Mass Effect: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
Chapter II: A World Called, Catastrophe
An hour passed since they arrived at the space station.
The old veteran sat in the med bay. He pulled the boots the nurse had given him onto his feet and began tying the laces. They had poked and prodded him, injected him and tested him on dozens of tests that he was not familiar with. He had also learned that after a hundred and ninety years had passed; his combat medic training seemed obsolete in the face of medical expertise of 2185.
Medi-Gel was a medicinal achievement in the world of medical science, as it could be applied to any surface wound; burn, cuts, bullet wounds, it even numbed and held broken bones in place. He felt he could have saved many more lives if it had been developed during his time.
Once he was fully dressed, he looked himself over in the mirror, the outfit was comprised of what he assumed were military fatigues; a shirt, matching trousers and boots. It was a little tight across the chest, but it beat hospital scrubs any day.
He looked at his face and realized that he had not really aged between the time he woke up in Cyprus, and the day he fell in Outer Heaven. He wrinkled around the eyes, and his hair was only a bit greyer compared to the once older Big Boss he knew. When he thought about it, there had been at least a ten year age gap between him and big Boss.
Before he could dwell any longer on the thought, Jacob had entered the med bay, saluting at the door.
"Big Boss, the Illusive Man is ready when you are." He greeted.
Big Boss nodded and followed the soldier out.
They moved through the station together, passing other service men and women who stared with faces of shock and awe. They spoke whispers of his survival, of his legacy, of his exploits, and of Solid Snake.
"What happened to Solid Snake?" Big Boss asked as they passed through a long hall.
"The gist of it is; The La-li-lu-le-lo— or rather, The Patriots, were in control— of everything. Everything was documented, ID'd and kept tight under their thumb. The war economy boomed in the 2010's, PMC's became the fighters on the battlefield, bipedal tanks everywhere." They stepped into an elevator and Jacob crossed his arms, leaning against the glass wall.
"Solid Snake spent a lot of time destroying Metal Gears all over the world and trying to find and put down The Patriots, and in 2014; he succeeded. The Patriots were gone."
"How?" Big Boss asked.
Jacob shrugged. "Beats me, but I know that in 2014, he and his partner Emmerich—"
"Emmerich?"
"Yeah, Hal Emmerich. He went by the codename, Otacon when he and Solid Snake took out The Patriots."
Snake smirked a little at the irony.
"Somethin' funny?" Jacob asked.
He shook his head. He wondered if Huey was aware of that.
The elevator stopped and Jacob led them through a large hall, much like an office building with glass doors that paneled the walls instead of massive bulkheads.
"Most of our tech nowadays is based on his designs; the ceramics and computers in our armor, stealth camo, our Atlas bipedal mechs, all of it, if not most, is based on his work. Or what we could recover of it. Emmerich destroyed all his personal data files after the Patriots."
He continued the history lesson, "Anyway, so they attack The Patriots, who are led by Liquid Ocelot."
Snake frowned and stared at the alloy floor. Ocelot... led The Patriots? Back in '95, he was their informant, telling Big Boss everything that Cypher was up to that he could spare. But to join them? Something was amiss.
Jacob continued. "It ends in a big bad battle on this submarine, and Solid Snake beats Liquid Ocelot in hand to hand combat. Turns out, The Patriots were a group of twelve guys that had died hundreds of years ago and that Liquid Ocelot was their legacy left in charge. And after that, The Patriots were gone." He snapped his fingers, "Snake and Emmerich stopped the control of information. A lot of PMC's disbanded then, and a lot of governments were left in financial ruin. It took years before things returned back to the way they worked with The Patriots in control. And even then, technological development hit a brick wall."
Jacob led them into a shuttle bay.
The story had seemed off— way off. Snake knew what The Patriots were before they became The Patriots. He knew that a man by the name of Zero was behind it all, and he was in control of everything. He knew that Skull Face had a part in the man's condition that led to the formation of The Patriots. But he held back his questions. If this was the past that Jacob knew, odds were everyone thought that was the way it happened.
The large loading bay they entered was empty with the exception of a singular person. Miranda stood in front of a console, tapping away at the holographic screen. She did not look up when they entered.
"That's about as much as we know. Well... that's all I know anyway, I was never much for history." Jacob finished.
Snake nodded and continued to follow him as he led him across the room to a stairwell leading down to another bulkhead. Jacob turned to face Big Boss outside the door.
"The Illusive Man is inside, stand in the circle in the middle of the room, and you'll be patched through to him via quantum entanglement."
Snake nodded, and entered the next room. It was dark, except for an orange hue and the light of the hallway behind him. He saw the circle stood in the center. It emitted a low hum and a soft whir as he was surrounded by an orange hue.
Shortly after, he was not looking into the same room as he was in, and a new brightness shone in the room opposite him. A burning star silhouetted a seated man with glowing eyes. The man was well dressed, he sat cross-legged and inhaled a cigarette before exhaling deeply.
"Big Boss. It's an honour." He said coolly.
Snake stood, impassive and stoic, he bowed his head ever so slightly in silent greeting.
The man took another drag from his cigarette and tapped it into an ashtray on the armrest of his chair.
"Allow me to cut to the chase; we're at war, Big Boss. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack. Our place in the universe is more fragile than we'd like to think." Another drag.
"And that one man— one very specific man, might be all that stands between humanity, and the greatest threat of our brief existence."
Snake listened, he watched the Illusive Man's mannerisms; how he took a drag of his smoke almost immediately after the last and his eyes illuminated the shadows in a glowing cerulean.
"I'm talking about an enemy far greater than that of Patriots and Zeros, Big Boss." He said.
Snake raised a brow. So he knew about Zero? Did he know about everything? The Illusive Man nodded as if reading his mind, as if he knew everything about him. Could he have known about the other Big Boss as well? The real Big Boss?
"I'm talking about an enemy on the galactic scale." He continued and snubbed his cigarette as it burned at the filter and lit another. "Reapers, Boss."
"While you've been asleep, humanity has expanded into the stars, and in the process, came in contact with alien life forms via the Mass Relay Network. We've established and joined in their galactic society. In fact, it's all thanks to Commander Shepard, we have a seat on their council."
"But while they squabble over politics, margins and logistics, colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. They believe it's nothing. We believe it's someone working for the Reapers. We just don't know who, yet." He said as he stood from his seat, an arm neatly tucked behind him as he took another long drag.
Snake shifted on his feet and stared at the ground. "What's your angle?" He asked.
The Illusive Man exhaled. "We— as in, Cerberus, are committed to the advancement and preservation of humanity. If the Reapers are targeting us, trying to wipe us out, Cerberus will stop them. If we wait for politicians or the Alliance to act... no more colonies will be left. Hundreds of thousands of human colonists have vanished. Nobody's paying attention because it's random and the attacks occur in remote locations. I don't know why they're targeting humanity, but it's probably because of the late Commander Shepard."
"Who is this Commander Shepard?" Snake asked, lifting his gaze from the floor. This was the second time he had mentioned this person… and they must have been very important to him, for a look of forlorn swept over the Illusive Man's face.
He lowered his head as he inhaled deeply.
"Commander Allison Jane Shepard. Next to yourself and Solid Snake, she was our paragon. Immensely skilled, she carried with her an aura of brilliance, like a diamond in the mud. Her charisma was unmatched, she could talk herself out of most situations without ever placing a finger on the trigger. She completed the impossible a dozen times over."
"… She died, two years ago. Her ship was destroyed over the planet Alchera, she went down with the ship." The Illusive Man's posture was mournful, if only for a moment, it was a brief look into his admiration for the woman.
He quickly regained his composure. "Which leads us to you, Big Boss. You're the best. You're unique, you've experienced things no one else has, and have overcome odds as a sole operative no one can come close to. You're the best, not just in your abilities, or what you've experienced, but in what you represent."
"You're a legend. You stood for humanity— for the future, once. You led a nation who adored you, died for you. You're more than a soldier— you're a symbol. People see you, and they're not scared of what's to come, they followed you into hell without looking back."
A Legend... Snake stared at the floor again. "Humanity?" He whispered, his voice tinted with consideration.
The Illusive dabbed his cigarette. "If you don't believe me… how about seeing it for yourself first." He turned around, and returned to his chair, tapping on an interface by the arm rest.
A holographic screen appeared before Snake, it showed a planet covered in lush green and thick clouds, an ocean and heavy rock formation. The image centered on where a series of building structures appeared among the landscape.
"I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you."
Snake was quiet as he weighed his options. What would Big Boss do? They had spent their lives fighting Cypher, to prevent the control of information under a single entity, to free humanity from control and to exist within their own bounds. He thought long and hard.
Kaz... he would choose to help, just as they did in MSF, just as they did with Diamond Dogs. His old XO would often talk about revenge and money, how Diamond Dogs was a business as much as it was a family, but the man had a big heart underneath that hardened shell. Beneath all that rage was a good man.
They had not left on the best of terms… in fact, when he had told Miller that he was leaving to take over Outer Heaven, and that he was bringing the Dogs with him… Kaz had promised he would guide either of the sons of Big Boss to kill him. He had raised them to be men who surpassed Big Boss himself, to beat the phantom of his former friend.
Snake could not blame him though. The decision came after he fully realized that he was indeed not Big Boss. With both his new and old memories, he made the decision to keep being the Boss, to serve as the Legend… and that meant abandoning his friend and taking his Dogs.
He had never felt such regret as he did when he told him he was taking over Outer Heaven… he wished he had stayed with Diamond Dogs, to continue building their own nation, one that rivaled governments, and could even rival Outer Heaven itself.
The Illusive Man tapped his cigarette again and spoke when Snake said nothing. "Find any clues you can. Who's abducting the colonies— do they have any connection to the Reapers? Anything to give us an edge." He inhaled deeply, and exhaled just as so.
"I brought you back, Big Boss. It's up to you to do the rest." The Illusive Man said as he tapped a button on his arm rest.
The visual dimmed, and Snake watched as the orange holograph disappeared around him. He turned away and headed back up the stairs.
Miranda and Jacob stood at consoles separate from each other and Miranda spoke first when Snake appeared.
"The Illusive Man is very impressed with you. I'm eager to see if you can live up to his expectations on this mission." She said and peered up from the interface.
"I hope it'll be worth the trouble. A lot of people lost their lives on that station." She slid her finger over the interface, dragging an image and blowing up the map to be larger. Snake felt she did not like him much.
"Let's go over the briefing. Freedom's Progress; a typical human settlement in the Terminus Systems. They had a small military force for protection, supplemented by standard mechs and security drones." She shifted through a few images to show him.
"Average in almost every way, really. Completely unremarkable... until the disappearance. Once we get down there, we should find only empty buildings and one giant mystery. We'll land at the civilian loading dock, move through the apartments, and look for evidence toward what might have caused the disappearance."
"Simple Recon work." Jacob added.
Snake eyed the screen and followed the path Miranda laid out with her finger, imprinting it into his memory.
"You'll be in charge, we'll follow your lead, Big Boss." She said.
He nodded.
"Now, before we get going," Miranda gestured to Jacob. "Jacob, see that the Boss is outfitted; omni-tool, armor, translator, weapons— the works. We'll meet up at the shuttle in half an hour."
She closed the screen and walked away, moving past them to the elevator.
Jacob stepped over to Big Boss. "Alright, let's get you fitted. Lots of new toys for you to try out."
o - o - o - o - o
Big Boss sat in the shuttle opposite Miranda and Jacob. He stared at the ground as he breathed readied himself for the operation, letting his adrenaline settle and his letting his mind become clear and resolute. His weapon sat butt first between his legs, held loosely in his grip.
Jacob checked his shotgun over. "How's the armor holding up, Boss?" He asked.
Snake snapped himself out of his daze and looked over his get up. Jacob had called it Cerberus Ajax Armor. It amplified his shield output, and the suits onboard computer increased its recharge speed. He'd also never be out of spare thermal clips with all the pockets that lined the armor's chest and hips— that's what the soldier had told him anyway. It might as well had been in another language with all the technical jargon he sputtered.
He gripped the M-96 Mattock assault rifle by the barrel, giving it a once over with his eye; it was heavy, but not more than the typical rifles he was used to. He also armed himself with an M-6 Carnifex, at the suggestion of Jacob. From what he could tell, firearms remained fundamentally the same in the future; point at the enemy and squeeze the trigger.
He offered an affirmative nod to the man. The Ajax armour was a little bulky and tight over his frame, but it reminded him of his old Battle Dress, and when he thought of it like that, it was not entirely all that difficult to move around in.
Miranda crossed her leg over the other and gripped her Locust in her hands. "We should be there shortly, Boss. The Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?" She asked.
Snake shifted and considered, "Did you find anything at the other colonies?" He asked.
Jacob shook his head. "Nothing. No signs of attack, no bodies. Not even a trace of unusual genetic material to give us a clue. They just disappeared, and we left with no target to go after."
Snake nodded. "Keep your eyes open. We need anything that could get us a fix on who they are."
"Understood, Boss. With luck, we'll find something that was missed at the other colonies." Miranda said.
"Then we can find who's behind it and get some payback." Jacob agreed.
The shuttle hit the atmosphere with a fiery streak, like a stroke of red and orange on a canvas of black, and they narrowed in on the landing site. With a thud, the shuttle eased on the dock, and the door opened to reveal a chilly world.
Snake stepped out first and jumped down to the concrete below. He breathed fresh air for the first time since waking, and a cool breeze blew over his face like a mist of relief. He took an inspecting glance around and frowned when he suddenly found it a little hard to breathe, his stomach churned in itself and his muscles were tight and heavier too.
Miranda dropped down beside him. "Your body is getting used to the new atmosphere and gravity, it should pass in a few moments. The shots we gave you on station should keep the discomfort at bay." She informed, reading his face.
Snake nodded and readied the Mattock in his hands. He raised his hand over his shoulder and spun it in a circle; motioning for Miranda and Jacob move to tighten in on him, they tapped his shoulder to signal they were ready and he moved first. He led them to the door ahead and it slid open in response to their presence. He entered first, and the lights flickered to life, displaying a cabin seemingly frozen in time. Plates of food sat at tables unfinished. Mugs sat filled and unattended to. A stove was left sizzling.
"Looks like everyone just got up and left right in the middle of dinner." Jacob said. looking the cabin over.
"The room's clear, no sign or trace of what caused the disappearance." Miranda added as she scanned with her omni-tool.
Snake gestured for them to continue on and they exited out the far side of the cabin. They proceeded down into the main entrance of the quarry, and with a closer inspection, they saw that pieces of machinery— tools and items looked as if they had been set down and left behind.
Miranda was the first to speak. "Strange... no bodies, no structural damage, and no sign of battle or struggle."
Snake led them to the heavy gate on the opposite wall. He motioned for stack together on the gate. He counted down from three with his fingers and slammed his fist on the interface. The gate fell open with a screech and as Big Boss poked his head out, gunfire rattled against the wall.
They moved in, finding cover with the various crates and barriers of the intersection.
Their firearms opened fire on a group of mechs across the way, destroying one in the process. She could hear the pattering of metal legs against the concrete floor.
"FENRIS mechs!" She shouted as a robot on four legs charged at Snake.
He fired his Mattock in a series of double taps before the quadruped stumbled and rolled, exploding into bits and pieces.
"Move up!" He called, shooting at the mechs that exited the second building furthest from them and joined the firefight.
Jacob and Miranda pushed forward, taking cover behind the nearest guard rail and crate.
Snake followed, and ducked beside Miranda. They concentrated their gunfire as Jacob used his biotics to lift one of the FENRIS mechs while Miranda used her own biotics to blast it over the edge and into the chasm below.
Shortly after all gunfire ceased, Jacob lifted his head out of cover. When it was not blown off, he stood and reloaded his shotgun. "Clear."
Snake and Miranda did the same, standing and reloading their weapons as they moved onward.
"Security systems were disabled at the other colonies." Miranda had said as they regrouped and proceeded into the second building furthest away.
"Those mechs shouldn't have been hostile. They should've recognized us as human." Jacob added.
Miranda agreed. "Someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight. We're not alone here."
Big Boss readied to enter the next building. "Stay sharp." He said and moved in.
Beds lay unused, and an apple sat half eaten in the middle of the floor.
Snake picked it up with his bionic hand, and held it up eye level.
Miranda inspected it with her omni tool. "Now, that's unusual... There's genetic material that doesn't relate to human, or any other known species."
"Bag and tag it." Snake said, offering it to either of them.
Jacob delicately placed the apple in a plastic bag, using his omni tool to decompress and seal it. He placed it in his pack and they pressed on to the next area.
They engaged more mechs and made quick work of them, and as they gathered outside the next door, muffled voices argued from the inside.
"Survivors?" Miranda inquired.
Snake motioned for them to form up behind him. They stood to the left of the door, hand on shoulder in a line. Once in position, Snake signaled and they tapped their readiness. Snake entered first quickly, clearing the room right side first as Jacob followed by clearing room left side after him and Miranda covered the center, her Locust aimed at three figures that huddled over a terminal.
The three figures in full bodysuits shot up, training their rifles on Snake and company. "Stop right there!" One of them shouted and stepped forward with his rifle poised.
Another stood between them, her hands raised to stop them from shooting each other. "Prazza! You said you'd let me handle this." She shouted, placing a hand on the barrel of the masked man's rifle. She directed herself to Big Boss.
He saw no face in her visor, only a pair of luminescent eyes through a thick lavender fog. "Please, we're here in peace." Her voice was soft, young and otherworldly. The light on the chin of her mask flickered when she spoke.
He noticed how she and the others only possessed three digits on their hands, and how their knees bent awkwardly, resembling that of a bird's.
They were... aliens? He wondered.
"Quarians." Miranda said under her breath, informing him.
The man she halted, Prazza, raised his rifle again. "I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!"
The woman in purple lifted her hand again. "Put those weapons down!" She ordered.
The man did so reluctantly, but only after a moment of hesitation.
She turned her eyes back to Snake with a sigh. "What is Cerberus doing here?" She asked politely.
Snake lowered his weapon and the others followed. He gestured to Jacob, who spoke for him. "We're here investigating these attacks on human colonies."
Prazza raised his rifle again, and so did Miranda and Jacob. "You'll pardon us for not taking you at your word, Cerberus." He sneered.
Miranda stepped forward this time, her brow furrowed. "We're well within our rights to investigate attacks on a human colony. I'd like to know what quarians are doing here."
The woman in purple, turned back to Prazza. "Weapons down! Whatever's going on here, I don't think we need another fight." She pleaded.
The man was resistant, and Big Boss almost shot him right then. But Prazza relented, lowering his rifle along with the other two behind him.
The woman in purple sighed annoyingly at his stubbornness. "One of our people was here on Pilgrimage. His name is Veetor. We came to find him." She said.
Snake eased his trigger finger, holding his Mattock in casual repose. "Could he tell us what happened?" He asked.
The woman nodded. "That's the hope. We've seen him, but he might not be in the best state to answer questions. He was injured and— ah, nervous around—"
Prazza interjected, "She means that he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suits Co2 scrubbers, and an infection from an open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious."
The woman nodded. "When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved." She finished.
Snake considered their next possible action. The safest, as well as fastest way to deal with this was cooperation. He related it to a mission from his MSF days, where they and a group of guerrilla fighters joined up to bring down their familiar target.
"He's our only lead to find out what happened here. We should work together to find him." He said.
The woman in purple nodded. "Good idea. You'll need two teams to get past the drones, anyway."
Prazza shook his head. "Now we're working with Cerberus?" His voice seethed.
The woman stepped toward the man, a display of a flaring temper, of authority. "No, Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship."
The man turned away, as a child throwing a tantrum would.
She turned back to Snake. "Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path."
Big Boss nodded. "Patch into our frequency, keep in contact."
The woman agreed. "Will do. Good luck, we'll see you on the far side." She spun around and the quarians left, readying their weapons.
When they disappeared, Big Boss led Jacob and Miranda through the open door and down two levels when the woman's voice played over the radio.
"Be careful, there's a squad of security drones up ahead." She informed.
"Thanks for the warning. We'll take care of them." Jacob said as Snake gestured for them to close in. They entered the next building, passing a dismantled mech laying by the beds. Everything was still in this room, just as the others had been. One of the faucets still poured over dirty dishes. Sheets rustled in the breeze from the window.
They exited and met the drones the quarian in purple had spoken of and finished them off with deadly efficiency. The group moved onto the next building, passing through the darkness until the woman's voice sounded again.
"Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead! I told them to wait, but they wouldn't listen! They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get here!" She shouted.
Miranda clicked her tongue. "We should have expected this."
Jacob huffed. "C'mon, we can still catch them."
"Double time." Big Boss said, moving past the exit and down the steps two more levels till they were on the ground. Three more drones appeared from the air, and were quickly dispatched between the three of them.
The woman's voice shouted over gunfire in the background. "Hurry! We're inside the loading docks. Veetor's reprogrammed the heavy mech. It's tearing Prazza's squad apart. Get your squad into cover and I'll open the loading bay doors." Another gate stood tall on the high wall.
Miranda spoke up, pointing to either side of the door. "We'll take cover by the doors. Boss, you take point."
"Go." He ordered and they sprang into position.
As they moved into cover, they could hear the sound of heavy gunfire and explosions on the opposite side, as well as the sound of deathly screams.
"We're in position." Jacob informed. It was a second before the doors opened and they watched as the quarian troops fell like leaves, one of which was stomped on by the giant mech. Big Boss felt a sense of familiarity.
"Move in!" He shouted, opening fire on the bipedal machine. It turned its attention toward them, firing a rocket in their general direction. He dove and the rocket struck the building behind them.
Jacob called over the machine gun fire. "That mech's got heavy armor plating all around, those quarians never stood a chance!" Another missile whistled by.
"This is gonna be one tough son of a bitch to take down!" Miranda shouted.
Snake peeked over his cover, watching as it fired blindly in their direction. Its movements were rudimentary, basic and unstable. ZEKE had been in better operation than this mech was. His eye caught sight of a weak point, rusted in the lower joints.
"Flanking! Keep it busy." He ordered Miranda and Jacob. They nodded and fired their weapons.
Snake dove from his cover to the building to his right.
The woman in purple was there, overseeing one of the injured quarians.
He gave her a swift nod before reaching to his side and pulled out two sticky M75 grenades from his belt. Setting his Mattock down against the wall, Big Boss peered around the corner to see the mech closing in on Jacob's position.
He charged at that moment, ignoring the whistle of bullets that flew past him from Miranda and Jacob.
He hit the arming switch and stuck the first grenade to the tract of the mech's right leg and then latched onto its back as it turned to engage him. He tucked the second grenade into the crevice of the joints that connected its head and neck.
He pushed off, ducking as an arm swung to send him flying, its machine gun fired wildly in his direction.
He dove between its legs, running away and rolling behind the nearest cover.
Gunfire rattled off the ground at his feet and a rocket flew past his head as he ducked.
The first grenade detonated, blowing its leg in half. It stumbled and buckled under its own weight, tumbling over onto its side.
The next grenade exploded, exposing a wide hole of circuitry. The machine jolted, its machine gun fired wildly into the air as it tried to lift itself.
"Here!" The woman in purple shouted to Snake. She tossed him a weapon.
Snake caught it and gave it a quick once over, not sure what it was until he read the writing on the side that read ML-77. The design was foreign, but he'd take the chance. Tucking the surprisingly light launcher under his arm, he aimed the weapon at the heavy mech.
The screen above the thermal clip blinked thrice and a note shrilled, to which he understood as a lock on. The gun fired, shooting out a missile at the staggering machine and struck it with such force to create a concussive blast and violent explosion. Shrapnel and bits showered the air.
He sighed a breath of relief as all that remained was a molten mound of the burning metal, its body twitched and sparked. He lowered the launcher and walked over to the woman in purple, handing it back to her and retrieving his rifle.
She bowed her head in thanks. "Thank you for that. I'll tend to the wounded here, go find Veetor." She turned back to the building and disappeared around the corner.
Miranda and Jacob converged on Snake, and the dark skinned soldier whistled.
"Pretty ballsy, Boss. One misstep and you'd be a pancake right now." He said in admiration.
Snake said nothing as he reloaded his Mattock with a fresh heat sink.
Miranda pointed to the building ahead of them. "Veetor is probably at the back of the loading bay, it's where the controls for security access probably are as well."
They climbed the ramp that led to the entrance, and Big Boss took point with the others following closely behind. He entered the main building.
They were greeted with a darkened room. An orange hue from nine screens in the far back silhouetted the quarian whispering to himself in front of them. He tapped his fingers along an interface with feverish desperation and quivering fear.
Snake stepped in, lowering his Mattock and gestured for the other two to do the same.
The quarian whispered to himself, his breaths hitched in his throat as he sobbed inaudibly. "Have to hide. No monsters, no swarms, no-no-no-no-no..."
Snake stood behind him, and carefully addressed the unstable quarian. "Veetor?"
Veetor shook his head and continued to tap away at the interface, his head darting from screen to screen. "No, Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide." He said absently.
Jacob took a step forward. "Nobody's going to hurt you, Veetor." He reassured.
Veetor did not respond, he did not even breathe a breath between his rambling whispers.
Miranda sighed and opened her omni tool, guiding her hand along the image of the screens until the monitors went blank.
Veetor inhaled sharply. "No-no-no-no..." He spun in his chair to see Big Boss. He was quiet for a second, standing on shaky legs, his fingers twiddled nervously.
"You're human. Where... How come they didn't find you?" He asked.
"Who didn't find us?" Snake inquired.
Veetor shook his head. "The... the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone." He whispered with a thick fear in his throat.
Miranda spoke next. "Why didn't the colonists fight back, Veetor? What happened?"
He shook his head. "You don't know. You didn't see. But, I see everything." He tapped a button on the interface and the screens returned to life.
The image was grainy across the screens, but they could see everything. Swarms of insects flew in and out of frame, creatures dragged human colonists to and fro and placed them in levitating boxes.
"What the hell is that?" Jacob asked, pointing at the bipedal aliens.
They guided levitating boxes across a narrow pathway and carried rifles of curious shape with them. Miranda froze the image and looked closer. "My god... I think it's a Collector." She whispered in awe.
Snake looked closer too. "Collector?"
"They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega 4 relay." She informed.
"Only a few people have ever seen one in person." Jacob added, watching the screen intently as the footage continued.
"They usually work through intermediaries, like slavers or hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies." Miranda continued, uploading the security footage to her omni tool.
Jacob finished. "The Collectors have advanced technology. They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement all at once."
Veetor pointed toward the lower screen, to a swarm of insects flying into focus. "The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you, freeze you, then the monsters take you away." He said with harrow, and pointed at the larger bipedal bugs.
Big Boss looked at the shaken man. "Why didn't they take you?" He asked.
Veetor shook his head. "Swarms didn't find me. Monsters didn't know I was here." He answered.
"The Collectors aren't known for being careless. Maybe his enviro-suit kept him from showing up on their sensors." Jacob reasoned.
Miranda interjected, "Or they were using technology specifically designed to detect humans. Only human colonies have been hit."
"And the swarms?" Big Boss gestured to the screens at the clouds of black that flew by.
Veetor followed his gaze to the monitors. "It's how they find you. Seeker clouds. Machines like tiny insects. They go everywhere. They find you, then they sting you—freeze you."
Miranda crossed her arms and peered at the monitors in thought. "Sounds like miniature probes, maybe. Find victims, then immobilize them with a stasis field or nerve toxin." Miranda suggested.
Big Boss nodded and turned his head back to Veetor. "What happened next, Veetor?"
The quarian pointed to the bipedal bugs as they guided the levitating boxes off screen. "The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left. The ship flew away. But they'll be back for me... no one escapes!" He said, his hands shaking violently, his breathing uneasy and his voice debilitating.
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck. "I think that's probably all we're getting out of him, Boss."
Veetor shook his head. "I studied them. The monsters. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electro-magnetic. Dark energy." He said, pulling up his omni-tool and shuffling through files on it.
Miranda turned to Big Boss. "We need to get this data to The Illusive Man. Jacob, grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."
The door behind them opened as the quarian in purple appeared. "What? Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!" She voiced angrily.
Jacob raised his hands up defensively. "We won't hurt him. We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed."
"Your people tried to betray us once already. If we give him to you, we'll never get the intel we need." Miranda added.
The quarian huffed. "Prazza was an idiot, and he and his men paid for it. You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data, but please. Just let me take him." She turned to Snake.
He could not see her face, but her body language pleaded for him to listen to her, to see her side and let her take Veetor home. He looked to Veetor— the quarian was quiet, his hands tangled together fright and his breathing heavy and haggard.
He looked at Miranda over his shoulder and shook his head. "He's traumatized. He needs medical assistance. She'll give us the data and take him home. That'll be the end of it." He said with the soft air of finality.
Miranda nodded, though he could see she bit her tongue. "Understood, Boss." She said.
The quarian in purple breathed easy. "Thank you. I'm glad you're the one giving orders." She eyed him closely.
"Who are you, anyway?"
"Big Boss."
"Big Boss?" Her voice was toned with amusement. "I'm Tali'Zorah vas Neema. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know. Good luck out there." She said, stepping to stand beside Veetor.
Snake nodded and moved to the entrance, leading Jacob and Miranda out of the dark room.
"We're ready for exfil." Jacob announced over his radio.
The shuttle arrived, and shortly after, Freedom's Progress became a ghost of light in the distance.