Briefly considered naming this one 'Big pain in small package', but it just didn't sound right... you'll know what I mean when you've read the chapter :)
A difficult part of my writing lately is getting everything down. We have only a few OC's, but plenty of well known people such as Zaeed and Gerrel, Udina and Chambers, the Normandy crew and Thomas, not to mention Anna and Hacket, and maybe soon Shala'Raan if Price makes friends with her instead of Xen making him her new vibrator... I didn't just write that... Oh boy, I did...
Anyway, inspired by one of my readers, you know who you are, I'll just say this:
Mivpus used 'New Chapter'
Is it effective?
Prison Break
October 30th
Elysium, Illyria
00:09
"Get down!" Zaeed shouted, watching as a marine near him was torn in half by a series of heavy slugs, covering the ground around him in blood and gore.
It had been four hours since the first of the pirates had started landing, and now they had overrun the perimeters, killing people indiscriminately as they poured over the barricades, completely ignoring the rain of fire teams of Farseekers and machine gunners unleashed upon them. Zaeed had watched one of them as they slaughtered their way through the streets, using the dead as shields against the torrent of fire being poured at them from all angles.
Leaning out of the ruined building, Zaeed rested Jessie against a small window frame that had yet to be blown away, sighting down a Batarian running down the street with a rocket launcher in his hands. The distance was only thirty meters, and as Zaeed pressed the trigger, he flashed a predatory grin, watching as the heavy rounds tore through the slaver's shields.
"Good night." He muttered, sighting in on another raider leaning out of a doorway.
Next to the lieutenant, a couple of marines were manning a heavy machinegun, letting loose bursts of fire as they overlooked a crossroad near the entrance to the city, as well as two Farseekers lying prone in the rubble a few meters to his left, a heavy caliber rifle in the hands of one as he rained death down on those unfortunate enough to be caught in his sights. Despite the heavy casualties on both sides, the Alliance and Quarian forces had been able to slow down the raiders' approach, making each meter lost a meter paid for with Batarian blood.
The battle for air-dominance had turned from a one-sided slaughter to a desperate struggle for survival as new waves of fighters and gunships had poured down from orbit, joining the fray and causing massive casualties on the Alliance's side. Zaeed had no idea what had happened to the Migrant Fleet's ships, nor did he understand why the colony's fighter crafts hadn't joined the battle.
Down on the ground the battle had been even bloodier. The Apocalypses had proven their worth as they blasted countless hostile armor to dust, but when faced with swarms of rockets, their shielding and armor simply couldn't take the punishment. Those tanks that hadn't managed to pull away from the line of fire had been destroyed by large amounts of anti-tank fire. These weren't just the average mercs or pirates.
These people had come prepared.
A series of shots rang out, bullets strafing the building from a machinegun mounted on an IFV, the driver gunning the vehicle through the streets. A sharp cry of pain went out as someone close to Zaeed was hit. Briefly looking up from his scope, he saw the Quarian in a deep blue suit slump to the ground, faintly purple blood seeping from a large crack in his helmet.
"Massani! My spotter is dead. I need you to give me some targets." The Quarian with the sniper rifle called out, making Zaeed shuffle in place as he crawled over to the Quarian sniper. Positioning himself next to the marine, he grabbed a pair of heavy binoculars from the dead Quarian, pressing them to his eyes as he scanned the road in front of them. He quickly spotted the first target, a Batarian squad of five moving along the walls on the far side of the street.
"Eleven-o-Clock, two-hundred meters front. Five man squad. See them?"
"See them." The marine answered, adjusting his scope as he lay on his stomach, then pressed the rifle against a special padding on his visor. A moment passed as he aimed before pulling the trigger on the rifle, sending a heavy slug towards the raiders. It killed the man before Zaeed even heard the shot being fired, instead just watching as the rest of the squad sped for cover, another one of them had his head torn off as a second bullet was fired, painting the white walls behind him with dark matter and tissue.
As the Batarians took cover behind a burning tank, the third shot rang out, catching one of them in the stomach as the rifle clicked empty. One of the disadvantages when using gunpowder-propelled weapons, was the fact that it used ammunition instead of a heatsink. Still, the Black Widow was one hell of a rifle in Zaeed's eyes. One shot was sufficient to shatter shields, breach armor and take the torso out on any foe within two kilometers.
The kickback being sufficient to dislodge a shoulder was just a small detail the professional snipers worked around.
As Zaeed listened to the red-suited marine reload the rifle, he looked through the binoculars again, observing as the remaining two men huddled closer against the tank. However, they were still visible. Meaning the Farseeker could still take one of them down before the last man would realize he was fucked and attempt to run. They always did.
A new bang roared from the building, causing the walls behind the tank to be coated in brain-matter as the fourth Batarian was beheaded by the bullets, causing the last man to get up and run, placing himself directly in the Farseeker's sights.
A final shot rang out, the bullet's momentum sending the body of the Batarian tumbling across the ground before it came to rest with a good chunk of its chest missing.
"Good riddance…" Zaeed muttered, scanning the streets for the next target. Suddenly he felt something land on his head, then another and another droplet impacted on his bare head, his helmet having been destroyed when a sniper had zeroed in on him, the bullet shattering his helmet's visor and rendering it useless.
"Typical, it always rains in warzones… what's next, lightning?" He growled, looking through the sights as the team of marines next to him stopped shooting, one of them turning to look at him.
"Well Massani, at least it aint snowing, yes?" The Polish sergeant said, causing a few chuckles from the men in the room, most of them focusing on gunning down their enemies with concentrated rifle fire or rockets.
"Go fuck yourself, you still have a helmet." He sneered, watching as the Pole tapped his head slightly before returning to the gun.
"Massani, what… Keelah, everyone get dow-" The Quarian shouted, but was cut off as the tank he had spotted fired on their position, tearing a good chunk of the room out, as well as the machine gunners next to Zaeed, their screams silenced before they had even realized what happened. As Zaeed looked to his left, he found that where Victor Kahowsky had been just a moment before, the entire floor and wall had been destroyed, most of it sent spewing out on the far side of the building.
"Fucking God dammit Hell!" He swore, more than pissed that half of the men still alive from the first clash had now been killed in a single blow, leaving him with one Farseeker and three marines, one of them sporting a hand less than he had a few hours ago.
"Lieutenant! It's going to shoot again!" One of the marines shouted, pointing at the tank as its barrel was aimed directly at where they were sitting.
"Get off the building!" Zaeed shouted, shoving his men down the stairs before grabbing the Farseeker by the arm and yanking him off the ground, almost kicking him down the stairs. He started running himself at that point, only a few meters between him and the stairs.
Everything was turned upside down as the tanks fired again, the shell blowing the part of the building Zaeed was standing in apart and sent him flying in a shower of debris. As he hurtled towards the ground, he managed to get turned around and kick his feet together, activating the thrusters inbuilt in the heavy boots. He managed to slow down enough for him not to break a bone when he tumbled down the hills of shattered concrete and steel, ending up lying on his back as he felt the heavy drops hit his face with far too much power, adding to his already throbbing migraine.
…
October 31th
SSV Normandy, Citadel
09:21
Ashley Williams headed down the ramp, followed closely by Nikolai Tengberg, the ship's cook and makeshift member of the ground-team, as well as the one person she knew Thomas trusted as much, if not more than her. Both were somewhat worried, given the fact that Jane and Liara had sent a message stating that something had happened, and she had yet to receive a response from Thomas regarding the latest mail she had sent him.
There were indications, but both kept telling themselves that it was nothing. The guy had survived worse than being a bodyguard, and besides he had Roku. What could go wrong?
Standing in front of the elevator to the C-Sec headquarters, Jane, Liara and Admiral Kahoku were standing in full gear, which for the admiral simply meant his dress uniform. Ashley's eyes narrowed instantly, realizing that Thomas wasn't in the group.
A fact that was made even clearer by the fact that Jane was holding a bunch of excessive weapons, including the sword Ashley had made for her boyfriend turned lover. There was no reason why Jane should be carrying that around.
As they reached the group, the Normandy crew saluted. Both to the admiral, but also to Jane, seeing how she was now the temporary leader of the mission, with John being incapacitated in the med-bay. Due to the hope of the commander regaining himself, he would not be ferried off to the hospital, but rather, they would requisition a psychologist to help Chakwas bring the commander back to full health.
"Williams… I didn't want to tell over a message…" Jane started, causing all of Ash's inner alarms to go off. That short sentence alone told her that something was very, very wrong
"Where's Thomas?" Tengberg asked, voicing the question most of the crew had as they looked for the corporal. Ashley could hear the anxiousness in his voice, as well as see the color drain from Jane's face, making her hair stand on end and her heart almost stop.
"I… we don't know... Just… he went to the restrooms and when he hadn't come back an hour later, I went to check and… and his things were on the floor but he was gone… "Jane said, bracing herself for the outburst she was sure would come over her like a storm.
Instead, she could only see how the color drained from Ashley's face, leaving it the color of a corpse. She seemed to age years in a moment, and simply stood still, looking at Jane with empty eyes.
"Shepard, what the flying fuck do you mean 'he's gone'? I swear, if you're telling me he's dead, and you didn't prevent it…" Nikolai growled, pointing a finger at Jane, looking like he was ready to tear the head straight of her shoulders.
"He's not dead…"
Both he and Jane turned to look at the source of the voice, finding it to be Ashley, standing near the edge of the ramp, looking over the docks.
"Ash?" He started, slowly approaching her.
If she had somehow snapped at the news, he had to make sure she didn't jump. It was a long way down.
"He's not dead." She stated again, this time more firm in her words.
"I don't believe it either, but… how can you be sure?" He asked, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder, gently dragging her back from the edge.
"He's not dead… I… I don't know how to… to explain it… but…but…I just… know it." She stuttered, on the verge of breaking down. Behind them, Wrex was looking between the groups with disdain, not sure if he should be pissed, somehow relieved or sad.
Thomas was insane, there was no questioning that. But he was the good sort of insane, the sort who cared more about his closest than about his own life. Granted, he had a spirit to revive him, so that was more of a detail. Still, Wrex almost liked the human, as much as he also felt weirded out by him. He was warm, and not one of the typical humans, sucking up to the council and agreeing that the Genophage was the one true way and all Krogan should dig their own graves and die.
There was no way he could have just bought it in a shitter. Wrex felt confident about that.
"She's right boy. No way someone could just off him in a shitter. He's alive… we just have to find him, that's it." He said, making his voice as optimistic as he could. A difficult thing when your entire life had consisted of being dragged through a metaphorical sewer.
"Then… where the fuck is he? I don't know about you Wrex, but I don't see a fucking green fairy shoving a star-chard in our faces, so forgive my somewhat fucking pissing bad mood!" Nikolai ended up shouting, causing his otherwise pale face to turn into a deep red.
"I don't know… somewhere… either here on the station, or… or out there…" Wrex mumbled, halfway acknowledging that he was staring out into the nebular.
…
Okay… where the hell am I?
When I woke up here, I thought this was a space station, but so far I have seen more than one window in this facility, and last time I checked trees didn't grow in outer space. Neither did birds or mountains.
This entire place is filled with people mingling, getting on with their work and life. I bet the only reason no one has stopped me yet, is the fact that since Cerberus stole the plans for our armor; I look just like another guard. The funny thing is, this place seems really familiar while also being totally strange.
Long corridors open up on all sides as I end up in a crossroad, having no idea where to go. Tapping my arm to open my Omni-Tool, I'm greeted with the sound of me tapping p-steel. I look closer to where the Omni-tool should be, and realize that it isn't there. What the…
I am sure I emptied the locker, I know I did… so where the hell is my tool?
"I swear to… something… where the hell am I?" I mutter, looking as scientists and guards walk around, some running and others just taking their time, chatting with each other as they ignore me.
"Hey you!" Someone shouts. He sounds pissed as hell, so I'm not exactly envying whomever he's mad at.
"I said: Hey you!" Hmm, still shouting. Poor bugger must be deaf to overhear that. Shrugging, I start turning down the corridor to my left, only to suddenly have a hand shove me in the chest, sending me against a wall and causing my skin to start burning. Fuck, not now, not now! I can't be found now! I am not looking forward to having to kill my way out of here. Thanking the divines that my visor is tinted, I look at the man the hand belongs to, seeing another person in the phase-II armor. He has a lot of scratches on his armor as well, which is good.
It means I don't stand out that much. Taking his wrist in my hand, I slowly but firmly remove it from my chest, standing straight in front of the man. He's a lot bigger than me, and looks like he has the authority around here.
"What the hell did I just say? When I call for a guard, I fucking expect you to stand at attention." He sneers, making the feeling of fire even more intense. Calm down, calm down…
"Sorry sir, I have some issues after my helmet got banged into a wall by-"
"I do not give a shit!" He says, jabbing a gauntlet at my chest, causing me to take a step backwards into the wall. Thank Mara really, I had no idea how to finish my sentence; "The eggheads want zero to the rooms now. Go get the subject and report to the wet-labs. And don't take long." Jesus Christ an ass… and what the hell is a 'zero'?
"Sir… where is this zero?" I ask, pleading he's not going to tear off my helmet to punch me. Not that he could actually hurt me, but then I would have to kill him… actually, go ahead, tear off my helmet you prick…
"What are you, an idiot? I know your ears don't work, I didn't realize your brain didn't either. Take this corridor till you reach the second door, then head through that and keep going till you reach the end of the hallway." He says, then shoving me again before moving off, leaving me wanting to plant a bullet in the back of his head.
My fingers hover briefly over the handle to my new Carnifex, but I let them drop. If I have to kill someone, it isn't going to be in a noisy way. Still, I wonder just what this 'zero' subject is. The only thing I can think of in that sense would be Jack, but in 2183, she would have escaped long ago and trashed the facility on Pragia as well. So if this isn't Jack, what or who is it?
Deciding that I might as well check it out, and exploit the chance to potentially ruin a Cerberus project, I follow the guy's directions, heading through the second door on my right. Entering it, I'm faced with a long corridor, flanked by doors on both sides as well as a few guards standing around, looking bored out of their skulls but still aware and alert. And probably really trigger-happy too… I grumble, giving a few of them brief glances as I head to the door at the end. Oddly enough, no guards are anywhere near this door, and for some reason, it looks a lot heavier than the rest.
Standing just outside the door, I look around, studying the thick metals and alloys used in the door. That's when I hear it.
I hear crying.
Crying from a child.
Feeling my guts being slammed into my throat, I look around again, checking if someone else has heard it. It's only one person, and it's faint… but it's still clear through the door. What the hell?
Are they actually keeping children here? And… the similarities are too great. A child crying, the name 'zero'… Oh Gods… I didn't screw up the universe that much, did I?
No… no there's no way it can be her. Jack escaped and trashed Teltin years ago, she's not some little girl now. There's no way it can be her. Maybe they restarted their sick camps and did the same to someone else?
Yes, yes that has to be it. I haven't reduced Jack to a child again. Not even I am capable of making the universe take a shit like that. Still… I have to check. If nothing else, I need to find out why a child is in a Cerberus facility.
Breathing in, I palm the door, causing it to open and reveal a room. Holy Divines!
"Oh… my… Gods…" I mutter, seeing the lights flicker on inside the room. This… this has to be a joke. There's no way this can still be… but even the large windows in the side of the room are there, showing a fully functioning hall with… loads of children…
This… this is…
"Where the fuck did they take me?" I ask myself, not being able to remain silent as the entire thing comes screaming into my face. I'm not on some space station; I'm not even on some unknown planet…
Pragia
As the world slowly returns in full force, I'm sent stumbling against the wall as realization fully hits me. I really did fuck up the universe by coming here. I didn't just prevent the death of several people, I fucked up time as well. At least, I think that's how one describes a supposed ruined facility to be fully operational and suspecting that the child crying somewhere in this room is… no, if I voice that thought shit is going to hit me in the face. It happens every time I try to change stuff. I end up blown to shit or being subjected to hallucinations and suicide-attempts.
The sound of crying being muffled by something soft, maybe a pillow, causes me to snap back to the real world, slowly getting up from the floor. Looking around, I recognize the familiar writing desk in the left side of the room, part of a person visible under it. Holy… Roku, I really need you right now!
Pressing the controls for the door, I lock it. I then turn back to face the desk, the crying not having stopped, only decreased slightly in volume as the pillow is pressed harder towards the child's mouth. Oh Mara, let me not find her, please don't let me find a bald, branded girl behind that desk. I pray, reaching the point where I can see a pair of small hands hold a pillow against a small body.
Feeling my heart race faster than what can possibly be counted as healthy, I take off one of my gauntlets, kneeling down and reaching towards one of the hands. The child is white, almost as if someone bled her before putting her in here.
The moment my fingers touches hers, she recoils, pressing herself further inside the space underneath the desk. Looking once again make sure the door is locked, displaying the red signal, I return to the girl, reaching out to her again.
She recoils, struggling to get away from me while squirming and wincing, causing my heart to drop. She's downright terrified!
"Hey, hey it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." I say, making my voice as soft as I can. The problem is that it comes out synthesized due to the helmet's comms, and my skin is still on fire from the asshole from earlier. In other words it's bad voice or bad look.
The girl, whom I still don't want to identify as the Subject Zero I know, scrounges even more inwards, sending one of her feet outwards in a flash, catching me in the lower part of the helmet and causing my head to jerk upwards. Damn she packs a punch!
"Get away from me!" She cries, not moving the pillow from her face at all. Rubbing my chin through the helmet, I will myself to calm down, seeing as being angry won't solve anything with a scared girl.
"Hey, I'm not one of the bad men, alright? I'm not here to hurt you or take you to whatever they do in the wet-labs…" I say, then suddenly noticing something on her hands.
Just below her wrists, deep red marks line her arms, showing signs of either restraining or injection with weird tools. They don't exactly give off the appearance of having been treated. Sweet mother…
As I touch one of the marks, another foot flies out, hitting me in the middle of the helmet and actually causing the visor to crack a little. Either the glass in this thing is crap, of this girl is a powerhouse.
"Can you please stop hurting me? I just want to help you… how old are you?" I ask, sitting down across from her. She still hasn't removed the pillow, probably being the one soft thing she has to confine in.
"Six… aren't you one of the bad men?" She asks, her voice trembling as she briefly stops crying.
"Jesus Chri- six?... I… no, I'm not one of the bad men." I manage to say, shocked as hell. Six years old? Mother of… six years? She's only… she's only six years old? Fucking hell, I knew Cerberus were extreme, but… to see it like this…
"You talk like them." She says, probably taking my synthesized voice for theirs. Fair point, it's the same armor.
"I know, but that's the helmet doing that to my voice. Do you want me to take it off?" I ask, trying to gain a peek over or around the pillow without moving or touching her. I can see the contours of a head nodding through the pillow.
"If I show you my face, will you show me yours?" I ask, undoing the seals on my helmet and allowing the air to flow in directly instead of being filtered. Almost instantly, I smell the air is heavy with iron, almost as if it was blood.
"No" She says, her voice for once adamant instead of breaking up.
"Why not?" I ask, halting in the process of removing the helmet.
"Then they will come and take me. They always do when they find me." She says, her voice making me cringe. Who the hell could put a six-year old girl through this amount of pain?
Right…
Cerberus…
I hesitate to plant a hand on her arm, instead just pulling myself together to speak to her again. I've never been very good with small children. I guess it stems from the car accident, being nervous around fragile people. People who could get snapped in half at a moment's notice.
"Not when I'm here. I'll make sure they don't get anywhere near you, okay?" I say, making my voice as firm as I can, allthewhile I almost feel as if speaking harshly could snap her in two.
"Promise?" She says, making a small smile appear on my lips. It sounds more hopeful than frightened.
"I promise. If anyone tries to snatch you, I'll beat them to a pulp." I say, feeling the anger well up inside me at the thought of some sadistic egghead trying to take her. I finally place my hand on her arm. Despite recoiling slightly, she doesn't try to escape again, nor does she send a foot at my face.
"…okay." She mutters, slowly removing the pillow from her face. Meanwhile, I remove the helmet, taking it under my arms. I just hope she won't start screaming if my eyes are still glowing…
Looking back at the girl, I'm almost forced to back away. What should have been a beautiful, fragile girl's face and appearance sports multiple scars, some of them even bigger than mine. Around her neck a long series of red marks are evidence of Divines know what, and all hair on her head is removed, shaven off to reveal a bald head with brown stubs. Her eyes tell of horrors inflicted on her, horrors no one should go through. Her lips are broken and show signs of having been on the receiving end of more than one punch, and I can just spot a series of bar code lining the back of her neck.
She looks at me in wonder, not in horror. As if seeing a new exciting animal at the zoo or outside one's bedside window. Focusing on where she's looking, I realize that my skin is still glowing with lines and symbols. Holding up a hand close to my eyes, I notice a faint green glow shining on it. So my eyes are still glowing… crap…
"You look strange… not like the bad men. You shine, are you an angel?" Her comment catches me completely off guard, not having expected her to react by comparing me to an angel of all things. A monster or a ghost maybe, but… an angel?
"I… what… makes you say that?" I ask, suddenly finding my voice to be hoarse, not being able to speak in normal tunes. She just looks at me, large curious eyes focused on the lines and glow of my skin… of me. I still remember how Liara reacted when she saw me like this, acting like I had turned into something horrifying… and the guards a few hours ago, how they had called me a freak…
"You're a good man. And you shine. Angels are good, and they shine… can you fly? I remember mum used to say angels lived in the heavens and they would look after me… and you said you'd look after me." Her way of speaking… she may actually physically be Subject Zero or Jack, but her spirit is nowhere near as hostile or mistrusting as the adult version. I can't help a smile to spread across my face as I shake my head, noting a small look of disappointment in her eyes;
"Sorry, no angel here. I'll keep you safe, yes… but even I need my own angel from time to time." I say, slowly getting up, noticing that she crawls from her hidey-hole and follows me out into the room. 'Jack' is wearing a single white hospital-gown, like the ones you wear between surgeries.
"What's your name?" She asks, causing me to frown for a moment before smiling, realizing that I haven't even told her thát yet. I think something critical to gain children's trust is getting on a name-base with them.
"I'm Thomas. Thomas Fisher. What's yours?"
"Fisher… like with those people who catch fish?" Her question causes me to laugh a bit, realizing that there might just still be some hope for this girl, to avoid her becoming Jack… and prevent her from doing all those bad things.
"Just like them. But you didn't answer my question, who are you?" I ask, still with the soft voice. It's luckily easy to maintain with her, seeing how she's still an innocent little girl, not the psychotic bitch she turned out as in the original story. Fuck the story! I think we're way beyond saving that thing anyway…
"I'm Jennifer, although they all just called me Jack… it's shorter they say." Jennifer? So… I suppose it's logical actually. Her name would have to be something with a 'J' as the first letter. Jennifer is obviously the right name for her.
"Alright Jennifer, I'm going to get you out of here and home to your parents." I say, feeling the energy rush through my veins as I open the door a little, holding it so that I can peep out without the guards looking in. There are ten guards out there, all armed with automatic assault rifles. Should be easy to take on. Wait you fucking idiot, they'll hit her the second she steps out the door. Going that way won't do shit but get her killed.
"I don't have a home." She says, causing me to cringe and look back at her. She looks like… oh gods, are her parents dead? I wouldn't put it past some of the people in Cerberus to kill her parents to get a biotic girl.
"What do you mean?" I ask, closing the door again before taking off my helmet. I don't really like my synthesized voice either.
"The man who brought me here told me they didn't want me. They sold me when I was ill so that they could afford a new baby, one who wasn't a biotic." Jesus on a horse, what the hell is wrong with these people?
"Ja- Jennifer… I don't know how having kids is, I'm not that old yet… but trust me when I say that no one would sell their child, not for all the money in the galaxy." I say, holding her shoulders gently as I look into her eyes. Something inside her seems to slide into place, causing a look of distraught to appear on her face.
"Then… why haven't they brought me home yet? Why aren't they looking for me?" Oh gods… Mara help me…
"I… think these people told your parents that you died when you were ill... was it because of your biotics that you were sick?" I say, trying not to wince at the look of complete confusion and unhappiness in her eyes.
"I… I think so. It hurt really bad and I threw things around without wanting to. I almost destroyed our house…"
"Fuckers… I mean… never mind, what I mean is, that they took you from your parents and told them you were dead. Like why not to talk to strangers." I say, trying to inspire a little bit of hope in her. If I can make her believe in her parents thinking she's dead, I can make rescuing her that much easier.
"So my mum and dad did love me? They didn't sell me to the man?"
"Jennifer, I swear that guy told your parents you were dead. That's how he kidnapped you and brought you here. " I say. And it's true. I remember hearing about a file in the Shadow Broker DLC mentioning how Cerberus had tricked her parents into thinking she was dead. I just wish my programs hadn't crashed so I couldn't get more DLC. My pc is one thing I won't miss…
"And you'll take me back to them?" She says, a smile now forming on her face. I nod, giving her a smile.
"I will. You'll see your parents again, I-" I'm cut off as Jennifer tackles me, hugging me so fiercely I can feel it through the armor. A warm feeling is welling up inside me, causing the green lines on my skin to disappear as quickly as they emerged, leaving me with my normal look, and a climbing migraine.
"Thank you." She says, and I can feel my chest tightening into a knot as my throat starts to burn and force a lump up. Without knowing what to say, I just hesitantly place my arms around her back, hugging her small form in return.
"Alright, let's get out of here. Listen, I want you to stay close to me all the time okay? The guards may try to stop us, and I don't want them getting to you." I say, getting up from the embrace. Thinking about it, meeting Jennifer is a little like when I met Ash. It was before their lives went to shit.
"Okay."
"Alright, you see this window? I'm going to burn through it, and then we head across the catwalk and through that door on the other end. I think I remember where there is a landing pad for shuttles. So you stand back now, this might make some noise." I say, waiting till she's a few meters away before starting to focus on one of my fingers, trying to force the energy to emerge as green fire.
Nothing happens.
Okay, I have to be stressed to make this work… be stressed, how the hell do I stress myself? Think goddammit, think. I can jump on the spot… no, that won't make me stressed… okay, think angry thoughts… angry thoughts…What are you, an idiot? I know your ears don't work, I didn't realize your brain didn't either! Alright, that definitely pissed me off to no end. I can already feel the anger swell inside me as the memory of the asshole verbally assaulting me emerges, appearing almost as lifelike as if I am standing in front of him again.
Looking at my fingers, I notice how the green flames have burned through the tip of the armored gauntlet's fingers, merging to a bright green flame.
"Wow… I can't do that…" Jennifer says in the background, causing me to chuckle a bit.
"No, but I'm not exactly normal either. Just be ready to follow me." I say, bringing the tip of the flames to the glass. The smell of molten plastic immediately fills the room as I burn through the fiberglass. The hall down below is empty now, making it the perfect time to get her out of here.
The second I've burned a tall shape from the wall and windows, I eek my fingers around the edges, grabbing a hold of the wall before it falls outwards, slowly pulling it inwards. The last thing I need is for the sound of the cutout to alarm the guards. Tried that one on Noveria, thank you Tequila...
Now though, all I need is an Omni-tool… and of course I had to leave without checking if I even had one. Okay… let's see… where can I find… maybe the guards? Perhaps I could get one of them to get in here, then knock him off his ass and take his tool. That might just work…
Looking down at Jennifer, I mentally growl, hating myself for having to do something that might put a child in danger. Kneeling in front of her, I place a hand gently on her shoulder;
"Jennifer, I'm going to do something that might be dangerous. Can you hide under your desk until I tell you otherwise?" I can't help but feel that she both understands and doesn't understand me, what I'm going to do. Still, she just nods and heads back to her desk.
Sighing, I breathe in and out before opening the door towards the hallway;
"Oi, can one of you guys get in here for a sec? I need some help with the subject." I call, causing their heads to snap towards me. One of the guards, probably the highest ranking among them, looks at his men;
"Jefferson, Vanducken, go help the guy out." For… damn, now I have two guys instead of one. Not really what I was hoping for. Still, I should be able to pull it off. The two guards nod to their leader before heading my direction, rifles at the ready.
"Alright, what is it?" One of them asks, sounding a bit annoyed that I can't handle a little girl. I point at the desk where she's hiding, locking the door the second both of them are looking her direction;
"I can't get her out from there without hurting… damaging her too much and she kicks." I mutter, sounding like an embarrassed guard not being able to do his job.
The guards just look at me, then each other before grumbling about 'incompetent greenhorns'… Whatever a greenhorn actually is.
"Alright Peter, get her out of there." The guy closest to me says, and I think the 'Peter' guy is the one named Vanducken. Sounds Dutch to me, but then again, it could be German or Belgian for all I know.
"Alright you little brat. Come out and play." The Dutch says, getting down on all four before he starts climbing in after Jennifer. The other guy, the one named Jefferson, just observes the scene with his back to me. Big mistake douchebag…
"So, I don't think I've seen you here befo-" He starts, but I interrupt him by smashing him in the side of his helmet, hitting him hard enough to make him fall to the floor: out cold. Luckily, the other guy seems to be so obsessed with getting Jennifer out from under the desk that he didn't hear a thing.
I quickly walk over to where he's kneeling, briefly looking at Jennifer's scared eyes as she looks from the man to me. Giving her a nod, I grab the man by the shoulders, tearing off his helmet before I slam him headfirst into the wall, creating a large shallow dent in the metal. He then slumps to the ground, bleeding from multiple injuries in his face, a broken nose being among them.
"Alright, you can come out now." I say, grabbing the guard's wrist and prying off his Omni-tool before inserting it in the small compartment in my own wrist, meant to hold an Omni-tool.
"Are they… dead?" She asks, her voice being disturbingly neutral as she looks between me and the two guards. I shake my head;
"Just out cold. You okay?" I ask, receiving a nod; "Alright, let's get out of here." I say, extending a hand towards her. I guess she still feels a bit hesitant about trusting me, especially after seeing me beat up two guards. Not taking my hand, she climbs out from the desk, looking around the room.
Sighing, I walk over to the wall, gently pulling the carving from the rest of it to allow us passage through. Looking back, I note that the door is still locked, but it won't be long before they start wondering what happened to the two guards. In other words it's time to get out of here.
"Ladies first." I say, gesturing for Jennifer to go through first, letting me close the hole after us. The cutting is thin enough that you have to be relatively close to spot it, so it might give us a few minutes extra time when they discover her cell to be empty.
Closing the hole after us, I look at the ceiling, noticing how bright the sun's beams are pouring through the windows, lighting the whole room without the need for the light to be turned on. It's actually quite peaceful. Standing still for too long, I'm snapped from my trance as Jennifer tugs my hand.
"Come on." Her voice is pleading, and I can understand why. If what I remember from the events taking place here in the game is still true, she's been through hell during her time here. And the marks on her wrists and neck tell of injuries being inflicted on her.
"Right… okay, I know you are scared, but just keep close and I'll keep you safe." I say, trying to shove out the anxiousness in my voice. I'm not thát concerned with my own safety as I am with hers. Being brought back from death more than once tends to have that effect.
Without another word, we head across the catwalks and through the door, coming upon a long corridor filled with doors on each side. This seems far too familiar for comfort.
"Jennifer… what's behind those doors?" I ask, giving her a hesitant look. Looking first at the doors, then at me, she just shakes her head;
"I don't know… I've only been out of the room when they took me to the table… and then I don't remember more. Just the pain and that I'm scared." Jesus, they really have been going all out on her. I briefly consider trying to burn the doors open, but it would take too much time, and it would be easy to spot when going past.
"Odd that no one else is-" I start, then being rewarded in the most iconic way: A squad of armed guards approach from a set of stairs at the other side of the long hallway, all stopping abruptly as they spot us. Aw fuck…
Without time to consider my options, I burn through the lock on the closest door, shoving Jennifer inside the room. As soon as I know she's out of the line of fire, I turn my attention back to the guards, all of them now pointing rifles at me.
"We got reports that zero had escaped… never thought a guard would double-cross us… but you're not really a guard, are you?" The leader, a woman by the sound of it, says. Unlike the guards near Jennifer's cell, these are armored up in the original hardsuits from before the phase-II armor was introduced. The tone in her voice doesn't exactly describe a person of compassion and trust, but rather somewhat pissed and willing to kill… and probably with a loose trigger finger as well.
"What, you expect me to deliver a child back to be tortured by you fucking psychopaths?" I sneer, drawing the Carnifex from my belt, feeling my skin catch on fire and a headache starting to drum on my temples. It gets worse each time I use Roku's energy, but I can't worry about that now.
"That, or we shoot you dead. You're already in for an interrogation, so shooting you might be the most gentle thing we can do."
"You'll be dead before your guns even come close to overloading." I retort, flipping the safety off on the gun. This is where I really wish I was a better shot.
"You hear that boys? He just threatened us. Which means we're authorized to use lethal force." As she speaks, the woman and her men all point their guns a little harder at me, but not shooting yet.
"Step aside, and you won't be killed in very entertaining ways." I growl, having to struggle to avoid insulting or cursing them. At least out loud.
"Kill him." She says, and they all pull the trigger on their guns, sending bullets crashing into me. As long as the armor holds, I should be able to get close enough to kill them. I'm not sure if the suit can handle being lit on fire by the green barrier I used earlier.
As soon as the slugs hit me, I run forward, dodging to the best of my ability as they keep up the fire, draining my shields before I make it ten meters and starting to chip away at my armor as I close in on them, gun in hand. Are they laughing?
I soon begin to feel slugs punching through the armor, impacting on my body as they hit the green barrier underneath. I just hope I don't suddenly find myself with mortal wounds.
As I come closer and closer to the guards, I notice a few of them starting to stare at me; like they are surprised I haven't gone down yet. In all logic I certainly should, having had a few slugs punch through my armor already, and more following suit. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Just a little closer!
Finally, I reach the guards, having been riddled with enough bullets to look like I found the armor in a dumpster. Curling up my fist, I send the closest guard screaming through the air with a swipe from my artificial hand.
Without hesitating, I swing the gun around and pull the trigger, shattering the shields and kneecaps on the closest hostile, sending the woman crashing towards the floor as I grab a hold of her, slamming her body into another guard. For the love of God my head hurts!
Biting down on my lip, forcing the pain back in my head, I take the overloaded gun in my left hand, allowing the fingers on my right to light up in green fire. Before the leader of the team can even pull the trigger again, I smash my palm over her face, pressing inwards as I feel the hand starting to burn away the flesh on her face. She instantly starts screaming and clawing at my hand, only succeeding in burning her fingers and scraping against my gauntlet, allthewhile the last guard is backing away, gun still leveled at me but not shooting.
When her screaming finally stops, I remove my hand, keeping the woman between me and the last guard. On her face, a large burn shaped like a hand covers the majority of what you can see, giving off the grim impression of her having been on the receiving end of an unnaturally powerful slap or punch to the face. Grabbing her neck, I can briefly feel a pulse still going through before I hurl her against the final guard, causing both to smash against the stairs with snapping sounds, indicating that more than one bone was broken. None of them are moving, and the stench of boiled flesh and fat lingers in the corridor, causing me to reel slightly.
Looking down on my hand, I notice how the fire seems to have eaten away at the outer layer of padding, leaving only a few scraps of the black leathery material used for increased friction unscorched. Looking around the corridor, I slowly start moving back to Jennifer, wincing as my boots walk in the puddles of blood left when I almost blew the legs of one of the guards. When does it stop? I just maimed five people, possibly even crippling them for life… why don't I feel sick? Why are the headache and the adrenaline the only things I feel?
"Thomas?" A small voice call from the other side of the door. Opening it, I spot Jennifer standing near a bunk bed, only difference from those on the Normandy being the size of it.
"The coast is clear… just… don't stop at the bodies." I mutter, beckoning for her to follow. Turning to walk, I'm stopped when she grips my hand outside the door. Looking back at her, I notice her staring at the floor in front of us, looking at the large puddles of blood covering a good portion of it.
"Jennifer?" I ask, worrying if the display is too much for her to handle.
"I can't walk on the… the floor over there." She says, weakly pointing at the blood. Looking back at her, I slowly nod, getting down on a knee.
"Want me to carry you?" I ask, trying to sound calm despite the adrenaline still pumping in my veins and the headache starting to make me lose focus.
"Mmm…" She mutters, nodding slowly. With a light sigh, I pick her up in a bridal carry, walking across the blood-soiled floor with more difficult steps. Reaching the end of the corridor, I gently put her down, allowing her to find her footing before letting go. A few groans from the half-dead guards causes Jennifer to wince, but she quickly follows me up through the stairs, leading us into a new room. As I press the door, I'm racking my brain to remember just what was on the other side of this door, but the headache makes it almost impossible to think clearly.
As the door slides open, I start walking but am stopped dead in my tracks by the sight greeting me.
In front of me, a room opens up, covering two floors separated by a set of catwalks. On the floor all over the room, masses of tables with cloth-covered forms are lined up in rows, easily numbering in the dozens, maybe even fifty or more.
A man in dark clothes mulls around between the tables, whistling as if he hasn't even noticed the more than forty bodies around him. From what I can see, all he cares about is keeping the floor clean of blood, mopping it up in a bucket on wheels. Other than the noise he suddenly stops making, the only sounds in here are the sounds of fluid dripping and hitting the ground.
The man looks at us with an annoyed gaze, probably taking me for a guard having messed up or gotten lost, intruding into his private space. I start walking up to him with brisk steps, Jennifer right behind me.
"Hey, this isn't the lab-wing. What are you doing he-" Before he can even finish his sentence, I punch him in the face, sending him sailing through the air with my bionic hand curled up in a fist. Bastard didn't even seem bothered by being surrounded by what I can only guess is a mass of dead children. The second we're out of here, I'm telling the Alliance about this place. Never figured I would be the one to send Teltin to the grave, although I don't exactly regret it…
"Come on, I think we're nearing the exit." I say as we walk through the room, me trying to avoid looking at the little hands sticking out from under the covers. I can feel an unearthly shiver running down my spine, as well as the urge to kill someone, anyone responsible for this… this mass-slaughter.
As we leave the room, we enter a new one, this one packed heavy with people, both guards and people in white lab coats. I quickly close the door, leaning against the wall as Jennifer looks at me, concern in her eyes.
"Jesus Christ that's a lot of them…" I mutter, massaging my temples through the helmet.
"What do we do?" Her voice is scared, yet still with confidence in it. It sounds as if she actually believes in me.
"Let me think for a moment…" I say, willing her to be quiet, a difficult thing with most six-year olds. However, Jennifer just stays silent, watching me as she leans against a beam supporting the second floor. The second floor… I wonder…
"Jen, can you get up on that catwalk if I give you a boost?" I ask, catching her seemingly off guard. She looks up the beam, eyes resting on the edge of the catwalk where it merges with a pad extending from a door.
"I think so. What about you?" She asks as I move to help her up.
"I'll figure something out." I mutter with a smile as I cup my hands, allowing for her bare feet to tread on them and lift her upwards.
"Got it?"
"Yeah… what now?" She asks as her feet disappear over the edge, only for her head to appear over the edge.
"Step back a bit, I'm coming up." I say, jumping as hard as I can.
Nothing happens though; I'm not being propelled upwards. Trying again, I grit my teeth, focusing on the muscles in my thighs, trying to force them into flowing with energy.
"Dammit… give me a second…" I say, receiving a small nod as she steps back from the edge. Come on… come on!
Trying again, I take a running start, jumping as I reach the beam. Throwing my arms downwards, I finally manage to get up, albeit nowhere near as easy as I had hoped for. Instead of the calm biotic floating I've seen others do in the game, I have to use my right hand to propel myself through the air, causing me to feel like a retarded version of flying in a dream.
In the end though, I get to the second story, resting my hands on my knees as I catch a breather, panting heavily to regain some of my energy. Doesn't help that my head feels like it's splitting open from the inside.
"Wow… that was a little harder than I thought it would be…" I mutter, standing straight again. Looking around to ensure no one followed us, I nearly scream when I notice a stairwell going from the ground to this level, only twenty meters away. Biting my tongue, I palm the controls on the door, causing it to open up and reveal a railed catwalk making up the second floor in the large room, appearing to be the cantina of the facility.
So far no one has noticed us. Gesturing for Jennifer to follow, I slowly walk out the room, her close in thong. Apart from the two of us, the catwalk is empty, allowing us to walk across it at a brisk pace.
About halfway across, I look down at the mass of guards and scientists, noticing how more than one is looking at us. A few are starting to get up or pointing at us. Ohhhh poop… I reach behind me and pull Jennifer in front of me, gently pressing at her back to make her walk faster. That's when the alarm sounds. Of course it had to sound now! They would have discovered the bodies I left behind by now… I should have hidden them, but noooo… I was too busy…
"Attention, attention! Subject Zero has escaped the confines of her cell, likely accompanied by a man in a guards uniform. Identity is unknown, but lethal force is authorized to bring him down. Don't kill Jack, I repeat: Don't kill Jack!" Oh shit. Now all the people down in the hall are getting to their feet, multiple of them drawing weapons and leveling them at me, shouting in incoherent words.
We run.
Realizing that Jennifer can't run nearly as fast as me, I scoop her up in the process, pressing her against my chest as I sprint the final distance between us and the door, feeling bullets impact on my shields, whittling it down uncomfortably fast as dozens of firearms unleash bullets at me.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck it all, fuck!" I curse, feeling as the bullets are starting to nip into my under-armor. If I try to bring the barrier on, I am going to burn her, so I'm reduced to pray that my armor can take the punishment. Jennifer just burrows into my torso, face hidden. No way they're getting her, no fucking way!
As I reach the door, it opens, revealing a pair of guards in the process of drawing their pistols. Not wanting to risk Jennifer's safety, I run towards the guards as I halfway spin around, kicking one of them in the chest with my good leg, the one a bullet didn't just lodge itself in. I only absentminded notice how my foot glows green as it hits the man, sending him into the wall as his friend opens fire on me, a few shots hitting my backside as I run past him, headed for the landing pads.
Mara, please let there be a shuttle, please let there be a shuttle, please let there be a shuttle! I pray as I storm through the corridors, tackling a lone guard in the process of bringing his gun to bear at me. Oh Gods my head hurts! I can feel the strength slowly leave my left leg as my shin starts hurting like hell. I mentally curse the demon who decided to let the bullet hit my wound from Eden Prime, causing the damaged tissue to reopen.
"We're almost there" I mutter as we enter a room I recognize as being where 'Jack' said they would bring in the new kids. A few empty containers line the wall, the insides being too dark for me to make out any details as I run past them, palming the door as I reach it, making Jennifer sit on my bionic arm.
As the door opens, rays of sunlight pour through the opening, revealing the outside world for the first time in days. The area around the complex is nothing but jungle, echoing with exotic sounds and animal cries. Taking my gun in the now free hand, I close the door behind me, shooting the circuitry to pieces.
Instead of locking down, the door opens up, revealing guards storming towards the door. I level my gun on them as they dive for cover, killing at least one of them as I overheat the pistol into the chest of the man closest to the door.
As soon as he drops, I turn and run, heading up the ramp leading to the landing pad on the roof. My heart skips a beat when I see a white shuttle parked at the center of it, thrusters in the process of shutting down.
Nearing the vessel, I see two people stepping out. One of them is a man in a white coat, probably a scientists, while the other looks like another soldier. Both of them stop dead in their tracks as I bulrush them, shoving them out of the way as I enter the shuttle, placing Jennifer in a seat before I speed to the cockpit, hauling a bald pilot from his seat and throwing him out the door.
I palm the locks on the doors before he's hit the ground, giving Jennifer a brief look as I run back to the cockpit, jumping into the seat as I hear rounds start pinging off of the hull. How the hell do I fly this thing? Where the fuck is Roku when I need him?! I actually halfway expect an answer to my question, but none comes, leaving me to struggle with the controls as more and more rounds hit the hull, causing an overpowering noise to fill the inside.
Come on, come on… this has to be similar to the controls in an old helicopter, it just has to. I spot a small handle in the board above the controls, spelling 'ignition'. Without a second's hesitation, I press the handle downwards, causing the shuttle to shudder as it lifts off, leaving me with the controls to get us out of here. I gun the small pedal, gripping the handles tight and pulling back as I watch the horizon disappear beneath the end of the cockpit's window.
Fewer and fewer shots hit the vessel as I send us roaring out into the atmosphere.
And thus we embark on a new mission. Ashley is experiencing emotional trauma, Nikolai is fuming, Zaeed get's blown to hell and we meet a certain psycotic biotic before she get's twisted in the head... another day in Paradise...
Alright, Thomas is starting to experience the drawbacks of Roku's insane powers, namely the crippling migraines and the loss of focus. He also has no idea how to fly by himself yet.
Well guys, do me a favor and review the shit out of this one. I'm going to Spain this Thursday and won't be back until eight days after. In other words there'll be a major break in chapters being published.