Wow I got this chapter up fast. lol. Anyway nice. A lot of people are reading this. Now where did i leave you guys? Ah yes. Plague cleaning house. Also Plague finds out that how Aria said it. "In a way you don't exist." Plague uses his omnitool and can't find any signs of his old home. And why does Plague corrupt data whenever he is scanned?
Chapter 6 Recruit The Wildcard
The Wildcard
Chapter 6
The trip back to Afterlife was quiet. Plague just sat back and relaxed letting those questions spin around in his head.
The leader of Aria's irritation sat in the seat next to him with his hands still tied. When he woke up during the trip the first thing he did was start yapping at Plague.
He shut up and kept his eyes forward when his captor aimed his revolver right between the man's legs and pulled the gun's hammer making it ready to fire.
Sure Plague was a little sadistic. But in his opinion it made life more entertaining.
The captive started panicking when he saw the lights that marked the place as Afterlife. He groveled, he begged, he bribed.
When they landed in front of the place Plague dragged the man kicking and screaming. Once the doors opened Plague was actually grateful for the dam techno music.
There was not as many people there as last time.
As he walked past the bar he signaled the bartender for a drink. The turian worked fast and handed Plague a shot of some blue fluid as he walked by with his screaming delivery.
His visor opened and he drank the drink quickly and was surprised by how much it tasted like brandy. Plague turned and tossed the small empty glass to the bartender who seemed to have been expecting him to do so and nodded when Plague signaled for a double.
The captive cursed as he was dragged up the smell staircase to Aria's booth. It was funny to the Wastelander when he saw the man's face go pale as he saw his ex-boss's twisted smile.
"Jeremy. Jeremy. Jeremy. Why aren't you happy to see me?" Aria asked in a mock disappointed voice. "I'm happy to see you. Plague. I hope the rest of them whir dealt with?" she asked as she looked at her replacement for poor Jeremy.
"The other ten are dead ma'am. This guy here was shouting the orders the whole time so one can only assume he was the boss of the outfit." Plague answered.
"Is that so?" Aria said as her eyes seemed to start burning holes into the man before her.
"And if I remember correctly. On the way back he kept trying to save himself with offers. One of which was for me to let him go and take that beautiful head off your shoulders. So unbecoming of a gentlemen, don't you agree?" Plague then placed his helmet on part of the couch.
Aria seemed to chuckle a little at Plague's sense of humor.
"Quite." Aria then signaled a guard who sent something to Plague's omnitool. "As promised. Once you leave the same driver you met earlier will drop you off at the safe house. The kitchen is fully stocked, and in case something happens I got a mechanic to check the water filters. As for your resources, enter in the terminal there what you need and it will be delivered to you shortly."
"Thank you Aria T'Loak." Plague said as Aria signaled him to stop.
"Call me Aria. You're already far from my bad side."
"Very well Aria. I am at your service." Plague then gave a bow.
Aria then let out another chuckle at that.
"Quite the flatterer aren't you, 101?" she asked as she signaled a guard to take the tied man away.
"I seem to always know when I am speaking with someone who properly disserves to be respected." Plague answered with a smile.
"And I'm sure that the fact you keep stealing glances at me when I'm not looking has nothing to do with it?" his new boss asked with a smirk.
Aria laughed when Plague gave her a shocked look.
"Am I that obvious?" Plague blurted out in a joking tone.
"Next time I catch you I will have to do something about it." she said as the bartender from earlier walked up to the booth and handed Aria a glass with green liquid and then handed Plague his double. She then raised her glass up as Plague followed suit. "Welcome Mr. 101 to my employ."
"Cheers." Plague said as they both drank.
Later that day.
"Dammit!" Plague shouted as he skimmed through the list of elements on the screen.
He had stayed around Afterlife for a few more hours and later finally left. The driver's name ended up being Todd. The rest of the name Plague didn't really care about. However he seemed like a good guy. Turns out Todd will be driving Plague around Omega whenever his new boss has a job for him. Right now Plague was chewing on some kind of energy bar as he pushed buttons on the terminal at his desk next to his bed.
He had trouble finding the right minerals to use. Many of the new minerals he saw would damage his guns. Hell one would actually burn through the barrel. If he wanted to further use them he would have to seriously upgrade his weapons. Replace every part with stronger metals, find a way to insert a thermal clip, find a suitable replacement for the stocks that could take the recoil.
He didn't want to do that. Most of his most trusted weapons had been with him since he left the vault. He could understand remaking the ripper with a stronger motor with an equally strong bladed chain. Now that he thought about it he would have to remake all his melee weapons. It was only a matter of time until he would run into something his blades can't cut and his blunt weapons couldn't smash.
He spent his day at the workbench trying new ideas. The vault origin genies spent hours working on the tools of his profession. Many of his old weapons were dismantled and placed on the bench in a well organized manner.
The process of him remaking his weapons just flew by. He had managed to build a new customized ripper with a blue chain. It also had a new design to the hilt that fully covered the hand.
Green sparks sprayed across the work area as he tested the weapon on a thick slab of metal. Surprisingly the new ripper cut through the metal like paper. But he could feel the heat going to his hand. He would have to find a way to insulate the weapon.
The room was dark except for the occasional shower of sparks.
When he deemed the ripper to be ready he re atomized his former ripper. He held both the new and the old versions in his hands. He didn't know what to do with his old partners.
He placed the old ripper on the workbench and started to dismantle it and as he did so he had an idea.
He removed the chain of the older weapon and attached it to the newer model's hilt. Plague knew the idea was strange but he needed something to stay with him from his past life.
As he started rebuilding the rest of his weapons he did similar things for them. He would take something from his partners to remind him of where he came from, what he had done, what he had accomplished.
Luckily Aria wanted to give Plague a break as a reward so he spent the day working. He would only leave the workbench to heed the call of nature or to grab something to eat.
Finally with some final welding Plague was finished. He atomized the children of his partners.
In the wasteland a good weapon was a friend, a part of yourself, a companion to fight at your side.
In this new age they would serve as just that.
The only weapon he didn't rebuild was the laser pistol, which had belonged to Sarah. He never used it for two reasons. One was he was terrible with energy weapons. The second was it was Sarah's. he was afraid it would get damaged if he used it.
His armor would need to be upgraded as well. He saw no need to do any further metal work since his studies proved that they all exceeded the armor requirements of any armor he examined. However he had to build in a kinetic field. Sure he could just put on one of the shield belts one of Aria's men had supplied him with, but the technology was new to him.
He wouldn't feel at ease until he took the contraption apart to see how it works.
He spent a few more hours tweaking the system. By the time he was done it no longer was a belt. Just some device he managed to strap to his wrist just a little bit higher on his arm, just above his Pip-Boy.
The shields had more strength. It could even block against his own weapons. He thought it was a good idea in case someone managed to get their hands on one.
When the shield activated it gave off a rusty red glow and then vanished. The quiet steady hum was the only way to tell if it was still there.
The final thing he did was create his new ammunition.
It was late. Plague walked through the safe house with a tired look on his face. He never took off his armor even though he knew he was alone. Call it his instincts. He was always ready for something to try to kill him.
He got a glass and filled it with clear water. He looked at the clear liquid with a smile on his face. Plague drank deeply.
A few minutes later Plague found himself in the bathroom looking at the shower. He turned the knobs and was greeted by both the sight of water and the sound of it hitting the shower floor.
101 didn't even wait for the water to warm up. He atomized his gear and armor except for his new shield. He managed to make it water proof like his Pip-Boy.
The feeling of the clean water on his skin was almost alien to him. He only gave a slight shiver from the cold.
Water ran down his battleworn scar covered form. A large circular scar on his right shoulder blade, teeth marks down his left arm, the burns down his right leg and bullet wounds that had long since healed.
The scar from the shot to the head was nearly invisible compared to the self inflicted scars on his forehead.
Plague seemed to relax for the first time in a while when the water finally became warmer.
He finally looked down at himself. He had changed a lot since he left the vault. He gained a muscular, dangerously skinny, but athletic body. His right hand was missing its first and middle fingers. Two robot fingers took their place. He had built them himself along with the help of the Brotherhood of Steel.
It must have been shocking to them to see him again.
The fingers were built into his hand. They didn't need charging. They simply moved whenever Plague's nerves wanted them to. A complicated pulley system that utterly confused the scribes. The process made perfect sense to Plague. After they tried a few designs the knights asked him to teach the system to the scribes. The idea could help both them and others who may have lost a limb in the waists.
He knew how to build whole arms and legs. He was happy to aid his former love's brothers.
The thought sent a jolt of pain through his system. Not physical, but mental. He rested his head on the shower wall as the water ran over him.
With his right hand he grabbed the tags around his neck.
Sarah Lyons was engraved in the metal along with her service number.
Other tags hung along with it. All saying other names Plague had been given. 101, Plague, Mr. Vault, The Courier. Each name he had no part in inventing. He just simply accepted the titles.
He let go of Sarah's tag to let it rest along with his tags on one strong chain. The chain originally Belonged to Sarah. In a way it seemed to hold his other titles together.
Slowly his breathing slowed down. After what felt like hours Plague turned off the shower.
He exited and looked in the mirror to see a pale man with cut short whitish blond hair. It was just short enough that he wouldn't have to deal with it.
Distractions like getting hair out of your eyes could get you killed on the battlefield.
He was skinnier than he thought. On Plague's best days he would only eat once a day and nothing else unless he felt that he wouldn't find food for a while. He almost died many times throughout the first few months he left the vault. To him food could not be wasted. In his hunger he became a cannibal. The condition was disgusting to him. But he felt the urges when ever he was under extreme stress or hunger. He was disgusted with himself afterwards. No matter who he carved. Raider, slaver, Enclave, Legion, hell even super mutants felt his blade and roasted over a fire.
At least he had the control to avoid the female bodies. He felt bad enough from simply killing them.
He would sometimes find himself biting his own arm.
Plague's 101 jumpsuit re-atomized on him as he walked through the safe house. It was an apartment with a good view. Probably enough space for three people to live in.
He ate another one of those bars and once finished collapsed onto the couch. Quickly his eyelids became heavy and he went to sleep.
His next few days were filled with small guard jobs from Aria. On the third day he walked into Afterlife with a sense of familiarity.
The same turian bartender handed him a drink as he walked by and caught the empty glass that was tossed his way over Plague's shoulder as if it was all choreographed in one fluid motion. Plague got along well with the bartender. He always seemed to know what alcohol Plague felt like drinking. No matter if it was a drink from Earth or some colorful liquid Plague had never seen before.
After a while he simply accepted the drinks without question as if he was a doctor giving him a prescription.
"Aria." Plague said when he looked upon the image of his boss.
"Ah, Plague. How was the deal? The sooner I get those damn slavers off my station the better." Aria asked.
Plague gave a slight shrug as he sat down.
"I think it went rather well. Until one tried to put a shock collar around my neck."
Aria lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Rather bold aren't they? I assume you took care of them?"
"I killed all but one. The one I left happened to be the dumbass who tried to collar me. I cut off an arm and freed those they kidnapped on Omega. I sent the bastard off with a warning to his boss. If they show up again just let me know and I'll deal with it." Plague informed her.
"Wish I was there to see It." the asari said with a smile appearing. "Funny how I don't need to give you instructions."
"I have dealt with slavers in my time. It's a lot different now but the principle's the same."
"Is that so?" she said not really as a question. "Well I don't have anything for you to do. I'll give you a call when something comes up."
"Alright boss." Plague said as he relaxed in his seat. "Hope you don't mind me just hanging around here."
"Not at all. But if you try to seduce me again I might add a scar to your collection." Aria warned in a joking tone.
"How did you know I had a collection?" Plague asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You're doing it again." Aria warned.
"Not my fault your attractive." they both laughed at this.
The laughter was interrupted by a beeping sound that was barely heard over the techno music Plague still hated.
"Is someone calling you?" Plague asked Aria who had a look of confusion.
"That's not me." she said as she pointed to Plague's right hand.
Slowly Plague looked down and froze at what he saw. His Pip-Boy was flashing along with the beeping getting louder.
"Something wrong?" Aria asked when she saw her business partner's expression. "Does that happen often?"
Plague didn't respond. He simply shook his head in disbelief.
His Pip-Boy was picking up an Enclave signal. As soon as the signal appeared it was gone.
"You might want to get that repaired." offered Aria as she ordered a drink.
In a calm voice Plague responded barely loud enough for her to hear over the music.
"…some things can't be repaired."
Taylor Shepard POV
"You know how much I hate Omega, right?" Garrus asked Shepard. "Don't get me wrong. I have had some good times but really?" the turian whined.
"Cut the chatter." Taylor Shepard ordered in an annoyed tone. "We aren't even going to be here long. Just don't run around screaming "I'm Archangel" and you'll be fine."
"That's a funny image." said the thief next to her with a black hood and black and white outfit. "I can sell tickets to "The Crazy Turian"."
"Kasumi…"
"What? I'd split the profits."
Taylor just shook her head while she massaged her temples.
They hadn't even exited the docking area yet.
She wore her new red inferno armor minus the helmet. Timmy insisted on her using it. After she used it the first time she actually came to love it. But the damn helmet was ugly as hell. It also helped amplify her biotics.
The doors opened and she lead her group straight to afterlife. If anyone knew where the Wildcard was it would be Aria the "queen" of Omega.
She walked into Afterlife and saw the familiar lights, alien techno music. The guards seemed to give her a quick glance when they saw her party was armed and then looked away once the realized who it was.
Ignoring the glances she walked through the club and walked up to the booth that Aria always liked to sit in.
"Shepard. It's been a while." she said as she signaled her guest to sit.
"I hear your Archangel hunt was rather interesting. Considering how many bodies we had to get rid of."
"I'll be honest with you. It didn't go as planned. But I've been through worse." Shepard explained.
"I bet. Anyway. You're probably here for a reason. What do you need comander?"
"Like last time, I'm looking for someone. I don't have a name, but he should really stick out in a crowd." Shepard started as she leaned forward. "He has been accepting merc jobs around Omega and appeared here three days ago. Has a unique shaped helmet that looks a little like a quarian's mask." she noticed Aria's eyes widen a little in recognition. "Have you seen him?"
"Have I seen him? If I had and told you what would you do with him?" she asked in a calm but intrigued voice.
"I want to recruit him for my mission. No harm will come to him."
With that answer both Aria and some of her guards started quietly laughing.
"I don't need to worry about him. Not like you could touch him." Aria explained.
"So you do know him then?"
"Know him? He works for me. You just missed him actually."
Taylor Shepard's eyes widened as she looked around the club.
"He can't be far. He said he was heading over to the market district for some window shopping. You can catch him if you hurry. But…" Aria said as her guests started to leave. "If he accepts your proposal, tell him I would like to speak with him before he leaves. Careful though. He's quick to fight or flight."
With a nod the commander ran out of Afterlife with her party not far behind her.
It didn't take them long to get to the market district. They all stopped on the side of the civilian traffic.
It was hard to look around with all the people walking around. They ended up standing there in the center of the market district for half an hour.
"Right there!" Garrus shouted as he pointed into the crowed.
The other two looked and barely made out the helmet worn by the Wildcard. He must have seen them since he started running through the crowd.
"Dammit! Garrus you're with me." Shepard ordered as they started running after him. "Kasumi find a way around and try to cut him off. Remember we don't know what weapons he uses."
"Right Shepard." Kasumi acknowledged as she cloaked while running.
The man was clearly in shape. He jumped over counters and made quick sharp turns to try to confuse his pursuers.
The chase lasted for a few minutes till they managed to corner him. His back was against a railing.
Both Garrus and shepard were out of breath.
"Wait…" Garrus started between breaths. "We just want to…Dammit!"
The words didn't make it to him. As he was talking the helmeted human jumped over the rail.
Shepard and Garrus looked over the rail and saw nothing.
Plague POV
Plague had jumped over the railing and grabbed onto the rail of the lower level.
He was now standing in an alley trying to catch his breath.
'Blood Pack? No.' he thought to himself trying to identify his pursuers. 'Blue Suns?'
In his thoughts he almost didn't notice the quiet footsteps approaching him. On reflex he threw his head back to avoid some air.
At first he thought he was mistaken until he managed to block an invisible jab.
"Interesting." a female voice said as Plague blocked another punch.
"I…can say the same for you miss…?" he asked as he avoided what had to be a kick.
"Goto." she answered.
"Well miss Goto. I'm afraid…I'd have to level the battlefield." Plague announced as parts of his visor started glowing red.
The next second Plague caught an invisible fist as his visor started showing him Goto's body heat. The next second after that he twisted her arm behind her back as he himself became invisible.
Kasumi Goto POV
Kasumi was shocked when this man managed to catch her hand while she was cloaked. She was even more shocked when he started to disappear before her eyes as he put her own arm behind her back.
The thief started to struggle in his grasp but then went motionless as she felt a sharp edge touch her neck. She also felt herself getting pulled closer to the man's body.
If she was able to make jokes she might have said something about how the situation could have made a nice scene in a romantic novel.
"I don't want to kill you. So quiet please." he whispered closely into her ear.
It was surprising to her how his voice somehow sent shivers down her spine.
As soon as he said that the rest of her group came around the corner.
They both were invisible to them with their cloaks on in the dark alley.
Garrus activated the light on his omnitool while Shepard followed. When she saw her commander messing with something on her omnitool she let out a quiet sigh. She was tracking her omnitool. A clever idea Mordin had in case the group got separated.
"Kasumi?" Shepard called out in the darkness. "Where are you?"
As they slowly got closer Kasumi was slowly half guided and half dragged further into the alley.
He didn't know they were tracking her.
"Kasumi, are you alright?" Garrus asked out of worry. "Are you hurt?"
Kasumi could make out a silent sigh from the man holding her.
"What do you want with me?" he asked Shepard in a somewhat altered voice.
Garrus and Shepard's eyes went wide in worry as they heard the voice.
"He's cloaked." whispered the turian.
"I can see that…just shut up Garrus." Shepard said in annoyance and slight panic. "Where is Kasumi Goto? We know she's here."
"Deactivate your cloak." he demanded Kasumi in a polite voice.
She did so but the knife was still at her throat.
"Stay back." she said quickly to her friends when they started to approach her.
"Kasumi, are you alright?" Shepard asked.
"Somewhat. Appears I'm not the only stealthy one here." she answered with as close to a cheerful voice she could use at the moment.
"Now, back to my question. What do you want?" the bodiless voice asked.
"I am on a mission." Shepard explained. "Human colonists are disappearing from their colonies. No bodies found, no signs of struggle. Just simply vanish. An alien race called the Collectors are responsible. I am building a team. I have heard of what you can do and I am hoping we could work out a deal. But if something happens to Ms. Goto the offer is out the window. You are free to decline the offer. We won't try to stop you from leaving."
As the seconds ticked by Kasumi could feel the man's quick movements as he was probably looking for a way out of the alley.
"She's not going to just attack you." Kasumi started as she slowly looked to her right where the man's face could be. "She won't do anything unless you give her reason to."
"Milady let me just say that this is not the first time I have heard such a thing." he said with his voice sounding more intelligent. He then started talking to the commander. "I will let her go if you remove all your weapons and put them on the ground."
A few seconds later Shepard and Garrus started taking off their weapons and did as they were told.
Once the final gun was on the ground Kasumi felt the knife leave her neck as her hand was let go.
Instantly she took a step away from the man and turned around as he started to appear.
Her face was shown in his polished visor. He put the small knife in his duster jacket and held out a hand to her.
"I feel as if I left you at a disadvantage Ms. Goto. You may call me Plague. Or 101." he introduced himself.
She slowly shook his hand as the man took a slight bow when she stepped to the side.
"I am Commander Taylor Shepard." Shepard introduced herself.
Plague bowed again and shook her hand.
"You seem to have an air about you." Plague said. "I always know when I'm speaking to someone who deserves respect. You walk with authority in your movements. I can also tell you have been in many fights. If I accept this offer would I be serving under you madam?"
"There is a second in command on my ship but yes. On the ground team I will be giving the orders." she answered.
"Then that just leaves the form of payment."
"I have heard about how you don't accept credits. If you accept the offer you will be given a place to stay on the ship during the mission. We have food and water, and I make regular trips to uncolonized worlds to store up on minerals and other resources that I am willing to share with you to do with as you please."
With that Plague crossed his arms and looked up as if in deep thought. It was quiet as he pondered over the offer.
Kasumi wanted to add something but she didn't know if it would make much difference in the negotiation.
"We also have a bar." she blurted out more as a joke then throwing something onto the table.
As soon as she said that Plague's head snapped to her direction.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" he said followed by some laughter as if the man speaking earlier was a completely different person. "Hell the fact that I would be surrounded by such beauties as yourselves already had me." he then snapped a salute to Shepard. "Brotherhood of Steel and former NCR marine reporting for duty Ma'am."
101's on deck. What will happen?