Hey guys, back again with yet another chapter this one signifying the start of the three year gap and boy oh boy do I have a lot of shit planned for these three years
Since I have a general amount of free reign there's going to be a lot I could do here in helping me set up Mass Effect 2.
As for the previous chapter in regards to the team cleaning house on that asteroid.
It's like a natural progression for the team. They have been working together for so long, it's basically become a second nature to them which is why they can clear out an entire room of baddies within a decent amount of time
Anywho onto other things
I have been extremely busy with a great deal of things.
I have recently been 'recruited' per say in a major project involving Broadway, personal project really. It's a big hope of mine and I have invested a great deal of my time into it.
Let me get a bit more personal here.
Sees recently a lot of things have been taking up my attention from my two jobs to personal ambitions and desires that I want to accomplish.
I recently have gone through a bit of a revelation or more like long term soul-searching for the past few years. It's been really tough as I had a lot of pressure on me, something many of you obviously understand. I've been getting into serious fights with my family to the point of me walking out multiple times.
Granted these fights happen all the time in my family but not with me.
While I am extroverted, I always held back when it came to lashing out at my family. I always said to myself, 'You'll be like them and you won't be any better in doing so'.
That has changed now as I am now more than willing to stand up for myself and fight for the way I view the world.
I'm at a point in my life where I have opportunities presenting themselves and I also have the ability to create them when I want.
So I am living my life as I see fit and it has been a hell of a ride these past few months. Granted a part of me is upset at myself for not focusing on these stories but I'm glad to say I haven't forgotten them or my passion for them. Writers block is a pain in the ass since I also have an original idea for a science-fiction novel I have been working on for a few years now that I hope to one day publish.
In short, I have been extremely busy living life, enjoying and struggling with everyday obstacles while also focusing on many goals and ambitions that I have in mind and in front of me right now.
Follow your ambitions guys. Dreams are nice, but that's just what they are, dreams. But ambition, passion and a drive to do what you love, what you enjoy, what brings you happiness even in times of turmoil. That is achievable.
By the way.
DID YOU GUYS SEE ALL THOSE SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON TRAILERS?!
MARVELS NETFLIX IRON FIST, LUKE CAGE, DAREDEVIL, DEFENDERS
AND THEN WARNER BROS TRAILERS, LEGENDARY BEASTS, LEGO BATMAN, SUICIDE SQUAD AND THE ONES THAT REALLY MATTER WONDER FUCKING WOMAN AND THE JUSTICE FUCKING LEAUGE
OH GOD I LOVE BEING ALIVE RIGHT NOW
Rate Read and review and As Always Have Nice Day
Along Came A Spider Chapter 18: The Days go by, the troubles brewing ahead
Nearly two weeks had passed since the mission on Asteroid X57.
The moment the media caught wind of this incident and that it revolved around the involvement of Shepard, Spider-man and the crew of the Normandy, they went ballistic on the crew the moment the Normandy landed back in the Citadel.
If it wasn't for the timely intervention of Captain Anderson, the Normandy crew would have been absolutely swamped by the media.
Right now though, it was another rare instance of peace.
Peter was having a fun time with Tali as she was progressing with leaps and bounds on the arc reactor, getting a more in depth understanding to its functions as well as how to assemble it.
But right now, they were focusing on her arms.
Peter was putting on the finishing touches to her very own arc beams that were tweaked to be powered by a small battery that was attached to a small back pack.
Since it was only a prototype, the maximum amount the pack could power her arc beam blaster was 1 to 3 hours tops. There was also how often it was used and how it was used.
Still, that didn't deter Tali in her jittery excitement as she was trembling with excitement
"You ready for this?" Peter asked with a grin
"Big time" Tali stated excitedly "Keelah, I can't wait"
"Alright…almost…" Peter screwed in one last bolt before closing the small hatch on her armored elbow "AND Done"
"Ok, so what do I do first?" Tali asked
"Get a feel for the armor" Peter instructed "How does it feel?"
"Kinda heavy" Tali admitted, amiably swing her arms back and forth before doing some arm curls "But I think I'll get used to it"
"Ok" Peter nodded, expecting this "Now, curl up your fist and make sure both hands are on the same level as your waist"
Tali did as instructed
"Open your palms"
Tali did so and from the small circles on her palms, a small burst of energy came out, keeping a steady flow going.
Slowly, Tali was lifted off the ground making her laugh nervously and giddily.
"Keelah" Tali said in a high pitched whisper "This is amazing! I'm flying! I'm actually flying!"
"Hovering is more like it" Peter remarked with a grin at Tali being a bit wobbly "But yes you're flying. So in words, describe how it feels"
Peter said this as he brought up his new camera to record a video and take pictures
"THIS IS INCREDIBLE" Tali Exclaimed, accidentally throwing her arms up.
The action of that made her fall down flat on her back with her arms flailing about wildly for a moment before she shut them down.
Both laughed at Tali's little mishap.
"Keelah, I can't wait to do more" Tali said, staring in awe at her hands "You think I can make an armor like that Iron Man fellow you have on your other team"
"With you Tali, most definitely" Peter said, grin still in place as he helped her up to her feet
"So now what do we do?" Tali asked
"Well, seeing that we accomplished our awesome moment of the day, I say this calls for a mini celebration" Peter declared
"Agreed" Tali said with equal gusto
The two took off Tali's armor and set it down on their work station.
They rushed down to the mess hall of the ship, garnering odd looks from some of the other personnel which they ignored.
Tali and Peter arrived at a table, a bottle of alcohol for Tali and one for Peter that they got from the Shack.
Opening both and pouring the contents into their cups, they clanked the glasses together and happily drank it down.
"To science" They both said boisterously before laughing together
"What's this about?" Said the voice of Garrus Vakarian who sat down beside them
In his hands was rag that had oily splotches on it that came from his calibrating working hands.
"Garrus" Tali said giddily "You're not gonna believe this! Well, actually you probably will. But still It's unbelievable. I mean we've seen it from Peter but to actually do it…"
"Whoa WHOA" Garrus said, holding up both hands to signify for Tali to calm down "Now, explain to me as un-drunkenly as possible"
"We're not drunk at all" Tali pouted cutely making the Turian chuckle at her childishness
"We were just celebrating good old fashioned scientific achievement" Peter answered for them, holding up his camera.
Pressing the play button, Peter showed Garrus Tali's first flight.
"Wow" Garrus whispered. He then put on joking affronted tone "Wait, you guys did this and didn't invite me?!"
"It was only a test run" Tali reassured "Once Peter and I had gotten a better development on it, we were gonna show the whole team"
"That's awesome" Garrus said, handing Peter's camera back "So what's the plan for today?"
"Meh" Peter shrugged "It's been rather quiet throughout the galaxy to an extent. So I'm going on a swing later on, find some crime, put it down"
"Mind if I join you?" Garrus asked "I'm done with calibrations on the new Mako. And honestly I've been craving some type of excitement…I think these past few months have made me a bit addicted to it"
"Same here" Tali said "Every week we were doing something exciting or crazy. To go more than ten days without anything happening is a little, what's the word for it? Jarring?"
"I guess" Peter said with a shrug "Still, you guys are right, I'm craving a little fun myself"
"Then let's go make our own" Garrus said eagerly
"See you out there" Peter said, the black suit already morphing around him
When Peter left the two, Tali awkwardly looked to Garrus
"Uh, does that mean I ride with you?" Tali inquired
Garrus blinked before faking a cough "I guess so"
"Well" Tali rocked back and forth a bit "Always wanted to fly your bike"
"Then you're in for a real treat" Garrus shot back now sporting a grin.
Fast forward a bit
"COME ON SHARPSHOOTER KEEP UP" Spider-man shouted behind him with Garrus on his flying motorbike hot in pursuit of Spider-man with Tali holding onto him tightly laughing all the way.
"You'll never escape Peter" Garrus called back
"Then why am I ahead of you?"
"Because I allowed it"
"Of course you did"
"Yes I did"
"Don't worry Garrus, I bet Tali believes you"
"No I don't!"
"TALI!? HOW COULD YOU?!"
"HAHA, VICTORY IS MINE"
"OK YOU ASKED FOR IT"
The trio just laughed and joked merrily in the skies, sailing over all those below.
The laughter changed when the tell-tale sounds of trouble came in the sounds C-sec sirens.
"Looks like we've got something" Peter called back to them, swinging towards the source of the sirens with Garrus and Tali following after him.
Up ahead they saw there was smoke coming out of a dome like building.
"Looks like the hall of justice is under attack" Spider-man murmured to himself
Performing a flip, Spider-man landed in front a large assembled crowd.
Putting the bike in hover mode, Garrus and Tali jumped down, landing beside Spider-man, the three facing the burning building.
There was clearly still fighting going on inside along with odd concussive like blasts that sounded rather familiar to the web-head.
"Wonder what happened here?" Tali asked
"Let's find out" Spider-man Said
The trio approached several C-sec officers who were shifting about nervously
"Excuse me" Garrus said, taking on a tone with more authority "Can you tell us what's going on here?"
Garrus then recognized one of the C-sec officers.
"Max?" Garrus called out to the human C-sec "Is that you?"
"Garrus?" Max said in surprise "What are you doing here?"
"Helping this guy out" Garrus said, pointing his thumb over to Spider-man
Max and the other C-sec did a double take, staring at the web-head in awe.
"Mr. Spider-man" Max stammered out "Spider-man, sir spider-man"
"Oh god you've got a fanboy" Garrus groaned
"Mr. Spider-man eh?' Peter said in amusement "Never been called that before. You just became my new favorite Max"
"Can you tell us what's going on here?" Tali cut in, returning everyone's attention to the matter at hand
"Right" max said sheepishly "Sorry. Anyway, we got a distress call that a science facility was being raided by mercenaries. It's total chaos in there Garrus. A dozen C-sec went in, they haven't come out yet"
The trio shared a glance before nodding to one another.
"Not to knock you guys or anything, but we'll have our shot officers" Spider-man said respectfully
"No, by all means, go" A Turian C-sec stated "Much as any proud C-sec would loathe to admit it, knowing that not only Spider-man but also Garrus Vakarian and Tali of the Normandy are coming to help us out, it helps a great deal"
Tali blinked at that
"You know us?"
"Hell yeah" Max said with a grin "Half the galaxy already knows about the Normandy team"
"Tali, we'll sign autographs later" Spider-man said walking towards the building
"Oh, uh right" Tali said in embarrassment "Let's go"
The team entered the building on guard, Spidey with his arms up and Garrus and Tali with their guns up.
"Hmmm" Garrus kept his finger on the trigger "Nothing on the radar"
"My spider-sense isn't acting up either" Spider-man stated "For now"
"Let's move" Garrus said and they began moving down the first pathway they saw.
Why that pathway? Because that was the pathway that had the most destruction and there was noise coming from that direction.
They began to pick up the pace when they heard an explosion a few floors above them and hearing the infrastructure groan in 'pain'.
Dashing up a nearby staircase, Garrus, Tali and Peter made it up several flights before running into the floor where they guessed the explosion came from.
And they guessed correctly as before them was a lab that was on fire with a plume of black smoke coming from a giant hole in the wall.
"Well, Well, Well" Said a calm voice from the smoke "Look what we have here"
The trio tensed, at the ready for whoever was in that smoke. They heard multiple footsteps and Spider-man tilted his head.
That voice sounded somewhat familiar to Spider-man.
From the smoke, the voice continued speaking, getting closer to them.
"It has been a while, hasn't it Spider-man' The man said now really getting Peter's attention "I see you brought Vakarian as well along with a Quarian. Tali Vas Nariyaah correct? I hope I didn't butcher that name, that would be rude on my part"
Just as they were about to ask who he was, the smoke rippled before being dispersed, revealing the group of individuals that stood within the smoke.
Garrus and Tali's jaws dropped whilst Peter narrowed his eyes, a sense of universal familiarity just welling up in him.
"Sakoln" Garrus said in a bit of shock "What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Clearly I am taking something that doesn't belong to me" Sakoln said dryly "And you, being the generic superhero that you are Spider-man came charging in to stop me"
"Why are you here Sakoln?" Spider-man asked "What, your therapy sessions in jail weren't working out for you"
"Let's just say getting paired up with Gaius once again was rather aggravating" Sakoln said sourly "That and the fact that I was bested by an amateur talkative fool of a human left quite the dent on my ego"
"In case you've dropped a few brain cells in your time in the slammer Suck on" Peter quipped "I've been doing this for far longer than you've been a Salarian with daddy issues. Or did you forget the fact that I beat your sorry ass in less than two tries"
"A mistake on my part" Sakoln admitted, shrugging his shoulders "One I plan to rectify"
"Right" Garrus remarked "Whatever you say oven mitt"
That irked Sakoln somewhat. Granted he chose the color scheme of his shock armor but to be compared to a household item, a human one at that, annoyed him to no end.
Tali actually picked up on that twitch of the head when Garrus called him an oven mitt.
"Did that strike a chord oven mitt?" Tali teased with a grin making her friends jolt before they two supported mocking grin "Such a shame that you're mocked by being called an oven mitt over being feared as Shocker"
Shocker actually bit back a growl.
"We shall see after this" Sakoln said darkly, raising his free arm and firing a shockwave
Spider-man performed a neo matrix dodge while Garrus and Tali dove out of the way
Those last words and actions were the incentive the mercs around Sakoln fired upon them.
Tali and Garrus went for cover, Spider-man jumped up sticking to the wall.
He already fired several web strands managing to snag a few guns away from the mercs.
Two only got shot down however as Garrus and Tali were now being attacked by Sakoln personally.
This made Spider-man go after Sakoln leaving Garrus and Tali to deal with the remaining Mercs themselves.
"You think Spider-man will be fine Garrus?" Tali asked in concern
"He'll be fine" Garrus said in total confidence "Peter kicked that guys ass after their first encounter"
Shocker and Spider-man began fighting down a hallway that branched away from the lab with Peter jumping from the floor to the ceiling to the walls as Sakoln was relentless with his attacks.
"Last time we fought Spider-man, I had severely underestimated you" Sakoln said with a sneer "Not this time"
"If I had a Nickle for every time I heard that" Spider-man murmured, jumping down from the ceiling to avoid yet another shockwave blast.
But something felt rather odd.
Peter couldn't explain it, but he felt his suit shift about uncomfortably somewhat and it was starting to affect him. Every dodge he did, there was an odd underlying ringing in his ears and a hum of sorts that his symbiote suit gave off.
Choosing to ignore it, Spider-man crouched down and threw himself into a corkscrew at Shocker just as he fired another shockwave.
He planted both feet on Sakolns chest and sent him flying back.
Shocker grunted in pain as he hit the wall hard but growled getting up and firing a torrent of Shockwaves that didn't let up forcing Spider-man dodge and retreat to gain some distance.
"My god you shoot like a Stormtrooper" Spider-man remarked
"If you are going to insult me, at least make the insults ones I could understand"
"It's better for you not to know" Spider-man shot back "You're little mind may overload from the shear shame of my words"
"Clearly" Sakoln said dryly "I find it rather shameful and beneath I'm fighting a human wearing a leotard"
"You're just saying that to save face"
Sakoln was surprisingly silent before nodding his head
"You're right" Shocker admitted
"Ah see that's the first to rehabilitation" Spider-man said in a sincere tone
"You just never shut up do you"
"Is that a rhetorical question?"
"What gave it away?"
"Your lack of annoyance"
"You'd be surprised how quickly I got over your obsessive talking disorder"
"Huh, that's a first"
"First what?"
"Call me chatter a talking disorder….should I got to the doctor for that?"
"No need, I'll send you there myself"
"WOW, seriously? Dude that was insanely generic even for you, come on man you can't deny that"
"…."
"Sakoln"
"Ok fine, yes that was rather beneath me"
"Like my god man, aren't you a Salarian? Aren't you supposed to be a super genius species"
"That's stereotyping"
"Wow, we're really going places aren't we?"
"ENOUGH"
Sakoln compacted his power before firing a body shockwave which hit Spider-man directly that flung him outside through a window.
What spider-man did not expect was the earsplitting ring within his ears and the fact that his entire suit was convulsing in pain and in turn so was he to an extent.
"AURGH" Spider-man cried out just as he hit the ground.
'The hell was that?' Spider-man thought wildly as the pain had yet to subside 'That didn't hurt that badly last time'
Spider-man groaned get up and noticed that something was dripping from him.
At first he thought it was blood, his vision blurry.
From behind, Shocker used his gauntlets and enhanced suit to slow his descent down, landing normally on the ground, now marching towards Spider-man.
Vision now clearing, Spider-man noticed a black gooey substance struggling its way back over to his hand.
'Is that….The symbiote?' Peter thought in bewilderment as the ringing in his ears was replaced with a familiar new one that made him jump and back flip in the air to deliver an upside down kick to Sakoln who stumbled back and fell on the ground clutching his dented armor.
Struggling back to his feet, Spider-man felt the symbiote still shifting about on his skin, his healing factor slowly nullifying the pain which just hummed across his body.
"It seems that with upgrades come setbacks" Sakoln grunted, holding the dented armor which seemed to affect him more than it seemed on the surface.
"Right, whatever you say quilt patch" Spider-man said, hiding the pain in his voice "Now why don't you being a good little criminal and surrender"
Sakoln just did a deadpan stare at Spider-man before firing a barrage of shockwaves.
"WHOA, EASY THERE SHOCKER" Peter exclaimed, leaping about.
When he dodged the last beam, Peter saw that somehow, Sakoln was gone.
"Seriously? Did he just pull off a Batman vanishing act?" Spider-man said in disbelief "Man I'm annoyed now but serious props, can't deny that was impressive"
Peter was cut from his musings when he heard the voice of Tali…
"Peter!"
Peter turned to see Tali and Garrus running over to him in concern.
"You alright Pete?" Garrus asked "You looked like you took quite a hit"
"Felt worse than it looked" Peter admitted rubbing his as there was still a lingering uncomfortable pain "How did you guys fair? I hope better than me"
"We got them all save for Sakoln" Garrus said
"Wonder what he even wanted from this place?" Tali asked "This lab isn't known for anything unique or special other than analysis"
"Analysis? For what?"
"Well from basic ancient stones to technology leftover from the Portheans" Tali explained "Still, this does seem like an odd place to go through a near terrorist like attack just for some technology"
"What did he steal?" Peter asked
"Let's go find out" Garrus said
Later that day in an undisclosed location
Sakoln had at long last returned to his own hidden base in the Citadels more sketchier city blocks.
Casually walking over to his work station, Sakoln placed the briefcase onto the table before moving to remove his shock armor.
Turning on a recorder, Sakoln began a journal entry whilst carefully taking off his chest
"Journal entry number 198" Sakoln spoke in his usual monotonous, dry tone "Today I encountered Spider-man for the third time. It seems as though that these monthly clashes are going to be an inevitability so it's best to begin preparing. He is a worthy opponent. Cannot deny the rush of adrenaline when facing a foe like him"
Sakoln briefly looked over his chest piece, the foot dent his main focus of attention
"Still curious" Sakoln went on "What is his motive? Does he do this for an ulterior motive or out of true sincerity? Regardless, motive right now, unimportant. Preparation for enemy is. Which is why I have stolen a wave energy density scanner gen-10"
Sakoln removed his gauntlets and the rest of his upper body armor and went up to the briefcase. Flicking the clips up, Sakoln opened the case to reveal multiple pieces of a device soon to be put together. Inside on the bottom middle right in front of Sakoln was a small data chip.
Shocker took that one first and went to place it in his computer systems.
His screens showed various different blueprints and functions of the scanning device he possessed.
He then went over to the wall of his work station and placed his hand in between a bunch of hanging tools. There was a whirring noise followed by a noise of acceptance and a hole in the wall opened.
Then from the wall came a glass case box and within the box floated an odd stone with ruin marks on it.
"Tomorrow we shall commence the study of the stone that appeared from nowhere" Sakoln said, a hint of anticipation in his voice
On the Normandy
Spider-man was currently in his little lab, heavily concentrated on the specimen that he was observing through his microscope.
What was it that got his attention?
A small piece of his Symbiote suit was underneath the scope, wiggling about on the small glass piece.
He narrowed his eyes, trying to see if there was anything wrong with the creature but found nothing.
"Peter?"
Peter looked up from his microscope and saw Shepard walking up to him.
"Hey Commander, What's up?" Peter greeted
"Oh nothing serious, just took Liara out on a dinner date when I heard on the news that my crewmates encountered an old enemy again" Shepard said casually "Only this time, I heard from Garrus and Tali you took a much harder beating than last time"
Peter looked a bit sheepish at that tidbit, grinning weakly
"Trust me, I've had worse" Spider-man admitted
"I know, I've seen it" Shepard reminded pointedly "But still doesn't mean I can't voice my concern"
"And you're in your right to do so" Peter stated "Cause this actually has me a little worried"
"What's wrong?"
"How do I explain it…" Peter said "Well, you know about my new suit, right?"
"The Symbiote" Shepard said with a nod of his head
"Yeah, so recently after getting this crazy upgrade, I began thinking to myself are there any setbacks" Spider-man explained "This is a living, unknown entity that has bonded not only with my body but my DNA. So I was worried that I could perhaps get some new weaknesses with these upgrades"
Peter went back to his microscope.
"And there are" Peter declared, bringing out his Omni-Tool, a small screen appearing
Peter selected a file and a video was played displaying the Symbiote sample spazzing about intensely
"What's happening here?" Shepard asked in concern
"High frequency soundwaves and shockwaves" Spider-man answered "My suit is apparently very weak to these specific sounds and frequencies"
"So Shocker now has a distinct advantage over you" Shepard stated
"Yup" Spider-man said tonelessly "An edge I need to take care of"
"How though?" Shepard asked "From the looks of things you can't exactly change this with technology. If this is a living organism, then that means that its weaknesses are a part of it. It's DNA basically"
"You're a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for, you know that Shepard?" Peter complimented "But I know what you're saying. Forcibly changing the symbiotes DNA into being able to resist its weaknesses could be a great boon but god knows what added affects might come with it"
"So what's you plan?" Shepard asked crossing his arms
"Right now? Maybe create a device that can help me resist the weaknesses, like a dampener of sorts. But for now, I've got nothing but more analysis's to do"
"Save it for later" Shepard said "Remember, we've got a night out at the shack today"
Peter grinned at that
"After all that's happened, I could really go for a break" Peter packed up his gear to go change
"See you in a few" Shepard said moving to leave the area
While Peter was packing up, he paused for a moment in thought.
'How long has it been now?' Peter thought to himself 'A year? More?'
Peter remembered Madame Webs words on how his appearance here was now having a very multiversal effect on this singular universe.
'Does that mean I've done something worse?' Peter thought in a slight panic
Peter's internal monologue was cut short when his Omni-Tool gave him a pop-up message from Garrus telling him the crew was waiting on him.
Shaking his head, Peter mentally commanded for the symbiote to recede itself so Peter could simply wear casual clothing and ran off to join the others.
Few hours later
The entire team was simply strolling about the Citadel, in small groups laughing and talking one another after a nice long dinner of sorts at the Shack.
Tali was somewhat giddy from drinking a little too. Then again the same could be said for all of them.
They weren't drunk at all but just more outgoing than usual.
Of course walking through the Citadel wasn't exactly simple as many citizens stopped to stare in awe and amazement at the crew that saved the Citadel not too long ago.
Eventually, the team found a relatively calm and simple bar that was open this late in the night. It was relatively, with only several people in the bar.
They decided to settle there to relax and simply hangout together without dozens of people staring at them.
The bar had a rather calming aura to it that was rather appealing to the team.
Shepard and Liara sat together in a booth of sorts, whilst the others sat at a separate table to themselves.
Right now, Peter was recounting one of his many adventure back in his universe.
"So there I am, taking on Doc Ock, Kraven, Sandman, Mysterio, Rhino and Electro all on my own" Peter said dramatically with the team leaning in listening with great interest
"And it's down to me and Doctor Octopus who's doing his typical "rah rah I'm gonna defeat you spider-man using my superior intellect' not knowing that I already called in the rest of the Avengers in to help me out"
"I swear I think he pops a vein when I shot a web ball into his mouth and just as he was about to pull the glob out and go on a tirade, literally speaking, Cap, Tony and the entire team just literally arrive from above and surround Doc"
"And that my friends was the first time I ever saw somebody shit themselves" Peter finished garnering laughs from the group
"I would actually pay to see that" Garrus remarked "Being surrounded to the point where someone craps themselves from fear"
"Maybe we could try that one time" Ashley suggested "Would for a hell of a story to tell. Eight badass people making one person crap their pants from the sheer awesomeness of our presence"
"Sounds like a headline" Kaidan agreed chuckling
"Um, guys" Tali suddenly spoke up a bit nervously "I have something I need to tell you"
The crew looked at Tali in confusion. She was fidgeting under their gazes and was unsure of what to do now.
"What is it Tali?" Garrus asked first
"Um…well it's just that…" Tali now sounded sad "It's been such a great ride between all of us and I don't want it to end, but…..my pilgrimage is coming to an end"
The team felt a terrible feeling welling up inside them
Tali exhaled shakily
"It's time for me to go home"
The entire team simply stared in disbelief but at the same time a level of understanding.
"Do you really have to go?" Ashley asked softly
"Yes" Tali said sadly "There's a ship coming to get me at the end of tomorrow"
"And then you'll be off, back home" Garrus said
"That's just it" Tali wringed her hands "I don't know if I want to go. You guys….you're my home"
"Aw no need to get sentimental on us Tali" Wrex said in a friendly manner "If you don't want to go, then don't go"
Tali smile happily and sadly at the crew before shaking her head.
"I want to…so badly" Tali said "But I've also got a responsibility to my race. My father is waiting for me, my friends and family from the flotilla are all waiting for me"
Peter placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling at her.
"Then go to them" Peter said "We'll be waiting here. Even if we go our own separate ways, when the time comes we'll all be back together as a team again"
Tali smiled, leaning herself onto Peter who hugged her.
The night carried on, the last one they would spend together as a team for a very long time.
The next day
It was a sad day on the Normandy as everyone watched Tali slowly pack her bags and say her goodbyes. The entire team spent the day together, eating breakfast lunch and dinner together and spending the times in between as the minutes counted down to Tali's time. Even Joker decided to join them as he too bonded with Tali.
Soon, they were standing in a docking bay, awaiting the arrival of Tali's transport that will return her to the Flotilla and her people.
"Surreal isn't it" Shepard murmured to Peter and Kaidan beside him
"Hmmm?" Kaidan said, glancing at Shepard
"This all began on Eden Prime" Shepard said "It was you me and Ashley then we got Garrus, Wrex, Tali and Spider-man"
"And on Noveria you found your lady love" Peter said with a cheeky grin, gently elbowing Shepards shoulder
John simply grinned back and playfully swatted aside Pete's arm.
"Still" Kaidan said "To think that we did all that in these past months…I was starting to think that it would never end really"
Shepard sighed, looking at Tali, Ashley and Liara all conversing with one another.
Liara glanced over and caught Shepards eye, giving him a warm smile which Shepard returned
"I didn't want it to end either" Shepard said softly "She's like a little sister to me now"
"DAW, That's sweet Shepard' Peter teased, pinching the Spectres cheek
Shepards eyebrow twitched uncontrollably
"Peter, you have one second before you get a bullet in the ass" Shepard growled out
"Aw you know I'm just teasing Spectre boy"
"Boy?"
"Yeah, I'm man, you're boy" Peter remarked "Deal with it"
Before Shepard could retort, they saw a ship descend down towards them, leveling itself in front of the ramp before being held in place by the 'anchors' of the docks.
Tali knew it was time.
From the ship came out two more Quarians, these ones being male, awaiting Tali.
She then proceeded to give two bear hugs to both Ashley and Liara who returned it as well, both tearing up a bit.
The trio walked over to the others, Liara joining Shepard and Ashley standing besides Kaidan.
Tali stood in front of them all.
"Goodbye you guys, it's been amazing" Tali said with a quiver in her voice "You took me in when I was on a personal journey and became my family along the way"
"And we always will be" Peter said
Tali sniffled and gave them all a beaming smile before going up to Wrex first and giving him a big hug.
Wrex blinked at first, having never received a hug. But then it changed into a Krogan smile and he returned Tali's hug.
She then moved on to Ashley once more and the two embraced, whispering goodbyes to one another.
Kaidan was next, followed by Liara, then Joker.
Shepard and her smiled at each other hugged tightly in a sibling like manner.
"Take care of yourself Tali" Shepard said to her
"You too, Shepard" Tali said in turn
She then stood before Garrus and Peter who were staring back with somber smiles. Tali then jumped on the two, holding them close to her and they hugged her back just as tightly.
"Come on guys group hug" Peter called out causing them all to laugh before joining the three and everyone came together for one last group hug, staying like that for a few moments.
Then they split apart and Tali grabbed her bags and began walking towards her ship with everyone calling out to her.
"Bye Tali, we'll see you again soon"
"Take care of yourself Tali"
"We'll miss you"
"Don't forget to write"
"We'll keep your seat reserved at the shack at all times"
"Visit when you can, we've still got more to make"
"Stay healthy"
"Jeff…"
"What?"
"Bye everyone" Tali said heartily before the door to the ship shut, cutting her view of the team.
The team watched the ship detach itself and soon flew off high, into the vastness of space to return to the Flotilla of the Quarian race.
And with that, the team departed the docks
Elsewhere
The Illusive Man, leader of Cerberus looked over multiple files before him regarding his organization, other organizations and topics of interest for the illusive man.
Right now, it was the topics of interest that held the attention of the enigmatic leader of Cerberus.
Specifically the crew of the Normandy.
He was once again watching the videos of their exploits across the various systems that seem to have enamored practically the entire galaxy.
Jack Harper mentally snorted to himself, looking down on the millions of foolish species that idolized these so called "Heroes" as the media had dubbed them.
Still he could not deny that they had left a serious impact on the galaxy overall.
A collection of species, some of which have intense animosity for one another, coming together for a common goal and succeeding in doing so.
Many saw them as a shining beacon of a future where it is possible for species from all walks of life to get along and work towards a better future.
Illusive Man merely saw it as a way to exploit and amplify the power of influence Humanity had in their journey towards their rightful place among the stars.
He intently eyed both Commander Shepard and the super human known as Spider-man.
Those two in particular stood out amongst the Normandy team, though each member has already begun garnering their own reputations but it cannot be denied that Spider-man and Shepard are the true "Stars" of the Normandy.
Currently, Jack Harper was observing two specific videos.
They were news footage of Spider-man's battles with the villain known as Sakoln the Shocker and a being that truly intrigued Illusive Man. A being named Electro who is supposedly human but is made of pure energy.
The galaxy had seen some extraordinary things come out from the woodwork over the Millennia. But these individuals seem to have stepped up everything. There was a time were biotics were perceived as the closest thing possible to having superpowers.
But now?
Men with superhuman strength, agility, speed, reflexes and strength
Beings made of pure energy
Scientists who have created shockwave weapons the size of basic armor
And the illusive man that this was only the beginning
Something was changing in the galaxy. The shift is subtle for the moment, slow and barely noticeable.
However people such as Jack Harper knew better. Very few in the galaxy had this skill set to detect the coming changes in the galaxy.
Granted, illusive man understood that there were now the threat of the android like species known as the Reapers.
Of course he believed Shepards words. From the man's resume, it was highly unlikely he would lie about something like that so easily.
Illusive Man already guessed that the Citadel Council might find a way to rectify this "Outlandish" claim and sweep it under the rug to keep the pretense of this 'false peace'.
"Illusive man"
Jack Harper blinked momentarily, surprised that he was so deep in thought he didn't even notice his agent Miranda Lawson enter his office.
Miranda herself was a bit surprised, arching an eyebrow at her boss. Whatever he had on his mind must have been very important.
"Miss Lawson" Illusive Man greeted, taking a smoke from his cigar "I take it you have news for me"
"Yes" Miranda said, holding up a datapad for him to take "It appears the Hydraulics department has made a breakthrough"
"Oh?" Illusive man said half interested "And what would that be?"
"See for yourself" Miranda said, Illusive man taking the datapad out of her hands
Opening the video recording file, the video showed multiple men in lab coats in a lab surrounding a particularly odd looking device.
It was shaped in a curved tail like manner with a tipped edge.
In front of said device was a test dummy retrofitted with the best armor on the market, the strongest Kinetic shields to date.
"Stinger experiment test number 27" The Head scientist spoke in the video "Now through its final stages of the body. Beginning test in three…two…one…."
The stinger like limb suddenly shot forward and burst through the Kinetic shields with total ease, as if through paper.
The scientists all clapped for their success and then the video shifted over to the stinger limb piercing through tanks, mechs, air vehicles and so along with a range of additions such as the ability to fire metal spikes at high velocity.
Illusive Man hummed in thought, seeing the success of the sting suit that they had been developing for quite some time.
"So it's prepared then?" Illusive Man asked
"Yes sir" Miranda said "Though for it to be truly ready, the scientists suggested proper field test runs"
"That can be arranged"
"There's also a certain catch"
"Hmmm?"
"While the suit is very advanced and powerful, there is one rather serious drawback" Miranda said emotionlessly "Once the suit is place upon a user, it is impossible to remove it"
"Oh? And how is this possible?"
"The bonding procedure is very complicated and dangerous. The suit has a spinal element which is meant to be infused within the spine of the user. While this will give the wearer total control of the suit, it's fused the body. Currently, they have no way of removing the suit without killing the wearer"
Illusive man leaned back in his chair, contemplating on the information that has been given to him.
This suit while not truly amazing still was not something he chose to ignore.
It was then that Illusive man noticed a picture of spider-man on one of the screens floating around him.
"There's always those that crave power" Illusive man began speaking in a sage like manner "And those that are more than willing to throw away everything to have just a taste of it. Most to foolish to realize the path they've set themselves on until it's too late"
Harper than looked at Miranda directly in the eye.
"Find me candidates that may be worth our time in this project"
"Right away Sir" Miranda said turning to leave, making Illusive Man return to his isolated contemplation.
He stared intently at Spider-man's image.
"Times are changing" Illusive Man said
FUCKING FINALLY
So if you read my first author's note of the chapter, you'll know I've been extremely busy
But I'm just glad that I'm back
Hopefully I'll be able to update my other stories.
If I don't update than that's what's been going on refer to this chapters opening authors note to know that.
Rate Read and Review and As Always Have Nice Day