The more I fired the gun the more I noticed that there was something helping me shoot. Not only could I fire off as fast as I could pull the trigger but there was something helping the gun stabilize. I never really knew how to shoot a gun correctly but with this aid I could get a really good grouping. By the looks of it I could get some great shots at range with the right additions. I was about to ask Garrus to make one of the drones stronger, to see how popping off all fifteen shots would go, when one of them broke off and came right at me. It was close enough that I didn't really have to aim. After about four shots my gun clicked empty. In that second I had several thoughts go through my mind. My first thought was that Garrus had done something to this drone and the last thing that I would probably want is to be tagged by it. My second was the option that I could move to the right as I hit the eject/feed on the side of the gun. My last one was a thought that if anything I hit the gun with, pistol whip, in the right spot could cycle the eject and feed. I went with that last thought just to try it out.
I set my body in motion with the 'plan', rather a theory. I switched the gun to my left hand as I ran to the right of the drone. As I got closer I could see that I made somewhat of a mistake. The drone was charging for a close range attack of some sort. The good news was that it was charging so I had one shot to try. One step more and I was in range. I brought my left hand up in a backhand motion, slapping the drone. The gun did indeed cycle. I was happy to find that out for future reference. The next thing I found out was that it actually didn't take the drone that long to charge. An electrical field shot out of it in all directions. As soon as it touched me I dropped like a rock. My whole body locked up, I couldn't move even if I wanted to. For a moment I wondered if this is what it felt like to get tased. When my body relaxed I expected to hear Garrus laughing. Which he was just not as hard as I thought he would. I caught his eye while I was on the floor. I could see amusement there but I could also see thoughtfulness.
"Get up." He said a little roughly trying to keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Can ya g-g-give me a s-sec. t-t-that's-s the first time I've b-been ele-electrocuted." I stuttered out. After a few minutes I got back on my feet very slowly. I walked around getting the feeling back in my feet, well body really.
"Back on the line. Be ready for anything this time." I held my hand up as I moved to the line.
"Alright, alright." I thought through what else he could possibly do with the drones. I had to be honest with myself, I had no idea what he could do with those drones. Shaking my hands to relax them a little I got ready for the next round…..and promptly got shot in the back. I dropped to my knees hitting my fist against the ground. The best way I can think of describing this pain is as follows. It felt like getting hit with a frozen paintball at four hundred FPS point blank. Ya those of you that know what I'm talking about know it hurt like the dickens. I saw Legion start toward me but Garrus stopped him.
"Oh you dirty, scaly, lizard! I thought you said they weren't real rounds!" I shouted though my clenched teeth. Garrus face never moved.
"Real enough. That's a normal stun round that will be used in the simulation. From what I'm looking at right now you won't last an hour in actual combat. I don't know why Shepard is having me waste my time with you. You have no military training. You are a civilian. What can you do when the gun fire starts? Hide? Fall to the ground in pain telling them to wait a minute? You are a child in these things." With every word he said I was getting angry. It's hard to make me mad but when you do run for the hills. At this point I was mad I willed myself to my feet and stomped over to Garrus. Legion moved in intercept me but I pointed the gun at him.
"Say out of this canner!" Legion stopped with his flaps flared. I looked at the gun I was pointing at him and calmed down enough to toss it to him. I turned right back around and got in Garrus face.
"I could be the best shot you have ever seen. I could be the best fighter you have ever seen. Let me ask you, what's the point? I could work until I am nothing but a puddle of blood and sweat on the ground but what is the point? You don't want to be here. You don't want me here. You think I'm just messing up everything that's going on here. Maybe you are right. I could do the tough thing and do my best to make you respect me. What is the point if I can't trust the guy fighting next to me? The one who is going to watch my back. What is the point if I can't trust you? You are right. I'm just a child in all of this. Let me tell you one thing, I made up my mind long ago if there ever was a gun fight I would do whatever I could to get the gunman or men to focus on me. If there is one thing I fear it's that someone died in front of me and I wasn't doing everything I could to try and save them." With that I headed to the elevator. I hoped he knew what I was talking about. I knew that I may not have been clear. At that moment I didn't care if I was clear or not. He knew what I thought now it was up to him to decide what to do with it. I spoke my peace.
Legion looked over at Garrus "Canner?" he questioned. Garrus just shrugged his shoulders. After a few moments of contemplative silence both their omni-tools pinged. After reading the message they both headed to the elevator. One of them with his shoulders slumped.
I knew I had to be alone for a little bit. I stopped the elevator on the crew deck and headed right. After I entered the observation room I saw another blue woman with a blue glow about her. I was tempted to leave but I felt a sense of peace. It was funny the only other places I ever felt this was Inspiration Point (on Jenney's Lake in Teton National Park), graveyards, and in a library. Trying not to disturb her I moved to a couch looking out into space. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the woman glance at me then go back to looking out the window. As my parents would say, it was time for some introspection.
I knew the way I acted back there was out of some past experiences I've had. For a couple of year of my life I was the target of bullying. During that time my dad wanted me to get into sports, so I did to make him proud. I was a junior high kid on a high school football team. Needless to say I only lasted one practice. The coaches wouldn't stop yelling at me that I was no good and couldn't do anything right. Now thinking back I'm sure that they put me in positions during play runs so I was the one that got deliberately tackled. I guess it all comes back to the fact that in every issue or problem I have had is centered around the fact that it feels like they are telling me I'm disabled. At a young age I was diagnosed with ADD. This has followed me around my whole life. I have even heard people say 'It's because he's ADD'. I have never used any excuse to even hint that I couldn't do something. Well don't get me wrong if I could get out of doing chores then I would. But I never used the fact that I was "ADD" to do that. Maybe you see what I'm getting at maybe you don't.
Another elephant in my head was that Garrus was mostly right. Everything he didn't say is what was making me angry. Not only at myself but the fact he could pick it out so fast. I knew that if I did the simulation I would keep getting better and better. The only problem is that it would be stuck to the simulator. I would never be able to pull a gun on a living creature. What Garrus said back there made it feel like everybody was looking at the frame but not that painting. If I was honest with myself I knew he was right. Unless I was threatened or was forced to, I could never pull the trigger on someone else. Let me be the first to say though that I love my guns and my rights. In spite of all that I could never even kill an animal without getting sick. He was right and I just blew up in his face.
I don't know why Shepard wanted Garrus to train me. He had plenty of fully trained bodies around. Putting a hand on my face I dragged down to my chin. Time to go and make up. As I left I swear I saw a ghost of a smile on the blue woman's face.
"EDI where is Legion and Garrus?" (A/N: from here on out for the rest of this chapter I'm going to try and capture the way I really sound when talking. The T's are usually silent if not really soft at the end of a word, for those of you who want to sound out how I talk. If you feel it takes away from the flow of the story drop a line)
"They are both located in the Captian's quarters." I waited a few seconds to see if she would tell me how to get there. Just as I was opening my mouth to ask she told me to get on the elevator and that she would take me to the floor, though in more flowery techno terms. When the doors opened again I could hear the Commander shouting at them through his door. Thinking back on it I should have been impressed, that door was about a foot thick. The door opened for me but the people in the room were focused on other things, obviously.
"EDI just told me that he is coming up here. Most likely to tell me that he wants off at the nearest port! I hope you're happy Garrus because you just got your wish." Shepard was right in Garrus face. The way that the Turian stood showed his military background. From the way he was standing I could tell that he had been dressed down several times. On this ship or in his life I couldn't guess. Legion turned his eye toward me.
"Shepard-Commander…" Legion was on the far side of Garrus so when Shepard's eyes snapped to him he looked farther away from me.
"Your turn is coming! Our sniper here hasn't answered me. What do you have to say for yourself?" Garrus squared himself but kept his gaze on the ground.
"I don't want another pair of eyes looking at me when I go to sleep." I saw the Commander's eyes soften. Since I knew I wasn't going to be on this ship much longer I decided to let my mouth run a little bit.
"Well there ya go." All eyes turned toward me at the top of the small stair case. "I figured there was a past experience involved. Commander you assumed righ. I did come up here to tell you to let me off the ship as soon as ya can. Wait, Garrus was righ that I shouldn be here. The way he wen' about it was wrong bu' he had the righ reason. You should know that I can' bring myself to kill anythin. I like to think if I was put in a situation that I could do wha I need to bu' I don' really know wha I would do. All I will be is a liability. From wha I can tell abou' this ship that's the last thing ya need." I turned to leave the room.
"What if I want to take a chance on you?" I turned back around to face him, smirk on my face.
"I'm sorry Commander, I don' swing that way." Garrus snorted. The edge of Sherpard's mouth tilted up.
"Funny, but that's not what I'm asking."
"That's your choice."
"Good. You fight Garrus." I gave him a blank look. Garrus just glared.
"Me goin up against a trained killer? Tha's no' righ."
"I agree with him." Garrus growled out.
"Good thing it's my choice then." Shepard said with a pointed look toward me.
"Walked intah tha' one." I muttered. "Well, if yer gonna make me do this I have one request."
"I'm not making you do anything. Let's hear it."
"Like you don't make us dive into a swarm of husks." Garrus muttered. Shepard ignored him and motioned me to continue.
"I wan' tah watch Garrus play a round or two in the simulator firs'."
"Request granted."
"Shepard-Commander." I jumped. In the short time we talked I had forgotten Legion was there.
"Yes, Legion?"
"Shall I set up the normal targets?"
"No. Set up the full program. This is going to be the full experience."
"Commander, in order to do this we are going to have to divert most power to the simulation." EDI piped up.
"I know, inform all engineers of the change. The rest of you we are heading down to the Cargo Bay."
"We are doing this now?" Garrus asked
"Yes now. In order to finish this before we reach Omega we have to start now."
The whole thing took about five hours to set up. Although most of the crew groaned and moaned about the extra work they all were looking forward to see the Drifter and the Sniper duke it out. Of course it was going to be a long simulation so everybody had a notification set up on their omni-tools for any action that could happen in the next long while. Shepard walked up to me while others set up a pair of cots.
"Change of plans, I know you wanted to see Garrus in action before you faced him but this simulation cut into that time. This is the 'Real' simulation. Everything that happens in there is going to 'be' real. You will figure out the simulation when you get in there. This is going to all be in your head, so to speak. You lay down on the cot, we put this ugly looking helmet on you, and you go into a simulation that we designed. This does take a lot of power so we don't use it that often if at all."
"Then why do it for me?" I asked. The Commander took a second before he answered.
"Let's just say by the end of this simulation I will know if I want to keep you or not. If you are worth what I think you are." I nodded. It didn't quiet answer the whole question of what I was asking but I was satisfied enough. As Garrus and I lay down, Garrus asked the Shepard one last question.
"Two kills with one shot?" Shepard smirked.
"You could say that. Enough chit chat. Get those helmets on."
The moment the Commander knew that the turian and the human were both out he walked back to the engineer watching the simulation.
"Is the Psych evaluation running?" He shot at the suited female. She just looked at him.
"Right my bad. What are they going to be doing?" She turned back to the screen in front of her.
"I thought it would be amusing to have the new guy chasing Garrus. The new guy will have four others with him. The program will base it off of whatever it reads from his mind. He has been chasing Garrus, or Archangel, for five years now. I have a few surprises in store for the both of them." The suited woman answered.
"Sounds good to me. The sooner we start the sooner we finish. Lets go."