Citadel Military Institute VI Core Room
"Sir I'm so glad you're here" Cyril appeared relieved at the presence of David Anderson "We have a situation that could potentially be disastrous" Cyril sounded troubled. He led the elderly alliance Veteran to the Central Nervous System which housed most of the VI's core systems.
"All of the data that EDI contains is in danger sir" Cheryl informed.
"Yeah whoever managed to do this managed to totally rape our firewalls and any sort of defences we had put up for EDI" Sterling added "They corrupted every single data file that was on saved to its software"
"If it didn't fuck us over so badly I would actually be impressed" Lana lauded "But now we have a major problem"
"We are at risk of losing every bit of information we have on our students, teachers, military projects, what we're funded, have funded. We could lose everything Anderson" Mallory stated
"I see that's a major problem but I'm no tech." Anderson wondered why they had called him over
"There is something we can do... however it is very risky" Sterling sounded uncharacteristically apprehensive "But we're short on options"
"Spit it out then. There's a lot of damage to be repaired" Anderson snapped from impatience
"It would take a day at least and some data will be lost. That's unavoidable" Mallory said
"We can transfer EDI's body from the VI core processor... to a blue box we have in storage" Cyril offered
"Why would that be a bad thing?" Anderson questioned
"Here's what's risky... It would turn it into a fully functioning... AI"
At the mere mention of AI Anderson tensed up. "What!? That's the only solution you can come up with?" he shouted in surprise
"Every other method we've thought of could take months. This virus was advanced, more so than anything we've ever encountered. We didn't even beat it, it just... vanished" Krieger gestured
"Vanished?"
"The guy who sent it somehow retracted it. Unfortunately when they did some of the virus remained" Cyril explained
The veteran started tracing the lines of his scars both on his arm and his face "How can we be so sure that making EDI an AI could salvage the data" he asked
"Where it would take us months to do, it would take an AI mere hours to scrub itself. EDI in terms of software is massive. It houses so many different networks and possesses so much information that it would take months to look through it all and find the faults" Sterling interjected
"Whereas with an AI's self-repair protocols in place, EDI could be done within 4 hours. However it would take us a week to set this all up. We need orders from you to dictate our course. Do we destroy the VI Core begin afresh and lose years worth of work." Mallory literated
"Or do we begin the set up for an AI Core instead of a VI core. Although we should warn you that an AI would quintuple the power output of the school"
David had to think of this carefully. He knew one thing. The council needs the data that EDI has. It contains quite a lot of their activities as well as sanctioned activities. It possesses all of the personal records of the kids in school, their grades, their targets, classes, blood type, parentage, just about everything you could imagine. If that was all lost then the institute would be starting from scratch in every department.
However AI's are dangerous. The Geth Incursion all those years ago was a constant reminder of the dangers Al's possessed. If the AI every thought that the children were no longer important then it could execute them or even worse hold them for ransom.
The need for the information far supersedes the drawbacks of having an AI in the school
"Fine begin the AI project. However I want you to do something. I want you to make preserving data, protecting the students and coordinating the school to be the AI's primary focus. Understood"
"YES SIR" the engineering staff replied in unison
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Nate POV
After Henry Lawson was arrested the attacks just seemed to stop. A lot of the enemy forces either pulled out or in the worst cases, blew themselves up. Causing even more damage to the Citadel.
Our first destination after all of this havoc was C-Sec academy. My mum was eager to see Rylee and make sure she was alright. On the way there we met up with Kaidan, Tali, Grunt and Miranda. Kaidan's team got to the Embassies okay and apparently saved a whole host of civilians on the way.
In the front seats of the car were me, Jade, Miranda and my mum. During the long drive I managed to get a look at some of the work C-Sec was doing along with some private security contractors. Even more people were trapped within their homes, or survived the car crashes. At least there are a lot of survivors on this day.
"Nathan what happened to your eye?" my mum asked concernedly
"I don't know how to tell you this... When the attack started a car crashed into our living room, that's what caused it" I explained, hoping that she wouldn't be angry or sad
"I don't care about that, so long as you and Rylee are safe" she reassured "I'm more impressed that a car flew into the room, and that's all the damage you suffered" she praised.
"Actually come to think of it I got my abdomen cut up as well. But the medi-gel fixed most of that"
"Nate where's Jack" Miranda asked
"I have no idea, she just ran off"
"Miss Jackie hates me" Jade said, the sadness dripping from her voice
"Oh Sweetie, believe me that girl doesn't hate you" my mum comforted "She cares about you very much.
"How do you know?"
"I could see from the way that she looked at you that she wants to protect you"
"Jade you're the reason that Jack was even in the mansion. She heard your scream and ran to protect you" I reassured. I hope that she doesn't keep blaming herself for something that isn't her fault
I heard a psst coming from Miranda's direction and I leaned towards her "Are you telling the truth or are you saying that to keep her happy?" she whispered. I'm surprised that she hasn't seen Jack's good side after spending so much time with her.
"I meant every single word. Jack cares about this girl. And even you know that she cares about Oriana" I whispered back but was still greeted with a look of shock
She remained silent for a few seconds "I suppose she can be capable of thinking of others besides herself" she concurred reluctantly. Would it literally kill her to say something nice about Jack without it being some sort of backhanded compliment. Then again Jack can't do the same for her
"That must have been really hard for you" I teased
"Shut up" she laughed slapping me on the arm
"That girl's called Jack?" my mum asked, we both nodded "Is that short for anything?"
"I think it's Jacqueline. Why?" Miranda responded
"Nothing, she just looks so familiar. But that's not important" she dismissed
Miranda seemed a little agitated and flustered, she was also looking at her feet. Really uncharacteristic of the usually confident biotic
"Nate... About what you told us...If... If you're... I mean... never mind" she dismissed
"Take a deep breath. That's what always helps me talk when I'm nervous" Jade advised, offering Miranda a bright grin "Thank you"
She took a deep breath but still couldn't look me in the eye "If you ever want to talk about what happened all those years ago... I'm always available" she proposed. With her facing away from me slightly I could see the bright red lining of her cheeks, she's blushing. She turned around slightly to see my reaction but when she saw that I was still looking immediately turned away. My mum looked at Miranda with a loving smile.
This must be really hard for her. After years of having to lock up her emotions to prevent herself from getting hurt. She has to say something that makes her really vulnerable right now. If she showed this side of her more often, I'm sure almost everyone she met would instantly like her. I guess telling the others did help a little, I'm surrounded by some of the best friends you can have
"Thanks Miri. You're a great friend" I responded solemnly
A series of high pitched slaps and a glass clunk filled the air. Jade and my mum had one hand on their foreheads after slapping it. The clunk had to have come from Tali and the other was likely from Kaidan.
"How is anyone this stupid?" I heard Tali say
"He's a special breed of idiot" Kaidan added. While Grunt just groaned
"You are almost as thick as your father" my mum rebuked
I felt someone tap my armour "You're not very good at this are you" Jade said innocently
"What?" what did I do wrong
"Nothing, let's just drop it" Miranda interjected angrily. Seriously what did I do wrong?
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The rest of the journey all of the women in the skycar were giving my the silent treatment. Even Jade wouldn't talk to me. When I asked Kaidan and Grunt what was wrong they merely shook their heads and laughed. Did I say something wrong to Miranda
When we arrived at the academy it was evident that a battle had been fought there. Armoured corpses filled the streets, along with the remains of security mechs and blood. Inside the building was a different site however. There were relieved faces along with those of anguish. The medical facility was past capacity and patients had to be treated in some of the other offices.
In one of the rooms were a depressed looking couple. Their clothes were stained with blood and mascara ran down the woman's face. The man was trying his best to comfort the disconsolate woman but he wasn't fairing much better himself. The tone of his voice was flat and almost robotic, as if his body is on auto-pilot.
Coming towards us were Rylee and Thane. She was too busy talking to Thane to even recognize us. She bumped straight into me, lucky we aren't wearing armour.
"I'm so sorry sir I wasn't looking where I was... Nate" she cheered jumping into my embrace "Thank God you're alright... I was so worried" she whispered
"I was worried about you too. So was mum"
She hopped out of my grasp and hugged my mum "I'm so glad you're both okay"
"I am so proud of the two of you. You managed to save a lot of people Rylee" my mum praised "And Nate if it wasn't for you that little girl would be god knows where. Being experimented on by Henry"
"We had a lot of help mum" I said
"We couldn't have done it without our friends or C-Sec" Rylee added
"Hah! And some people say I'm a terrible parent for letting my children have weapons"
"We sure showed them!" Rylee laughed
"Rylee do you know a girl called Jack. She has medium length hair, sort of a ponytail, tattoos cover her body" mum described
"Yeah she was with Nate last time I saw her"
"Does she look familiar to either of you two?" I shook my head
"A couple of months back we both thought we'd met before. But we never talked about it after that. Why?" Rylee stated
"I might just be imagining things" she dismissed but she still looked thoughtful
"Mum have you met Jack before?" I asked
"I honestly don't know"
"I knew I could get you to talk to me" I said breaking her train of thought
"That reminds me Rylee. You would never guess what your brother did" my mum announced before whispering something in her ear.
Rylee slapped her head from astonishment. "I can't believe you're that stupid. I mean it couldn't have been more obvious" she groaned
"Can someone please just tell me what I did wrong" I shouted
Thane walked out of the room with the sad couple. "Is there something wrong?" the drell asked
Rylee whispered the same thing into his ear. Even he slapped his forehead. His hands then started rubbing the bridge of his nose out of frustration. What is it that I am missing?
"There is no helping him. It's a mystery that he hasn't come to the realisation as of yet". Even Thane knew what I did wrong but I didn't.
I saw Dr Solus headed for us "Ah Hannah. Good to see you" Mordin greeted. "You should be proud of you daughter. Without her most of patients would be dead" the Salarian scientist commended.
He turned to Thane "Good catch on the pregnancy. They would have committed suicide if not for you. Good work"
Thane and Rylee both sighed out of relief. She then hugged Thane and kissed him on the cheek "Thank you! You saved them"
Call it brotherly over protectiveness but right now I want to get Thane to the other side of the Citadel. I don't know how he knew that the woman was pregnant but he's got a good eye that's for sure. The drell looked flustered by Rylee's display of affection.
"Aww if he were human I'd say that he's blushing" my mother teased "Is he your boyfriend"
"MOM!" Rylee moaned. I had to take the opportunity to laugh at this situation
"What I'm just asking" my mother feigned innocence
"Why are you always so embarrassing?" Rylee whinged
Thane took the opportunity to slip back into the other room and I followed. "Sorry about my mum. She tends to do stuff like that"
"It's alright"
I then noticed that the same sad couple were also in the room along with Mordin. However they seemed totally different. They couldn't stop smiling. They each lovingly rubbed her belly and shared a kiss. I didn't mean to look like a voyeur but that's probably what I appear as right now to. We turned to leave.
"Wait" the woman called out stopping us dead in our tracks
Rylee and my mum joined us in the room making this place really crowded
"We didn't properly introduce ourselves when we met. I'm Chris Ambrose and that's Gemma Ambrose"
"I want to apologize for slapping you" she apologised
"No need. You were hysterical. I would be the same if my son had just died" Thane answered looking to the ground. I totally forgot about the kids. We need to get to Afterlife after this.
"I also want to thank you! I would've died in that building along with my son had you not shown up" she admitted before looking to her belly "But now we have another reason to live. I'm roughly 6 weeks along"
"What is your name?" they asked the drell
"Thane"
"Good. That's what we're going to name this child. Today we christen him Thane Ambrose" Gemma declared
I'm not sure how Thane must feel right now. The most dominant emotion must be pride, there is no way he can't feel proud. They are going to name their next child after him. I guess some good deeds do go unpunished. Rylee was looking at Thane with an admiration I had only seen from her when it came to Garrus. They must be really close.
"I am honoured" the drell responded taking a slight bow.
We left the room so that the couple could have some alone time. Titus Vakarian spotted the group. He was talking to Zaeed, Wrex and Samara about something and directed them in our direction
"Nathan it's good to see you" he greeted. Garrus' dad has always had my respect, no matter what? I'd seen him around my house when I was a kid but I never really talked to him before I had met Garrus. He's always seen me as somewhat of a loose cannon and for that he has always treated me with slight suspicion. When my dad died he treated me as though I were his son.
"We will be headed for Afterlife. We know that there is an Oriana Lawson and a Kolyat Krios with them. Rylee said that we should bring a Miranda and Thane with us" the look of relief on Thane's face was very clear.
Zaeed was smiling at me with pride.
"I heard from a little birdy that you have a certain shotgun with you" Zaeed said
"Oh the Eviscerator… about that"
"Calm down kid, I don't care that you stole it. Hell if you didn't take it then you'd probably be dead right now"
"So you won't tell Anderson"
"He already knows, he knows about everything you do kid. You probably gave the other one to the crazy bitch"
"That's not the point, that fucking shotgun is bloody effective. I had some of my people engineer it from the specs you handed in! The kickback is fierce. But the right person with it can cause Arma-fucking-geddon" he praised. "No wonder you and the crazy bitch are still alive" I pointed out. I'm guessing the crazy bitch is Jack
"Thanks for teaching us how to maintain our weapons. Without your class I'd be dead" I admitted, doing that may have saved my life
"Don't worry about that. It's in the past now"
"Thanks"
"Nate we need to get to Afterlife now" Titus reminded.
"Ok, I'll get Miranda and we'll meet you at the parking lot" I suggested "Late Zaeed"
"See ya later kid"
I went to the patient room because that's where I last saw her. Luckily for me she was still there assisting the doctor on call. The patient in the room was a salarian and was badly cut up, he had burn marks down his leg, a giant, long cut that covered most of his arm. His black shirt was stained with blood and still dripping. I decided to get out of the room for a few minutes so that I wouldn't distract them.
Miranda walked out of the room and leaned against the wall. She had a grim expression.
"Miri what's wrong?"
"These people… a lot of them aren't going to make it, and it's all my fath-… Henrys fault. I knew he was cold, but this… this is just so… senseless" from her tone of voice I knew she was on the verge of tears
"I'm sorry Miri" I said as I was about to hug her
"What did you need to see me about?" she asked before placing a protective hand in front of herself. I guess that's her way of telling me to drop the subject.
"We're headed to Afterlife. Thought you'd want to see Oriana" I offered. Her mood brightened immediately
"Let's go" she urged, she sniffled twice and walked quickly in front of me. I caught running her hands across her eyes. This is really affecting her. DAMMIT CERBERUS!
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Afterlife
When we got to Afterlife Titus, Thane and Miranda stomped through like they were on a mission, Rylee and I followed quickly behind. It was weird being here without the music blasting off, the smell was the smae but the atmosphere was dead. We walked through the doors that led to the main area. Arias crew came out of cover and aimed their guns at us.
"Bray relax it's me" I tried to get them to lower their weapons.
"Give some warning next time" he complained
"You actually want a next time" I joked
"It would be nice to see a little more action. With everyone so scared shitless of Aria, I don't get much of an excuse to fight people"
"That's what combat simulators are for" Titus interjected. I was worried about this. Bringing the C-Sec Commander into a haven for crime and corruption would be risky stuff but I hoped that he'd be so worried about Garrus and Solana that he'd table his C-Sec bravado
"You're lucky Nate. If it were anyone else showing up with C-Sec then we might have had to open fire" the Batarian informed truthfully. Garrus' dad gave him a look that would give anyone pause
"Where's Garrus" I asked
"Him and the kids are in the VIP area. Aria and Nyreen are there with them" he answered trying to match Titus' death glare
"Thanks"
I led the group to the VIP area, out of everyone here I think I'm the only person who has actually been in the VIP area, or even Afterlife. We marched up stairs and once again we were threatened by guns, this time by Anto.
He breathed a sigh of relief "Give some warning next time" he rebuked before opening the door
When he opened the door the room was dead silent. There was no one in sight but the lights were on. The only other exit from this room is in the back but I doubt they'd move without Aria's crew being informed.
"Where are the little brats" I heard from beside me. Aria looked to be searching for someone and hadn't noticed us. She probably thought that it was Anto. "Relax Anto, no one is inside but... Oh its you" she didn't sound surprised
She looked to Titus Vakarian with a wariness that I often see from her when it comes to new people "You had better have a damn good reason for bringing the C-Sec commander with you" she threatened
"You're a bit touchy aren't you" I teased
"Answer the question" she asserted
"I don't know, maybe he missed you as much as I did. You know how close we are Miss Aria" I continued to tease, but when the strong biotic aura enveloped her I decided that I should probably stop
"Don't fuck with me Shepard"
"Don't like a taste of your own medicine"
"You have 10 seconds before I kill you" she threatened. I know I should tell her but the fact that she's actually threatening me pissed me off.
I responded with a biotic aura of my own "I'd like to see you try" I goaded
"Nate don't be stupid" Miranda ordered, trying to calm me down. "Your temper is going to get us killed"
I took a deep breath and some of the anger ebbed away. "This is Garrus' and Solana's dad. I would have thought you knew this. Or are your information brokers slacking" I mocked
Aria didn't appreciate being jerked around that was clear from the moment I met her. But I still took some pleasure in knowing that I gave her some pause in a one on one. Her posture relaxed a bit
"What are you doing anyway?" I asked. She gave me a slight glare
"We are doing a training exercise. They have to use the environment to conceal their whereabouts and I have to find them" she said looking away from embarrassment. There is no freaking way
"Are you... playing hide and seek?"
The pirate queen turned away from me completely with her arms folded. "The pirate queen of Omega playing a children's game. Wait until the world finds out" I teased
"You wouldn't dare"
"Of course not. I can just blackmail you" I joked
"Shepard, someone like you who has done plenty of reprehensible and embarrassing shit in this club should not be blackmailing me"
"I was kidding. You don't need to remind me" last year when I was here I met this girl and... the rest isn't important. That needs to go back to the recesses of my mind
"I GIVE UP" the biotic boss hollered.
From under one of the stripper tables Solana came out running. "I win, I win" she cheered as she walked out of cover. Her eyes lit up when she looked in our direction "DADDY!" she cheered running over to the big Turian. She leapt into his embrace and he spun her around
"Praise the spirits you're alright" he sighed
From one of the private booths came Garrus with a smile on his face. He was still clad in his armour and had Carnifex holstered at his side.
"Damn" he sighed
I raised my eyebrow out of confusion "What?"
"I made a bet with Vega that you'd be crying and begging me to save you by now"
"Oh I cried, the entire time I cried about what I'd do without my trusty Turian"
"Garrus. I won" Solana clapped in her father's embrace. He gave his dad a stern nod.
I heard someone saying wow from above me. Oriana descended down fro the top of the bar a biotic aura encapsulating her. She started laughing the closer she got to the ground. "Do that again! Do that again" she urged.
Jack jumped from the top of the bar without biotics and landed on her feet. "Maybe later" she chuckled
"Miranda" Oriana yelled as she ran up to her older sister.
"I was worried sick about you" Miranda admitted
"How did you get here?" I asked Jack
"I jacked some Skycar and thought why not come here" she shrugged.
"What about the virus?" I asked.
"Well this time I was smart enough to not turn on the fucking radio" she drawled
"So you rushing to Afterlife had nothing to do with Oriana?"
"Why would it" she snapped
"Okay, I'll drop the subject"
Oriana and Solana both ran into the secret room behind the bar, probably to play. Miranda then joined us with a smile on her face, clearly happy that Oriana is safe. At least she can express her joy without embarrassment unlike Jack. Aria strolled up to us
"So princess, have you given my offer any consideration" she asked, I'm not entirely sure as to who
"No way" Miranda retorted in disgust
"Don't be like that, imagine how much money you'd make"
"I won't warn you again." Miri threatened
"What are you two talking about?" Jack asked. That's a good question. What are they talking about?
"This is like the millionth time I've asked her... She refuses to become a dancer for Afterlife" she said as though it were casual. A non voluntary smile invaded my lips. I couldn't help it, this is hilarious
"Really! Why would you ask her" I prodded. Miranda looked slightly offended
"Don't be coy Nate. You're a guy, why do you think I asked her"
I briefly checked Miranda out "I don't know... maybe it's the face of an angel, perfectly round ass, great set of tits... I don't know why any guy would want that" I said sardonically
Miranda quickly turned to me and slapped me across the face. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing Shepard?"
"Giving you compliments"
"You're going to have to step your game up significantly. And if you think those kind of sentiments are going to impress me then you are sorely mistaken"
"Sorry Miri…. I guess what I said was demeaning but I didn't mean it to be. All I meant to say was that you're incredibly pretty and it's no surprise that anyone would become attracted to you" I apologised.
"If I was stripping in a dingy club in Omega" she stated
"No… I meant wherever you are, you'll attract admirers. Women as beautiful as you are a once in a lifetime occurrence and you should be admired." I complimented, for real this time.
I managed to draw a blush from her cheeks, which forced her to try and cover her face with her hand. I could see Aria mouth the word 'smooth', as she smirked at Miranda.
Before I could say anything further I was flying over the bar table landing awkwardly on the ground. Miranda run over to me and helped me up, the concern evident on her face. When I got up I saw that Jack was stomping away from where we stood.
"What's her problem?" I groaned
Miranda rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath; the only thing I heard was 'blind'
"So... where do we stand on the whole dancer thing" Aria asked awkwardly
"Why don't you ask Jack" Miranda dismissed
"I would but... do you have any idea what the body count would be like if I hired her? My girls have to put up with a lot of crap from their clients. Unfortunately Jack doesn't have the patience necessary to work here" she answered truthfully.
To be honest, I could almost imagine. The whole dead body thing, if a guy touched her the wrong way I could visualise her killing him. Hell I could imagine her killing someone for looking at her the wrong way. It also didn't take much imagination to imagine her as a dancer, seeing as her usual ensemble leaves little to the imagination. Jack in scantily clad clothing, moving seductively up and down the pole, teasing, grinding, and me enjoying every second of it. I subconsciously started smiling
"Hello... Nate are you there?" Miranda snapped me back to reality
"Sorry, were you saying something?"
"I was going to suggest heading back for C-Sec to help the survivors" she suggested
"OK let's get Garrus and the others and head back"
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Jack POV
Of all the bullshit, fucked up, retarded ass, shit brained things I've ever heard I don't think anything as pissed me off more than what that dickhead said. I knew it from the beginning that he was in to the cheerleader but I believed him when he said they were just friends. Then he goes on daydreaming about the her tits and ass.
Every other girl I've seen wants to fuck him and he doesn't even realise it. The cheerleader is the most obvious one, I knew that she had her eyes on some guy a year ago from Oriana, but seeing it up close has been hilarious to watch. She goes from cold and heartless to a bumbling dummy in a second. In spite of her many flaws I have to admit that she is pretty hot. Everything he said is true, little miss perfect is just that. Perfect. Perfect body, perfect mind, perfect ass.
Then there's me. A violent, acidic, feral, unintelligent stupid bitch. I don't take shit from people and I am more likely to kill you than open a door for you. I'm the freak that attacks and maims him whenever I feel threatened or angry. I can't believe I got so damned emotional that I threw him over the bar, did I hurt him badly, is he getting sick of me doing this, is he just going to give up on me and go for the cheerleader.
Yeah he should. That's what you want right? You don't want him probing around your mind anymore. He'll never see you as anything other than a charity case, not a woman
I think that's what hurts the most. Everything he said about the cheerleader could never apply to me. It was all true but I wish he would say that about me.
What's the matter with you. Getting all cut up and crying over some guy. That's just pathetic, you're pathetic
Don't listen to her, it's a good thing that you are honest about your emotions.
Yeah but being open with my emotions has gotten me nothing but pain and suffering. That's how Cerberus got to me and Murtock. I need to forget about this shit! Come on what am I thinking. I'm curled up in a ball on Aria's seat, crying over some guy.
It proves that you're human
Fuck that! If this is what being human is then I'm glad that I'm not. Shit was so much easier when I didn't give a shit what people thought about me and I didn't care about anyone but myself. If being human means getting cut up over a guy then I don't want it.
You don't mean that
Shut the fuck up since when the fuck do you know what I mean!
I dug me fingers into me temples trying to shut her up. She's wrong! I don't ever want humanity because it's something that I can never have. If I ever possessed it then Cerberus stripped it from me. But I doubt it's something you could ever lose. I've just never had it.
That's just fucking perfect
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Rylee POV
Thane led me into the secret room after Solana and Oriana. When we arrived we saw Kolyat sleeping along with Sam and Kelly. It was a perfectly innocent moment, almost like a child in bed with his parents. They were snoring gently as though there wasn't a care in the word.
James was standing guard beside the door still wearing his armour
"Rylee, it's great to see you" I would have hugged him if it weren't for the fact he was wearing armour
"James, I hope that you didn't meet much trouble"
"Nah, Aria knows these Tunnels better than anyone, she made sure we got here undetected"
The human soldier marched over to Thane "I told you I was a man of my word. As promised your kid didn't get as much as a scratch"
"Thank you" Thane responded.
"By the way Nate's outside right outside" I informed
"Good, now I can get the 50 creds he owes me" the big human smiles before marching out of the room.
"Why are you guys always masking your feelings. If you're glad he's safe just say so" I groaned
"That would just make it weird. I think our way is more fun" Vega smiled
"Go on and get out of here. Male bonding is something I don't think I'll ever understand" I admitted
The look of relief on Thanes face was clear when he saw Kolyat, he had to resist the urge to hold Kolyat right now out of fear the child may wake up.
"He's okay, thank god" I said
"Thank you"
"What for?"
"Listening to what I had to say about Irikah. I needed that" he said solemnly "Kolyat has grown fond of you" he smiled
"Really?" I answered, truly touched that his son likes me
"He always smiles whenever you are around you" he informed. He took a deep breath "I'm glad to have met you Siha"
"Siha, what does that mean?"
Before he could answer Sam and Kelly began shuffling. Sam got up first rubbing her eyes.
"Rylee" she cheered before hugging me. She then realised that she was really loud "It's so good that you're okay" she whispered, she turned to Thane
"Kolyat was crying for an hour straight. I think he missed you"
Kelly's movements must have woken the child up since he started squirming in his bed, his eyes gently fluttering open but still slightly sensitive to the light bulb. He turned his head side to side and a look of sadness took hold of his face. He then proceeded to start bawling his eyes out.
"Not again" Kelly groaned
"Is that brat crying again" Aria yelled from the other room.
"Man that kid can scream!" Nate complained
Thane then sauntered over to the bed. Kolyat shook his head violently and his eyes were sealed shut. Thane picked the child up and tenderly planted a kiss on his forehead. Kolyat continued to cry.
"It's okay, I'm here" he whispered so softly that I could barely hear it. Kolyat then opened his eyes, he opened his toothless mouth smiling and laughing. He dug his face deep into Thane's chest. "I've missed you"
"Aww" Sam and Kelly cooed with their hands over their hearts. I have to admit that this was probably the most touching moment I've ever witnessed. A son and his father reunited after a long battle and the child in ecstasy after seeing that his father is alright. How could anyone witnessing this not be touched by it?
I tuned to the door. Nate was standing there with a smirk. Looking at him now or at any time in the past few years you'd never know that he was slowly dying. Mum had to know about this, there's no way that she didn't. But why didn't they ever tell me? I have the right to know that my brother is in trouble! I have the right to help him! I have the right to be worried.
All of the mornings where he walked out of his room sweating and panting, he was having an attack. I always thought it was because he had a girl in his room, and it happened during most mornings. I can't imagine the pain he's been through, living with the guilt of survival. I don't know how I could deal with that sort of decision; having to choose between Nate and an entire city filled with my friends as well as innocent people. He was forced into a no win situation.
If he'd saved Ashley, she would never have hated him, but he'd feel responsible for the deaths of everyone in the city. Not only would he be guilty, Ashley would have been too. I can't say that he made the right decision, because there was no right decision. But he made the same one that I would have.
He caught my look and was saddened. I have to remember that he doesn't want sympathy. But I want to talk to him about it. One on one
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Nate POV
After catching Rylees look I had to get out of the room. This is what I was afraid of, I don't want people's sympathy or sorrow. I just want them to treat me exactly as they did before. I don't want Rylee to always comply with what I say out of fear that I may have another attack. I want her to argue back like she normally does, I want her to tell me exactly what she thinks even if it's not what I want to hear. That's why I love her.
When I heard James coming I had to stop. I was really glad to see that he survived with Garrus and the others. He was my last worry from the attack. Now that I was certain that all of my friends were alright, I could help the survivors to the best of my ability.
After speaking with James I decided to search for Jack so that we could all go to C-Sec. She probably knew this place better than I did so it could take a while. I tried calling her omni-tool in the hope that she would answer
"What do you want" she spat. After she finished I heard her sniff. Was she crying. I was at least smart enough not to ask that
"Where are you, we've got the kids, we'll be leaving in a couple of minutes"
"I'm in Aria's suite"
"Cool, I'll be there in a sec"
When I arrived she was fiddling with her omni-too searching something on the extranet.
"You ready to go?"
"Give me a second princess"
"Whatever you say Miss Jackie" I teased
She groaned "It's bad enough that kid calls me that"
"You love it" I said. She was fighting back the smile threatening to grace her lips. But she ultimately lost the struggle and the smile wrestled itself onto her face.
"Don't read too much into this... I was thinking of a funny joke" she lied
"That was so lame. I would have thought you are a good liar"
"I can lie... when I want to" she defended lamely
"Uh huh"
"Shut up" she laughed flirtatiously punched me lightly on my arm. I liked this side of her, maybe because of just how rarely she shows it.
"Are we interrupting" Garrus interrupted. Rylee, Thane with Kolyat in his arms, Samantha, Miranda and Kelly. All but Miranda were smirking. Jack jumped away from me as though I were on fire.
"Nope, nothing was going on"
"It sure looked like something" Garrus pressed. I took a quick glance at Jack and worked out that she was clearly uncomfortable about the conversation.
"Drop it Vakarian"
"Damn, I should have taken a picture and posted on my Space-Book page" he sighed
I looked to Jack who looked really uncomfortable "Seriously lets drop it and lets go"
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
There were too many of us to comfortably fit into one Skycar. Titus made sure that Garrus and Solana were in the same car as he was. Since Thane had a child with him, they sat in the back along with Rylee.
Captain Bailey Me took Jack, Miranda, James, Sam and Kelly in his car. This time Jack and I were in the front seats. Something that had happened in an earlier car ride came to mind. At least C-Sec cars in the front it's sound proof.
"Jack. I'm going to tell you something that happened today and I want to know what you think" I informed. She cocked her eyebrow
"Miranda told me that she was willing to talk whenever I wanted about... what I told you guys yeah" I propositioned "Then I responded by thanking her and saying she's a good friend"
"Idiot" she responded immediately.
"Son you can't be that blind" Bailey added
"What did I do wrong?" I asked
Jack then broke into a fit of laughter. "She wants you you moron. She isn't all that subtle about it either. And you called her a 'Good Friend'" she stated. Oh shit!
I placed my head bet in my hands. Damn I'm stupid. I thought that Miranda may have had feelings for me a couple of months ago but I thought it was just my imagination. Even Jade spotted it before I did, and I call Garrus a moron for not noticing Rylee. She can do a lot better than me and she deserves better too.
"I'm a fucking moron. How did Jade figure it out before me?"
"The kid figured it out and you didn't. You really are stupid"
"Don't rub it in."
She quirked her eyebrow. "You cannot possibly be that stupid. I refuse to believe someone who gets as many girls as you, couldn't notice the cheerleader's obvious interest in you."
"I guess on some level I always knew. When I first came to your house and she kissed me, I started getting the feeling she liked me… Jack? are you still there?"
"You never told me that you kissed her" she responded whilst retaining her focus on the floor. I couldn't see her eyes, and all of a sudden I could feel this fear entering my heart."
"Nate, for your own good I'd shut up for the rest of this journey" Bailey recommended
For the rest of the ride I mentally berated myself for not spotting Miranda's feelings sooner. I mean looking back there were a lot of instances where it was obvious she liked me. Like when she tried to kiss me at the resources room, but I dismissed that as... I don't know what I dismissed that as. Or the fact that she's always so damn flustered whenever I'm in close proximity.
Plus my little show in the VIP area a couple of minutes ago might make her think I'm interested in her too. That's just going to make everything worse.
Before I knew it we were back at C-Sec Academy. The rest of the group that didn't go to Afterlife were in the lounge playing with the kids. Some were tugging at Liara's hair tentacles whilsts she had some of the boys suspended in the air. Kaidan, Jacob, Kasumi and Tali were playing with them, keeping them busy so the doctors could work. Javik and Grunt were telling them stories. My mum was just walking out of the Medical Centre with a grim expression on her face and her fatigues stained with tears. I guess that all of this senseless death and destruction has effected everyone. Titus stood by her side with a sorry look.
"I don't know how to tell some of you kids but... some of you are now homeless" the C-Sec commander stated. Oh shit a car crashed straight into our apartment. Who knows what other damage we sustained
"Which ones of us" James asked
"From what we know out of you guys its" Captain Bailey looked at the datapad "Kelly Chambers, Thane Krios, Miranda Lawson, Jacqueline Nought and Kasumi Goto" he read out loud.
I felt really bad about Miranda, Jack and Oriana's situation. It was mainly my fault that their house was damaged beyond repair. And they didn't have anyone to take care of them. Miranda's 17 going on 18 in a few months, Jack is 15 and Oriana is 8. They'll be reallocated to another family which is a good thing. My only concern is that Cerberus could have them placed back under their supervision. I couldn't allow that to happen to them.
What kind of sick perverted freak kills so many people for what he calls the betterment of the human race. People like him mitigate humanities progress not accelerate it, if this gets out then humanity will be hated. But I don't want to risk them falling back under someone like that
"You can stay here until you sort out a more permanent dwelling" Titus offered
"Miranda, Jack, Oriana, you can stay with us" I suggested.
"What!?" Miri and Jack responded simultaneously
"We have enough room for the three of you and you need somewhere to stay now"
"Mum I'm fine with it are you?" Rylee asked
"I don't see why not" Mum replied
"What makes you think I want to live in the same house as you?" Jack inquired
"You don't have many options open to you right now. So take it or leave it. We can just take Miranda and Oriana then"
She muttered something like fucking asshole. I guess that's a yes.
"Great we'll have one person in every bedroom" My mum informed
"Mum we have 4 rooms. I'm pretty sure one of our friends can take it" Rylee interjected
"Nate, Rylee I have something to tell tou. That girl Jade... her parents are comatose... Doctors aren't even sure that they'll wake up" she said sombrely "I was there with her when she heard the news. She begged for me not to leave her. I couldn't just leave her for social services. So I took her in, I figured that we could protect her better than anyone else" she stated earnestly.
"At least with Jack there she has someone she's familiar with" I added
We were silent for a few minutes.
"Dad can Thane stay with us?" Garrus offered
"Thane is the drell right?" Titus asked. Thane nodded "Is that your son?" Thane nodded again "Where's his mother" this time the Drell looked to the ground. Titus felt bad for a second, clearly knowing what that meant "You can stay with us? C-Sec isn't the place for an infant"
"Kelly you're staying with me" Sam ordered. "Don't argue just do it" Kelly just laughed and hugged Samantha. That really shouldn't be a problem since Sam lives on her own.
"Kasumi you can stay with me" Liara offered.
"Thanks Liara I owe you one" Kasumi appreciated
There will be a long rebuilding phase for all of this damage. I really hope that this is over. Too many lives have been lost and destroyed by this invasion. Hopefully with Henry Lawson out of the way this will not happen again.
But I know that this is far from over!