A/N: I gotta say, I'm still impressed with myself with being able to update fast. I can't tell if it's desperation to finish the story and start the next arc...or just committment to my art. It's hard to tell at this point.
I received a PM about what happened between Sovereign and Alex in the last chapter. Those who have played Crysis 3 will see the situation similar to the way Prophet was when he came in close proximity to the Alpha Ceph or the Ceph Hivemind. And this will also effect future interactions with the Reapers in the future.
This chapter is named for a reason, and I think a lot of you will like what you read. (I own nothing)
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Breeding Facility - Virmire
August 17, 2183 - 13:22 hours
Alex stood on guard, visor scanning every square inch of space around the bomb site for any hostiles. A squad of four Alliance Marines standing around the area to keep the place secure while Kaidan finished setting up the nuke.
"How's everything going over there Lieutenant?" asked the nano soldier after the twelfth scan.
"Almost ready. Having Tali with me to set it all up in the beginning really got the ball rolling." said Kaidan as he made the last few adjustments with his omni-tool.
A loud hum echoed through the area. Everyone had their weapons up as a Geth dropship flew around the base and headed their way. "Heads up guys, we just spotted a troop transport heading your way." said Ashley on the comms.
The ship hovered over the bomb site and began dropping Geth all over the place. "They're already here." said Alex shooting down a Shock Trooper as it unfolded from its compact form. Every marine around him got into cover and fired as well while Kaidan finished up with the bomb.
"Can you guys hold them off?" asked Jane with urgency in her voice.
Kaidan ducked as one of the marines behind him took a round to the head and dropped to the ground. Several more Geth were killed, but the ship kept dropping more. "I don't think we can-" he was cut off when a round bounced off the nuke making him duck down.
"Maximum Armor." Alex charged forward, weapon blazing as pulse rounds bounced off of his suit. A few of the synthetics fell in the assault before he grabbed one of the Rocket Troopers and hurling it like a baseball into a Destroyer and knocking both off of the edge of the railing.
Spinning on his heel, he drove his knife into a Trooper's optic and using it as a shield as he fired his assault rifle from the hip and taking down one that was standing behind it.
A squad of Geth began to close in on the Post-Human, but he quickly pulled two grenades from his pack and dropped them on the ground before leaping away. The following explosion blew the platforms apart as Alex raised his assault rifle and took down a sniper trying to get a lock on them from the rooftop.
"We'll hold as long as we can. Just get Ash, Garrus and the STG survivors and get back here." he said into the radio dropping into cover and venting his rifle.
"We'll be back as fast as we can, just hold on!" said the Commander.
Kaidan jumped up and launched a singularity that drew in three Geth allowing the marines to gun them down. "You really think we can hold out?" he asked pulling out his pistol and firing over his cover.
Another marine fell to the ground with his torso full of holes. Alex stood with his sniper rifle and fired, blowing the head off of a Shock Trooper when it stepped within the scope. He pulled the bolt back and vented the rifle before firing another round. "We just gotta keep knocking them down as they pop up. Hold this location!" he called out.
It was a suicidal plan at best, but Alex had faced bigger and stronger odds before on his own. The Geth weren't much different from the Ceph, more advanced in technology on some level maybe, but their tactics were similar.
Attacking in groups while sending a few stragglers on flanking runs. The downside for them was that the area they were in had good cover, but provided little for them to flank the team. And the wide area before them made a perfect killzone.
"Grenades!" shouted Alex priming two in his hands. Kaidan and the marines all grabbed explosives and waited for the order. "Now!" they tossed the devices and ducked down behind cover.
Several explosions went off sending Geth body parts flying in all directions. A good number of the synthetics were killed in the blasts, several others were missing pieces and were still limping or crawling in their direction.
Alex used the distraction to stand and launch his hacking program, hijacking a Juggernaut and causing it to cause as much collateral damage to their back ranks before the others caught on and took it down together.
The firefight seemed to last for hours, when it was only a few minutes. The troop transport above dropped another salvo of Geth before flying off unexpectedly. "They're pulling back!" shouted one of the marines as he kept shooting the newly arrived platforms.
Alex tagged the remaining synthetics on his HUD before taking them down one by one. Something felt off about the situation. The Geth had them outnumbered, why were they pulling back? "Keep your guard up, something isn't right about this." He said taking out a weakened Destroyer with a headshot.
One last squad of Geth grouped around a fuel tank, Alex drew his bow and fired an explosive arrow, lighting up half of the site in a blast that incinerated the last of the synthetics.
Standing, the nano soldier looked to the surviving marines. Two were still ready to fight, worn but ready regardless. A third slumped against the wall out cold with medi-gel covering a few bullet wounds that thankfully were not fatal. "Kaidan, how's the nuke." he asked keeping his eyes open.
The Lieutenant looked the device over. "A few dents, but it's still active. All we need to do is set it to go off. With the Geth jammers all over the facility we can't remote detonate. Tali and I set it up with a timer that can't be hacked without the proper encryption. Once it starts, it won't shut down." he explained.
"How long do we have to bail?" asked Alex.
"5 minutes. More than enough for the Normandy to pick us up and get us out of-" a blast of dark energy struck the ground between them sending both men flying back and crashing to the ground.
Alex grabbed his dropped rifle and rolled back to his feet as more blasts rained down around him. He looked up in the sky and gritted his teeth as he saw the one person he had been hoping to get a shot at. "Saren."
The rogue Spectre raised his hand and fired another volley of warp attacks forcing the Post-Human to dodge aside and return fire with his rifle. Each round bouncing off a barrier that was surrounding Saren and the hovering platform he was standing on.
More gunfire erupted as the rest of the team attacked the Turian. Saren's glowing eyes locked on to the marines and fired a powerful throw that launched them all against the wall hard and knocking them unconscious before firing another at Alex.
"Maximum Armor." the dark energy slammed into his front sending him skidding back through the water around his feet. He raised his rifle and fired a volley of rounds that bounced off of the barrier again. He stopped after a few moments and glared at the Turian as they stood a few feet away from one another.
"It's unbelievable. I was utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat. As impressive a diversion as it was, I knew that there was more to it." said Saren. "Imagine my surprise to find that Shepard also wasn't the real threat."
"What are you going on about Saren?" asked Alex keeping his rifle trained on his head.
The Turian's glowing eyes narrowed, "When I first heard about you and your exploits from the Council, I imagined just a pathetic Human running around playing hero. But after you brought the evidence against me I knew you would be trouble."
"For some reason, Sovereign considers you a bigger threat than anything else. A threat that needs to be removed. I will not let either you or Shepard disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake."
"Unleashing the Reapers back on the galaxy isn't an accomplishment worth of praise!" Alex roared. "The only thing at stake are the lives of trillions that'll be killed when those abominations return!"
"I wouldn't expect you to understand." droned Saren. "You cannot comprehend what the Reapers are capable of. Shepard saw the vision, she knows first hand that they cannot be stopped. You all sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed."
"At least they died fighting for their freedom!" Alex pressed. "You just expect us to bow down and let the Reapers steam roll over us? Fuck that! I've had enough of watching genocidal species attempt to annihilate organics."
He pointed at the rogue Spectre, "And you are nothing more than Sovereign's puppet! If you honestly think that surrendering to the Reapers will save us; then its got your head a lot more warped than I thought."
Saren didn't look moved, "It is true that Sovereign's influence can...overwhelm a lesser mind. I was the aware of the dangers. I had hoped this facility could protect me. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle, I will not let it happen to me."
Alex shook his head. "Can you even hear yourself? It's already happening. Whatever that Reaper is feeding you it's bullshit! Once your useless to it your as good as dead."
"No! Sovereign needs me!" exclaimed the traitor. "If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."
Looking over the brainwave scan Prophet had made, Alex saw that Saren was so far beyond help that there wasn't anything left of the man he once was. "If the Reapers come back, there won't be any hope left for anyone." He said evenly.
The silence that dragged out was tense. Neither man backing down as they leered at one another.
"I knew you would never see things our way." Saren said finally. "When Sovereign attacked your mind it discovered that you are part machine yourself. We are similar, yet so different."
"I'm nothing like you." Alex said darkly, grip tightening on his rifle.
"Are you? You possess the body of a Human, but you have cybernetics and nanite technology running through your veins." said the Turian. "The perfect fusion of metal and flesh, machine and nerve. But you squander it fighting for those that are beneath you. You can join us, Maverick. Prove your worth to Sovereign, and it will grant you the same rewards it has promised me."
The nano soldier was motionless, yet his voice came out as cold as ice. "You know, I heard something similar from someone else years ago. In a different time and place...he and I ended up disagreeing on many levels."
"I may be more than Human. But I am not a fucking machine. Unlike your master I have a heart and a mind that remind me everyday who I am and why I fight as hard as I do. And that will be something the Reapers will never understand no matter how many cycles they've consumed."
He raised the rifle in his hands, "And I'll do everything in my power to make sure you and that overgrown toaster oven fail. No matter what it takes."
Dark energy started to gather around Saren's form. "So be it." he said launching a throw attack.
Alex dove to the side and fired full auto at the rogue Spectre, rounds being absorbed by the powerful barrier protecting him as he leapt on to the hovering platform and rose back into the air.
Keeping the heat on, the Post-Human moved from cover to cover. Avoiding warp attacks that were thrown around like bolts of lightning in a storm. Finding that the conventional method wasn't working, he decided to try something else.
"Cloak Engaged." the nano soldier vanished from sight and moved around to find a weakness in Saren's defenses. "You cannot hide forever Maverick. Your tricks won't save you here." said Saren taking out a Geth pulse rifle and peppering the ground below with dozens of rounds.
Decloaking, Alex launched an arrow straight at the Turian only for it to be caught effortlessly in his taloned hand and inch from his face. "Pathetic." Saren hissed snapping the bolt in two.
Alex quickly drew a second arrow and fired. The hovering platform moved up and it struck to the bottom of it, protecting Saren. "You're aim is deplorable. Perhaps everyone is wrong about you."
The nano soldier smirked under his visor, "I wasn't aiming for you split-lip." he hit the detonator on his bows handle. Saren had a split second to look down before the arrow exploded, ripping the platform he was standing on apart causing him to fall to the ground and land on his feet in the water below.
Saren growled before firing at the nano soldier again. "Maximum Armor." The rounds bounced off of him as he returned fire while moving into cover.
"It didn't have to be this way." said Saren ripping a nearby fuel tank from the ground with his biotics. "You could become so much more than what you already are." he threw the tank against Alex's cover. The explosion destroying the pillar and sending the Post-Human crashing into the wall.
"Suit Integrity: 79%. Energy Depleted."
Alex got back to his feet and got into cover again as the Turian fired his weapon. "Yet you continue on with your ideals of saving the galaxy. How nearsighted." mocked the traitor.
"Funny way of putting that. Especially with you betraying that same galaxy to save your own ass!" said Alex leaning out and shooting until his weapon started to overheat.
Saren fired back, several rounds tearing into the nano soldier's rifle and making it useless. "This is precisely why I never went to the Council with this. Ignorance. Belief that things will be saved through words and acts of valor. When in the end it's all for nothing."
Throwing the scraped rifle aside, Alex drew one of his Hammers and prepared for another attack.
X
A ways away, Kaidan slowly came back to consciousness. Shaking his head and clutching his side from the hit he had taken, he dragged himself upright and watched as Alex and Saren fought against one another.
Pressing a finger to his ear he contacted Jane. "Commander, It's Alenko. Saren's here. Alex is fighting him but I don't think he can keep him down much longer."
"What! Dammit!...Alright Leutenant, we've already picked up Ash, Garrus and the surviving Salarians and are heading back your way now. Contact Joker and have him meet us there. Just hold on!" said the Commander as the line ended.
Kaidan glanced at the marines nearby. Laying in pools of blood and limbs twisted from the attack Saren used to smash them into the wall like rag dolls.
Gritting his teeth, the biotic applied medi-gel to his injured side before taking out his pistol.
X
Alex emptied his pistol before having to dive out of the way of a singularity that was thrown back at him.
Saren proved to be a much tougher challenge than he thought. His cybernetics combined with his biotics made him a dangerous enemy. It was taking everything the nano soldier had to just get through the Turian's barrier while dodging attacks at the same time.
Switching to his bow, Alex fired an eezo arrow that Saren leapt away from as it detonated. "I must admit, you are a worthy enemy Maverick. But this conflict ends now." said the Turian charging up his biotics.
Nocking another arrow, Alex drew the string back and took aim. "Was thinking the same thing." he said letting the bolt fly.
The rogue Spectre caught the arrow as easily as the first. Alex leapt on to the low wall he was behind and jumped into the air, firing a second arrow in the process .
Saren caught the second arrow in his other talon, but couldn't stop the fist for his face that knocked him back two steps. Alex drew his knife and stood in a CQC stance as the Turian roared, swinging his claws at the Post-Human with the deadly precision most Turian military officials were known for.
The two squared off. Trading blows back and forth. Sparks flying whenever blade met talon in a deadly dance that would spell death for many.
Alex swung his knife high, but Saren blocked the strike at the last possible second. Tossing the blade into the air, the nano soldier caught it in his other hand, spun on the ball of his foot and went to stab into the traitor's neck.
Saren brought up a forearm and blocked the attack, swinging his right talon out forcing Alex to lean back. On of the razor-sharp claws on his synthetic arm grazed the center of the nano suit's visor, leaving a small scratch in the red tinted material.
Bringing his right fist down in a haymaker, Alex's right wrist was caught in Saren's grasp. He swung with his left hand with the knife still in it only for it to be grabbed as well. The two stood deadlocked, fighting against one another for control.
"You will not win." growled Saren. "Give up this futile attempt at preservation and accept the inevitable."
"Not gonna happen split-lip." said Alex. "Maximum Power." he brought up his foot and kicked the Turian hard in the chest sending him skidding back through the water at their feet.
Gritting his teeth, Saren summoned a large field of dark energy and blasted it forward like a tidal wave. Alex didn't have time to activate his armor mode as the wall of energy struck him hard and send him slamming hard into the wall and leaving a large body print in the reinforced concrete.
Powering down, the traitor skulked toward the nano soldier as he slowly started to stand back up.
Mid-step, Saren was struck in the side with a piece of the destroyed hovering platform he had ridden before and crashed to the ground.
Alex's HUD fizzled a little from the attack as Prophet spoke. "Suit Integrity: 71%. Repairs in Progress." He shook his head and got back to his feet to see Kaidan standing with pistol in hand and biotics flared.
Saren got back to his feet as well, glaring at the Lieutenant and growling like an enraged animal. "You'll pay for that Human!" he roared launching a warp.
Kaidan rolled out of the way before throwing one of his own that Saren stopped with a barrier. "You'll be the one paying Saren!" he shouted firing his pistol.
The Turian brought up another barrier to deflect the rounds before launching a throw at the Lieutenant. Kaidan brought up his own barrier and stopped the attack, but Saren kept pouring more energy into it causing the L2 biotic to strain to keep the barrier stable.
Alex clenched his fists as the suit repaired itself. When it was fixed enough he charged the Turian to help Kaidan.
Saren's eyes glowed brighter as one last blast of energy left his hand. Kaidan's barrier shattered and he was sent sliding across the ground until he stopped against the nuke. Blood dripping from his ears, nose and eyes as he laid motionless.
"KAIDAN!" Alex roared driving his fist hard into the traitor's gut. He followed up with a headbutt that sent Saren reeling back and swiging his synthetic arm out in a blind attack.
Alex snatched the arm before it could land, fingers tightening on the forearm as his grip increased beyond normal Human standards.
At that moment Jane and the others ran through the opposite doorway. Tali supporting Ashley with a bullet wound to her leg and the surviving STG members trailing behind with Captain Kirrahe leading them with weapons ready.
Saren looked into the crimson visor of the nano suit. The sheer power and rage behind that visor could be sensed clear as day. Alex said nothing as his grip on the arm in his hand tightened further.
"Maximum Power." Alex swung hard to the right. Throwing Saren over his shoulder hard. The sound of metal twisting and snapping was heard as the synthetic arm was torn from the rogue Spectre's body as he was hurled down the small river and landed in a heap close to the edge.
Everyone stood in both awe and horror as the Post-Human stood, the synthetic arm torn at the shoulder in his grasp as it dripped blue blood and white fluid into the water at his feet. He tossed the severed limb aside as he began to stalk toward the injured Turian.
Saren staggered to his feet. His remaining talon cluching at the stump where his arm used to be as he glared back at everyone in attendance. It was a fight he couldn't win now. Outnumbered and wounded he was no match for them all.
A loud alarm blared throughout the facility making everyone jump. Saren ran for the railing behind him and leapt over. A second later he rose into the air on another hovering platform that rose higher and higher.
Alex drew one of his Hammers and aimed. But holstered it knowing it wouldn't do any good.
He turned and ran back to the others as Jane and Garrus was looking over Kaidan. "How is he?"
"We need to get him on the Normandy and fast. I think his implant might be overloaded." said Jane grimly.
At that moment the Normandy came down like before and hovered not far from the platform they were all on. "Come on guys we gotta go! More Geth are on the way and I do mean more!" said Joker urgently.
"Everyone move out! Double time!" shouted Jane as they all gathered the wounded and made a b-line for the ship.
Tali brought up her omni-tool by the nuke and entered a sequence before chasing after them. A display appeared on the ordinance and a counter started at 5:00 and began to count down. "The nuke's been activated let's go!" she shouted as they ran up the ramp and into the cargo bay.
"Joker get us the hell outta here!" Alex shouted.
The helmsmen gunned it and blasted off toward the sky. They barely breached the atmosphere when the ground where they had just been lit up in a massive orange ball that was easily seen from space as the ship headed straight for the nearby mass relay.
Onboard, Jane and Alex got Kaidan out of the upper half of his armor and applied medi-gel while Jane was on the comm. "This is Commander Shepard, I need a medic team in the cargo hold ASAP! We have wounded, one critical! I repeat, we have wounded!" she shouted as they tried to stabilize the Lieutenant's condition.
"Dammit Kaidan just hold on." said Jane trying to fight back tears as her friend/brother laid motionless and pale on the floor.
Alex had Prophet scan the biotic's body. Several broken bones came back, but the most dire anomaly was his L2 implant which was severely overloaded. And that made the situation very critical.
The elevator opened, Chakwas and her medical team ran into the room and surrounded the downed Lieutenant. "His implant is overloaded; we need to get him to the med-bay and into surgery if he is to have any chance at survival." said Chakwas as they loaded him on to a gurney and wheeled him back to the elevator.
Three members stayed behind to treat the other wounded. Jane stood staring at the elevator doors where Chakwas had disappeared. Shoulders slumped as her green eyes shimmered with tears ready to fall.
Alex pulled the woman into an embrace where she came apart instantly. Clinging to him like a life line as sobs shook her frame like a leaf on a tree.
No one in the large room said anything. The mission had taken a huge toll on all of them. But Alex felt it the worst. As he held Jane in an attempt to comfort her, he couldn't help but blame himself for what happened down there.
Because in the end...he may not have been able to change anything...
A/N: I know, I know. You guys hate the cliffhangers like it's no one's business. But I gotta get suspense where ever I can. And I won't leave you guys hanging for long with something like this hanging over your heads. That's just not how I do things.