A/N: The fight against the Blue Suns is slowly coming to an end. The next few chapters will help lead everything up to the final confrontation with them and hopefully an end to their schemes.
Also, I know that the AI within the nano suit is really called SECOND. I just figured naming it after the last one to wear the suit would be easier to manage.
I own nothing
Reena sighed as she finished up her shift at Zen's shop. Ever since Alex told her everything about what he does as 'Maverick' she couldn't help but worry about her Human friend.
Alex was strong, and had a will that seemed unbreakable. But somewhere deep within the Quarian's heart she couldn't help but wonder if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Even though he had well honed skills, a powerful suit and an arsenal, that even though was very old bordering on antique yet still very powerful. She couldn't help but think something bad was going to happen.
"Knock, knock." Reena jumped as she turned around only to see Chellick grinning at her from the doorway leading into the workshop. "Oh, Chellick! I wasn't expecting you so soon." she said getting up and hugging the Turian.
"Got off early today, so I thought I'd come and see if you wanted to go out when you finished up." said Chellick.
Reena smiled, "Sure. Just let me finish cleaning up." she said going back to her station to put things away.
The detective looked around the room for a few moments. "Hay, where's Alex? Shouldn't he still be here too?" he asked not seeing his friend around.
Reena's back straightened slightly, "He wasn't feeling to well, so he decided to head home early." she said walking over to him. Chellick raised an eyeridge, "Sick? I don't think I've ever seen him sick since I've met him."
"I know, it shocked me too. But he said that he was fine and was heading home to rest." replied the Quarian as the left the shop arm in arm.
"Maybe we can pick something up for him, kind of a get well thing." said the detective as they walked down the busy streets. Reena nodded but decided not to say anything. Chellick was getting really good at reading her body language and she didn't want him to figure anything out.
It was then she realized something, "Chellick, how did you get the rest of the day off? I thought you were helping C-Sec track down Maverick?" she asked curious.
Chellick scoffed, "Damn council harped on the Executor for not finding him sooner. So they decided to send someone after him so C-Sec could handle the other cases we got going on right now."
Fear and dread clutched at Reena's stomach. "Who...did they send after him?" she asked trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.
The detective chuckled, "An Asari Spectre, Tela Vasir. Shocked the hell out of all of us that they'd send one of their best after him. Then again, if you want something done right send in the big guns."
If one could see past her visor, they would see Reena turn ashen pale.
"Reena? You okay?" asked Chellick concerned for his Quarian girlfriend. "I...I'm fine. I just remembered that I have to make a note of something for work." she said bringing up her omni-tool.
Chellick chuckled, "Your a real workaholic you know that?"
Closing her omni-tool Reena did her best to giggle back, "Well, you know me." she said wrapping her arm around his waist as they continued their walk. Hoping to keelah that Alex got her message.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Citadel Service Tunnels - Upper Wards
November 24, 2180 - 15:01 hours
A Keeper slowly skittered it's way down the long narrow tunnel that connected to the massive service network that honeycombed throughout the entire station. And alien stopped at a terminal that was designed for it and began typing at the holographic display silently.
Above, hidden by a cluster of pipes was Alex in the nano suit. His sharp eyes watching the bug-like creature continue about it's work before it began moving back down the tunnel again.
With the coast clear he dropped silently to the floor before moving over to the terminal the Keeper was just at. "Prophet. Hack in and see if you can find any abnormalities in the tunnel system." he said bringing up his omni-tool.
"Data Mine Commencing..." The Post-Human soldier waited patiently while keeping an eye on his motion tracker for any movement. Everything had been quiet up to this point, the only thing he really had to do was dodge around the Keepers as they went about their rounds.
"Data Mine Complete." Alex's omni-tool displayed the map of the section of tunnel system he was currently in, but this time several locations lit up red signifying heat signatures.
The small red ones moving freely throughout the tunnels were obviously Keepers. But there were two groups clustered together in two large areas. One being half the size of the others.
After looking over the map, he plotted a course that would take him right past both sections without being detected. With everything all set, he shut down his omni-tool and activated his cloak before making his way down the tunnel again. Being sure to skirt his way around the Keepers so that they wouldn't discover him.
The trail of information he collected on the Blue Suns' activities ended here. Whatever they had planned had to do with the service tunnels leading to the Presidium, and Alex was liking it less and less the more he uncovered.
This was strictly a stealth and recon mission. He didn't like it, but if the mercs figured out that he was there they'd panic and do something drastic which would make things a lot worse.
After treading through the tunnels, stopping in an alcove every so often so that his suit's energy could recharge. Alex made it to the section that had the larger cluster of heat signatures.
A door with a red holo-lock stood before him. The sounds of voices could be heard from the inside but Alex couldn't make out anything useful. Remembering his map, he crouched down into a nearby alcove and pried off a grate that lead into a duct that went directly through the large room beyond.
Keeping his cloak activated, he gently crawled inside and began to make his way through the wall. Crawling on his stomach and trying to make as little noise as possible with each movement.
He managed to find another grate leading into the room, stopping so that he could get a better look.
Inside was a room bigger than his apartment. Large cables came down from the ceiling and several parts of the walls leading to several large terminals in the center of the room where half a dozen Blue Sun mercs were typing away at them. A dozen heavily armed mercs lined the walls around the room standing guard while the other six did their job.
Alex noticed the dead bodies of two Keepers in the far corner which explained why they had remained undetected up until this point.
As he observed through the grate, Alex brought up information about the service network up on his HUD so that he could figure out what the hell they were up too. After reading several lines of information, he realized that this was one of dozens of electrical conduits that connected to the main power grid for the wards.
One of the mercs working at the terminals produced a hand held device that looked like a small black PDA and inserted it into the terminal he was working at. "And that should do it. The other teams should be finishing up any second." said the Batarian.
"And this'll work?" asked a Human checking his assault rifle.
"It will. One press of a button, and everything will be under our control." said the Batarian darkly.
Alex zoomed his visor in on one of the terminals hoping to see what they were up too, but couldn't get a clear view. "Prophet, any chance you can scan the terminals from here?" he whispered.
"Negative." replied the AI making him curse mentally. He'd have to get closer, but all the mercs saw him and opened fire things would get dicey.
He could take the mercs, but the power conduit would get badly damaged in the crossfire. He needed a new plan.
Deciding to move on and hope the next site gave him more intel. Alex began to move through the duct again, popping open the grate at the other end and climbing out before making his way down the tunnels again.
"Proximity Alert." Alex pressed himself to the wall, drawing his combat knife as a Turian merc came around the nearby corner and headed his way. His cloak made him invisible for a short time, but if the merc got close enough he could make out the distortion in the air and alert the others.
The grip on the blade tightened, the soldier ready to spring as the merc walked past him slowly as he headed for the door leading to the room Alex had snuck past.
With the merc's back to him, Alex began to slowly make his way toward the corner where he had come from. Knife in his hand just incase. The merc reached the door and turned around facing the hallway and saw nothing out of the ordinary as Alex slipped around the corner and slowly followed the corridor.
He reached a second door with a green holo-lock. The image shimmered meaning it was about to open. Pressing himself to the wall again, Alex watched the door open and a Human merc walk out and head the same way the Turian did.
Seeing his chance, the soldier slipped inside quickly just before the door shut.
The room was half the size of the previous one, but looked to be more like a storage area for various supplies to help maintain the tunnel system in this sector. The only things that didn't belong there were a few crates barring the Blue Suns' logo and a large desk set up with several terminals in the corner where another merc sat going through something.
With no one else in the room, Alex saw the opportunity to get some answers. After making sure that the lone merc wasn't paying attention, he activated his omni-tool and disabled the lock on the door before slowly sneaking up to the merc at the desk.
When he reached the merc, he cocked his fist back and punched him hard in the temple knocking him out cold. "Nighty night asshole." he muttered laying his upper half on the desk to make it look like he fell asleep, turning his head to cover the bruise that would be forming soon.
Alex immediately brought up his omni-tool and started going through the terminals set up. Each one contained dozens of files about shipments, troop locations, recruitments, and several other pieces of the mercs operations that were happening on the Citadel.
Working fast, Alex kept searching for anything that would hint to whatever they were planning on doing down here. After another minute he found something.
A file labeled 'Operation: Flytrap'. Clicking on the file Alex cursed when a window popped up requiring a password to enter. "Prophet, rip the file. We don't have time to hack it now." he said checking his motion tracker.
"Download Commencing..." Alex clicked on another file that held a dossier of a Salarian with greenish-brown skin. A computer expert by the name of Nelon Xambit that was employed by the Blue Suns to assist them with something.
Looking down at the file about Operation Flytrap, Alex could assume that what ever the operation was, that the Salarian in the dossier was helping them with it in some way. He quickly filed away a copy of the dossier to his omni-tool just as him motion tracker pinged the two guards from earlier approaching the door.
"Shit." he muttered as Prophet finished the download. After shutting down the computer, Alex brought up the map of the tunnels again to give him a quick escape route. The sound of the mercs pounding on the door rang through the room as he found another duct in the back that lead to a separate system.
Just as the two mercs outside started to hack the door, Alex vaulted over to the duct and pried the grate off, slipping inside and quickly replacing it just as the guards entered the room. "What the fuck? Sleeping on the job again." said one of them shaking his head.
"The boss is gonna kill him if he keeps this shit up." said the other. Both unaware of the soldier that slowly slipped away from them.
X
Alex pulled himself out of the duct and looked around the small room, a small door being the only way out. "Prophet, where are we?" he asked opening the door and seeing it lead to an exit to the service tunnels.
"Scans indicate current location being in the 800 Blocks within the Upper Wards. No hostiles detected." Alex activated his cloak and walked out of the service entrance checking around to make sure that no one was around before leaping high and grabbing onto the window ledge of a nearby building. He repeated the action two more times until he was ontop of the large apartment building that was next to the service tunnel entrance.
"Well, looks like we got ourselves a new lead." he said about to activate his omni-tool when it suddenly chimed with a new message. Curious, he opened it and saw that is was from Reena.
From: Reena'Nolen
To: Alex Drake
Heads up! Chellick says the Citadel Council has sent a Spectre after Maverick! Be careful!
Alex mentally cursed, he knew it was a matter of time before the council got smart and decided to intervene. But to send a Spectre? And he shuddered at the thought of who they would have chosen to track him down.
Bringing up the dossier on the Salarian computer expert, the soldier saw that he lived in the 800 Blocks close by. If there was anyone that could tell him what the mercs were up to and what Operation Flytrap was it would be Nelon.
Activating his cloak once more, Alex made sure to check his surroundings before he began to make his way toward the Salarian's home that was listed on the dossier.
X
Across from the apartment building. Tela Vasir lowered her binoculars and smirked. She loved it when her hunts gave her a challenge.
Touching her ear piece, she contacted C-Sec.
X
Chellick had just finished walking Reena back to her's and Alex's apartment when his omni-tool went off with a call. "Hold on a sec babe." he said turning to answer it.
"Chellick here." 'It's Garrus. We just got contacted by Vasir. She's spotted Maverick in the 800 Blocks and is requesting backup to box him in before he get's away.' said Garrus.
"I'm on my way." he said quickly cutting the call. He looked at Reena and pressed his forehead to her helmet, "I'm sorry I have to go so soon, I'll call you later okay?" The Quarian nodded as her boyfriend headed back to the elevator.
Reena quickly slipped into her apartment and started typing on her omni-tool as fast as he fingers could go. She had to warn Alex before it was too late.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Nelon Xambit's Apartment Building - 800 Blocks
November 24, 2180 - 16:20 hours
Finding the building wasn't difficult. Neither was getting inside thanks to the nano suit's cloaking. Then again, the security measures in this universe weren't set up to handle such technology...yet anyway.
Finding the floor and room number, Alex took the stairs. Being sure to make as little noise as possible so he wouldn't alert the other people living there. Reaching the designated floor, Alex crept out into the hallway and headed toward the door leading into Nelon's apartment.
Along the way, he read the Salarian's dossier that had been compiled by the Blue Suns. He had been apart of the Salarian STG operating as a tech expert and hacker. After several years served, he left STG and went into his own business as a programmer for military grade tech. He was well known for making upgraded versions of shields, omni-tools, hacking equipment and other programs for various military branches.
The fact that the Blue Suns had him on their payroll meant that Nelon wasn't as honest and justly as he made everyone believe. But the real question was what was he doing for them?
When he got to the door, Alex drew one of his pistols and activated a hack program to get the door open. He waited a good 30 seconds before the lock turned green and the door slid apart allowing him to sneak inside.
The apartment was dark. No one was home. Which worked just fine with Alex.
"Nano Vision Engaged."the room lit up allowing the Post-Human soldier to see better. Deactivating his cloak as he made his way through the apartment and being sure not to disturb anything as he moved.
The heat/night vision of his visor didn't detect any signatures within close proximity. But all that could change very quickly if he didn't hurry.
Checking a few rooms, Alex located what looked to be an office with several terminals set up with work benches covered in various devices lined the walls. The room screamed tech wiz in every sense.
Deactivating the nano vision, the soldier stepped into the room keeping his weapon at the ready just incase something happened as he approached the desk first.
As he moved, he never saw the small beam of light on the floor as his foot passed through it.
Reaching the desk, he immediately went to work hacking into it. "Let's see what he's got on hand. Prophet, hack the encryption and show me the more secured files." he asked touching the terminal with his omni-tool activated.
The screen flared to life as data scrolled across it. After a few moments several files appeared on screen. Alex looked over each for anything familiar when he spotted one labeled 'TX-99'. Clicking on the file, a blue print of a familiar device appeared on screen. The very same device that he saw the merc in the tunnels putting into the power conduit.
"Prophet, what am I looking at here?" Alex asked reading the blueprint.
"The device displayed is designed to implant a virus that can be activated via a frequency designated for it." explained the AI. "So the device implants a virus into whatever it's plugged into...shit!" he cursed as he looked through more of the files and found one labeled Operation: Flytrap.
Clicking on it, he found that it was also encrypted. Firing another hacking program, Alex sat back and waited for the firewalls to go down as he started piecing things together. It all added up, the increase in manpower, gaining access the the service tunnels around the Presidium, a device that implants a virus and they were putting them into the power conduits to be activated at a later date.
The terminal chimed signaling the file was successfully hacked. Opening it up, Alex's eyes widened as he read over what the operation was about. "Son of a bitch..."
A small alarm suddenly started ringing from the terminals before they all shut down. The center one came back online revealing the face of Nelon leering back at him. "Maverick...I should have known you'd be hunting for me sooner or later." he said sarcastically.
"You've had it coming it would seem." Alex replied with his voice filtered. "Do you honestly think the Blue Suns are going to keep you around once they have what their after? To think you were someone to be respected for your work in the STG, now your just a pathetic brain for hire."
"It isn't a matter of morals or ethics. It's a cruel galaxy, but I believe that you already know that don't you?" said Nelon stiffly. "You go around the Citadel attacking the mercenaries, for what purpose? To make the galaxy a better place? That is truly pathetic. The universe could be thrown into total chaos and the simple minded will go about their lives like nothing is happening around them."
"You talk and act like one of those who think their way of 'saving the innocent' is what will save the universe. That code of honor...is nothing but a bad joke." said the Salarian.
"That's big talk, coming from a tech expert that's double dealing under the table to help the Blue Suns attack the center of government." Alex said grimly. "You call it double dealing, I just call it business." said Nelon.
"What is the plan Nelon? What the hell are the mercs going to do with the Presidium?" He already knew full well reading the files, but he had to play stupid so that they wouldn't get wind of it and change course.
"The Citadel and it's council will find out soon enough. You however, will never see another day." The sound of engines powering up outside the window of the office caught Alex's attention as two gunships baring the Blue Suns logo appeared with their weapons coming online. "Goodbye Maverick." with that the terminals completely shut down as the gunships opened fire.
Alex threw himself over the desk as the windows shattered and the heavy rounds tore through the furniture and appliances in the room. "Maximum Armor." He leapt up with his Grendel in hand and fired on the air units.
The slugs dented the gunships' armor, a few of the rounds hitting the cockpit's canopy and cracking the reinforced glass.
The pilots moved the ships out of the line of fire before coming back and firing their heavy guns back into the apartment. Alex quickly fled the room to avoid being bottle necked by the two aerial units. Dumping the magazine and loading in a new one as he moved through the hallway and into the living room where the gunships were waiting for him outside the large window.
Throwing himself against the wall as more heavy rounds tore through the room. Alex peered around the corner and activated his visor. The enhanced vision highlighted the gunships and their weapons. The units were armed with just their machine guns and a few rockets, but both could prove to be trouble if they fired on anything else other than him.
"Tactical Options Available." Alex drew his bow, spinning out of cover and kicking the nearby couch hard through the window.
The large piece of furniture struck the first gunship shattering against it's nose and making it pitch back a ways. Alex drew back an explosive arrow and let it fly, sticking to one of the rockets on the right wing of the second gunship.
Quickly hitting the detonator, the gunship's whole right side exploded from the combined blast sending it crashing to the ground below.
The first gunship moved back into position, the visor of the nano suit immediately picked up one of the missiles of the unit came on and fired in his direction. "Maximum Armor." The explosion from the rocket destroyed the living room, sending debris and shrapnel flying in all directions.
The nano suit's strengthened and hardened weave deflected the debris and absorbed the blast from the explosion as Alex put his bow away and ran full sprint toward the window. Throwing himself out into open air eight stories above the ground and latched onto the cockpit of the gunship.
"Maximum Power." Alex raised his fist and punched it through the canopy and grabbed the pilot by his throat. "Happy landing." he said darkly as he snapped the man's neck in his grip.
With the pilot dead, the gunship started to fall. Alex grabbed the controls from the outside and pulled up, leveling it off and slowing it's decent as it fell a little slower. As the ground approached, Alex timed it as the unit reached the one story mark on the apartment building he back flipped off as it hit the ground.
The ship crumpled but thankfully didn't explode thanks to the controlled fall.
"Well, that could have gone better." he muttered to himself as he looked at the crowd gathering around the two wrecked gunships and were in awe seeing him. It was then his omni-tool chimed with an incoming message.
From: Reena'Nolen
To: Alex Drake
C-SEC AND THE SPECTRE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE! GET OUT OF THERE!
Alex looked up and saw several police skycars parked all around him with over two dozen C-Sec officers with their guns drawn. Standing at the head of them with her biotics flared was Tela Vasir. "Maverick! Drop your weapons and surrender! You are under arrest!" the Spectre called out.
Clenching his fists, the Post-Human soldier looked at his opposition. 'This should be fun.' he thought smirking. "Tactical Options Available."
A/N: How is Alex going to get out of this one? To wet your appetite, I made a preview for the next chapter:
Preview: Chapter 9 - The Chase
"Warning: Suit Integrity Compromised. Unknown Energy Element Detected." Alex stumbled when another warp attack struck him in the chest sending him slamming into the wall behind him.
Vasir stalked forward as the Post-Human soldier staggered to his feet. "Is this all the great 'Maverick' has? I thought you'd be more of a challenge?" she taunted.
Alex's HUD shimmered as Prophet repaired the damage to the suit. "System Reconfiguring. Adapting to Energy Designated: Element Zero."Vasir stopped several feet away and powered up her biotics. "I think it's time I brought you down for good."
"System Rebooting...Online." Alex braced himself as the Spectre threw a shockwave at him. "Maximum Armor."
A/N: Hope that was enough for now guys. Till next time!