A/N: I just recently saw Lone Survivor, and although the movie was great, the book is really where Marcus tugs my heart strings. To Murphy, Axelson, Dietz, and all the other SEALs and service men and women that have risk their lives for us here at home: Fair Winds and Following Seas.
Chapter 4: Medicus
14 April 2183
Erik rushed into the sandstone wall, fire coming from all sides of the village. He switched his M4A1 Assault rifle to single fire and flipped his 3x magnifying flip sight forward. Chains was giving covering fire to the Taliban fighters in front of him, letting Erik move up even further. Erik sprinted into the side of a stone building and raised his rifle, firing two shots into the Taliban soldier that was across the way. He peeked his rifle out of cover and in the space of 5 seconds, targeted and eliminated two fighters that were firing at his fireteam. Chains and Riptide were covering their flank and needed to move up; Erik would be giving covering fire to their advance, as he was deadly accurate with his rifle.
"Come on Chains! They aren't going to stay down long" Erik yelled with the voice like fire-hardened steel.
"Moving! Riptide, on my six!" Michael belted out. Riptide was their Army intelligence officer, he had provided the intel that they had received telling them of the whereabouts of the Taliban commander that lived in this town; his intel turned out to be damn good, 'cause the Taliban had attacked on sight as they got within the town.
Both men sprinted across the street as Erik's shots rang out every half second, keeping the fighters well in cover. Suddenly, a spot inside one of the far off buildings lit up as a sniper picked his target and pulled his trigger. Riptide made it halfway through the street before the .308 round burst through his neck. He dropped to the ground, hands at his throat, deep rich-red blood seeping through his fingers. Chains made it to Erik just in time before the second sniper shot clipped the building wall where Michael would have been.
"Shit, Riptide is down, Chains light these motherfuckers up! I'm going to save him" Erik screamed, but Michael held him back.
"If you go out there you're going to be shot as well"
"I DON'T FUCKIN CARE! WE NEVER LEAVE A MAN BEHIND" Erik went into the human equivalent of a blood frenzy and rushed out of cover to the writhing form of the young officer. Erik reached him and grabbed the straps of his plate carrier, pulling the man with all his strength back to cover. Riptide gurgled and writhed with pain as his entire front side was covered in his own blood. As Erik pulled the man back, his instincts took over and he threw himself to the ground a second before a sniper bullet pierced the ground behind him, where his head would have been. He scrambled to his feet and kept pulling the officer in front of him. Finally, he made it to the cover behind Chains and set the man up against the wall, keeping his head up and slowly removing his hands to see how bad the wound was and to apply the gauze from his field medkit. As he removed the man's hands, he looked into his eyes and saw the deepest feeling of despair, he saw the man's guilt and regrets as if he were looking into his soul. He finally removed the last fingers and was met with a spurt of blood, signaling that Riptide's jugular had been severed. Erik thrust the gauze into the wound and rapped medical tape tightly around his neck, but the blood quickly soaked all the way through the bandage and Erik knew that this would be Riptide's last Op.
Erik took one last look into the officer's eyes and saw something he didn't expect. Acceptance. Riptide was ready to die, and he knew he was going to. He lifted his right hand and gripped Erik's, then with his left, he dug his dog tags out from under his collar, ripped them off and put them in Erik's other hand. Erik gripped Riptide's hand and saw the light in Riptide's eyes fade and his soul leave his body. The young 1st Lieutenant slumped over dead.
Erik was filled with shock and pain, losing a soldier never got easier. He said his final goodbyes to Riptide, picked up his rifle and sprinted back towards Michael. Michael switched mags and glanced over at Erik. Erik shook his head and Michael understood. Anger and frustration filled Erik's veins and made his blood boil, he wanted revenge, and he wanted it now.
A Taliban fighter popped up across the street and fired three shots in the SEALs' direction, but Erik was more accurate and slammed two bullets into the fighter's arm, enough to drop him and keep him wounded. Erik materialized next to the wounded fighter and smashed the butt of his rifle into the man's wounded shoulder, causing him to scream out in pain. Erik smashed the rifle again and again, causing this man agony beyond his imagination, but worse yet, Erik enjoyed it. He enjoyed the fact that he made this man suffer for the death of his friend and ally. Finally, Erik drew his M1911 and put a round through the man's forehead, killing him instantly. Erik turned swiftly and moved down the street searching for his next target. Erik's rage filled him with adrenaline and he killed six more Taliban fighters, and took two bullet wounds in his chest, in 3 minutes, as he had moved up one block.
He rushed across the street into the building that the sniper was holed up in. He was met with 4 more fighter which he dispatched easily. He switched to his side arm before he got to the room with the sniper. With almost mechanic precision, Erik kicked open the door and was met by a surprised sniper. Erik punched the sniper in the face full force, dropping him to the ground. Erik kicked the sniper rifle away, and aimed his pistol at the sniper's throat. His anger boiled over and he fire into the man's neck.
"This is the pain that John felt, you fucking son of a bitch!" Erik screamed at the defenseless man. Suddenly, Erik snapped to his humanity and his anger quickly turned to regret. He was making this man suffer an agonizing death, he was spitting on John "Riptide" Miller's memory. With a shaky hand, he pulled the trigger again and put the man out of his misery.
Boom
Erik woke with a start, soaked in a cold sweat, still fazed over the nightmarish memory. I'm not that man anymore, Erik said to himself as his heart raced. He sat up in his rack and put his head in his hands. He saw that sniper's face, contorted in horror and pain as Erik made him suffer every single day since that mission. Quickly, he got dressed in his Alliance work uniform trousers, a black T-shirt, and a black N7 hoodie jacket, and then headed to the kitchen. The night of constant tossing and turning had set a hunger in him like he hadn't eaten for days.
He opened the fridge and pulled out some eggs along with some bacon. He checked the clock expecting to see his normal wakeup call time of 0800, but was shocked by what he discovered. It was 0430! His mind would not allow him more sleep and frankly, he didn't want to go back to more nightmares. Erik took out on of the pans, set it on one of the stoves, and broke the eggs onto it. He then took out a griddle and set the bacon on it to cook. Erik stirred the eggs to scramble them and cut up the cooked bacon, adding it to the eggs. He set out a plate and silverware for himself at the table and poured his breakfast onto it, still leaving plenty in the pan.
Erik sat down and started to eat; he always wanted to make his own food and his squad's food. Erik was an excellent cook and everyone from his previous squad knew it. He loved the feeling of providing from his squad and making them happy, or at least making their stomachs happy. As he was chowing down, he heard footsteps behind him and he turned around to see Shepard walk out of his quarters in what looked like steel-grey pajama pants and an N7 T-shirt. He had a sleepy half-awake look as he walked out of his room and he rubbed his eyes as he walked towards Erik.
"Morning Sleeping Beauty" Erik said with a broad smile at the sight of his CO.
"Shut up… what are you cooking?" Shepard's hunger had finally made him ask.
"Bacon and eggs, want some?"
"Oh hell yes" Shepard's eyes lit up and he grabbed a plate, loaded it up with a hearty portion of the delicious breakfast that Erik had cooked up. "Couldn't sleep?" Shepard asked, his mouth half full.
"Yeah, just dreamed of one of my Ops, no way I could sleep after that" Erik said with downcast eyes, his fork not leaving his plate as he remembered that fateful day.
"I'm sorry, I know it must be hard adjusting, you had a very different life before this"
"Yes I did, some of the shit I've seen, or even done, would have broken someone like Jenkins instantly. I was, I am, a killed machine; that was my purpose to be trained" Erik said, regret filled his voice.
"Well Erik, if it's any consolation, those thirteen weeks of N7 training that we both went through did damn good, and that coupled with your SEAL training, I'd expect you to be the best in the entire military"
"Thanks Shepard; how are you liking your breakfast?" Erik changed subjects to lighten the mood.
"Oh this is fantastic," Shepard exclaimed as he shoved another bite into his mouth, "how did you learn to cook like this?"
"I cooked for my squad, if Mike were here, he'd tell you of how many times I made him and the boys their meals" Erik said with a smile.
"Well you might have another occupation then" Shepard teased.
"One is enough for me Shepard" Erik treasured this moment. It was the moment when he realized that he had a chance for a life in this world, and that he had a friend. The doors to the Main Battery opened to reveal a drowsy Turian in what looked like pajamas stumble out, go to the cupboards, find a glass and guzzle as much water down as possible.
"Well geez Garrus, if you wanted to drink a lake, we'll just stop off somewhere." Erik laughed.
"You try sleeping next to a hot cannon all night, and then we'll see how you're talking" Garrus gasped between gulps. Then, as quickly as he had come, Garrus went back to bed.
"Well he didn't stay long. Actually, Shepard, do we have any Dextro based ingredients?" Erik probed, an idea formed in his mind.
"I think we should, it should be in one of the revolving fridges in the ice chest. And whatever you are thinking, just don't burn the place down, I'm gonna try my luck at sleep again, night"
"Sweet dreams" Erik's voice was laced with sarcasm. As Shepard walked off, Erik rose and moved to examine the dextro ingredients. "Well let's see what I can cook up for Tali and Garrus in the morning" Erik murmured to himself, as he pulled up a dextro cookbook.
X X X
0930 April 15, 2183
Erik stirred furiously at the whipped cream he had handmade for the dextro fruit pancakes on the frying pan. Garrus and Tali watched greedily as their olfactory senses kick started at the scent of something other than nutrient paste. The entire crew had gathered around as Erik made a show of cooking breakfast. He was whipping cream, flipping flapjacks, and sautéing vegetables all at the same time, everyone was instantly mesmerized. Erik had never gone to sleep so it had given him plenty of time to not only look up recipes, but to also make plenty of amino friendly pancakes for the entire crew. But now, it was time for Tali and Garrus to be served a good hearty meal to start off the day.
"I see you licking your lips Garrus, still want me to sleep next to a cannon?" Erik shouted to the hungry Turian seated 5 meters away.
"As long as I don't have to eat nutrient paste anymore, I'll let you sleep where ever you like." Garrus replied. Tali just silently waited for the food to finish cooking. Finally, Erik finished the food, turned off the ovens, piled two plates high with food and served them to his two crewmates. They both ate greedily, as if it were their last meal for weeks, moaning in delight as they stuffed their face/visor.
"We've arrived at the Artemis Tau cluster and have isolated the planet Therum in the Knossos system as our place to be, all operators report to the Comms room in 15 minutes" Shepard's voiced announced over the loudspeaker. With a groan, the crew that was watching Erik dispersed and went back to their jobs. Erik walked back to the kitchen and set himself to cleaning the dishes. He hated cleaning the dishes, usually he would give Michael the job of cleaning up afterwards because he hated it so much, but now he would just have to do them himself.
"How are you two enjoying your meals?" Erik asked over his shoulder as he scrubbed the the pans down.
"How did you learn to cook like this? I know Turian chefs who aren't as good you." Garrus choked out as he inhaled the pancakes. The crème, fruit, pancakes and syrup had all sort of mixed into one and Garrus just shoved it all into his mandibles.
"Well I'm a quick learner and I use to cook for my squad before a mission, besides the recipes aren't that much different from amino, I just needed to find all the dextro equivalents." Erik replied, putting the pan up on the rack to dry. He threw the dish rag over his shoulder and turned his attention towards Tali. "What about you Ms. Zorah? Is everything to satisfaction? I can try new recipes if not."
"It is absolutely fantastic, I haven't had food like this even back in the Fleet" Tali replied excitedly.
"Well good, we've got about 10 minutes until the Commander wants us in the Comms room, so eat up" Erik turned to leave but turned his head to look over his shoulder back at his two squad mates, "I made some dextro pastries as well if you guys want anything extra, they should be in fridge number 5.".
Shepard looked around in his council area behind the Combat Information Center. Kaidan and Erik were quietly talking about old stories they had, while next to them Wrex and Ashley sat waiting for Shepard to start the mission brief. Garrus and Tali showed up at the last minute with stuffed faces, no doubt from Erik's cooking. Chakwas and Adam's were discussing the Normandy's specs when Shepard finally cleared his throat signaling the start of the brief.
"Alright, we all know why we're down here, we have a galaxy to save and need to pick up someone along the way. The person of interest is Dr. Liara T'soni, a Prothean researcher, but more importantly, she's the daughter of Matriarch Benezia. Now we don't know if she is a friendly so treat her with caution, but on the flipside, we don't know if she's hostile and she may need our help down there. The planet we'll be landing on is mainly volcanic so gear up accordingly. Joker picked up a Geth Ship's signature near the planet's atmosphere so expect heavy resistance. That's all I have, any questions" Shepard probed. Garrus shot up a hand… claw.
"What is our exfil supposed to be like?"
"Well, we are going to grab the Dr. and come back out the way we came while Joker brings the Normandy in close for an instant extraction. Alright anything else?" No one raised a hand, and Shepard spoke again, "We have 30 minutes to gear up, you're dismissed"
Everyone got up and went down to the lower deck with the lockers. Shepard went to his quarters and decided to pull out his best N7 armor. Might as well make a good impression, he thought to himself.
Downstairs, Erik geared up in the standard medium-class N7 hardsuit and picked out what to take with him. A Kessler pistol Mk-5, upgraded with phasic rounds and an extended barrel, was sitting on his weapons table already prep'd so he decide to just attach that to his hip. The Avenger Mk-3 Assault rifle was in his locker, he had been working the day before on it putting upgrades sights and a longer barrel attachment on it but never got to the round type he wanted. Everyone was strapping up and checking seals, nobody wanted to have a suit malfunction on a planet that was 175°F on a regular day. Erik looked around and found everyone prepared as he fit his 1911 into its holster.
"Alright everyone listen up!" Shepard butted in, "I'm taking a 5 man team down to the surface, all the rest of you are on standby. Vakarian, Alenko, Wrex and Kyle, get in the Mako, we're being dropped by the Normandy in 5 mikes"
"Aye aye Sir" Erik responded while putting his Avenger on his back. He stepped towards the Mako and opened the side hatch going in. Inside the Mako were 5 seats, 2 up front for the driver and passenger, who took on the job of identifying targets, 2 on the sides near the back, one for comms and one for the situation analyzer. Then finally, the one on the top for the gunner.
"Oh, I know where I'm sitting" Erik said excitedly as he sat in the gunner's seat, "I loved controlling the gun during N7 training"
"Alright, I'll pick up the scanners then" Alenko said with reluctance, he knew that Shepard would be the one driving. Everyone else assigned themselves to whatever position and waited for Shepard to step in.
On the Surface
The Mako landed with a thud signaling impact with the surface, and the start of Shepard's horrible driving.
"Alright everyone, keep it tight, Erik, keep that cannon warmed up and ready, Garrus, be ready on those comms, Kaidan, give Erik targets and Wrex, update sit rep when we get more info. Let's roll out" Shepard said as he moved the Mako forward.
The active volcano streamed out magma as the Mako passed by on the solidified rock. One slip up and there would be no trace of a team even being on the planet. Erik had the cannon prep'd and ready for the first Geth to come into sight, but so far the scanners were clear.
"We're approaching the first tunnel expect some heavy resist-" Erik started to say before Kaidan cut him off.
"Enemy contact, looks like three really big Geth launchers!"
"Erik! Rain hell on them!" Shepard shouted. The targeting computers gave Erik a firing solution to take out the Armatures and rocket troops. He quickly snapped the cannon over to the group of Geth rocket troops and a resounding BOOM let the rest of the Mako know that those Geth weren't a problem anymore. The Mako moved out of the way as 3 Armature blasts neared and almost hit their intended target.
"Get me a little closer, it'll take them down a little easier" Erik shouted as the minigun fired towards the Geth.
"Roger, moving"
Erik aimed the cannon towards the break in the Armature's armor and fired. The Armature's shields deflected the round, but right into the Armature standing next to it. The cannon cycled the next round right as Shepard drove the Mako a few feet from the Geth beast. Erik's reflexes took over as he aimed the main gun again and blasted into the Armature's armor-break. The round struck home, sending the Armature sailing back, crashing into the Armature next to it, breaking one of its legs off.
Shepard's reacted quickly and rammed full speed into the injured Geth knocking it over the edge into the pool of lava. All components of the Geth quickly melted and before it could even fire, the targeting matrix melted into a pool of metal. Unfortunately, Shepard miscalculated the amount of force he rammed the Geth with and the Mako stopped feet from the lava.
"BACK UP! BACK UP! BACK THE FUCK UP!" Erik screamed. The wheels squealed as the Mako went into full reverse, grabbing whatever ground it could to thrust itself back. Shepard wheeled the vehicle around and headed back to through the tunnel.
The rest of the driving was very similar, all except almost driving into the lava. Everyone worked in unison, calling targets, blowing them up and moving closer to the dig site. As they approached the site, they were met with a wall of rubble with only enough room to proceed on foot.
"Alright, everyone out," Shepard called "it looks like There's the main path, and then a little higher ground to our right. Vakarian, Kyle, I want you two to set up a sniper's nest up on the higher ground. Your job is to cover our asses and pick out enemy combatants. Wrex, and Kaidan, we are going into the fire full force. Everybody ready, then move out"
Erik and Garrus both went up the rock wall to the right and got a vantage point 30 feet above the rest of the squad. "Shepard it looks like you've got 10 geth trooper headed for you, Garrus is scoping out ahead, I'll try and take out a few from the back" Erik warned through the comm channel
"Roger that. Wrex set up to the left, Kaidan set up to the right, I'll set up in the middle. Let's take out these metal heads" Shepard called through the radio. Wrex, Kaidan and Shepard took cover behind a couple rocks in their positions as the Geth troopers spilled out into the battlefield, plasma rifles all sounding as the Geth targeted the three warriors. Shepard popped out of cover and laid out fire on the two closest Geth, taking down their shields as Wrex's shotgun sounded, spilling whatever insides the first Geth had across the second one.
Erik set up his Mantis Mk III rifle on the ridge and scoped in on his first target as Garrus set up further ahead to scout out what else awaited the squad. Erik lined up a shot on the very last trooper in the pack, putting the reticle right on the light from its optical view camera. Erik's breathing settled and the world started to slow, the Geth moved at 25% original speed as Erik's finger pulled on the smooth trigger. Boom. The trooper's head exploded into hardware and silver fluid as its body dropped where it stood and lay limp on the volcanic rock. Erik started the process again on the next target; aim + breath + sight picture + breath + slowing down time + pull trigger = dead Geth. Shepard moved up a cover as 3 troopers went down from the non-stop fire that Wrex and Kaidan provided. He opened fire with his Mk IV Avenger assault rifle on the next three Geth, depleting their shield emitters before his weapon overheated. Kaidan used a warp on the middle most trooper and quickly followed with a singularity causing a biotic explosion to rip the troopers to shreds. Kaidan went back into cover to recover as Wrex rushed forward in his blood-rage, grabbing one of the two remaining Geth and bashing it against the rock wall. Shepard's rifle was still cooling down as the final trooper came around his cover and bashed him with the butt of its rifle. Shepard lay on the ground, pistol half out of its holster, as the Geth aimed its rifle at the Commander.
Crack. A bullet pierced the trooper's central processor (head) and left a gaping hole where its computing systems should have been. Shepard quickly got up and looked over to see smoke coming from Erik's barrel. Erik loaded another round and nodded towards the Commander.
"Glad you're on our side" Shepard said over the radio.
"Well if you get blasted by a Geth trooper, who else is going to lead this God forsaken mission" Erik replied with a chuckle. Garrus returned from his scouting expedition and relayed what he'd seen.
"Sir, there's a canyon ahead which leads to the dig site but it's full of Geth. I counted 5 rocket troops, 4 regular troops and 2 snipers. Erik and I can take out the snipers, and a few rocket troops but expect a firefight"
"Alright, Wrex how you doing? And what about you Kaidan?" Shepard asked both soldiers.
"We need harder enemies, I'm tired of fighting these reject Geth" Wrex responded.
"I'm fine Sir, just needed to catch my breath after that biotic display" Kaidan said with a breath.
"Alright, we move out down the canyon, try to get them out of cover so Erik and Garrus can blow their heads off. Everyone good?" Shepard asked and a nod from all squad members signaled a solid copy. The three tanks moved towards the edge of the canyon as the two snipers set up on top, targeting the two Geth snipers that traced Shepard's pathway.
"On target, I'll give the mark to fire, let's take these snipers out at the same time." Erik said with his face on the stock of the rifle.
"Roger that, I'm on target, ready when you are" Garrus responded softly.
"Alright, fire on my mark. Three…Two…One…MARK!"
. Both shots sounded as one as the two Geth sharpshooters tumbled from their perches, lifeless on the ground. Almost immediately, three rockets were headed towards the pair of marksman. One sailed overhead as two crashed into the side of the hill causing pieces of their makeshift perch to tumble to the ground below.
"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE" Erik yelled as another rocket was headed their way. The two ran 5 meters before Erik quickly knelt and fired on one of the rocket troops, blowing its knee out causing it to fall to the ground, crippled. Garrus turned while standing and put a round in another one's chest blowing it back but not quite dead yet. Erik got up and ran another 5 meters, before turning around to find a rocket exploding in front of him. He was blown back 10 feet, crashing to the ground, rifle inches away from his hand. Garrus quickly put another round through a third rocket troop as he ran to Erik's side, checking his fallen comrade's vitals.
Erik's eyes burst open, dirt coving his handsome face in a scorching pattern as his helmet was taken clear off his head from the explosion. He quickly did a self-check: feet, good; legs, good; torso, pain in his upper chest; arms, shrapnel in his left bicep; head, scorch mark making him look like a badass. Garrus helped him to a sitting position as his right hand went to the shrapnel in his bicep. With a grunt he pulled out a 3 inch long piece of twisted metal and put it in the drop pouch on his side. Remembering the pain in his chest he lightly touched his hardsuit. He found a hole as wide as his fore finger breached all the way down to the final layer of protection on his armor and broken skin underneath as blood was coming from the hole.
"I'm fine Garrus, give me some medigel on my arm and chest and let's get back to it." Erik said in his operator's voice of hardened steel.
"Alright, here you go, that was some hit" Garrus replied.
"Yeah, I feel like you after the Blue Suns. Hahaha." Erik laughed, Garrus just looked at him confused, "let's get back to it!"
The Commander, Kaidan and Wrex had taken out the troops and had one rocket troop left to deal with. Garrus and Erik both lined up their shots on the remaining Geth and put two perfect holes through its chest, dropping it to the ground. The three assault team members made their way back up the canyon towards the dig site where the two sharpshooters waited.
"I saw you take a hit Erik, you ok?" Shepard asked concerned.
"I'm good Sir, I'll need to repair my armor after this though"
"That we can do," Shepard pulled Erik to the side as everyone reloaded their weapons, "do you know what we'll be facing up here at the dig site?"
"Yes, we'll have these frog-like Geth sniper units, they are very fast and need to be taken out quickly. On top of that we'll have some regular troops and there is an Armature up there was well. I'd suggest taking out the small troops and then a focused fire on the Armature."
"Alright, thanks, now let's see what kind of damage we can do" Shepard said with a devilish grin. Everyone chambered a round as they all headed towards the dig site. Erik switched to his Avenger Assault rifle as they made contact with the first of the frog-Geth. Garrus put a round through its body dropping it to the ground.
The squad all got into cover as the troops moved closer and the Armature started up. With laser precision, the 5 soldiers dropped all the frog-Geth and moved onto the troops. Shepard, Garrus, Wrex and Erik put holes in all the Geth Kaidan had grabbed with his singularity, but still had five to take care of as the Armature started firing huge blasts of plasma at the squad. Erik took out his M1911 as he moved up covers, taking down two of the Geth troops with two shots to the head each. Garrus popped out of cover for 3 seconds and scoped down another one of the Geth troops. Wrex rushed forward and grabbed the two remaining troops, narrowly missing the bolt of plasma from the Armature as he bashed the heads of the Geth against each other until nothing was left.
Everyone focused fire on the Armature, putting round after round into the giant's shields but not seeming to be doing much. A bolt of plasma made its way towards Erik and burst in front of his cover, showering him with dirt, getting it into his dirty blonde hair. But it gave him an idea.
"Alright everyone blast this thing with everything you have, I've got an idea." Before anyone could say a word, Erik burst out of his cover and sprinted like a mad-man towards the Geth beast.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! Give him covering fire!" Shepard commanded. Erik dodged incoming plasma bolts as bullets from the squad peppered the Armature. He was 20 meters away, 15, 10, he pulled out six high explosive grenades when he was 5 meters away. Erik slid under the Armature as he threw all six grenades onto the underbelly of the metal giant. As he came out from the other side, one of its massive legs kicked him 30 meters away, into the metal construction to the left. Erik hit a pipe with a thud and fell to the ground, but he quickly rolled over and blew the charges. The Armature shuttered, and one of its legs gave in under the pressure, the shields were down and it was being hit with a renew vigor from the rest of the squad.
Wrex rushed forward and put a shotgun round into its head before he jumped on its back and started ripping at the wire inside. Garrus' sniper round finally dropped the construct, leaving it lifeless on the volcanic ground. Erik stood up and brushed himself off, he'd definitely need to repair his armor now. The force of the crash had left a dent in the side of his chestplate that protruded into his ribs, leaving an uncomfortable pressure on his side. He joined Shepard's side as he walked towards the fallen Armature.
"What the Hell were you thinking Erik?! Do you have a suicide wish?" Shepard demanded.
"No Sir, but that Armature needed to go down, and the way things were going, that wasn't going to be for a while" Erik responded
"Damn it Erik, well now at least you've had your fun. Wrex… you, Erik and I are heading down into that mineshaft. Kaidan, Garrus, I need you two to stay here and guard the entrance. Joker will be on station to assist if needed, right Joker?" Shepard asked
"What? Oh yeah, sure, but depends on how much you pay me for it" Joker replied casually.
"You're already flying the best ship in the galaxy, I don't see how it could get much better" Kaidan jested.
"Fair point, I'm running a reconnaissance program right now, it looks like you took out all the Geth up top, but I'll keep you updated if I see anything" Joker relayed.
"If nothing else, lets head out" Shepard commanded. The three soldiers started forward, heading up the ramp leading to the entrance of the mineshaft. Erik took up a breaching position to the left as Shepard did the same to the right, while Wrex stood in the center, shotgun raised and ready to fire. The door opened to reveal a lone Geth soldier standing 3 feet away, it was quickly dispatched with a shotgun blast from Wrex. Shepard, being the only one with a helmet on, scanned the length of the tunnel leading down to the research area, but found no targets in sight.
Erik made his way down the tunnel, taking point with his assault rifle raised, and waiting for any Geth that would decide to test their luck. They made it to a raised platform of iffy construction but with an elevator at the end. The team started walking towards the elevator when the frog-Geth snipers jumped up and opened fire. The first one was so close that Erik bashed its face in as Shepard and Wrex filled the other snipers full of lead. Wrex's shields were at half capacity as Erik shot the last sniper, dropping it down the 20 or so stories. Erik went forward and pressed the button to open the elevator doors as he raised his rifle to cover his teammates in case more snipers appeared. Shepard and Wrex entered the elevator as Erik walked backwards inside to join them. Shepard hit a button and the elevator started to descend, revealing the reason a certain Asari was here in the first place.
"Holy hell, is that Prothean architecture?" Erik asked dazed by what he was seeing.
"Yeah, this construct has been here for thousands of years, it really is awe-inspiring!" Shepard said in an equally dazed state.
"I've seen enough Prothean crap around the galaxy, let's just get the chick and get out" Wrex said in an annoyed tone.
"Oh you just need some women Wrex, that'll lighten your mood hahaha" Erik joked
"If only, if only" Wrex laughed back. Suddenly, the elevator shuttered violently, causing everyone to stumble a little bit. The elevator broke free of its tracks and descended the last 3 stories in a free fall. The three rolled out of the metal deathtrap as it hit solid ground signaling the end of their ride. Erik' rifle had flown across the cavern that they now found themselves in, so he took the Kessler and M1911 out of their holsters. Two Geth troopers came forward to investigate the crash but were only met with two pistols fired into their central processors from inches away. Wrex and Shepard jumped to their feet to join Erik as he descended the ramp to the cavern floor. His rifle was still 30 meters away, and there were about 6 Geth between him and it, so pistols were the way to go right now.
He sprinted forward 5 yards and slammed his shoulder into the closest Geth unloading rounds into it while it was on the ground. Shepard sprinted to his right, firing on two more Geth, take out one and disabling the shields on another before he was forced into cover. Wrex walked forward casually to Erik's left, unloading two shells into a Geth, throwing it across the room, limp. Erik place a shot into the head of the Geth putting pressure on Shepard, putting it down before he ran forward, jump and did a two-foot kick into another Geth, dropping it and himself to the ground. He quickly turned on the ground and fire both pistol's simultaneously into the AI. As Erik was getting up, a Geth knee slammed into his face causing him to fall back and look down the barrel of a Geth Plasma rifle. Boom. Boom. Boom. Three fist sized holes filled the Geth's chest as Shepard unloaded his shotgun into the trooper.
"Looks like we're even now Erik" Shepard said with a smile.
"Looks like it Sir, thanks for saving my ass" Erik said with a grin.
"If you two Pyjacks are done, we still have work to do"
"Right, now if you were an Asari researcher, where would you be?" Shepard asked jokingly.
A small timid voice was just barely heard as Shepard and Wrex make so much noise looking around. "Hello? Is anyone there?" Shepard cocked his head in the air trying to discern where the voice had come from.
"Hello? Where are you?" Shepard asked
"Up here". The team went up the metal walkway to find an Asari encased in what looked like a blue energy field.
"Dr. T'Soni I presume?"
"Yes, you have me at a disadvantage Mr…"
"Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. This is Lieutenant Kyle, and Urdnot Wrex; we've come to ask for your help"
"Well I am not going anywhere right now. I need your help"
My God… she's beautiful, Erik thought to himself. "Are you ok? Physically I mean" Erik butted in.
"Yes, I got in here to stay away from the Geth. But listen, this thing is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it." Liara said clearly flustered
"Don't worry we'll have you out of there in no time" Shepard said confidently.
"How long have you been in there?" Erik asked, again trying to gage the doctor's well-being.
"Three days almost four. I'm severely dehydrated and don't have a lot of energy, even just talking to you sets my head on fire." Liara explained with signs of fatigue.
"Then talk no longer, I think I know how to get in there" Erik said with a smile.
"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing. You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain." Liara explained as Erik went back down the metal walkway to the mining laser sitting in the middle of the cavern floor.
"Shepard! Wrex! You may want to join me before I turn this thing on!" Erik shouted up. The Commander and Krogan walked down to join Erik beside the laser as he started to mess with what looked like the control panel. The cylindrical device started to hum as the laser warmed up. Erik pressed the activation button and watched as a foot wide beam burst from the housing and cut into the rock below Dr. T'Soni's prison. The beam turned off as the rocks cooled down from the energy of the laser. Once at an acceptable temperature, Erik stepped down the path cut and continued into the Prothean construct. He stepped onto the elevator with Shepard and Wrex as they ascended up to the main chamber. Erik turned around and immediately went to the edge of the bubble, waiting for Shepard to turn off the security measure.
"How… how did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier!" Liara asked with a little effort.
"Doesn't matter, we need to get out of here before more geth arrive and get you to the medbay to recover" Erik insisted
"You're right. That button there should shut down my containment field." Liara replied. Shepard walked over to the console and pressed the button. Liara was dropped from the field but soon found that as she put pressure on her own two legs, they quickly gave out. Liara fell but was caught in Erik's arms, as he slowly lowered her to the deck. While in a sitting position, with one arm still around her back, Erik got out his water canister and offered it to the Doctor. Liara grabbed it and drank greedily, forcing herself to take small sips and not down the entire thing all at once. While she ate, Erik took out another water canister and 4 ration bars.
"Alright, it's pretty obvious that you need to recover Dr. T'Soni, so Wrex, and Erik take five" Shepard said as he put his rifle away.
Liara finished the first canister and worked on two ration bars as Erik then sat down next to her. She continued to stuff her face as the five minutes, not uttering a single word other thank moans of delight as she finally ate something other than the side of her cheek in the last 4 days. Real food and water, and a cute human Marine, maybe this isn't all that bad, Goddess, please don't let me say something awkward, Liara thought to herself. She finished the fourth bar with the last little bit of water, and tried to stand but found the action futile, she was just way too exhausted.
Erik knelt next to the Asari, and offered his arms, "Could you use some help Miss T'Soni?" Erik said with a shy smile.
Liara threw her arm around his neck as he put an arm under his legs and around her back and replied, "Yes I can, and please, its Liara" She said with a smile as well.
"That's a beautiful name, Liara, I'm Erik."
"Kyle, let's get to it, we've got a ship to get to" the Commander beckoned. Erik lifted Liara with ease even jumping her up a bit which made her laugh.
"Any idea on how to get out of this place?" Wrex asked.
"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here." Liara answered. The four walked to the center of the elevator as Liara was still full of questions. "Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?"
"Saren's looking for the Conduit, and you're a Prothean expert. He probably wants you to find it for him." Shepard explained.
"The Conduit? But I don't know—"Liara started to say, but was interrupted by a violent shake in the construct.
"What the hell was that?" Wrex asked annoyed.
"These ruins aren't stable. Whatever you did to get in here must have triggered a seismic event. We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!" said the worried Asari.
"Joker! Get the Normandy powered up and lock on my signal. On the double, mister!" Shepard radioed.
"Aye, aye, Commander. Secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes" Joker replied.
"What can we expect at the top of this elevator Liara?" Erik probed.
"Well I'd guess a lot of geth, but I also saw a Krogan leading all of them so, he's sure to be up there."
"Alright, everyone, ready up for a firefight" Shepard commanded. Good thing I was ready to go before I picked up Liara, Erik thought to himself. The elevator ascended up to the top level, shotguns, assault rifles and pistols being prep'd the entire way up. Fifty thousand years of architecture was crumbling as the elevator finally stopped at the top level, and Erik couldn't help but cringe over the lost history. The team turned to leave, but were met with two squads of geth and a Krogan Battlemaster.
"Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun." The Krogan said with a smirk.
"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart" Shepard said in an annoyed tone.
"Exhilarating, isn't it?" The Battlemaster retorted in a deep threatening tone, "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over."
"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me" Liara stated defiantly.
"She'll stay with us, thanks" Shepard said with a hand ready to grab his weapon.
"Not an option. Saren wants her. And he always gets what he wants." The Krogan shifted, "Kill them. Spare the Asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter"
"If you lay a finger on her, I will jam my knife into your skull" Erik said in a venomous tone.
"I'd like to see your try" The Battlemaster taunted. Erik Set Liara behind one of the consoles for cover and quickly rushed forward towards the Krogan. Erik brought out his M1911 and fired it twice inches away from the Battlemaster, taking down his shields by half. Shepard and Wrex engaged the many geth while Erik fought with the Krogan, taking them down the AIs one by one. Shepard opened fire on a group of 4 troopers, only able to take their shields down until his rifle overheated. Wrex rushed into the group, smashing two troopers before blowing the rest away with shotgun projectiles. The Commander and the Urdnot got into cover as the larger bulk of geth started to fire on them. For some reason they left Erik and the Battlemaster alone and solely focused on the other members of the fire team. As the geth neared the Commander's cover, a singularity appeared in the center of the group pulling in 8 of the 15 geth troopers. Wrex quickly threw two high explosive grenades towards the black-hole, which caught in the gravity well and exploded, leaving 6 geth destroyed and two badly wounded.
Erik was thrown back against the wall with a crunch as he fell to the floor but quickly rolled to the side as the Krogan's foot slammed down at his previous location. Erik jumped forward and connected his right fist with the Battlemaster's jaw, causing the Krogan to take a step back. Erik followed the punch up with a roundhouse kick to the soft part of the Krogan's stomach not covered by armor. The Krogan bent over slightly but threw a punch, hitting Erik directly in the chest. Erik tumbled backwards as the sheer weight of the Krogan's punch droving into his chest, denting Erik's chestplate. The Battlemaster sauntered over to Erik as he was getting to his feet and picked him up by his throat, lifting him a foot off the ground.
"I told you, I'd like to see a mere human take on a Krogan Battlemaster". Erik mumbled something as he struggled for breath. "What did you say?" The Krogan lifted Erik's head closer to him so he could hear.
"I said, my offer still stands" Erik said with a voice of pure fury as he pressed the middle button of the grenade he pushed against the Krogan.
X X X
Liara stayed behind the cover Erik had set her down in as she hear the sounds of battle commence. She had turned and peaked out to watch as he three soldiers battled, each member having a job. She saw Erik rush forward and meet the Krogan with the strength of ten men. He fought in close, hand-to-hand combat, but it looked like a graceful, deadly dance for the first two minutes. He would jab, parry, dodge, duck, knee. It was like watching a master at work in his profession. Quickly though, she saw that it was the Commander that needed help when she saw the bulk force of geth firing on his position. Maybe I have enough strength to help them out, Liara thought to herself as she activated her biotics and put a singularity in the middle of the group. She could only sit and watch as the two warriors faced the geth as she regained strength. The Commander and Wrex both sprinted out of cover, shotguns blazing as they destroyed the first two geth units that had neared their makeshift cover. Shepard moved to the right, taking on two more geth that fired on him. Wrex, casually walked forward, unloading round after round into geth units, until two rockets flew towards him and exploded on contact, overloading his shield emitters and slightly cracking his armor. He dropped his shotgun and went down to a knee as three geth smashed his core hit their rifles. And he snapped. Wrex grabbed the geth trooper as it was bringing the rifle down and picked it up. He then used the geth the viciously beat the other two geth into parts while the three remaining geth advanced towards him. Wrex's shields booted back up as he threw the geth ragdoll at one of the remaining troopers. The force of the impact tossed the geth against the wall badly injuring it. Shepard filled his two geth full of holes and ran towards one of the last two shooting Wrex. While inches away from the Geth's head, Shepard unloaded a shell into it, causing sparks and debris to fly everywhere. The last geth went into cover, blocking it from Shepard, but giving Liara the perfect vantage point. She picked up one of the grenades that had slid towards her and threw it as best she could towards the trooper. The explosive skidded to a halt and the tip of the AI's feet, and just as it looked down, it exploded, leaving nothing but parts where the geth should have been. As Shepard and Wrex cleaned up the last bit of geth. They all looked in horror as the Krogan picked Erik up by his neck and as the grenade Erik had, exploded, causing both parties to fly back.
X X X
Erik struggled for breath as he tried to get up from the explosion. He had put what was left of his shields to all forward, giving at least a little protection from the fragmentation grenade he detonated but a piece had cut deep into his skin from his left eyebrow to his hairline. Deep red blood quickly made its way down Erik's face, obscuring the vision in his left eye. Erik struggle to stand, only getting to a knee before the pain, from what he would later find out to be were 3 pieces of shrapnel piercing his lung, made him falter. The Battlemaster stirred but found himself full of metal shards, Krogan blood was already soaking the ground and those shards prevented a good healing from his redundant nervous system. The Krogan lifted himself to a sitting position, gathering strength to lift himself. Erik finally stood and took an unsteady step. Great, there's shrapnel in my thigh, Erik made a mental note to get that taken care off. He took another unsteady step before he saw the Krogan about to rise. Every cell in his body responded releasing adrenaline straight into his bloodstream, and the M1911 was a foot away from Erik's current position. Erik rushed forward and scooped up the pistol, making a mad dash towards the Battlemaster. The Krogan saw the Alliance Marine sprinting towards him but watched in horror as his hand was blown clean from his arm by the Marine's pistol as he trained his shotgun towards the soldier.
Erik fired two shots from his sidearm, one into each hand of the Krogan. One shot blew the appendage off while the other just put a hole into the Battlemaster's wrist causing the Krogan to scream in pain. The Lieutenant finally made contact with the reptilian beast putting the Krogan flat on his back. Erik rushed over to the Battlemaster and emptied 4 more rounds into the Krogan's thighs. He then knelt down next to the helpless Battlemaster and spoke in his ear as he slide his knife from its sheathe.
"I told you that I would put my knife into your skull if you tried to harm her" the Angel of Death voiced through Erik. With a great force, Erik plunged his knife into the side of the Krogan's head, the place unprotected by his faceplate. The battle was over as the Krogan slumped dead, Erik's knife still protruding from his head.
Erik rose to his feet and turned to face the rest of the team. Shepard stood, almost speechless at what Erik had just did but quickly recovered and radioed Joker
"You'd better be ready with that ship Joker"
"Waiting right outside your front door like your Prom date, Commander" Joker retorted. Wrex offered an approving nod as Erik started forward towards Liara. Liara had stood up but was leaning heavily on the control panel and gratefully accepted Erik's offer to carry her. A violent shake jogged everyone's memory of the entire place coming down and the team rushed to the end of the Barrier curtain as it dropped, revealing the metal walkway they'd come in on and the falling boulders that threatened to crush them.
The team rushed forward, narrowly dodging the falling debris as they made their way up the metal ramp. Erik sprinted across the construction, Liara tightly holding his chest as he carried her out of the collapsing tunnel. Keep going, almost there, just keep going, Erik though as exhaustion started to take its toll. The light from the surface was finally visible and the team rushed out of the mine shaft as the entire structure collapsed due to the volcanic activity going on around them. Kaidan and Garrus were already on board and helped Shepard and Wrex into the Cargo bay. The ground in front of the bay doors gave out and Erik had no other choice but to jump. The two squad mates sailed through the air and Erik stuck the landing, barely getting inside in time.
"Joker, get us the hell out of here" Shepard voiced as he started taking off his armor.
"Aye Aye Sir, making our way towards the Mass Relay as we speak."
Erik made his way to the elevator, Doctor still in his arms, and ascended towards the medbay. The doors opened to a surprised Ashley Williams and Erik moved past her, quickly making his way to Doctor Chakwas.
"Hey Doc, take care of her first" was all that Erik said as he gently lay Liara down on one of the medical cots. Erik sat down on the chair nearest to the bed and started to take off his armor but soon felt his strength starting to leave him.
"Erik, holy hell, you need immediate treatment!" Doctor Chakwas voiced in a worried tone as she rushed to the Lieutenant's side, medigel in hand.
"You take care of her first, that's and order…" Erik started to mutter but crashed to the floor unconscious. Them above you, they always come before you, were the last thoughts crossing Erik's mind before he fell into darkness.
AN: Hey guys, sorry for such the long wait, writer's block on top of school work doesn't make a very good combo. Anyways, I'm trying to write more during the summer so hopefully I can get them out quicker, but just know that I am always working on the next chapter, I won't leave you guys hanging for too long. Also, feel free to review the story! I tried a few new writing styles in this chapter and wanna know what you guys thought! Until next time…
-Jack