Thanks for all the reviews guys, really gave me some much-needed ideas and inspiration.
"she was only just completed last night" Miranda said as she stood by Clark in front of an observation lounge, looking down at the newly built frigate.
"she's looking good" Clark admitted with his arms crossed "though I have to admit she's not very original" he added, it was almost an exact match in design the previous ship. The Normandy.
"that's the point" she added "we want this ship to have the same meaning as the one who came before it, a symbol for people" she explained as she crossed her own arms. Truthy she still didn't really know what to think about Mr. Kent, it was still incredibly amazing and terrifying to see what he can do and the worst part was that she knew what he did to that mech was probably a very small amount of his real power. The fact that he could get a read on her so well was very disheartening, she didn't like being so exposed, it was too vulnerable "though it looks the same on the outside, it is twice as big and the inside reflects that"
"let's get started" he said as he turned to leave, her following behind him "has TIM been able to get those dossiers yet?" he asked.
Miranda sighed before reaching out and handing him a data pad "I should tell you that he really hates being called that" she added, this was not the first time someone has made that connection and she doubts it would be the last, though this was the first time someone's called him that out loud and she didn't think they would regret it.
"I'm not calling him The Illusive Man every time I mention him, too big of a mouthful" he looked down at the data pad "oh son a bitch" he scowled.
"what?" she asked as they turned a corridor that led to the air-lock to the ship.
"Omega" he sighed "Seems that's where Mordin Solus seems to be hiding"
"a complete piss hole" Miranda agreed immediately "every time I go there, I feel like I need a shower. Everything's just dirty" she muttered that last part.
The air lock opened and the two walked in "how do you think I felt" he said back as the door shut behind them and the pressurization process began "I was there for five minutes before I leapt out an airlock. I've been to a lot of badly smelling places. Omega" he shuddered loudly "I didn't feel clean again until I took a dip in a star" the door opens and he walks forward casually while Miranda didn't move an inch, her mouth hung here as her mind grounded to a halt as it was unable to comprehend what it just heard "you coming" he added which thankfully was able to snap her out of it and the she jogged a few feet in order to catch up.
Clark entered the ship and turned to the left which seemed to be long walk way filled with various terminals where rows of people seemed to be doing all different kinds of work. He did have to admit though, it was a good looking interarea. Especially what he could only assume was the Commnications hub which held a large hologram of the ship "welcome to the new Normandy, Sir" Jacob said as he stood off to the side.
"Not bad" he said and he wasn't just talking about the ship, there must be over twenty people in this room and no-one so much as looked up from their work terminals, it was remarkable self-discipline, it was very unlikely that they didn't know who he was. Must be on strict instructions not to act odd around him.
"I've went over the rest dossiers. While we're at Omega to acquire Dr Solus, there is another target there as well. A Turian vigilante that's been causing havoc for the many gangs on the station" she informed after regaining her composure.
"why would we care about that?" Clark asked confused.
Miranda pressed her hands before her back and stood with a straight back "we have reason to believe this vigilante, who's been given the name Archangel is Garrus Vakarian, a former squad mate of the late Commander Shepard" she spoke calmly "he is also the son of Castis Vakarian, who is the retired advisor of Primarch Fedorian"
"sorry" Clark said before she could continue "so one of Shepards crew mates, the ones who believe in the Reapers existents more than anyone, has a father who has the ear of the leader of the Turian hierarchy and they still don't believe in the Reapers?" he asked.
Miranda nodded "from what we've been able to tell, it's the same reason nobody does, no evidence apart from word of mouth"
"So, we bring Garrus on board, get him his evidence and he takes that to his dad, who takes it to the Primarch" he pieced together "that makes sense" he agreed.
"if we are able to prove to the Primarch the Reapers existence, the odds of the rest of Citadel space believing will increase by eighty-seven percent" a voice said over the intercom.
Clark's eyebrow rose as he tilted his head up "and who are you?" he asked.
A small flicker hit his ears and he turned around to see a hologram floating in front of the hologram ship "I am EDI, the Normandy's artificial conscience" the newly discovered A.I said.
"well, this is a nice surprise" Clark said with a smile as he looked at the hologram "I didn't think Cerberus would have the balls to make an A.I" he spoke.
"that is not entirely correct' EDI said before Miranda could try "while I could be classed as an AI due to my being fully sentient, I am however bound by protocols that were placed during my construction" she explained.
Clark shrugged back "well having something like you on board should at least give us a large advantage" he added.
"While I believe I would blush getting such praise from humanities greatest hero, I currently don't have a body to do so and I must be honest. While I am present in every area of the ship, I do not directly control the ship" she explained "I monitor all sensory systems, monitor the crew and during combat I would operate the electronic and cyber warfare suites. That is the limit of my capabilities"
"thanks for the explanation EDI" Clark said.
"You are welcome Mr Kent" she said back before her hologram vanished.
He turned around to face the two "are there any other people I should be aware of?" he asked.
"the ship is maned by a full crew, all of which is at your disposal" Miranda said calmly.
"all preparations are ready for our departure, when you're ready to leave just plot a destination into the galaxy map in the CIC and I'll plot the course" a voice said over the intercom.
He turned his head and looked to Miranda "who was that?" he asked.
Miranda stepped to the side and gave Clark a clear path of sight down they just walked "the pilot" she added "Jeff Joker Moreau, he was the pilot for the last Normandy before it was destroyed" she informed.
"I see" Clark said making a mental note to speak to him later "are there any other former members of the first Normandy present on this ship?" he asked.
"yes" Jacob added "the Normandy's medic is Doctor Karin Chakwas, the chief medical officer of the original"
Clark took half a second to go through everything he was just told, made a few mental notes and decided what he would do next "I'll be by to speak to you more later. Miranda I'd like a more detailed report on the Collectors" she straightened her back upon receiving her orders "for now let's get to Omega" he said.
"yes sir" they both said before walking past him to what he assumed was their own work stations.
Turning around himself, he made his way around the hologram of the ship and towards the galaxy map, it was there he saw a rather happy looking red head. When he arrived next to her, she turned and saluted him "Sir, I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I've been assigned as your administrative assistant. My duties will be to alert you of any messages you have and help monitor the crew and I must say, it is just and absolute honour to work with you sir, this is like a dream come true. I wrote my thesis on you" she informed with a smile.
"I see, happy to have you here Kelly" he said casually as he stepped up to the galaxy map. Without really knowing what to do, Clark reached out and grabbed the area where Omega was, know the area from memory. When his hand was over that section of space, he expanded his finger and the image zoomed in to a single star system with a small label called Omega. He pressed that and the map zoomed back out to the Galaxy but this time there was a point between Omega and where the Normandy was now, thankfully there wasn't much of a difference.
"Coordinates received" Joker said over the com "ETA around three hours" he added.
Clark turned around and stepped back down, he was about to enter the elevator when he turned and saw Kelly back at the terminal, he gave a small shrug before stepping over towards her "so" he said as he stood next to her and leaned on the edge of stand that held her terminal "what are your responsibilities exactly?" he asked leaning back and crossing his arms.
Seeing his casual appearance must have given caused her to relax as well as she seemed to drop the formality she had before "It's like the job says sir, I'll keep you notified of any messages or appointments you might have. If any of the crew want to speak with you about something, they come to me first" she explained.
"pretty sure a basic VI could do that" he added calmly "why you really here?" he added.
Kally gave him a small smile "well, my unofficial job is to keep a close eye on the crew along with EDI, everyone knows how risky this mission is. Some of us may not be coming back, that's a lot of pressure. So, when I need to, I use my degree in psychology to understand when someone is over taxed and need a break"
Clark nodded "that's fair, needed even and you got that degree with a thesis based on me?" he added.
She smiled again "indeed, I was always fascinated by the mentality of the Superman" she freely admitted "why you did what you did? Why you didn't stop? Why you didn't take a life until Lex Luther? And why you stopped after that?" she listed but stopped herself when you noticed the look of subtle anger on his face.
"I stopped" he said as she stood up straight "because that day I learned an important lesson" he added before entering the lift.
The door closed behind him and he looked at his options, he saw only one above him listed as captains' quarters. He pressed the button for that option and felt as the lift rose.
The door opened and Clark was immediately met with another door that opened as he stepped towards it. He had to admit, it wasn't bad. Stepping inside he was met with a very looking room that was illuminated by a large fish tank that nearly took up the entire left wall, on his right was desk with a terminal, a couple of files that were spread out. Taking a glance at the label and reading the name he realized that they must be the dossiers in paper form. Behind that desk was an open-door way where he saw a shower and toilet.
Walking forward he stepped down a couple of steps into another small section of the room as it seemed to be separated into to two areas, one for work the other for relaxation, he saw a large bed with two bedside tables, a wardrobe, comfy looking L-shaped couch with a coffee table in front of that.
"this is kinda nice" he said out loud as he walked over to a nearby wardrobe and had a look inside, he had to admit. It was nice to see it wasn't just full of Cerberus logos, it was actually quite a wide range of different styles. Taking a moment, he decided on a pair of black boots, dark jeans, a black shirt and trench coat that went down to his knees, which he didn't fasten.
Took a seat on the couch, now for what he knew was coming. He closed his eyes and listened, he listened for just a moment but that was all he needed to zone in on certain sound. That small piece of static. Small little bugs to listen to everything he does. All he could do was sigh and try to ignore it, he didn't have anything to hide. Hell, they couldn't get anything from him.
He leaned back in his chair and relaxed he had a few hours to kill.
It didn't take as long as Clark thought to reach their location and before he knew it. He, Miranda and Jacob where walking out of the ship after it docked at the pirate station. It was raking everything in his power not wince as the smell of decades of waste without being really cleaned hit his nose "do you want some nose plugs?" Miranda asked seemingly seeing past the badly disguise he put on. To be honest he didn't know if she was joking or not.
"Trust me it wouldn't help" he said back "any idea where the good Doctor is located?" he asked wanting to get started.
"all we know is that he has a clinic, though not where" she informed "I'd recommend heading to the afterlife. Its where the self-proclaimed 'queen' of Omega, Aria T'Loak is" she couldn't not get rid of the sarcastic tone in her voice.
"ok, let's head that way" he agreed as the three walked forward.
They walked down the dirty and infested corridors until they came to a large opening that held the skyline of the station "of course" Jacob said as they saw the entrance to the club and the very large line outside of it.
"Don't worry about that for now" Clark said as he led the two off to the side towards a railing that gave a good view of the large towers that where carved into the many rocky spires.
"Sir, I don't know what you're planning but I wanted to let you know that Cerberus does have the funds in order to bribe the information out of Aria" Miranda said calmly as she stood next to Clark, taking a small glance at the view herself as Jacob surveyed the area.
Clark shook his head "Don't worry about that, she'll tell me what I want to know" the calmness in his voice implied a confidence that Miranda was surprised by.
"Aria's notorious for being a heartless, cold, mod boss" Jacob said "She won't give away information for free" he added.
"It won't be for free" he said back just as calmly as before "is the door to the club open yet?" he asked.
Miranda turned her head and saw that the door was indeed open and the large Elcor bouncer was letting a handful of people in "yes" she said.
He picked himself up off the railing "wait here" and just like that, in between the time Miranda blinked. There was a gust of wind and he was gone.
The only thing that gave Clark some sense of relief as he calmly walked past the bouncer and everyone waiting in line of people was the smell coming from the inside of the club. Even as he saw everyone around him frozen in place, the sky cars, the fumes from all the buildings. Everything was just frozen seemingly in time itself, he used to have so much fun with this when he was a kid. He just couldn't help but sigh at that thought, back then things where so much different, now his speed was just the same as everything else. Normal, to him at least. Even if it did get stronger over time or faster in this case, it really didn't matter, everything was just so boring nowadays. That's why he's here, learning about new cultures and history's, new undiscovered mysterious. It was like drinking water after a drought.
Within one tenth of a millisecond, he was in front of the main entrance inside the club. And that smell was even stronger now, that massive sense of perfume from all the different strippers that were scattered around the large floor area and of course the many different woman spread out through the club, just hanging out with friends, having fun. Too bad it wasn't enough to cover up the alcohol.
It only took a few seconds to figure out where this Aria was. Walking towards the VIP section of the club, he was stood at the bottom of the steps that led to this queen. He began to walk up completely ignoring the Krogan that aimed his weapon at him, though before he could fire, Clark grabbed the bottom of the armours neck line and dragged him forward for a head-butt. But unlike the many head-butts the Krogan has had over the course of his life, this time, it knocked him out completely.
He didn't let go though; the message was needed. He continued to walk forward and carried the bouncer with him. The VIP section wasn't really a VIP section, Clark realised. It was a medium sized room that had a large overview of the club, Aria seemed to have a little throne in the form of a nice-looking couch which was on top of another small flight of stairs. The room was full of all different types of people, all of which were completely armed and armoured.
When he entered, carrying the knocked out Krogan. Everyone turned to face him, all the guards raised their weapons at him and even some of the people that seemed like guests raised their small pistols while still holding their drinks in the other. Aria herself set her drink down on the table in front and crossed one leg over another before leaning back, looking down at him.
Clark locked his eyes on hers and he knew he had her.
That was the thing about the Asari, whether they knew it or not, they had an inborn instinct to find a strong mate just like every other species out there but the thing about the Asari is that unlike everyone else, they had a natural ability to get a sense of others aura, helps them choose a mate. It's why they try so hard to mate with other species, to get their strengths.
And according to what he was told when he first met an Asria, his aura was somewhat irresistible to them. Its why he never really had to try "give me a reason not to kill you" she said looking down at him.
Clark chuckled at her "why would you?" he asked before looking down to the bouncer "oh, him" he rather unceremoniously dropped him to the ground "I'm here for business actually" he smiled as started to walk up the stairs but stopped when the guards raised their weapons higher, making it clear they were really taking aim "tell you what" he looked back at her as he raised his hands on a surrender gesture "I'll just ask you what I want, you can tell me what you want in return and we'll work something out" he added.
Aria looked at him intently for a moment before she raised her hand and gestured for everyone to relax "alright, have a seat" she gestured to the seat next to her "and how exactly did a human knock out a Krogan?" she asked.
"oh, that's easy" Clark said as he sat next to her, a little closer than she would have liked but before she could tell him to back off, she must have gotten a stronger hint of his aura because she was dazed for a moment as her eyes glossed over. She crossed one leg over the other in order to hide her arousal and Clark smirked at the attempt "I just hit him, really really hard"
She turned her head and flicked her hand at someone nearby "get us a round" she ordered, as they left, she turned to face him "now what business do you have on my station?" she asked.
Clark leaned back and placed an arm on the back of the couch, just behind Aria but not touching her "I'm looking for someone, two people acutely. I'd like their help with a small expedition of mine" he answered.
Aria looked uneasy for a moment, no doubt trying to regain her composure. Which to her credit, she seemed to do "and who are these people?"
"A rather smart Salarian named Mordin Solus. And a certain vigilante by the name Archangel that seems to be causing trouble for your little gangs" he didn't miss the scowls and looks of rage he got from many different people as he described the gangs as little, made Aria smirk though.
"and where are you heading?" she added "this expedition of yours" the servant returned with the drinks and Clark didn't miss it.
He realized a while ago that there was only one type of alcohol in the galaxy that had any type of effect on him and that was Ranchol, the Krogan drink and even then. He needed to drink literal gallons of the stuff to get a light buzz, on its own it did nothing, he knew that was his own drink but he didn't know what Aria had "well" he started as he took the glass and downed the entire thing without any hesitation or signs of pain after "I'm taking a crew through the Omega four relay" he answered as he put the glass down.
Aria didn't say anything for a moment, no doubt just thinking about how he was able to drink that as if it where water, even some Krogan had trouble drinking Ranchol "the Omega four relay" she said back taking a swig of her own drink before setting it down "no ship going through that has ever returned"
"Oh, I'm well aware" he nodded "but you don't need to worry about that. So, what do you want for that information?" he asked already knowing the answer.
Aria looked him up and down for a moment, taking a good look at him trying to deicide something "you ever been with an Asari?" she asked.
"yep" he said back immediately as he scuffled closer and pulled his arm back from the back of the couch placed it on her lower back, which she didn't fight against "it was fun but they all have the same problem" he admitted.
"oh" she placed a hand on his chest and without any shame or embarrassment she lowered her hand and grabbed his crotch. He had to give her credit, when she wanted something, she went for it "and what problem is that?" she asked fondling him a little more, getting a good feel for him.
He leaned in and placed his mouth right next to his ear "they were out to quickly" he said leaning back with a smirk.
Aria frowned at him, no doubt not liking the challenge he just gave her frowned at him "alright then" she scowled before standing up "come with me" she said as she started to walk away.
Clark held a smirk as he followed her towards the entrance of a personal elevator that he could guess where it led. He stood beside her as they entered and the door closed "here's the deal" she said as she turned to face and placed both hands on his chest, he felt her push against him and he allowed her to feel he was just a regular human, so he fell backwards against the elevator wall. Without missing a beat, she reached into his pants and pulled out his cock "you think Asari are weak?" she asked with a smirk as she rubbed both her hands against his member.
He smirked at her "I don't think" he countered before he grabbed her by the sides and lifted her up before smashing her against the opposite wall, a little stronger than necessary. It didn't take him long to realize that she must have had a type of dominant fetish or something along those lines. Before she could recover, he ripped her top clothes off leaving her chest bare "I know" he finished as he practically attacked her breasts with his mouth.
He heard the door open behind him over the pleasurable sounds she was making. He almost didn't notice the Biotic energy around him until he felt the foot connect with his chest, once again. He allowed her to feel she had some chance of being in charge, he used his own power to fly backwards and landed on the edge of a bed.
He allowed a savage smirk to appear on his as he saw her use her own Botic power to rip off what was left of her clothes leaving her completely bare "then it's time to prove it" she said "you outlast me, I give you the info. I outlast you, I have you killed for knocking out my security" she stood in front of him before grabbing him by the neck and pushing him back on the bed before straddling him.
"Deal" he said "nice place by the way" he commented on what he had to admit was a very nice place, bigger than his new room on the Normandy. Nice open floor plan.
"Shut up and fuck" she scowled at him as she aliened herself with him.
"I'm Clark by the way" he said as he wrapped his arms around his waist and pushed her down on him, impaling her.
"I don't care" she scowled.
Miranda gave out a sigh as she continued to lean back against the railing with her arms crossed, Jacob standing next to her standing a little more strongly. No doubt to try and intimidate anyone who wants to cause trouble for the two humans "it's been half an hour" Jacob said "do you think we should do something? Make sure there's no trouble?" he guessed.
Miranda gave him a raised eyebrow "what could cause trouble for him?" she asked.
Jacob looked at her before sighing "I don't know" he stepped next to her and leaned forward, resting his hands on the railing he looked out over the city "I've got to admit, working with him. It's not what I was expecting" he admitted.
"what were you expecting?" she asked.
He looked down and sighed "I don't know, just not someone who is so calm and casual about pretty much everything. I guess I was expecting some who is so... god like to be more serious about this"
"he doesn't like being called that" Miranda told him automatically, remembering how he acted and how scared she felt when she compared him to a god "but you can't be surprised, when nothing ever poses a threat to you, why would you take it seriously?" she asked him rhetorically.
"it's not like I think he's worried about himself" Jacob calmly argued back "it's just, I thought with the threat of galaxy wide extinction... I don't know" he added.
"don't forget, he still doesn't believe that the Reapers are real" she said back standing up straight "maybe when we get the proof he needs, he'll start to care a little more"
"do you think he does?" he said back quickly "care, I mean"
Miranda looked at him and as she opened her mouth to speak both she and Jacob jumped slightly as the topic of their conversation speeded back over in between them "ok, you two" he said calmly as he stood calmly in the middle of them "here's the plan"
"Sir, where have you been?" Miranda asked with a surprised voice.
"did you get the intel?" Jacob added.
He looked at Miranda "I was in the club getting the intel" he looked to Jacob "yes I got the intel. Now both of you listen" he finished as leaned back against the same railing as before "bit of a tricky situation" he started "Mordin is about three miles that way" he pointed off to the distance "he's running a small clinic trying to help with a small plague that seems to have sprung up in the area that targets none humans, very nasty stuff. That's where you two are going?" he instructed.
"understood sir" Jacob immediately said with a straight back.
"just us two sir" Miranda asked "don't tell me a small plague is the reason you're not coming?" she asked with a surprised tone even though it was sarcastic.
Clark raised an eye brow at her and crossed his arms "I could breathe in nothing but nuclear radiation for days at a time or not breathe at all and be fine" he confirmed with a sure tone "I'm not going with you because we don't have time, seems are friend Garrus is in real trouble. He's about to be attacked by a tag team of the Eclipse, Blue sons and Blood pack. He won't last the next few hours" he explained.
"not to question you but are you sure that's wise?" Miranda said with an uncertain tone "surely you would have a better chance to convince Souls then we would"
"you're right, I would" Clark agreed "but you have some chance to convince Souls and no chance whatsoever to convince Garrus" he turned his head and saw a nearby drop ship take off and fly towards one of the rock spires "I've got to go" he said "you can consider this an order if it makes it easier, do what you can to help him and if you need to convince him, just tell him the truth, about mission and me"
Miranda did a double take at that, even Jacob looked conflicted at that "ok, are you really sure that's wise?" she asked again, this time her face held a look of worry and confliction.
Clark rolled his eyes again "come on, I thought you two where smart. He was a member of the STG, he'll know who I am. Tell him he'll get to work with me closely, even if he doesn't believe you. It'll be enough to get him to hear you out at the very least" the ship that lifted off began to leave his line of sight "get it done" he said again before he turned and jumped off the ledge, the others watching intently as he started to fly after it.
"I don't think I'm ever gonna get used to seeing that" Jacob commented.
Clark kept a calm face as he flew after the transport ship, trying to ignore the smell that was making its way up his nose, the tail of his coat swaying in the wind. As he reached the ship, he quietly landed on top of it in a crouched position, not wanting to be seen by anyone. Extending his hearing out trying to find something that could lead to the location he was looking for, not an easy thing considering this might just be one of the most violent places in the galaxy. There's gunfire everywhere none stop in this place.
Sighing, he stopped trying and just waited, no point hurting his hearing trying to listen to everything that was going on, better to just close it off for now and wait & see. Two minutes after he landed, he felt the ship start to slow down and descend, looking forward he saw that the ship was coming in to land. Not wanting to waste any time he stood up and turned around, seeing one of the thrusters, his eyes glowed and with a small almost bullet like laser of solar energy firing out of his eye and hit the thruster.
Ignoring the shaking and the panicked shouting of those inside, Clark calmly walked forward as the shuttle started to go down. As it neared the landing zone, a small platform that led into another large building complex. Taking a second to do the math such as how far away the ship needs to go and how fast they were going. Walking forward to the very front of the ship, over the pilot's window.
Hopping up into the air just before they hit the landing platform, Clark calmly landed on the metal ground while the shuttle fell just a little further and missed. Clark walked forward and dusted some grime off his shoulder ignoring the explosion that just happened underneath his feet. Though that didn't go unnoticed, a blue Sun's merc came up to him "what the hell happened?" he asked with a shocked but unconcerned voice.
"Don't worry about it" Clark said as he kept on walking "where's the target?" he asked.
"did they tell you what we're up against?" he asked walking in step beside him.
"A merc" Clark guessed back as they walked, going past many different members of all three of the primary mercenary organizations. The Blue Sons, Eclipse and Blood Pack.
"oh yeah sure" the Batarian nodded with a sarcastic voice "just a merc, who has killed a grand total fifty-six other mercs. The reward for his head is massive. If you're a part of the other gangs, which I doubt considering what you're wearing" he added looking Clark up and down "do you even have a weapon?" he asked as the sound of gun fire got louder, at least loud enough for normal people to hear.
"I am the weapon" he said back calmly as they entered a large garage like area, that held an elevated walkway on the right of them which held different mercs that where shooting at what but based on what he just heard Clark stopped walking and held out his arm to stop his escort, before he could ask what he was doing the body of a bleeding Merc fell down in front of them. Bleeding from his head.
"Right" the Merc just said as he and Clark stepped over the body "Freelancer. if that's the case and you're on your own, if you get the kill and take credit you get all the reward" he explained as they walked through a door and was met with a large collection of different people all of which were gearing up for an attack "Archangel's holed up in a building at the end of the boulevard within the complex, through that door over there" he pointed to the door om the other end of the room "it leads you to an exposed bridge that he over looks, turned it the entire thing into a killing field. Thankfully he's been at this for a good two days now, he's making mistakes, we'll have him soon enough" he turned around "I'll leave you to it" his guide left.
Clark didn't pay him any mind, nor did he care much as he walked forward, past the leaders of all three merc gangs. Each if which discussing their own plans to take this guy down, as he did walk. He couldn't help but be a little impressed, this Garrus must be very good at what he does if he's got this much attention "who's that?" he heard someone say as he neared the door.
"don't worry about it" another voice added with a dismissive tone "just another freelancer that thinks he's hot shit, doesn't even have armour. Won't last long" it continued.
Clark opened the door and was met with an improvised barricade and another group of mercs, he couldn't help but notice that these guys looked like freelancers too, looking a little further down he could see a gunship that was getting ready to take off "Check" a voice said "Bravo team, go go go" he said.
Clark held back a sigh as he saw a bunch of, well kids really. Jump over the barricade and make start firing on the high balcony of the boulevard. Realizing that he doesn't have a reason to stop now, he makes his way over the barricade and lands on the bridge, just slightly behind the freelancers that where walking forward, shooting randomly at the target who was behind cover. At least until he popped out and fired, easily killing one of the targets.
"FORWARD!" someone shouted before he was shot. Clark just rolled his eyes as he walked, coming up behind someone who about to fire a grenade launcher. That was until Clark grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him off the bridge screaming in fear as he did. Funny thing was that he didn't think Archangel saw him do that cause as he walked forward a mass effect round landed right in the middle of his head. Not that he barely noticed and judging by the way he looked up and saw the vigilante was staring at him and lowered his weapon, no doubt wondering why he was still alive. Clark smirked at him as he walked forward.
Normally he would just fly up, grab Garrus and leave but there where to many cameras around the area and he really didn't want others to see him, being hunted down by the Citadel was enough for him, he didn't need to Terminus systems to do it as well. So, he calmly walked forward into the house trying to ignore the shouting coming from those that made it inside. Stepping through the door he counted six from what he could hear, coming up from behind him one he raised his hand and at the speed on sound delivered a punched to the back of her neck, instantly severing the spine from the head, killing her instantly. As her body fell, Clark grabbed the gun she was holding and walked forward. Without turning his head, he raised the pistol and fired. Hitting someone who was taking cover behind a couch.
Which wasn't a quite thing to do, the others in the building turned towards him "He's with Archangel!" one of them yelled. He made his way up the stairs and was met with someone who was positioned half way down and another at the top, the one in the middle raised his weapon. Clark breathed in and waited for the right moment, which was around one to two seconds, when he saw the Salarians finger pull the trigger, he exhaled. The sudden, sharp and almost hurricane like power forced him to turn around as his weapon fired, causing him to hit the other freelancer and before he could wonder what happened. Clark's hand grabbed the back of his head threw him to the side, the force of the impact with the wall caused him to die on impact.
Clark reached out as the body slid down the wall and grabbed a grenade from his waist, reaching the top of the stairs, he activated the bomb and threw it towards the door without looking, as he did. The last two freelancers that were trying to get through the door could only scream before the weapon went off, killing them both and partially getting the door to Archangel.
Now that the building was clear he walked forward towards the door, not giving the corpses he made a second glance as he stepped over them and when he reached the door, he gave it a shove and it fell to the ground.
As he stepped in the room, he turned his head and in the span of a millisecond. He leaned his head back and he just missed the grandee that was fired from a rifle, it hit the wall behind him and exploded. Of course that wouldn't have hurt him but he didn't want to ruin the clothes he was wearing, it looked good and was a nice feel.
Turning his head, he turned and saw the man in question who was aiming his sniper at him "Garrus Vakarian?" Clark asked as he walked forward.
"How do you know my name?" Garrus asked as he fired, once again hitting him in the middle of the head. Again, which didn't affect him at all "what are you?" he asked.
"someone who wants to talk to about the Reapers" Clark said as he walked forward, taking a glance around the room. He smiled at the no cameras that were around. Before Garrus could blink Clark was behind him with a hand on the back of his head and another grabbing his hand.
"what are you doing?" Garrus asked, clearly alarmed and trying to get out of his grip, which of course he couldn't.
"holding your neck so you don't get whiplash" he explained honestly. There was a reason why he didn't do this outside, mainly being that there was camera on him. If he does it now when no-one could record what is seen, then they just see a blur and ignore it but if he does when he is seen then he disappears from plain view and that would attract attention he didn't need.
It must have been the sheer randomness of what he said that caused Garrus to stop struggling "what?" he asked completely confused.
Clark turned his head and he couldn't help but smirk "Whip... Lash" he said slower. Before Garrus could ask anything else, there was a gust of wind and they were gone.
In front of the Afterlife club, where he was standing with Miranda and Jacob before. There was nothing there and suddenly there was. For what anyone could see, a Human and a fully armoured Turian were standing there.
Clark let go of Garrus and stepped back knowing what was going to happen next. Archangel took a moment before he jerked forward and took off his helmet before moving towards the railing throwing up over the side "you ok?" Clark asked looking around, making sure no one was going to try something.
"wha..." he tried to speak but throw up again "what in the spirits name was that?" he asked as he picked himself up.
Clark shrugged "about five hundred miles an hour. Don't worry, you'll be fine in a few minutes, it'll give us time to talk" he said "you were a part of Commander Shepards crew, right?" he asked.
Garrus looked towards him "how the hell did you do that, no one can move that fast. What kind of tech did you use?" he asked and Clark couldn't blame him, Garrus seemed like a rational person. So he was trying to rationalize what he just saw.
"no tech, just power" he said. "I want you to tell me what you know about the Reapers" he asked.
"what do you care about that?" Garrus said back as he reached down and grabbed his helmet.
"I care enough to know the truth" he leaned back and crossed his arms, much like before "see right now, I don't believe in the Reapers but I've approached by Cerebrus to find proof that they're real" he explained.
Garrus gave out a chuckle "the Citadel council says they're not real but a human terrorist group does" he leaned back himself, no doubt amazed by the irony of the situation "what does that tell you?" he muttered to himself.
"Here's the deal Garrus" Clark said as looked forward, keeping an eye on the area "I'm what you could call a scholar" he wasn't lying when he said that either "I spend most of my time hunting for information, solving mysterious, answering the unanswerable questions. When I found out what happened two years ago, yeah, I was very shocked. But I didn't buy the councils shit about it all being the Geth and I especially didn't believe what they said about Seran, an organic somehow convinced an entire race on A.I to believe anything, let alone a type of god. That's just stupid, I'm amazed anyone believed that" he added.
Garrus laughed a little at that "that is the stupidity of the masses" he explained.
Clark chuckled "True but just because I didn't believe that doesn't mean I believe the whole Reaper story"
Garrus turned to face him "So what's this all about then?" he asked, not sounding upset about someone else not believing him.
"I told you" he said turning to face the Turian "I'm a type of scholar, Cerberus came to me because I have a very... particular set abilities that make my job much easier. That's why I'm here, looking for you" he stood up straight and stepped in front of Garrus "I'd like you to join my crew, we're going to be hunting down leads on the Reapers while at the same time gathering others like yourself"
"like me?" Garrus asked "what do you mean?" he asked.
"someone who has connections and ways into high seats of government" he explained "with you, that's your father. If we get you evidence, you take that to your dad, who takes it the primarch"
Garrus looked down for a moment "I haven't spoken to my Father or sister since they refused to listen to me last time" he did sound like he had some shame in his voice.
"well, this time will be different" Clark assured him.
"how?" Garrus asked as he looked back up to the Kryptionain "what leads on the Reapers do you have exactly?" he asked.
"you ever hear of the collectors?" Clark asked back and received a nod "they've been very active lately, targeting human colonies and abducting everyone. They've taken tens of thousands of them. Cerberus believes they are doing this on the Reapers command. We're going to hunt them down and see what we can find" he explained "hopefully by the time that's done we'll have crew full of different members of each race that have at least some say in government"
Before Garrus could respond, the omni-tool on Clarks wrist vibrated and he saw that it was from Miranda "think about it" Clark said as he took a few steps away "Miranda?" Clark answered.
"Sir" she said "I'm calling to let you know that myself and Jacob are heading back with Doctor Souls" she spoke calmly.
"any complications?" he asked.
"yes sir, it seems this plague was a bioweapon that seems to have been created by the collectors" she said.
Clarks eye brows rose "is that right?" he asked.
"so, it would seem. Thankfully it's under control now and a cure is being pumped through the air systems as we speak"
"Good, I trust the doctor has the data about this plague" he asked, already thinking about how long it would take to break that down in the lab the ship has.
"yes, he's bringing all the data with him" she said before sighing "I should also let you know that he's not joining the crew, at least not yet. We only convinced him to come aboard at the promise that you would be there"
"well, I saw that coming. Good work Miranda, tell Jacob the same" he said back calmly.
"thank you, sir, did you have some more luck?" she asked.
Clark turned to look at Garrus who was listening to the call. He stood up straight and nodded at him "yeah, Garrus and I will meet you on the ship" he said before hanging up the call and stepped towards the Turian "I look forward to working with you" he raised his hand and shook Garrus's own "I'm Clark"
OK guys, let me know what you all thought in the reviews down below. Any questions give me a message and I'll be sure to answer. Until then I'll see you all in the next chapter.