The loud thumping music hit him like a pile of bricks as he entered the pulsating club. Women danced proactively in the middle of the large dance floor, sliding up and down poles to the dark beat of the music. Only a few shreds of clothing hiding the most delicate parts of their otherwise perfect bodies. Kalisma was not the safest place to drink. It wasn't even particularly nice. Shepard loved it because it was cheap and there was plenty of eye-candy, just what an alliance marine wants whilst on leave.
Shepard spotted an empty booth and headed toward it, avoiding the various drunk, clumsy dancers as he weaved through with well-practiced precision. A waitress was at his side before he had even had time to adjust himself in his seat.
"What would you like sir?" asked the waitress politely.
"A beer will be fine thank you." The waitress left him alone in the booth. She quickly returned with his beverage. She gave him a warm smile before departing to attend other tables.
Shepard took a gulp of his beer, wondering why in god's earth anyone would choose to meet in a place like this. All he knew was that he had come here for an important business meeting and...well that was it. Not what he particularly had in mind when he was given leave. He had planned to spend it engaging in debauchery in all the wonderful places that practiced it. Now that was out of the question, for now at least anyway.
Shepard looked around the club. People were having a good time, as one expected in a place like this. Young girls were hanging off their boyfriend's arms, either drunk or high off some illegal substance. Others were dancing like idiots on the central dance floor, trying to entice any attractive company that was near them. Then there were the gang members in their common positions, always given free rein by the bouncers as they were too scared to tell them otherwise. They would be dealing their red sand or other substances to unknowing girls. Shepard noticed that they never served men, he guessed it was just easier to trick young girls into buying their merchandise, as they liked to call it.
He noticed a few of their eyes linger on him for a short second. They knew who he was. Not many gangs around this place didn't. Gangs didn't tend to give respect to anyone in their territory who wasn't affiliated with them in any way. Shepard was a different beast, he had been one of them for a long time. Most of them still gave him a wide berth due to his reputation among them. They also knew that now he was a trained killer, making him even more dangerous and intimidating. They would leave him in peace because they knew that was the only thing they could do.
Shepard smiled at one of the gang affiliates, clearly a rookie, who quickly looked at the floor. He soon disappeared behind his buddies.
Shepard gave the club another quick scan. He stopped when he recognised two familiar gentlemen approaching his booth. He signalled them with a wave of his hand and they quickly joined him.
"Eric. Steven." They exchanged handshakes and sat down. Shepard ordered another three beers.
"It's good to see you Shepard," said Eric as the drinks arrived.
Eric 'Bulldog' Kasson. A scumbag and degenerate if Shepard ever knew one. But he was alliance and so Shepard remained respectful. The name 'Bulldog' came into being because unpleasant appearance on the eyes. He was short, overweight and looked like the domesticated animal. He was rarely seen without his older brother, Steven. There wasn't much difference between the two in appearance apart from Steven's taller height. They both were dirty, cheating degenerates who were also racist, sexist and xenophobic. They both believed that Shepard shared the same beliefs as them, when the truth was the exact opposite. In fact they barely knew him at all, something that Shepard would like to keep the same.
"Likewise," Shepard said as he took a swig of his beer. "So what's this important business that you wanted to discuss with me?"
"We found him out, that fucking thief." Eric wasn't known for being polite or expressive. "That little shit as found his way home."
"And you need me for?" said Shepard, already knowing where this was heading.
Shepard quickly realised that Eric was doing all the talking. "We need to get what he stole from us. Get it back and then teach him a lesson."
"Okay. You do know that he has a family. A wife and kids who are probably there with him." Shepard was trying to deter them from carrying out their revenge. It was pointless and these two were the type that would never stop at just one.
"Fuck em'." Steven finally spoke. "He stole...they'll see what happens when you steal from dangerous people. Maybe his scum kids will learn something." Steven extended a long arm and grabbed his beer, looking like an angry ogre or troll.
"Are you sure about this. What if command finds out? Then we're all in deep." Shepard tried to be as dissuasive as possible, knowing full well that their minds were likely decided before they even began speaking in the booth.
"Fuck command." Steven leaned over the table, invading Shepard's personal space. "And fuck you if you're not with us. He stole from you to remember."
Shepard sighed quietly, knowing full well he had no way of dissuading the pair of cretins. "Fine, I'll help."
The group finished their beers. Shepard grabbed his jacket before leading the pair out of the club, again expertly avoiding the various bodies scattered around the dance floor. The cold night air hit him hard as he stepped out into the dark street. He looked back at the two following behind him. He had a bad feeling that this was about more than stealing. Whatever was going to happen, it would not be pretty. For anyone.
"We'll take my car," said Eric.
The two walked off in front of Shepard, allowing him to think about what he was going to do. He too, was angry at Hal for stealing his credit chit. But it wasn't enough to permit breaking into his home and threatening him, never mind what else Eric and Steven had in mind for him. Hal was a good soldier. A family man. He lost a bet fair and square. It was only the worry of his wife leaving him that caused him to steal the credits. He had a gambling problem, a bad one. It wasn't long after he had almost ruined his family. His wife, Tanya, threatened him with divorce if he ever did it again. She was letting him off again. But Hal knew that she was serious. He had done it one too many times and she had enough of it.
Shepard knew that everyone had a crutch, a weakness. Hal's was gambling. It didn't take away from him being a good soldier, a good father and a devout husband. He raised his kids as any good father does, making sure that they never wanted for anything. He loved them and would die for them. Only young, being three and five, they were the light of his life. His life was providing for his young family.
Shepard considered him a better man than the two fucking idiots in front of him.
"Get in the back Shepard," said Steven as the sky-cars doors opened.
Shepard didn't say a word, simply nodding. He would contemplate his decision in the car. The sky-car quickly lifted off the ground, heading swiftly out into the night.
"We should have brought a gun. A pistol at least." Steven searched the back of the car for his weapon of choice.
They had parked just behind the house, hidden behind a wall in the back garden. Shepard leaned against the hood of the car, silently hoping that no one was in.
"I brought this," said Eric as he brandished an old tesla blade.
Although they were now obsolete, the Alliance still brandished marines with them as awards in certain circumstances. They were still considered deadly weapons by alliance officials so most consider it a great privilege when a superior gifts a marine with one. How Eric managed to acquire one was beyond Shepard's understanding.
Shepard had made his decision. It was simple and effective. He would carry it out with no hesitation if he had to. He remained in his place, against the sky-car for a while longer, still hoping that the family were out.
Maybe the wife and kids are at their grandparents, he silently hoped.
Whilst the two continued quietly bickering among themselves in the boot of the sky-car, Shepard took in the surrounding area. It was a quiet area, a small suburban neighborhood. Nobody expected violence here, no one probably expected foul language here. It certainly was one of the nicer areas that Shepard had seen. The night was cold, damp and otherwise depressing. The tress blew in the slow breeze, leaves occasionally falling from them.
"Come on let's go." Eric interrupted Shepard's thoughts. "You're first."
Shepard put on his gloves and quickly climbed the medium-sized wall, he landed on the ground quietly, almost like a cat or Japanese ninja. His previous hopes crushed as he saw the kitchen light on. The house itself was small but most certainly comfortable enough for a family of four. It reminded him of another house, a house he once knew a long time ago.
He wiped the thought from his head. He heard the other two land on the ground behind him, not nearly so skilfully. They gave him a sharp look as he made eye contact. He quietly made his way up to the window at the back of the house, luckily the blinds were open so he could see inside.
He breathed quietly, relieved when he saw Hal sitting at the table, alone. Hopefully the family could be avoided and this could be over quickly. The only reason Shepard was here was to make sure that the family remained safe and unhurt. He knew that Eric and Steven were untrustworthy. He also knew that they were a pair of violent sociopaths who would most certainly be in a prison cell if not for the alliance.
"So would I" thought Shepard.
He turned to the pair behind him and gave a hand signal, signifying that only one person was visible. The pair nodded and put on their gloves and black, three-holed balaclavas. Shepard quickly put his on as the other two approached the door. The three readied themselves.
Steven flung the door open and quickly rushed toward a startled Hal. He grabbed the small man by his neck, pulling him up out of his seat with one hand and pinning him against the table. Hal let out a choked cry of terror as the masked assailant stared down at him, eyes as black as night.
He tried to get free, desperately punching and kicking, but the man was too strong. He looked over and saw two others. One had a feral look in his eyes, the other almost looked friendly. That friendly look scared him more than the other. He looked at the man who had him by the throat. He watched as he put one finger to his mouth, signalling to not make a sound. Hal gave a pathetic nod and breathed desperately as the giant man's grasp loosened on his throat, his big arm still lay resting on his neck.
"Where is our fucking money Hal?" said Steven vehemently.
"Steve...I...what?" Hal said, clearly confused as he realised who the masked assailant was.
"Where's our fucking money?" Steven almost spat at Hal. "You stole a chit from me and my brother. We want our fucking money." Steven slammed Hal's head against the table, the thud making Shepard grimace.
"I don't know...I," Hal said, reeling from the pain.
"Then I guess we'll have to ask that pretty wife of yours, huh," Eric said as Hal looked at him desperately.
"Please no...I'll get you your money...just leave them alone. Please." Hal began fighting again, finding new strength in his body. It wasn't enough to overpower Steven, who was a larger man.
He watched desperately as Eric walked out of the kitchen and headed toward the stairs.
"Please...no...no," Hal sobbed as tears of despair fell from his eyes.
"Don't worry...he's just gonna have a little fun with Tanya. Maybe he'll read a bedtime story to your kids." Steven laughed quietly as Hal began crying hysterically. He put his hand over Hal's mouth to silence him.
He leaned in close. "You never know. Your wife may enjoy it...you shouldn't have fucked with us you-"
It took Hal a minute to realise that the third assailant had moved. He couldn't see him. He felt a wash of panic flood over him again before he felt the hand over his mouth lift off.
Shepard had it. He wasn't going to let this happen. He snuck up behind Steven, who was too stupid to even realise what was about to happen. He kicked him in the side of his leg, breaking it, sending him crashing to the floor on his front. Steven let out a cry of agony as he tried to crawl away from Shepard, loudly cursing him and calling for his brother. Shepard quickly grabbed his head, with a quick sharp twist he snapped his neck, killing him.
Shepard heard a loud scream from upstairs and quickly ran towards the stairs. He ascended them as fast as humanly possible as the volume of the screams increased. He kicked open the bedroom door. Tanya was frantically fighting with Eric, desperately trying to stop him from tearing her clothes off.
Eric took a second to notice the door fly open and see Shepard standing there. Eric quickly got off of Tanya and rushed toward Shepard, he managed to use his forward momentum to tackle Shepard to the ground. He broke free of Shepard's grip and tried to punch him, Shepard moved his head in time and hit Eric with a punch of his own. Eric fell backwards, off of Shepard, as he was hit. Shepard quickly got off and gave him a hard kick to the face, knocking him down on his back.
Eric looked frantically up, trying to get up again as Shepard loomed over him. He began clawing at Shepard's legs, almost as if begging him to stop.
"Pathetic piece of shit," said Shepard quietly.
He didn't hesitate. He slammed his foot down, hitting Eric's throat. Then again. Finally a third time before he crushed it under his foot. Eric lay there, lifeless. The blood that shot from his mouth and his crushed throat the only evidence of his demise. Shepard stared down at him for a while, his eyes burning with a deep rage.
He heard muffled cries from the bedroom and regained his composure. He headed into the bedroom to make sure that Tanya was okay. He forgot about his balaclava as Tanya screamed in terror when he walked into the bedroom.
"Get the fuck away from me," Tanya screamed. She threw a large book at him as he approached her.
Shepard quickly dodged the book. "Tanya, calm down. They're gone. I'm not going to hurt you." Shepard quickly removed his balaclava.
Tanya seemed to relax when she saw Shepard. Then she began crying hysterically. Shepard quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and looked at her.
"Tanya listen to me. You need to make sure that your children do not leave their bedrooms. Okay?" Shepard said as Tanya looked at the floor.
She began sobbing again, not looking up at Shepard. "Tanya." Shepard shook her, needing her to look at him. "Do you understand me?"
Tanya finally lifted her head and looked at him. "Yes," she said quietly.
Shepard covered her eyes with his hand and led her to the kid's bedroom. "Do not let them out until told otherwise. Understand?" He spoke with authority, knowing that fear was the only thing that Tanya would acknowledge at this point.
"Yes." Shepard opened the door and led her in. He quickly stepped out and closed it. Luckily the children slept in the same room.
He quickly headed downstairs to check on Hal. He saw him shaking in the kitchen, clearly terrified, staring at the lifeless body on his floor. He looked up as he heard Shepard approaching.
"Shepard," he said quietly. "What...I...I don't understand."
"Listen. This is a big fucking problem. Call the police. Now Hal." Shepard gave him a stern look.
Hal timidly called up his omni-tool and contacted the local emergency services.
"Your wife and children are safe." Shepard watched as Hal let out a small sigh of relief. He soon began crying, whether from grief or joy, Shepard couldn't tell.
"Thank...thank you Shepard," said Hal, trying to control his emotions. He felt relief, fear and rage and didn't know which one was the most prevalent.
"I'll make sure that the authorities know that you saved us," said Hal as he sat down, feeling weak suddenly.
"Thank you. I tried to dissuade them. To stop them. But the pair of fucking idiots had to. Thought they were fucking untouchable. Well they're both dead...shouldn't have crossed the line." Shepard clenched his fists angrily, letting out deep breaths to calm himself.
"I can't...I said I would pay them back. I made a mistake. I'm...fuck I'm sorry." Hal quickly realised that it was his fault again. His addiction that led to this. His unquenchable thirst for gambling. He buried his head in his hands, ashamed.
The realisation that he had almost got his entire family slaughtered was too much. He began sobbing. If not for Shepard, he would be dead, his family would be dead.
"Listen...I won't say a word of the money to Tanya. They were just...I'll think of something." He placed his hand on Hal's shoulder. "But this has to stop Hal. No more gambling. I will not be here the next time you piss someone off."
Hal looked up desperately. "Yes...never again. God, I...I almost got them killed. Fuck" Hal buried his face in his hands again, weeping.
Shepard kept his hand on his shoulder, firm and supportive. He could hear the approaching sound of sirens in the distance.
"It's going to be alright Hal. You'll be fine," he said calmly. He couldn't even begin to fathom the level of guilt that Hal was feeling.
Once the authorities arrived it was quick and painless. They questioned Hal on what happened. Once satisfied with his answers, they removed the bodies from the premises and cleared any bloodstains.
Shepard felt relieved that Hal vouched for him like he did. He was lucky he decided to come. If he hadn't, god knows what would have happened to Hal and his family.
Some of the officers seemed to recognise Shepard. Knowing him from the past. Fortunately, they only needed to know that he saved the family. That he was an alliance soldier helped his case. They took a quick statement, both the wife and husband vouched for him. That was all they needed. They quickly left the premises with the bodies and any evidence that was found. The kills were quick, professional and clean. Making it clearly obvious who the killer was. The motive was one of revenge. Pathetic revenge. The assailants were angry with the victims for a tactical mistake in a combat drill, which led to them failing promotion. They discovered that the soldier, Chase Shepard, arrived with the two and quickly dispatched them before they could harm the family.
Once the authorities had left, after what seemed five or six hours, Tanya and Hal sat around the kitchen table. Tanya had managed to keep the children in their rooms, away from the panic and chaos that was ensuing outside. She made sure that they were asleep before she headed downstairs to see her husband.
She looked at Shepard, sitting opposite her, staring into the distance. He was calm, frighteningly calm she noticed. Like he had done this a million times. He looked unfazed, he looked normal. How could a person look so serene after brutally killing two people. Not that she hated him for killing them. But he still should at least look distraught, worried, anything. She married Hal, another alliance soldier. He would cry in her arms when he confessed that he had killed someone on an operation, it would eat at him for weeks on end. Only a monster could kill and be so calm and quiet. No emotion, void of feeling. Shepard was a monster. A killing machine trained by other killing machines. He scared her. The man who had saved her family and he terrified her.
It scared her to think of what he would be capable of he ever snapped.
She jumped slightly as Hal squeezed her hand, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Shepard was a monster, but he was also a hero. At least to him.