A decision had been made.
At his side, Isaac took up arms to help defend Garrus from the Blue Suns. He wasn't a soldier, but he was enough of a fighter to hold his own. The two did what they could to barricade and lockdown other entrances to the base of operations. However, they were still coming against an overwhelming force that could overrun them if they didn't play their cards right. Garrus stepped up to the balcony, overlooking the open area in front of him, "With flanking entrances being cut-off, they're gonna be presented with only one option," Garrus pointed at the bridge, "Could funnel troops down that path, but it'd be suicide. Not to brag, but I'm a pretty damn good shot. I have the high ground here and I could pop heads for days," Turning his attention to the most straightforward path, Garrus cocked his head up, "Or they could start swarming down that path. But they don't have much in the way of cover, and are forced to go up against me. Not to mention those explosives you jerry-rigged, we'll have some surprises for them. If they funnel and try a straightforward attack, we can hold them off. But cutting off the flanks means cutting off our own exits," Garrus sighed, "... Once they've completely surrounded this place, and I promise you they're probably already almost done, we'll be sitting ducks. We'll have to hope to delay them enough for us to improvise some kind of escape."
"Guess this is a two-man Alamo," Isaac said, causing a look of approval from Garrus.
"Not that we Turians are all that familiar with human history, but as a militaristic people, we certainly know of their major warfare stories. A small force against an unstoppable force greatly outnumbered them. 'Course, they died. So let's see to it we don't repeat human history."
Isaac readied his weapon, "Yeah… Well, I'm not a stranger to going against unstoppable forces alone. I don't look like much, but I promise you this isn't my first rodeo."
Garrus raised a brow, "If we get out of this alive, I expect you to fill me in on the details. Lot of eccentric and mysterious types here on Omega, but you're an especially strange human. I want to know everything. Especially how you got mixed up with Aria. It's not every day some traveler ends up having sit-downs with the Asari Matriarch of Omega and working for her."
"We'll make it," Isaac told him, a determined look on his face, "... Got someone to see. Can't leave them hanging forever."
Garrus felt Isaac's determination and resilience. On the outside, he had the appearance of a broken, rugged man that was out of place, out of time - like the most water-starved fish out of water that managed to find itself in a dry desert - completely out of its element. But still, he was somehow chugging along, and there was an air around him that made him feel like the kind of person that couldn't be held back by anyone or anything. Whatever the odds were, people like Isaac were sure to overcome them somehow. It reminded Garrus of another human he once knew, "Look alive! Looks like the bastards are starting to send their men straight to us," Garrus aimed down his scope, "... You bastards are getting a more merciful death than you deserve," He uttered under his breath, a cold aura sprouting around him as he focused his sights on their heads. Isaac watched as Garrus effortlessly fired his rifle, slightly pivoting to aim the next shot and blow another head off. His extreme precision was deadly in a firefight, making him wonder about the trust of his own aim. Sure, necromorphs gave him plenty of target practice. But he rarely shot at heads. Smaller target. That unsure feeling was creeping back into him - but no unstoppable odds had ever stopped him before.
Isaac quickly took cover behind the balconies' walls as the Blue Suns started firing on them. Though Garrus was quick to take them down, the wave of men coming towards them was too large a force for him to shoot alone.
"They're gonna be hitting our walls here soon!" Garrus peeked over the edge of the balcony to see the Blue Suns teams beginning to breach, "Get the explosives ready and detonate on my command!"
Isaac quickly ran from his spot, headed out of the main room and to a stairwell that would lead down to the lobby beneath them. Just across was the entrance to the building, currently being breached by a team of Blue Suns soldiers packing heavy firepower. Explosives were lined along the entrances, at various points, plus some along the path that the Suns were expected to walk down to get here. Grabbing hold of the detonator, Isaac spoke through his link to Garrus, "I've got the detonator, just give me the word!"
"Just wait a moment…" Garrus muttered, taking a few final shots in the backline of the Blue Suns teams that were heading in, "Now! Blow them to hell!" He shouted.
Isaac mashed his thumb on the button of the detonator, hearing an immediate burst of explosives and short screams that were immediately cut off by the fireworks. It shook the whole building, sending vibrating waves beneath his feet as he felt the shockwave of the force rush through, "Jesus… That get 'em?" He asked, listening for Garrus' voice.
Garrus peered over the balcony, seeing bits and pieces of the Blue Suns everywhere, "Oh yeah… That got 'em. Looks like they're retreating for now too. We got a moment's rest and a second to talk about what we need to do here. Get back up here quick."
Isaac rushed back up the steps, gripping the gun in his hand so tightly his knuckles were white. In just a moment, he'd killed more people than he'd ever killed before. This didn't even come close to having to gun down Untiologists. Entering the room once again, he made it to Garrus, crouching down beside him for a moment of respite, "So what's next then?"
Garrus leaned back against the wall, hands gripped around his rifle, "Hmm… Still too risky to leave. We don't have any skycars available and I doubt they're gonna drop any in for us to take between waves. Seems we scared them for now, they know they're not gonna get to us by just running straight through. We'll always have something for them. Funneling themselves down like rats is gonna turn this into a bloodbath. They know it. They're planning something - and they're watching us. There's probably more than one pair of eyes on every side of this building making sure we're not trying to get away. If we decide to leave, we lose all cover, all tactical advantage and forfeit ourselves to their ground - the open. And they've got the numbers. But if we keep pressuring them, we might be able to delay them long enough to find some kind of opening. Doubt they'll do it, but if they send out any of their commanders - anyone in their direct leadership - and we take them out, we might be able to scatter them enough to get the hell out of here while they scramble. Or not. Depends how much they want me. And I can tell you now - they probably want me bad. This assault isn't going to end anytime soon. When we get breaks, we check our defenses, we ensure everything is to our advantage. More traps, more bombs, eyes and ears where we can have them." A soft chuckle escaped him, as if he'd made some kind of realization, but he didn't choose to share it with Isaac just yet, "Remember, if we get out of the impossible together, I want every detail of why you're here and how you ended up in such a mess."
Isaac listened to his words, and though Garrus didn't say it, he had a feeling he knew what he was thinking. A pit formed in his stomach - but he did his best to just ignore the feeling. All he could do was ask himself not to give-in, "Yeah… I will. Maybe you'll believe my insane story by the end."
"Got a few insane stories of my own, actually. Nothing like being a random C-Sec officer running across the galaxy with humanity's first Specter to stop Sovereign and the Geth from sending us into total galactic annihilation," Garrus said, quite casually, as if the story had been so simple.
"Guess we'll have a lot to talk about sometime," Isaac responded, then stood up, "I know a few more things we can do. We don't want them catching us by surprise - noticed this place had some exits that'd make a perfect rear-attack if they managed to get inside. I can take a look at the doors and do everything I can to keep them shut, even if someone tampers with the electronics on the outside."
"That sounds good," Garrus told him, standing as well, "Getting through those doors when they're forced shut's gonna be harder than they think. They're blast resistant doors - throwing bombs and rockets at it isn't gonna blow them open the way they might want. While you do that, I've got a few extra traps to set up around the place before they get back here. But we move quickly. First sign of trouble, that either of us spot, we communicate and get back to the balcony."
"Got it, I'll work fast," Isaac rushed down the steps again. There was no telling when the Blue Suns would be back, how much firepower they were going to bring, how many more men they were going to bring or if they'd successfully breach those walls. The whole time Isaac moved, all he could think about was Garrus' demeanor back on the balcony. Confident, assured, but it was all a ruse. End of the day, Isaac could tell what Garrus was thinking. They were biding time. For what? No one. Nothing. They were just resisting death until death would have enough. While the idea of persevering through the impossible could fill Isaac with confidence, everyone's luck had to run out at some point. But if those thoughts were all he could think - he might as well be doomed. Instead, he thought of other things. Sharing his stories, listening to someone else share theirs. Equally insane. Equally unbelievable. Even back in his world, there wasn't a soul to tell about his survival experiences on the Ishimura or the Sprawl. There was only one woman that ever understood him, his struggles and his fear. And there was only one woman who could ever alleviate those feelings of terror and trauma. Maybe. Just maybe.
She was out there. Somewhere. Hopefully safe. Everything he'd done on Tau Volantis couldn't have been for nothing. Impossible missions, standing up to insane cults - he never wanted any of it. After everything the Markers had taken from him, after everything Earth-Gov did to him, after all the pain, sorrow, death and nightmares - it couldn't all have meant nothing in the end. All he wanted was peace and tranquility. A break from the suffering and violence that plagued his life since he'd volunteered to go to the Ishimura chasing a ghost. Yet, here he was, gunning people down, fighting for his life, chasing a woman who could've been a ghost now for all he knew. There was a cosmic, twisted, comedic aspect of it that made him sick to his stomach.
Arriving at one of the doors, he popped open the circuit boards and started tinkering with them. While the doors were much more advanced, as was most of the technology in this world, good old circuits never changed. The Omni-Tool he was given possibly could've helped, but perhaps he was more old fashioned in that regard, "One door down, headed to the next one," He told Garrus, immediately making his way to the opposite end of the underground entries and exits to begin jamming those doors shut too. While the doors would refuse to open, this was only cutting off and removing options of escape for them. This place was starting to feel like one giant tomb of their own making now. Once Isaac was done rigging the doors to stay shut, he made his way back up to the lobby. There, Garrus was overlooking the bodies of his fallen men. There was a solemn look on his face of respect and mourning. Isaac hadn't thought about it until now but - Garrus probably barely had a moment to properly grieve for their deaths.
Feeling his presence, Garrus spoke to Isaac without even addressing him, "They were good men. Each and every one of them. We all came from different places, different backgrounds and life stories but we all wanted the same thing. We all worked together to see the same ending we knew was impossible. An end to the oppression, the crime and scum of Omega and the major gangs running around, killing and abusing. But it wasn't just about them. It was about all the injustice in the galaxy and the constant regulations and laws keeping us from delivering swift, clean justice," Garrus tightened his fists as he thought about it, "... I've seen men made of scum and filth just walk away because of some loophole in the law. Or not enough evidence. Or live freely and respected in a maximum security prison, glorified by other scum there for their work. It made me sick. It made us sick. We came together for a common goal, overcoming our differences and being a sound, strong team that was making a real difference. Now they're dead. Over and oversight…" Garrus grunted, infuriated but managed to calm down, "... Isaac, I haven't been entirely honest with you." Finally, he turned to face him, a grim look on his face but also a gentle sadness. It looked like guilt, "I'm not getting out of here. There's no way out. We're surrounded and about to face an overwhelming horde of enemies every single hour of every single day we're trapped here. They'll exhaust us, overwhelm us, and they'll kill us. I'm not doing what I'm doing to escape," There was a slight pause, "... I'm doing it for vengeance. For every single one of my men they killed, I hope to kill a hundred of theirs. I'm not going down gently. I will stain the floors of this whole place with their blood before they put a bullet in me. You just happened to be stuck here with me at the worst possible moment. I never would've made this decision with an uninvolved person around," Garrus clutched his rifle, picking it up and keeping it at his side, "... I'm sorry, Isaac. I'm leading us to our deaths here."
There was a moment of silence between the two for a while. Isaac simply taking it in. He already knew this place was slowly becoming their tomb, but Garrus' end goal of killing as many gangsters as he could until the finally took him down wasn't what he'd thought was the plan. He thought maybe - just maybe - if they waited for an opening, or figured out some kind of trick, some kind of opportunity would present itself and they'd take it to get out of this godforsaken place. But Garrus was tired of running, lost his will with his men dead, and with inescapable and insurmountable odds had made the decision to go out in a blaze of glory. There was a twisted heroic charm about it - but when Isaac was involved, slightly less so. Not that he blamed him. Thinking about it for a moment, Isaac thought of the right words before speaking up, "It's not over yet, Garrus. I was one man before when I thought I couldn't get out of the toughest nightmares of my life. Just one man. Running and clawing my way out of hell. But we're two here. Two smart, capable people that can figure something out. It's not over for you, it's not over for your men. Not yet. Not until we're dead. But until then, we can't stop! I've got unfinished business. And from the sounds of it, so do you. So what's it gonna be, huh? We just gonna exhaust all our thermals until we're both kissing dirt? Or we gonna look for that golden opportunity?"
Garrus looked wide-eyed at Isaac. He hadn't expected that, clearly, "... I thought you'd be mad. Hell, I thought you might even try to kill me. Heh…" He turned away from him, "... Damn it all. You remind me of him a bit," Garrus let out a huff before looking back at Isaac, "All right then, you bastard. We'll do things right. We'd better get back up there and scout the place. Let's move!"
"Right!" Isaac felt a surge of motivation and determination seeing Garrus collect himself that way. Whether he was a help or not, Garrus clearly demonstrated strength in the face of extreme danger. Seeing that kind of resolve strengthened his own and his morale in the situation. As they ascended the steps, Isaac stopped to look down at the various bodies that Garrus had attended to. No wonder they followed him against something as impossible as Omega. He was a capable leader, no doubt. Meeting Garrus on the top floor, just outside of the balcony, the next wave of gangsters were coming through. Blue Suns, security bots and a heavy MECH.
"Not one of these guys again," Isaac muttered, recalling the heavy from Freedom's Progress when he'd met Tali, "Tell me you got some heavy ammo we can fire at that thing."
"Yeah, I know one of my men kept an arsenal of heavy weaponry in the armory below! Just hurry up and get back here, I'll be fending for myself until you get back. If that MECH breaches our base, we'll be fighting in much tighter, less-controlled space. We'll definitely get locked in," Garrus' words were soon drowned out by the sound of the MECH's firepower as it fired a volley of it's bullets at the balcony. The noise was so loud, Isaac had to cover his ears as he ran out of the balcony and down the steps. Across the base floor, there was an armory with various weapons. Grenades, rifles, and exactly what he needed - a rocket launcher. Taking hold of it, alongside some extra ammo, he ran back up to Garrus. Peering over the balcony, he'd seen Garrus' handiwork. He barely needed him, as 6 of the 20 men that had been rushing over had already been gunned down. But the MECH was gonna be causing a lot more trouble, "I got him! Cover me!" Leaning over the balcony, Isaac aimed the launcher at the MECH, listening for the lock-on sound before firing.
One rocket zoomed through the air, letting out a pitched whining noise as it whizzed past their enemies, smashing right into the MECH. The force was enough to shatter it's shields in one blow, but the armored MECH still stood, "Shit, it wasn't enough, I need to fire it again!" Isaac began to reload the launcher, meanwhile, Garrus leaned over the balcony, getting rid of a few more security droids, then pivoted to fire a shot at the MECH, trying to find a chink in its armor, or at least, begin wearing it down.
Once Isaac reloaded, he leaned over again, prepared to take a shot when a bullet stung him right in his shoulder, knocking him back, "Fuck! I'm hit!" Falling onto his backside, he let go of the launcher, gripping his wound. There was a lone sniper across the courtyard, prepared to take another shot. Garrus looked over the balcony for a brief second, identifying his location and then moving to Isaac.
"Hold on! I'm gonna apply some Medi-Gel!" Garrus got his Omni-Tool ready but Isaac put a hand on his shoulder.
"No time, I'll take care of it! If that MECH breaks through, we're done for! Take the shot, I'll cover you!" Isaac's hand clambered for a nearby assault weapon, readying it, "I can't hold up the launcher, but I can grab onto this, hurry!" Throwing himself against the balcony wall, Isaac peeked over and started firing rounds at where the sniper would be, trying to keep him pinned.
As Garrus was given ample cover, he swung the launcher over, firing another shot at the heavy MECH that was slowly approaching the entrance of the building. The shot knocked it backwards, breaking open its armor to reveal its sensitive internals. The MECH was disabled for a brief moment before powering back up and beginning to stand again, "Not enough for ya, huh?" Garrus crouched behind cover, grabbing his sniper and taking a deep breath, "Stay down," He told Isaac, leaning up to quickly aim at the MECH's internals. As he focused his shot, time almost seemed to slow down as he side-eyed across the courtyard. And there it was - a glint of the scope that was aiming for him.
"There you are…" He muttered, firing his shot for the MECH and instantly taking off as he did so. The bullet traveled quickly, plunging itself into the internals of the heavy MECH and causing it to explode. The fire, smoke and debris rising through the air was a minor distraction for the enemy sniper. Garrus sprinted across the balcony's cover, making for another window, taking aim exactly where he'd spotted the sniper, who hadn't a clue about his changed position. Without a moment's hesitation, he fired again, taking down the sniper. He watched through his scope as the blood splattered from his head, stained the wall and his corpse dropped to the cover behind him. Taking a deep breath, Garrus set the rifle aside and quickly made for Isaac's side, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Isaac said, applying Medi-Gel to his wound, "... I'm fine. Feeling a lot better now with this," He chuckled, "Fuck… That was rough. I've been hit before. Never feels good."
Garrus smiled, glad to see him well, "It certainly never does," Walking to the balcony, he scouted out with his scope, "... Heh. The bastards are settling in for the long haul. This whole time we've been getting distracted with waves, they've been setting up cover, guards, scouts… They've got a whole operation going on," He paused as he continued to review, then something caught his interest, "Well, what do you know…? Enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh…?"
Isaac looked up at Garrus, "What? What's going on back there? They got reinforcements?"
"Yeah and it's not looking good either. Eclipse is moving in to start helping out. They're gonna be throwing a lot more at us in the coming days. They're gonna keep us up through the nights, Isaac. When they sleep, we won't catch a break. If they're working with the Eclipse, they're certainly getting desperate. Or the Eclipse just wants a piece of me too. After a few failed assaults, they just want to see me dead. Rest is going to be important. Especially wounded. I'll take the first watch, Isaac. I'll wake you the second they're getting ready to climb over. In the meantime, use the couch to get as much sleep as you can."
Isaac stood, looking over the balcony at the structure across from them being built for cover from Garrus' rifle, "... Yeah, all right. Thanks," He walked over to the couch, laying back and letting out a long sigh. As he attempted to sleep, a message dinged on his Omni-Tool's communicator. Opening it up, Tali was the sender.
Tali: Isaac, doing well on Omega? I wanted to check in and see if you've found a way off yet.
Isaac: Not yet. I'm still here. Actually
[Isaac doesn't send anything for a minute.]
Tali: Is everything all right?
Isaac: Yeah. I just wanted to thank you for what you did for me. Hope I see you again sometime, you were a friendly face after a lot of nightmares.
Tali: That's sweet of you, Isaac. I'm glad everything's okay. Perhaps when your visit to Earth is done, you can come to the Flotilla. I've always wanted to show a newcomer around.
Isaac: I'd love to.
Tali: I could only message for a moment. I need to get back to some important business. But I promise to send more messages or a call to check in on you. Take care, Isaac.
Isaac: You too.
A warm feeling in his chest. Just to have someone to check in like this - Tali really was a friendly face in the midst of nightmares. It somewhat reminded him of his time on the Sprawl, when Ellie was his break between all the monstrosities. She was the only positive, friendly thing he could talk to. Always between a wall. Always across from some platform. Never together until they made it out. He never wanted that feeling of separation again - there was always something keeping the two apart. When she chose to leave him, that wall just built itself up. A wall that would be impossible to get around, over or under. It finally went down just to be separated again. He clutched his chest, feeling his heartache as he thought about it. But for a fleeting moment - that sensation of pain was comforted by someone else. Someone else who was distant, away, separated, but not walled in the same way. He thought back on the Quarian - remembering her suit, her mask, her voice. She was probably the most unique being he'd seen so far since coming here. If he got out of here alive, seeing her and that Flotilla sounded good.
After Earth.
Isaac finally managed to drift off to sleep…
"What is this, man? You're wasting your time with this fucking guy. You know he's just gonna get you killed!" Carver was storming around the room, angry and frustrated, "You could deliver his fucking head on a platter and get yourself out of this mess. You said it yourself - your one goal in this fucked up world is getting back to HER! So get off your fucking ass and do something about it!"
Isaac put his hands in his face, "... I can't. I'm not a murderer."
"You've killed before," Carver stopped, crouched down, hands on his knees as he stared into Isaac's exhausted eyes, "You've killed men. Even before this mess, you've put bullets through brains. You're a killer whether you like it or not. Keep finding a reason to defend your actions if you want. I know who I am, Isaac!" Carver beat on his chest, "I'm a goddamn soldier, killing is what I do! And I do it because IT MEANS I SURVIVE! You're a survivor, Isaac, you do what it fucking takes!" Carver grabbed his shoulders, "Don't tell me I'm wrong."
"You're wrong! I'm not a killer. Not like that. Not an innocent man. He didn't do anything," Isaac turned away from Carver, standing up and walking away from him, "... I can't just kill someone like that."
"Not even for me?" Ellie's voice sounded from behind him. When he turned, she was there. Behind a glass wall. Separate. Kept from him.
"... Ellie," Isaac didn't even know what to say to that.
"You said it yourself. You'd do anything to get back to me. So why don't you?" She asked, "Why don't you–"
"Why don't I do what?" Isaac shouted, "Why don't I do fucking what!? Kill anyone and everyone to get across this fucking galaxy? Lose even more of myself while I claw my way through guts and bones all over again!? I can't, okay!?... I can't. I wasn't meant to be that kind of man. I don't want to be that kind of man. Please… Just… Understand that. Why can't you both just understand?" He put his hands on his face again, grabbing his hair in frustration, "... Why don't I what, Ellie?"
There was silence in the dark room.
"Why don't you make us whole?"
Isaac woke with a start - almost gasping for air as he realized he was in the midst of a cold sweat. His vision was hazy and the dream he'd just had quickly turned into a nightmare. Did he hear her right? Make.. Us..
"Isaac," Garrus looked over at him, "You're not looking so hot," Walking over to him, he knelt down and put a hand on his forehead, "You're burning up awful. I think whatever that sniper shot you with had some kind of component to it - I think you're suffering from some kind of infection or poison. You developed a fever damn quick…" He snapped his fingers, "Can you hear me?"
Isaac quickly nodded his head, "Y-yeah… Jesus, it's freezing in here…" He muttered, shivering, "Fever? But-..." He quickly rubbed his eyes, feeling a strange sensation. The kind you felt when your eyes were open for too long - when you hadn't slept in a few days. A sudden shock in your system that ensured you stayed alert but you wanted to do nothing more than sleep, "Shit, this can't happen now… Don't worry, I can focus, I can hold a weapon."
"You're gonna need to be able to," Garrus told him, "Situation got worse while you were out. Blood Pack's entered the ring too. They've left us alone for a while but they've really taken the time to cut off absolutely every means of escape and keep it guarded. Every wave they send is gonna be more and more overpowering than the last until they exhaust us out and start for their final push. They'll probably send in teams - big enough and with heavy-hitters to really do some damage. I don't think we'll keep them on the courtyard anymore. Occasionally, some poor bastards get sent over that bridge just over there. Should be a flank opportunity but with my high ground here, it's simply popping heads as they come by. Didn't see any uniforms on them, though. Just poor mercs trying to make a name for themselves by taking down the great Archangel. Not gonna happen, though," Garrus looked back at Isaac, "How're you feeling?"
Isaac rubbed his eyes, sound coming in and out in a strange hollow way. It felt like he was still in one of his dreams, "I'm fine. I can stand, I can fight. I'm not having you deal with all this shit alone," Standing up, he grabbed a nearby weapon and held it in his hands, "See? It's fine," But the infection he was infected with was making it worse. Whatever poison that sniper used on his bullets was beginning to affect him worse and worse, "... You think what's in me is fatal?"
Garrus thought about it for a moment, "... No, I don't think so. Not yet, anyway. If it is, I think we still have time. I think the bullet was meant for me. Slow me down, make me feverish, make me sick and tired. Then I wouldn't be able to do much on my own. When they storm this place, they're gonna wanna look me in the eye as they kill me. Not have some distant asshole do it for them. I know the way their sick brains work. You'll be fine, Isaac, we just have to get through this."
The lights were too bright, sound too quiet or loud, his intestines feeling like they were moving around like eels, head pounding and body aching - now wasn't the time to collapse and leave Garrus for dead. Shaking it off, trying to remain alert and steady, he propped himself up behind the wall, overlooking the courtyard, "Shit, I think they're coming now!" Isaac yelled at Garrus, "Got– A bunch of the bastards starting to crawl over!"
Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack were beginning to storm through the courtyard. Garrus ran over, aiming his rifle and immediately taking shots, "Fire back at them! We're not letting these bastards in no matter what!"
Isaac could barely aim, attempting to steady himself using the balconies' edge, firing off shots at the various groups moving through the courtyard. Shooting was practically pointless unless he hoped to accidentally get some of them. Instead, though he was battling double-vision at this point, he looked at the explosive barrels they'd set up. Aiming his arm out, he readied his Kinesis Module and picked up one of the barrels, flinging it at a group that promptly blew up, scattering their remains around the courtyard. Garrus watched with wide eyes, looking at Isaac for a moment, "You a biotic!? This whole time!?"
"No!' Isaac yelled back, "Just a little tech wonder.." He grabbed another barrel, flinging it at a group and causing their bodies to disperse in an instant. Some of the members of Blood Pack, primarily the Krogan, managed to survive the explosives and start breaking through the base.
"Shit, they've breached! I'll go down and take care of them, you st-..." Garrus' plan was quickly put to a stop as he heard a familiar droning sound, "... They have a gunship!" He shouted, pushing Isaac behind cover as missiles attempted to strike through the window. The explosions shook the whole building, further disorienting Isaac. Garrus ran over to him, staying low as he grabbed Isaac's shoulders, "Isaac! I need you to get down there and hold off those Blood Pack bastards while I deal with the ship!... Isaac! Isaac!" Garrus shouted his name.
"Look what he got you into. Haven't you opened your eyes yet?" Carver stood behind Garrus, shaking his head in disbelief, "Kill him now. It's your chance. He'd never see it coming."
"No, you're… Wrong. I can't do that…" Isaac spoke through a whispery voice.
"What're you talking about!? Isaac, I need you right now!" Garrus snapped his fingers, noticing Isaac's eyes completely unfocused from him.
"You've really turned into a goddamn pussy, you know that?" Carver shook his head and laughed, "What the hell happened to big, bad Isaac - the Marker Killer. Willing to sacrifice everything to get shit done? Where's that guy anymore, huh? You're being pathetic, Isaac. How're you gonna do anything like this? Anything? You know what you're supposed to be doing out there, right?"
"Finding Ellie," Isaac answered him.
"Make us whole."
The words pierced his brain and rang through his head.
Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole.
Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole.
Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole. Make us whole.
MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE.
MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE.
MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE.
MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE. MAKE US WHOLE.
SMACK.
Isaac's cheek stung from Garrus sudden smack across his face, "I'm losing you, Isaac! I need you right now so get it together!" He shouted at him.
Isaac blinked a few times, his mind racing, heart pumping, everything was so disorienting and confusing but he only heard those words ringing in his head. That mantra. From before. From before all this. Could it mean? What if it was? Were they back? Was it all coming back to haunt him? Even in other worlds, it would find its way here just for him.
"Isaac…"
Standing up, he grabbed his weapon, "They're coming.." He muttered, running out of the balcony and to the first floor. He looked down below, seeing them all there. Necromorphs, growling and snarling at him. Their wicker, twisted, elongated limbs and nude bodies with their internals showing. Blades attached to them, long, pointed teeth and angry expressions of familiar faces looking back at him. His heart was racing as he realized they were here again - firing off bolts of blades and spews of acidic vomit at him, "No… NO!" He shouted, screaming as he aimed for their limbs, firing off his weapon as focused as possible. He watched as the bullets tore through their limbs, ripping them off with ease.
The Necromorphs started clambering up the stairs in an attempt to reach him. Using his Kinesis Module, he grabbed one of the explosive barrels set inside and slammed it into the group making their way to him. The explosion was severe enough to blow them to bits but knock him onto his back, and suddenly, he was somewhere else entirely.
Resting in a comfortable, cushioned bed. The air conditioning was making the room crisp and cool, too cold for one person alone. And beside him, resting with him, Ellie. Right where they both belonged. With each other, in his old apartment, as if she never made the decision to leave him behind. He couldn't keep running after the nightmares when they were finally over. This was… Bliss. He felt content here with her. But… Someone was on his left arm too. Looking, Nicole lay with him as well. She was back. Here. With him. But she was dead, wasn't she? She died. On the Ishimura. Lucky enough not to be turned into one of those crea-...
Ellie wasn't here anymore… Who was she holding on to?
Slowly, he turned his head…
And the snarling of a necromorph met him.
Eyes open, he looked up into the face of a necromorph standing over him, "FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" Isaac kicked him off, firing his rifle into his stomach several times before climbing to his feet and knocking the necromorph to the ground, having it collapse onto his back. Rushing over, Isaac stared down into its desperate eyes, "FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU, FUCK YOU!" He shouted at the top of his longs, stomping the necromorph's head into the ground until nothing remained but a smudge of red paste on the floor. Whipping his head around, he saw scattered, dismembered bodies. Dropping the rifle, he reached for his plasma cutter, slowly moving through the rest of the base. It was empty. Upstairs, he still heard the sounds of explosions and struggles. Something was up there. Moving up, he saw Garrus continuing to fight against some kind of flying monstrosity that was firing off massive bolts of blades into the top floor. He'd never seen this kind of necromorph before. Running to edge of the balcony, he loaded up the last of his Stasis Module, freezing it in the air.
Garrus watched with wide eyes as the gunship was stunned in place. Loading up his rifle, he took aim at the most important components and began to fire away, while Isaac did damage having his plasma cutter cut through the metal and mounted turrets. Once the stasis ran out, the ship was in shambles, smoking and desperate to get away. Quickly, it retreated, leaving them there with the mess they'd made, "Fucking thing got away!" Isaac shouted, "It's gonna come back, it always does… We're not done here until the fucking thing is dead. It's gonna harvest us! Turn us into sick monsters…"
Garrus ran over to Isaac, grabbing him by the arms, "Damn it, what the hell are you talking about!? What's wrong with you!? … You're seeing things, Isaac, you need to get a hold of yourself! It's the poison in your blood, it's making you hysterical!"
"What?" Isaac blinked, staring back at Garrus, "No… Down there, look! They're back, they're here to kill me… The fucking sick monsters wearing people's faces, look!"
Garrus looked over the edge to the first floor, seeing nothing but the dead corpses of Krogan and Vorcha Blood Pack Members on the ground, heads stomped in and limbs torn apart, "... You really made sure they were dead," Garrus spoke, "... I don't know what the hell was in that poison, but you need to settle down. It's making you see things, Iaaac. Things that aren't there. There are no monsters here."
Isaac looked into Garrus' eyes, but found it difficult to calm down. Everything was moving at a thousand miles a minute, "I…" He mumbled, "... I …" Losing his grip, he fell back, out cold.
This time, there were no dreams. Only darkness. Isaac couldn't fathom which was worse - endless nightmares or simply the cold, dark vacuum of dead space swirling all around him. No one around, no noise, no life, no nothing. Just a void. A dark, empty abyss that would do nothing but remind him of what awaited at the end of failure. What came after losing. This is what awaited him if he failed everything. There was no light at the end of the tunnel. No afterlife. No hope, no survival. Just a quiet, endless sleep.
Yet… It was oddly comforting. It felt like the only real rest he'd gotten in a long time. The tranquility of just having nothing happening… Existing. Without caring. But in the end, he didn't want to be all alone.
Not alone.
Not again.
His eyes slowly opened, tucked into a corner behind cover, with a jacket tossed over him to keep him warm. Isaac heard voices nearby.
"How long have you been holding out?" A familiar voice spoke.
"A few days now. He's lucky to still be alive, as am I. I'm running on fumes at this point, Shepard. And I don't know how much more Isaac can take before his body gives out. I have no food, no water for him, no medicine. He needs the Normandy, Shepard." Garrus replied, with a bit of frustration in his voice, "It was my own damn fault getting him involved here. I have to make sure he gets out of here alive too, not just me."
"We'll get you both back together. You have my word. But we're not done here. Get ready because the second we get a chance, we're booking it. Four capable soldiers are a lot more capable than one man alone. We're getting you two out."
Isaac listened to their words, but… He began to slip again. Everything faded to black and before he knew it, he was out again.
When his eyes next opened, he was somewhere unfamiliar. Staring up, he saw bright walls and lights, and was resting upon a comfortable cot. He felt tubes inside of him, and saw needle marks in his arms. His head was better, his body was no longer aching and the fever was gone. The delirious state he was in before had completely vanished as well. There were no whispers, dreams or nightmares come to life. He breathed out a sigh of relief… Then he thought about Garrus. Did he make it? Quickly, he began to move, when another voice greeted him. This one unfamiliar.
"Isaac Clarke," The voice spoke, "Feeling better?"
