Mass Effect: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
As promised! Next one should be out soon. ;3 - AThousandSuns
Chapter V: Beyond the Hourglass
"Breathe in." Mordin told Snake.
The man did so, and held it in 'til the scientist nodded for him to exhale.
Mordin moved the stethoscope to another spot on his back. "And again."
Another breath.
"Hm… everything seems satisfactory. Higher than average brain activity. Noticed some blue spots. Not serious. Probably caused from reactivation of grey matter. Found fragments of human bone and teeth near heart—most peculiar. As well as analyzed depth of shrapnel in skull. Could extract. But risk further damage to optical lobe and cerebral cortex. Much safer to leave in. Also—found dated cybernetic replacements and rudimentary plastic surgery. Though advanced given time period of procedure in human history. Why the surgery?" Mordin ran through his omni-tool, as he spoke.
Snake thought of why he had the surgery, and why there were fragments of human teeth and bone near his heart. It had been so long since he thought about it. And then, he thought of Paz. His chest weighed heavy, labored with regret he thought forgiven.
He coughed and pulled his shirt back on. "Point blank in an explosion. Put me in a coma for nine years."
"And survived? Very lucky. Can see how bad damage was. Almost all muscle in your face cybernetic, or synthetic. Multiple nerve endings irreplaceable, including left arm." Mordin's face sobered.
"Now… things I discovered—will talk about only if comfortable." Mordin crossed his arms over his chest as he stared at Big Boss sincerely.
Snake averted his gaze, but nodded.
Mordin opened his omni-tool. "Your right eye. Surgically removed. Eyelid intact. Optic nerve fibers cut, not torn. No sign of rupture. Could replace with cybernetic. Have resources available here."
The salarian watched as the man on the table stared at a spot on the floor.
A new eye? But Snake had survived so long without it... He had even gotten used to operating in the field without it.
That wasn't it though. The eyepatch was iconic, a part of Big Boss that he had admired so long ago.
He thought of Kaz then.
"I need to keep the pain fresh in my mind."
He needed it there. To feel its emptiness. He needed it to be Big Boss.
"… maybe when this is all over." He replied.
Mordin did not press. "Also—noticed strange parasitic formation in throat. Unknown parasite. Can and should remove. Would like to further study them."
Snake's eyes shot to Mordin. "You can remove them?"
"Yes. Can perform procedure as soon as opportunity presents self."
To finally be rid of the Wolbachia… He swallowed. He longed to be free of the risk of the parasites evolving as they had so many years ago. And as far as he knew… he was the last to carry them. But if he removed them… what would the salarian do with them? Clone them? Use them for future studies?
He didn't want to risk them being mass produced, or used for war… they should live and die with him.
Snake swallowed. "No. It's too much risk." He said.
"But most curious! Both parasites female in appearance. Can only imagine why—"
"I said no, Mordin."
The salarian breathed. "… There is one last thing."
He lifted and tapped away at his omni-tool. "In body scan. Saw you are… sterile."
Snake nodded.
"And you know because of parasites in your throat?"
"…Yes."
"…Wolbachia presence in your blood stream cause hormonal imbalance and chemical crossover. Very unlikely to be curable."
Snake was quiet before he shook his head. He was an old man now anyway, it did not matter.
"Is that all?"
Mordin let his hands fall to his sides. "Yes. You are picture of excellent health for a man in his sixties." He smiled.
The soldier pushed himself off the table. "Good. We'll be heading back to Omega soon."
"Yes yes. Will stay here this time. Continue research into Collectors. Find way around seeker probes. Will let you know as soon as I find breakthrough."
Snake nodded and left the science bay.
Shortly thereafter, their boots were heavy on the alloy floor as they entered Omega's docking hub again.
EDI's voice chattered over radio. "I have accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel. There's a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have information on him."
Snake led the team away from the docks and into Afterlife.
Miranda asked the bartender where the recruiting station was and he pointed to a batarian standing by a door which led to a private room.
They walked over to the specified man, a bored look on his face, his Blue Suns armor gleamed in the flashing lights.
"We hear you're recruiting to take on Archangel. We want in." Jacob said.
The batarian gave them a once over, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Hmm. Go on through." He pointed to the doors.
Snake led the group into the VIP room where another batarian in the same armor stood behind a kiosk terminal, his eyes glazed with boredom. He dismissed the merc in shabby armor ahead of him. "Next." He said lazily.
Big Boss stepped forward with Jacob, Miranda and Zaeed in tow.
The batarian blinked. "You four look like you could do some damage. Looking for a good fight?"
Snake nodded and the batarian smirked.
"Then you found the right place." He tapped away at the terminal. "Standard fee is 500 credits each. You get paid when the job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share, and you'll need your own weapons and armor..." He looked up with a raised brow.
"Looks like you've got that covered. And no, this doesn't make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse or the Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period. Any questions?"
Snake shook his head.
"Then head over to the transport depot outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there." The recruiter informed. "Send in the next guy." He called to the doorman.
The team turned to leave, and as they did, the next recruit stepped in.
"Hey! This where we sign up?" He asked the recruiter.
Snake turned his head to see the young man, he could not have been much older than sixteen. Something bounced in the void in his chest, and he saw a rough, simple necklace in a small bruised and scared hand.
"Aren't you a little young to be freelancing as a merc." He called to the boy, twisting his body to face him.
The young man scowled at him. "I'm old enough. I grew up on Omega, I know how to use a gun." He said defiantly.
Zaeed scoffed. "Old enough to get yourself killed."
"I can handle myself!" The boy protested defensively. He drew a dirty Predator handgun from his belt. The handgun unfolded with a stutter, it looked as if it had seen more action than Snake had in his entire life; its barrel rusted at the tip, the thermal clip did not sit naturally.
"Besides, I just spent 50 credits on this, and I wanna use—!"
Snake lunged forward and reached for the young man's palm, twisting it once over.
Spinning round, he hurled the boy over his shoulder and onto the ground, locking him in place with a knee on his throat.
The kid screamed, his arm twisted to the near point of snapping as Snake gripped his hand and took the gun away from him. He let him go then, inspected the pistol, and pointed it at him.
The young man gripped his arm painfully, and slid himself back a few feet, his eyes moist from fear and pain as he pleaded.
"Hey! Waitwaitwait—"
Snake squeezed the trigger.
The boy felt his chest constrict, his eyes shut as he felt himself get shot. He thought of his mom at home, her mind nearly lost to red sand. His dad wasting away as a janitor, addicted to asari hookers.
He thought of how stupid he was to try and become a merc. Of how stupid he was to take his father's credits to buy the discounted gun. He gagged as he gripped his chest.
But the pain never came, he opened his eyes to see Snake drop the gun in his lap, its thermal clip smoked and hissed.
"Get your money back, kid." Big Boss said, turning away and leaving the private room with the others behind him.
Jacob whistled. "Damn Boss, that was fierce." He said with amusement.
Zaeed snickered. "You scared the piss out of him, doubt he'll show up while we're over there."
"The recruiter said our contact was by the transport bay." Miranda said.
"Let's go." Snake added and led them out of Afterlife.
They found another batarian in Blue Suns armor leaning against a shuttle with a cigarette in his hand and Big Boss approached. "We're here for Archangel."
The batarian nodded. "I hope you're ready. Archangel's been annihilating you freelancers." He threw his cigarette down to the ground and stomped it out. "Get in." He said, the top of the shuttle opened with a slow hum.
The drive over was quiet, the Blue Suns trooper kept to himself, only yawning as he made his way through bustling traffic.
Snake watched curiously as vehicles flew by at supersonic speeds, they weaved around buildings and factories until they entered a tunnel that led deep under the surface. The shuttle stopped and the driver gestured for them to get out.
Their feet hit ground and another batarian greeted them at the stairs. He gestured for them to follow him into the factory. "It's about time they sent me someone who looks like they can actually fight. They tell you what we're up against?" He asked, leading them up a flight of stairs.
Big Boss shook his head.
"We wouldn't get many hires if everyone knew the truth. Archangel's holed up in a building at the end of the boulevard over there. He's got superior position, and the only way in is over a very exposed bridge. It's a killing ground." The batarian said with foreboding. He led them through a door.
"But he's getting tired, making mistakes. We'll have him soon enough. A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout, but we need to draw Archangel's fire so they can move in."
"And that's where we come in." Jacob finished for him.
The batarian nodded. "Exactly. You'll be on a distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep Archangel busy, so the infiltration team can sneak in behind him."
"That's goddamn suicide." Zaeed chimed, his voice a little more than thrilled at the idea.
The trooper shrugged, stopping outside the entrance of the boulevard. "Pretty much. But you look like you can handle it." He gestured onward."Head up to the third barricade and talk to Sergeant Cathka. He'll tell you where to go in. And watch yourself on the boulevard, Archangel's killed dozens out there already." The batarian said, walking back the way he came.
After he disappeared around the corner, Zaeed spoke first. "In's gonna be easy. Out's gonna be a bitch."
Miranda brushed a few strands of hair from her face. "Let's find him first. Then, we'll figure out how to get back." She suggested, pointing to the open pathway of the boulevard.
Snake agreed. "Let's go find Cathka."
The group moved through a hallway and passed by a group of mercenaries, who Miranda mentioned were the Eclipse Company. They entered another hall where a heavy mech stood deactivated.
They were about to move past it before Miranda paused. "Hold on... maybe we can use the mech to our advantage. Give me a second." She said, walking up to the console set beside it. It was a few minutes before she returned, a sly; but subtle grin on her face.
"Now when they activate it, it'll attack anyone in sight."
Big Boss smirked. "Good thinking." He said and led them through the door and watched an unfortunate vorcha's head explode into wet bits. It hit the ground but a few feet before them.
"Keep low, use cover." Snake said as they crossed the boulevard. A freelancer stood by the wall, his gun shaking in his hands.
"Where's Cathka?" Snake asked.
The man pointed across the way where a batarian worked on welding a large gunship.
Snake crossed the way over, his head low. "Sergeant Cathka?" He called to the batarian.
The alien looked his way and stepped away from the gunship. He lit a cigarette with the blowtorch in his hand before dropping it down.
"You must be the group Salkie mentioned. You're just in time. The infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him. Got any questions?" He took a long drag from his cigarette.
Snake looked over at the gunship. "Are you going to give air support with the ship?" He asked, eying its peculiar, but not unfamiliar form. It looked light and nimble.
Cathka laughed to himself. "Tarak is the only one who flies her. Besides, she's not quite ready. That bastard Archangel gave her a beating last time she was out there. A few more tweaks, she'll be good as new." He said, eying the bird proudly.
Jacob crossed his arms. "Are you leading the assault?" He asked.
The batarian laughed again. "Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan the attacks and fix the damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of—"
A voice shouted through the intercom at Cathka's terminal. "Target is in sight! We're a go!"
He reached over and tapped a button. "Check. Bravo team—go, go, go!"
Soldiers outside amassed, congregating outside the barricade overlooking the bridge.
Cathka stood straight, snubbing his cigarette under his foot. "Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him." He tapped his visor. "But that means no more waiting for me."
He turned back to the gunship as he cracked his knuckles. "Gotta get her back to a hundred percent before Tarak decides he needs her—ulk!"
Snake shoved the batarians face hard into the gunship thrice in succession, his visor cracked hard and damaged, his body fell to the floor, unconscious and broken.
"Let's go." Big Boss said, stepping over the downed batarian as he pulled the Mattock from his back and the others did the same.
They watched as the freelancers climbed the wall, forcing their way down the bridge only to be gunned down moments later.
"What's the plan, Boss?" Miranda asked.
"Hug the walls and stay out his line of fire. Use congested groups as cover." Snake replied, taking his Mattock off safety.
"Archangel hasn't got much time left." Jacob said, checking over his shotgun one last time.
Zaeed did the same with his rifle. "What in the hell are we waiting for then?" He asked rhetorically, revving to go.
Snake took point, and led the group over the barricade, taking cover on one side of the bridge. The other freelancers ran in jagged positions, not utilizing the pillars and stacks of barrels on the bridge and getting gunned down in the process. Archangel attacked with stellar proficiency, his sniper rifle always struck fatal and true. He killed more troops than those that actually made it over the wall.
"Go!" Big Boss shouted over the gunfire, following behind a platoon of freelancers.
They cleared over the bridge and entered the complex, stepping past dead mercenaries along the way. There were three of them hunched over a makeshift bomb, placing segmented parts in order and soldering it together.
Jacob aimed his shotgun. "C'mon, let's give them a surprise of our own."
Snake nodded, and motioned for the others to step into cover as Jacob fired a blast into the explosive. It erupted in a cloud of hot fire and shrapnel, the concussive force sent the freelancers skyrocketing.
Almost all gunfire that had been aimed at the floor above had been redirected at them and Jacob dove behind cover just as his shields depleted.
They returned fire, dropping a few of them. Snake looked to his right, and tapped Zaeed on the shoulder, motioning with his head to the flank.
"Suppressive fire, we're going to flank them." He said into his radio. Miranda and Jacob nodded, shooting into the doorway. Snake and Zaeed moved into the room, shooting and taking out the freelancers by surprise on the bottom floor.
"Form up!" Snake said, and the group amassed in the center of the foyer and moved up the stairs where another two freelancers were working on the door.
Zaeed hit them hard with his rifle, their bodies fell limb, dropping to the floor with deathly hollow.
They approached the door and Miranda stepped forward, pulling up her omni tool as she hacked the lock. The doors opened and they stepped in.
Big Boss looked ahead, seeing the sniper, Archangel poised with his rifle overlooking the bridge. They lowered their weapons as Snake stepped forward.
"Archangel?" He questioned.
The sniper raised a hand, a gesture to say 'one moment' as he aimed carefully. Down below, a freelancer peeked around a corner, and Archangel fired, his target fell hard, dead and breathless.
He then stood with a sigh, lowering his rifle as he removed his helmet. He sat tiredly on the arm of the couch to his side and slouched forward. He had been through hell, Snake could see it, even through his alien features.
Miranda raised a brow. "Garrus Vakarian? Why are you here on Omega?"
He shrugged passively. "Oh you know... Just killing some mercs, plenty to go around. And you guys are?" He asked, his voice smooth and crisp.
Jacob informed him. "We're from Cerberus. I'm Jacob, that's Miranda, Zaeed and this is Big Boss, our CO." Jacob informed.
Archangel raised a brow, adjusting his seating so his foot rested on the table. "Cerberus, huh? Aren't you guys a little... right wing, with aliens?" He asked, inspecting the group through and through.
Miranda shook her head. "The Reapers threaten us all, Mr. Vakarian. Alien and human-alike. We need your help."
Garrus frowned. Or at least what Big Boss interpreted as a frown. "Reapers... Tell you what; give me a hand taking care of these guys trying to kill me, and we'll talk Reapers." He suggested, to which Big Boss looked back to Miranda, who bowed her head in agreement.
Jacob whistled. "Speaking of which, how did one turian manage to get all the merc bands on Omega to work together to take him out." The turian snickered, offering a cocky shrug in response. "It wasn't easy, I really had to work at it. I'm amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me." He said coolly.
Big Boss smirked, and cleared the distance between them.
"Exfil won't be easy." He said.
Garrus rose from his place on the arm rest, hoisting his rifle and led them to the window that overlooked the bridge. "No, it won't. That bridge has saved my life... funneling all those witless idiots into scope. But it works both ways." He pointed down the narrow overpass.
"They'll slaughter us if we try to get out that way."
Miranda placed a hand on her hip. "So we just sit here and wait for them to take us out?" She asked sarcastically.
Garrus shook his head. "It's not all that bad. This place has held them off so far. And with the three of you..." He looked down at Snake with an air of optimism.
"I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defenses, and take our chances."
Zaeed leaned on one foot. "It ain't perfect, but it's a plan." He said, and Big Boss nodded in approval. "Their men are scared, morale is low."
"You're right. Their numbers won't help them in here, anyway." Garrus agreed.
He took a step closer to the window. "Let's see what they're up to." He said and aimed down the bridge with the scope of his rifle.
He was quiet a moment before he relayed what he saw. "Hmm... looks like they know their infiltration team failed. Take a look. Scouts. Eclipse, I think." He offered the rifle to Snake, who took the rifle in hand and peered down the scope. Three mechs dropped over the barricade, inspecting the carnage on the open ground. He focused the shot, held his breath, and let a round fire from the rifle, decapitating the mech.
"More than scouts." He offered the rifle back to the turian, who took it with an amused look.
"Indeed. We'd better get ready. I'll stay up here, I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point." He suggested.
Big Boss nodded.
"Let's give these bastards everything we've got." The turian sniper said, pulling the bolt handle back on his rifle to eject the spent thermal clip.
"Let's get in position, they'll be making their move any minute now." Snake ordered. The others moved found their places and aimed their weapons down the overpass.
The mechs started pouring in and the bullets fell like rain of molten steel. Parts exploded and debris littered the bridge like a robotic graveyard.
Snake reloaded his Mattock, striking two mechs down with a single round to the head.
Garrus gunned three more in quick succession.
Zaeed decimated two approaching with heavy gunfire.
Miranda and Jacob lifted and swung a number of mechs through the air and over the guardrail.
The mechs were soon replaced with organic troops, their movements sporadic and coordinated. Snake and his team managed to keep them pushed back, not one Eclipse merc crossing over the bridge. Soon after, a crane hauled the heavy mech over the barricade.
"Jaroth is sending over the heavy mech!" Garrus shouted over the gunfire.
Jacob snickered. "That problem will take care of itself." He said as the heavy mech powered up and began firing upon the Eclipse forces. The mercenaries concentrated their gunfire on the heavy mech and Garrus breathed easy with a snicker.
They watched the Eclipse troops be beaten back, their bodies littered the bridge in bloody epitaph. It was shortly after that they launched missiles into the heavy mech, decimating it into metal and bits.
Jaroth and his squad appeared, omni-shields in hand as they tried to clear their way over the bridge.
Garrus wouldn't have it. Snake watched as the marksman lined up his shot carefully, ignoring the bullets flying, hitting his shields and the ceramic around him.
He watched the turian breathe deep, and through a crack in the omni-shields, fired off a bullet that struck Jaroth through his right eye. His body hit the ground hard with a thud and his fellow shield carriers backed off, dragging his corpse with them and over the barricade.
Snake lowered his weapon, standing with a relaxed sigh.
Garrus approached him with a cline of his head. "You're kicking ass Big Boss, they barely touched me. And, we got Jaroth in the process. I've been hunting that little bastard for months." He said very pleased with the results of the battle.
Big Boss smirked. "We're not out of the fire yet." He said.
"There's still Blood Pack and Blue Suns over there." Jacob added.
Miranda asked, "Think we can make a break for it?"
Garrus' mandibles flicked in thought. "Maybe... let's see what they're up to." He turned around and looked over the bridge.
He was quiet before he relayed his visual. "They've reinforced the other side... heavily. But they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?"
An explosion shook the complex, as if on cue. A siren blared while fire suppression systems kicked in.
Garrus cursed under his breath as he read over diagnostics on his omni-tool. "Damn it! They've breached the lower level..." He shook his head.
"Well, they had to start using their heads eventually. Big Boss, you and your team better get down there, I'll keep the bridge clear." He suggested, hoisting his rifle from its leaning position against the wall.
Snake looked to Zaeed.
"Got it." The aged merc said and joined Garrus at his side.
The turian bowed his head in gratitude. "Thanks. You'd better get going. Go down a level, the basement door is on the west side of the main room under the stairs. I'll radio directions if you need help, but you've got to get down there quick. Good luck." He said.
Snake gestured for Jacob to take point, and the left the room upstairs. They entered the room he spoke of and descended the stairs quickly to see the open door on the far side. Garrus' voice played over his radio. "Get to the console and close that shutter before they can get through."
Jacob cleared the floor quickly with Miranda and Snake in tow.
"Closing shutter door!" He shouted, slamming his fist against the large red button. A countdown began and he slipped behind cover.
The doors on the far side opened and Blood Pack troops started to pour in.
"Contact!" He shouted and unloaded a few shotgun rounds.
Snake took to the right side of the door, popping out to drop a few rounds into the vorcha trying to push through.
Miranda and Jacob hugged the left corner, punishing all their thermal clips into the towering krogan until he fell forward, just in front of the shutter door.
The shutter slammed shut and a green light shone overhead.
"First shutter secured!" Jacob said, getting back into position behind Big Boss.
"There's two more shutters. Get them closed fast." Garrus radioed.
Big Boss pointed to the right as their next target and they moved into a large loading bay that looked like it doubled as an armory. Immediately they encountered heavy resistance. They managed to push back the Blood Pack, dropping their troops strategically and carefully until they managed to get the large shutter in the back secured.
"Second shutter secured." Miranda announced, returning to Big Boss and Jacob.
Garrus chattered. "One last shutter, there's not too many of them here... yet. Hurry, Big Boss."
The trio backtracked and moved into the entrance on the left side of the stairwell. They punched through two more vorcha, and managed the close the shutter without much resistance.
"Last shutter secured!" Jacob said, stepping away from the door, vorcha hisses could be heard from beyond it, as fists hammered against the reinforced alloy.
"Get back here, Boss! They're coming through the doors." Zaeed shouted, his voice barely cutting through the gunfire around him.
The doors downstairs sparked and flew open and Blood Pack troops pushed through. With them, a heavily armored Krogan, Garm, entered, his face contorted with barely contained rage. He roared and shoved the vorcha next to him further in.
"Raah! Rip them to shreds!" He shouted.
The vorcha's head beside him exploded and he looked up, watching Garrus eject his thermal clip with a smug grin on his face. The krogan growled and stomped his way to the stairs.
"Watch my back! I'll deal with Archangel." He ordered.
Another vorcha fell as Big Boss and his team appeared on the far side of the room.
Snake fired off his Mattock into the nearest Blood Pack trooper. He watched the towering Krogan climb up the steps, his shotgun firing into the room above aimlessly.
When they cleared the bottom floor, Snake climbed the stairs and entered the room to see Garrus' rifle knocked from his hands.
Snake aimed quick and fired into the back of the knee of the krogan.
Garm's knee buckled and he dropped down, looking up in time to see Garrus draw a Carnifex pistol. He pushed the barrel into his mouth and fired more times than necessary. The krogan fell back, trying to breathe in air but only gurgled blood down his chin till he gave way to death.
The turian breathed deep and stepped over the krogan, holstering the pistol and picking up his rifle.
"Thanks for the assist, a second later and I'd be a bottle of ryncol. But we took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just gets better and better. He was one tough son of a bitch."
Zaeed stepped forward. "Only Blue Suns left, I say we hit 'em hard, fight our way out." He said, his Revenant slung on his shoulder.
Garrus nodded. "I think he's right. Tarak's got the toughest group, but nothing we haven't faced yet. Besides, he won't be expecting us to meet him head-on—"
"Gunship!" Jacob shouted. The group hit the ground fast as gunfire stormed in through the window, shooting hot metal over their heads and into the surrounding furniture and walls.
Garrus rolled across the floor to take cover behind the nearest pillar. He checked around as the gunship dipped and saw cables descending from the upper floors.
"They're offloading troops! Watch your backs!" He shouted and aimed his rifle.
The Blue Suns mercenaries dove in from outside the window, their guns firing down the loft.
The gunship made a pass into the open balcony that Garrus had once used to down any troop that stepped over the threshold of the barrier across.
"Gunship! nine o'clock!" Big Boss pulled Miranda with him to take cover behind the metal planter, their shields met hot energy as the Blue Suns mercs cleared the distance to them.
Snake went prone while Miranda sat on one knee, using her other knee to keep her bullet spread tight.
The others dove behind the railing of the window in front of the gunship.
"Boss, I'll draw the gunships fire, Tarak wants me more than you. Keep those Blue Suns off me in the meantime." Garrus relayed over the radio.
Snake nodded, rising from his laying position. "Concentrate all fire on Blue Suns!" He shouted to the others. They all acknowledged and pushed toward the far window where more Blue Suns jumped down into the loft.
Garrus used his omni-tool to hit the gunship with an Overload.
"Come on Tarak, you ugly son of a bitch." He shouted, rising from his planter and firing a few shots from his sniper rifle.
The gunship fired, raining bullets down at Garrus' feet as he dove behind the nearest wall.
Snake and his company continued to repel the Blue Suns back, when another explosion filled the air from the main floor. Jacob peered over the ledge. "Blue Suns downstairs! Engaging!" He shouted, firing his Predator down into their numbers.
Snake turned his head to Miranda and gestured with his head to provide assistance.
She nodded and rushed over as Zaeed and Big Boss kept the window covered, peppering arriving Blue Suns with gunfire.
Garrus delivered more rounds into the gunship, watching the slugs pelt off its shields. He side stepped behind the wall and set the sniper rifle down, picking up the Vindicator assault rifle at his hip. He locked and loaded, and tucked the butt-stock into his shoulder before he leaned out, and fired bursts into the gunships shields. His visor read that he was making progress, his shields nearly...
"Ahh!" Tarak shouted over his intercom, the gunship disappeared from view, smoking near the front windshield.
Garrus inspected the balcony and saw nothing, as well as didn't hear the ship above or below, right or left. He switched the Vindicator for his Viper Sniper Rifle, and moved to join Big Boss.
The gunship appeared, disabling a cloaking shield.
"Archangel!" Tarak's voice shouted, the front of the ship slammed into the window, and gunfire raged from its main cannon.
Garrus' shields sparked and crackled until depleted and his armor took the brunt on the onslaught. He fell back from the force of the gunfire, and scrambled behind the nearest planter.
"You think you can screw with the Blue Suns!" The batarian in the cockpit cried ferociously.
If he could just get a quick potshot at the engine, as he did before, then maybe Garrus could—
Snake dropped the mercenary with a quick shot to the cranium and looked back to see Garrus, an explosion at his feet as he was launched into the air by a missile.
"Archangel!" Snake shouted, twisting around to the window and firing off his Mattock at the exposed windshield.
His rounds bounced off and the gunship pulled away from the exposed window. It then appeared in the window it first shown itself and fired off missiles into the room blindly.
The group ducked low, and Big Boss glowered over at Garrus from his position.
The turian didn't move. The side of his face and armor smoked and hissed.
"Damn it…" He whispered.
"Now! You'll die!" Tarak screamed firing off more missiles into the room.
"Boss!" Jacob cried over the radio. "That omni-tool has an Incinerate function attached to it! When you're ready, press the Action button, then swing at the gunship! It'll weaken its armor on impact!" He informed, holstering his shotgun and drawing his pistol.
Snake did as he said— he stepped out and threw his prosthetic arm forward like he would with a ball. The omni-tool launched a homing fireball, it danced in the air and struck the cockpit window, leaving the ceramic view molten and crisp.
Tarak sat in view, his voice a screaming echo through the speaker, his face drenched in frustration and anger before he disappeared from the window and into the other, trying to flank the group.
"Concentrate fire!" Snake shouted, behind the planter, just as the bullets stopped flying into the loft. They all popped out from their corners, combining their gunfire on the exposed cockpit. Gurgled breaths bounced out of the cockpit and over the intercom. The gunship veered off, spinning away from the window.
"Archangeeeel!" Tarak's voice screamed as an explosion shook the building at the very core.
Snake and the group rushed over to the fallen turian. He dropped to a knee and placed a hand on the snipers shoulder.
"Archangel." He whispered.
Garrus' eyes flew open, and he heaved in air through tight lips and mandibles. His breathing was harsh and blocked, he spat blood in the shade of navy blue onto the ceramic floor. His fingers wrapped tightly around the barrel of the Viper sniper rifle beside him.
He hissed in pain as Snake turned him over onto his back.
He wasn't entirely sure about turian anatomy, but the way his eyes were beginning to blink rapidly and dilate, told him he was slipping into shock.
Miranda joined him at his side, and they inspected the turians wounds together.
"Third degree burns located on the right of his face and neck, lower mandible damage and shrapnel puncture wounds to the throat. Applying medigel." She said, pulling out a pack of gelatin and applying it to the snipers face. He hissed in response, and Snake nodded in approval.
"Feel the pain, let it keep you awake." He said and looked to Miranda. "We need to get him out of here."
Jacob ran to the first aid station, pulling the stretcher out and putting it together quickly. They carefully placed the turian onto the board and straightened his head, securing it with a brace. He coughed and hissed, trying to break free.
Snake read his movements, knowing what the man wanted. He reached for the sniper rifle and placed it in his hands.
"Stay awake." He ordered the turian, who blinked and breathed heavily as they hoisted him up and out of the apartment turned battlefield.
It was hours later. They had brought the turian sniper into the medbay of the Ishmael, the medical officer—Dr. Michel, had taken over care for the downed sniper.
Snake had offered to assist, but she dismissed him and told him to leave it to her.
And she was right, he had no clue what turian anatomy was like. He had no idea what medicine they needed, nor what treatment to administer.
Still, his instinct was to be in there, helping the medical officer; for he remembered a life time ago, that was him.
For now, he sat, and waited. He looked out into the black of space on the starboard deck. The doors behind him opened and he shifted to see who it was.
Jacob stepped in, he scratched the back of his neck. "They did what they could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit. The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but..." He trailed off as the doors opened again behind him.
The turian, Archangel, stepped in, his throat and a portion of his cheek were bandaged, while the rest of the lower half of his jaw was red and tender.
Jacob scuffed admirably. "Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet."
Snake stood, a weight fell from his shoulders.
The turian sniper entered the observation deck, the door shutting behind him.
"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" He asked jokingly.
Big Boss smirked. "You're gonna have some scars." He said.
The turian groaned, prodding his face gently. "Ah—probably for the best. Everyone was hitting on me too much as it was. Time for someone else to get a fair shot."
Jacob chuckled before he saluted Snake. "Gotta count inventory, I'll be up in the Armory, Boss." He gave a curt nod to Garrus.
"Glad you made it." He said and exited the dock.
The turian nodded in response, and when the door shut, he groaned into his hand, rubbing at the bandage painfully.
"So... Cerberus, huh? How'd they get you?" He asked.
Big Boss shrugged. "They pulled me out of the freezer."
Garrus snickered, but winced at the movement. "Ah... damn, don't make me laugh, my face is barely holding together as it is." He looked at Snake who only shifted on his feet.
"You're kidding."
Snake shook his head. "Cryogenic stasis."
"How long?"
"190 years."
The turian scratched the back of his neck. "Damn, that's rough. I've read what human history was like back then, things must be pretty different now."
Snake disagreed. "The faces are different, the people are the same." He replied.
Garrus grunted. "…Well... you should at least know the truth, I doubt they told you everything. You've heard of Commander Shepard?"
Snake nodded again.
"... I was part of the Normandy crew back then, before she went down. We had a couple of run in's with Cerberus during our mission against Saren and Soverign. Bad stuff; super-soldier turians, experiments on Rachni and Thorian Creepers that killed a big number of people. Hell, they even tried to kill us." Garrus informed.
Snake took in the new information... Something the Illusive Man failed to mention.
He sighed internally. "... Right now, they're a necessity. From what I've heard, they're the only ones investigating these missing colonists. From what I've seen, they aren't tied by government laws." He replied.
Garrus nodded. "For what it's worth, I'm with you. Anything to take those Reaper bastards out."
"I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Big Boss. I'll settle in, and see what I can do at the forward batteries. Find me there if you need anything." The turian turned and left, leaving Snake starboard.
The tired soldier sat, leaning forward on his knees, and massaged his brow. Was The Illusive Man just another Zero? Was Cerberus another Cypher, or Patriots? History often repeats itself.
Out here, in the hull of a starship, he longed for the back and forth of Ocelot and Kaz, for their guiding hand into making a decisive decision.
He pushed himself forward till he sat on the ground, his back to the pew-like bench that faced the void of space. And he lost himself in the darkness, folding his arms around his knees, and resting his forehead upon his forearms. He sunk into his thoughts, and sifted through them. Some, he knew, were his old self, and the others were that of Big Boss. They conflicted each other. They were tied to each other by loyalty, but now one could not be further from the other. He found some solace in that, it was a resemblance to the dynamic Diamond Dogs had.
He saw their bodies then. Bloody and skewed around.
Snake's eyes flew open and he looked around, but they were gone, he was in the starboard observation deck, and he stared back into space, to pull himself from sinking too low into the sea of his memories.