Chapter 3:
Four Minutes
Patrick walked beside Shepard, Ashley, and Kaidan, all four of them aiming their weapons in every shadow, tensing around every turn. The three soldiers had moved their helmets, sweat trickling down their faces, and Patrick had been surprised how much they looked like their digital copies he knew from his television screen.
Shepard's hair was a dark brown, styled like a typical soldier. His eyes, a pale blue, were filled with courage which comforted his allies. Whenever he was aiming down an enemy, Patrick noticed that Shepard's eyes crinkled around the edges with concentration. Shepard was also very tall. Patrick only reached the commander's shoulder.
Kaidan was more or less what Patrick had always imagined him looking like in real life. His dark hair was short although not as short as Shepard's and it sort of spiked along the front. The lieutenant's brown eyes also appeared more tired and Patrick remembered that Kaidan was thirty-two. In the game, he had appeared much younger, always ready for action. No one could tell that he was a tired man who had spent his whole life with the Alliance.
Ashley's appearance in real life was far different from the game. Her hair was pulled into a loose bun, strands of brown hair falling in front of a damp face. Her brown eyes were soft yet when she talked to either Shepard or Kaidan, they would harden up and it didn't take long for Patrick to figure out why.
"A Williams must be better than the rest," Patrick remembered Ashley's character saying once during the game.
Kaidan led the way as they walked up the stairs, but he stopped suddenly. Patrick knew why. "Commander, its Nihlus."
Shepard walked over to the dead turian, Patrick and Kaidan behind him while Ashley brought up the rear.
"A turian?" Ashley asked while Patrick stared down at the dead Spectre, "You know him?"
"He was with us on the Normandy," Kaidan whispered, bending down.
Patrick bent down beside Kaidan, staring at the unmoving body. It wasn't even the dead turian that rendered Patrick speechless, but the fact that he was actually staring at a turian. His red skin reminded Patrick of a lizard's and he touched it, rough underneath his soft hands. The head was larger than a human's, but it looked smaller, lying there unmoving. Patrick closed his eyes and shook his head, guilt choking him.
He had known this was going to happen. If he had told Shepard that they had to move faster than Nihlus might still be alive. Saren wouldn't have-
"Movement behind the crates!" Everyone, but Patrick took out their weapon. He knew it was only going to be Powell, the smuggler.
"Wait! Stop! I'm human like you!" Powell pleaded, walking towards them with his hands up.
"Hiding behind those crates nearly got you killed," Shepard said coolly, walking towards Powell.
"Yeah I know," Powell said, "Listen I'm Powell. What's going on here?"
"You tell us," Shepard said, "You live here. I don't."
"I don't know anything, honest," Powell said, his hands still up, "I just saw a turian kill your friend here."
"What are you talking about?" Shepard asked.
"The other turian got here first," Powell explained, stroking his beard, "Your friend called him Saren. Anyway your friend relaxed and then Saren… he shot him right in the back."
"Where did Saren go after he killed Nihlus?" Kaidan asked.
"Hopped on the cargo train to follow the beacon," Powell shrugged, "That's all I know I swear."
Shepard paused before asking, "Any idea what the geth are after?"
"Geth, but I thought- never mind," Powell shook his head, "I think it has to do with the beacon. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship shows up and then the attacks."
"If you saw everyone getting killed, how come the geth didn't find you?" Shepard asked.
"I was… hiding behind the crates," Powell whispered.
"Why didn't anyone else think about hiding behind the crates?" Shepard asked, firing question after question.
"I was already hiding behind the crates before the attack started," Powell added in a low whisper.
Patrick shared a glance with Ashley before muttering sarcastically, "Yeah, that doesn't sound suspicious at all."
"It's not like that," Powell sighed, "I usually have to catch a couple winks to get through my shift. I snuck over here by the crates so my supervisors couldn't find me."
"You survived because you're lazy?" Ashley snapped.
Shepard raised a hand to calm her, "Had you not, you would have been dead like everyone else."
"Yeah," Powell sighed, "Look can we not talk about it."
"Very well," Kaidan said with a nod, "We better hop on the cargo trains, Commander."
Shepard nodded, "Thanks for the help, Powell. Come on."
The four of them headed towards the cargo trains, stopping when nearly a dozen geth came into sight.
"Shit," Ashley whispered, "We'll have to fight them all to get to the train."
"Whatever it takes," Patrick murmured a response, taking out his pistol. The sooner they got off Eden Prime the better. At least then they would be on the Normandy and then the Citadel for a bit.
The geth opened fire first. Patrick and Shepard ducked underneath the same crate while Kaidan and Ashley took two others.
Patrick peered over and fired a couple rounds, watching as a red armored geth went down.
"Nice shot," Shepard praised before taking out two geth.
"You too," Patrick shouted over the roar of the guns, grinning slightly at fighting alongside Shepard.
Once the geth were knocked out, Shepard went to the controls and sent them flying forward. Towards Saren.
Ashley stretched and sighed, "It's going to be a couple minutes."
"I don't get it," Kaidan said with a shake of his head, "Why would Saren kill Nihlus? A fellow Spectre?"
"Maybe Saren wants the beacon?" Patrick suggested.
Ashley laughed, "Yeah right. What would a turian get out of having a Prothean beacon?"
Patrick shrugged, "You never know."
"So where did you say you were from, kid?" Ashley asked, reloading her rifle as she spoke.
"Earth," Patrick grinned: his first time telling the truth since he met up with everyone.
Shepard looked at him, "Me too. Where did you grow up?"
"The shore of the Atlantic Ocean," Patrick explained, not having a clue as to what anything was called anymore and besides he wasn't lying. He did live on the Jersey Shore.
Shepard nodded, "I lived in New Montana."
"Oh," Patrick nodded, having no idea where New Montana was.
"We're here," Ashley said suddenly as the cargo train screeched to a stop.
"Does anyone else here a ticking sound?" Kaidan asked as he got off, unsheathing his pistol.
"Shit!" Patrick swore, running over to a corner where he knew the bomb awaited them. Saren's idea of wiping away all trace of his doings on Eden Prime.
"The geth must be trying to blow up the whole colony," Ashley explained unnecessarily.
"We'll have to deactivate them," Kaidan asked, another obvious statement.
"How many do you think there are?" Shepard asked.
"Four," Patrick said suddenly, recalling that they would also have only four minutes to deactivate them.
"How do you-" Kaidan began, but Shepard cut across him,
"We can talk later. Alenko, go with Williams to clear out the geth. Hamilton and I will deactivate the bombs behind you."
Shepard's orders were followed and Kaidan and Ashley raced up ahead, firing gun shots every few seconds. Shepard bent down towards the bomb, "Know how to deactivate these things?"
"No," Patrick answered simply, staring at the bomb. It looked like a giant box of wires and Patrick didn't even know if he was supposed to touch them. Best if Shepard dealt with this problem.
"I'll do it," Shepard said, "Cover me."
Patrick took out his gun and held it out at arm's length as two geth shock troopers came towards him and Shepard. Patrick closed his eyes and pulled the trigger rapidly, hearing two thumps on the ground. He opened his blues eyes and the two geth were dead… or whatever it is geth do.
"Good aim," Shepard praised, "Come on. If you're right there are still three more bombs out there."
Patrick followed Shepard up a flight of stairs and the commander bent over another bomb just as a scream was heard.
Shepard froze, "Williams."
Shepard turned to face Patrick, "Hamilton, go help Williams. Take my omni-tool and these medi-gels in case anyone is hurt."
Patrick nodded, "Will you be okay, sir?"
That was the last thing anyone needed: Shepard dying.
Shepard nodded, "I'm Commander Shepard. I'll be fine. Go help Williams and Alenko."
Patrick nodded and sprinted towards where Kaidan was, crouched over Ashley's body. He heard Patrick come over and turned his head, "She was shot. There was just too many of them."
"Can you hold them off while I heal her?" Patrick nodded, turning on Shepard's omni-tool, causing his hand to glow orange.
"Yes," Kaidan nodded, shifting his position so that he was in front of Patrick and Ashley.
Patrick leaned over Ashley and stared at the omni-tool in utter confusion.
"What am I supposed to do?" Patrick whispered under his breath.
He waved his hand over Ashley and was surprised to see her shields return and her eyes flutter open.
Guess this part is just like the game, Patrick thought, waving a hand over the omni-tool and closing it. Wonder if I will be alive when my world gets this kind of technology.
"Patrick?" Ashley whispered, pushing herself up, "What happened?"
"You were wounded," Patrick said gently, "You're going to be fine, Chief."
"He's right," Shepard said suddenly, appearing at Patrick's shoulder. Patrick just realized that the third bomb was right next to them. Shepard had already deactivated it. "Alenko, come with me to disarm the last bomb. Hamilton, cover our backs and watch Williams."
"I don't need any help," Ashley snapped, standing up, but immediately going back down, clutching her side. Patrick reached out a hand to steady her, "Thanks kid."
"Okay so Alenko come with me," Shepard ordered, "You two stay safe."
Shepard and Kaidan raced forward while Patrick stood up, allowing Ashley to lean on him. "You okay, Chief?"
Ashley nodded, smiling softly as she took out her pistol, "Never better. Now let's kill some geth."
Patrick and Ashley both peaked around the corner, shooting any geth that so much as even looked at Shepard and Kaidan. The two of them walked slowly forward, Ashley limping heavily. Shepard and Kaidan met them half way.
"All the bombs deactivated?" Ashley asked her voice weak.
Kaidan nodded, "Let's get you out of here, Chief."
The four of them hurried forward, Ashley still leaning on Patrick.
"Shit," Shepard swore as the four of them saw the beacon, surrounded by geth and husks. "Why is nothing ever easy?"
"Do we have a plan?" Patrick asked, wrapping an arm around Ashley's waist while taking out his pistol. Ashley clung to him and in clear, crisp air of Eden Prime; he could smell the rusty-scent of blood.
"No," Shepard answered simply.
"That's my favorite type of plan," Patrick grinned.
"Can you snipe, Hamilton?" Kaidan asked, taking out his sniper rifle and handing it to Patrick.
"Not really, but how hard can it be?"
Kaidan shared a glance with Shepard and shrugged, "Try and cover us while staying close to Williams."
"No," Ashley spoke, "I'll cover you guys."
"We're not leaving you alone," Shepard said firmly.
"Fine, leave Hamilton with me," Ashley allowed, "He can cover me while I cover you two."
"Any objections?" Shepard asked. No one said anything. "Okay, let's go charge into a giant group of enemies."
"Always fun," Kaidan laughed and the two of them walked down the stairs, instantly opening fire.
Ashley put the sniper rifle to her shoulder and began shooting the heads of husks.
"Good aim," Patrick praised.
"Thanks," Ashley grinned, glancing at Patrick, "Shit, kid, husk!"
Patrick turned and instantly was thrown backwards by a glowing husk.
Patrick pushed himself up, feeling a bruise already appearing on his back, and took out his pistol. The husk began charging towards him and with a quick move of his finger; Patrick blew off the mindless creature's head.
"Shit, kid, you okay?" Ashley asked.
Patrick stretched his shoulder. It hurt like hell, but he was alive. "I'm fine."
"Hey, everything's clear down here!" Kaidan called suddenly and Patrick stretched out his hand for Ashley to take,
"Ready to get off this hellhole, Chief?"
"Definitely, farmer."
The two of them walked down the flight of stairs, Ashley still leaning on Patrick heavily.
"You two okay?" Shepard asked.
"I've been worse," Ashley smiled softly.
Kaidan walked towards them, "The beacon is secured."
They all turned to look at it and there it was. Standing at around eight feet and omitting an eerie glow, the silver piece of Prothean technology glowed green, enticing them forward.
Shepard lifted his hand to his face, "Joker, the beacon is secure. Come pick us up in the Normandy."
"Why is it glowing like that?" Kaidan asked before turning to Shepard.
"It wasn't doing anything like that when it was dug up," Ashley whispered, "Something must have activated it."
Ashley took a step forward and Patrick knew what was going to happen before it did.
Ashley was suddenly sucked forward, being dragged on the cool, metal surface.
"Shit, Ash!" Patrick exclaimed, moving forward faster than he would have thought possible for him. He grabbed Ashley by the waist and threw her to the ground just before feeling the beacon pull him in.
No! He shouted in his mind just as he felt his feet leave the ground, its Shepard you want! Not me!
Patrick's eyes widened as images flashed by him, images of a planet.
Illos.
Patrick felt himself be thrown backwards, his vision going black as his head hit something hard.