began to wail, not wanting it to end like this.
Shepard merely stood there, watching the Turian, before placing his finger on the button of the detonator, and smiling viciously at the result. The Turian's head had been completely annihilated; a blue mist permeated the air surrounding the corpse.
Turning to face Wrex, the commander threw a lazy salute, "And that, is how you kill a Turian."
Wrex bellowed a great rumbling laugh before slapping the commander on the shoulder, a massive grin on his face.
Although the two psychopaths had enjoyed the spectacle, they had practically forgotten about their primary objective.
Huddled in a corner, was the Quarian he'd been searching for.
The maniac's heart broke at the sight before him. Shepard dropped his knife as he began to walk towards her.
He knew exactly what to do; the one thing he'd been unable to do so many years ago...
Kneeling down, he lifted the woman into a warm embrace, his head resting gently on her shoulder.
The Quarian didn't try and push him away; in fact, she welcomed the man with open arms.
The commander held onto her, as she held on him. All of the stress, the anger the sadness... It all began to wash away for the pair of them.
After what felt like an eternity, the embrace was broken, to which the young woman gazed at her saviour. His eyes were so full of warmth and comfort, she couldn't help but relax. She noticed a tear streaming down the man's face, rolling down his cheek. But she also noticed the genuine smile on his face; a smile that wasn't strained or forced.
This was a kind man. That she could tell.
She'd seen what he'd done to the thugs, but she didn't care. He was her saviour.
Shepard stared down into the woman's luminescent silver eyes, happiness flooding his system; a tear of joy streamed down his face as he looked at the young woman before him.
He had made it in time. He hadn't failed this woman like he had Lucy. He had saved this woman from a fate far worse than death.
He had done right.
The woman whispered quietly, just enough for Shepard to listen, "D-Did the Ancestors send you?"
Shepard couldn't help but smile at the woman as he answered in an equally quiet whisper, his response was filled with passion and determination,"No. Fate did."
Shepard didn't know, but he could swear that the woman behind the mask was smiling at him. Her eyes conveyed happiness, joy and relief beyond any boundaries, into his.
She whispered once more, content to let this stranger, her saviour, hold her a little longer. "M-My name's T-Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. B-But you can call me Tali."
Shepard whispered gently in reply, "My name's Shepard."
A small cough could be heard in the background, drawing the commander out of his dream-like state:
"Uhh... Commander? We should probably get moving," Kaidan rested a hand on the large man's shoulder before continuing, "C-Sec are going to be here anytime soon."
Shepard nodded his head in understanding. He began to stand up, gently bringing Tali with him. He was still holding her hand as they stood up, three fingers interlaced with five.
"Let's get moving people. We're going to the human embassy... It'll be the safest place on the Citadel for us at the moment. We'll work out what to do once we get there."
And with that, the squad members began to move forward, not saying a word to their commander, who was still holding the Quarian woman's hand.
Shepard leaned down and spoke to Tali softly, "Stay close to my side. I promise, you'll be safe."
Tali, relief flooding her system by being in the presence of the man, simply replied.
"Always."
So there you have it! Chapter 4 done! Over 11,000 words!
Did you like my little twist on things?
Did you like the 'maniac'?
Let me know in the reviews. Or message me!
Cheers!