Here it is! Sorry it took longer than normal, I have been pretty busy writing some of my original stuff. Hope you enjoy the chapter, there is quite a lot going on. Some warnings for a few bad words but nothing much else.
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Special thanks to RheasHelm for the lovely reviews!
Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 5: Sylar
Selena Shepard finished her coffee in three large gulps, taking pleasure in the slight burning sensation as it slid down her throat. As the elevator descended towards the command room, she yawned loudly, another sleepless night making her eyes feel heavy.
As the door to the elevator doors swished open she was greeted by the kind face of her com-specialist.
"Morning Traynor." Shepard greeted, stepping out of the elevator and making her way towards her personal computer. Skimming through the mass of unimportant emails she only half listened to what her com-specialist was telling her, her brain still hazy from lack of sleep. She looked at her empty coffee cup and scrunched her nose.
"Do you have a status report on the ground team?" She asked. Traynor nodded enthusiastically, her dark hair falling across her face like think curtains. After the conversation she had, had with Alex, Shepard had sent a team to gather any important information the slave ship might have had, it was too much of a coincidence that slavers just happened to show up, right after a sleeper agent for Cerberus disappeared with information on how to create their very own super solders. The team consisted of a couple of techs, aided and protected by Williams's and the hulking Mr Vega. She would have gone herself, but she could not bring herself to step foot on that ship. She never wanted to see the inside of a slave ship. Not a second time.
"The last time they checked in, they had just finished gathering information from the slave ship. Lieutenant Williams said she found some interesting information."
Shepard nodded, snatching her coffee cup from beside her personal computer and turning towards the elevator.
"So is it really true…are Cerberus back in business?" The com-specialist asked, Shepard stopped short of stepping in to the metallic box, turning her head to look over her shoulder.
"If they are, we're just gonna have to blow them up again." She could hear Traynor's girlish giggle as she stepped into the elevator, the doors closing seconds after.
She needed another cup of coffee.
No more than an hour had passed before Ashley and Vega had arrived back on the Normandy, Doctor Alex Carter followed closely behind them. Shepard had greeted them with orders to meet her in the conference room.
When they had arrived in the conference room, most of the crew was already there. Garrus stood by the far wall, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned lazily on his shoulder and Shepard sat at the head of the table with Liara to the left of her.
Liara let her eyes follow Doctor Cater as she took a seat next to Shepard, she could not help the pang of jealousy that cut through her chest when Shepard offered the human a small smile.
"What did you get from the ship. Traynor said you had information I might be interested in?" Shepard said, directing her question towards Ashley.
The young woman nodded, handing her commander a data pad, before moving to the end of the table to take a seat.
"From what we can tell, Cerberus hired the slavers to attack the Colony." Vega said, his large muscled frame dwarfing Williams as he sat next to her.
"The inside of that ship was like something out of an old horror Vid. It looked like a scene from Alien or something."
Selena grinned slightly at the mention of her favourite earth vid, her eyes still reading the information the small team of techs had gathered from the slave ship. She skimmed the information for a few moments, before passing it to the Asari that sat next to her.
"But why would Cerberus would be working with slavers…Baterian salvers of all people. It does not make any sense." Alex asked, Ashley regarded her coldly, but nodded.
"Actually, it makes perfect sense." Liara stated as she looked up from the data pad she was studying. "Think about it. Cerberus uses the people of the colony to get what they want, they then take the data and send slavers to get rid of any lose ends. Then, when the alliance investigate the attack, they write it off as nothing but another unfortunate slaver attack. Cerberus get away without suspicion and they get new human test subjects."
Everyone in the room nodded in silent agreement, accusatory eyes moving towards the dark haired human that sat opposite Liara, her hands folded neatly in her lap.
"I am just grateful that the slavers did not get the chance to take anyone." Alex expressed, turning her gaze towards the commander. She shifted slightly in her seat, covering Shepard's hand with her own. "If you had not come, I don't know what would have happened. We would probably be locked in prison cells by now. Nothing but experiments and test subjects." Selena could not help but tense at the contact, Alex's warm fingers making the commander's skin tingle.
"That is usually what happens when you work with Cerberus Doctor Carter." Liara said, her voice was tight and cold as she spoke to the woman opposite her. Shepard could see Alex's eyes narrow, her jaw tensing ever so slightly as she glared at the Asari.
"I was doing good work. I was helping the advancement of the human race." The human doctor argued, Liara sniggered. In all her time knowing her, Sheppard had never heard Liara snigger.
"Yes, because super soldiers with bad tempers are a perfect way to advance the human race." Shepard narrowed her eyes at the sarcasm that dripped from Liara's voice. The two doctors glared at each other across the table, a tense silence plaguing the room. Selena moved her gaze between the two doctors with wide eyes. She rubbed the back of her neck nervously clearing her throat.
"Right…did you find anything that could help is in that data pad Liara?" At the mention of her name, the Asari's eyes softened as she turned towards Shepard.
"Yes, I did. There were multiple mentions of a facility on a planet called Sylar."
"Sylar? Never heard of it." Garrus said, his mandibles twitching as he spoke.
"That is not surprising, it is a small uncharted planet on the edge of the Rosetta Nebula. The planet goes from extremely hot to temperatures that flash freeze everything in a little over an hour, making it uninhabitable at night."
Shepard nodded her head.
"So that's where we go. Williams, Garrus, Liara gear up. Doctor Carter you too, we are going to need you to come with us."
"What!?" Both Alex and Liara said at the same time, their heads turning sharply towards Shepard. Selena ignored their glares and stood from the table, starting towards the door.
"Williams, get Doctor Carter some armour. I want all three of you down in the shuttle bay in an hour."
Without another word, Commander Selena Shepard hurried from the room.
It did not take long to reach Sylar, an unimpressive dwarf planet that measured half the size of earth. In-fact, the only remarkable thing about it was its six blood red moons moons. As the shuttle descended towards the murky green surface, Shepard could not help but feel a tingle of unease run down her spine. Her brow furrowing in apprehension as she watched the screen survey their surroundings.
"Approaching the LZ, I will get you as close to the energy signature as I can Ma'am, but there is a little bit of a complication. You're not going to like it." Steve Cortez spoke to her through her earpiece.
"What is it?" She asked, moving to stand behind him.
"That energy signature that we picked up on our scans. It is not coming from the where we initially thought."
"Where is it coming from?" Shepard asked, her voice slightly distorted through her helmet. Steve typed some commands into his console, causing a map of the planet to appear on the window. The map showed a long tower like structure, a flashing red light appearing near the bottom.
"It is coming from five hundred feet below the planet's surface."
Shepard sighed, turning to her crew.
"Liara, what else can you tell us about this planet. Is there any more information you can find."
Liara shook her head.
"It is completely unknown, apart from the weather patterns, there is no information on this planet what's so ever. We do not know what we will find on the surface, let alone what we will discover when we actually find a way into the faculty."
"Approaching the LZ commander!"
Selena glanced at her crew, her eyes falling on the nervous human doctor that fiddled with her helmet. Shepard reached out, gently helping Alex with the clasps to her breathing gear.
"You have to pull the clasps tight, before you push them in. That way, they do not come lose." Alex nodded her head nervously, Shepard noticed her shuddering intake of breath, her hands slightly shaking in her lap.
"It's gonna be ok. You know I wouldn't ask you if I could help it. But we need your help." Shepard said, placing a comforting hand on Alex's leg. She looked up at Alex through the glowing eyes of her recon hood. "I won't let you get hurt. I promise."
"I know." Alex said, her voice seeming to calm slightly. "I will try and help anyway I can. I will leave all the shooting and action hero stuff to you however." She laughed anxiously, clearing her throat as the shuttle came to a sudden stop.
Shepard stood, turning towards the door and drawing the Valkyrie from her back. She did not notice the look Liara gave her, her blue eyes watching her through the tinted glass of her helmet.
"Everybody ready?"
A chorus of 'yes ma'am's!' met her ears through her radio.
"Stay focused, our objective is to find the facility and any information in contains."
The shuttle door opened slowly, sunlight flooding the inside the shuttle with a bright yellow glow. Shepard stepped out, her rifle pointed in front of her as she surveyed the strange plant life that surrounded them. Ashley and Garrus followed her out, covering her flank.
"Secure the perimeter." Shepard ordered, Ashley and Garrus did so without question.
"Clear!" Ashley's voice shouted through the radio, followed by Garrus's deep reverberating drawl.
Selena lowered her weapon, turning towards the shuttle as Liara stepped out, Alex following closely behind her.
"Liara, how far is the facility?"
"Not far from our current position, through the forest. Nightfall is in approximately seven hours away. I suggest getting off the surface before then." Liara's voice held a certain iciness as she spoke, her gaze never moving from her omni-tool.
"Good Idea. Steve stay here, we will be back soon. Keep in radio contact. We will check in every two hours." Shepard commanded, the pilot answered firmly.
"Yes Ma'am"
"Liara, Garrus with me, Ashley cover Carters flank, stay close. We don't know what's lurking out there." Shepard inspected the area in front of them, her eyes squinting through the darkness of strange looking trees and plant life. She scanned for any movement, apprehension ticking her spine. Just because this planet was uninhabitable by most species, did not mean that there was nothing watching them from the shadows. Evolution was a very strange thing.
"Move out!"
They had been walking for at least an hour, battling through the dense, think undergrowth that seemed to only get thinker as the ventured deeper in to the forest. Ashley could not help but stare at the strange brown trees that reached up towards the sky with sharp thin tendrils, a red liquid bleeding out from dark lesions on the branch. It reminded the young spectre a little of blood.
She tread carefully, her heavy metal boots digging into the soft soil beneath her. Ashley moved her gaze to the doctor that walked next to her, her body tensing as she stared suspiciously at the woman through her visor. She just couldn't understand why the doctor was here, it was reckless of Shepard to bring a civilian on an unknown mission, especially one that worked for Cerberus. She shifted her concentration back in front of her, still half looking at Alex from the corner of her eye.
"I thought you said that the facility was nearby Liara." Garru's voice seemed strange in the eerie silence of the forest. Ashley saw Liara activate her omni-tool.
"There is something that is disrupting the reading, but I am sure that it's right ahead." Liara answered the Turian. Sheppard chuckled.
"What's the matter Garrus. Getting soft in your old age?"
"Very funny Shepard. May I remind you, I am not the one that has started getting wrinkles." Garrus shot back in his typical fashion, Shepard scoffed.
"They are not wrinkles Vakarian, their…lines of distinction." Shepard seemed pleased with her answer, Garrus just laughed.
"Ah huh."
Ashley shook her head at the humours exchange. She heard Alex giggle quietly beside her.
"That does not make any sense." Liara quietly whispered to herself as she stopped walking, her head bowed as she scrutinised the information on her omni-tool. She looked around, stepping through the trees into a large red rocky clearing.
"What doesn't?" Shepard asked, turning to the Asari.
"It says we are right on top of the facility. But there is nothing here!"
Shepard glanced round, seeing only rock and trees.
"Cortez did say that the facility was underground. There has to be a door, or a hatch somewhere. Start looking."
The team broke off, surveying the area. A few minutes of searching resulted in nothing but the discovery of a strange furry beetle with ten legs. Ashley almost squealed when the thing crawled over her hand. She hated bugs.
"There is nothing here Shepard. Either this place doesn't exist, or the readings we have are wrong." Garrus said, stretching his shoulders and groaning. Shepard sighed.
"We did not come all this way just to find nothing. There must be something here. A control panel, a door, a big shiny button. Keep looking!"
Before Shepard was even finished her sentence, the ground began to shake, a low rumbling followed by a loud crack cutting her off from finishing her sentence. Liara and Alex were knocked off their feet, the shaking becoming worse by the second.
"Something tells me we should probably move!" Garrus sarcastic drawl met Shepard's ears as she struggled to stay on her feet.
"Good idea. Move it, get to cover!" She watched as her team retreated into the woods, turning on her heel to follow them.
The ground below Shepard gave way, the hard red rock splitting down the middle as the earth below her divided with lightning speed. Selena barely had time to react before she felt herself falling, her hands desperately trying to grab at something as her body was pulled down, painfully hitting the sides of jagged rocks before finely coming to an abrupt stop, her body hitting the floor with bone crushing force. If it wasn't for her helmet, she would have cracked her head wide open.
"Sheppard!" Liara's worry filled voice bounced off the walls, Shepard got to her feet shakily, pain running the entire length of her body as she took a few steps forward, moving her head slowly to take in her surroundings.
"I'm ok!" Selena shouted, barely able to hear her own voice as the rumble turned to a roar. In an instant, the noise stopped, the shaking ceased and all was quiet. She moved a hand protectively to her injured shoulder, rolling it in an exaggerated circular motion and cringing as she felt her muscles protest against the movement.
"I am definitely going to be feeling that in the morning." Activating her omni-tool the cavern around her was suddenly lit with a brilliant orange, the artificial light illuminating the dark walls, she squinted through the darkness, a large cylindrical tunnel stretching out in front of her. A white and orange light seeming appearing at the very end of the tunnel, growing bigger as it got closer. The rumbling started once more, getting louder as the light got closer. It was then Shepard realised what the tunnel she stood in was.
Her eyes grew wide, an intense heat warming her skin, even under her armour.
"You have got to be kidding me!"
She was in a fucking launch tunnel, and there was something very big coming right towards her.
I have read this about five times and I can not find any mistakes, but if you do find some, please point them out to me so I can fix them.
I will be going away for a few days, so I will only be updating sometime next week. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Please leave a review to tell me what you thought. :)
Many Thanks.