Nate POV
4:30 AM Citadel Omega
I lay awake staring at the ceiling of an unfamiliar room. The walls are covered by posters of various celebrities, the human pop star Onyx, Asari dancer Kaylia, Turian actor Andros. Some of these posters are for people long dead like Drake, Timberlake, , Weeknd, Beiber, One Direction etc. just another teenager's room. I turned to my left and saw a sleeping form. She was fairly pretty, brunette, tanned clear skin. A contended smile gracing her lips as I sombrely observe her sleeping soundly. She was happy.
I on the other hand wasn't. I felt empty. There wasn't anything to feel, no regret, no remorse, no shame. A bottomless void in my body that couldn't be filled, constantly open waiting for me to implode. This nothingness was disquieting. In the depths of my mind the voices speak. One annoying and self-righteous, telling me of my mistake, and what a terrible human being I am. Another sickeningly sweet and patronising, attempting to comfort me and tell me it wasn't my fault. The last voice was morally bankrupt and juvenile, congratulating me for defiling the girl lying beside me, and even telling me to go again.
However I remained indifferent, this quasi-schizophrenic episode becoming a regular occurrence. I looked at the clock in her room and saw that it was 4:35. She went to sleep at about 1:30 after the last time around. I always end up in situations like this and every time it happens the void in me increases in size. I tried to recall just what happened the night before.
I decided to go to Afterlife with Nyreen, Morinth and James. We danced, drank, laughed and did the same in the VIP area with Aria. This beautiful brunette strolls up to me and tries to flirt her name was Isis. I treated her in the same cold demeanour which I use to dismiss groupies or fan girls. But like a lot of them they see that as playing hard to get. Aria laughs as James and Nyreen decide they should go home. I could say alcohol influenced my actions but that would be an excuse, to be honest I just didn't care, she dragged me to her place without argument and the rest is self-explanatory.
I know that she goes to my school, I've seen her around, and she's one of the preppies and cheerleaders. This emptiness was starting to get to me, I was desperate to feel something, and not many things are as bad as not feeling anything.
I remember that I have to be at school in a couple of hours so I got up and went to her shower. She has a shower in her room so I wouldn't encounter anyone. As the water cascaded from the shower head and pelted my skin I saw the tattoo again. The same feeling of pain makes an appearance, I feel as though I was never good enough for her. I'm sleeping with anything that offers to fuck. The voices grow louder and the pitch fluctuates in a symphony of pain and migraine induced chaos in my mind. I fall to my knees grasping at my skull, my face contorting with pain. I turn off the cold water so that it's only hot water for a few seconds shocking me from my trance. The burning hot water forced my reflexes to take action thus bringing me back to reality.
My clothes were scattered across the floor. I found each item I had on me, and since I never went home yesterday I still had my school uniform on. First I put on my rosary, kiss it and place it on the tattoo near my heart. I will always love you. I walked up to the door which hissed open. There was a rustling in the bed, and I could see that Isis had woken up.
"Where are you going?" she asked worriedly
"Where do you think?" I responded coldly
"You don't have to leave" she pleaded, it looks like she's getting attached, why does this always happen
"Yeah I do" I reasserted. She chuckled briefly before breaking into tears. Here we go again
"So you used me, fuck em and leave em right"
"I'm Sorry… but I can't stay" I looked to the Drake poster and the song 'Doing it wrong' came to my head
Cry if you need to. But I can't stay to watch you
That's the wrong thing to do
Touch if you need t. But I can't stay to hold you
That's the wrong thing to do
Talk if you need to. But I can't stay to hear you
That's the wrong thing to do
Cuz you'll say you love me and I'll end up lying and say I love you too.
As the lyrics ran through my head I realised the parallels between my relationships and the song. I don't know what it is about me that makes them want me. I'm a good looking guy but that can't be the only thing. I've hurt so many people and she wasn't any different. She is just another name on the list, a large majority of the year hates me or fears me and I don't give a shit, if they don't like me that's their problem not mine.
Another Drake song made it's appearance in my psyche from Money to Blow.
Yes I make mistakes that I don't ever make excuses for
Like leaving girls that love me and constantly seducing hoes
"Please don't go" she sobbed, she got to her feet but immediately fell to her legs buckling. When I leave she won't be able to pursue.
"You ass" she shrieked pounding the ground out of anger and frustration. Desperately trying to get to her feet so she can stop me. I didn't want to mention that she's the one that wanted this because I didn't want to start an argument with her.
"Bye" I whispered as I walked out of the room, her soft sobbing faintly touching my ears.
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Jack POV
Afterlife, Omega
7:30
Pathetic. This asshole couldn't even last a fucking hour. As usual it was all about the guy, he didn't do shit for me. I picked the loser up at Afterlife, he tried giving some dumbass chat up lines, some shit about my tits and tats, and I don't remember I was totally wasted at the time. Here he is probably thinking he made me see God or something if she even exists. Why did I even sleep with this loser in the first place?
I saw Nate with some Turian bitch, Morinth and James. They looked like they were having fun, dancing the night away. This brown haired chick was eying him up like some piece of meat, and her friends were giggling and pointing at him. There was this burning sensation in my chest when I noticed this. It got even worse when they left Afterlife together. That's when…. What's his face… tip of my tongue…. Thingy…. Rion that's his name. I remember it was on his boxers. We were lying naked in the lower part of Afterlife.
I heard some footsteps, they were high pitch so they were heels "My, my Jack sleeping on the floor with Omega's trash" it was Aria, the blue asshole was smiling smugly at the sight before her
"This bitch is nothing, as usual all about him"
"Men are selfish Jack, particularly the human sort"
Humans... I never really understood the concept of being human. I know it isn't about being born the right species. From what Cerberus has told me it's something completely different. Something which in itself commands respect from everyone around you, Something prestigious that you should be proud of. Something you should be revered for being... And it's something that I'm not
I can't be considering exactly what Cerberus has done to me. The needles, the drugs, the torture, the rape. None of it would make sense if I was human. A sick organisation which has beatified an entire species would treat me like shit, something that you could easily dispose of. There's no way I can be human, I'm an alien to everything this fucked up 'verse contains.
"that's why I prefer women. "
I didn't want to think about this shit anymore so I said the first thing that came to mind "Does this dump have a shower?"
"Yes it does"
"Good cuz I'm gonna use it"
"Through that door and on the right" the Asari instructed with a smirk. She is son fucking arrogant that I want to throttle her every time she opens a smarmy blue mouth.
After my quick shower I thought it would be a good idea to go to school right now. There was a mirror in the shower but I didn't even bother using it. I know how I look, tattooed freak, with the body of a 13 year old boy. Scars and bruises covering my arms, neck, torso and legs. Fat ass lips, bald head an attitude that says fuck off. Everyone that doesn't know me fears me and that's just how I like it….right?
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Nate POV
7:45 Omega
I've been wondering around Omega for a couple of hours now waiting for school to start. I didn't want to wake Rylee and mom up so going home would be pointless. I couldn't go to Garrus' place a couple of hours ago considering it was too early. He's probably about to head over to my house. I sent him a text telling him I'm not home and I'll see him at the Rapid Transit Terminal.
As I walked over to the Omega Access corridor, walking out of Afterlife was Jack. She was also wearing her 'uniform': black, sleeveless, Cerberus jacket with a grey tank top stopping just above her bellybutton along with grey camo bottoms and combat boots. She spotted me and made her way over.
"What are you doing here?" she asked
"I'm going to school"
"I meant in Omega"
"Oh…" I didn't want to tell her about what I had done, but there aren't many excuses I would want to tell her that she'd believe so telling the truth didn't sound so bad. "Isis invited me over to her place and I fucked her" I said as nonchalantly as I could
"Who the hell is Isis?" she asked with a confused expression
"I was hoping that you could tell me" I admitted. It was then that I realised that Jack is walking out of Afterlife at 7:45 AM when she lives on the Presidium "Wait a minute. Why are you here?"
"Felt like having a good time" she shrugged "Staying in my cell for too makes the walls start closing in. Then I go crazy"
"What about Miranda's father"
"What about him"
"Can't imagine he's happy you're out"
"Even that dick has to sleep". She was clearly becoming more agitated about the subject so I dropped the topic. We walked to the Rapid Transit Terminal in a comfortable silence.
Rylee, Garrus and Tali were all waiting for me and by extension Jack. Rylee had a look of relief on her face when I arrived while Garrus looked disappointed. The big Turian never approved of what I do and has been vocal about it, recently he has kept his mouth shut but I could tell he was itching to say something. We climbed aboard the Hyper-Train. Jack sat in the corner pocket between the window and the entrance, scanning the train's occupants. Tali and Rylee were sitting and chatting while Garrus and I stood. He wasn't even looking at me, probably pissed off at what I did. I don't care when people don't like me but if there is one person I couldn't take being pissed at me was Garrus. There was only one person he didn't like and he had to do something extreme for that to happen. Doesn't like is an understatement, he absolutely hates Saren as much as me and Kaidan do.
"I'm Sorry" I breathed out unable to meet his eyes. I must have looked haunted because he patted me on the back.
"Nate you need help"
"I know, but no one can save me Garrus. I know that I have problems" I admitted
"I can only encourage you. I can't force you to see a psychologist"
"Thanks" I whispered.
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Cerberus HQ 8:10
Unspecified Location
An aging man sits on a comfortable chair. Scotch in one hand a cigarette in the other staring out at the star burning brilliantly as he stares at hit. He gets up to admire the star from a closer distance. The door hisses and a beautiful black haired human woman struts seductively towards him.
"Eva, what do you have for me?" he asked, his voice cool and wise, slightly gravelly from years of smoking
"It's ready. We are currently awaiting your orders"
"Launch the program" he ordered. It was time to see if their little pet project could do the job. The Alliance is so willing to bend to Council rule, willing to compromise for humanity's place amongst the galaxy's leaders. Willing to sacrifice what makes us great to cater to their whims. Cerberus will not, we will fight for Humanity even when those who claim to refuse.
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8:30 Citadel Military Institute VI Core
The engineers and lab techs were running a routine check on the VI systems to ensure that it was fully functional. Everything looked fine, all systems were working to specification or at least close to it. The maintenance of VI core was going per normal. However on the inside something totally different was happening, little did the techs know things were about to go horribly wrong.
All of a sudden the Core began to malfunction. Electricity began firing from the wires and the metal floor became very dangerous. The temperature of the Core quickly became unbearable to its inhabitants.
"What the hell is happening" Adams yelled
"I don't know Sir" Cyril said
"The VI Core seems to be experiencing technical failures" Lana explained
"I can see that Lana but WHY?" Adams barked
"There's a virus in the system" Cheryl said "But how the hell is that possible"
"This is very, very bad Sir" Pam said with a look of panic "If this virus spreads we are screwed"#
"This VI system can be used as a backdoor into the entire school system and anything within a few hundred metres of this Core. This virus could delete vital documents, allow whoever sent it to see our personal files even look into our omni-tools since their all keyed into the school system" Mallory explained.
"Aahh shit, I wish I didn't have to tell Anderson but I have no choice" Adams sighed
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Nate POV
Form Time 8:40
"I'm telling you Nate they actually sell it" James said
"No freaking way"
"You seriously didn't know" Garrus added
"I hear that they are quite expensive" Liara interjected
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Garrus was talking about this arrest his dad made. Apparently there was this Batarian selling Krogan testicles on the black market. To cut out the middle man he personally handled the amputation. He was making a killing 50000 per testicle 18000 for a full set.
"OK I believe you guys but why would Krogan buy another's balls" I asked incredulously
"For some reason they believe it increases fertility, there are still rare cases of the Genophage" Liara pointed out. I won't lie, at the time it happened I believed that it was necessary, the Krogan are an unknown quantity, loose cannons there was no way of knowing just how they would act. About 20 years ago the Genophage was cured. It's not public knowledge as to how but I doubt it was STG. Salarians and Krogan still don't like each other.
A couple of minutes ago Benezia ran into the room to call Wrex to a teachers meeting so we could do what we like, so it wasn't any different than usual.
"I respect the Krogan, they evolved past the Genophage and came out stronger. Evolution favours the strong" Javik added
I checked my omni-tool to read up on the story, and check for any details that Garrus may have missed. However there was no extranet connection, my tool began to go all fuzzy before disappearing completely. I couldn't bring it back up again no matter what I did.
"Hey Garrus check out your omni-tool" The Turian pulled his one up but the result was the same
"What the hell" he cursed both James and Javik turned to us
"Guys pull up your omni-tools" I ordered
One by they pulled theirs up and one by one they each failed. The entire form erupted complaints and frustration and soon enough it engulfed the entire hallway. Everyone in this entire block's omni-tool was decommissioned. The bell rung so we made our way to our respective classes. We found out that everyone there's omni-tool were also malfunctioning. Some of the students were actually crying about this over this. One girl actually screamed that her life was over. I mean come on who couldn't laugh at something as stupid as that. I didn't even make an effort to hide that it was me.
Samara walked into the room in her usual grace and calm nature. Whereas on her face was an expression of exasperation and frustration. "Students it would seem that there is something wrong with the school Mainframe. Our VI EDI is still malfunctioning so we cannot continue with the lesson we had planned as the Combat-Simulator cannot work. For the rest of the day any and all practical lessons have been cancelled and all computing assignments have been put on hold" the old Asari informed "You have a free period for the next 2 hours. You are dismissed" she said then strutting out of the room. Kai Leng left the room also as did Morinth.
"What just happened" Jack asked
"Looks like we have a free period" I informed her
"Great so I came in for nothing" she complained "I could be doing something fun but instead I'm stuck here with you people"
"Oh stop being such a baby" Aria snarled. Uncharacteristic of the usually smug Asari
"What's crawled up your ass" I asked
"With this fucking tool not working I can't monitor what goes on in Omega, important information could have been sent to me right now and I wouldn't realise it" she explained with a powerful biotic aura emanating from her. She stomped out of the room.
"Let's go for the resources room" I suggested, they shrugged but in the end they all decided why not even Jack.
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Rylee POV
Infiltrator Training 9:10
This is a fucking Joke. The moment Garrus saw me he told me to turn on my omni-tool and everything went to shit. I've probably lost all of my contacts, pictures, music, conversation history everything. And now I have to go to my infiltrator class and do some of the twisted game that Geth cooks up in his mind. Come to think of it there was only one person not really bothered by the whole omni-tool thing and that was Thane. I turned to him while we were walking.
"Thane how come you're so calm about this whole situation" a asked gesturing to my omni-tool but he still looked confused "Don't you care that all your contacts and stuff are gone" he merely nodded
"I noticed that the omni-tools only stopped functioning when they were turned on. I haven't turned mine on" the drell pointed out. I stomped up to Garrus and began beating at his chest
"You prick. If I hadn't turned it on mine would still be working"
"What are you talking about?"
"How the hell didn't anyone realise that they only fucked up when they were turned on". Garrus slapped his forehead and groaned realising just how stupid he was.
"Dammit. Oh well can't change it now" he dismissed. I looked at Thane
"Why didn't you tell anyone this?" I questioned playfully punching his arm
"I wanted to see how many people noticed and from what I've seen in our form only Jack and Kaidan came to the same realisation as me" the drell pointed out
"And me" Kasumi said quickly uncloaking then cloaking.
It startled me and I jumped a little "You know I hate it when you do that" I complained
"Come to think of it I think the only people in my form not complaining were Liara and Miranda" Garrus pointed out "Why don't you people share with the rest of us. So selfish" He pouted
"I found some of the results very amusing, particularly the student who called for a riot" Thane admitted. Great so I was outsmarted by Thane, Miranda, Kaidan, Liara, Kasumi and even Jack.
Over the past couple of weeks I feel that I can honestly call Thane my friend. We talk in form all of the time, his bluntness is pretty funny and he's surprisingly sarcastic. In the process I think he's just made a bunch of new friends like Tali, Kaidan, Garrus, Nate, Liara, Javik and more. You would think he's a loner because he's socially awkward, turns out he's not. He is just a quiet, reserved guy that doesn't make the effort to make friends. He's one of the most likeable people I know. We arrived at the class to find that it was empty. I knew we were a little late but this is ridiculous.
"Goto Kasumi, Vakarian Garrus, Shepard Rylee, and Krios Thane you are late. Logged" the Geth said monotonously "I will relay Principal Anderson's orders. All practical and computer based programs are non-operational you all have free periods which must be used for study" it explained before turning to continue whatever work it did.
"If I know Nate he'll be in resources" Garrus pointed out. We all agreed that it was a better option than any.
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Nate POV
Resources room 9:20
The resources room was the school's library, so as you'd expect it was littered with data pads and a few books. Due to the sheer size of this school this room was huge. It could easily hold 1000 people. This place had every sort of text you could imagine, Krogan fertility rituals, Asari Matriarch biographies, Elcor biology everything. Javik and Liara went into some section that covers history. Every once in a while Javik decides to tell Liara about the Protheans. Kasumi and Garrus went with Jacob and Tali over to the technology section. So that left me, Miranda, Jack, Thane and Rylee in the biotics section.
"So dumbass" Jack called out, I looked at her. I mentally slapped myself for responding "I bet you were one of the dumb shits that fried their omni-tool" Jack smirked. When I refused to answer it gave her all the answer she needed as she promptly started laughing her ass off. "So when you saw everyone's get fried when it turned on you would think someone wouldn't be the sheep and turn theirs on" she finished. I gave her a look of surprise. I thought that everyone's was fried I guess not turning it on would have solved it
"He was the first to turn his on" Miranda explained
"So you were the poor bastard" she laughed
"Yeah I was, find that funny"
"Hell yeah I do" she laughed "Bet Isis is callin' right now and you can't do shit" she guffawed holding her sides. I tensed up a bit when she mentioned Isis. I remembered the look on her face when I said I was leaving, the sound of her sobbing through the walls, her anguished shrieks from the street. I can remember. The name of every one night stand and their reactions when they found out it was just that. One night, not something that could last a lifetime. I'm too far gone for me to be a part of a healthy relationship. No one deserves to clear up my mess. I'll just bear this cross for the rest of my life.
She then started talking to Thane and Rylee about something that I didn't really care about.
Miranda was reading a History book she took out of her bag and I had nothing to do since my omni-tool doesn't work. One of the primary reasons as to why I don't come to this area often was because I'm not academic. My intelligence translates well on the battlefield but not so much on paper, don't get me wrong I'm not stupid, if I tried I could be a straight A student in in terms of . This Resources Area was filled with books and I was more physical. Miranda looked up from her book with a raised eyebrow. She gave me a curious look
"Nate can you come here for a second" she asked. I got up from my seat and made my way around the table. I read the text on the page. I set my face into a blank, bored expression whilst my mind was sent spinning. This entire book was about some of the greatest heroes of all time. My father, Eric Shepard was in it, the book even had some brief information about me and Rylee.
"Is this your father" she questioned. I didn't answer at first because I was in shock. I never thought that people could have such easy access to my family history, my father is personal information. No one but Rylee, Liara and Garrus even know that he existed because they are the only people here that met him.
"Yeah… that is"
"Your father is a hero, why haven't you ever talked about him?"
"Miri…. Please drop this" I pleaded solemnly. She looked at me, eyes filled with sympathy. Why do people always give me that look? I don't want it!
"I'm so sorry" she apologised gently massaging my shoulder. I turned to her and realised something I don't think I ever have. She is gorgeous, pale soft skin, tempting red lips, icy blue eyes, flowing dark brown hair. I could see even from here that her pupils were dilated. Her face grew closer, inch by inch.
All of a sudden there is this great force that knocks me back. That's an understatement. This knocked me off of my chair into the table behind me. I staggered to my feet then looked to the source of that push.
Jack was smiling innocently feet crossed on the table. "Whoops. My hand slipped" she feigned innocence. Miranda looked like she was gonna explode.
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Jack POV
What the fuck was that. I saw the cheerleader and Nate about to kiss and my body went into auto-pilot. I didn't even consciously try to use my biotics. I got this burning in my chest and I fired off a shockwave.
I did it to hurt the cheerleader… yeah that's it, she's so damn prissy and perfect, someone needs to take her down from her pedestal. However if I wanted to hurt her then why did I attack Nate? Was I mad at him… but why would I be angry at that prick. He hasn't done anything to piss me off recently. Although I got the same feeling as when he left with that Isis bitch. Oh no. no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening. This isn't happening. No freaking way. I got my feet off the table and began digging my fingers into my temples and banging my head on the table. Fuck. It's not happening you're horny. Yeah you're horny; just get him out of your system.
I heard someone clear their throat from behind me. Rion was standing there with a lecherous smile on his face. He was even accompanied by some of his friends, all human. He probably expected me kiss his feet and worship the ground he walks on. Fuck'im.
"I didn't see ya leave" he breathed "I'm surprised you can walk" he turned to his friends and they high fived. Wow they're morons. It was Nate's turn to enjoy my annoyance because he was smirking smugly at the scene in front of him.
"Fuck off" I dismissed
"Come on, don't be like that. If you're good we can do it in the toilets right now" he offered as if it were too good to be true. I felt like throwing up.
"I would rather screw him" I said pointing at Nate. I could see the fear in his eyes when he noticed that Nate was sitting right in front of me. "You're a pussy" I chuckled. Shockingly he started smiling.
"I ain't scared of him" he tried to get some base into his voice, which he did pretty well. "He's just an Alliance lapdog. I represent humanity" he said pointing at the Cerberus logo on his shirt. Nate's smirk was still there.
"Try saying that to his face" I suggested. His eyes became wide and his hands started shaking
He looked angry "Look bitch. We're going downstairs. We're gonna fuck and you're gonna love it" he barked.
One of his friends walked up behind Rylee "Yo, Rion can I have this one I thin-" before he could even finish he was plastered on the ground by biotics. Nate's smirk turned into an angry scowl.
"Touch my sister ever again and YOU WILL DIE"
Rylee took that as a queue to get up. She walked up to Rion and tagged him on the jaw, she then kneed him in the stomach and he fell to his knees. The final blow was to his skull, one hard ass punt. Rion was laying on the ground hopefully dead cuz that would be fucking hilarious. His friends all ran away whilst the two were unconscious on the ground.
Why did he care so much when he that guy went behind Rylee "Hey boy-scout why did you warp that dick when he was behind your sister?" I asked
"Put it perspective Jack. If you were in my position what would you do if it was Oriana" he asked. Damn why did he bring that brat up. Every time I think about her I get this funny feeling I don't know what it is but it's annoying. Sure I wouldn't let anyone touch her, she's a kid anyone who wants to will die but I won't tell him that.
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Cerberus HQ 14:20
Unspecified Location
The aging man had a look of satisfaction about him. He had just received the report from Dr Eva Corre.
The virus did more than we could have expected. Initially it was merely meant to disrupt the VI that aids in everyday activities. But it also made communication from within the Institute impossible as well as cutting people off from the extranet. Any device capable of communication was short circuited so long as it was within the school premises. This prototype will not need extreme modification.
Dr Eva Corre.
This was excellent news. It meant that the pieces are falling very quickly into place. It will not be long before our domination is secured.
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David Anderson POV
Citadel Military Institute 12:00
Anderson's Office
I paced around my office attempting to figure out just what happened today. Today someone managed to infiltrate our systems but didn't take or delete a single thing. That's what worries me, why is everything still there. All the instructors were baffled as to how they managed to get past EDI. There wasn't any permanent, unfixable damage to the VI. But for a virus to do that much little damage but have that much effect means there is more to come. The council thinks it was some sort of prank by some kid but the staff knows better. Those morons don't want to look weak so they save face by blaming it on a prank instead of treating it like a legitimate threat. I know it's gonna come back to bite us. I just hope it won't get anyone killed
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Rylee POV 15:55
Huerta Memorial Hospital
It's my first day at this job I applied for. I've always wanted to help kids and this is a way I can do that. Since a lot of parents on the Citadel have jobs that end at 6:00PM they leave their kids at the nursery so they can pick them up later. I'll mainly be working with kids between 1 and 5 some are only a couple of months old but I was prepared for that when I applied.
"Rylee there you are" Lizbeth called out
"Hi Liz" I greeted. Lizbeth Baynham was my supervisor. She was only a couple of years older than me however she'd been working here for years. Her mom Juliana conducted the interview.
"Today you'll be working with younger kids" she said gesturing to the playpen. "Some are only a couple of months old so you'll have to be more attentive to them than some"
"OK, I'll get right to it" I said eagerly. I sauntered into the playpen. It only had a couple of kids. I think it's because most kids have at least one person to stay home to take care of them.
A lot of the children were adorable, some in their own way. I can see the preciousness of the children but I find Krogan babies a bit scary. The asari were so cute I almost died even the Turians. I was just coming back from the bathroom and saw something shocking.
There was someone here I didn't expect to see. Hell this was one of the last people in the galaxy I ever expected to see in a nursery. Thane was standing near a child making faces at him. I giggled at the sight because of how he's usually all business and now he's doing something, well…. silly. This child was a drell, so they were probably related. He told me he was an only child so it isn't his brother, their resemblance is uncanny. No way. I walked over to him and cleared my throat. He turned around to see me, his face was a mesh of shame and shock.
"Rylee" he acknowledged turning around to the child "I believe I owe you an explanation" he said picking the child up. I looked at the clock, my time was up and Thane and the kid were the only two still here. We got out of the playpen, as we approached the entrance Lizbeth approached us.
"Hey Thane" she greeted "And hello Kolyat" she cooed at the child, he giggled adorably and that brought a smile from Thane. He clearly loves him.
"Thanks for your time Rylee and I'll see you tomorrow" she said waving us goodbye
There was a pregnant silence as we made our way to the Rapid Transit Terminal. He held Kolyat close to his chest protectively as we walked. When we reached the terminal he stopped and sighed. Kolyat had fallen into a deep sleep evident by his quiet snoring. I couldn't help but feel all warm inside looking at Thane with the kid.
"Firstly this is my son" he admitted looking lovingly at Kolyat "He is 6 weeks old". Wow he's that young.
He was probably expecting me to ask a question. However I was still trying to process the fact that he even has a son to begin with. He always struck me as a celibate monk. There was a deeper meaning to what he was saying. His eyes showed adoration but the tone in his voice was one of regret, he might be confused about how to feel about his son.
"Come on. Let's go" I said with a smile gesturing to the cab that had just arrived. Thane looked confused. We got in.
"Where do you live?" I asked
"I live in Zakera Wards level 27" he informed looking at me with a puzzled expression
"You heard him to the Zakera Wards" she commanded the cab driver.
Kolyat had woken up from his brief sleep and started cooing. "Can I?" I asked Thane to which he nodded. I picked up the Drell baby and held him in my hands, they looked like scaly human babies. But the designs, the ribbings the markings all made this child unique and beautiful like his father. All the while I interacted with his child Thane stared at me in surprise, he likely never expected anyone to be so accepting of the fact that he has a child.
We reached the Rapid Transit Terminal in the docking bay. Thane with his son cradled in his arms stepped out of the taxi. He voiced his appreciation for my help and said he would see me tomorrow.
I was going to ask him about his son, who his mother was, how he's juggled school with a child, how he was handling everything. But then something he said popped into my mind. "I believe I owe you an explanation". That statement alone was enough to let me know I shouldn't pry. I honestly think of Thane like a friend and I don't want my friend to feel as though he has to tell me about his family whereas I want him to want to tell me about his family. If I asked I'm not entirely sure as to what he would think of me or how he would treat me from that point forward but in the end our friendship would suffer somehow.
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Jack POV 23:00
Afterlife Omega
I've been at this shithole for about an hour now and I'm bored as shit. That bastard decided to work late so I had to sneak out of the fucking window in the hallway. I'm lucky I'm a biotic otherwise I would be a splat on the ground. This place just isn't the same as it used to be. I could show up here, dance until I could barely walk, maybe fuck some guy and go home. Sometimes I would talk to Aria but at least I would enjoy myself but I guess there aren't any interesting people here tonight.
"Hey baby" I heard from behind me. I didn't even have to turn around to tell that this ass was human and drunk. "Wanna dance" I offered in his booze addled state
"Fuck off" I dismissed
"Come on. I've seen ya around I know how you roll" he slurred "I just wanna dance" he said innocently
"And I don't so get out of here before you leave in a body bag" I threatened
"What's with you today" he bitched "He said you were easy" he cussed "But EJ never mentioned that you were such a bitch" he finished. I stared him in the eyes for a few seconds before kicking him in the balls with my steel toed boots. He fell down easier than an Asari whore. I stormed away from the dance floor and went over to the bar.
Ok now let's reassess you. You love dancing, tattoos, drinking and smoking. Dislikes: are pussies, assholes and jackasses. So what the hell is up with me? That was the 6th guy to ask me to dance or fuck and I've said no to each one of them. Well at least I told them all to shove their heads through their dickholes. I do have standards, I don't fuck anything with a pulse but I don't usually say no and not to the guys who have asked me today. Maybe I just need some alcohol in my system. I can't wake up alone
After a couple of minutes of constantly taking shots I think that I'm ready. I spin around on my seat to see just who was on the dance floor. All of them looked disgusting, blurry, blobby, ugly meshes of colour and smell each one complimenting each other in a sickening orgy of flesh. Looks like alcohol didn't help, only made shit worse.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME TONIGHT. I ran my hand over my scalp in frustration trying to figure out what's up. I shut my eyes hard so I wouldn't think about it. When I closed my eyes, an image of Nate popped up. Why the fuck did his ugly mug show up. The longer I shut my eyes the more images of his face popped up and the more of his face I saw the more I wanted to clobber something.
My head went back to what I was thinking in the Resources room. My outburst after he almost kissed the cheerleader. That same burning sensation filled my chest when I thought about it, but what is that feeling and why can't I shake it. I feel like pounding the bastards face in every time I think about him kissing the cheerleader.
In the back of my mind there was pesky voice whispering something in the background so quietly it couldn't be heard. It was slowly gaining momentum, getting louder with every repetition. In horror I slowly began to realise just what it was saying. That whisper had become a yell that could no longer be ignored. It was yelling. You wish that it were you.