"I think this is it," Shepard said, looking down at her omni-tool. She closed the glowing interface and raised her head, craning her neck slightly as she gazed up at the multistory building across the street from them. It was a towering circular construction of rusted metal and exposed pipes that pushed high into the Omega sky, its roof lost among the dark and smog as it climbed up past even the horde of shuttles that raced overhead. Shepard arched a brow. "It's bigger than I thought it'd be."
She turned to Garrus as he came up beside her. He gave the building a cursory glance and then tilted his head dismissively. "It's not all Marsh's, if that's what you're thinking. Each floor's usually reserved by a single vendor, rented from whatever crimelord owns the building."
Shepard nodded. "Makes sense. But which floor's Marsh's?" She eyed the massive tower again, resisting the urge to shudder as she tried to calculate just how long an elevator ride to the top might take. A galaxy wide civilization that utilizes FTL drives, and yet we still use elevators slower than a sleepwalking Elcor.
"There's usually a registry on the first floor." Garrus answered, nodding his head towards the set of front doors. Shepard glanced again at the hulking mass before them, hesitating. "What?" he asked.
She rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead. "Nothing's ever easy for us, is it?"
Garrus mandibles twitched. "Not usually, no."
"Chances are something's going to happen in there."
"Probably, yeah."
"Can't ever just be a simple, routine pick up."
Garrus scratched his scars. "Well, there was that one time on…never mind, forgot about the batarian slavers."
Shepard hmphed at the memory. They stood there, both staring at the tower before them.
Finally, she sighed and reached over her back, unholstering her Widow. "Right. Let's get this over with."
They walked into the building, Garrus falling in slightly behind Shepard as she led them towards the glowing VI situated just in front of the large, utility-sized elevator directly across from the front doors. He did a quick scan of the otherwise empty room, observing the five other people who were scattered about it. Three of them – a group of one volus with two heavily armored krogans – were off to the left, where a set of public terminals were situated along the wall. The other two were a pair of turians that flanked either side of the elevator, wearing matching armor with their assault rifles drawn. Garrus noticed their relaxed postures, guns angled towards the floor as they chatted to one another. Sloppy, he thought, considering Shepard and he both had their own weapons drawn.
"Good evening." the VI greeted as they approached it, its asari silhouette glowing in the dimly lit room. "How may I assist you today?"
"I need to know which floor's the storeroom for the Omega Market." Shepard said, angling her hips slightly as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She's restless, Garrus noted, feeling his grip on his Mantis tighten in response.
"The Omega Market is currently registered to the batarian merchant Marsh, who has taken out a lease for the forty-third floor." the VI answered, smiling at them. Shepard glanced at Garrus, jabbing her heads toward the elevator, and the two of them walked over to it. The guards eyed at them as they approached, but otherwise reacted very little as Shepard pressed the call button. To their credit, the two guards had paused their conversation, which was something at least Garrus thought as they all stood there in silence. He looked over his Mantis as they waited, watching from his peripherals as Shepard rolled her shoulders.
The elevator arrived a moment later, the doors opening with a small hiss. Shepard looked over at him and arched one of her brows. You ready?
He gave a small shrug in response. Always.
They stepped into the elevator.
Lein Orhe hated Omega. But then again, he hated pretty much everywhere else too.
The only place he'd ever really liked, he reflected as he sat at his desk overlooking the storage floor for level thirty-four, had been Sur'Kesh. Of course, even then he hadn't been completely happy; all that pressure to get the best marks, to pick the best field, to find the best mate….not to mention all of the ridiculous etiquette a person had to know if they wanted to get anywhere there. For a species that had such short lives, salarians sure were brutal when it came to remembering just who threw the best dinner parties and who'd gotten drunk off the shardwine and spent the evening crying in the shower.
So no, Lein Orhe hadn't really like Sur' Kesh either, he decided.
"Mr. Orhe," the VI chimed, interrupting his thoughts as it flickered to life beside his desk.
"What is it now?" he sighed, resting his head in his hands.
"There appears to be a situation on Level Forty-Three."
He picked his head up. "What kind of situation?"
"I do not know, sir. Surveillance footage of the level has ceased."
Lein tapped the fingers of one hand against his desk. It's that damn volus again. He's up there showing off for that suit-rat, and now they've gone and crossed some wires or something. "Comm Goran and tell him I want him down here with answers, now."
"I apologize, sir, but attempts to contact the Floor Manager have been unsuccessful."
"What?"
"Attempts to cont-"
Lein waved his hand at the VI. "Yes, yes I heard you the first time." He leaned back in his chair, blinking slowly, and then stood up with a sigh. This is the final straw, he thought as he walked over to the elevator and pressed the call button. I don't care who his uncle is, Goran's not worth the trouble. I'll-
His train of thought derailed as the doors opened and Lein blinked, taking in the human-turian pair before him. Both were heavily armored and, more pressingly, both had ridiculously large guns held casually before them. He eyed the turian's, wondering if perhaps the scarred merc was compensating for something. Lein blinked again, deciding it safer not to ask, and walked into the elevator. This was Omega, after all; if he skipped an elevator or shuttle every time there was a pair of armed thugs in it, he'd probably still be stuck at the docking bays.
Still, Lein felt a small tingling sensation shiver through him when he saw that the call button for level forty-three was already lit up. He turned his head slightly, looking over his shoulder at the pair behind him. He didn't recognize them, but then again he wasted as little attention as possible on the riff-raff hired on as 'security' for the building so that hardly meant anything. Were they involved in whatever it was Goram was doing up there somehow? He eyed the human, waiting to see if her face jogged anything in his memory. She met his eyes and raised a brow at him.
Lein sniffed and turned around. The elevator tinged softly as they passed a level.
Someone shifted behind him.
Ting.
Lein blinked.
Ting.
Someone cleared their throat.
Ting.
Had the elevator always been this slow?
Ting.
Behind him, Lein heard the sound of something metallic clicking.
Ting.
Why were there guns drawn, anyway?
Ting.
Surely they weren't expecting anything dangerous this far up in the tower.
Ting.
That's what the guards on the lower levels were for.
Ting.
Nothing could get this high up, not without him knowing anyway.
Ting.
About time the damn thing-
Something small and round flew through the opening doors, bouncing as it struck the floor. Lein blinked down at it. Was that a-
"Oh, crap." The turian said from behind him.
"Move!" the human shouted as she rammed into Lein, the sudden force knocking the air from his lungs. He crashed onto the floor as she rolled past him. He blinked his eyes, his vision blurred as he tried to push himself up. Lein sniffed, smelling blood somewhere.
"What in the wor-" Something exploded behind him, cutting him off as it sent the salarian sprawling to the ground once again amid a flash of heat and light. His head slammed into something hard and pain darkened his vision. He blinked a couple of times, trying to shake it off, but finally just gave in and let the darkness surround him as one last thought struggled through his mind.
Lein Orhe hated Omega.