A/N:

As usual, I don´t own anything. Mass Effect belongs to EA and Bioware.

All of my stories are written for fun. No money made here.

I have had some trouble with my PC and stuff called life. But I will continue all of my stories. Sorry for the delays.

Huge thanks to my two "voices" phnxgrl, and garnetflint. You guys rock!

Leave a review, tell me what you think and most importantly, enjoy the story.

...

Day 1

Okay, this is a little bit of an overkill...

How would you feel if you had multiple fights where you had to stand for hours while covered in sweat? Not to mention the pain factor. I was a writer for god sake not a gorram gymnast. So try to imagine all of this happening without pumping music and Rocky-sweet training montage. Yeah, I'm not going to lie here. It was pretty hard stuff to do plus there was too much pride to swallow.

My unofficial trainer somehow managed to secure this training ground. From what I could gather there used to be some kind of industrial mining complex here. The place was huge that was not even most surprising fact. It was that no one seemed to mind or even looked bothered by this place even existing.

We were currently in the huge hall inside the complex which served as a gym. I was practicing the kinds of stuff for basic fighting stances for what looked like hours. Covered in sweat I struggled to breathe and feeling every muscle in my body scream. I was doing everything I could to maintain my focus. Every time when I was sure that I completed an excise. There was always another then followed the word that I began to despise it more and more.

"Again…!" Lara voice was like a sharp strike of lightning.

Gone was the funny witty teenager. It was replaced with focused officer whose glimpse I saw earlier at my home when she kicked my butt. However, seeing this type of mental transformation up close was a very scary event.

"Again…!" She repeated disgustedly.

All I remember from that day besides the drills were metaphorical arms of the bed. I could care less about the hygiene routine.

Day 2

...What a beautiful day...

"Get up!" a not so gentle feminine voice demanded.

Pulling my pillow closer I only managed to mumble something incoherent before I was practically ripped from my only friend in this cruel word. It was so sudden that I only saw the ground until it was too late. Safe to say the landing was not pleasant at all.

"Would you at least ask politely like a normal person?" I mumbled incoherently.

It took me a minute to overcome the really annoying ringing in my ears. If my tone of a voice was any indication, I wasn't pleased by her awakening methods.

Standing there in her work out gear all ready for business made her even more terrifying than the first time. She was giving me a death glare.

"'A normal person' would kill you in an instant." She says with a menacing tone.

She stalked off leaving me on the floor.

...What a beautiful day...

Today, there were the same PE drills. They were mocking my endurance, patience and dignity. By day's end I was considering raising a white flag and just die. Hopefully, it would happen after I was able to have a shower.

Day 3

"Enough!" She screams.

The word was music to my ears. It was a magic word that would release me from the ring of pain and suffering. My hands were shaking uncontrollably from the physical exertion. Performing some of the figures was quite difficult to do. Even though, I did exercise with Mike handful of times. It was never in this level of physical punishment. That was not what bothered me the most. I had four days until my match was supposed to start. We have not yet done any fighting related things. Yes, I did watch Karate Kid when I was young. That did not stop my fear. As matter of fact, it even increased it.

Who am I trying to kid here? I probably going to get my ass kicked. The point is not to win. The point is to survive!

I was sitting on the floor gratefully sipping from my water bottle. That is when I noticed Lara watching me closely from her spot on the mat.

"Inter struggle?" she asked in her normal voice which I more than appreciated.

"More or less…You're a mind reader, you tell me." I replied sarcastically.

I was rather ashamed of myself. In the back of my mind I acknowledged that what I had said was offensive. In that moment I did not care about feelings. I was dead tired, frustrated and pissed at my own inability. One would think that my sessions with Mike would have counted for something. Too many times I wondered how much of it was actually for my physical benefit.

Surprisingly enough she had a smile to her voice

"You're wondering the purpose of all of this endurance training? You were expecting fighting lessons instead you got some exercises with no general direction. Your body is burning. Every bone in your body begs you to stop. Let me tell you: this is just a warm up." She says with much conviction in her eyes.

The summary she gave me made me chuckle slightly.

"Am I that drained?" I ask.

"Pretty much…" She responds this time with a sad look to her face.

"You're really an example of a humble person." I reply with much sarcasm in my voice.

"So I've been told." the brunette deadpanned. "Now, again…!"

Day 4

You have to be kidding me!

Not for the first time it would certainly not be the last time either. I was questioning my big ugly head.

...You were expecting fighting lessons...

I remembered this moment really well, despite Lara trying her hardest to exhaust me. The girl was nothing if not methodical. It made me wonder about her childhood. Was she only driven by the death of her parents or was there more to it? In that moment I really wanted this question answered.

"Actual ring huh," I questioned jokingly. "Well, at least is only a ring without any nasty surprises."

On that note Lara stayed silent.

Shit.

My confidence was shaken. It was not that I had much of it to begin. She had beaten me easily last time. What's exactly has stopped her from doing it again?

Garth, you're over thinking things. She is just going to beat the crap out of you for the rest of the week. Then you're going to be the meat in the name of modern entertainment.

I sometimes hate my inter voice so much. I always knew that I lack confidence many people told me that many did his best as my best friend to booster me. I guess with my issues I would be too much for anybody eventually. In the end he helped me to channel them physically. It was certainly beneficial. Though, I still felt empty the next day.

I pushed most of these thoughts aside. I made my way towards my opponent who was focused and ready. I tried my best to mirror this attitude as much as I could. When I entered the ring I was suddenly assaulted without warning. Two solid punches were all it took for me to get on the ground. The assault did not end there. She decided to add a leaping kick to my ribs. I don't know how I managed to roll aside.

Seeing an opportunity I basically reacted on reflex. Faster than I thought was possible I lifted up her steady foot. Being in a motion Lara lost balance temporally and nearly flipped over the ropes. Due to them, she was still standing. At that time I decided to go for more vicious strike. Combination of fast paced punches and kicks made my heart pound on high gears. I could see that my sparing partner was little startled by my sudden outburst. She tried to block all of them but some of those got through her defensive barrier.

So it began. It was like being in some kind of type of dance with the lead constantly changing the tempo. I still don't know to this day what got into me. I had only one goal in mind: not to lose early. We were trading blows like crazy. We both had our fair share of scars. Neither of us wanted to quit. It was really a tiresome event for me. Every muscle in my body was aching. I knew I could not give this up. Being this the real deal I would not be able to exactly call a time-out.

So, gritted my teeth I tried to hold on. I felt my left arm being twisted in a really horrible way, and suddenly I was on the ground being in a submission hold. I let a frustrated cry. (It would be called in amusement a war cry of last resort.)Right now I was looking at a not so amused Lara.

"You're not focused enough!" she simply stated.

I was sweating like crazy. My head was ringing. My hands were shaking from the adrenaline rush. The rational part of my mind got where she was coming. I still in some respect viewed it as a contest. Looking back, I could have been more efficient and patient. At that time I was drained and far too impulsive for my own good.

"Genius…" I spat. "I'm sweating my ass off trying to hold myself together. You're telling me something about focus?"

"It takes time for your body to exhaust, that's why we're doing all this exercises..." She muttered.

I could have sworn. I heard a sort of apology in her tone. It quickly disappeared.

"That's the main problem right," I decided to stand up and press on. "You had it all planned to the letter did you? Well newsflash I'm a writer not a fighter. Perhaps you should move the time table and take that into consideration!"

"Listen, you have to calm down, it's a natural reaction towards the whole process-" She states.

"Natural? Natural," I say as I poke my finger into her forehead. "Nothing about here is natural, if anything this situation is fucking unnatural!"

I ran out of the complex leaving stunned Lara behind. I did not know how long I ran. I was angry and frustrated. For so long I wanted to do something that mattered and in the end I chickened out. My pride was flushed into the toilet in five days. It made me question my character. Ashamed I ran until I passed out...

\\\\\Memory Block\\\\\\

I woke up lying on a sidewalk. It was a beautiful day as far as I could tell from my position. With annoyed huff, I managed to pick myself up. I took a look around. It looked like a park area. It had a fresh feel of easiness. To be perfectly, honest it seemed rather suspicious to me. Then the concept of utopia seemed rather alien to me. No matter how hard I tried I the odd feeling crossed through my veins. It was like a freezing ice cube that had been unwillingly swallowed with a really great scotch. It was so sudden and unexpected. I could not exactly put my finger on it. The feeling was still there.

I made a decision to sit on the nearby bench. I was not quite sure of my purpose in this particular scenario so I waited. My time of suspense was fortunately a short one. It was a beautiful day after all. Apparently many parents had the same thought process. Soon the park was under siege with all the noise. I was just sitting on my self-proclaimed spot standing out like the beacon of awkwardness. Then suddenly I heard the familiar laugh of children.

I always felt good around kids. They do not judge you. They do not have any kind of prejudice towards anyone. This innocence is something we are trying to find or hold on to for the rest of our life. Sometimes we succeed, sometimes not.

And sometimes the innocence is just ripped from us…

I sighed. I hardly doubted that I was here to just hypothesize the faults of my old life.

What am I looking for here?

Becoming really restless I stood up deciding to do something proactive. Carefully I observed my surroundings. I tried to pin point a situation or any type of interaction that was supposed to interest me. Strangely enough, nobody was being bothered by presence. It seemed like I was not there. I even tried to shout. It had to no effect. It reminded me of Harry Potter's diary experience.

…Of course you big dummy, it's just a memory, apparently. So much for fast paced knowledge…

I was rewarded after I almost gave up. I thought that I probably would grow old here. Only positive I could see was my ability to be patient.

"Uhh, my leg is killing me" I heard said.

I noticed a bearded man, a robot\android and a little girl approaching.

"What do you say Squid do we have a race?" He asks.

"You should take things easy Jeff," the android pointed out. "The doctor said that you should rest. I'm very sure, there wasn't anything said about jumping like a wounded kangaroo."

"It's a man's pride EDI, a man's pride." Jeff replied cheekily.

"So is that is why you're whining all the way here?" The girl asks as she smiles. "That isn't very manly behavior, Joker."

I watched with interest. The man named Jeff or rather Joker looked like a funny man with personal backache and military background. The nickname fit although I have never before met this man. The android EDI, was an enigma to me. I never saw a cyborg being anywhere else than the movies. The posture and behavior seemed very much human like. Somehow I did find their interaction amusing and on top of that the girl, seemed strangely familiar to me.

Lara?! So you're one off a hell important player in this metaphorical chess game then…

The trio made their way towards the swings. I followed with anticipation, not for what would happen next, but for more selfish reason. I genuinely liked this playful and obviously hidden side of Lara. I always put an effort when it came to family. It was one of the many things my dad taught me. It was before he caught the second wind and put everything behind. This was time for me to grow up.

I sat on the nearest bench. I most definitely did not want to test the limits of the memory blog. It certainly would not be wise or pleasant to experience this through someone else. (I meant that literally.) I'm able to overlook funny glitches when it comes to video games. When we are in fact talking about my already fragile psyche, hell no!

I do not know how long I just sat there. It had to be quite some time because suddenly no one else was in the park besides me and the trio. The air started to feel a little bit chilly. It was like a setup for an upcoming scene in a horror movie. I did not like that feeling one bit. Somehow I got a feeling that my not so unspoken question soon would get the much needed answer.

Suddenly, a strange sound came through the air. It was noisy and going right through my skull.

YOU ARE HERE!

"Not exactly my choice, what exactly is your point here?" I countered trying to clear my head and buy some time.

YOU ARE AN ANOMALY TRAVELER. TO FULLY UNDERSTAND YOUR PURPOSE YOU MUST ACCEPT THE LAW!

"STOP THAT NOISE!" I heard Lara in the distance and then I blacked out.

\\\\Memory Block\\\\

"Do you think he's dead?" A voice says

"He looks funny." Another voice replies.

"Like fresh meat." A new voice answers.

I mentally groaned. My head was on fire and my body hurt on all places imaginable. The whole thing with memory was kind of surreal. I was open minded when it come to weird stuff. Even I have my limits.

"What should we do with him?" The voice asks.

"Toss him away perhaps?" the other voice responds.

"Don't be silly, he only has his jogging things on him." The first voice answers.

"So, it doesn't mean we don't get to have any fun." The other voice says.

The voices started to get annoy me. My eyes did not seem to follow my command. It was rather unfortunate thing to happen. Fate had rather seem to have vivid ideas when it came to test me. It made me wonder if I should learn to more appreciate Lara's efforts. Suddenly, I felt someone touch my cheek. I was feeling kind of out of it. My eyes snapped open on their own accord. I spotted a human girl, kneeling in front of me with rather unusual couple in the background.

Turian, Krogan, and Human together huh…?

This funny thought appeared as a flash of light.

Then out of the blue I was holding up the girl in front of me.

"Thanks for so being so kind towards me." I hissed in her ear then tossed her to her Turian friend.

Meanwhile, the Krogan friend wanted to test his strength or test at least his Krogan-hood in general. Either way he charged. I being the noob that I was, when it came to managing a bull, nevertheless a giant lizard did the most logical thing. Feeling the wall behind my back I simply just stepped aside. In slow motion we exchanged our positions. I half expected my new Turian acquaintance to crash the party. He did not seem up to it that was a good sign. The Krogan on the other hand had other ideas.

It was not so long ago, you ran from a Krogan scared like a little girl...

Sometimes I just hate my inter voice.

I was not internally sure of the reason for my increased testosterone. Either way I was facing a charging lizard monstrosity. I tried the same trick that I did last time. This time my opponent was ready for it. The result was the same like you would have been hit by a truck. The impact was rather painful. I was certain, that I was broken in several places. The Krogan came closer. I noticed that he had a pistol under his belt. Faster than I thought I was able, I stripped him of his weapon aiming at his eye.

To my surprise the big lizard laughed. "You're a good maggot. Don't you think for a second that you had me?"

With just one lazy movement he knocked my lights out.

? Day ?

Cold was the only thing I felt this particular , I was not even sure if I was dead or alive, not that it mattered much. Being dead meant that this crazy ass ride was probably over, but somehow I doubted it.