A/N
Hey all, I managed to get this chapter done a bit faster. Still took too long so this chapter is abit shorter than normal. Real life interferes way too much with writing but the feedback I get from writing is one of the best buzzes you get so please review and let me know what you think.
Darthjohn: Glad you gave the story a chance and are enjoying it. I'm always happy to get feedback. Thanks for reading.
Eldani: I'm getting back into writing after been out of the groove for a while. Hopefully more will come faster. I try not to stereotype the different races. Way too easy too assume all Krogan are only violent brutes for example, but there are some species traits like Salarian rapidity of speech that I think are characteristic. Hopefully I get the balance right, and thanks for the comment, it reassures me I'm doing okay on that score. Enjoy the next chapter.
Subsider34: Glad you're still with me. This chapter has a bit more action in it, with plenty more to come. Nat will have some major disclosures coming soon...not that she is going to have a choice about it. Enjoy.
GreenRena: You're welcome and I hope you enjoy this chapter even more. I know at some point I am going to need to skip time to get to closer to the cannon story line etc, but at the moment I am treating this like Nat's first adventure. (First book perhaps? Who knows we will see.) Lots of development still to do so there will be more chapters which aren't all combat, but personally I get frustrated with a chapter that manages to go through weeks of time at a go. Just me but I prefer more detail so that's the way I write. Hopefully though it still reads with a sense of pace. The 1st person writing is a real challenge as well. Enjoy.
KhazintheDark: Yep that's a wrap, and this is the next one. Actually that's a good description of how I write. I run the scenes through my head like a movie and then write what I see. I can definitely see some fun missions coming up for Nat Havnoc and possibly Garrus, need some sniper support after all, but I do have an idea for another OC to help out. May introduce her (oops) next chapter although she already has had a cameo. Hint hint. Nat's absolutely slightly insane, with luck she will manage to stay that way. Going to be hard for her when every feed is like crack. A real Paragon Shepherd would be a problem, a renegade shep could be hilarious. Enjoy this chapter.
Ozymandeous: Thanks for the comment. Ya think? He he. May the chaos begin. Enjoy and please let me know what you think of this chapter.
Everyone else: Thanks for the favourites and follows. I'm chuffed to have so much support for a slightly oddball theme, especially when I have no history of writing on fanfiction. This chapter takes me past 60k in 10 chapters so I hope there will be lots more viewers. If you're new to my tale let me know what you think, good bad or even indifferent I really want to know. If you're not a newby and havent left me a comment please do...please or I might have to have Nat track you down and Gibbs slap you. Lol. Enjoy everyone.
The start of the next day cycle comes around quickly, and I get up, rousing Serah with a call and knock on her door, before heading for the bathroom. I enjoy a quick shower and head back to my room to pull on my armor while Serah stirs herself. 5 minutes later I am dressed and discover I've no more blood packs in my fridge. Crap. I know Mordin would help me out but I don't want to impose on his reserves too often. I settle for drinking some blood from my suit reserves just to take the edge off my increasing hungry again. I need to find someone to feed on today. Still that should work well with my plans for the day. I make Serah the Asari tea that she likes in the morning and leave it to cool on the kitchen work top as she gets ready in the bathroom, then relax in the lounge watching the holovid until she's ready. As we leave the apartment she turns to me.
"Don't say it Nat. I am going to work and you aren't staying at the clinic all day."
"I didn't say a word." I protest, and she gives a snort of laughter.
"You don't have to. I know what you're thinking. Just give up now and save the argument Nat."
"You win, you win Serah. I'll leave you at the clinic. Just promise me you'll comm me if anything weird happens."
"I've done one better Nat. I've set up a tracking beacon from my omnitool linked to yours. Anything happens, I hit that and you know where I am as long as I am in Omega. Better?"
She grins at me, carefree and determined to have her own way, and I just shake my head, a bit mollified and relieved that she is showing some sense at least, not much but some. The trip through Omega's passages and tunnels is uneventful and 20 minutes walk amongst the early cycle crowd see me leave Serah at Mordin's clinic. She suggests I come in and get fed bet I refuse, and with a friendly wave I leave her there and head for Ecktar's.
At Ecktar's I disengage the lower leg units of the armour and let the Salarian take them into his workshop. The drop and motion dampener I want fitted has arrived and he is eager to get it installed. While he works Havnoc and I chat.
"So did you find anything more out about Yeis?"
"Hah, you have those Batarians out for blood and confused as all hells Nat. Yeis has put a bounty on your head, but he doesn't know who it's for!"
"A bounty? How much?"
"50k."
"Is that all? I feel insulted Havnoc, I've cost him a hell of a lot more than that already."
"Hehe, Yeis is playing down his losses as nothing more than an inconvenience Nat. He won't put serious money out for you yet. Too much confusion about who attacked them, and so far no further losses."
"Hmm, well I plan to hit them again today Havnoc."
"Today? Where?"
"I'm going to deal with your neighbours across the way." The big Krogan looks uneasy for a moment.
"So close? Nat you could..."
"Don't worry Havnoc. I don't want you involved. When Ecktar is finished I will gear up, leave, and come back later, and I will make sure there's no link to Ecktar's. I know it's a concern for yout business but I can do this on my own and at the moment there are no slaves there."
"No it's empty, the last slaves were moved a while ago. So why hit them?"
"It's a weak target, I can wound Yeis and hit his pride, but mostly I intend to get information. With so few guards left it should be easy pickings. I want them to start worrying, and increase the guards on their depots, pull slavers away from their main facility. Will Yeis be likely to bring in mercs?"
"Ah I see what you're doing now. I don't think he will hire mercs, he still has plenty of men, and doing so would be a loss of face."
"Good then I hope he carries on being stupid. I won't come back here after I raid them, so I'll keep in touch with you by comm after this."
"So long as I don't miss out on a proper fight."
"No problem Havnoc, I promise you will get to have plenty of bloodshed."
"Hah, good, you know how to keep a Krogan happy Nat."
A few minutes later the sound of machinery in the work room stops and Ecktar comes back to his counter with my armor boots and lower leg guards.
"Done, easy with correct parts. Now just need to update armor control systems and then test. Pull on boots Nat."
I quickly pull on the armor boots, noting the slight difference in the texture in the soles, where Ecktar has replaced them with the kinetic dampening units, a synthetic sound absorbing material that maintains the same level of grip but on its own muffles the sound of footfalls significantly. The real genius of the gear is built into the armored calves of my suit bootd. A kinetic sink that absorbs the energy of a fall or movement and diverts it into the suit's power system, combined with a hard wired sound wave analysis chip and emitter system mounted in the shins and boots. The emitters emit sound waves on precisely the same frequencies as my footfalls, analysed every 1/1000th of a second and timed so that the emitted waves and my footfalls are synchronised and precisely opposed, thus cancelling out any noise. The result? Walking, running or landing from a drop I'll make less noise than a ghost. Ecktar spends 10 minutes making sure the units are in perfect order and that his software updates are correct. Once he's happy he has me test it. I activate the system and jump up and down on the metal floor of the Emporium, trying to slam my feet into the ground. Nothing, not even a whisper of noise.
"Freaking awesome. Good work Ecktar. Thanks."
"Welcome Nat. Very satisfactory result. Kinetic dampening running perfectly. Sound wave cancelling functioning as expected. Upgrade complete."
20 minutes later I leave the Emporium, very happy with my new gear. In addition to the upgrade, Ecktar has restocked my supply of grenades and flashbangs. He offered medigel as well but I reassured him I was ok, although I did accept some capsule reloads of omnigel for my omnitool.
I don't go far, walking away from the store in the opposite direction from the slaver mart. A short time later I spot the alley I have planned for. According to my map at the back of this grubby alley there is an access to the maintenance tunnels riddling Omega. With luck I will be able to get somewhere near the slavers from here. Thankfully the alley is empty, apart from trash, I'm hungry and an early meal would have been handy but so close to the main passage it would be risky. I need no witnesses right now so it would have been a shame to waste food.
I find the access and quickly climb up to it. It's rusted shut, just another indicator of the non existent maintenance that is all too common on Omega. I brace myself on the ladder and push. The rusted frame resists for a long couple of seconds before giving way with a squeal. I force it open and climb through, then force the hatch closed again. Then crouch in the darkness, visor open, straining my senses. Nothing. The only noise is the distant rumble of machinery, hiss of gases and drip of unidentified liquids, the area smells of rust, grease, dirt and decay. The maintenance lighting is broken and even my enhanced sight is hard pushed to make out the shapes in the darkness. Satisfied I'm alone I flick my visor down and activate its UVSI system. My helmet starts scanning the area around me with dozens of ultraviolet frequency beams then assembles the returns into a composite image of the tunnel in front of me. I found this system while exploring the suit's systems. Wonderful idea. Similar to LIDAR but far less likely to be detected. Turning on my new stealth system I pad soundlessly through the tunnel as I start exploring. Not so much for anyone in here, I'm confident I'm alone, but to stop the inhabitants below from hearing the clumping of armor through the metal maintenance system.
It's takes me almost an hour to find a route that ends up over the slaver compound. Unfortunately I'm way too high to drop in. Note to self, some sort of descending rig might be handy. Oh well I won't be able to make an entrance from here but that's okay I wasn't really expecting too. No, all I wanted was to be close enough to their depot to try out my new chip.
"VI scan for the slavers systems."
"Scanning...Detected...Classifying...Wireless security, communication, and administration systems detected."
"Excellent. Can you hack these systems?"
"Analyzing. Wireless network security is a mid grade commercial Serta System product. System penetration will take approximately 20 seconds for passive access, longer for additional functionality. Commence hack?"
"Yes."
"System penetration commencing...working...access achieved without compromise."
"Wild. Okay I need access to their security system first."
"Working...Security system penetration complete...Analysing."
One of my helmet's HUD changes and displays the security system of the slavers facility. In seconds the it changes again as camera systems and motion sensors are identified and mapped, along with their controlling software. Flicking through the data I can see access to their communications, environmental systems, even the access to their holding cells and armory.
"Huh, I can access everything from this. That has to be a mistake."
"Analysis suggests this system has been designed with low staffing numbers in mind, and allowing centralised remote control. This also results in a critical system vulnerability." The suit VI comments. I'm not fussed because I agree with it totally. Excitement buzzes through me.
"OK, give me a command level access at this facility and access their remote systems please?"
"Assessing...Administration database penetration commencing...Breached...Ghost User with command access added, linking to comm system...Passive link achieved."
I grin in the darkness above the slavers, and set to work.
Hours later and my VI's done awesome work. The intrusion chip's programs had a field day, accessing the main slaver facilities through the same comm links they use for remote access. Its probe slid undetected into their system and set about finding plans and schematics, downloading data, comm codes, access codes as well as a mountain of data from shipping schedules to buyers and pay rosters. All without tripping over their system security. From the stolen data I know this site is not expecting a change of guard for another 8 hours, and not expecting more slaves for another 32 hours, which is just perfect, for now I don't want to worry about freeing slaves. I just want someone to eat. My hunger is growling loud and clear, and I have forced myself to wait into the night cycle to reduce the chances of detection, while the VI combs through the Batarian slavers' systems and I plan their demise. Finally I stand up and pad through the darkness silently back to the same access I used before.
No one pays me any attention as I step out of the alley, just another body moving through Omega's night and the traffic here is light. Minutes later I reach the square and then duck into the alley running alongside the slaver's fencing as at the same time I watch on their security systems. I watch and see...nothing. Awesome. The VI has added a routine to their security system which deletes my image as soon as it detects my presence. I am literally invisible to their security although I know if someone remotely sees doors opening and closing on their own I'll be busted, but as I control what the Batarians get to see I think I'm golden. After checking the locations of the Batarian guards and checking no one is paying attention I drift noiselessly to the back of the alley then with a couple of quick steps launch myself up over the fence, clearing the 3m fence easily and landing in a small soundless puff of dust, then ducking into the deep shadows behind some storage crates.
Checking the slavers positions the 4 blips on the map haven't moved much. 2 are in the guard barracks which sleeps 10, a single guard is roving the grounds in a regular 10 minute routine and the last is in the administration building. Patching into the camera net I can see the Batarian is sat in a seat with legs up in front of the security terminal. I have 2 cameras and 2 doors between me and him. I have the VI slip a 20 second loop of the outside door seamlessly into the camera footage and then slip through and head up the stairs, passing under the second camera that obediently ignores me. The door to the admin office isn't even locked and I shake my head at the guard's stupidity. His position at the security terminal means his back is facing the door. Damn this couldn't get much easier. I take the precaution of locking his comm access and blocking outside access, and then retract my helmets mouth and chin guard freeing me to feed as I extend my fangs. Mordin chose well with my armor. The hunger is raging in me now and I'm getting twitchy. Taking a last glance at the camera footage of the guard I realise one of his screen actually displays the interior of the admin office door. Ooh that would have been a mistake. The VI slips another 20 second loop into the security system and once it confirms it is active I silently tap the haptic and the door slides open quietly. Not quietly enough. The Batarian grunts in surprise at the whisper of noise and awkwardly twists from his lounging position as I move smoothly into the room. He's in light armor but his weapon is resting on top of the desk, and in the opposite direction from his movement.
The Batarian has no chance, my hunger is in control now and my right fist clubs him down into the ground stunned before he has finished twisting. My left hand clamps like a vice around his throat pulling his head back and left, exposing the right side of his neck. Razor fangs sink through the armored fabric, deep into his throat, puncturing flesh and muscle, tearing open the vital pumping artery and fresh hot blood jets into my mouth, down my throat. He screams, struggling, but with my left hand clamped like a vice on his throat he can't breathe, and only a gurgle escapes. I moan in satisfaction as life surges into my body. Blood spurts from the wound, as the Batarian fights desperately weakening rapidly without air and his life draining away. It splashes down my armor and I curse mentally at the haste and careless wound that my hunger has caused, before returning my attention to my meal. Gods it tastes so good, and I savour my kill as the life finally leaves and my feeding stops. I feel good, strong, vital, alive...but not sated, not content, there is more prey to be had here. The need to feed is still in control.
I move rapidly, silently out the office, back down the stairs to the ground floor and along the corridor past the entrance towards the barracks. The hunger is in control but I still manage to check my HUD. 2 prey ahead in the barrack, the last is across the other side of the site. Comms are still quiet. Palming the haptic switch the door opens and I step in, enhanced vision easily making out the lines of beds either side of the central aisle, 2 occupied on the right conveniently next to each other.
I unconsciously let out a low hiss of anticipation as I dart soundlessly in, moving toward their beds. I make no noise but some instinct for danger jerks the first Batarian awake, sitting up blindly in the dark as I move in, before his confused mind registers my shape drift across the dim light from the hallway.
"What.." is all he has time to say before I backhand him across the face, irritation making me strike more strongly than planned. Instead of just knocking the Batarian out he is knocked out of his bed and tumbles over the next bed away from my reach. The noise awakens the other prey and she rolls away out of her bed in alarm. There's a moment of pause as I try and decide which to head for, and that is all it takes for the Batarian woman to call out and grab a heavy pistol beside her bed. Her shout brings the room lights on and the sudden brightness makes me growl in displeasure as my eyes adjust. The Batarian I knocked flying isn't moving so I ignore him and turn towards the woman. Her face pales in utter horror at the sight of my extended fangs and she opens fire with a booming echo. This plan just went straight to shit. The pistol is a damned Carnifex and my suit's shield shudder but hold under the impact. I dart forward leaping the bed to close the distance. A 2nd and 3rd round hit my shields, but I'm more worried about the noise than the mass accelerated slivers.
She tries to dive away but I intercept her catching the pistol with my left hand, right hand catching her by the throat lifting and dumping her on the her back. Vastly stronger I yank the gun out of her hand. The noise of the gunfire has roused the stunned Batarian male and he lifts himself, looking for a weapon, in time for me to shoot him in the face with the Carnifex. His head just vanishes in an expanding cloud of misted gore and bone fragments. Mass accelerated weapons against unarmored targets are just plain evil. With one of my prey dead I yank the other towards me ignoring her attempts to beat me with her fists as I savagely sink my fangs into her throat and feed urgently. She whimpers in shock, and I smell the actinic stench of urine. No matter, I need this feed. Over the comm I hear the frantic shouts of the last guard calling as he runs towards the administration block. He asks for a sit rep but gets only silence then tries to call for reinforcements, cursing in fear and anger as he realises his comms are blocked outbound.
My prey goes limp as she slips into unconsciousness the life force from my feeding finally sating my hunger. The last Batarian is almost here. With a voice command I shut the barracks lights back off and grant my meal a mercifully quick death by snapping her neck like a twig. Mentally I curse my stupidity for letting the hunger get out of control. How do I deal with the evidence? How much time do I have? I've blocked off external access to the security systems but no doubt someone locally will have heard the shots. A Carnifex is too damned loud to miss. Someone will alert the slavers and or come to investigate. I can ignore the one I shot but this female is evidence of my feeding and so is the 2nd upstairs. Do I have time to incinerate them? I move to the side of the door as I see the last guard enter the block and head in my direction on my HUD. Dumb but understandable. He should have headed for the security terminal, gotten reinforcements. He stops outside the open door, turning the lights on by voice from outside, then calling for the Batarians by name. I wait and wonder what he will do as he gets only silence in response. In the light from my position I can see the disturbed bedding but not the bodies or the blood so hopefully he sees the same.
I'm leaning against the wall with the Carnifex raised to fire as he comes in. Instead the Batarian does something I didn't expect. A pair of small objects fly into the room. Fuck. Grenades? No. Flash BANG BANGS. The helmet helps but with my mouth guard retracted I've no environmental seal. The visor automatically polarizes in an instant but there is more than enough glare under the visor to blind me as my world turns white in a flash and my ear drums are blown by twin 250 decibel bursts. I know I screech in agony but I don't hear it as I reel backwards against the wall. Disorientation. Pain. Am I on the floor? Can't see eyes full of tears. Blinking desperately. I feel a series of thuds, what are they? Impacts on shielding? I try and scramble away hurling myself over a dimly seen bed that shreds besides me as more rounds hit, my vision flaring blue as shields take more impacts. Rolling onto my back reaching for a weapon as my sight clears enough to see the last guard with his shotgun levelled at me at 3m distance. He fires again and my shields collapse the impact bleeding through and striking me in the torso. Fuck its like been hits in the stomach with a steel beam, but it doesn't breach my suit. Don't think I can take another hit like that.
The Batarian is shouting something I can't make out, his face distorted in rage as his weapon comes down again from the recoil. There's no time for finesse and I've got no control right now. I loose my biotics and hurl the power forwards. The biotic wave picks up the guard and hurls him through the wall back into the corridor. The impact is low velocity so the poor shit takes the full force on his back and neck with no shielding kicking in. I stagger to my feet feeling like shit reaching for a weapon but as vision clears I can see I don't need to bother. The guard is dead the back of his head caved in by the impact. What a fucking mess. Stupid bitch Nat.
I tell the VI to alert me visually of any alarms or comms as I'm totally deaf right now. I don't hear my voice but my HUD displays a confirmation, plus notifying me that access is being attempted to the facility's comms and security system from a remote network. It tells me that it's firewall is under assault but holding at present, and the intrusion probe in the slavers' systems externally is reporting ETA of reinforcements in 9 minutes. Fuck fuck fuck. Stagger out of the barracks, balance is still leery but getting better. Throw a frag grenade at the body of my meal with a 10 second delay and slap the door to close it. Help contain the blast although the hole in the frigging wall does me no favours. Stumble back to the stairs and pull myself up them as the building shakes as the grenade goes off in the barracks. As soon as I can see the door to admin I yank another 2 grenades, prime and throw, thanking my stars that IK throw straight enough to get them in the room. That should take care of the 2nd body of evidence. Turn round and stagger away back down the stairs. Out the door head for the site exit. Fuck the fence I couldn't jump for shit right now. Twin shockwaves throw me to the ground as the grenades detonate. I pull myself up and carry on running, AR at the ready as I sprint for the darkness of the streets. There are a couple of witnesses, a Turian couple stepping out of a nearby bar but they just watch open mouthed not interfering as a head for safety. Fuck me this was not a good day. Battered bruised but fed. I suck at my suit's blood supply as I run, speeding my healing. Strange that I can draw nourishment this way but it still doesn't combat the need to feed. Will have to work that out assuming I survive the night.