In this chapter I decided to give everyone a couple more details into Luke's experience on Mindoir and some more long lost sibling bonding. *tear* I hope you enjoy it. Please review.
"What's going on with you Luke?" Garrus asked as the Mako climbed one of the mountain faces. So far the planet had been quiet with little to no Geth activity but they had not finished searching the quadrant yet.
"Nothing, I'm fine."
"I know you're not. We've been friends for years Shepard. I know when you have something on your mind." Luke glanced over at his friend before sighing.
"I'm alright for now. Just dealing with some old baggage, its nothing." Luke turned his full attention back to his monitor just in time to see a missile trail headed straight for them. "Claire it the thrusters now!" The Mako lurched and tumbled down the side of the mountain as the missile exploded against the ridge.
"Where'd that come from?" Claire asked checking her view screens and bringing up a scan of the area. The scan showed nothing but static, it was deliberate interference from a nearby source.
"All my screens are snowing." Luke said bringing up every scan he could. "Comms are down too." He brought up his frequency scan and displayed a signal that was jamming them.
"Judging from the strength of the signal and the trajectory of the missile, I'd say that the Geth outpost is half a click to the southeast and up that ridge." Garrus stated punching in some calibrations and calculations on his omni-tool. Claire nodded her acceptance of his analysis and turned the Mako around.
As the Mako peaked over the ridge, the enemy position became visible. Nine elevated bunkers fortified the outpost with a colossus standing in the center of the encampment.
"Damn it. They have every approach covered. The Mako doesn't have the shields to go up against a colossus in a straight up fight with tower support and if we focus on the towers the colossus with rip us to pieces. He have to give each a specific target to fight." Claire said studying the encampment.
"I've got an idea, but it is beyond crazy and extremely dangerous." Luke said bringing up his omni-tool. He brought up the program that Tali had showed him and armed it.
"Sounds like my kind of plan." Claire said turning to look at her brother.
"I'm going to get out and hook myself to the bottom of the Mako. You drive up next to the compound and drop me next to the wall, then circle the encampment. Dodge the enemy fire while I hack one of the geth sentries. If this program works the way that Tali says it does, The geth should start firing on each other rather than on us." Luke explained.
"Which would give us our window to destroy the colossus and mop up any survivors." Luke nodded as Garrus finished his explanation. "That is the craziest plan I have heard, but it's the only one that seems to have any chance of success."
Claire looked back at her brother with a look that he had not seen in a long time. Fear and concern. She was scared for him. "Luke, if that program doesn't work, you'll be a sitting duck. You'll be killed before we can get back to you."
"That is a risk, but I've looked through this program and Tali knows her stuff. It will work. Just get me close to the wall and don't run me over." Luke said putting on his helmet.
"Why not just go on the roof?" Claire asked.
"Are you crazy? You're driving. I'm safe between the tires with as much as you roll this thing." Claire smiled slightly. Her brother's humor didn't do much to ease her nerves but it did enough for her to focus on the matter at hand.
Luke slipped out of the Mako and used a small cable to hold himself to the Mako's belly. With as close as he was to the metal, the shields would still protect him, but if they fell from a height of fifty meters or more and landed on the wheels. The shocks would not be able to take it and he would be crushed between the ground and the Mako, shields or not. He made a open link between his radio and the Mako's speakers so he could talk to Claire and Garrus.
"I'm ready. Just try and miss the big pot holes okay?" Luke took a slow breath and waited for the Mako to move.
Dust kicked up around the tires as the Mako roared forward. Luke jolted, rumbled, and swung in his harness as they moved forward. His armor smacked against the metal of the Mako's underbelly and he gripped a lip in the alloy.
"Okay, Luke. Drop in 5…4…3…2…1…Go!" Luke dropped and hit the ground hard. He slid for half a second before he was out from under the Mako, another half second before the Mako turned and sped away, another half second and his head lightly bumps the wall stopping him. He brought up his omni-tool and scanned above him revealing a geth rocket trooper. He hacker it using Tali's program and he heard the sound of a rocket being fired. He scrambled to his feet and made his way along the wall until he found another geth trooper, a sniper, and hacker it as well.
"Luke, it's working. The colossus is getting hit by a rocket trooper and a sniper is going after the other infantry. We're coming around to pick you up." Claire's voice echoed in his ear.
"No, go after the colossus. I'll give you fire support against the remaining ground forces."
"Damn it Luke… Fine. Talk about this later." Luke glanced around the corner of the wall and saw the Mako charge the colossus from behind firing the main cannon. He leveled his rifle and drilled a geth trooper across the yard. The Mako's turret turned firing its machine gun and finished off the remaining forces in less than three seconds. Luke looked around at the mangled scrap piles that had once been the defenders and felt a cold shiver run up his spine. He remembered the bodies on the ground on Mindoir. He remembered the feeling of his parents' blood warm on his chest. A single tear rolled down his face.
"Luke, come on. Let's head back to the Normandy." Claire's voice came over the radio shaking him out of his memories.
Luke sighed and made his way over to the Mako. He climbed inside and removed his helmet. Before anyone could see be wiped the tear away as if wiping sweat from his brow.
"When we are back on board, I want to see you in my cabin." Claire said turning and looking back at her brother. Luke nodded and set his rifle down on the floor with his helmet.
Garrus looked over at Claire before crawling into the back with his friend. "I'm starting to see some wear and tear. You alright?" Garrus placed a hand on Luke's shoulder.
"Just bad memories." Luke responded. Claire looked back at the two as Luke leaned back and closed his eyes. Garrus nodded and climbed back up front with Claire.
"There is something really wrong." Claire whispered. Garrus nodded. They knew Luke was far from okay.
"What is it, Claire?" Luke said as the door closed behind him. Suddenly Claire slugged him across the jaw. Luke toppled to the floor more stunned than hurt. He touched his jaw and looked up at his sister.
"Do you realize that we are a team? Do you? Because I'm not okay with you committing suicide." Claire snarled and clenched her fist.
"I know I'm part of a team and I'm not trying to kill myself. I'm doing my job. I fight and I kill for you. What more do you want?"
"I want my brother!" Claire screamed. "I want the boy that taught me how to ride my bike; the boy that beat up the jerk that broke my heart when we were thirteen. I want my brother."
Luke lowered his head and sighed. He remembered how their father taught them all how to ride their bikes. They all thought it was silly considering the contraptions were from the 20th century, but they enjoyed the speed and freedom the devices gave them. Luke and Mallory caught on rather quickly but Claire was a bit slow to learn. Luke spent days with Claire helping her learn to balance and ride while their father was at work.
"I remember…" Luke started but the moment he did, all he could see was his father and mother on the ground covered in blood. His eyes burned and his throat closed up as he slowly got to his feet.
"No, you don't. You remember the raid." Claire's fists had unclenched and she sat down on her bed.
"I can't help it." Luke laid down looking up at the ceiling as he tried to hold back the tears. "Every time I try to think of the good, the bad rushes in and drowns it. You have no idea what it was like Claire. Sure you remember mom and dad pulling us out of bed, running with us, but did you feel Dad's blood on your skin? Did you feel Mom's brains splatter against your chest? No! I did. That was me. You and Mal got out. I didn't." Luke ripped off his shirt revealing a massive scar on his right shoulder. The mark was a Batarian Slaver brand. Claire's anger vanished instantly.
"But the marines said they found you. They said you were safe." Luke put his shirt back on and wet his lips. The nightmares and memories were raging in his mind and tears were flowing from his eyes. His knees gave out on him and he crumpled to the floor. Claire immediately ran to her brother and cradled him in her arms running her fingers over his short hair. She remembered how it calmed him down and how much he had enjoyed their mother doing it. Of course that was back when his hair was long. "You're safe Luke. No one is going to hurt you here."
Luke lay there sobbing for near an hour before calming down enough to wash his face and stand firmly. He made his way toward the door but Claire stopped him. "You're not going to hit me again are you?" Luke asked with a half hearted smile. She sniffed and Claire smiled softly.
"I'll be here when you are ready to face what happened. I will always be here to listen whenever you need me." Luke nodded and hugged his sister. As they embraced, he felt something that he had not felt in over thirteen years. He had his sister back. Though it didn't put everything right, it was a step in the right direction.
Garrus and Luke sat on some of the crates in the cargo bay while Garrus tinkered with his sniper rifle. Claire had taken Mallory, Alenko, and Williams on the next assault against the geth, much to Garrus' disappointment.
"What did the commander want to talk to you about?" Garrus asked looking through his sight before fiddling with it again.
"You remember what Palten told you after we took down the underground casino ring?" Luke asked as he sipped on some coffee.
"He told me I was reckless and you were out of your mind." Garrus answered looking up from his work.
"Claire thought I was being suicidal at that outpost yesterday." The two looked at each other for a moment and started laughing.
"She thought that was reckless and suicidal?"
Luke grinned. "Let's not tell her about the time we took down that faction of the Blue Suns."
Garrus' mandibles parted revealing a grin as the two chuckled about their past cases, like the time they had rescued a hanar diplomat from some krogan thugs or when they had infiltrated a street gang which led to the arrest of a corrupt bank administrator on the Presidium. As they talked, they stopped laughing and really examined their cases.
"We are a little reckless aren't we?" Luke said crossing his arms.
"But we get the job done. That's what counts." Garrus nodded, apparently satisfied with his modifications (at least for the moment). Luke nodded and leaned back sipping on his coffee again. They sat in silence for a while before Luke spoke up.
"You know what I'm thinking. I think that Saren has a fleet of Geth, krogan mercenaries, asari commandos, and turian assassins under his command. Why isn't the council more worried about this?" Garrus nodded shrugging his shoulders.
"I think they might be protecting him. They don't want to believe their best agent could betray them." Garrus stood up and stretched.
"You think we need to take out the problem permanently don't you? Don't give the council the opportunity to protect him."
"No red tape to get in the way out here especially working with a Spectre, but do you think Claire would be alright with making sure Saren didn't come back?" Luke smirked and set his coffee down. Leaning forward, he lowered his gaze and laced his fingers.
"If I know anything about Claire, she has already picked out which bullet she is going to put through his head." Garrus looked over at his friend.
"What about you?"
"For me, any bullet will do. I'm just going to put one in Saren for every life he has taken starting with the hundreds on Eden Prime."