Although it was still the tranquil hours before dawn, Lucas and Harrvok could tell that the sun would not come today. Dark heavy clouds had formed on the horizon and soon a heavy downpour was literally covering them. The ground was carpeted in water while grainy mud formed around the footprints their boots left. There were a couple new additions to their equipment. Lucas was carrying more units of medigel. His armor, in addition to the night vision mod given to him by Harrvok, was also modified further by Jima to warn him of any known or possible pathogens he might encounter. Harrvok was also given the same mod and had the large radio pack on his back that also held some sample analyzers and more medical equipment. Finally, they also picked up one last addition.
"I never suspected that I would have to use this old equipment again." Chroso stated behind them. He was encased in Salarian armor and hesitantly accepted Harrvok's pistol. They could not tell if he was annoyed or truly bewildered.
"Thank you for coming with us and putting yourself on the line. We'll appreciate your insight on the local wildlife and such." Lucas simply replied. There had been some debate to bring the aging archaeologist with them, but it was decided that if the Salarian agreed, they could certainly used an expert in the area.
The commando was in the lead, his rifle eased next to his shoulder to be readied at a moment's notice. He did not like the rain water that was getting on his visor and rifle scope. This would throw all of them off. Harrvok also had his assault rifle ready although he was taking wider sweeps, scanning everything he could see. He was used to working behind the rest of the squad and was a bit uncomfortable with the fact that the only squad he had now was a lone sniper in front of him. Chroso decided that they were not even at the village and this was already more excitement than he wanted. He wondered what these two soldiers knew that he didn't. He decided that he already didn't like it.
--
Watching the numerous monitors in the comm room, Jima only vaguely noticed Dolphos furiously manning the controls as she tried to keep track of what was going on with her two away teams. The frustrating thing was that her medical tests could wait. There was little she could do with her away teams though. Granted, Lucas, Harrvok and Chroso seemed to be going swimmingly, at least for now. It was Julland she was concerned about. They had lost communication with them and the only reason they had any clue what was going on was because the backup systems on the soldiers' hardsuits had come on. The best Jima could get was their health display status but that was it. Dolphos was programming a satellite to give them an over view feed but that information would have to be interrupted every few minutes when the satellite's orbit took it too far away from the location. Even if he were to program a string of satellites there would still be small gaps in the information feed.
Jima was not sure what to do other than glare anxiously at the health readouts on Julland, Dalora, Shanata and Filara. Dolphos was still waving his assortment of tentacles over the controls, furiously trying to gain access to a satellite. Behind him, Jima stepped up towards the monitors, her arms folded in front of her to keep herself from wringing them.
"How much longer, Dolphos?" Jima asked quietly. She was not used to being this way. She honestly did not know what to do with herself.
"This one is almost done, noble Spectre. This one will need just a little while more." Dolphos apologized. Jima caught herself from sighing in impatience. Right now she was regretting promising Julland that she would not send over the entire Shiloh unless things became drastic. She seriously considered pulling rank and disobeying her second in command. Yes, Julland had told her that doing that would compromise the whole ship and all signs showed that the mercenaries had the capability to do just that. Worried and frustrated, the anxiety gnawing inside her, the Quarian relented from her impulsive designs. She would only tell Talana to fire up the engines when things were drastic. She hoped she could stick to that decision. Regardless, this was still driving her mad.
"This one has completed the process. We should be able to get a visual feed in a few moments." Dolphos announced.
--
"Filara, there must be a way you could get some of our systems back online!" Julland shouted. If he could at least get the target locating system back at his disposal it would make his job much easier. Enemy fire was still cutting through the air around them like an angry swarm. Rain was falling everywhere. This was becoming more and more chaotic.
"I'm sorry, Commander. Unless my omni-tool is able to reboot its own system and repair itself, I will not be able to do that." the Asari apologized.
"How likely is that going to happen?" Julland asked.
"At this point, very unlikely." the Turian ground his teeth and his gaze went to each of soldiers around him who were looking back to him for direction. He had to make a very painful next move.
"All right, we can't retreat with all this fire and we cannot radio the Shiloh. We have to make this work. Shanata and Filara, you will work with me to take out those mounted guns. Dalora, use whatever you can to clear any soft targets that come our way." Julland ordered.
"Yes, Commander."
From there, the Turian and the marines took turns jumping from cover and firing at the rapid fire guns. They had to be careful since their shields still had not rebooted and Filara predicted they would be lucky if such a thing happened. At this point, if they wanted to take out the guns, they had to hope that they could confused the automated system by one distracting it while the others fired at it.
Dalora meanwhile silently gave thanks that she was a natural biotic who did not need an amp. Yes, it probably meant that she could not use her powers as rapidly as other biotics could but she found that when she concentrated on one particular power she could amplify its intensity to rival even the most powerful amp. Yes, it was tiring but adrenaline was a good compensation for that. She jumped at the sight of additional rounds flying at their direction.
"Dalora, we have infantry contacts!" Julland announced.
"I'm on it!" the vanguard replied, encasing herself in a brilliant shield before dashing from cover to get closer to the compound. The only reason Julland didn't scream for her to get back behind cover was because he trusted she knew what she was doing. He certainly hoped she did. He didn't want to explain to Lucas why his fiancée had enough metal in her to build a star ship.
Racing out into the open, her eyes both desperately searching for cover while angrily homing in on targets, Dalora ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The rain played a foreboding melody around her. She only faintly registered the columns of dust erupting from the ground when enemy fire strafed furiously towards her. When she felt a round bounce off her barrier she took it only as a warning. She needed to find cover, somewhere close where she could get a better view of what was going on. She found a stay crate built of heavy metal. She decided that would be a good position for now. Now she could only pray that the mercenaries didn't have any biotics of their own. She noted in melancholy the irony of the situation. Having thought she put this shameful past behind her, she was now instead feverishly running towards the embodiment of what had been her old trade.
--
Lucas was wanting more and more for the rain to go away. It was compromising his vision and despite the much appreciated night vision, it did not help when water was constantly on his visor. A little sun would have helped too.
"We're approaching the mile and half range, Lieutenant." Harrvok warned. A mile and a half from the epicenter of the quarantine. Lucas would have smiled if the situation was not so serious. It did not matter which rank or vocation a Turian had, any Turian soldier kept things professional. At least, that's what he surmised by how both Julland and now Harrvok addressed him first by his rank.
"All right. Chroso, stay back and follow Harrvok. I also want you guys to keep silent and follow my hand signals." the commando informed. Harrvok only nodded. Chroso, still unsure of what was going on, decided he would just shadow everything he saw the Turian do. They both waited in place as Lucas knelt on one knee and brought the scope of his rifle in front of him.
The commando did not like the circumstances. This was nothing but a flat plain ahead so he had no elevation to help him get a better view. From what he saw, it also appeared that there was no cover. In other words, he could only hope to keep things in their advantage by spotting possible hostiles first. Sometime told him that the wild animals he saw earlier were not all that welcoming. Dolphos certainly was not able to find any conclusive identification for them which also wasn't a good sign.
He wasn't sure what he was looking for as he scanned the gray outlines of the village buildings through his scope. The rain chased blurred streaks through the glass and he made a feeble attempt to wipe them off. In some ways, he almost half expected to see the ethereal grim reaper standing like no one's business in the middle of the city, scythe resting on a shoulder, his eternal grin staring back at Lucas. Of course, the embodiment of Death was not waiting for them in the city but considering how empty it was below the gray skies, it certainly seemed like it. He swept the rifle further, trying to take the whole horizon.
"Chroso." Lucas whispered quietly. The Salarian looked up at hearing his name. Lucas simply motioned with his hand to come up which the older amphibian meekly did.
Following the gestures, Chroso crouched down to peer into the scope of Lucas' rifle. He found himself looking at the image of what appeared to be a rather hideous creature. It walked on all fours, its paws ending in large and wicked looking claws. A muscular and robust body sat atop four spindly legs which seemed built for speed. The black body also held a angular head which seemed attached to a strong jaw. What horrified Chroso the most was that the jaw seemed reminiscent of the double spiked mouth parts commonly found on beetles and other insects.
"Ever seen an animal like that around here?" Lucas whispered.
"Never." Chroso answered. Keeping the conversation just above a whisper, Lucas turned back to Harrvok.
"You think these things could spread the disease?"
"Most likely. They could be carriers or they simply could be infected. Honestly, we can't be too sure." the Turian shrugged.
"Unless you suggest otherwise, I'm going to take them out." Lucas announced. Harrvok took note of the wind direction and decided that they were upwind. This would mean that any blood sprays would not go their direction. The Turian nodded the affirmative. Lucas shouldered the Dante again and took careful aim. He held his breath and watched the crosshair land right on the head of the creature.
A heavy explosion resounded over the plain.
--
Pelona watched forlornly as the machines ran what she was sure was yet another futile test. Honestly, why was it that the only time they got an answer on a disease was when it was already too late? By the time the disease was identified and its carrier isolated, countless people would already be dead. Then they would need to find a cure while other people stayed in danger. People who were currently searching blindly in a quarantine zone. People like Harrvok.
The Asari scientist mentally kicked herself for getting too emotional and tried to focus. She goaded herself into trying to think.
"Come on, come on, Pelona. Think! You're two hundred years old, where have you seen this before?" After a few moments, the Asari had the answer.
She couldn't remember. She simply could not for the two hundred year life of her remember. Dejected, she collapsed heavily in a nearby chair, her coat ruffling from the sudden movement. She never understood the human expression, but she supposed this was an appropriate time to say that she felt blue. Even the rats did not seem all with it now that she noticed them. She sighed heavily as she ran her fingers through the folds on her head. Come on, think!
Wait a minute...
The Asari carefully walked over to the rat cages. Carefully watching them, she noticed a marked change in their behavior. They were stumbling around as if drunk or disoriented. Some of them were trembling uncontrollably or had muscle tremors. Her brows narrowed. Where had she seen this before?
"Ataxia...disorientation...degeneration of the central nervous system...neurological disease...not a virus, not a bacteria, not a parasite..."
"Spongiform encephalitis." Pelona murmured. It was a condition where holes appeared in the brain of a creature, which explained all of the symptoms, including the secondary causes that inevitably led to death. There was also only one known cause for the various diseases that were spongiform encephalitis. It was not a virus, bacteria or parasite. They were all caused by a malicious protein.
Pelona turned pale.