Chapter 3

The locker room Lamont was directed to appeared to be empty, which gave him some measure of relief. As he went about looking for an empty locker, he took off his glasses and put them in his jacket pocket. Once he found a free locker, he pulled out all of his gear and started to put it on.

Piece by piece, his confidence and comfort slowly grew. The armored shell he latched around him buried the monster that had shown itself across his skin. As he finished locking in his last armor piece, a renewed morale boost coursed through him. He was safe now, and free to appreciate the new color of his armor.

After the Alliance had tinkered around with his armor, they honored his request and painted it all in hotrod red. He was never going to be an Alliance soldier, and he definitely wasn't going to be with Cerberus ever again. So, if he was going to continue to be the warrior they forged him into, he was going to have a unique look only he would enjoy.

He paused for a moment when he stared down at his helmet. A surge of memories washed over him. The missions he undertook with his team. The sacrifices he made while wearing this armor. Even the last mission he went through before everything went wrong. All of it echoed in his mind, the successes and the failures. This armor was going to take on a new meaning now. Not only to strike fear into the enemy, but to fight against the forces that would do harm to those who never deserved it. The Reapers were on top of that list. With Cerberus following right behind them.

"Alright," he said as he lifted his helmet over his head and locked it in place, "Time to show them who I really am."

Giving his armor one last once-over, he hung up his jacket in the locker, grabbed his SMG and pistol, and made his way back to the main room. As he secured his weapons to his sides, he passed through the entryway and found Sha'tal there; alone and sitting on the couch.

"Well, well Cerberus," she said as she glared at him, "you're pretty quick with suiting up."

"Ex," he said as he crossed his armored arms. "Looks like you didn't even suit up."

"My training requires me to be quick and flexible. You should keep that in mind."

And there it is again. The challenge she wants me to fall for.

"Well, seeing that we'll be working together, I will. Last thing I want to do is hinder your abilities."

"Heh, you see," she gets up from the couch and walks right up to him, "you're living on borrowed time, Cerberus. The second I see an opening; I'm going to kill you like every other Cerberus scum I've killed."

Oh… that wasn't a challenge. That was a warning.

"I've dealt with headstrong people like you before. Just try me." He didn't know what he was truly saying, but he knew he had to react and show that he wasn't going to be pushed over.

"Sha'tal!" Lykain yelled out from the opposite entryway, her pistol aimed directly at her head. "Back the fuck off him now or I will empty this clip into you. I don't care how good your barriers are, I will put you down."

Sha'tal did as she was told and took a few steps back away from Lamont, though she made sure she was facing Lykain as she did. Lykain herself took a few sidesteps into the room as she trailed to where Sha'tal was going. When she felt comfortable that she wasn't going to do anything further, she put her pistol away and quickly got into Sha'tal's face.

"The next time something like that happens," she said just before she violently gripped Sha'tal by the throat and slammed her against the wall, "you won't breathe long enough to get the revenge you so desperately want."

Lamont was in awe at the sudden violent display from Lykain. It wasn't the idea that she didn't have it in her, but that she would go that far so quickly. Her anger filled, steely gaze evenly matched Sha'tal's, and it sent a slight shiver down his spine.

"And yeah, I know you could easily kick my ass, but my statement still stands. You touch him, you die." Her gaze then goes to Lamont. "And you, I'm giving you a pass on this one, but don't fucking give her an excuse to go after you. No bravado bullshit. You come to me, and I'll handle it."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a nod.

With his acknowledgment, she gives Sha'tal one last look and, with a deep breath, lets go of her throat.

"Well," Karra said as she blocked the same entryway Lykain came from, "now that's settled, can we let off some of that heated anger?"

"Karra," Pumpkin yelled in a complaining tone, "why are you blocking the opening? I want to get in some training with our new friend!"

"Sorry Pumpkin, just letting our leader have a heart-to-heart with Sha and Lamont." She turns to look toward Pumpkin. "No worries, we'll be headed off for that training soon."

"You better not be fighting in there! I won't have it!" Pumpkin yelled.

Lykain pulled back from Sha'tal and took a moment to compose herself before she looked at Karra. "Agreed. Sha'tal and I are going to be on point for this exercise," she said, giving her a quick look. "You, Pumpkin, and Lamont will run support."

"Sounds good, boss," Karra said, before gesturing with her head for Pumpkin to come through.

"Yay, I get to have fun with the new guy," Pumpkin said with a smile.

"Now Lamont," Lykain continued, "I know you're more of a frontline fighter, but I'd like to see how you fair as being purely backup. See if you can keep your head together."

Lamont nods. "You got it."

"Good. Now, let's blow off some of this… energy and figure out how well we'll work together."

–––––––––––––––

Okay T'Luris, this is really happening right now. It's fucking insane, but it's happening, Nalectra thought to herself as she packed the remaining things in her room.

Nearly an hour had transpired since she received Hackett's call about Lamont's current situation and her new place on the Citadel. In that hour, she was a whirlwind of emotions and speed as she combed through her friend's place she had often crashed at. As per usual, Laurent was gracious enough to let her stay with him as long as she wanted.

Normally, she'd be out and about, finding the next piece of ass to grab, cock to suck, or pussy to fully enjoy. Though, all that changed several months ago when she experienced something she had never seen, felt, or even heard of within the entirety of asari history. A vision, no, a memory of a human male she had never met before, yet somehow, knew exactly who they were.

It happened a couple of weeks before the destruction of the Alpha Relay. She had been sleeping in her bed at Laurent's place when she was shunted deep into her mind-space. A place that all asari go to when they wish to vividly remember memories, either by themselves, with their bondmate, or even a close friend. It wasn't something she often did, for many reasons, but this time around, she had no choice.

As she stood in the dark expanse of her mind, she saw a faint light-blue light grow in front of her that slowly took the form of a human male. He was fair-skinned with a light scruff on his cheeks and squared jaw. However, the one feature that stood out to her most was his eyes. That same light-blue glow had been coming from his eyes. As unusual as they looked, they completely enraptured her.

"Uh, hello?"

"Nal."

Instantly, her whole body freezes while her eyes go wide as no one ever really called her by that name. At least, not for a long time.

"Who are you?"

"I'm not going to lie, this is really weird," the man said as he looked near where she stood, but not directly at her. "I'm talking to you, but not this version of you. Really weird."

Okay… so this is a memory of a moment I never even fucking experienced.

"Don't worry about all of that right now," her own voice echoed out from the memory, which sent a chill up her spine. "Just tell me everything I need to know."

This is so fucking weird. What the hell is this?

"Okay, okay. Nal, I'm not sure how much of this is going to make sense or if you'll even have a recollection of me, but my name is Lamont, and… well, we're very much in love with one another."

"The fuck?" Nalectra said before a wave of raw and loving emotions crashed through her. "The. Fuck…"

"Our meeting was purely by chance, and what happened when we got together was simply chaotic."

Suddenly, images of massive spacecraft enter her vision. Spacecraft that look similar to the large geth ship that had attacked the Citadel a few years ago.

"It was painful."

As if on cue, her body locks up in searing hot pain that eventually pools into her heart and mind. She was not unfamiliar with pain, but this was on a whole new level.

"It was loving."

Then images of them simply lying together, holding one another tightly. This included the feeling of never wanting to let go.

"It was… passionate."

This time, the sensations she felt, and the images given to her, were all but familiar. As fun and pleasurable as sex was for her, what she was experiencing now made all of that seem… lackluster.

"I don't think either of us can truly explain how fast and deep this bond went. As cheesy as it sounds, it's almost as if we were made for one another. Fate plucking two people at random and showing them how great they could be together."

More emotions poured into her. Love, compassion, pain, desire, and comfort all but drowned her. It caused her to fall to her knees with tears streaming down her face, all of it becoming so overwhelming.

"If you get this message…"

"Memory, Lamont."

"Right, memory. If you get this, then you have a small window to find me and make me a part of your life. If you want to, that is."

"Lamont, why the hell wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. I'm not even sure how this is going to work. I mean, I hope it does, but I doubt this has ever happened to anyone before."

"T'Luris." Upon hearing her name from herself, she looks up at the image of Lamont. "I know I've hit us with a massive amount of emotions and experiences. Some of which may not even fully connect with you right now. As time goes on, it will, but we don't have that kind of time."

"Which is the most unfortunate part of all of this. We need you to set things in motion. In the coming days or weeks, you will see a news report about the Bahak system being completely wiped out."

The Bahak system? That's batarian space.

"Don't get too excited about that thought," Nalectra's voice said.

"Shepard destroyed the relay in that system to delay the Reaper invasion of the galaxy. That is when your window opens. You have six months to get Admiral Hackett of the Alliance to not only take notice, but also bring in a group of fleeing Cerberus deserters on Elysium. We'll be arriving there on the fifth of July. You must also tell him I need to be a part of Lykain Karlid's mercenary team."

Nalectra gets up and moves in front of the image of Lamont. "How am I supposed to do all of that?"

"In theory, all of this naturally happened to me, but we need to make sure this happens the right way so you can find me. If everything goes as it did before, you'll find me on the Citadel roughly one month after the Reaper's war begins."

So many thoughts were buzzing through her mind. How was she going to do this? How was she even going to convince an admiral of the Alliance to do all of this? Or even whether or not she should try. Once again, all of it became too much.

"Find me Nalectra," he said as he reached out both of his arms and wrapped them around her neck. "Find me and convince me we belong together." He then draws in closer, his lips hovering over hers. "Meld with me and show me all of this. I need you in my life."

When the image of Lamont leaned in to kiss her, she felt the sensation of his lips on hers as well as another pulse of emotions. She was used to passionate kisses, but this had so many more layers to it. Layers she had yet to experience until now. Then, just as the tender and loving kiss was deepening, she got thrusted out of her mind-space. As the reality of her world came into focus, she shot herself up and out of her bed.

"What was that?" she said as she rushed in the bathroom to look into the mirror. Fortunately, she was quick enough to see her eyes go from solid black to her natural emerald-green eyes.

"Goddess… it was real." As quickly as she uttered the awful phrase she completely despised, she groaned out loud and leaned a heavy hand on the wall next to the mirror. Then, with a burst of frustration filling her mind, she balled her hand into a fist and smashed it into the antique mirror.

"Fuck me," she softly let out as a few more shards of the mirror trickle down onto the sink. With a heavy sigh, she pulled her hand away to see if she was cut by any of the shards. Fortunately, she only suffered some minor scrapes on her knuckles.

"Sorry, Laurent," she said as she looked at her many selves in the broken mirror and the damage to the mirror. "Eh, you'll forgive me. You always do."

Eventually, she made her way back to her bed, after she gathered and tossed out the shards that were in the sink. Sitting at the front of the bed, she closes her eyes and focuses on the image of Lamont she saw. Within an instant, she felt his presence in the galaxy. There was no intuition about where he was, but he was out there.

"How the fuck is this possible?" she spoke out to the darkness around her. "Why is this even happening? Why me? Why now?"

Deep mental connections like this, while not exactly uncommon, were not something easily made. It could take years for an asari to develop a connection like this, and it was usually only with bondmates. Whoever this Lamont was, was special. In a matter of minutes, she was hooked in and strung up into this mental tether.

"Oh, my dear, you're looking entirely too pensive again."

"Hmm, what?" Nalectra said as she blinked away her daydreaming memory and looked to where the familiar voice of her dear friend Laurent came from. In her two hundred plus years of life, she counted him among the few people she felt lucky to have met. It was also a major plus that he was one of the richest friends she ever made. While they spent a few wild and sensual nights together, they both found they were more than happy with just being friends in the end.

As she took a moment to finish folding the last article of her clothing, she looked up and stared out the nearest window. "Is that so?" she said with a sigh. "And here I thought I was always welcome to drop by no matter how I looked."

"You know you are," he said after he let out a bit of a chuckle. "In fact, I've been wondering if I should just have your name chiseled next to mine on the nameplate out front."

"My dearest Laurent, my humble name would never fit next to yours," she said with a smile as he walked over and stood next to her. "Honestly, how many middle names does a person need? And don't get me started on that title. Vicomte de Savigny, as if…"

He instantly interrupts her with an audible groan. "Never mind the damn title. If things stay the way they are, I'll soon be Vicomte of nothing. Forced to cling onto the fool's hope there's more than just rubble left standing on Earth."

"Hey," she said as she turned to him to gently stroke his cheek, "don't despair. It doesn't suit you."

He lets out a bitter chuckle. "No? Very well then, I yield to your wisdom, mademoiselle," he said with one last depressing sigh before he stood up a bit straighter to tackle what was on her mind.

"Enough about me. Tell me, honestly, are you thinking about him again?"

She simply looks down and lets out a sigh. "Perhaps. Would that be so wrong?"

"Nalectra… What is it about him?" he said as he leaned over to see her expression.

"I'm… not sure you would understand." In that instant, flashes of intense moments rush through her mind of her entanglement with Lamont.

"Try me, my dear," he said as he cocked his head further to maintain eye contact with her. "I might surprise you."

"I've already done that plenty of times in the past," she said with a smirk. "I'll pass, thanks."

"You know that's not what I meant," he said in between bits of laughter.

She joins in with his laughter and comfortably leans into him. "I do, it's just…" she lets out a sigh.

"Quoi? (What?)"

"I know you have your reservations about all of this…"

"That's putting it mildly."

"It's…"

What? Love? You know that's what this is, T'Luris. As much as it doesn't make any sense, that's what the feeling is. This anomaly that was thrusted into you is someone you love.

"I have to…," she looks down, "I just have to see this through."

"Even when the Wards are nothing but a cesspit of the harsh realities of war right now? You'd be much safer up here."

"Maybe my goal isn't to be safe," she said as she looked up into his gray-green eyes.

He pulls back slightly and rubs his forehead. "Yes, that is what I feared."

"You know I can take care of myself."

"I do. Though that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to worry."

"Better watch yourself, darling," she said as she smiled. "Or else Lamont might get jealous one day."

He holds his hands up in an apologetic manner. "If he ever does, I'll be sure to make my position clear," he said with a smile as he wrapped an arm around her. "So, more adventures for Ms. T'Luris then, is that it? Your never-ending thirst for adrenaline?"

"Ugh… I hate it when you call me that."

"I hate it when you make me worry," he whispered into her ear.

"Yeah, well, a worried look suits you," she said after giving him a playful punch to his arm. "It's positively adorable, the face you make when you worry about me. Now," she zips up her bag, "I'll send you a message after I've settled into the new place. Would that satisfy you?"

"Hardly, but under the circumstances, it'll do," he said with a chuckle before taking on a softer look. "Are you quite sure we couldn't just have him shipped here? I know you haven't told me all the details, but I would happily give you two an entire wing of my penthouse here. Perhaps…"

She brings up a finger onto his lips to cease the potential ramble he was going to go on. "Monsieur le Vicomte, I am already in your debt, and I always will be. Now please, let me do my thing. I'll be in touch soon, I promise."

"Promise me you won't do anything I wouldn't do," he said as he pointed a finger at her with his eyes narrowed.

"Ha! Well, that gives me a whole lot to work with then," she said before letting out several more giggles. "We both know you're not nearly as innocent as you look."

They smile and laugh together, but when their laughter died down, Nalectra put on a more serious, solemn look. It was a look that anyone would make when about to leave a dear friend before they trekked off into the unknown. After she gathered her packed bags and strapped them on, she leaned in to give Laurent a kiss on the cheek.

"Wish me luck?" she asked as she pulled back.

"Always, my dear," he said as he took her hand and gave it a kiss.

"Such a charmer," she said before she placed her hand onto his chest and gave him a quick, yet playful, shove. "Stock up on that hot sauce I like," she said as she was walking out of the room. "You're running scandalously low."

"Duly noted," he said with a chuckle. "I'll definitely get right on that."

"Laters!" she said as she half turned back to him to blow a kiss.

He promptly caught the blown kiss and brought it up to his chest, feigning being swooned. "I will forever mourn the loss of your love, Ms. T'Luris."

"Fuck you," she yelled as she walked down the hall.

As she made her way down the first flight of stairs, a familiar sensation came over her. Another chapter closed, and a new one about to be written. Everything she had done was simply the buildup to the inevitable climax of her story. This next chapter was going to be the thing that would make her whole. That is, if what she experienced all those months ago was to be believed.

It has to be real, she thought to herself. What I've constantly felt all this time cannot be fake. Hell, the simple fact that I'm eternally bonded with him is more than proof. But how in the world am I going to prove or show that to him without coming off as weird or a freak?

"Oh hey, my name is Nalectra and I'm your future bondmate." Or, "Hi, my name is Nalectra and the amazing encounter we had, but also haven't had yet, put the desire in me to meld with you." No wait, this one is much better. "Hi, I'm Nalectra, and I'm about to mind fuck you."

"Fuck me… this is going to be an experience," she muttered to herself as she opened the front door and left.