Nate POV
We walked in an uncomfortable silence to the Biotics wing, it is mainly filled with asari since they normally have the most potential. Jack's eyes didn't wander except for the Cerberus logo we walked past, when we did a slight growl came out of her lips, and she gripped at the logo on her chest. Clearly someone doesn't like her sponsor.
We reached our class and walked in and saw the people I expected, Liara, Aria, Miranda, Javik, Morinth and Kai Leng. The teacher Samara was in meditation, levitating in mid-air, eyes closed. She opened them and they went wide for a moment.
"Sorry we're late Samara" I apologised "I'm her guide for the next few weeks" I continued, I took a look at Jack who was glaring at Miranda one which she returned. Then it hit me, I should have asked Miranda about Jack since they are both sponsored by Cerberus, but from what I can tell right now anything Miri would have told me wouldn't have put Jack in the best light.
"No need to apologize Nathan, please line up at the back as should you young one" Samara said, sometimes her cold confidence and relaxed nature scared the shit out of me considering that if she got angry no one in this room would survive except maybe Aria.
I went to stand next to Miranda while Jack went to stand near Aria, which is a surprise because everyone knows that Aria is bad news, not someone I would want to mess with. She runs Omega despite her young age, she's only 76. Her biotic abilities are better than mine by a bit, but the moves she knows would end a fight before I could react, especially that flare move.
They were actually talking to each other which was a shock since Aria didn't really talk to a lot of people, not because she was anti-social, just paranoid. I would be too if C-sec was breathing down my neck, this girl Jack must be either a close friend or a member of her gang.
"Today we will be working Heavy weapons fire and dealing with a group of Hostiles" Samara announced "However there will also be civilians, keep them out of harm's way if possible" she finished turning around to switching the combat-sim on. This was one of the many resources available at the institute.
We chose our weapons from the weapons rack and put on our armour of choice. In these sort of things it was good to travel in pairs or more so I chose Miranda since we had an understanding. Javik with Liara, Kai Leng with Morinth and Aria with Jack. Aria and Jack were the only ones that didn't bother putting any armour apart from the holsters, which was a shock considering we were dealing with heavy weapons fire.
I loaded up my M-23 Katana as well as the M6 Carnifex hand cannon and did some stretches whilst Miranda holstered her shuriken and Stiletto VII. Just to be on the safe side I also took an M-100 Grenade launcher if worst came to wear.
The Combat simulator came on and everything became so clear. It was a mountainous setting, with a metal stair case that went up about 15 feet, there was also a giant path down the middle branching out from the staircase which would give me a clear shot at just about part of the area but since its metal and I'm wearing thick combat boots, my footsteps would be heard alerting the enemy. And that was designed for an Infiltrator not a vanguard, at least not until my sniping skills improve.
"BEGIN" Samara yelled from the control room.
We all found cover of some sort, Miranda covered my six. The simulator conjured up a group of about 25 mercs each equipped with top grade weapons and they landed in front of us. I unholstered my hand gun and fired at the merc at the front, I managed to get a head shot but that was when the rest of the group decided to open fire, I quickly ducked under the metal shield.
"OK Miranda, I'm giving you the RPG" I started, "Now I'm gonna raise my shields, and fire 2 Shockwaves with luck that should take a few out, but afterwards fire 1 shot. That should take out the majority and the rest we can handle" I explained being as clear as possible, we won't actually die from this but it will hurt like hell.
"NOW"
I used Barrier and prepared myself mentally for what I was about to do. I raised my head only to have a sniper pierce my barrier leaving my shield strength at about 22%, this was the kick up the ass I needed to fire the first shockwave, it ended up killing 4 mercs and disorienting quite a few, I fired my second one but it didn't have much effect, the rest must have shields.
"MIRANDA FIRE"
And on command she fired her shot, it made a huge bang and bodies were flying everywhere, there was a relatively small explosion since this model was built more for accuracy and penetration than for power and destruction.
When the dust cleared all hostiles were on their asses either dead or recovering, while they were getting their footing back I took the opportunity to fire a few shots at them, got one of them right in the balls, if they were programmed for emotion then he would be in tears, I said a silent apology, because few people deserve that.
"Nate behind us more hostiles and to your right" Miranda yelled.
Dammit I still haven't dealt with all these jokers yet. This was really bad, my shield strength is only at 27% and I can't deal with all these mercs on my own, I decided that since the ones in front of me were recovering I should take on the ones nearest to me, but when I turned to my right, a small purple ball whizzed past my face and hit the group about to take me out. A brilliant purple explosion occurred, more eye catching than the lights on the Silversun Strip.
I turned to the Origin of the flare and saw Aria with her usual smirk, shaking her head in disappointment.
"Come on Shepard I thought that you were a combat expert" the biotic boss chuckled
"I knew it he's a pussy can't even handle a few pathetic mercs" Jack said making her presence known
I noticed that some enemies materialised behind them. I tapped into the primal parts of my brain and mustered a biotic charge, in the blink of an eye I was behind Jack and Aria. The impact made a muffled boom, disorienting those I hit. To be sure that no one could react, I focused my energy on my fist and leapt into the air, with all the power I could summon I pounded the ground causing a shockwave confusing the entire group. I reach over my back and took out my shotgun, killing every merc in sight. When I was finished I turned around and flashed a cocky grin.
"Now we're even" I said walking past the both of them Aria was laughing but Jack once again had a blank emotionless mask.
"Hello dead people" I heard Jack say from behind and I turned to see her charging at a group firing her shotgun, she was laughing, I should have found it disturbing that she was taking pleasure from dealing out death but I was strangely turned on by it.
"Nate I took care of the rest of the hostiles" an Australian accent flew through the air. I knew Miranda could take care of herself.
"More Hostiles" Miranda sighed. This time they were a far distance from us so we could see them coming but 2 of them have RPGs. "Miranda Get Down" we both ducked behind two rocks. Once we were out of the way a storm of bullets flew past us and was hitting the rock slowly wearing it down.
"We don't have much time" She pointed out
"I know I've only got a few pistol rounds but shitload of shotgun slugs" I informed her
"Shepard I need you to listen to me" she was breathing heavy, I shouldn't have left her to deal with 2 squads of mercs, the sweat was dripping off of her face, there was blood coming from her forehead and her hair was slightly ruffled.
"I'm going to fire off a warp, this should leave a mass effect field lingering" she breathed out, "right after that use your biotic charge, this should make the field explode taking out most of them then use your shotgun for clean-up whilst I pick some off with my remaining rounds" she finished this time her eyes glazed over a bit, they must have done more damage than I thought. I simply nodded and braced myself.
To take some of the pressure off I fired a few shots so that they're focus would shift to me, then Miranda fired a warp off and some the enemies fell to the ground, I focused on the one at the epicentre and charged, the explosion was huge, burning quite a few of the mercs and true to her word Miranda was supporting me but my Katana did the rest. I found it pretty funny how when I shoot someone with the shotgun they go flying through the air with the greatest of ease, and bodies were everywhere.
After I was finished I ran back to Miranda and applied some Medi-Gel to her forehead to stop the bleeding.
"Thanks" she said in relief. I checked my vital signs and armour status
"WHAT… my shields are almost at 40% and I have no more rounds for my shotgun" I complained
"We have to muscle on Shepard"
"OK before they see us we need to salvage some thermal clips from these dead mercs" I ordered
Just when things couldn't get much worse I discovered that most of the rounds were meant for assault rifles and snipers, only a couple had pistol rounds. As Miranda was exploring she looked over the ledge and her eyes widened "Nate we have a Major problem". I saw that there was one more hostile but this one was different, his armour looked even more advanced than those we fought before. He turned to see us and prepared himself
"HE'S GOT A ROCKET LAUNCHER AND IT'S HUGE" I bellowed and dived for cover just in time since the rocket flew right over our heads.
"Dammit I can't hear" I shouted, the ringing was agonising and constant. I wanted to rip I ears off. But slowly the ringing died down.
"Shepard this is part of the test" Miranda explained. "It's probably to make us use our biotics, Samara must have sent just enough waves for us to use up our ammo and chose weapons we wouldn't normally choose"
"OK, we need biotics, my amp has almost shorted out" I said
"Same here"
"For now we st-" I stopped myself when I noticed a M-92 Mantis on the ground and pounced.
"Miranda, I need you to distract him while I get a shot lined up" after a deep breath she stuck her head out and started firing, I steadied my shot and waited. Even though I teased Garrus earlier I know that I am not that much of a sniper, I mainly handle, hand pistols and shotguns.
I have the shot ready but just too late, he fires his rocket and it impacts against Miranda, she then starts to de-materialise, it was only after he fired that I pulled the trigger killing him.
DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT, if this wasn't a simulation Miranda would be dead because I hesitated, that can never happen again.
I have no ammo, I'm still cooling down and my shields are dead, any sort of sneak attack would kill me and on cue a group show up right in front of me, I made my way to jump over the barricade but one of the mercs shot my leg. Then the rest took out their Rocket Launchers and aim, I'm about to die.
A thick blue ball floats just in front of the gang of hostiles and they begin to swirl around it. It was a singularity, I would recognize it anywhere. I look around because I know it's either Morinth or Aria but instead it's Jack. I have never seen a human that can pull off singularity simply because it requires a lot of power and emotional control.
"Combat Simulation Complete" EDI said.
I stood up to see everyone writhing in pain, holding their guts, skulls and chests. I wasn't doing that great myself but a lot better than Miranda. She was just on the floor squirming uncomfortably. A pang of guilt struck me as I realised that it was my fault that she was in this state.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA" Jack was laughing her ass off pointing at Miranda
"The cheerleader bitch really does go down like an asari whore, HAHAHAAHAHA"
"She's hurt Jack can't you see that or are you just that big of a bitch" I defended Miranda, it was my fault she had to endure this teasing but I would be damned if I didn't defend her.
"So what so is everyone else but at least they can take the pain"
"She got blown to bits"
"EVEN FUNNIER" her laugh got even louder, it was so annoying and loud I just wanted to do anything to shut her up
"That's enough" Samara commanded
"Morinth take Miss Lawson to the nurse's office" the teacher said "Jack, Nathan stay behind the rest you can head off to break" she finished.
Rylee POV
We are walking in silence, but it isn't awkward, I felt comfortable following him but that isn't normal for me. I'm usually a leader, I never follow anyone's lead but those instructing me, yet he was making me like it.
"Where are you taking me?" I questioned
"We are heading towards the Combat Block, we both have Infiltrator training"
"You're an Infiltrator too"
"No, not everyone that takes the course is an infiltrator" he started "I am an Assassin"
"An assassin?" I was genuinely surprised, I never knew that it was available as a course. "I never saw that on the curriculum" I asked
"That's because it isn't" he said it as if it was obvious, making me feel a bit stupid
"It's a combination of subjects, like being a Vanguard or an Adept" he explained.
"OK so you want to be a mercenary" I accused. To me assassins are just mercenaries with more skill and less bravado, you are only as faithful as your next pay check, and you kill anyone so long as the price is right. They are the source of the problems in Omega and C-Sec doesn't seem to care, they put a few officers there but not enough to make a difference makes me wonder just what the Council is thinking.
"No I am doing it for personal reasons" he responded and there was an air of sadness in his voice, I could tell I hit a soft spot.
"Thane I'm s-"
"We're here" he interrupted in an annoyed tone. Great now my guide hates me. We opened the door and my teacher was something I never expected. A geth
"Krios, Thane and Shepard, Rylee Principal Anderson informed me of your meeting" the geth said in a monotonous tone. "Today we will practice deception and evasive manoeuvres in precisely 10 minutes" and with this the Geth went to stand at the window.
I noticed Garrus standing by the weapons rack looking at the different kinds of equipment we would need for this exercise. I walked up behind him and tapped his back.
"Hey Ry" He said completely immersed by the weapons rack. What did it have that I don't, maybe I have to strap myself with every damn weapon the galaxy to get him to actually look at me. I decided to go to the armour panel and picked out the normal N7 armour, then joined Garrus.
"Any Idea what we'll be doing?" I asked
"We will likely have to survive for the next 2 hours and a bit so I need just the right gun to pull it off" he said, he never even looked at me, all he did was feel the guns, testing the weight and manoeuvrability. Maybe that's it he doesn't like girls but weapons.
"Ah that's the one" he said holding an M-97 Viper, he actually held it to his cheek, as if it were a pet, while most would find this weird I just found it adorable.
"Can I go with you until I get a grasp on what to do?" I asked half expecting him to say no.
"Of Course, otherwise who else will stand in awe of me" he bragged, I giggled seductively.
"I don't need to see you in action to stand in awe of you" I flirted. Come on for the love of god garrus take a hint, it's like banging my head against a Krogan.
He chuckled nervously, I was clearly making him uncomfortable, but it was cute watching him fidget and squirm.
"Am I making you uneasy Garrus?" I walked up to him, pressing my finger against his chest plate. I looked him deep in the eyes, I am almost sure my pupils dilated, looking up to the 6ft 5 Turian compared to my 5ft 7 frame.
"3 Minutes Remaining" Legion warned
"3 minutes better finish preparing" this was the opportunity he awaited and took it as he picked up weapons rounds and customized them.
Damn that Geth, couldn't he wait like another minute before opening its mouth. Well figuratively speaking. I took this opportunity to finish up. I carried cryo rounds, a Locust and an Arc Pistol some grenades and an omni-blade.
I looked around the room to see who I would be working with get a general feel of the class. Garrus was looking at just about anything but me. There was this bald guy, looked pretty shifty, weasel like, he is in my form I think his name was Hokin, Larkin, wait… Harkin that's it.
I also saw another Turian but he looked nothing like Garrus, I could almost sense an evil aura emanating from him. He towered over the rest of the class, probably about 7ft, his face was silver but parts looked melted off and he was giving a murderous glare towards Garrus. When the latter noticed he returned it, his mandibles started clenching and he wore a look of total hatred. I don't once recall Garrus hating anyone, he is the most likeable guy you can meet and he liked everyone but the look he gave his fellow Turian and his body language indicated there was a lot of bad blood between these two.
I then looked at Thane, he was a picture of serenity, he was as relaxed as you can get. He looked to be praying and his lips were moving so it was out loud. When he finished he opened his big black eyes and started saying something I was too far away to hear it but I made out the last words he mouthed. I think it was "I Love You" or "Elephant", but I was leaning to the first.
"5-4-3-2-1-Begin"
What materialised was something I never expected, it was a genuine shithole. There were slums dimly lit, reeked of vomit and piss, there were fires allowing for more visibility. Buildings were almost collapsed and water was falling down the sewage drain, the only good point was that the fires provided a comforting warmth otherwise this was a total shithole. I looked to the right and I realised where I was. This is Omega. I noticed that Afterlife in all its glory, stood tall but the place was empty not a soul around.
"Hey follow me I know the perfect spot" Garrus said motioning me to follow. How does he know so much about this place? We normally don't go into Omega unless we want to go to Afterlife.
We ran for about ten minutes until we were at a bridge, there was only one way in and out making this the perfect spot. And in the building above there was only a small window of sight making it an even better base.
"I'll plant a few charges in case some get through" I said as he ran up the stairs
"Hostiles" He announced. I took out my arc pistol and charged it, since Garrus was the sniper, I would be on the ground. The first wave came in force, I fired one instantly killing the first victim, I continued firing killing another with every shot whilst Garrus picked off the strays.
"Rylee their coming through the doors downstairs" He yelled, I ran as fast as I could around the proxy mines to see that they were already being taken down. Another wave was coming from the front so Garrus already had his hands full. Shots were being fired and they didn't have time to react. It was Thane. His movements were so fast and fluid that I could have sworn he was part machine.
He then did what I never thought anyone would be crazy enough to do, he started taking them on hand to hand, and it was like watching Batman. I have been to the best martial arts and self-defence classes in the galaxy and even the Master wasn't this good, not a single merc laid a finger on him, he was a ghost, untouchable, intangible.
I was about to compliment him on a job well done when the proxy mines went off meaning there were some mercs that Garrus couldn't get in time. I spun myself and saw that there were more coming, I tried to fire but my pistols had run out of ammo.
"Garrus I'm out of Ammo" I shouted
"Here take this" he threw an M-15 Vindicator. With Thane's help we managed to survive the rest of the wave, but I was tired.
"Thanks for the help" I said to Thane
"No need" he replied
"You're a life saver Thane if it wasn't for you I don't know if we'd still be here" Garrus chimed in
"EXERCISE COMPLETE" Legion announced
We all appeared in the classroom, only a few unharmed including me, Garrus, Thane and that Turian making evils at Garrus.
"This platform requires time to reach consensus on class performance until then you are all dismissed".
Nate POV
Samara scares the crap outta me, she sounds so damn calm all the time while giving off the vibe that she'll kill us if we don't stop bickering.
This school has a rule that you can only have one practical subject a day otherwise I would be screwed, everywhere hurts, but I can still walk which is still a win.
I need to go to the nurse's office to see Miranda, after what I did and didn't do I think that's the least I owe her. I got too reckless and my pride made me act in a stupid manner, Aria and Jack had shields that could have survived that but I had to prove to them I wasn't helpless. I didn't give a shit about what Aria said but when Jack called me a pussy I couldn't let that stand. Why did I care so much what she thought?
I reached the nurses office to see Jacob and the girls whose hand he broke and they were actually laughing, I'm pretty sure that if someone broke my hand I would kick their ass.
"Jacob" I called
"Hey Nate, how's it goin'" he asked nonchalantly
"AB is going to kill me" I complained
"Hang in there" he chuckled, "I saw Miranda being lifted in by Morinth. What happened?" he questioned. I looked away out of shame and shame as well as embarassment "Oh… um better let you get to it" he said in an understanding tone.
On the way to see Miranda I also saw another familiar face. "Sam, what are you here for this time?" I smiled
Samantha Traynor sat down with her hand to her head testing out her temperature "My asthma started acting up and I needed my special inhaler" she stated.
"And when my asthma started up again I started feeling stressed so I took my anxiety medication" she continued to list off her 'symptoms'
"What, no headache?" I joked because I knew just what would happen next
"You're a div you know that" she cursed before rubbing her temples "I had almost gotten over them before you came along" she complained
"Better take you sucrocapsunol" I advised
"Thanks for reminding me" she appreciated before humming with satisfaction as the sugar pill entered her mouth. I found out that it was a sugar pill but didn't have the heart to tell her that. If it genuinely does help her then I shouldn't get rid of the placebo effect
"Sometimes I think that my body is this incovenient thing I use to carry my mind around" she sighed. Some people find the fact that she's a hypochondriac annoying but I actually found it rather cute.
"So, I doubt that you came all this way for little old me" she observed
"Oh yeah. I'm here to see Miranda"
"Well go on then, you're starting to stink the place up. You jocks and your desire to sweat" she japed. Before I left I gave her a bear hug causing her to squeal.
I looked into the part where Miranda was, she was sitting up looking into space, she sensed I was there and turned to look at me in surprise.
"Miranda err… apologising isn't really one of my strong points" I began, I must have sounded like a total ass. "But I'm…So-rry" I apologised really awkwardly. I'm not what most people would describe as the nicest guy in the world. I don't apologise or say please unless it's sarcastic. "Wait I can do better…. Um, I was really stu…. I am a moro… dammit, those are so cliché" She burst into a laughing fit probably because of what an idiot I must sound like,
"Nate if it were anyone else I would have shot you when you abandoned me to show off" she said, I cringed at the mention of the word abandoned, "But you have earned enough points with me that I don't bear any grudge"
"So I lost points"
"A load of them" she teased
"How do I get them back?"
"Buy my lunch for the next week"
"That's extortion"
"That's what it takes Nathan take it or leave it"
"Fine, but only because you're in a hospital bed"
We talked for the next couple minutes about how difficult the exercise was and joked about how if it had been reality we would both be fucked. When I said something without realising what was coming out of my mouth.
"What do you know about Jack?"
"I don't think I would offer the most unbiased opinion Nate" she replied honestly but she scowled deeply at the mention of Jack "Why do you want to know?"
"I don't know, it just came out" I defended
"What do you mean just came out" she snapped
"Whoa, relax why are you so angry"
"If it 'just came out' then you have a subconscious interest in her" she accused, her scowl deepening, why is she so upset?
"I am not interested in Jack, though I'm pretty sure I could get her if I wanted" Miranda's eyes widened when I said that, but she was looking past me.
"You couldn't handle me on your best day" I turned slowly to see Jack leaning against the wall
"I could take you when I want" I stated matter of factly
"I don't give a shit about your delusions shitface, I-"
"Why are you here, I doubt it's to apologize" Miranda interrupted
"I wouldn't apologise to you for all the credits in the world" Jack said. "But this asshole is my guide and I don't know my way around yet" she explained.
"It's lunch Jack, why didn't you follow Aria" I asked
"Me and the Asari bitch ain't friends dumbass"
"Alright see ya later Miri" I waved goodbye to Miranda but she was too busy giving Jack a death glare.
"Do you have a packed lunch or do you have to go to the canteen" I asked
"I don't trust cooks take me somewhere quiet to eat my lunch. And no you can't eat with my jackass"
"You know I have a name"
"Yeah Nathan but that's too long"
"Then call me Nate" I said grinding my teeth, man if this bitch was a guy I would have dropped her at the train station.
We spent the rest of the walk in silence. It was pretty tough trying to find a spot with quiet considering that this school had roughly 7000 students from around the galaxy and classrooms were off limits during lunch so there weren't any spots for isolation so I had to find the least populated area. I found this big ass tree where there were only a few people.
"Wait for me to come meet you here so we can get to your next class" I ordered and for my tone I got flipped off a gesture I gladly returned as I walked away.
Jack POV
What is with that Nate guy. Trying to boss me around like he's my superior giving me instructions, I get enough of that at Cerberus.
I have been at this school a sum total of 3
s 20 minutes and I already hate it, the cheerleader is in my advanced biotics class, so I don't just get to deal with her at the damned facility but now at school. Just fucking perfect, that combined with my schedule, who was the genius that chose my courses Advanced Biotics, Biotics, Weapons, psychology, why do I need to understand how peoples mind works, if they start acting shifty kill em, probably means they're about to screw you over anyway, Advanced biotics is pretty fun, getting encouraged to kill is always a bonus but everything else blows. I wish. I wish I could just take… No I can't even think it; no one would ever take me seriously. A shadow towered over me and was covering the artificial sun.
"Hey buddy move over you're blocking the light"
"Apologies I did not mean to cause you trouble" he replied
I decided to look up and I saw something freaky, it was the scaly, reptilian guy. I know that his race has a name but I couldn't quite remember.
"May I sit beside you Miss" he requested, why was he acting weird, asking for stuff instead of taking it, using words like may or apologies, what the hell does this guy want.
"My name is Thane" he said
"Jack" I replied, what is he doing, I scanned the area in he was up to something.
He proceeded to eat his lunch which looked like a bunch of sandwiches, fruits and water. This guy must be a biotic given the fact that he's not all that muscular and the amount of food he's eating, he's got bags under his eyes and his face has some wear to it, he must be stressed out by something in his life. I may not look it or act it but I am pretty perceptive. Looking at his food made me pretty hungry since my stomach started grumbling.
"Would you like to have some" he offered, what is up with this guy.
"Fuck Off"
"I merely wish to share my food with you, I have no ulterior motives" this guy is pretty good, I almost believe what he's saying. He's guiding some chick so he's been here for a while, that Anderson guy trusts him and he's already taken a bite so they probably aren't poison. So I snatched a couple sandwiches off of him but he didn't seem shocked or angry. I sniffed them to see if there was anything funny about them, and then took a cautious bite. I waited a few minutes to see if anything would happen, when I was content with how I felt I decided to continue eating
"Hey" I said, he turned his head away from his food and his black eyes looked at me
"Thanks, I owe you one" it was barely audible even to myself.
"It's alright Jack" he said giving me a warm smile.
I asked him a few question, I found out that he is a drell and takes Biotics, Biology, Infiltrator training and psychology. So we both take psychology and biotics. At least that makes the sum total of people I don't want to kill 1.