Pre-notes: I just finished chapter 9 like ten minutes ago. I love this so much. I really do.
I don't think you guys understand how much work I've put into this
story even before I wrote it. In my notes on my iPod touch, I have over forty pages just talking about what I'm planning to do- I shit you not. ALL missions are planned out and every crew member has a total of five missions they'll go on. They'll be switching around with other crew members of course.
Oh and one last thing: I can confirm that there WILL be a love scene in this story. I can't say who it'll be between or when but I felt like letting you know. I can't post it here so I'll find another site to upload it on. Probably Deviantart. I also can't include hyperlinks in fanfiction so I strongly recommend liking my page so I can send you there. Ooooh I can't wait.
Welcome, SlySilver :)
There's nothing like an adrenaline high when your back is against the wall.
The boy snores softly in his sleep. His rough and cracked lips part and meet rhythmically as if he was speaking without making noise. Greasy strands of ebony hair cover his forehead; remains of ash and debris stick to his smooth pale skin.
"How is he?" Shepard asks quietly, as not to wake the boy.
The sleep deprived doctor rolls her chair over to them, a mug in hand and a pill bottle in the other. "Good," she whispers back with dreary eyes. "His wounds were completely healed by the time you left for Pinnacle station. There's no trace it even happened in the first place- there isn't even scar tissue."
"I don't understand how that's possible."
"No one does. It's not natural for a Human to have such a fast rate of biological repair." Chakwas takes a sip of her coffee, "I called every hospital, tax bureau and orphanage using your Spectre codes."
"Turn up anything new?" Shepard asks.
"Nothing. He wasn't even on the systems- he shouldn't have been on the Citadel in the first place. I tried asking him personally but he-"
"Wait, what?"
"He woke up a few days ago. He's used to the medicine I used; it won't work anymore."
"What happened exactly?" she asks. If the kid actually did wake up, there was a chance that Shepard could get some answers or the reason he held a shadow broker informant hostage. "How did he react?"
"Fine for the most part. He seemed confused but other than that, he remained passive. I actually tried asking him questions."
"I'm just surprised he didn't attack out of fear."
"Well... No one was shooting at him."
"True. You said you had a chance to ask him questions?"
"I tried but he didn't know the answers."
"Being stubborn?"
"Maybe, but I think... he has a problem with speaking."
"What? How does someone not know how to speak?" she asks. She looks down at the boy; his cheeks are stained by old, dried tear stains. Was the boy hurt? She had assumed he had some sort of cybernetic implant that nullified neural feedback from the nervous system or even a genetic modification. Or was there something more?
"I'd say he was abandoned at birth and somehow survived long enough to take care of himself..." The doctor trails off.
"But?" Shepard prods.
"He understands what I'm saying. I ran some tests with him-I pointed to something and said its name, then asked him to point out where it was after I moved it. He understood." The doctor stands and approaches the IV bag, turning the nob to release more water into the boy's veins, "However, when I asked him why he didn't speak, he didn't answer in any legible way", she says, huffing as she sits back down on her stool.
"Maybe he's deaf? Can read lips?"
"I tried sign language. He didn't understand. I believe he has Broca's aphasia- a disability caused by damage to the left frontal lobe."
"Do you think he was attacked? Head trauma?"
Chakwas sighs and shakes her head, "I checked. I found no signs of physical damage..."
Shepard sighs and looks down upon the boy, her hand brushes through his hair but quickly retreats when the kid's eyes flutter open. His sapphire eyes widen as he tries to sit up.
"He-hey! It's Chakwas, remember?" the doctor says, gently guiding him back down. She grabs another pillow and stuffs it under the kid's head. "How are you feeling?"
"...Feeling?" The boy repeats quietly.
"Yes", Shepard says, "Your body hurting? Aching? Uncomfortable? Anything?" she asks.
"I... don't know."
Shepard gives him a puzzled look, "You don't know how you feel?"
"No."
"What do you mean? What don't you know?" Chakwas asks, absentmindedly massaging the boy's forearm."
"...remember... Can't." The boy's eyebrows furrow, tears roll down his cheeks. A subtle glow begins to emanate from his pale skin.
So it was frustration. He was crying out of frustration? Because he doesn't know something? "What do you remember?"
The boy looks up at her, his piercing, watery eyes seem to scream in agony as he sobs, "Nothing", he whispers.
Chakwas opens her pill bottle, popping a small capsule out into the boy's hand and guiding it to his mouth. "Here. Take it", she whispers, handing him the coffee cup. The boy complies and puts the pill in his mouth; the coffee cup follows closely behind. His face contorts in disgust as the warm, light brown liquid meets with his mouth. Chakwas lets out a laugh and pats the boy on the back, "It's an acquired taste, dear."
The boy gingerly hands back the cup, a subtle look of disgust flashes across his face. The glow begins to dim as he reclines slowly onto the slab with an exhausted sigh, "Can't..." he whispers.
Shepard places a hand on his shoulder. If the boy understood what they were saying, maybe he'd understand gestures too. "Nothing..? Absolutely nothing? Do you at least remember your name?"
"...m-maybe..."
"What is it?"
"...I... I-"
"Commander", a voice calls over the intercom, loudly resounding through the sick lab and startling the residents. "We're arriving at Therum. Mission brief is done and the crew will be waiting for you in the Mako."
Shepard stands from her stool, "It's okay, you don't need to remember right now. Get some rest", she says with a nod to both of them as she excuses herself from the room.
"Logan", the kid says.
Shepard stops at the door, looking back at the boy as he flashes an accomplished smile, "Name!"
Milky way/Artemis Tau/Knossos/Therum:
Therum is a distant but rich industrial world claimed by the Alliance. Its plentiful heavy metals have fueled the recent manufacturing boom on Earth. Core samples rich with the fossils of simple silicon-based organisms indicate Therum was more habitable in the past than it is in the present. Most of the region you'll be dropped into is surrounded by shallow lava beds. The Mako cannot withstand temperatures that high so it is imperative that you steer clear. The Council informed us that the archaeologist, Dr. Liara T'soni, is somewhere within the Prothean ruins a few miles from here. She's an expert on Prothean technology and might be able to make sense of the beacon destroyed on Eden Prime; she's a gifted biotic as well.
Scans have shown synthetic activity taking place around the ruins. Chances are it's the Geth searching for her.
Take caution; Liara is the daughter of Matriarch Benezia but has shown no sign of following her. However, she could easily pose to be a threat of the same caliber.
-Hackett.
Most of the crew has massed into the cargo hold to prepare the Mako (and themselves) for the landing on Therum. Kaidan steps into the back area of the Mako with Tali. The Quarian mumbles a small concern about the safety of land travel. Across the bay, Wrex deeply inhales the last of his cigar and blows the toxic smoke from his nostrils like a dragon. Garrus stands next to him, checking the scope of his Reaper sniper rifle. A short distance away, Ashley stands in front of her locker, attaching the plates of her heavy armor to her under suit. One by one the crew slowly shuffles into the back of the Mako. Shepard nods to Pressly and steps into the vehicle as well. A lone book occupies the driver's seat.
'How to drive a Mako'
"Huh."
Kaidan hums some old melody he had heard in his earlier years- during one of his hospital stays actually. His mother had taken him to St. Paul's when his biotics were developing. He had knocked over his grandmother's urn during a nightmare. It wasn't the first time he had lost control and not nearly his last. The doctor... some near-sighted prick, who assumed he knew everything about biotics from the moment people noticed them, had insisted on having his mother send him to the illustrious Biotic Acclamation and Training program. His mother had shot the idea down, right from the start but the asshole persisted, stating that it was "vital" that he'd go. In the end, his mother had signed the paper he seemed to pull out of nowhere. She reassured him that it'd be safe. She brushed the hair from his face and lightly sang 'You are my Sunshine' to him, smiling that beautiful smile that could make anyone feel welcome.
Next to him, a sneer hisses at him. "Are you humming nursery songs, Lieutenant?" she asks with a grin.
"Yes I am, Chief. Yes I am."
Kaidan pulls a pair of small circular, sponge-like buds from his pocket. He squeezes one into a small roll and stuffs it into his ear. Across the Mako, Garrus's mandibles spread wide in a grin, "Sensitive to loud noises, Alenko?" he asks with a chuckle.
Kaidan shakes his head as he pops in another one, "I'm an L2. My implant causes migraines if I blink wrong; I figured a clunky tank-class vehicle makes a lot of noise so-"
The Turian shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Sorry," he mutters as he pulls down his shoulder bar. The Krogan next to him guffaws, patting the young Turian on the back and muttering some unintelligible statements about his intelligence.
"Alright that's enough," Shepard says from the driver's seat. She looks back at her team. Kaidan notices a rough bound book in his Commander's hands.
Ashley does too apparently. "What do you have there Commander?" she asks, pulling down her shoulder bar.
Shepard looks at it as if she's already forgotten what she was reading. She looks back at Ashley, "How to drive a Mako," she says nonchalantly.
Next to Kaidan, the Quarian subconsciously scoots closer to him, "Oh Keelah," she whimpers.
A panel lights up on the dashboard and beyond that, the metal plates slide away to reveal the calming blue lights of the Normandy's interior behind the thick glass windows. Shepard turns back to the front. "Everyone locked in?" she asks.
"Yes, Shepard, we are," Kaidan says with an honest smile. Ashley elbows him in the ribs, whispering something about being more than her pet. He can't quite make out what she says above the engine sparking to life but he hopes Shepard didn't notice.
"Shuttle bay cleared. Bay doors opening."
A brilliant splash of crimson pours into the Mako. Kaidan jams his eyes shut when a familiar flash of white hot pain sears through his skull. "Why is it so bright?!" He asks with a growl.
Shepard lightly presses her foot to the gas. The vehicle inches closer to the edge of the shuttle bay. "Therum," she says over the cacophony, "Glowing magma rivers and fields made of Iridium. I'm surprised it's not brighter."
A low whirring sound grows under the metal flooring; beginning as a subtle vibration and growing to a tumultuous quake under their feet.
A finger taps Kaidan's bicep, "What is that sound?" Tali asks fearfully.
"Jet-thrusters. There's probably not enough room to land the Normandy so we're falling to the ground in the Mako," he says.
"Fall? We're going to fall?!"
"That's right, Zorah," Shepard says, tossing the mission intel to Kaidan as the vehicle rolls forward to the edge of the bay. "Pass it around after you're done, Lieutenant."
Kaidan's eyes flick over the datapad as the Mako descends, quirking his lip up in amusement when he feels the young Quarian's vice grip on his arm.
"KEELAH," she screams.
The ride goes smoothly... in a sense. It's rough and vociferous, but in the twenty minutes of traveling through the craggy hills over the basins and rivers of molten lava, no sign of hostility makes itself known.
That is, until they drive up to the entrance to the dig site. The Mako lurches forward; a rattling sound thumps from underneath the flooring.
"What was that?" Kaidan asks, "A rock?"
"Geth actually," Shepard says as the vehicle lurches forward again. "Be ready to fight. As soon as we stop I want everyone out, guns blazing."
"What are you going to do?" Kaidan asks, undoing his restraints.
"I'll be drawing their fire with the Mako. That'll leave some for the rest of you." Her team members start to undo their restraints as the vehicle inches closer to the dig site. Wrex stands first- stretching from the port-side seat and cracking his neck. The rest start to follow suit when the Mako suddenly veers left. The Krogan stumbles and reels towards the starboard seats. Tali yelps and squeezes Kaidan's arm tighter as Wrex braces himself against the wall above her seat, a look of mirth starts to pull at his lips as he pushes himself off. "What the hell?!" Shepard questions. A large, four-legged synthetic draws close behind the window, ocular unit glowing a bright blue with energy before firing the brilliant mass. The energy collides to the ground next to the vehicle. The ground around it quakes as the rocks spray up. Inside, the crew members struggle to stand as they unfasten their shoulder bars. The Mako hangs a hard right and abruptly stops. The port-side hatch flings open. "There's crates, get into cover- get out!" Shepard screams.
Kaidan and the non-Alliance crew lower their heads and storm out of the vehicle, unleashing hell on whatever synthetic lies in their way with a shower of biotics and bullets. Ashley hesitates on her way out. "What are you going to do?" she calls over the thunderous roar of gunfire.
Shepard whips around in her seat; fiery eyes bore holes through her armor and into her soul. "Out. Now."
Ashley flinches.
"Chief," Shepard growls maliciously.
Ash quickly snaps back to attention and jumps out the hatch. The Mako screeches off before her feet even meet the ground. Ashley watches as it speeds off, running over a few unfortunate Geth. She turns back to the fight, momentarily dazed by the sudden shift. It's almost poetic. Three glowing drones zoom around the field, confronting the other synthetics while their master hides behind a crate filled to the brim with digging equipment. A wayward Geth makes its way towards the crate. Tali steps from her cover, shoving the barrel of her shotgun into its torso and firing. The trooper explodes outwards with the spray. Ashley blinks and looks a little left of the Quarian; Kaidan flexes his wrist at a group of Geth. His face turns a bright red as the synthetics disintegrate in a field of unstable dark matter. He stops and grabs at his head. A Geth approaches him from behind only to be picked up and crushed against a rock by Wrex.
"Look out, Chief!" Someone yells. A frog-like synthetic lands in front of her, its ocular glows brightly before the entire head explodes. Ashley looks over, wide-eyed to see Garrus perched on the top of a crate, sniper smoking. "Get your ass into cover!"
Enjoying the view, kid? Get off your ass Ashley, you're a soldier.
Ashley closes her eyes and clenches her teeth until she feels a pop in the back of her skull. A warm, familiar feeling flows through her veins, setting her blood on fire and making her fingers twitch in anticipation. She opens her eyes; everything seems to have slowed down to a sluggish pace. There is no noise, there are no words- there's only this hyperactive feeling and her gun. This was her art.
A Geth trooper explodes into flames as she comes down from her adrenaline high. It screeches and flails as the plasma eats away every inch of metal. Ashley looks- every synthetic was sent to hell in a blaze of fury... All except the armature. Her half-lidded eyes flick over just in time to see the Mako crash into the armature, carrying the fumbled synthetic on its roof. The vehicle accelerates, almost fish-tailing under the weight as it aims for a point where the lava and ground meet. The Mako brakes at the edge and shifts gears, grinding back in dirt and rocks as the armature plunges into the magma. It sputters and shrieks, sinking ever deeper into the river. The Mako pulls up slowly to the dig site; the commander steps off of the vehicle, "Ready for the next step?" she asks with a neutral tone.
Ashley hears footsteps behind her, she knows it's the rest of the team but she can't stop feeling the need to turn around and fire.
'Trust no one,' Wrex had told her. She pushes the thought aside and nods, "Ready for anything, ma'am."
"Good," the commander says, "Because you're coming into the mines with me and Wrex."
Kaidan looks at Shepard through squinted eyes, "Why aren't we all going?" he asks.
The blonde casts a gaze at him, "I figure these tunnels are deep."
"...and?" he asks.
"And if we need to contact the Normandy, our radios wouldn't be able to reach it. There's also going to be more Geth so I'm leaving the techs up here," she says.
This time, Garrus asks a question, "You think there's going to be more?"
"No doubt," Shepard says, starting to back towards the entrance, waving for Wrex and Ash to follow. "Haven't seen a Geth ship anywhere around here. It has to be somewhere."
"I bet," Shepard says, not attempting to hide her disinterest in Wrex's story. Behind her, Ashley grimaces in disgust at the sulfurous stench.
"Then she blew up the station and I made it out in the last escape pod," he says with pride, "old... Aleena- I think- stayed on board as it plummeted towards the planet. Ha! Dumb bitch."
"You sure she died?" Ashley asks trailing behind them. They reach the bottom of the deep descent into the caverns. The metal flooring latches to a metal grating, high above a solutional grotto. Shepard steps cautiously onto the rusty iron. It squeaks but refuses to shift under her weight. She places another foot on it, shaking up and down to test its durability. She looks back at the two and says to follow.
"She's alive," he says, stomping behind Shepard. "Got a message from her afterwards."
"How did she survive?"
"Hell if I know. Maybe she landed on her tits. They were abnormally thick...singularities," he says with a chuckle.
"That's disgusting," Ashley says disdainfully.
"Hear from her since then?" Wrex hears the commander ask.
"Not directly. I think she changed her name and ran to the Terminus."
"Hmm."
They step down the stained steps, Ashley looks around at the walls; the limestone, dolomite and gypsum mixed walls drip quietly in the dark. Ashley couldn't help staring in awe, "I've never seen anything like this," she whispers, "Ever. It's... amazing."
Shepard looks over her shoulder, "Admiring the speleogenesis?" Ashley gives her a confused look. Shepard smirks and explains, "It's the process of making caves. Water or magma wears and tears passages open underground. Carbonic and natural acid eat it away after that."
"And then a cave is formed?"
"And then a cave is formed."
Ashley's brows quirk up in amusement, "Damn, Shepard! Where'd you graduate? Harvard?" she asks playfully.
"Harvard?" Wrex interjects.
"It's a college back on Earth," the blonde says. The Krogan's face contorts in confusion.
"College?"
The Chief scoffs, "Saw that coming."
The Krogan's blood red eyes glare at the girl. "The only thing we need to learn is how to blow up Krakhors for opening their mout-."
"-The answer, Chief, is no. I didn't go to college. I made it to my freshmen year in high school before I enlisted."
Ashley nods solemnly, visibly regretting the question.
Shepard drops into the old elevator. The decrepit box shakes briefly but stands firm. Shepard walks cautiously around the lift; the metal screeches in protest. If the elevator barely holds an average-sized woman, forget bringing another woman and a Krogan. She takes a deep breath and looks up to the place she jumped from. She winces as she sees Wrex already off the edge and on the way down to her.
"WREX!"
The alien crashes roughly into the floor. Metal shrieks and the floor drops out from under them. Her heart rate quickens as she reaches out for something to grab on to. Her stomach sinks and she fights the urge to vomit. Above them, Ashley screams something unintelligible. Beside her a hulking figure roars as they both plummet after the flooring. The metal plating stops...
Everything goes black.
Post-notes: I am so sorry for being so late. I was so busy and I still am!
I don't know when the next chapter will be up but I promise it will be!
I realize the name of this chapter made you think something else was happening- sorry if I led you on!
Review. Follow. Like my page on Facebook (Mass Effect by Celestiallight) so you can see my inspiration and concept art I leave around there.
Ithinkthatsitokayihabetogonowbye.
-CelestialLight