Marissa awoke to Bobby nudging her arm. She opened her eyes slowly and attempted to remember why the bed was so hard and uncomfortable. Oh yeah, they were in the Foundations. She remembered that the old man had given them the tent for the night and disappeared. Marissa slept on one cot while Kalea and Bobby had snuggled up on the other.
It was April 16th now and Marissa remembered her mother's schedule allowed for a five day leave. Marissa and Kalea would need to find a way back to the Presidium before tomorrow night if they wanted to keep their mothers out of trouble. Worry rose up in Marissa's chest; she had to find a way back… today!
"Hey, Marissa?" said Bobby. "Why won't Kalea wake up?"
Marissa looked over at Kalea. One mandible had dropped down to the cot's surface, mouth wide, teeth clearly visible. Her brown tongue was hanging between her teeth out the side of her mouth. Marissa couldn't help but chuckle. She was going to record this…
"Bobby… stand back about here." Marissa pointed to a spot about 8 steps away from the cot. "Yell her name really loud, but don't get too close; she'll punch you… accidently of course!"
Bobby moved to the spot, took a big, exaggerated breath, and yelled her name as loud as he could.
Kalea shot up out of the cot and landed on her feet in one fell swoop! "What?! What?!"
Marissa and Bobby laughed. Kalea rubbed her eyes then growled.
"Ha ha… really funny… laugh it up!" mocked Kalea. She went to grab Bobby but he ducked under her arms to the other side of the tent. She turned to grab him and again he evaded her. She growled again, but it lacked heat. Bobby laughed as she finally got her arms around him and proceeded to tickle him around the ribs. His laughter turned into howls as he was a very ticklish little boy. Marissa smiled.
Play time turned into meal time. Yesterday, after their arrival, Bobby took them to the paste dispensary to pick up some dextro-paste for Kalea. So, this morning, Kalea was in charge of putting her breakfast together while Bobby made Marissa's and his breakfast. It had some sort of sweet seasoning in it; not too bad, actually.
After a while the trio left the tent and wandered around the Foundation, specifically the markets. There were stalls and merchants everywhere. When Marissa and Kalea talked to a select few merchants, they were careful not to mention being lost, being military kids, or seem too out of place. Marissa and Kalea both knew that being a visitor meant being a target for criminals and down here that was the majority. The merchants told the girls that most of the goods entered the Foundations through runners; people who go up to the Wards and buy, find, or steal goods and bring them down. Most people in the bowels of the Citadel traded items for other items or traded items for services. Not too many people had credits to use. Marissa asked about the schedule of the runners; she wondered how often they traveled between areas. One merchant told her it was weekly and another said he hadn't seen his runner in two months. There was no concrete schedule so there was no way to tell when the next runner would be around. Disappointment spread across Marissa's face. Since they weren't sure what to do next, they went back to the tent.
To pass the time until they figured out a plan, Bobby sat down on the floor with Kalea and taught her a game Marissa couldn't pronounce; it was a Vorchan card game. Bobby explained that it usually involved shooting the loser, but they wouldn't include that in their game. Thank goodness. Marissa sat on the cot and sorted through her backpack. After everything was accounted for, Marissa sat, quickly getting bored.
In looking around the tent for something to do, Marissa found a broken datapad. She played around with it, scanned it with her omni-tool, and found it could be fixed pretty easily with the tools she carried, so she set to work.
She passively listened to the conversation going on between Kalea and Bobby.
"So where is your mom, Bobby?" asked Kalea.
"She left when I was little; don't know what happened to her. Pop don't talk about her."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"Pop and I get along alright. Other kids have moms or dads, but other kids are alone; form gangs to survive."
"Has anyone tried to get you to join a gang?"
"Nah. The gangs don't get you until you're ten or so; something about not wanting babies around."
Kalea looked at Marissa with sadness in her eyes.
"You're a good kid, Bobby," Marissa said. She thought if… no… when they made it back they would ask for help for Bobby and his dad.
Several hours had passed before the old man returned to the tent.
"Hey Pop, you wanna join the game?" asked Bobby.
"Nah." The old man looked at Marissa and noticed the datapad in her hand was illuminated orange; it was working. "Hey girl, you fixed it?!"
"Yeah, some wires just needed replaced. My omni-tool was able to fabricate exactly what I needed so it wasn't hard to fix."
"What's on the datapad?"
"I didn't see anything important, just a bunch of news articles from ages ago."
"News articles, huh? I'll take a look at 'um later," he said. "You fix other things too?"
"Yeah, just depends on what needs fixed," replied Marissa.
"I want you to meet someone, come with me."
Marissa looked at Kalea and shrugged. They got up and went with the old man back to the market area. They stopped in front of a kiosk with an Elcor beside it.
"Tentative excitement: Greetings. What can I do for you today?" said the Elcor in his monotone voice.
The old man responded, "Hey, this little human girl is able to fix stuff. You should let her take a look at your broken tech."
"Anxiously: Do you think you could fix my broken terminal?"
"I can take a look at it and see," replied Marissa.
Kalea chimed in, "What will you pay her if she does fix it, sir?"
"Genuine inquiry: What would be an acceptable payment?"
Kalea responded, "We are looking for directions or help in getting back to the Presidium. Can you pay with that information?"
"Serious consideration: I know someone who can help you."
"Alright, point me to the terminal," Marissa responded with excitement.
She removed her tools from her backpack and proceeded to take apart the terminal; the case was removed and the parts were examined. She activated her omni-tool and the computer scanned for irregular features. The wires looked fine, so did the electrical structure, but the electricity wasn't powerful enough to run the machine; Marissa could fix that.
Marissa spoke to the Elcor, "Sir, do you have any old equipment I could recycle? I think I just need some omni-gel to get this up and running."
"Enthusiastically: Yes I do, that pile over there." responded the Elcor.
Marissa used her omni-tool to convert the old equipment into omni-gel. She returned to the terminal and applied the gel to the power source. Her omni-tool sent a surge through the gel into the power source and boosted its ability. The terminal whirled to life and the terminal screen lit up.
"Disbelieving: It actually works? Affectionately: You are a very skilled human, thank you."
"You're welcome," said Marissa. "Can we have the name of the person who can help us?"
The Elcor gave the group the name of an Asari who sold goods in a warehouse on the border of the Foundation. He assured them that she was in the area since she had visited him earlier in the day. He gave them the location and even gave Marissa a modification for her omni-tool. She was grateful, but didn't ask where he got it. It was better not to know.
The old man led the girls out of the Foundation to the warehouse the Elcor spoke of. Through the door was a large open area with crates and containers stacked along the edges, with a few scattered around the floor. The lights were dim and the air smelled stale and dusty. Marissa also saw chairs scattered around the room. An Asari was standing by a door on the opposite side of the room speaking with a Turian. As the group made their way to the lady, the Turian walked through the door and out of sight.
"Hello. Is there something I can do for you today?" said the Asari in a friendly tone as she approached them. She was wearing one of those pretty dresses Marissa saw on the Presidium: blues and greens on a sea of white. It seemed out of place in the Foundations, it was too expensive.
The old man spoke up, "Yes, these girls need a way back up top and the Elcor said you could help them."
The Asari looked at the girls and Marissa noticed a change in her expression. It went from an irritated look, like the Elcor committed her to something she didn't want to do, to a surprised look, like she recognized them. Marissa suddenly ran through her memory; the Asari mercenary, were they the same? Marissa didn't think so. The face markings were different.
"I would be happy to help in any way I can," replied the Asari. "Which area are you trying to get back to, girls?"
With caution, Marissa replied, "We need to get to the Human Embassy."
"Oh okay. I know exactly how to get there, but I do have some business to finish up in the area. Would you be ready to leave by tonight?"
Kalea spoke up, "Yes, we can be ready, but what kind of payment are you interested in for the trouble of taking us there?"
The Asari paused, contemplating, "Don't worry about it. I'm heading that direction anyway and your company will make the trip less mundane. So, it's no trouble at all." Then she smiled.
Marissa couldn't shake the feeling that this Asari had a plan and it wasn't just taking them back. She knew something was wrong; her gut told her so.
The Asari gave them a specific time to be back at the warehouse, then asked the old man to stay for a few minutes to speak with her. Marissa, Kalea, and Bobby left the warehouse and made their way back to the tent.
Marissa voiced her thoughts, "Kalea, something isn't right. That Asari was too helpful and did you see her expression change when she looked at us?"
"Yeah, she definitely perked up," said Kalea.
"Do you think she's with the mercenaries or do you think she saw the alerts from C-Sec?"
"I'm not sure but I know we need to be careful."
Marissa couldn't agree more.
The tent was quiet as the departure time approached. Bobby was practically glued to Kalea. They ate again and packed up their stuff.
"It's time to go," said the old man. "Bobby, you're gonna stay here, so say goodbye."
Marissa hugged Bobby. "You are a brave boy and thank you for your help; you saved us." She handed Bobby a small candy bar she found in the bottom of her backpack and smiled.
Kalea wrapped her long arms around Bobby too. He began to cry and asked her quietly not to leave. It took her a while to let go.
Marissa touched Kalea's arm and pulled the tent cover back. "Bye, Bobby!"
The old man and the girls walked back to the warehouse. The room looked exactly the same as it did earlier but two chairs had been moved to the middle of the room. Marissa's shoulders and stomach tightened.
"The Asari should be here. I hope she didn't forget," said the old man.
"I doubt it," voiced Kalea, subharmonics deep.
Marissa had learned over the last several days that the higher pitches in Turian subharmonics meant they were excited, nervous, or happy; and deeper pitches meant they were serious, defensive, or scared.
After a few minutes of waiting, the Asari walked in from a door on the opposite side of the room. The door swished closed behind her. She was dressed in armor now; it was mostly black with buckles along the arms and legs, and yellow up the center of the torso. No insignias were visible to Marissa.
"Hi there," she said with a smile. "My business is concluded here. Are you girls ready to leave?"
The old man cleared his throat. "Hey! What about our agreement?" he asked agitatedly.
"You are absolutely right. Please follow me."
The old man followed her through the door, leaving Marissa and Kalea in the room by themselves.
"Be ready for anything," whispered Marissa.
In that moment, from behind the door, two sharp, loud pops were heard.
"Gun," whispered Marissa with panic and grabbed Kalea's arm. They started backpedaling toward the door they originally entered, keeping an eye on the other door. It swished open.
The Asari re-entered the room and behind her was a Vorcha bearing a pistol.
"And where do you two think you're going?" the Asari yelled.
The Asari's body illuminated in a blue aura and dark energy hit the girls.
Kalea squawked; Marissa screamed. Neither could move.
"Crap… a stasis field," thought Marissa. She hadn't thought about biotic powers.
The Asari sauntered up to the girls cased in blue energy.
"Military kids, lost in the Foundations; mothers would pay a pretty penny to get you back, you know, and so would a specific mercenary group."
"Who are you? What do you want?" yelled Marissa.
"I'm just an opportunistic Asari who wants to cash in on a fortuitous discovery."
"What are you going to do with us?"
"I guess you'll find out soon enough."
The Asari walked over to a crate, picked up some rope, and walked toward the girls.
Marissa knew it would be bad to panic. She took a few breaths. What did she know? She knew the stasis field wouldn't hold for long. She figured the Asari was binding them because she wasn't ready to move them yet. They had time.
The Asari dropped Kalea out of the stasis field first and grabbed her by the neck. Kalea thrashed around but the Asari held her tight. She led Kalea to one of the chairs and tied her down; Kalea hissed and growled. The Vorcha stood back with his pistol pointed at Kalea. Then the Asari walked back to Marissa, dropped her out of stasis, and grabbed her arm. The grip was tight; Marissa chose not to struggle. With her free hand she discreetly patted her pocket; her knife was still there. The Asari pulled the backpack off of Marissa and tossed it a few meters away. Then she was tied down too.
"Well now. It's time for me to go and meet our guests." The Asari looked at the Vorcha. "Watch them. I'll be back shortly."
After the Asari left, the Vorcha started pacing back and forth, back and forth. Marissa tried to recall what she knew about the species. Her teachers at Arcturus said they were primitive, savage, and they adapted quickly to environments. This Vorcha wore a red right shoulder guard with a bandoleer of grenades around his chest. Marissa wondered if getting a hold of the gun or a grenade would be helpful, but how could she get one?
Kalea hissed at Marissa. Marissa looked at her. Kalea then looked over Marissa's shoulder. Marissa gave Kalea a confused scowl. Kalea looked at Marissa again then looked over her shoulder. Marissa finally turned the direction Kalea looked.
"Bobby!" thought Marissa.
Bobby's little eyes were peeking at them through a grate halfway up the wall. This gave her an idea.
Marissa cleared her throat. "Kalea, what was the name of that card game you were playing earlier?"
Kalea looked surprised for a moment then answered, "It was hard to pronounce… Teuqip something.
The Vorcha stopped pacing and looked at Kalea. In a raspy voice, "Turian, you know game?"
"Yes. We should play, you know, to pass the time. I can tell you're bored."
The Vorcha barked, "You play tricks. No trust you. Asari kill me if I let you go."
Marissa replied, "You aren't letting us go; the Turian just wants to play the game."
The Vorcha contemplated this for several moments. Marissa almost gave up on the idea when the Vorcha walked over to a crate, lifted it, placed it by Kalea, and grabbed another chair.
"Need cards," rasped the Vorcha.
"Untie me; I have some in that bag," Kalea offered.
He grabbed the bag and dropped it on Kalea's lap.
"No run, yes?"
"I won't run, I promise," Kalea said. "But, if we're going to play, I need to sit in that chair. I can't see the cards otherwise; better lighting." The Vorcha looked at her, then at Marissa. Marissa pulled on her bonds to show she was secure. He untied Kalea, then took the cards she presented from the bag.
Marissa took a breath. The Vorcha had his back to her now.
Marissa quickly looked at the grate to see little eyes still looking at her. She tilted her head, lifted her hands against the bonds a few times, and then pointed to her pocket.
Slowly and carefully the grate face began to retract and slide over. Bobby soundlessly lowered himself onto a crate, then ducked behind another on the ground. Marissa looked at the Vorcha. He was engrossed in the game; when he made a poor move, he yelled and when he made a good move, he yelled again. He even slammed his fist on the crate a few times. At least he was making enough noise to cover any sounds from Bobby. Kalea dealt with the Vorcha calmly and didn't look in the direction of Bobby even once.
Bobby was able to quietly sneak up to Marissa's chair. He carefully reached into her pocket and retrieved her knife. Slowly and quietly he cut the rope and released Marissa's hands.
Marissa's bag was sitting next to Kalea's chair. It was a good thing Marissa condensed her omni-tool and put it in her jacket pocket instead of the bag. She attached the tool to her arm and ran a scan on the Vorcha. The computer displayed an image of the weak points on a Vorcha's anatomy. One place looked golden.
Marissa adjusted the computer to target that spot, then she looked at Kalea and gestured her to get down. As soon as Kalea ducked behind the crate, the Vorcha turned. Marissa activated her new program.
The electric shock hit the Vorcha right in the face. Unexpectedly, the shock detonated one of the grenades on his chest.
Marissa was immediately blinded by a bright white flash. She fell down on the ground and covered her head with her arms. She couldn't see or hear anything.
Slowly, her vision cleared and the ringing died down in her ears. She looked up to see Bobby and Kalea hoisting the Vorcha into a chair. His arms and legs were tied and he had blood and scorch marks on his face and neck. Kalea walked over to Marissa and helped her up.
"Flashbang grenade," said Kalea. "Good thing it wasn't an incendiary one."
"Are you two okay?" asked Marissa.
"Yeah, I was behind the crate and Bobby was behind the chair. We didn't get blinded but he did." Kalea gestured toward the Vorcha. "I immediately jumped on him, pulled him down, and Bobby helped me tie him up."
"We all dead. Asari kill us. Stupid human," snarled the Vorcha.
Marissa looked at Bobby and Kalea; they looked unharmed. She assessed herself; no injuries. Then she looked around and remembered the old man. She turned to Bobby, who was looking around too.
"Bobby, I think something happened to your dad. I'm gonna go check; stay here with Kalea."
Sure enough, Marissa found the old man with two shots to the chest. She stood there and stared for a while. This must have been what her dad looked like. She couldn't let Bobby see this; she had to protect him. She walked back into the room.
"I'm sorry Bobby, he's not there. The Asari must have taken him with her. Let's go before they get back."
They picked up all their stuff, leaving the Vorcha tied and snarling. The Asari and mercenaries would be back soon and they would be furious!
Marissa, Kalea, and Bobby were dirty, tired, and scared. The near abduction had Marissa's guts twisted into knots and her head pounded. Hopefully the mercs wouldn't try to find them and if they did search, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
After this adventure, all Marissa wanted to do was hug her mom, go back to Arcturus, and sleep in her own bed. Although, the best part about this adventure was the new friend she made in Kalea.
Back at the tent, Kalea and Bobby crashed on a cot and slept. Marissa said she would keep a look out for the mercs. She had been hyped up on adrenaline but now it was crashing down. Marissa felt her eyelids drift close several times. She was so tired. She leaned back against the cot, her head drifted back, and she descended into sleep.
Marissa dreamt; a hard metal dog, screeched, scratched, and vibrated. She saw her father and her birthday mech dog from long ago. She didn't want to remember, it hurt, but the dog wouldn't go away. The noise, the vibration, kept tickling her ears and arm. Slowly, Marissa woke up and as she blinked the sleep away, she actually saw a mech dog. She looked around to see Kalea still asleep in her cot with Bobby wrapped in front of her.
She reached for the mech and slid her hand over its smooth casing.
"Where did you come from, boy? Are you lost?"
"No, but you were."
Marissa looked up to see her mother before her; smile bright.