A/N: My updates may have slown down, but the intensity of my fic will not die out for a long time! The fight on Virmire has truly begun and the ME universe will never be the same. (I own nothing)
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
STG Encampment - Virmire
August 17, 2183 - 10:48 hours
Everyone had spread out along the beach as the joint efforts of the STG Regiment and the crew of the Normandy prepared themselves for the imminent assault on Saren's base.
Tensions had been high, especially with the possibility of Wrex going off the handle when he was told about the destruction of the cure for the genophage the traitor supposedly had. Thankfully, Alex's words seemed to have sunk into the Warlord and he remained a team player.
The nano soldier stood with Jane and Captain Kirrahe as they looked over a map readout of the facility two clicks away. "With a stronghold this large, we will need either an orbital strike, or enough ordinance to completely destroy it." said the Commander.
"Orbital bombardment wouldn't work." said Alex as he pointed to several spots within the structure. "Saren has several Geth signal jammers inside to disrupt that. And taking them out one by one will waste time. Coupled with the fact the building itself is built to withstand heavy damage from the outside. We need to take it all out in one shot."
"We've already come up with the right plan" said Kirrahe. "We've converted our ship's drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective."
The Salarian pointed at a marked site on the map, "Here, past the breeding sector is the perfect location to place it. Your ship can drop it off, but we need to infiltrate the base while disabling the AA guns and any ground forces first."
"Meeting their forces head on would be suicidal. Their numbers are greater." said Jane biting her lip.
"We might be able to work around that." said the Captain. "I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we've got their attention you can sneak a shadow team in the back."
"Your men will be slaughtered Kirrahe." said Alex looking to the Salarian.
"We're tougher than we look. But it's true. I don't expect many of us to survive the assault. And that makes what I'm going to ask even more difficult." Kirrahe looked to the two Spectres. "I need one of your men to accompany me. To help coördinate the teams."
The rest of the ground team had approached during the conversation. "It's a big risk, but he's right. We're going to need both teams for this plan to work." said Kaidan. "I volunteer."
"Not so fast, LT. You'll be needed in arming the nuke. I'll go with the Salarians." said Ashley.
Kaidan turned to her, "With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide."
Ash sighed; "Why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they reall mean 'kiss my ass'?"
"Both of these two will do. Both seem willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, though if we are lucky, such sacrifices won't be required." said Kirrahe.
Alex looked to Shepard before looking back at the gathered squad. "I have a better idea." he said catching their attention. "Instead of one, we'll send two in each group. The Captain said that there will be three teams of his troops, an additional man leading the last team will help improve their odds. And while the shadow team enters the back, we can disable any and all the advantages that the Geth might have."
Jane nodded, "I like it." she looked at the team. "Williams, Garrus, you two are going with Kirrahe and his men. No heroics, understand?" Ashley and Garrus both nodded.
"Tali, we need you to assist Kaidan with the nuke preparation. We don't want the Geth to find a way to hack it and shut it down should it be left unattended." added Alex.
The young Quarian nodded as she and Kaidan headed back to the Normandy to make sure everything was ready for the assault.
"That leaves Wrex and Liara, you both will be us on the shadow team. We'll enter the back of the facility when the time is right." said Jane.
"Commander, Maverick. If I may." Everyone looked and saw Benezia approaching them. Wearing a suit of armor with a pistol on her hip and a shotgun strapped to her back. "If you will have me, I would like to be a part of the team that enters. By biotics will be very helpful in your mission."
Alex looked at Jane before going back to the Matriarch. "You've had military training?"
Benezia smiled and summoned a bit of her biotics; "Asari Commando for 150 years, top of my class when I was younger. Retired when my matron days were approaching." she explained.
Both Spectres nodded, "Welcome aboard Benezia." said Jane. Liara smiled at the prospect of fighting along side her mother as they all fell in.
"I'll have the ordnance loaded on to the Normandy and brief the crew on its detonation sequencing." said the Captain. "Is there any questions either of you want answered?"
"If the Normandy is picking us all up, how will your team escape the blast?" asked Jane.
"We will engage the Geth as long as possible. Once the bomb it in place, we will fall back to try and escape the blast radius. If we move quickly, we should be able to escape with acceptable casualties. If not, then our memories will live on as martyrs to a greater cause." said Kirrahe.
'Not if I can help it.' Alex thought to himself already having come up with several plans while they were planning the assault. "We're ready when you are Captain." he said out loud.
"Excellent. Then if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare my men." said the Salarian before walking away.
Alex watched Kirrahe gather his men and begin his speech, he pulled Garrus aside and brought up his omni-tool. "A little something to help you guys along." he said at the Turian's questioning glance.
Garrus' omni-tool pinged. He looked down and was shocked to see that it had a new upgrade. "What is this?" he asked looking over the new program carefully.
"New variant of overload me and Prophet have been working on. Designed to target and disable multiple synthetics within a fifteen foot radius. I call it a cluster-overload." explained the nano soldier.
Shutting down his omni-tool, Garrus nodded to his friend. "Thanks Alex."
Alex shook his hand, "Thank me by bringing yourself and Ash back alive. That's all the thanks I'll need."
When everything was said and done everyone separated and began their tasks. Ready to strike the base and put an end to Saren's plans.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Outside Saren's Base - Virmire
August 17, 2183 - 11:59 hours
Shadow team dropped down from a rock formation and began to slowly make their way through the river banks that would take them to the back entrance to the facility. Jane and Alex leading with their weapons ready for anything.
"Comm check. Do either of you read me?" asked Kirrahe over the comms.
"Loud and clear." said Jane as they stayed low and kept moving.
"Good. We'll start our push. We'll try to make it to the AA guns, but it might be up to you to finish the job." said the Captain as the link ended.
Alex knelt by some rocks and looked down the scope of his sniper rifle. Two Geth troopers stood a ways down river with their backs to them. "Got two." Jane pulled out her sniper rifle and aimed down sights. "You get the one on the right, I got left." said Alex.
His rifle cracked and the first Geth fell over with a hole through its head. A second crack followed and the other one fell before it turned around.
The team moved up as they heard the Salarian teams begin their attack over the radio. The river ended with a building that was built into the rock face. A few Geth mingled around on guard duty as they slipped into cover.
Alex tagged the five synthetics on his HUD and signaled to the others. "Five. Two Snipers, one Trooper, one Rocket, one Destroyer."
Jane leveled her sniper rifle. "Benezia, lift the Destroyer when you hear us shoot. Liara, the Rocket Trooper. Wrex, any target of opportunity." Wrex pulled out his assaut rifle and grinned with anticipation.
Two cracks were heard and two Snipers fell dead. The two Asari launched their biotics and levitated the two stronger Geth into the air while Wrex gunned down the last guard with his rifle as it tried to get a lock on them.
Alex re-aimed and put a round through the Destroyer's optic while Jane did the same to the Rocket Trooper as they moved up to the building.
"Here." said Liara pointing to a Geth terminal nearby. "That looks like a communications array of some sort."
Alex approached his his omni-tool flared. "Connection Established." said Prophet. A moment later the screen of the terminal sputtered and died shutting down the Geth triangulation arrays. "That should do it. he said as they started looking around for anything useful.
Finding nothing else, the team followed along the river bed again. Keeping as low as possible to avoid detection. "This is my kind of vacation; lots of scenery, and lots of killing." said Wrex with a chuckle.
"Defiantly beats Disneyland." said Alex as he spotted a Geth Sniper ahead. A quick shot later and they passed by without detection.
They encountered several more Geth waiting for them. Each one met a quick end as Shadow team pushed their way closer to the facility. They eventually met another structure similar to the last that lead to a series of walkways leading to the back of the facility.
The guards saw them coming and opened fire, but the combined assault from all five of them turned the synthetics to scrap before they could land any effective hits.
Jane vented her sniper rifle and switched to her assault rifle when she saw something on top of the building they just took control of. "Up there, looks like a communication uplink." she said to the others.
Benezia held out her hand, the antenna was encased in dark energy before it was ripped from the structure and thrown against a rock face. "That should assist the Salarian teams nicely." she said as they treaded down the walkways ahead.
Alex pulled out his own assault rifle and put down a Rocket trooper that tried to fire on them. Two Krogan charged headlong down the walkway, but a joint throw attack from Wrex and Liara knocked both of them back into a few crates nearby.
Wrex ran forward and shoved his shotgun in the face of the first Krogan and blew it's head clean off before firing two rounds point blank into another.
They pushed on, fighting the occasional Geth that would pop up to engage them as they rounded a corner and was met with the sight of eight Geth drones ranging from assault to rocket hovering above a large fuel tank.
"Flyers, must be refueling to help fight off the frontal assault team." said Jane looking the situation over.
"Then let's even the playing field." said Alex taking out his bow and nocking an explosive arrow. He leaned around the corner and drew the string back, gauging the distance and wind on his HUD as he let it fly.
The arrow sank into the side of the fuel tank, the drones all went on alert as the nano soldier hit the detonator.
Everything shook as the large tank exploded, the blast taking the flyers and a good chunk of that section of walkway with it.
When it died down the team moved on, past the debris and remains of the drones as they drew closer to the base.
X
The rest of the trip was uneventful until they reached the back door to the facility. All five members of Shadow team had to combine their firepower to take down the squads of Geth and three Krogan that had laid in wait.
But as the last of them fell, the team of five was able to slip inside with only a few minor injuries.
Alex put his rifle away and approached a nearby security terminal. "Prophet, do your thing." he said hacking the terminal. "Connection Established."
"I've disabled the alarms, along with several other security measures they have in place." he said after a few moments before taking out his assault rifle again. "I think we can handle any guards that will be inside."
Jane nodded as they approached the first door and stacked up on either side. Alex primed two grenades, she hit the door panel and he tossed them in as it opened.
Two explosions went off and they stormed the room. Two Shock Troopers were killed in the blast, a Destroyer also laid in pieces, but another stood with only its shields down before a hail of rounds tore it apart.
The team surveyed the room and thought it was clear until a round pinged off of Wrex's shields. They turned...and were shocked to see three Salarians approaching them, firing their weapons.
"What are they doing? We're on their side!" exclaimed Liara dropping into cover.
Alex did a quick scan of the three Salarians and Prophet came back immediately. "Indoctrination Detected."
"Their indoctrinated!" he called out firing his weapon and taking down the three aliens before they could do more damage. Everything fell silent as the squad approached the dead Salarians.
"They must have been captured when the STG teams first arrived." said Benezia. "Saren did to them what happened to me."
"So Saren's working with indoctrination here as well. Another reason to blow this place to hell." said Jane gripping her weapon tighter. "Come on, we need to keep moving and clear a path for the nuke to be armed."
They headed out of the room and up a small flight of stairs into another room. "Ordinance Incoming." "Get down!" Alex shouted as a rocket flew past them and exploded against the far wall. A Juggernaut came out from behind a large crate firing another rocket at them.
"Maximum Armor."Alex fired his assault rifle until it over heated as he charged the large Geth. Sliding across the ground between its legs and lashing out with his knife and cutting one of the 'tendons' in its right knee.
The synthetic collapsed to the floor, white fluid spurting out of its knee as Alex spun around and leapt on to its back. Driving the knife up into its head before dropping it to the floor. "Clear." he said putting his knife away and venting his rifle.
"Remind me again why you never became a Spectre before now." said Jane as they passed through the only door in the room and into what looked to be a prison block.
"Hello? Is someone out there?" somebody called out down from one of the cells.
"Survivors." said Liara as they paused. Alex scanned the cells with his visor, "Indoctrination Detected in all Cells."
"Don't bother. Their minds are already lost to indoctrination." said Alex with a shake of his head before they moved on.
The team entered a server room where two indoctrinated Salarians were milling around. Wrex launched a throw that sent them crashing into the wall. Alex sent Prophet out into a couple terminals and started mining for data. Seconds later nothing about the breeding facility came back, but data on indoctrination did.
"Got intel on what they were doing here. They were experimenting with indoctrination, using the captured STG scouts as test subjects. A handful of the scouts survived the procedures with their minds intact, but they are under Saren's control. Those that don't show signs of it can be triggered at a moments notice."
"Goddess, what has he done." said Benezia in horror.
Filing away the data, the team all piled into the elevator in the center of the room and rode it up to the next level. The lift stopped in a lab that had several Husks in stasis fields. A Krogan scientist spun around and called out for the guards only to be frozen in stasis and blown away by Benezia's shotgun.
Alex drew one of his Hammers and shot the first Husk in the head before moving on to the next. Jane drew her own pistol and did the same on the other side of the lab. The rest of the team followed their lead, making sure the synthetic corpses were put down before they could activate and come after them.
With the lab cleared they quickly moved on. The main assault teams were still doing relatively well with no signs of large casualties.
Back outside, Jane drew her assault rifle and took down two Troopers that were stationed outside a door at the end of a small path before they walked inside an office. The room was medium size with a desk next to a large window and a door at the other end that lead farther into the facility, Jane brought up her rifle when she saw something move. "Contact!"
"Wait! Don't shoot!" screamed an Asari as she stood up from behind the desk. "Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late."
"Who are you child?" asked Benezia.
"Rana Thanoptis, I'm a neurospecialist working for Saren. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse." said the Asari. "You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!"
"Your studying Sovereign's effect on people's minds." said Alex stiffly.
Rana nodded, "Yes, at least that's what I had assumed. Saren keeps us in the dark as much as possible."
"You helped that pyjak and didn't even know why?" grunted Wrex.
"I didn't have the option of negotiating. This position is a little more...permanent than I'd expected." said Rana. "But I can help you. This elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in."
She walked over to the door and punched a code into the panel on the wall. The lock turned green and she walked back over to them. "See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?"
"What exactly about Sovereign were you studying?" asked Alex as he had Prophet scan her brainwaves.
"The ship emits some kind of...signal. Undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the Salarian test test subjects. But there's collateral damage, too."
" 'Collateral damage'?" asked Liara.
"Sovereign's signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it. Like a tingle in the back of the skull. It's like a whisper you can't quite hear. You're compelled to do things but you don't know why. You just obey. Eventually, you just stop thinking for yourself."
She looked afraid, "It happens to everyone at the facility. My first test subject was the man I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here before it happens to me."
Jane looked at Alex who shook his head slowly. "She's already being influenced. Her brainwaves are corrupted by the signal." he said raising his pistol and making Rana take a step back.
"Wait! What do you mean I'm being influenced! The voice isn't telling me to do anything..."
Everyone tensed and raised their weapons. "Your indoctrinated Rana. All of the time you've spent here has already warped your mind beyond repair. I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to endanger anyone." said the Post-Human thumbing the safety off.
Rana's face turned from shocked to enraged as dark energy began to gather around her. "You will not stop them, their will is undeniable!" she screamed. Alex's Hammer fired, purple blood spraying through the air as the Asari collapsed to the floor with a hole through her head.
"I wish things could have gone differently." said Jane as they went through the door that was unlocked for them.
"I do too, Jane." said Alex as they treaded along a small walkway and into an elevator on the far end that took them down several levels.
The lift opened to a two level room full of servers. On the bottom level stood a tall glowing structure. "Is that a Prothean beacon?" asked Liara in awe. The squad approached the beacon and stopped a good couple feet away as Jane drew closer.
She reached out with both hands and touched the two holo-panels on either side. The beacon glowed brightly and the Commander was caught in the energy field as she relived the vision again, but this time with the missing pieces falling into place.
When the vision came to an end she fell to the floor on her hands and knees breathing heavily. A large pair of hands helped her to her feet. "You okay?" asked Alex worried about what happened to her after the Cipher.
Jane nodded after taking a few deep breaths, "Y-Yeah...the vision's a bit more clear now." she said rubbing her temples. "We need to get moving." they started heading back up to the second level.
The center platform suddenly lit up red, the squad walked on to the platform as a large hologram of Sovereign appeared in the middle of the room. "I get the feeling something bad is going to happen." said Wrex clutching his shotgun.
"YOU ARE NOT SAREN." boomed the emotionless, mechanical voice that sent a chill down their spines.
"What is this? Some kind of VI interface?" wondered Benezia.
Alex shook his head, the images he had seen from back on Noveria started flashing through his mind. Each one becoming more vivid as time passed.
"RUDIMENTARY CREATURES OF BLOOD AND FLESH. YOU TOUCH MY MIND, FUMBLING IN IGNORANCE, INCAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING." Spoke the hologram.
"That isn't a VI..." said Liara paling slightly.
"THERE IS A REALM OF EXISTANCE SO FAR BEYOND YOUR OWN CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE IT. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. I AM SOVEREIGN."
"Sovereign isn't a Reaper ship." said Alex clenching his teeth behind his visor. "It's an actual goddamn Reaper."
"REAPER? A LABEL CREATED BY THE PROTHEANS TO GIVE VOICE TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. IN THE END, WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO CALL US IS IRRELEVANT. WE SIMPLY ARE."
"The Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago. You couldn't have been there, it's impossible!" exclaimed Liara.
"ORGANIC LIFE IS NOTHING BUT A GENETIC MUTATION, AN ACCIDENT. YOUR LIVES ARE MEASURED IN YEARS AND DECADES. YOU WITHER AND DIE. WE ARE ETERNAL. THE PINNACLE OF EVOLUTION AND EXISTANCE. BEFORE US, YOU ARE NOTHING. YOUR EXTINCTION IS INEVITABLE. WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING."
"There is an entire galaxy of beings ready to face you." growled Jane. "Whatever plans you have will fail."
"CONFIDENCE BORN OF IGNORANCE. THE CYCLE CANNOT BE BROKEN." droned Sovereign.
"Cycle? What fucking cycle?" said Wrex.
"THE PATTERN HAS REPEATED ITSELF MORE TIMES THAN YOU CAN FATHOM. ORGANIC CIVILIZATIONS RISE, EVOLVE, ADVANCE. AND AT THE APEX OF THEIR GLORY, THEY ARE EXTINGUISHED. THE PROTHEANS WERE NOT THE FIRST. THEY DID NOT CREATE THE CITADEL. THEY DID NOT FORGE THE MASS RELAYS. THEY MERELY FOUND THEM, THE LEGACY OF MY KIND." said the Reaper.
"Why would you leave the mass relays and the Citadel behind for other races to find?" asked Alex already knowing the answer that was coming.
"YOUR CIVILIZATION IS BASED ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE MASS RELAYS, OUR TECHNOLOGY. BY USING IT, YOUR SOCIETY DEVELOPS ALONG THE PATHS WE DESIRE. WE IMPOSE ORDER ON THE CHAOS OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION. YOU EXIST BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT. AND YOU WILL END BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT."
"By the Goddess...they're harvesting us like cattle!" Benezia said in horror. "Allowing us to advance to our best then wiping us all out!"
"Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of your kind?" asked Jane.
"WE ARE LEGION. THE TIME OF OUR RETURN IS COMING. OUR NUMBERS WILL DARKEN THE SKY OF EVERY WORLD. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR DOOM."
"You think yourselves gods because you believe you are the pinnacle of all life." said Alex darkly. "But you and the rest of your kind are just machines. And machines can be broken!"
The hologram before them seemed to turn in Alex's direction as he spoke. The nano soldier saw the images from before flash before his eyes quickly causing a slight headache.
"YOU ARE MACHINE AND NERVE. AN ANOMOLY THAT IT UNPRESIDENTED. YOU MUST BE TERMINATED."
A bolt of dark-red electricity shot from the hologram and struck the Post-Human in the head. Alex dropped his rifle and gripped the sides of his head as his brain felt like it was going through a blender. "ALEX!" Jane screamed as he fell to his knees in agony.
"Neurological Attack Detected. Initiating Counter Measure." said Prophet as the HUD went crazy.
"YOUR AI CANNOT SAVE YOU. YOUR MIND WILL BREAK LIKE SO MANY BEFORE YOU."
The pain increased making Alex's body convulse under the nano suit. More images flashed before his eyes. Visions of death, destruction, bodies being liquidated and turned into something monstrous.
"Primary Counter Measure Failed. Initiating Secondary Counter Measure."said Prophet as the HUD flickered on and off from the attack.
Alex began to rise into the air, his body hovering above the ground by three feet as the images continued to bombard him like bullets. Jane went to run to him but Wrex held her back in fear of something similar happening to her. The squad could only watch as their friend's mind was assaulted.
"YOUR FATE IS SEALED. LIKE ALL ORGANICS BEFORE YOU. WHETHER YOU ARE MACHINE OR HUMAN MATTERS NOT. YOU WILL NOT STOP THE CYCLE."
Something deep within Alex snapped. The images began to slow down and the pain began to slowly ebb away. "I...am more...than a machine..." he hissed clenching his fists. "...More...than a Human..." red energy began to crackle around him and fight against the bolt being held by the hologram before him. "You...will never understand...the true power of those you consume..." the team moved back as the energy became brighter.
"And that...will lead to your END!" The bolt was launched right back at the hologram. The terminal supporting it exploded in a shower of sparks, the windows in the room all shattered as the energy was unleashed.
Alex fell to the floor face down as the energy faded. His HUD continued to fizzle from the output and the images began to slow down until it faded completely. "System Rebooting." chimed Prophet as the suit made minor repairs.
"Alex? Alex say something!" Jane shouted kneeling next to the downed nano soldier.
"Some...thing..." he groaned slowly getting back to his feet. Holding his head as the last dregs of the ache faded. "I don't know what the hell happened, but I think I pissed that thing off." he said picking his rifle back up.
"Commander, Maverick we got trouble!" said Joker over the radio.
"Hit us Joker." said Jane as they headed back toward the lift.
"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there fast!" urged the pilot.
"We're already moving Joker, has Kaidan and Tali finished up with the nuke?" asked Alex as they rode the lift back up to the main floor.
"It's armed and ready. We just need to set it up and arm it." came Kaidan's voice.
"We're heading for the breeding facility now, meet us there when we clear the place out." said Jane as the lift stopped and they headed out. The door leading back to the office opened and the team dodged as a rocket flew past them and exploded inside the elevator.
All five weapons focused on the lone Geth Destroyer that had fired on them and killed it quickly before they moved on. Through the office and back outside where a series of bridges had opened up where they passed before.
Two Krogan charged down the bridges to meet them head on. Wrex roared and charged as well, biotics forming around him as he slammed into both enemies and hurled them over the railing and into the dark waters below. "Ha! Now this is what I call a good fight!" he bellowed taking out his Claymore and blasting a third Krogan that came out of hiding.
With the hostiles down, the team pushed on. Through a small corridor in the facility and back out along the outside of the base.
"That could give the Normandy a bit of trouble." said Jane as they looked at the large AA gun ahead of them.
"Then we should shut it down and quick." said Alex as his motion tracker pinged. "Hostiles Detected." He shot a Geth Stalker out of the air as it leapt in front of them. The rest of the team opened fire on other platforms that came out to engage them.
Liara threw up a powerful barrier around them as a salvo rockets launched in their direction. Detonating off of the field of energy and making the young Asari strain against the attack.
Jane and Wrex aimed at the two Rocket drones that had shot at them while Benezia picked up a charging Krogan with her biotics and hurled them off of the base completely.
Alex fired a charged overload at the last drone that came out from behind a pillar and watched it crash into the ground before giving the signal that they were all clear. "Guards are getting heavier. Either they figured out what we're doing or there are more here than we thought." said the nano soldier.
He approached the turret controls and brought up his omni-tool. "Connection Established. Shutting Down Systems." the AA gun powered down and the terminal gave off a few sparks before going down too.
"Behind us!" shouted Wrex as he blasted a Shock Trooper that came out of the elevator on their six with two Rocket Troopers.
Jane grabbed a grenade and threw it into the elevator, the explosion ripping the two remaining synthetics apart and leaving the lift open for them to ride. "Good work on the gun Shadow Team. Now it's our turn." said Kirrahe on the comms as they stepped on.
"Let's get this finished up before reinforcements arrive." said the Commander as the doors closed.
X
The breeding facility had been crawling with both Geth and Krogan alike. Shadow team was tired, Liara had taken a bullet to the arm before her barriers could get up in time but thankfully they bought plenty of medi-gel for this situation.
Alex's mind had been working in overdrive. Not just on the mission, but on another plan that he had been working on since the start of all of this.
"Maximum Power." He grabbed a charging Krogan by the head and stopped its charge. With a powerful twist it's neck snapped and it fell to the ground as he helped Benezia take down a Geth Destroyer that had flanked them.
Depite the odds, the team's combined efforts took out all the remaining hostiles on this side of the breeding facility. They passed through the last reinforced doorway and found themselves at the marked location where the nuke was to be set up. "Joker we're here. Bring her in." said Jane after they did one final sweep.
"All right! Nice work guys. That's one less thing to worry about. Bringing the Normandy in now." replied the helmsmen.
Alex saw Benezia sway and caught her before she hit the ground. "You alright?" he asked helping her stabilize herself.
"I am a bit rusty at warfare. It has been a long time." she admitted wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I'd say you've done pretty well so far." said the nano soldier making the Matriarch smile.
Shadow team waited for a few minutes and the Normandy came down from the clouds and hovered above the sector. The cargo hatch opened and a squad of marines came down the ramp carrying the nuke with Kaidan following to make sure the final preparations were done
They brought the bomb over and set it up by a pillar as Kaidan walked over to them. "Bombs in position, we're all set he-"
"Commander, Maverick can you read me?" interrupted Garrus over the comm.
"What's wrong Garrus? Nukes almost set up." said Alex.
"We know, the Geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We're holding but they just keep coming. We've started taking casualties." replied the Turian.
"We're coming to get you all, just hang on." said Jane.
"Negative!" said Ashley with gunfire in the background. "Finish setting up the nuke, we'll hold them as long as we-" she was cut off by static.
"We just need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet us back here." said Kaidan.
Jane nodded and looked to the gathered team. Liara was still holding her arm from the bullet wound she received earlier. "Benezia, take your daughter to the med-bay. Tali your with us." she said as the Matriarch helped her daughter back on to the ship.
The new team began to head out as the Normandy took off toward minimal safe distance, but Jane noticed Alex wasn't following. "You guys go on ahead, I'll stay here and help make sure the nuke is protected."
"Are you sure?" asked the Commander.
The Post-Human nodded, "Go get Ash and Garrus. I'll help Kaidan keep this place secure for when you get back." she hesitated at the door before finally nodding at her fellow Spectre.
"Just...be careful." she said lowly before she motioned for the others to follow her.
Alex watched her go before rolling his shoulders and heading over to the nuke to help Kaidan with the final set up. First part of the plan was done...now all he had to do was ensure that they all survived this.
A/N: Alex has truly made huge changes. And with him staying by the nuke with Kaidan the chances of survival on both parties. The confrontation with Saren is next, though with the way things have gone, which Spectre will he go after?
Update coming soon!