Chapter Three: The Wastes
Janice climbed over a large pile of rubble that was once a wall of a Manufactorum, jumping over pipes and soot covered chunks of concrete. She picked up her pace when her quarry was in her sight, a crashed camo green Aquila Lander spread out along the ruined floor of the factory. She slid down the rubble and ran towards the plane with a small square box in her hand. The Lander had severed in half, but other than that had been left mostly undamaged, meaning some of the internal equipment was still working. Janice head for the cockpit and squatted so she could fit inside, she sat down butting her back against a side wall and faced a console on the opposite wall. She wondered how such a cramped thing could be crewed, but she always thought about it when she visited the plane. Janice pulled a cord out of the side of the metal box and inserted it into the console, causing lights to flicker and turn on. She wiped the dust from the screens with her fingerless gloves and brushed away the cobwebs from the keyboard, looking for the headset she had used so many times. After finding it on the ground closer to the nose of the crashed flyer, she typed some commands into the keyboard, allowing static to fill her ears.
"Ground Control this is Volteaus. Come in Ground Control." She stated after fixing the microphone to be closer to her mouth.
After a few moments a reply echoed in her ears, "This is Battle Brother Leroy of the Fate Breakers, we read you Janice." The man's deep voice was slightly dulled by the static, but his message was clear.
"Ground Control, three people including myself shall be traversing the wastes. My two guests request an audience with the Captain."
"Ms. Volteaus, apparently there was a temporal anomaly at about 0900 this morning in the Loriar district. Did you see anything unusual on your way here?"
"Indeed I did, my two friends used Grissom's prototype device to get here. Apparently they're from M2."
There was a longer pause before the reply, "A guard detail will be waiting for you at the eastern gate. May the Emperor be with you."
"For the Emperor." Janice pulled the cord out of the console and let the metal box pull it back inside. She put the headset down and left the way she came.
--
Shepard sat on a crate checking all of his weapons, counting his thermal clips and cleaning his guns. Miranda had been asleep for a few hours, and Shepard was trying to avoid thinking about what had happened. The sun was now high in the sky, and it was turning out to be a nice day. Shepard saw it as an odd contrast, a depressed and ruined city cluttered with rubble and shady people, but in the light the shadows in the alleyways and inside the empty buildings faded, and a certain beauty came into view. Everyone here was happy, no matter their circumstances or their fate. He heard footsteps on the dirty cobblestone floor coming from Miranda's tent, and quickly turned his head to see who it was.
"It's a wonderful day, isn't it?" Miranda's right arm gleamed in the sunlight as she pushed it aside, consisting of fluted plates concealing any wires and tubes, it looked like she had simply put medieval knight armor on her fight arm. Compared to her sleek left arm the mechanical prosthetic was more muscular and slightly longer, but Miranda didn't seem to mind the way it looked. As she flexed and moved her new arm in every way she could think of, she approached him and took a seat beside Shepard on the crate. "You think it's too dangerous for me to stay here and you're possibly contemplating sending me home at the expense of trapping yourself here?"
"I don't want you to die here Miranda." Shepard replied without looking her in the eye, focusing on putting his weapons back in their proper place on his armor.
Miranda grabbed Shepard's collar armor and pulled him down to eye level, whispering into his ear, "I think I'll be holding onto the device for the time being." She pulled the soda can sized device from one of the leather pockets on his belt and slipped it into a similar pocket on her waist, "Just so we understand each other." Shepard chuckled softly and turned to face her. Their faces now only inches from one another.
"If you're awake, that means you're ready to go." Janice approached the two of them seemingly out of nowhere, she was now more heavily armed than she was a few hours ago, since she was now carrying her modified Hellgun, a shotgun, a silenced SMG, and belts covered in bullets and power packs. "We need to go sooner rather than later. The streetlights in the Wastes haven't been on for years. Walking in the dark is NOT a good idea."
"Then let's go. I've been waiting six years of my life to meet a Space Marine in person, and like hell I'm going to leave without doing that." Shepard replied.
--
The street that was once plagued with violence and death was now clean, the bodies of the aliens were burning at one corner while the humans that had given their lives fighting the Genestealers were gone, presumably to be given a funeral or thrown into the crematoriums after scavenged for valuables and weapons. Either way, the streets leading into the wastes were quiet.
"Five miles between here and the monastery?" Miranda asked, drawing her Avenger rifle.
"Five miles distance if it were a straight line…" Janice replied.
Shepard sighed and then laughed once, "But nothing's ever simple is it?"
"Nope, not here." Janice stated before turning to see if both of them were ready, "We need to get moving, and the best way to make up for lost time…" She started running, and moments later Shepard and Miranda followed.
--
The setting sun painted the grey town with an orange tint, but Shepard could tell that time was running out. "Here they come!" Shepard yelled through his helmet, covering Miranda and Janice with suppressive fire. At the end of the cobblestone street was a large set of stone doors, which Janice used on many occasions to get access to the sewers. Swarms of Hormagaunts shrieked in high pitched tones hungering for the fleshy things that had so willingly entered their domain. Janice ran inside and found a fuse box to the left of the doors, ripping the rusted cover off she looked at the cluttered network of wires and switches. Quickly ripping and connecting certain wires to each other, Miranda darted inside and used the left door as cover. Shepard failed to understand why bother with using cover at all. So far, less than half a dozen out of the hundreds of alien creatures carried ranged weapons, all of which were quite ineffective.
"We need these doors closed now!" Miranda yelled.
"Shut it! I'm going to have to find a longer way around from now on thanks to you!" The box flashed with several sparks, causing metal mechanisms on the back of both doors to come to life, forcing both doors closed.
"Get inside!" Miranda yelled again. Shepard fired more suppressive bursts before rolling back and darting into the closing space between the doors. As the Hormagaunts grew closer and closer, Miranda reached over the Commander and threw a wave of dark energy at the horde, knocking the front row back into those behind it, slowing their progress greatly. As soon as the doors slammed shut, they could hear talons scratching at the stone doors, but over time the scratching stopped, and everyone gave a sigh of relief.
Shepard pulled his helmet off and wiped the sweat from his face with his hand, "How the fuck do you survive through this crap?" He asked between his heavy breaths.
"Headshots. Lots of headshots." Janice leaned over for a few seconds catching her breath before turning on the light above the Hellgun's slanted barrel. Shepard got up and put his helmet back on, looking to Miranda for a new Thermal Clip. Each of the pockets on her pelt that held thermal clips were lined with a small amount of water, to help cool the clip for reuse. But overtime the water was getting less and less effective. She felt each pocket for a cool clip, when she got down to the lowest pocket she pulled out the clip and handed it to Shepard.
"No more shotguns or pistols for the time being, agreed?" Shepard nodded and turned on the two lights on the sides of his helmet, then followed Janice.
"Are these the sewers?" Shepard asked his guide as the trio walked down a long flight of steps, which was a tad problematic for him because the steps were a little too small for his large armored boots.
"Don't take off your helmet, Shepard. We are most definitely in the sewers." Miranda almost gagged before replying to the Commander, "How do you live through this smell Janice?"
"This is nothing compared to the landfills north of Loriar." Then Janice caught whiff of a new smell and nearly keeled over from it, "But that is bad." She pointed her light at the bottom of the stairs, which continued for a good twenty feet. At the bottom a rotting carcass of a now unrecognizable Tyranid lay on its back, its torso had been ripped away and its guts sat inside half eaten and covered in excrements.
"Next time we go into a sewer I want a helmet." Miranda said while covering her mouth and nose with her metal hand, yearning for any freedom from the smell.
"Then wear actual armor, not that cheap rebreather. But you never got training in using armor at Cerberus did you?"
"Quiet." Janice raised her weapon when they reached the bottom, stepping over the carcass and sweeping the catacombs for signs of life. The sewers indeed carried the vile stench of decay and death throughout, but the lightless catacombs conveyed a true and ever present sense of danger. Every wall, every pit, and every stalking predator waiting to strike at the first wrong turn was completely hidden in the infinite darkness. The winding and shifting path was only revealed by the light of their weapons and Shepard's helmet. Whenever the slightest noise broke the chilling silence they all pointed their rifles in the noise's direction, but every time the origin was unknown. The darkness surrounded them, becoming an absolute veil of mystery and danger. They trekked through the filthy underbelly of the Wastes for an unknown amount of time, for it had no meaning in the abyss.
Suddenly, the ceiling began to shake, and dust and gravel fell into the water below. They immediately froze, turning of the lights on their weapons and Shepard's helm and huddled together. Large and heavy footsteps trudged above them, moving slowly and slamming its foot into the ground with each step. When it stopped just above them, a loud roar bellowed from above. The ferocious roar shook not only the barrier between the creature and the trio, but also filled them with a sense of fear that sent chills down their spines. Whatever it was, it was big, heavy, and hungry. After a few minutes, the creature left, and they decided to take a quick break in the abyss. Shepard put the lights on his helmet back on and put his helmet down facing the wall, allowing it to reflect slightly and dimly illuminate the area.
"What was that?" Miranda shuddered every time she thought about the creature. The humid sewers and sweat dripping down her temple made her hair cling to her face and dampen her blood spattered Cerberus uniform (replacing the Cerberus Symbol above her left breast with an Imperial Eagle just before the time travel).
"I don't know and I don't want to know." Shepard replied, flexing his hands that had once tightly gripped the Revenant rifle.
"It's only another half a mile to the surface, then just twelve blocks till we reach the monastery." Janice, showing the least amount of stress among them, pulled her violet hair into a pony tail and picked herself up, reactivating her Hellgun. "We have to move now."
"Janice behind you!" Miranda raised her Avenger rifle and showered the charging Tyranid Warrior with bullets. Many failed to breach its mighty carapace skin but Janice was quick enough to turn around and land a shot to the creature's face. The burst of laser fire lit the entire area for a brief moment with pale blue light, but Shepard got a clear look at the beast. Two arms with scythe like talons clawed forward eager to grab at its next meal, while two smaller arms had hands tipped with gore covered claws. Its white armored hide was soiled with the black sludge that flowed below the concrete walkways, and it was large enough to fill the entire hallway. Shepard almost forgot he had this with him but he could not think of a better time to use it.
"Hey, I just found a cure for ugly!" Shepard pulled the M-100 Grenade Launcher from his back and shot a few grenades into the alien's torso. Small but loud explosions came soon after and the Tyranid Warrior was thrown back by the blast and the wound. The impact knocked chunks of rock from the walls and sent waves of sludge back at everyone. Miranda, caring not for the fact she was drenched in sewage waste, kept the Tyranid down with waves of biotic attacks. Janice removed the Shotgun from her back and cocked it once to remove a previous shell, loaded it, and pulled the trigger. The Warrior paid the shotgun pellets little mind while it got to its feet, but when Janice aimed for the gaping wound in its torso the creature stumbled a few times. Each shotgun blast lit the hallway for a fleeting moment, allowing everyone to see the Tyranid was weakening.
"That's it!" Janice pulled a surprisingly long combat knife at charged at the Tyranid, jumping at its armored head and jammed the knife in. The blade glowed slightly as she jerked it to the right, twisted it once, and jumped away in time for the monster to fall silent in the running water.
"I really want to get out of here now." Miranda yelled as she attempted to get the clumps of sludge from her uniform and face.
--
The air above ground was cooler, less humid, and carried the faint smell of the ocean into the city streets. They were no doubt getting close to the monastery. The starry night and the city lights cast a dim but acceptable light on the streets, no doubt an improvement from the pitch black sewers. The trio came up out of some passageway inside a roofless building. Janice led them out through a large hole in the building's left wall and pointed at the tower that dominated the landscape. Lights high and low from torches and grand colored lights made the tower gleam in a rainbow of colors. Light cascaded down the 'lines and curves of the tower's rough exterior, which bore a dozen flags and banners with the Chapter's heraldry, achievements, and battle company insignias. Stretching a few thousand feet into the air, the Fate Breakers' Fortress Monastery was a sight to behold, and after such a journey through the Wastes Shepard and Miranda yearned for the safety of the sanctuary.
As they began to sprint from where they were to the fortress, hundreds of Hormagaunts came out of nowhere, but all screamed for the chance at gorging on the guts and flesh of humans once again. Hails of bullets from each of them did not stop or slow the encroaching hordes that surrounded them, and running was quickly becoming their only option.
"Suffer not the alien to live!" Bursts of explosive bullets halted the advance of the Hormagaunts, but none of three had any part in doing it. At the end of the block stood six or seven Space Marine Scouts, armed with specialized boltguns and shotguns. The blazing gold flashes that came from the gun barrels cast a dramatic undertone of light on the tall Scouts. Muscular men with chiseled chins and faces covered in battle scars guarded the boulevard from the oncoming horde. Some yelled prayers from the Codex, some gritted their teeth, and some simply let out a yell as they took down the mob of alien creatures. "The Captain is expecting you, go quickly!" Shepard could not tell which Scout was the one who spoke to him, but they got the message clearly. They ran past the Scouts and continued to run without looking back, meanwhile a Scout with a flamer filled the gap and closed the road off completely; the last sound in Shepard's ears was the brilliant sound of roasting alien bugs.
A granite wall stood firm at the edge of the city, slowly opening for the fast approaching group. Spotlights were shining bright on them as they drew closer, and in moments they were all inside. Breathing heavily with fatigue and relief, they all just sat down on the ground and caught their breath for a few minutes, until a towering man wearing power armor approached them. His face was hidden by a helmet, but his posture and manner of walking gave him a bold, knightly, and regal air about him. His armor despite the interesting choice of colors, was covered in few ornaments save for the Crux Terminatorix on his left pauldron. "Ms. Voltaeus, we've been expecting you."