"Listen up," Zane's voice cut through the silence, his tone sharp yet imbued with a calm that belied the gravity of their mission. "You've all been briefed on Arius Farren. This man," he gestured towards the screen, "is not just a target; he's a message. Dominic Solis wants him eliminated, and we're the messengers."
Beside him stood two other squad members, each embodying the pinnacle of Eclipse's new soldier program. First was Torin, a brute of a man whose muscles bulged under the strain of his power. Then there was Syl, whose quick reflexes and keen tactical mind made her an invaluable asset despite her tendency to push her body beyond its limits.
"Farren is resistant to biotics, cunning, and highly lethal. You may have noticed his dossier stated that he possesses a unique Prothean weapon - our intel has confirmed he did not bring it aboard the station, putting him at a disadvantage."
"Too bad - been looking for a new toy," Torin remarked.
Zane, ignoring the remark, continued. "Our previous encounters," he said, changing the screens to show recordings taken in the outer station' commons area, "have shown that he won't hesitate to use psychological warfare, guerilla techniques, or environmental manipulation. He even has a healing factor…" he informed them through a smile, which somehow made him look more unsettling, "so don't fret, Torin, you'll get your play time."
Torin shifted uneasily, the mention of Farren's capabilities igniting a spark of eagerness mingled with an underlying current of anxiety. Syl, however, remained stoic, her eyes fixed on the screen, absorbing every detail with a calculating intensity.
"We, on the other hand, have been given a significant advantage," Zane said, "Unlike the earlier squads, Control thinks that with the conditioning we received, we can match Farren blow for blow."
"And that healing factor?" Syl asked.
"For us, a gift from the lab geeks," he replied, tossing her a sleek metallic cylinder that she caught effortlessly. "We'll be the first to use it in real combat. And for him," he continued, removing a second from his belt and brandishing it, "enough O-E to permanently fry anyone's nervous system - healing factor or not."
"O-E? Omega-enkaphalin?" Syl repeated, surprised. "So Cerberus really did develop a compound to disrupt biotic powers? You think it'll work?"
"Apparently so. I didn't ask how, but Solis managed to get some just for him," Zane said, nodding to Farren's profile image onscreen. "Just in case we run into trouble handling him. He must really hate the bastard; I almost feel sorry for him." The squad leader returned the canister to his belt. "Both of you, get ready. We deploy in ten. Meet me at the checkpoint."
.
"Alright," Zane relayed once the team was armed and ready by the checkpoint doors. "Control recently sent in Echo team to try and flush out Farren. They haven't returned, and they're out of range of the cameras."
"We're stuck doing a rescue? You promised me a good fight."
"It isn't, you're still getting one. Everyone already deployed is expendable. Our primary objective is to eliminate Farren. The secondary is to check for any survivors."
"Do we have comms?" Syl asked, twirling the thin metal canister she had earlier been given in one hand.
"Negative. Control is keeping comms blocked to prevent Farren from calling for backup. The lights are still off, but we'll be entering from the security office, so that'll be the first stop. Any more questions?" His gaze passed over both. "No? Then let's go. Syl, unseal the checkpoint door."
As the checkpoint door hissed open, Zane, Torin, and Syl stepped into a world of darkness, their helmet lights piercing through the shadows. Zane led the way, his steps measured, Torin and Syl flanking him, their movements quiet. The door was resealed behind them.
The security office loomed ahead, a dark void against the emergency lights' dim glow. A line of gunfire highlighted the opposing wall, and a body slumped at the base of it. Though the door to the office was still locked, a large hole had been made through the front glass, wide enough to fit a body. Overriding the locked door with their elevated access, they entered cautiously, finding a still-seated officer half-blown to bits and a shivering recruit, still alive, hiding under the counter.
"Raika Voss?"
"Yes," Raika managed, her voice barely above a whisper as she emerged from her hiding spot, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and relief at the sight of the new arrivals.
Zane assessed her quickly, noting the absence of visible injuries but the clear signs of psychological strain. "You're coming with us. We're here to finish the job you couldn't."
Raika stiffened at his words, a flash of indignation crossing her face. "It's not that simple. You don't understand what's happening here," she said, her voice gaining strength.
Zane, however, was unmoved. "Save it. Our orders are clear. Farren is the target. Everything else is secondary."
Torin, ever eager for confrontation, scanned the room with impatience. "Where's Farren now?"
"He was here in the lobby," Raika admitted, "but he left after Echo team arrived. I don't know where he is now."
"And he left you alive?" Syl asked pointedly, eyeing the recruit with suspicion. "Why?"
Raika hesitated, her mind racing with the revelations Arius had shared with her, the dire truth of the situation eclipsing her initial mission parameters. "He said it was because… I didn't try killing him outright. He's not the enemy we were led to believe," she finally said, the conviction in her voice surprising even herself. "He said he was fighting against a greater threat, one that Mr. Solis is unwittingly aiding."
Zane scoffed, the skepticism clear in his tone. "Sounds like Farren got to you. His profile did say he had a silver tongue. Got you believing his tales. Our orders stand. He's a threat to Eclipse and needs to be neutralized. Dominic has his vision for the Eclipse, and we are its enforcers. Now, unless you have actionable intel on Farren's location, you're just another liability."
Before Raika could argue further, Zane turned from her to regard his squad. "Echo team was last seen heading out of the commons before we lost visual contact. That's our next stop. Voss, you're with us. Stay behind and try not to get in the way. Torin, cycle the lights."
The hulking mercenary pulled the oversized breaker in the security office, and with a hum, the lights in the block flickered on. It began to steady when the grid abruptly fell into darkness again. Torin repeated the procedure twice more, but again, the lighting refused to cooperate.
Syl checked her omni-tool, syncing it with the console. "We have the power, but it keeps getting overloaded. Something, Farren perhaps, keeps knocking it out."
"We proceed anyways," Zane ordered. "On me."
The tension in the room was palpable as they prepared to move out, Raika now reluctantly included in their numbers. The dynamic had shifted; though she was ostensibly a part of the team, her allegiance was torn. The knowledge imparted by Arius weighed heavily on her, casting doubt on the very mission she had been a part of.
As they retraced the steps of earlier teams, navigating through the dark, twisted corridors to the commons littered with the aftermath of chaos and conflict, the station felt more like a mausoleum than a bustling hub of mercenary activity. The bodies of fallen comrades served as grim markers, their silent testimony a stark reminder of the lethal game of cat and mouse they were engaged in. Once the room was reported as secure, Syl tagged each body, marking each deceased with a KIA status for a later report.
Zane gestured silently, and the squad immediately halted. A faint groan pierced the stillness emanating from behind the doors across the commons. With a subtle nod, Zane directed Syl towards the source. She moved with precision, easing the doors open to reveal the grim aftermath within.
The scene before them bore the unmistakable marks of a fierce struggle. Echo team's remnants were strewn about, their uniforms torn, the floor smeared with their blood. Amidst the devastation, they discovered the noise's origin: a lone survivor slumped against a wall, his breaths shallow. His Eclipse-issued helmet was marred by a significant crack, evidence of a severe impact, while a bullet wound on his side had been hastily treated with medi-gel.
Syl crouched by him, checking his vitals. "He's weak but stable."
The mercenary's voice was tired, tinged with pain and a distinct accent. "Lieutenant Creel o' Echo team... Ah need... tae get tae the infirmary…"
Syl nodded to Zane, confirming the identity of the suit owner. Their second survivor.
"No can do," Torin said gruffly. "You're with us now. If we backtrack, we lose ground."
"Ye mean that... that beastie is still oot there?" Creel coughed out, the effort paining him. "Lord have mercy. We should jist… vent the sector… and be dune wi' it."
"That's plan B. Get him on his feet," Zane ordered Torin. Despite his injuries, the mercenary was hauled to his feet, given a weapon, and pushed into formation. Still dazed, he followed in front of Raika as they pushed deeper.
Raika's curiosity got the better of her. "What happened to you?" she whispered to their new addition.
"I dinnae ken..." Creel murmured back, his voice a whisper of confusion. He glanced at the fallen members of Echo team and shook his head in dismay. "What a dreadful waste. All for what? Some daft pissing contest?"
"Shut it, both of you," Torin warned sternly, "Don't speak unless spoken to if you want to leave here alive."
Creel raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, though it only irritated Torin further.
Leading the way, Zane methodically checked off sectors on their map as cleared. He ordered Syl to open the next set of doors, and then it became clear why she was chosen to vanguard. A trap seemed to have been triggered by the opening, and in the time it took for the door to slide open, Syl had leaped backwards in a split decision, possibly saving her life. A series of explosions resounded on the other side of the door, peppering them with shrapnel from the metal spalling and breaking the door's operating mechanism.
Though the blast was too distant to cause serious harm, Creel, already weakened and slow to react, bore the brunt of the metal fragments, knocking him down. Groaning, he pulled himself off the floor. "Arh, just ma luck," he grumbled, removing pieces of shrapnel from his armour. "And noo I find oot ma shields are compromised. Braw."
Zane, ignoring the comment, sneered. "If Farren didn't know we were here before, he does now. Torin, the door, if you please."
With an expression that could only be described as glee, the lumbering mercenary took hold of the jammed door and wrenched with his whole body. The force was so great that the metal creaked and yielded under his arms, folding over like a sheet of cardboard to grant them passage.
"Is it just me, or have ye been eating yer porridge?" Creel quipped, clearly impressed by Torin's display of strength.
Torin's patience wore thin. "I thought I made myself clear about talking."
"Aye."
They continued, navigating through the remnants of earlier confrontations, their path marked by abandoned weapons and stark bloodstains. Following the trail of previous teams, they moved through the desolate corridors until they arrived at the boardrooms.
The boardroom doors stood ajar, the wall gaping - silent invitations to the chaos that had unfolded within. Zane raised a hand, signalling for silence as they approached. The interior was a scene of destruction, with overturned chairs and shattered glass. The bodies of Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie team members were scattered across the floor, a grim reminder of the deadly efficiency of their quarry.
As they stepped inside, the air was thick with the metallic scent of blood and the acrid smell of spent ammunition. Syl moved ahead, her steps cautious but determined, scanning the room for any sign of life—or their target.
Raika's eyes wandered to the forms of her recent colleagues, now cold. She turned away from the sight, feeling ill.
"Clear," Syl finally called out, her voice echoing slightly in the vast, empty space. "But he was just here. Look," she gestured towards a series of blade holes that marred the bodies and the blood that spattered across the floor. "Some of these wounds were inflicted post-mortem. There's no hemorrhaging on some of these slits."
"What does that mean?" Torin asked.
"He returned later to make sure they were dead," Zane answered grimly. "We're not going to find him by standing around. Syl, check the adjacent rooms. Torin, secure the perimeter. Raika, Creel, with me."
They split up, each moving with purpose. Raika couldn't help but feel a sense of dread creeping up her spine. Every shadow seemed to move, every sound echoed like a gunshot. She kept her weapon raised, her finger twitching on the trigger, ready for any sign of Farren—or whatever else might be lurking in the darkness.
As they moved through the adjoining rooms, the evidence of Arius Farren's passage was everywhere. More blood, more destruction, but no sign of the man himself. It was as if he had vanished into thin air, leaving only death and chaos in his wake.
"Found somethin'!" Creel suddenly shouted, pulling onto a table an open munitions case. Zane and Raika peered at the contents. Inside were the remains of a unique-looking weapon, charred black and burned to the point of almost being completely unrecognizable. "Farren fancied himself a weapon's maker, aye? I reckon he brought this aboard and then destroyed it. Quite curious."
"Whatever it was, it's useless now."
Syl appeared in the doorway a moment later with a bundle of wires and an omni-tool. "I found what's tripping the lights. Farren wired this up to the power junction - when the power gets restored, it automatically charges the EMP and knocks it out again. Smart."
"So he's not actually here?" Zane pulled up his map, double-checking any rooms or passages they might have missed. "Nothing," the squad leader muttered, frustration evident in his voice as they regrouped. "He can't have just evaporated."
"Ye reckon he's hidin' in the wee vents?"
"Or waiting for us to let our guard down," Syl added, her voice tense. She had seen enough to know they were dealing with someone—or something—far beyond their usual targets.
"We can't let him get away," Torin growled, the thrill of the hunt shining in his eyes. "Not after what he's done."
Zane, sensing the team's growing frustration, made a decision. "We can't chase shadows. Let's move back to the security office and regroup. I have an idea."
The team, albeit reluctantly, followed Zane's command, making their way back to the security office. Though familiar, The station's corridors felt more oppressive than ever with the knowledge that their enemy was both nowhere and possibly anywhere.
Upon returning to the security office, Torin pulled the breaker again, and this time, lights flickered back to life evenly, bathing the station in artificial brightness once more. "Power's steady," Sly reported.
"Good. Syl, contact Control through the console. Tell them we're heading back to the inner station and to unseal the door."
Syl immediately set to work on the console, her fingers dancing over the holographic interface. Within a moment, the checkpoint door outside the office unlocked.
Zane stepped out of the office, looking down the lobby for any movements and finding none, ordered the others, "Let's go, all of you, now, back to the inner station."
Raika was first, followed by Creel, Syl, and then Torin. Zane stepped through last, then sealed the door behind him. Connection to Control restored, the squad leader put his fingers to his ear.
Zane's voice was stern and deliberate as he spoke into the comm, his gaze fixed on the sealed door behind which they had left a swath of the station, now eerily silent. "Control, this is Zane. Authorization code Delta-4-9 Tango. Initiate a venting of block C-12."
There was a brief pause before Control's voice crackled through, measured and equally serious. "Confirm, Zane. You're requesting to vent block C-12? This action will result in total decompression of the area. Confirm the status of personnel in the affected block."
Zane's jaw tightened, his eyes betraying a flicker of conflict that he quickly smothered with resolve. "Confirmed, Control. Block C-12 is compromised. We have an extreme containment breach scenario. The block is to be considered hostile territory. No friendly personnel remain in the zone. Execute the venting."
Control's response was immediate, a hint of solemnity in their tone. "Acknowledged, Zane. Initiating in 60 seconds. All personnel are advised to clear the area. Control out."
Zane turned to his team, his expression hard. "It's done. We're sealing off and venting the block. It's our best shot at forcing him into the open."
Syl nodded, understanding the gravity of the decision. "And the bodies? The aftermath?"
"We'll recover what we can, once it's safe," Zane's voice softened just a fraction. "But right now, our priority is to neutralize the threat. We can't let Farren—or whatever he's unleashed—get a foothold anywhere else on this station."
The moment the protocol was activated, distant alarms began to wail, a final warning echoing through the station's corridors. The sound was a haunting prelude to the irreversible action that was about to take place. Then, with a mechanical precision that belied the violence of the act, the emergency bulkheads within block C-12 sealed off every exit and entrance, isolating it completely from the rest of the station.
For a brief moment, there was nothing—no indication of the chaos to come. Then, without any dramatic flourish, the venting began. Hidden vents opened to the cold vacuum of space, and the air within block C-12 began to rush out in a violent, unstoppable exodus. Papers, loose objects, bodies, and unsecured equipment became a maelstrom of debris, swirling toward the vents in a frenzied hurricane of destruction.
The process was brutally efficient. Within seconds, the block was devoid of air, the silence of the vacuum replacing the previous cacophony. The only evidence of what had transpired was the occasional piece of debris that clattered against the interior walls, now moving only due to the momentum of their initial expulsion.
From their vantage point, the team could only imagine the scene within the vented block. Surveillance systems, rendered inoperative by the decompression, could no longer provide a glimpse into the area they had sacrificed in their battle against an unseen foe.
Once the venting was complete, the station's systems automatically began to stabilize the pressure in the surrounding blocks, ensuring the safety of the rest of the station. The emergency lights, which had flickered and dimmed during the process, steadied and returned to the full, proper lightning.
Zane turned to his team, his gaze sweeping over each of them, taking in the weariness and the tension that had settled into their bones after the ordeal. He cleared his throat, his voice carrying a note of command softened by the undercurrent of shared hardship. "They'll send recovery teams to gather the bodies once it's safe. Torin, Syl, you've both done more than enough today. Go get some rest. I'll call for you when we have our next steps laid out. We need you at your best."
Torin nodded, the lines of fatigue momentarily breaking through his usual stoicism. Syl, too, acknowledged the order, her expression betraying a flicker of relief at the prospect of a momentary respite from the tension that had been their constant companion.
Zane's gaze then shifted to Raika. "Raika, help Creel down to the infirmary. Make sure he gets checked out properly. We can't afford any more surprises. Sign in afterwards to get reassigned to a new squad."
Creel, who had maintained silence, gave a small nod of gratitude. Raika, caught slightly off guard by the direct order but understanding the importance of the task, stepped forward to assist Creel, ready to support him as they made their way to the medical bay.
The team dispersed silently, each member lost in their own thoughts as they followed Zane's orders.
.
In the dimly lit quarters assigned to him for rest, Zane sat on the edge of his bunk, staring blankly at the metal wall opposite. His mind was a whirlwind of strategy and visualization, replaying the day's events, searching for any detail he might have missed, any sign that could have predicted the outcome of their confrontation, or lack thereof, with Farren. The brief respite felt more like a pause in a storm rather than any real opportunity for rest.
The quiet hum of the station was suddenly broken by the chirp of his communicator, a direct line from Control. He reached for it, activating the connection with a sense of foreboding. "Zane here. Report."
The voice of Control was crisp, betraying none of the weariness Zane felt. "We've completed the initial sweep and recovery in block C-12. Most of the teams you marked... they're accounted for with one exception."
Zane tensed, "Go ahead."
"We recovered Lieutenant Creel's body among those vented from the block, not listed on your casualty report. It's confirmed – it's him. There's no mistake."
A cold shock ran through Zane, the implications of Control's words hitting him with the force of a physical blow. For a moment, he couldn't speak, his strategic mind racing to catch up with this new, unsettling piece of information. "Creel? That's impossible. He was with us... He walked back to the inner station with Raika. I sent him to the infirmary…. with Raika…"
There was a brief pause on the line, a hesitation that spoke volumes. "That's the situation, Zane. The recovery team double-checked. It's definitely Creel. I don't know how to explain it, but the person you brought back isn't him."
Zane's mind raced, the puzzle pieces clicking into place with a clarity he wished he hadn't: The fact that 'Creel' hadn't been double-tapped like the other bodies. The fact he always wore his helmet. The fact that his shields malfunctioned. The fact that he had immediately asked to be brought to the infirmary within the inner station. It had been Farren. The reason they couldn't find Farren was because he had been standing beside them the whole time. He had been right there, under their noses, and they had all been deceived.
"Control, this is a priority one situation. I need Raika Voss located immediately."
