MASS EFFECT: ENTANGLED
CHAPTER 9
Several days passed by and Alivia felt so isolated and forgotten. There was no word from Thane. Bray deviated from his duties and was no longer escorting her to and from the club for shifts. Ever since Krysta came to Omega, he seemed vexed and preoccupied. Alivia couldn't figure out why her old acquaintance would perturb him so much that he risked crossing Aria. Each walk back to her place left her undisturbed, but that didn't mean that she would have the same luck the following day. Crime was no stranger on the asteroid, it seemed to be the natural order of things. The daily numbers sparked no concern and the deceased were crossed off as if they never existed. Would she have the same fate in the days to come?
As she was heading back from her shift, movement from the direction of the Gozu District caught her attention in her peripheral vision. She turned her head slightly and froze in her steps when she saw Krysta Shepard heading her way. The N7 branded fully armored blonde was accompanied by an unknown male in merc attire, a brunette woman in clothing that donned a mysterious logo on the upper chest, and a salarian doctor. Tears filled Alivia and she was unable to withhold the surge of joy that struck her. "Shepard!" She waved to the long-lost Spectre and moved her way with quick strides.
"Alivia?" Krysta stood guarded. Her brown eyes narrowed with distrust. "What are you doing here?"
"Who is that, Shepard?" The brunette questioned as she gave Alivia the same look of caution.
"A fellow soldier who was discharged after enduring a brutal attack with a thresher maw on Akuze." Krysta's hardened eyes never left Alivia's during the explanation; it was as if the woman was on edge.
"A thresher maw?" The merc beside her guffawed. "Damn. I better not mess with you. That's fucking insane." He appeared to be around ten to fifteen years older with visible wear and tear. His face was badly scarred and he had a glass eye.
"What are you doing on Omega?" Krysta diverted the conversation back to her original question.
Alivia paused before answering. She wasn't too sure how much she should divulge regarding her contract with Thane. Krysta would most likely take no interest in hearing all the details. "It's a long story. I'm waiting on someone to come back to Omega." Her heart skipped as she spoke upon Thane's hopeful return. "For now, I work for Aria."
"Aria T' Loak?" Shepard nearly hissed as the news dangerously peeved her. "Why the hell for?"
"I needed somewhere to stay while I'm here and the creds."
"We shouldn't trust her then, Shepard." The woman advised Krysta.
Krysta glared at the brunette in apprehension. "I am handling this."
"Risky," The salarian doctor chimed in. "For her that is." He ceased as his large eyes studied Alivia.
"It's not too bad," Alivia smiled timidly at the four. "I have protection to and from the club. Aria's bodyguard, Bray, usually escorts me per Aria's instruction."
"Escort?" The merc asked. "You sound more like a damn prisoner."
"Bray?" Krysta was taken back by the name and her jawline tightened. "I'm with Zaeed on this, Alivia. Aria screwed you." She turned to her compatriots. "We are done here."
Alivia stumbled back as Shepard nearly pushed her out of the way to continue her path forward. The blonde's cold turn was shocking. "Shepard!" She called out to her desperately as she picked up her steps to catch up. Bray's name seemed to dig under her friend's skin. Why? It was the same reaction when she spoke highly about Shepard to the batarian. "What's going on? Why do you hate one another?"
"Who?" Krysta stopped to address her.
"Bray…" She almost cringed at repeating the scorned name.
Shepard rolled her eyes by the nuisance. "He pisses me off like all the others of his kind. Watch your back, Alivia. I'm telling you this for your own damn good."
"There are some not as bad. He seems all right."
"Then you are a fool," Krysta fumed. "Just..." She sighed to regain a calm composure. "Find a way off this station and soon. No Alliance soldier should be out here and you are a damn good one."
Alivia remained still as she watched the group walk away; tears formed in her eyes as the Spectre's ending words continued to haunt her very soul. With her struggle with PTSD following the Akuze incident and the discharge betrayal from the Alliance, Alivia felt like she no longer was qualified to be a soldier nor worth putting on the uniform. Her life in the military was over. Despite Krysta being turned off by Alivia's new life, the resurrected Spectre still acknowledged her. She wanted to give Thane time to return, but if his fate was truly sealed as he anticipated, then she needed another option. Shepard was right. Working for Aria was not the answer. She would give it a few more weeks, then she needed to find a way off the station.
Ilium, A Week Later
Thane kept hidden in the shadows that the construction site provided in the Dantius Tower. He was near the Mezzanine level and closer to the bridge over to where Nassana was hiding. His recon revealed that the paranoid asari locked herself in her penthouse office and used her army of hired Eclipse mercs and mechs to do her dirty work. Everyone was a threat to her; even her employees. Each floor was a blood bath where the mercs and mechs went systematically to eliminate the remaining poor bastards that still worked for her. "Go on!" A male Eclipse ordered a group of male salarians towards a room. "Get your asses in there!"
"Please don't shoot us! I have a family!" One of the salarians pleaded fearfully.
"Shut up and get in there I said!" The merc screamed as he shoved the worker into the room first.
A low growl of resentment erupted in Thane's chest as he looked on. He had to move fast! The merc most likely was going to round them up in the room and kill them; leaving the bodies hidden. Too many lives were already lost from what he saw on the previous floors. If he only got there sooner. It seemed that Nassana snapped and her instability was a lot worse than feared. He had no idea which one was the brother to the one on Omega. He hoped it was one of these that he could save. He darted out of position and was light on his feet. The merc's back was to him and no one had any clue that he was around. Thane stalked the man slowly till he was right up on him. Then swift as the wind, he snapped the merc's neck and let the body slowly drop to the ground. The salarians gasped loudly at the sudden violence and threat. Thane put his finger up to his lips to signal them to be quiet as he looked around to make sure there were no more in sight for the time being.
"Who are you?" One found the courage to ask.
"Are you here to save us?" Another questioned.
"Yes, I'm an assassin here for Nassana," He whispered. "There may be more on the way. It is too dangerous for you to leave until the work is done." He picked up the merc's body and pulled it into the room where they were.
"Don't forget us…" One begged.
"I won't. I will lock the door. Do not come out." He quickly exited the room and locked it. It was time to move on. By now, Nassana was most likely alerted that someone was attacking her forces. She would beef up her protection. Getting directly to her would be tricky.
The eruption of gunfire exchange nearby made him freeze. It sounded like it was coming on a floor below where he was. Who else was there? He didn't believe that any of the employees would pack that kind of firepower. He had to chance to learn more before moving to his target. Using a maintenance stairwell, he dashed downwards until the gunfire came in louder. He took a breath and moved to the side as he opened the door. He waited for rounds to fire his way, but they didn't. The exchange was further from the doorway. He peered around the opening to see an armored blonde woman along with a turian and a krogan in a fierce firefight with the Eclipse. From the dead bodies, it appeared that the unknown woman was winning. Thane smiled. This was the perfect distraction.
Omega, Two Weeks Later
Sweat poured down Bray's face and bare chest as he continued to strike the center of his hanging punching bag in his apartment relentlessly. He had been at it for nearly an hour as part of his regular rigorous workout. His breathing was heavy as his heart raced with the intensity. There were no other sounds in his apartment. No music. Just his breathing and the outside noises that consisted of announcements, mixed conversations, and the distant pulsing of Afterlife's music.
The chime from his door made him stop and move to pick up his sidearm from the counter nearby. He cocked it and then barked, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Bray," Alivia tenderly replied on the other side.
"Vdolt!" He swore in his native tongue under his breath as he wiped the sweat off his face with a towel and stowed away his weapon. He opened the door and moved away to allow her to enter. "What the hell is it?"
His appearance threw her off and she spied the punching bag. "I'm sorry if I was interrupting you."
"It's my day off. Make it fast," He muttered. "I'm heading out soon."
"I ran into Krysta a few weeks ago near the Gozu District. She was with some others that I didn't recognize and a salarian doctor."
"Mordin," He filled in the name. "What about it?"
"I don't know what she's doing. Does Aria know why she's here?"
"Who the fuck cares?" His words cut maliciously like a knife. Why were he and Shepard so bitter towards one another? "She's not so great. Haven't seen her lately so she's gone. Good riddance."
Alivia became hurt by his stance. "Bray, there's no love lost between you guys. It's obvious. Do you know each other? I mentioned your name when I saw her and she seemed to hate you."
He chuckled at this. "Good. The feeling is mutual."
"I don't understand," She prided.
"She hates batarians. You should know that."
"Not all of you are the same. I even told her that..."
"You better be careful in talking with her. Aria doesn't want her around."
"I don't care about Aria," She finally snapped. She was mentally exhausted. Her time on Omega was draining and she wanted Thane to take her off the station. She desired to know why Krysta Shepard and Bray despised one another so greatly. It wasn't just sheer racism towards a species. It was singular and directed only to him. Nobody was talking or explaining why.
"You should be. Look, does this meeting have a purpose, or did you simply come here to gloat about some has-been?"
"Krysta Shepard is a great soldier!" Alivia argued passionately. "I look up to her!"
"Suit yourself," He derided. "I need to get ready and you're not invited. My advice is to stay the fuck away from her and just do your job."
"I'm not a prisoner, Bray," Alivia snarled.
"Don't cause trouble."
"Me?" She tauntingly smirked at his rebuttal and crossed her arms. "If I remember correctly, you started it first while on the Batarian Special Forces. Thane and I had to save you from Ararn's hired goons. You should be more grateful and less like an ass. Maybe, more people would like you."
He narrowed both sets of eyes at her harsh and cutting words. "Keep that shit to yourself. You're a pain in the ass as it is." He motioned her on. "I'm not here to make friends. On Omega, people don't last long."