A pinging on one of the sensors caused one of the Generation V soldiers manning mobile SAM site 23 to glance down at the disturbance. He brought out his mini-map and saw a blip on the radar, heading right towards them. He walked over to his partner, who held the launcher, and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Got a contact on the grid at F9," he said through his mask.
His partner's beige helmet turned, "Did you clarify?"
"About to," the man engaged the radio in his helmet. "Raven's Nest, this is 23, got a possible bogey at F9, no ID, type, or tail mentioned. Orders?"
"Permission to use deadly force, 23, out," came the smooth reply.
Satisfied, the man dropped the radio and gestured to his partner, "Heft it."
The man lifted the FM-94J Stinger missile launcher, a tried and true piece of equipment that had been in use since the Vietnam War. Now, it was being aimed from the heart of DC at a small black dot that permeated the otherwise clear sky.
"I have a lock," the solider said.
"Engage."
The missile whooshed out of its tube as it streaked toward its target. As expected, the object attempted evasive maneuvers by suddenly rolling to the side. With today's technology, and for such a slower-than-average moving object, it was practically guaranteed that the missile would hit, and hit hard.
The soldiers saw a brief flash near the rear of the object as it started to spin slowly in the air. The pilot seemed to be doing a decent job of keeping it aloft, despite the damage. The boxy craft was getting closer to the ground, its spinning intensifying as it was directed at an easy to discern landmark.
The first soldier keyed his radio, "Target is going down near Lincoln Memorial, stand by."
Within moments, the craft skimmed the paved ground in front of the pristine structure, metal screeching on concrete as it slowly shuddered to a stop, flames flickering from the rear. The radio was a flurry of activity, the crash had not gone unnoticed and now every soldier in the area was moving to intercept. However, the team at SAM site 23 was currently the closest, and thanks to their training, they beat feet toward the downed shuttle as soon as they determined its impact site.
They waved their guns in the air as they approached, trying to ward off any civilians in the area. Not that they needed to be told twice, they had already fled once the object had practically fallen out of the sky, from their perspective.
The men trained their rifles on the door of the craft, they could see other squads half a mile away, running down the mall in an attempt to converge on their location. They stood in place, waiting for the proper number of reinforcements to arrive before they could take any action.
Before that could happen, the door suddenly burst outwards from a fierce kick as a massive black and red figure slowly strode out, not caring about the fire which was now consuming the craft. This man was completely covered in the shiny armor and he was also carrying what looked like a portable minigun in one hand. There was no question about it that the posture was threatening.
"Freeze!" one of the soldiers yelled. "Drop the weapon and place your hands on your head."
"On whose authority?" the figure asked mockingly, in a grating voice.
"By authority of the President of the United States."
The man laughed, "That's a good one. I think you mean 'temporary President of the United States.' Just tell me where Speaker Wyatt is and no one has to get hurt."
The soldiers were not talking. The figure didn't like that he couldn't also see their expressions behind the mask and goggles. It felt to him like they thought of themselves as equals. That was their first mistake. He had no equal.
"If there's nothing else…" the figure sighed, activating a glowing tool on his arm and flicking a switch, causing the soldiers to shift nervously. The shuttle behind the man immediately exploded, sending a swath of blue flame up into the air. The soldiers turned their heads away to protect their faces from the glare. Their radios were awash with activity, requesting updates on the disturbance. The men could now hear a loud whirring noise as the man brought his enormous weapon to bear. Blue streaks of light were now pouring out of the muzzle, completely disintegrating everything they touched. One shaft of light touched a soldier's midsection, causing him to fold in half as a quarter of his body turned to ash. The other solider stepped back in shock and fell as his head turned to a smoking mass of vapor and dust.
The figure confidentially strode down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, now training his gun on the men who were fast approaching his position. He hefted it to his shoulder and depressed the trigger, spooling barrels emitting superheated plasma, completely obliterating an oncoming squad by the reflecting pool. He turned to the right as an armored APC rolled past the bollards. The geth Spitfire in his hands made short work of the armor, punching holes through it as if it were swiss cheese, the thousand rounds a minute making short work of the vehicle with everyone inside.
Alec briefly lowered his gun as he admired the carnage in his wake and shook his head sadly.
"I hate this planet."
Turning away from the exploding vehicle, he spotted a group of civilians that were still standing out in the open, behind some bushes. His shields were now starting to flicker as a group of soldiers coming from the Vietnam War Memorial were starting to open fire. Alec was not worried about the bullets inflicting any harm on him this time. His shields were military grade now and his armor could absorb the kinetic energy carried by the shots. What he was worried about were the fact that there were innocents directly in the crossfire and the soldiers were seemingly uncaring of this fact.
Holstering his Spitfire, he extracted his Paladin pistol as he fired off a round, catching a man in the jaw, tearing it off, blood spilling on the concrete, staining it red. He fired several more times as he moved closer to the civilians. One young woman saw him approaching and tried to run for it, but this would take her into the path of the soldiers' sights. He aimed and a burst of meat exploded from the chest of one of the beige men as he grabbed her bodily across the waist, sending her behind a nearby wall. She started to shriek, confused and scared at his appearance.
"Calm down!" Alec said, peeling back his helmet so that she could see that he was human. "It's okay, see?"
The woman was starting to calm down as recognition flicked across her eyes, "You're…you're…human."
"It isn't safe here," Alec ignored her. "Get to the road, don't stop running." Her eyes wavered, unsure of what to do before Alec roared, "GO!"
The woman took off, the few civilians still hiding behind the wall looked at him for guidance, he waved a hand at the fleeing form, "Follow her, get to safety! Run!" The people immediately scrambled to their feet, huddling in a mass as they ran across the park to get to the road beyond.
He turned around the see a fist slam into his visor. He stumbled back, gnashing in annoyance. The man who threw the punch was now fumbling for a knife in his belt, gloved fingers eventually grasping a Ka-Bar in his beige vest. The soldier now advanced, swinging the knife in short arcs, driving Alec back. At the apex of a particular swing, Alec threw himself forward, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it behind him until he heard a nasty crack. The force of the charge propelled the both of them to the ground where the man's back landed on the stone steps, breaking it. With a roar, Alec brought his fist down, hydraulics in the armor driving the force of the punch as his hand impacted straight onto the soldier's goggles, shattering them and smashing the man's skull.
"Fuckers don't care who they hit, huh?" he said to himself.
Gore dripping from his fingers, he took a ragged breath as he stood. More black soldiers were swarming from the trees, coming from the roads beyond his field of view. A mile away he could see his destination: the United States Capitol building. He knew that the office of the Speaker of the House was located in that building. Anthony did not have enough time to be in the White House yet. That was where he needed to go.
But his paths were currently blocked. He was wasting time standing here. The more he delayed, the chances of him getting to Anthony were dwindling, fast. But there was nowhere he could currently run to without having to charge into a mob of soldiers, where their combined fire would surely put him down for the count. But, with finality, he did note that there was one avenue that would be advantageous and would expedite his travel time.
"Always wanted to do this…" he murmured as he bounded off the steps of the memorial and into the long reflecting pool in the middle of the mall. The water was only calf height so combined with his specialized armor and strength, he was able to traverse the area quite quickly. Panicked cries from the banks alerted everyone to his tactic and suddenly his shields began to noticeably dip and falter. The small assault noticeably started to lessen because of the terrain. The mall was situated on flat ground and he had completely bypassed the lines of the Gen V soldiers up the middle. By doing that, the men of the company had now turned their weapons towards the pool, but this meant that they were catching some of their own guys as their bullets whizzed past Alec towards the opposite bank, thinning the herd.
He didn't stagger from the assault, but unhooked his Spitfire and Paladin, hefting both in opposite hands. Turning to the southernmost bank, water exploding around him, he unleashed the full fury of the Spitfire on the hapless soldiers that were taking cover, sweeping the weapon in a deadly arc that destroyed anything that it touched. Screams of pain filled the air as men dropped like flies, critical cauterized wounds smoking from the barrage. Limbs were disintegrated, torsos removed, heads dissipating from necks, it was a complete bloodbath.
With his left hand, he twisted to the other side to fire indiscriminately with his Paladin, providing covering fire as he worked to bring the Spitfire up again. Precise shots took out the leg of one man, and the head of another, both cases spewing chunks of flesh as the pistol's heavy rounds dissipated all their kinetic energy into the force of the impact.
He was busy eliminating the men on the other side when a voice spoke into his ear.
"Alec."
He paused, unsure if he was hallucinating, "Anthony?" How did he hijack his communications?
"You can't talk to me, but I know you can hear me on this frequency."
Alec shook his head, try to rid the distracting voice from the confines of his helmet. He continued to fire, plasma chewing up the cherry blossom trees in the background, wood splintering.
"I know you're upset, but you must realize that this is not helping your cause."
"Shut up," Alec muttered. "Just shut up."
"You should have left when you had the chance," the voice on the comm persisted. "Just cut your losses and ran."
Alec started to run for the far bank, desperate to evade the verbal assault, "Wasn't going to happen, you little shit."
"If you're trying to get them out of danger, it hasn't worked. As acting President, I hold the key to all of the nuclear strike locations in the nation. Your ships have since moved into our missile range to facilitate your impromptu evacuation yesterday. But, I make one call and your fleet is obliterated."
Alec paused at the words, and at the unexpected arrival of a Black Hawk, turrets blazing as it passed overhead. Bits of molten metal struck Alec as the guns chattered. The larger caliber caused him to sink to a knee in the pool, gasping in pain. Yet more bruises to add to his ever expanding collage.
"You're…bluffing," he breathed. "You won't do it…"
"If you continue to pursue me," Anthony continued. "I will have no choice but to execute the launch. Leave right now and you get to save your 'family.' All in all, I'm surprised that you would choose them over us, Alec. They're not even your same species and yet you sided with them. I do not feel good about having to condemn my friend like this, but you made your choice. And I have made mine."
"It was the right choice," Alec grimaced to no one. "And I would make it again." He spun his Spitfire around as the Black Hawk made another pass, blue beams chewing through the delicate cockpit, shredding the rotors. The helicopter did not even have a chance to stay aloft as it unceremoniously smashed into the ground ahead of him, exploding and turning the day an even brighter orange as the fuel suddenly combusted.
"Your ass is mine."
Satisfied that there were no more troops in the area, he activated his active camouflage. His armor turned transparent, light bending slightly as it was refracted from the various angles that protruded. Twenty years of technological advancements had done wonders for research and development. Geth involvement in the development of weapons for both the turian and quarian fleets had resulted in a breakthrough in battlefield camo. Whereas a standard addition would only provide around thirty seconds of near-invisibility to the enemy, geth processing units had combine slight traces of element zero into the operating chip to produce a weave capable of generating at least thirty minutes of invisibility. Considering the length Alec still had to traverse, he was thankful for the reprieve.
Gunning out of the pool in a sprinter's stance, Alec belted across 17th street, no traffic on the road, past the Washington Monument in less than two minutes. He passed by several soldiers along the way, guns held high, searching for their lost quarry. He didn't worry about making too much noise as he stomped past, chances were that they were receiving too much interference from the conversations on their radios to notice the heavy footsteps as he sped on by.
As he approached the eastern edge of the monument, he noticed a fresh crater, brown dirt blackened by a fire, the aftermath of the missile. A pang of sorrow crept through his body as he recalled the events of that day. The pain on his hand as his finger was lopped off, Garrus lying on the ground in tatters, Tali trying to reach for her leg that wasn't there…
Alec seethed in anger, this was the work of a dead man walking. He started to pick up his pace again, rushing across the suspiciously empty road across the way. The concentration of civilians was light but you could tell that there was noticeable tension as they were trying to get out of the way and into the heart of the city where it would be safe.
A couple pushing a stroller was rushing by as Alec passed in front of them. He swore as he ran by that the toddler in the stroller looked at him, his eyes wide with amazement at the blurry figure that appeared out of nowhere, head tracking his path.
The rest of the way to the Capitol was marked by two simple dirt paths, but Alec stuck to the middle grassy area, mostly so that his boots wouldn't kick up as much dirt, potentially drawing notice. He ran the last stretch, heart pounding in his ears, breath slow and steady, eyes forward and focused. There was nothing to stop him now.
Once he reached the front steps of the building, he slowed because he spotted several police officers adorning the entrance, weapons drawn and ready. Alec frowned, Anthony must have tipped them off. This was an entirely different problem because he did not want to kill any cops. The soldiers after him were a different matter because they were a specialized group. These officers were simple ordinary men, with families and regular lives. He would have to be careful not to shoot any of them but he did tell himself that if everything went horribly wrong, he might not have any other choice.
His HUD told him that he still had a little less than fifteen minutes for his camouflage, so he quickly walked up the steps of the Capitol, making sure that his footsteps were light. He pushed the door open to find that the entrance was barred by a drop down metal gate, restricting his access.
Not entirely unexpected.
Alec dropped his camo as he engaged his omni-sword, slashing vertically as the gate parted, letting him past. He squeezed through the adaptable opening and found himself in a mostly empty lobby, covered in smooth, polished granite. There were no guards on the premises, where the hell was everyone?
"Don't move!" a voice in his ear commanded. Alec stopped at the deception and slowly turned around. Leveling a pistol at his head was a dark-skinned man, wearing the white uniform of a Navy officer. Alec, in his brief confusion, surmised that the man had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Bad for him, it was looking like Alec would have to make a move soon.
From the corner of his eye, he could see another form in a white uniform step out from behind a column, a woman, also carrying a pistol that she aimed at his head. Alec gave a small chuckle as he addressed the man.
"You going to shoot me…Lieutenant?"
The pistol in front of his face wavered, "You are an enemy of the state, my orders are to apprehend and ugh-!"
Alec thrust his head out to catch the man's forehead in a ferocious headbutt. The helmet cushioned the blow for him but the dark man wasn't so lucky. His legs crumpled from underneath him as he was instantly knocked unconscious.
"Taylor!" the woman cried, dropping her pistol on the ground as she went to the man's aid. Her cap was askew, Alec could see a shock of brilliant red hair as she tried to ascertain the damage to the man. She was young, early twenties and quite striking.
The threat over, Alec knelt down so that he and the woman were at eye level. "What's your name?" he asked.
She jerked in her position, only now seeming to comprehend who was talking to her. As her eyes took in the sight of his frightful armor, she stammered, "M-m-my name? It…it-it's S…S-Sh…"
"I don't care about your last name!" Alec suddenly barked. "I can read a name tag. Your first name, what is it?"
The woman shut her eyes in fear at the rebuke, "H-H-Han-Hannah. P-Please...I have a son..."
"Hannah, listen to me," Alec's tone was softer now. "Your friend has a slight concussion. Nothing major, but he will need to get to a hospital soon. I'm not interested in hurting you, take him and leave the building, okay? Whatever you do, do not stay in the city, understand?"
"I…" she started, voice cracking badly. "I understand."
"Good," Alec nodded. "Get yourselves out of here." He stood abruptly and made for the staircase in the corner.
"Wait!" she cried and he turned to look at her. "Who…who are you?"
Alec paused at the question, "I used to be one of you. Once."
With that closed, Alec headed at a jog towards the stairs. It was the only way forward in the lobby. Seemed like a place to start. However, he had no clue where else to go once he reached the top. There were hallways upon hallways and nothing was labeled for convenience. He could see troops mobilizing outside of the Capitol. The interior cameras had undoubtedly caught him. He needed to find the Speaker's office and he needed to do it fast.
As if on cue, he omni-tool pinged and he looked down, confused. He'd received a message, unknown sender.
Room H-224.
Alec looked around in surprise. Who sent this to him? How did they know what he was searching for? What was going on?
Pushing his questions to the back of his head, he saw a sign denoting H-Wing that branched off to the right. He ran down the hallway, drawing his Paladin just in case. He was already on the second floor so it was convenient that he didn't need to switch. He just needed to find the right one as the one on his omni-tool denoted. Running even faster now, not noticing the fact that the building seemed to be completely empty, he rounded the next corner and stopped in his tracks.
"Oh…shit."
The room up ahead was organized like some sort of library. There were rows and rows of files, lamps hung on the walls, and light streamed through the huge windows to the side. It also happened to be filled with the black and beige troops from outside. The whole thing suddenly made sense. It was a trap.
Alec ducked behind a shelf as bullets immediately were flung in his direction. He holstered the Paladin, there were too many for single shots. He grabbed the Spitfire off his back and peered around the corner, spooling the cylinders as he waited for the best moment to attack.
A soldier rounded his cover and Alec immediately melted him with plasma, the body liquefying before his eyes. He rose from his cover as he planted the bottom of the rifle along the edge as he moved the weapon back and forth, white-hot death streaming out from the Spitfire. A burst of sparks shot wood and broken metal into Alec's face, stopped by his visor from preventing any body damage. He ducked back and saw that his rifle was completely trashed. The penetrating rounds had pierced the cartridge, it was now leaking corrosive acid.
Alec's eyes widened as he realized the danger inherent. Drawing himself up again, he threw the rifle with all of his might into the middle of the room. Dozens of heads tracked the weapon as it landed on a nearby desk, then the entire world turned blue as it exploded, sending bodies and objects flying in its immediate vicinity.
The soldiers yelled at the bright light and heat, despite their black goggles. Taking advantage of the distraction, Alec unhooked the two Kassa Locust submachine guns and started to strafe across the room, using both hands to spray the entire area with death. The nearest ten guards went down instantly, bodies chewed up by the high velocity rounds, their facial features completely destroyed. Alec now advanced, depressing one trigger at a time, spraying a different area each time he fired. Rounds struck his shields but they never dipped below seventy-five percent. He flipped the secondary triggers and two concussive rounds popped, catching two troopers underneath the chins, breaking their necks as they were forcefully flung backwards.
A soldier stood from cover near Alec's position and he simply cracked him over the head with the butt of a Locust, dropping him to the floor. There were only six left in the room, target practice at this point. Using single shots, Alec hit every last man in the head until there was one left. The man, flustered at his predicament, drew his service pistol as Alec calmly holstered his weapons, slowly walking forward. The trooper fired, but the round glanced off the shields. Two more shots, same result. Alec was now ten yards away. The soldier was now unloading his pistol at Alec but before he could flick the magazine reload, Alec activated his omni-sword and swiped once. Kicking aside the now headless body as it slowly leaked blood over the stone floor, he continued on out of the room, towards the small hallway in the corner.
He glanced left and right as he strolled, feeling a tad worn out after the encounter. It was like this sort of thing had become routine to him, despite its infrequent occurrences. He remembered a time when he wasn't even all that physical. He was just a normal kid back on Earth, looking to apply to colleges, only thinking about the immediate future. Now he was fighting against the very thing he had sworn to protect. Wasn't that what all those times he had to pledge allegiance to the flag in school were for? Was he really the good guy now? He was now the invader, the conqueror. But it did made sense in this regard.
He had been slighted, and that was all the reason he needed.
When he saw the door marked H-224, he reached for his Paladin. He didn't know what to expect on the other side of his doors, but he had a pretty good idea. Wasting no more time reflecting, he kicked open the wood door, moving quickly, covering all angles, as he moved to the glass door at the far end of the office. He reached down for the knob and turned it, stepping inside.
There was no one in the room. Alec turned to see behind the door, underneath the desk, to confirm his first impression. He sighed as he brought his weapon back to his side. He had been expecting this as he had spent more and more time on the surface. Had Anthony been here in the beginning? Had he delayed too long fighting in the streets, allowing him to escape?
He couldn't answer this question on his own so he made for the computer console on the desk and moved the mouse, desperate for answers. The login required a password, which Alec didn't have so he booted up his omni-tool and waited for it to establish the proper handshake protocol. Normally, conventionally hacking a government computer is one of the most difficult things to do cyber-wise. It isn't an impossible feat, but you have to know a few shortcuts around the system to begin with. Omni-tools aren't like that. They see a device that is connected to a network and within moments, they can tap in via wireless and hijack its server protocol, essentially creating a virtual desktop in real time. Alec typed in the provided password as the screen flashed and welcomed him.
It took him a few tries to get used to the operating system that had been installed. It was some form of Windows but twenty years of computing can result in leagues of progress being made in that time. It was all so different to Alec so he typed in a search query in his omni-tool. He activated the device's recent files and saw that that there were only three that had been accessed in the past few days, suspiciously deleted within that timeframe which his tool was able to recover without trouble.
He opened the first file, a Word document, and read the first few lines.
"Tertiary Protocol Mandate,
…In the event that the Speaker of the House decides to manage all assets in lieu of the established Presidency, all members of the White House will be diverted to separate military bases on foreign soil and will initiate a dark policy, no contact will be established lest the President's life will be put in danger. The duration of the dark period is at the discretion of the Speaker of the House and will be notified to the controller responsible for the issuance. Reason to be…"
Alec's eyes skimmed the rest of the file. His breathing grew quick as he realized the importance of this document. Here was evidence explaining how Anthony managed to wrest control of the military in such short notice. He looked it over again. There was nowhere in the document that certified its legality and moral obligations with anything the Constitution stood for. This was an illegal act and he could bring the head of it all down, and anyone associated with him.
He quickly copied the file to his omni-tool as he opened the next Word document.
"NSA Briefing 11-23-2047 -CLASSIFIED-
…Determined and pressed by the Speaker of the House, it has been decided that a private force should be comprised for the purposes of urban warfare and pacification within the borders of the United States. As it is the fifth attempt for pushing such an act, recent events have told us that we will never get the clearance from Congress to establish such a force. The Director of the NSA, Lieutenant General Arthur Palmquist, has summarily decided to establish the platoon, designated 'Generation V' from a pool of unmarried men with specific requirements: physical shape, mental prowess, and marksmanship. All members will be provided top of the line equipment developed by the NSA. Maturation of program is expected to take at least a year and deployment should be scattered sparingly on different operations. Recommended targets for proof-of-concept would include Miami, El Paso, and Los Angeles. Will present results to Director to establish legality in light of…"
Alec was now tapping furiously at his omni-tool, copying every last word on these files in case he was detected in the system. This was big. He now had two highly illegal acts that incriminated two men in positions of power in America. He had it all, now he just needed to get the word out. He glanced back at the last file in anticipation. This one was a video file, the large size meant that it was high quality, but he had no idea what to expect as he moused over the icon and double clicked.
He watched for only two seconds before he recoiled in the chair. He shook his head in disbelief.
"Those…those motherfuckers," he whispered. "I cannot fucking believe this! No, goddamn it, no!"
Even at the unfamiliar angle, he still recognized the figure who was sitting atop a desk. He knew who it was because he had placed her there. Still watching, he saw himself on the screen on his knees proceed to lean into Tali's body as her legs spread, her hands squeezing her bare breasts as he proceeded to physically please her. Alec paused the video as he stewed, not moving as he stared in hate at the screen.
It was the ultimate indignity. How could he have been so stupid as to think that his room wasn't bugged? Why didn't he think of that in the first place? And, of all the things that had transpired in that room, all the things he'd said, they only kept the one part when he was sharing an intimate moment with his wife.
Cocksuckers. They had seen her face, when he expressly announced his displeasure at such an opportunity. They had seen her when she was at her most vulnerable, her most joyful. He hated that the sanctity of the moment had been defiled the whole time they were in that room. There really were no lines the government would cross, even to their "distinguished guests."
Alec brought his arm up as he accessed the video file from his omni-tool. Computer such as the one in front of him were all linked to a network. Data was never completely erased, it could be recovered and retrieved provided you had the best working for you. Omni-tools did not discriminate, once an item was deleted it was gone forever. If a network was being hosted on an omni-tool, the same principles applied. Without hesitation, Alec deleted the file from his tool, watching the icon on the computer disappear simultaneously. To further assuage his thoughts, he left a malicious worm on the network, unable to be picked up by the relentless virus scans. He programmed it to search for the file in question in case someone had copied it to an external drive. This was key, if anyone was going to upload it to a network for later, the worm would know instantly, being connected to the government's wide area network, and would immediately ravage and destroy the incriminating file. No one would be able to see Tali's face again, he had just made sure of that.
The door creaked open and Alec, who had been distracted, glanced up to see a blank mask point a rifle at him as he slowly approached the desk. Alec frowned, he should have been more prepared and here he was sitting on a chair like an asshole. He didn't know what rifle bullets would do to his shields at point-blank range, but he didn't want to find out.
The soldier keyed his mic and started to speak, about to give away Alec's location when he, all of a sudden, stopped. He made a choking noise and collapsed to the ground. Alec was very confused until he saw the hilt of a knife embedded in the trooper's neck.
Alec stood up, cautiously, as he walked over to the dead body and yanked the knife out. It was a sharp throwing knife, short but pointy. On the hilt was an unfamiliar language that he hadn't seen in years, it almost looked like-
"Um, hey?" a voice intoned. "That's my knife."
Alec looked up to see a woman in a form fitting but hooded suit. There was a small dab of maroon paint on her lower lip and the facial features, although partially hidden, looked very familiar.
"Kasumi?" Alec said in surprise.
The woman walked forward, taking the knife from his stunned grasp, "You look good in that armor, Alec. It might have been more effective if you wore the helmet as well to that farce of a negotiation."
Alec, a little miffed, keyed his helmet control, "How did you know it was me?"
Kasumi Goto shrugged, "I saw the armor laying in the corner of your room, remember? I'm a thief at heart, we have to be observant."
"Back to your old ways, then?"
"Something like that."
"But," Alec tilted his head. "Why help me? For all intents and purposes I'm an enemy to humanity and if they see you with me you'll be taking the fall as well."
"Because I know that you didn't do anything. That you were innocent of what they claim."
"How?" Alec asked, wanting more.
Kasumi pointed to the computer, "That. I had hacked it a few days ago and stumbled onto those same files that you did. I realized just as you did that they were illegal and waited to see if they would make use of what they outlined in there."
"Then…that means…you sent me the text half an hour ago."
Kasumi produced a specialized phone, "I also had hacked your number. I figured it would be best to point you in the right direction."
Alec smiled but quickly frowned, "The third file…you didn't open it, did you?"
The thief shook her head, "I saw the thumbnail and assumed that it was private business. Although, because of the fact that I no longer can see it on my display I assume you have deleted every trace of it, correct?"
"That was the idea. That was a private matter and I'm rather touchy about the subject."
"That's understandable, but you still haven't asked me the question you've been itching to all this time."
"And what's that?"
Kasumi smiled, "'Where's Anthony?'"
Alec spoke slowly, "Do you know where he is?"
She flipped open her phone as she swiped through the apps and depressed the touchscreen once, "NSA headquarters. Every government employee is required to get implanted. It's no easy matter to get the command codes for an employee but once you do, you can monitor their movements in real time."
Alec whistled, "I can see where that would have come in handy during your little 'escapades.'" He strode towards the door as his helmet reassembled. He had his target, he must make haste, "Thank you for your help, Kasumi. I can tell you that I appreciate-"
"Oh, don't start that on me," Kasumi glared. "If you're trying to get rid of me, think again. I've got a chance to finally set things right on this planet instead of stealing for myself. I'm coming along."
"Girl," Alec growled. "If you think that, for one minute, you're coming with me to-"
"I'm not a child!" she yelled. "I can handle myself. You wouldn't be up to this point if it wasn't for me. Don't you think that there are other humans out there that admire the other species in the galaxy? Surely you're not the only one, so don't think that you're entitled to be the one human who constantly risks his life for people of differing races, Alec Lee!"
Alec strode forward, finger up to her face, "Don't…you…dare think that you know me. You don't. You say you want to come along but do you really want to put yourself in harm's way for a belief that you cling tightly to? Risk your neck for a cause such as this?"
"Why not? You did."
Alec huffed in frustration. Kasumi fixed him with a hard gaze that it seemed to pierce through the blackness of his visor. There was no yield in her stance, her mind was made up. Looking at her, there was a spark of something familiar in her eyes, it eerily reminded him of himself.
"Fine," Alec said. "But this isn't a game, Kasumi. These people are not looking to arrest you, they will kill you should they get the chance. I'm not going to babysit you throughout all this, you do realize."
"I'm aware of that," she snapped as she wheeled and drew her pistol, a silenced Beretta. There were two brief coughs and another soldier slumped from the doorway, two exit wounds just through the heart. Alec looked at the woman, impressed by her marksmanship.
"One condition," she smiled sheepishly, holding up her pistol. "I'm running low on ammo and I noticed you have quite an assortment on your back. If you could possibly spare…"
Alec, rolling his eyes, unhooked one of the Locusts from his back and handed it to her. Kasumi made an awed face and ran a hand over its polished exterior.
"Fall behind and you're on your own," Alec warned.
Kasumi responded by slapping in a spare thermal clip, "As if that wasn't obvious enough."