Chapter Eleven: The Falsebound Utopia
Shepard stared at his reflection in the polished bulkhead, carefully studying the current state of his armor. Weeks of fighting in sewage-soaked urban streets made his armor dirty very often, and Shepard took a liking since he was a cadet to maintaining his armor by hand. Now, after a recent scrubbing, the power armor looked as dramatic and imposing as ever. Nearly identical to the armor of a Space Marine, the varnished ebony plates shimmered in the morning sunlight peeking through the porthole behind him. Grey stripes stretched down his arms and legs in intimidating patterns, and the trademark red over white stripe that went down his right arm denoted his N7 status. His five choice weapons sat on his back and waist, all a variety of colors but none clashed enough to ruin the armor's urban camouflage.
Setting his helmet down, he leaned closer to the bulkhead to examine his face, inching to the right to allow more light in from behind him. Letting out a quiet yawn, he ran a hand through his dirty hair. He tried really hard to count the amount of days since his arrival to the 41st Millennium, which was the same amount of days since he had a proper shower. Shepard pulled back from the bulkhead and took a seat in the one of many within the Ravenstorm Gunship. Obviously a ship made for Space Marine use, Shepard was dwarfed by the barely cushioned seat, resting his head on the outlet designed for the backs of power armor without backpacks attached. When he reached a position that was acceptable for him, Shepard pushed and held a button on the left side of his belt and pulled a long stainless steel canteen from it. Slipping in his hands it was covered in condensation, and even with his armored gauntlet he could feel the cold from within. It was one of four things that Shepard considered to be a soldier's best friend: air strikes, EVAC helicopters, a poncho, and most importantly ice water.
"Got enough for both of us?" Miranda asked as she walked in from the cockpit and then hopping up to take a seat to his left. She looked in much better condition than Shepard, which befuddled him. Her long and clean black hair rested on her shoulders perfectly, her skin lush and unblemished despite the long weeks of war. The only thing she had a problem with was the temperature. The interior of this particular gunship was poorly insulated, and the boiling heat of entering the atmosphere made the journey a hot and humid one. After Shepard took one healthy swig he handed it to Miranda, who grabbed it with her left hand. She tilted her head back and gulped a small portion of it down, and then let out a refreshed sigh. Immediately afterward she took a seat next to Shepard, resting the side of her head on his curved pauldron. "Have you been saving that since we got here?" She asked, reattaching the steel canteen's cap and placing it in Shepard's lap.
"Space Marines can go days without eating, but they still have a fine galley. I just asked the cook for some." He replied.
"There was a guy in power armor wearing a starch white apron?" Miranda began to laugh, "No, just… No, I simply don't believe you."
"I never said he was a Space Marine… Or did I?" Shepard looked down to her with a raised brow and a sinister smile, causing Miranda to laugh harder just from his silly expression.
"Shepard Commander, Officer Lawson, please come to the cockpit." Legion asked in his mysterious mechanical monotone and well organized sentences. Both Shepard and Miranda jumped down from their seats and walked to the pilot area. Miranda easily swung around the co-pilot seat and came to rest with both of her arms leaning on the thick armrest. Shepard forced himself in between the two seats by sliding in sideways, but only managed to peak his head and collar out past the small gap in the seats. Legion's hands frequently danced on a cyan holographic interface, inches above the piloting controls. With each slight movement Legion made the other two noticed one or more controls seemed to move, beep, or click in response. When they both arrived, Legion tapped a button with his blade-tipped index finger and the shutters covering the glass canopy retreated out of sight, and light busted in. Shepard and Miranda cringed and held a hand to their eyes.
"Thanks for the warning." Shepard stated, quickly adjusting to the daylight as the gunship past through a layer of clouds. Legion did not reply. "Do we know where we're going?"
"Intelligence confirms large population on a single continent. This is also the last known location of Grissom's contact."
"But what Shepard is trying to… say…" Halfway through her sentence, the clouds disappeared and the tip of the continent was in full view, its grand vista bringing her statement to an abrupt halt. The rising sun cast a wide line of light on the water, making the towering palaces gleam like gems floating in the ocean. And whilst the scene alone was captivating, the land itself was a sight to behold. Towers and fortresses spread into the ocean like vines growing outward from a great tree, creating miniature cities with nothing but the abyss below them, skyscrapers formed into odd geometric shapes connected to one another by abstract tunnels hundreds of feet above the ground and with no pillars or columns to hold them in place, and bright and constantly moving signs flickered and danced in the distance. And among this sprawling hive of Shepard was immediately overwhelmed by the extreme sense of perfection and exorbitance the city profoundly proclaimed. "And I thought Abu Dhabi was big." Miranda stated, utterly at a loss to say anything else.
"You've been to Abu Dhabi? And I thought I was well traveled." Shepard replied as the gunship flew in closer, accelerating slightly.
"Collecting intelligence requires traveling to the far corners of the galaxy, but every once in a while I'm sent someplace nice." She added as the view of the ocean became less and less visible.
Shepard sighed with a smirk on his face, "Legion, do you detect any communications?"
"Standard Imperium vox communications are minimal, but present. Most probable explanation concludes that we must be out of range or there is a small Planetary Defense Force on this world." Legion replied.
"I guess since this is a paradise world, it must be the former." Miranda added.
"Then it would be best to take a closer look. Legion, set us down in a well concealed landing zone." Shepard moved to a console behind Legion's seat and flicked switches and pressed buttons, not taking the time to notice how well he knew the controls. Legion's Omni-tool transformed, the many light blue panels shifting in position for a moment, allowing a secondary HUD to be projected on the glass canopy. Eight waypoints directed attention to eight seemingly random points in the visible area of the city. Over the course of a few seconds the waypoints disappeared, excluding one.
"Landing zone acquired." Legion stated as he made the Ravenstorm accelerate, focusing on a space between two skyscrapers. When they reached a close enough distance their destination was visible, an ornate docking bay built below an enclosed bridge connecting the two buildings. The engines made a multitude of sounds as they dove further down to match the docking bay's height, which looked to be just above both buildings' sixth floor.
"Where are the city's defenses?" Miranda wondered, stroking her chin with two fingers.
"They must be hidden within the buildings, to give it the illusion of helplessness. Keeps allies out and takes unsuspecting baddies by surprise." Shepard replied, recalling past occasions not only from watching the videos, but his own experiences with the Fate Breakers and their many endeavors.
"Registering Bastion-mounted Autocannon and Lascannon turrets 13.187 miles from our landing zone, and no signs of any in this area being destroyed or moved." Legion stated, allowing each twitch of his finger changing their flight path.
"That's not good." Shepard nodded in disbelief while the gunship neared its destination.
"How so?" Miranda tilted her head and raised a brow. The gunship's engines quieted after a slight thud, coinciding with the Ravenstorm landing on the flight deck. Legion lifted his hands from the holographic controls and looped his sloped head around the seat to view Shepard.
"It means that whatever is out here is not worth saving." Shepard walked back into the troop area to retrieve his helmet, and attached it to his head as the side door hissed and slid open. He nodded to the other two and stepped outside with them at his flank.
The grand vista of glass and metal was done little justice by the eerie silence that was ever present. The wind howled for minutes on end, and not even far off sounds of any sort could be heard. Shepard sat on an empty crate across from Miranda, staring at Legion as he worked. The geth was lost in data and reports, shown in a wall of cyan screens that surrounded him on all sides. Shepard was afraid to take his helmet off in fear of the strong winds would force it from his hand and out into the street six or seven stories below, but he spoke to Miranda without any problems with it. "How long has he been at that?" He yelled over the wind which for the moment was at its peak, causing Miranda's hair to cover her face as the wind current concentrated in the boxed in docking bay.
"Two or three minutes at the most! I'm sure it won't be much longer!" She too had to yell over the howling gusts to speak to her partner.
"We have found a path." Legion stated, pointing a finger to the east, specifically to the door at the far left corner of the loading bay. Shepard swiftly grabbed hold of his helmet and made his way toward the door with the others in tow, but he was mostly letting Legion lead for the time being. Now standing in front of a large dark green metal doorway, both doors divided on in a jagged teeth pattern. He could find no switch, panel, or lever that hinted of a way to open the door. Legion simply waved his Omni-tool in front of it and the doors flew open. Shepard nodded in disbelief and walked in, leaning against the elevator's right wall. The comfortably spacious elevator was well lit and quite clean, unlike the rusted and worn docking bay. The ceiling was made up of tiny white tiles surrounding two rectangular light fixtures. Miranda allowed Legion to walk in first as she pulled her Vanquisher SMG from her hip, letting it unfold and fill her hand. Legion took the rear, whilst she stood opposite Shepard attaching the long silencer to the barrel.
"Where to?" Miranda asked.
"What is the closest exit, Legion?" Shepard turned to him instead of answering, since he was the one with the map.
"Excluding windows, the nearest exit is three floors below. Designation: Skyway, connects to building diagonally northeast from this one. If we choose to take this path it will remove approximately 37 minutes from our journey towards our destination."
"Then could you be so kind as to get this thing working?" Looking around, Shepard was once again frustrated at the lack of any panels or controls. This did not stop his ally from magically calling upon the inner workings of the elevator from the Omni-tool on his arm and causing the elevator to come to life. Suddenly, an alarm beeped within Shepard's helmet. It was the proximity detector. Shepard swiftly moved to the wall directly right of the elevator, forced his helmet onto his head, and drew his Carnifex pistol. The others did the same, pulling away from the elevator door and arming themselves.
"How many?" Miranda asked.
"Four, and they look like they're waiting for us." Shepard peered at the small screen in the far corner of his vision, the radar disk blinking with four red dots just beyond the elevator on the third floor. Mere moments passed before they reached their destination, and Shepard turned a knob on the top of the hefty pistol, activating the lime colored outline signifying a personal favorite mod of his: ferric tungsten rounds. Shepard held up an open hand to the other two and silently counted down from five.
"Oy! I told one of you sods to open the damn door didn't I?" A muffled but audible voice yelled from the other end of the thick metal doors. Shepard nodded to Legion, who then waved the doors open with his Omni-tool. The trio rushed out and brought their weapons to bear against the unknown assailants. Each of them looked as despicable and dastardly as scum and villainy could get. Wearing everything from tattered, mud stained trench coats to scavenged gear from fallen Imperial Guardsmen, whose demise was likely at their hands. Rotting teeth, scarred skin, putrid and unfortunately myriad smells, they all added to the horrible appearance shared by all four individuals. There were two men on the right, both armed with hellguns, one man in the center, the largest of the group, armed with a huge chainsword over his shoulder, and one man to the left grasping a flamer. "Well now…" The man in the center was intrigued by Shepard and his squadmates. His deep voice and Australian accent echoed in the dusty hallway. "A Space Marine, his robotic assistant, and a sweet little flower." The man's gaze studied both Shepard and Legion but when he got to Miranda he couldn't take his eyes off of her.
Miranda was disgusted and realized they she was pressed for time, "Call me that again and your brain will be on the carpet behind you!"
"Getting to this world's Planetary Governor is our priority. Impeding that task could end badly for you." Legion added.
"A pretty thing like you has no need to be in a rush. And besides, nobody gets into the city without paying the proper… toll."
"Cut the act. You just want all of our money, or you'll try to kill us for it, right?" The intimidating voice filter on Shepard's helmet sounded identical to that of a genuine Space Marine, he could see the man's goons flinch as they finally grasped the concept of how much trouble they could get in for actually threatening a Space Marine, let alone trying to strong-arm one into parting with coin for a toll.
"I find that rather insulting, Astartes. The toll ensures the protectors of the streets, mainly hard working men like ourselves," the man pointed to his group, "are properly funded to undertake the difficult tasks we do. And besides, aren't you a little too short to be a Space Marine?"
"Would the fact that I'm not one of the Emperor's Finest change the outcome of this conversation perhaps?" Shepard was hoping for a more peaceful solution to the debacle than he already expected.
"I don't suppose so, but today's price is forty-one sovereigns, and the girl."
"I am no feeble wench that can be traded like currency."
"Feisty one ain't she boss? Can I 'ave a go when you're done with her?" The man with the rusted flamethrower asked. Miranda had been trying her hardest to show restraint against the group of men before her, but now she could take no more. Without so much as a word, she violently thrust her right arm toward the flamethrower carrying brigand, causing the metal plates covering the wires and gears of the prosthetic to swiftly fluctuate with violet biotic energy as an invisible shockwave sent him flying against the wall. In protest, the other two lackeys turned their hellguns on her and fired on full auto, but the weak laser bolts washed over her shields without causing damage. Shepard simply turned the Carnifex pistol in their direction and fired, but his mind took note of Legion's weapon as he joined the fray. He seemed to have a very advanced version of the Geth Pulse Rifle, but internally it seemed to only have miniscule or unnoticeable changes separating it from the version in Shepard's time. A rapid stream of blue laser pulses sprayed over the other two raiders, cutting through their scavenged clothing and hardened skin as expected. Then, just as Miranda turned her attention to the ringleader of the group he was bringing the sword down on her. The mechanisms within made roughly toned whirring sounds as the razor sharp teeth of the chainsword were spinning at full speed. Giving out a barbaric howl, his veins cringed as he put all of his strength this one strike.
Miranda almost easily stepped to the side, allowing the volatile mechanism to connect with the floor. The cement bellow the dusty carpeting jammed the blade, not only lodging it within but also sending shock and small bursts of energy throughout the device, effectively shorting it out. Attempting to pull the blade from the floor Miranda swiftly kneed him in the gut and elbowed him in the back, causing the leader to fall to the ground in frustration and pain. Miranda held her submachine gun to the side of his head, the silencer barrel almost long enough to reach whilst she was standing. Pulling the trigger multiple times, she filled his head with holes that quickly leaked crimson blood that spread out in one huge pool. She fired again and again until Shepard had to physically rip her away from the man.
"Mir-Miranda, he's dead." Shepard stated while keeping her gun pointed way from the man's hand.
"So?" She asked in reply
"But the man is dead. I know he tried t buy you off me like some whore but that's no reason to turn his skull into a wiffleball."
"He called me a flower." Shepard raised a brow and shuddered, making a note to choose his words carefully around her. Suddenly, before they could even leave the room, the man armed with the flamer cackled maniacally and stood up, belching flames from his gun on the party. Miranda turned on her heel to face the man and released a biotic attack that caused the flamer to implode, resulting in an explosion that engulfed the man and the last of the flames overtook her small frame. Worry for her well being in the flames were put at ease when moments later they dissipated and her biotic barrier remained intact. She noticed her shirt was on fire in a small spot, and rushed to pat it out, but by the time she did so nearly a fifth of the shirt was consumed by the flame. "I can't believe I'm saying this but, I miss my old uniform. At least that was flame retardant."
"Solution available." Legion stated whilst immediately gathering the clothing from the bandits.
"Oh don't worry Legion, I'll be fine. Wait, did you just say you have a solution?" Miranda asked, but the Geth continued to gather and neatly fold the tattered clothing. "And what exactly are you to do? Do you have a spare set of clothes that fit my Cerberus uniform's custom details and exact size?" She sarcastically prodded at the synthetic, who simply did not reply and continued to fold the clothes until it was half a foot tall.
"In the year 26,459 in Galactic Standard Years, Omni-Gel technologies hit their peak. Named Metaphasic-Gel, one can take any type of material and revert it into a substance that when combined with a microscopic dose of Metaphasic-Gel, can be used to create the same type of material it once was, although in any shape or form." Activating his Omni-tool, Legion sat beside the clothes and began to fiddle with them in a strange manner. "Officer Lawson requested her previous uniform. Approximate time to completion 267.6 seconds."
"We don't have time for this. And why bother, if she says she's fine then we need to get going." Shepard added, but Legion ignored him and continued with the clothes. Shepard could not tell if this was a geth being stubborn or if he was malfunctioning, but the task seemed harmless enough. Taking his helmet off, he was amazed with what Legion was actually doing. The bloodied and worn coats and pants were being transformed before his eyes. Beneath Legion's Omni-tool, stitching fused and changed in both color and texture. Miranda walked to the other side of the large room towards the skyway, a carpeted bridge walled in by arcing glass, stretching from their location to a building to the northeast.
"Objective complete." Legion stood up and handed Miranda her unique Cerberus Uniform, folded into a perfect square. Raising a brow in suspicion, but smiling at the generous gift nonetheless, she walked behind Shepard and undressed herself.
"What was that for?" Shepard asked Legion after stepping over the body of the fallen brigand leader and moved to stand at his flank. "We both said it wasn't necessary, and you never once disobeyed an order I gave."
"Shepard Commander, we reached a consensus that concluded this event fulfilled a continuity error in space-time. Protocol restrains us from disclosing further details."
"A continuity error? Even if that's true, you have to give me more than that."
"Protocol cannot allow us to divulge information that could lead to a change of the past. But we can say this event triggered another that will come to pass before the protocol's invention."
"Okay, you're confusing me with your grammar issues here."
"He isn't confusing me, Shepard." Miranda walked up to Shepard's side, letting her cream colored uniform sparkle in the sunlight almost as brightly as her metal arm. For the first time in a long while she looked truly stunning to him, she even felt refreshed herself. But Legion did not duplicate the attire exactly, for the shirt only had a left sleeve, instead it neatly ended at the right shoulder to allow room for the slightly bulky prosthetic. Legion also added the same detail that Miranda had done to her uniform earlier, by putting two parallel cuts in the Cerberus insignia. "You can think about it as we go. We do have a job to do, remember?" Shepard nodded his head and lead on, looking around at the vast, glorious, and empty city surrounding them.