I apologise for a terrible mistake! Especially to my beta reader slicerness. I accidently uploaded the non-spellchecked, un-edited, not beta read version of this chapter. It's fixed now and all spellings are in British English.
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Interval 4 – Archangel
Mordin had successfully settled into the Normandy's science lab and Zaeed a spare room on the engendering deck. Shepard stepped out of the elevator and looked over the ships hanger. The Kodiak shuttle hung suspended as engineers Ken and Gabby argued over the FBA couplings Shepard brought for the Normandy. "No Zaeed, please!" A muffled voice shouted from Zaeed's room. Shepard turned and approached his door. "Shut it Vido!" Zaeed shouted as Shepard heard the sound of something hard hitting flesh and someone hitting the floor.
The door was locked "EDI open this door!" Shepard said only not to receive a response. He banged on the door "Zaeed!" He shouted, "Zaeed open this door!"
"I'll pay you, anything you want. Just don't shoot me, please don't…" The first voice pleaded.
"There's only one thing I want." A gunshot rang out as Shepard continued to bang on the door. The door flew open and Zaeed stood there arms crossed. "Yeah Shepard, my door was open ya know."
"What's going on in here?" Shepard demanded as he entered looking for anyone else.
"What?" Zaeed asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You were arguing with someone and then shot a gun." Shepard insisted.
"Shepard. There's no one here and I didn't shoot noting." Zaeed stated in a flat matter-of-fact tone.
"Commander." EDIs voice pitched in. "Mr Massani is telling the truth. He was the only person in this room and did not discharge a weapon."
"See Shepard." Zaeed said.
"However Commander," EDI continued "my scanners registered an EMF increases of 253 per cent on you exact location before Mr Massani opened the door."
"What does that have to do with me herring things?" Shepard asked.
"It is in my programing to report all major fluctuations in the ship's electromagnetic frequency to Operative Lawson and the Illusive Man. As to why it was important to you herring or seeing things I don't know, there are possibly blocks preventing me from answering." EDI said.
Shepard sighed and turned back to Zaeed. "Sorry for that. A lot of impossible thing have been happening lately."
"Hah, I saw a batarian explode and a girl tear room of the buggers apart before vanishing into thin air. Impossible doesn't cover it." Zaeed laughed.
Shepard also chuckled nervously before leaving to see Miranda.
As Shepard suspected Miranda was sitting behind her desk working at her console when he entered. She looked up to him "Ah, Shepard. I wanted to speak with you."
"So did I Miranda."
"Well, please take a seat." She said gesturing to an empty chair as she moved to sit in another. "You said earlier you had a vision about me after we talked." She said in a worried tone.
"Yes, as crazy as this sounds, you'd just left when I heard you scream 'you betrayed me' I turned to see that the lower section of my cabin was an empty void of space with you in the centre pointing a gun at someone."
"Who was he?" Miranda asked.
"I don't know, you didn't say a name, but you were arguing as if you knew him." Shepard answered.
"What were we arguing about?"
Shepard took a deep breath. "He said that you stole a baby."
Miranda flinched and panicked. "How did you know that?" She cried in shocked anger, jumping out of her seat.
"I saw it in a vision." Shepard said, raising his hands in defence.
Miranda sighed and sat down shaking with shock and fear. "How?" She finally said in disbelief.
"I don't know Miranda. I wish I did. Things have getting stranger each day. Is it true, Miranda?" Shepard asked.
"Yes," She whispered. "My sister Oriana . I rescued her when I ran away from my farther. You remember what I said about me being made for perfection? Well, he deemed me a failure and tried again. I couldn't let her go through what I did so when I ran away I took her with me." Tears formed in the corner of her eyes.
"You did the right thing Miranda." Shepard tried to reassure her.
"I know I did but the only other people who know about this are the Illusive Man and…" Miranda paused as if realising a painful theory. "Shepard, did the man in the vision have brown hair with a slight beard and moustache?"
"Yeah… I think so."
"No it can't be… you said that I said he betrayed me?"
"Yes, and then you apologised before shooting him." Shepard said. Miranda was trying to keep a calm appearance but Shepard could see her tearing up inside. He now doubted whether telling her was right. He also wondered how these visions are true and what they all mean.
"No… he would never…" Miranda muttered to herself, her voice tainted with slight sorrow. "I'm sorry Shepard but could you leave? I need to send a message."
"Of course, just be ready to collect Archangel."
Shepard stepped out of the hover car followed by Miranda, Zaeed and Mordin as batarian Blue Sun approached them. "So, do you know what we are up against?" the batarian asked.
"The recruiter was a little sketchy." Shepard answered.
"Hah." The batarian laughed "If everyone knew what was happening then no one would sign up, you see, Archangel is hold up in that building over there. The only way in is across that bridge."
"So we're the cannon fodder." Shepard stated.
"Yes, now report to Sergeant Cathka over by the bridge." The batarian said and left.
"Well, in's gonna be easy, out's gonna be a bitch." Zaeed commented.
"I agree." Miranda said.
"Let's find Archangel before we figure out how to get back." Shepard replied as the group started heading towards the bridge. EDIs voice suddenly comes up over their radios. "Shepard, I've scanned the area, but I am unable to plot any other paths to Archangel. "
"I guess that means we're going in with the mercs."
"Their heavy mechs and gunships are a considerable threat. I suggest you weaken them before leaving to improve your chances." EDI suggested.
"Got it, EDI." Shepard replied. They entered a room with several Eclipse mercs siting around a table discussing their plan of attack. Shepard learned that there leader was a salarian named Jaroth, he also found an interesting data pad with plans for the Eclipse and Blood Pack to take over Omega. Shepard then sneaked into the Eclipse store room and reprogramed their YIMAR heavy mech to fire on the mercs when activated.
Next was the Blood Pack leader Garm who claimed to have survived a one-on-one fight with Archangel and the only reason he was here was to finish the fight. Shepard and his team weren't at all intimidated by the krogan warlord. The last merc group was the Blue Suns who appeared to be leading the operation against Archangel. Much to Shepard's surprise Zaeed knew their leader, a batarian named Tarak.
They finally reached the last barricade where the freelancers gathered. "Cathka?" Shepard asked to a freelancer, who moved the sided and gestured to a batarian repairing a gunship. Shepard nodded and approached the Blue Sun merc. "Are you Cathka?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah, that's me. Are you the four that Salkie sent?" Cathka responded in a usual gruff batarian voice.
"Salkie?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah the guy they greets the freelancers. He radioed ahead to let me know you're coming. I guess he was right when he said well-armed. So do you know what's going on?"
"Yeah, we charge across that bridge distracting Archangel whilst you do something."
"That's right. If you don't like it you can still quit. But you'll never work with any of the mercs here again…" A console next to him started flashing red and Cathka jumped to his comms. "Check. Bravo team… Go, go, go!" The other freelancers received the order and positioned themselves behind the barricade. "Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him. Now get going, I've got to fix this bird." Cathka said as he went back to work on the gunship. Shepard turned and with his team walked towards the barricade ready to save Archangel. No one noticed a man in a leather jacket surrounded in a red glow appear behind him with an evil smile. "You're working too hard." He said in a harsh monotonous voice. Cathka didn't even get to scream.
"Archangel doesn't have much time left." Miranda said as the freelancers scrambled over the barricade. They landed on the bridge with their weapons ready and firing at the balcony that Archangel was on. A freelancer launched a grenade only for it to miss and received a sniper round through the head as Shepard, Miranda, Mordin and Zaeed landed. "Come on. We'll give these guys a surprise of our own." Shepard said as he drew his assault rifle.
His first shots took down three of them before they even knew what was happening. The others started to panic as they found themselves surrounded. Some made a dash to Archangels hideout only to get sniped from above. Those who stayed and fought soon fell from the two sided attack. Soon the freelancers were dead and Shepard's team reached the other side of the bridge.
Archangels 'hideout' was actually a spacious apartment. The centre of the room was a living area with a kitchen of the side. Miranda moved in front of Shepard keeping an eye out for any remaining freelancers. "It's clear. Archangel is up…" Mirada suddenly dissolved into a cloud of ash as a sharp static hit Shepard's comms. "Miranda!" Shepard cried and turned to look for the others. To his horror Mordin and Zaeed were nowhere to be found.
Shepard started to panic. He franticly aimed his assault rifle around looking for any threats. His heart raced as he spotted familiar footprints of blood. This time however they were appearing as if someone or something was walking, only he couldn't see anyone. The footprints walked up the stairs to the second level as whispers began echoing around Shepard's mind. 'He left us.' an unfamiliar man whispered as Shepard cautiously made his way up the stairs. 'We died for him.' A different voice whispered. It was a tough male voice, sounding distinctively like a Turian's.
He reached the top and rounded a corner to see a door close behind the girl in red. 'He was tricked, all of us were.' a female voice whispered. Shepard approached the door only to find it was sealed shut with no way of opening it. Shepard huffed and turned around. He flinched back when he saw a group of ten people of different races covered in red, blue and green blood staring at him. There were humans, turians a batarian and a salarian wearing an assortment of armour and weapons that were heavily damaged from combat. The corridor around them was covered in blood of their spices. In a blink of an eye they vanished along with the blood leaving Miranda, Zaeed and Morden walking towards Shepard. "Is Archangel in there?" Miranda asked.
Shepard stared at them with a stunned and fearful face. "What's the matter, Shepard? You look like you've seen a ghost." Zaeed said sarcastically. Shepard's expression remained unchanged. "You did see a ghost, didn't you?" Zaeed said more quietly. Shepard gulped and nodded in response.
"Yeah." He said. "Where were you? You all just disappeared."
"We were following you." Miranda answered.
"Joker to ground team!" Their radios suddenly called. "Is everything ok down there? EDI says that the Commanders life singes just died again."
"Yeah, we're fine Joker." Shepard answered. "Come on let's not keep Archangel waiting." He said, cutting off Mordin and turned to the now open door. A turian in blue armour sat looking out over the bridge. "Archangel?" Shepard asked.
The turian nodded before turning to face them. "Shepard? I thought you were dead." He said in a very familiar voice before removing his helmet to show a very familiar face.
"Garrus! What are you doing here?" Shepard exclaimed in joy.
Garrus gave a dry, exhausted chuckle. "What I've always done. Stop the bad guys." He then sighed; Shepard could tell something was bothering him.
"Are you ok?" He asked.
"I've been better. It's been tough here on Omega… especially on my own." Garrus sighed. "But seeing a friendly face is helping." He said giving a slight, exhausted smile.
"Well we're here to help. Getting in was the easy part, how do we get out?" Shepard said.
"Well that bridge is the only thing keeping me alive…. funning all those witless idiots into my scope." Garrus said and walked to the balcony. "But it works bough ways. If we try to run well be slaughtered."
"So you're suggesting we'll sit here and take on all of 'em." Zaeed said.
Garrus shrugged, "It's worked so far. They're getting desperate now so it shouldn't be much longer until we take enough out to make a run for it." Garrus said as he looked across the bridge through his rifle scope. "Here they come. Eclipse by the looks of it and they've got an YMIR."
"Oh, I don't think we need to worry about that." Shepard said as he took aim next to Garrus with his Sniper rifle. The YMIR mech unfolded and engaged its weapons as Eclipse mercs and mechs leaped over the barricade. The YMIR turned suddenly and opened fire on them with its machine gun and rockets. The mercs panicked under the slaughter their own mech was creating, helped along by generous amounts of sniper fire from Garrus and Shepard.
"I've forgot how good you were." Garrus complained as Shepard continued to get headshot after headshot on the mercs and mechs.
"It's not my fault if everyone is moving ridiculously slowly." Shepard said as another merc received a round between his eyes.
"They're not Shepard." Garrus said, giving Shepard a strange look before turning back to the mercs.
"Well they are to me." Just then the heavy mech shut down and fell before self-destructing, killing the remaining mercs. "Now the real work begins. Here they come." Shepard said as the last Eclipse mercs, led by Jaroth himself, leaped over the barricade and charged the hideout. They didn't make it across.
When the last merc fell the bridge went silent. Garrus moved away from the window with Shepard. "We're kicking ass, Shepard. They barely touched us. Just like old times." He said with a smile. "And we got Jaroth; I've been hunting that little bastard for months."
"That's good. We've still got the Blood Pack and Blue Suns left. We may be able to make a run for it? We've faced worse."
"Maybe, let's see what they're up to." Garrus turned and looked out the window through his rifles scope. "It looks like they're reinforcing the other side… heavily. But they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they…" A loud thud echoed through the room as the building shook and an alarm blared.
"What the hell was that?" Miranda asked.
Garrus raised his omni-tool "Damn it. They've breached the lower level. Well they had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there, Shepard. I'll keep the bridge clear."
"I'm not living you alone Garrus. Zaeed help him." Shepard ordered. Not even letting Garrus argue.
"Roger that, Shepard. Zaeed replied and moved next to Garrus.
"Well if you're sure. Thanks Shepard, the lower level is down the doors on the west side under the stairs. Good luck."
The final emergency shutter was closing on the assaulting Blood pack. A Krogan's shotgun blast skimmed past shepherds cover by the console. He leaned around the corner and fired into his thick armoured helmet but only succeeded in enraging the beast. He charged towards Shepard even faster. Luckily, he ran straight into the shutter as it closed on him. Shepard and his team backed up as the Krogan began pounding on the door. Dents were beginning to form on the door when static filled the group's comms. The Krogan stopped pounding and a few seconds later the sound of gunfire as a Krogan screaming could be heard. Shepard and the others watched in shock as the shutter began to heat up and glow orange as the Krogan's bloodcurdling screams died down. The group stood in silence for a moment until Mordin spoke. "Interesting. I must examine this."
"Now's not the time Morden. Let's get back to Garrus and Zaeed." Shepard said, much to Mordin's disappointment.
As they entered the main room of the hideout they saw the Blood Pack leader Garm and his Vorcha entering the room as well. He roared before ordering "Rip them to shreds!" Shepard and his squad opened fire on the Vorcha, killing them almost instantly. Garm roared again and drew his claymore shotgun and charged towards Shepard. Time slowed again as he dived out of the way and fired his assault rifle into the warlords back. Garm turned to fire only to stumble from a blast from Miranda's biotics and a concussive round from Garrus' sniper position, which gave Mordin a chance to fire an incinerate blast. Shepard and Zaeed drowned the flaming Krogan with mass-accelerated rounds.
Garm roared as he shrugged off the bullets that were hitting him, sending his orange blood splattering around. He charged again at Shepard who again dived out the way and pulled out his grenade launcher. But Garm was ready this time and quickly turned and fired his shotgun at Shepard, smashing his shields immediately. Another biotic blast from Miranda distracted him long enough for Shepard to scamper behind cover before he fired a grenade, destroying Garms left arm and scorching the rest of him. This only made him angrier. "It's Just a scratch human!" He roared.
"Shepard. Suspect krogan entered blood rage." Morden said as he firer another incinerate.
"I know!" Shepard cried as he dogged another charge. After another wall of mass-accelerated rounds hit Garm he began to grow sluggish. He roared again but stumbled and fell when two concussive rounds hit him. Shepard showed no mercy as he fired another grenade into the warlords face, leaving only a scorched orange mess.
"He always was one tough Bastard." Garrus admitted as he wiped a bit of Krogan off his shoulder. "We've finally took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day is getting better and better." He said as they climbed back up to the balcony.
"You've fought him before?" Shepard asked. He'd already herd this but he wanted to know from a more trustworthy source.
"Yeah, we tangled once. I caught him allow. None of his gang there to help. I still couldn't take him. I've never seen a krogan regen that fast. He was a freak of nature. We fought until his vorcha shod up. It was close, but I had to let him go."
"Only the Blue Suns are left. I say we take our chances and fight our way out." Shepard said as he looked back over the bridge.
"I think your right. Tarak's group is the toughest, but it's nothing we haven't faced before. Besides he won…" Garrus trailed off as a hum of engines suddenly grew closer as the Blue Suns gunship sprang up in front of a window. What caught the group by surprise tough was that the left side of the gunship was coated in blood.
"I'll get you Archangel! And your sick friends!" Tarak's shouted through the gunships speakers as he opened fire. To make it worse as squad of Blue Suns had repelled in through a side window. "Miranda, Morden, Zaeed! Take out those troops!" Shepard ordered as he fired a grenade into the gunship.
They were under heavy fire from all sides as more Blue Suns charged unopposed across the bridge. The squad was pinned but managed to take down the last of the Blue Suns that had repelled in offering more cover from the stairs and windows.
They kept firing but Garrus got caught in the open. "Archangel!" Tarak cried as he fired the twin cannons at Garrus. Shepard watched in slow-motion horror as his friend was pinned down behind a couch. Tarak fired a missile that flew straight towards Garrus. What happened next surprised them all, the missile exploded in front of Garrus, but the blast travelled around him. Shepard could also see the girl in the red dress between Garrus and the blast, and quickly disappeared in the flames.
Garrus fell to the ground, but sighed in relief as he was unsaved by the deadly blast. But his moment of relief didn't last as the gunship fired its cannons again. Shepard aimed out of cover, lining his grenade launcher up with the gunships engines. He held his berth as his finger tightened on the trigger. The grenade flew out and landed right where it was aimed, separating the right engine form the ship.
The gunship span out of control and crashed down on the barricade in a fireball that no one could have survived.
"That's it. It's finally over." Garrus sighed.
"Come on let's get to the Normandy." Shepard said before turning to Garrus and Mordin. "I've got some things I need to talk to you two about." Shepard said.
Garrus looked back down on the burning gunship. He let out a weak smile before turning to follow his friend. He knew that whatever Shepard had dragged him into… It wasn't going to be easy.
Shepard gave a sigh of relief as he stepped out of his shower. It's hard work to save a slum and to take on three merc groups in one day. He slipped on his officer's uniform and stepped out of his cabin and into the elevator. He hit the button for the CIC, he hated debriefings but at least Garrus was back. Tali had already promised to help him as soon as possible so only Ashley, Liara and Wrex were left to find, and hopefully recruit. He smiled at the thought of brining the old team back together. But it quickly disappeared.
A sudden ringing shocked Shepard's ears. He clutched his head as a blurred face entered his vision. He couldn't feel a thing. It was as if he was nowhere without a body. The face cave into focus, Shepard instantly recognised it as the serious face of Paxton Fettel.
"What is the first thing you remember?" Paxton asked.
Long forgotten memories flooded back to him. "Where are you taking him?" A distort woman screamed. Shepard saw a hospital room move by as a man in a lab coat with a moustache looked down on him. "You'll be a god among men." He said before light engulf him as he herd the woman scream "NO!"
"That man I… questioned on Illium, Charles Habegger, remember him? No? Of course you don't." Paxton said as Shepard now found himself standing in a rundown room. In the centre was a chair under a light with a man strapped to it. "Paxton?" The man asked in a dazed state as Paxton approached him. "No, no, no, no! How did you find me?"
Paxton chuckled as he circled Charles. "I have my ways. You know what I'm here for don't you, Chuck?"
"No! Please, don't make me go back there. I tried to forget, I tried so hard to forget." He whimpered as Paxton crouched down to look him in the eyes.
"Well if you remember and tell me then I'll make this quick and painless." He said as he played with a knife and a menacing smirk formed on his lips.
"How is this possible? She's dead…"
"Tell me!" Paxton barked as Charles screamed in pain as Paxton's knife sliced into his leg.
"Please Paxton… I didn't want to do it! It was just a Job… please, I have a wife and…"
"Kidd's? Tell me Chuck, would you want any harm to come to them? Maybe like what you did to me and her?"
"No! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Charles wept.
"Make it right. Tell me where she is." Paxton said as he placed the knife to Charles' neck.
"Auburn! Aldrin system, Armstrong Nebula. In a vault under the abandoned colony of Fairport. Please Paxton, please don't hurt me." Charles sobbed.
"I remember when I used to beg for the same from you. I never got any sympathy. I'm going to enjoy this. Oh, and I'll tell your family you said 'hi'." Paxton said with a smile of pure evil on his face. His head shot forward and he sunk his teeth into Charles' neck. He cried in pain and agony as Paxton tore a chunk of his flesh of and ate it. Shepard felt he was going to be sick but couldn't do anything to stop him; he couldn't even speak as he watched in horror. Charles gurgled on his blood as Paxton turned back to Shepard with a bloodied smile "She's waiting Shepard." Paxton said before he was again engulfed in white light.
Shepard fell to the floor of the elevator, his vision was blurred, he gasped for air, his head pounded and his heart beat was erratic. The lights flickered as the girl in the red dress appeared by the controls looking down at him with a blank expression. For the first time in the life he could remember he was truly frightened. He kept thinking that he was about to die, to be torn apart and melted like everyone else. The lights flickered again and the girl was upon him. Olney Shepard didn't feel pain, he fear dissipated as the girl looked into his eyes with a saddened and worried look. 'I'm sorry.' Her whispered voice echoed through his now soothed mind as darkness engulfs him.
"Oh my god! Commander!" A distorted yet familiar voice called to him. "Get Chakwas!" He felt himself being moved as panicked voices echoed around him as dark burred images of people entered his vision.
A light engulf him again. Shepard looked around to find himself standing on lone hill with a dead tree rising from the nearby peak. A swing hung from a lifeless branch and the girl in red sat facing away from him, gently rocking back and forth cradling something in her arms and humming a sweet yet haunting tune. Cautiously Shepard approached her, he didn't know why. His mind told him to run yet his heart was telling him to approach, that he'll be safe. A sudden shocking punch hit Shepard's chest. He grunted and stumbled. The girl gasped and turned to face him with a look of shock and fear on her face, when she saw him though it quickly changed to one of care and worry.
She held her doll close as Shepard continued to approach. He got close when another shocking punch hit his chest and he fell to the ground. He felt two small hands grab him and help him sit up against the tree before the girl warped her cold, pale arms round him in a hug. "Who are you?" Shepard asked. The girl looked up at him with yellow eyes peeking out from behind her black veil of hair. She stared in silence for a few moments before whispering "Alma."
There was a flash as Shepard was looking at Alma through a glass window before she turned to ash. The window was on a looked door, behind were servile doctors were hurrying around an operating theatre. A woman screamed in agony as Shepard found himself being dragged away from the door. The door was at the end of a long cold corridor, the floor flooded with blood up to Shepard's ankles. It didn't feel like he was being pulled, instead he was moving backwards as the corridor extended to an impossible length before him. He could just make out the doors at the far end as they swung open with a bright light shining from behind. The silhouette of a woman appeared in the door and her shadow stretched across the blood to Shepard's feet. She let out a horrifying scream of agony, torment and anger and Shepard found himself accelerating towards her with tremendous speed.
The woman was thin and sickly looking. Her pallid skin was blotted with yellow and black smudges. She was thin, so thin that it looked like she was only bones. Here lifeless wet hair hung over a face that was contort with pain and anger yet was strangely familiar to Shepard. He screamed out of fear as he rocketed towards her. Another shocking punch hit him in the chest and all went white.