CHAPTER 3: CONSQUENCES

Mallory lay on the floor of her apartment's bathroom. Mallory groaned as she slowly got up. Joints popped as her feet gained the floor. Mallory wiped blood from her nose and looked in the mirror to make sure it was all gone. Satisfied it was, Mallory stared at her nude form in the mirror. Her entire body was grey. Mallory turned from the mirror in a sudden fit of shame.

When Crystal was her age, she was beautiful. Mallory remembered being protective of the bartender whenever patrons of the Red Room got a little bit handsy. To this day, Crystal's blonde hair shined underneath the accent lighting in the Reds' bar.

Mallory ran her head through her dull hair and flakes of bloody vomit fell from it. Mallory grimaced and turned to her shower. She opened the glass door and turned on the shower to let the water warm up. The Reds enforcer looked down at the toilet and flushed the bloodied vomit. She stepped into the shower and hissed as the water became hot because of her flushing the toilet.

"Damn it!" Mallory stepped out of the shower and shivered from the cold for a moment before stepping back in. Blood dripped to the floor as the hot air triggered a nosebleed. Mallory sighed as she let her head hang to let the blood run off the tip of her nose.

She was pathetic.

Mallory may not have gone to school, but she wasn't stupid. Red Sand was killing her and it was killing her fast. Crystal had told her as much. So had Chris. They wanted her to stop.

But if I stop…

If she stopped then she wouldn't be of use as a hitter for Jared. If Mallory were honest, she wasn't a good shot. Her biotics were the only thing she was really good at and she couldn't use those without Red Sand. Jared refused to buy her an amp. Said it was a waste of money if they already had Red Sand.

If she wasn't of use to Jared then she wasn't of use to the Reds. The Reds were her family. They were all family in the Reds. If she wasn't of use to family then she was worthless and had no point of living anyway. Mallory couldn't kick Red Sand. It made her everything she was.

But I'll die.

Probably not soon. She probably had a few years left at least. A few years to buy her own biotic amps with what money she was making from her cut of Red Sand business. Then she could still use her biotics and quit Red Sand. She had plenty of life left in her.

As if a higher power felt the need to specifically contradict that, Mallory felt another bout of nausea coming on…

Crystal turned the key and unlocked Mallory's apartment. Crystal had been trying to get in contact with her all day. It was now afternoon and there was still no word.

Crystal entered the apartment and covered her nose. The apartment was clean, but there was a stench coming from the bathroom. The shower was on.

As Crystal got closer she could hear Mallory heaving inside the bathroom. Crystal pushed the door open. She had bathed Mallory when she was five or six (they still weren't sure which) and was hardly concerned about Mallory being embarrassed. Hell she was still helping Mallory dress herself when she was fifteen years old.

Crystal opened the door and covered her mouth as Mallory washed the bloody vomit down the drain. Crystal felt her eyes sting as she saw flecks of blood on the toilet and walls of the shower.

Mallory turned to look at Crystal and took on a deer in the headlights look as blood ran down on cheek from a still bleeding nose.

"Crystal! What the fuck?!" Mallory covered herself, but Crystal didn't move as she felt tears run down her cheeks. Mallory stepped out of the shower and wiped her face before quickly wrapping herself in a towel. Her brown hair was soaked and sticking to the side of her head as she crossed the room to Crystal.

"Crystal?"

Crystal backed away and shook her head as a sob threatened to slip past her lips. Mallory became still and watched Crystal for moment. The Red again moved towards Crystal and this time Crystal let her surrogate daughter wrap her arms around her. Her arms were soaking wet. A sob got past Crystal and she laid her head on Mallory's towel covered chest.

When did she get so tall?

Crystal in her minds eye saw a ten year old girl wearing a red beanie cap that was several sizes to big smiling a big grin. She was missing a tooth that she'd lost in a fistfight with some other kid. Her second hand clothes were covered in filth from rolling in the dirt. Crystal looked up at the young woman that girl had become.

Mallory's blue eyes were flecked with red. They were filled with guilt. Crystal looked at Mallory's nose that had been broken once or twice. At the splash of freckles that Mallory tried so hard to hide when she was a teen. Crystal's lip trembled at the guilt the young woman felt for upsetting her.

"You've got to stop Mal."

Mallory looked into Crystal's eyes.

"I can't."

Crystal pushed away.

"Can't or won't!"

Mallory stepped away and crossed her arms.

"Jared says…"

Crystal scowled and moved further away.

"Jared says?! Did Jared raise you?! Feed you?! Clothe you?!"

Mallory swallowed and stepped away from Crystal.

"You're yelling."

Crystal's anger flared further.

"I will yell if I damn well want to! You're dying!"

Mallory closed her eyes before opening them in challenge.

"For family! I'm dying for the family!"

Crystal heard a whistling in her ears.

"I am your family."

Mallory swallowed again.

"You said we're all family in the Reds."

"I was young and stupid! Just like you! I still thought Jared cared about us!"

Anger flared in Mallory's eyes.

"He does care about us!"

"He doesn't give a shit about you!"

Mallory picked up a photo frame and hurled it against the wall. Crystal jumped backwards before glaring and moving towards the door. Mallory looked as if she was stunned at her own actions and made a move to block Crystal. Crystal shoved past and went for the door.

"Crystal…wait…" The hitch in Mallory's voice caused Crystal to miss a step before she continued forward and outside. She shut the door behind her as she heard another muffled question of "Crystal?" from the other side of the door.

Crystal saw a crying little girl in her mind's eye. She had bandages on her feet and forehead because someone had hurt her. Crystal had hugged her tight that night right before she bandaged her up. The tears hadn't stopped for most of the night. Crystal had told herself that no one would make that little girl cry ever again without paying for it. Would never hurt her without suffering the consequences.

Crystal opened her comm and clicked the contact labelled "Baby."

Chris' smirking voice sounded out of it as Crystal moved to her ground car.

"Hey, hotness."

Normally, Crystal would have smiled at the cheesy line.

Instead, Crystal put the car in drive.

"We need to stop this today."

Jared sat behind his wooden desk and smirked as messages flooded in from the Browning Street Bombers home neighborhoods. The remaining Bombers were either switching flags or were to few to threaten any part of his operation.

With the Bombers' neighborhoods in hand, Jared had both spaceports in Atlanta-Miami under his control. Thousands of gangers at his beck and call. Jared even had Alliance Security Forces officers on the payroll. Atlanta-Miami was his.

Jared walked to the window and looked down at the streets far below his new building. The boss watched a large freighter take off from the spaceport and ascend towards the heavens. Jared smiled as he watched it go. With as much money as he had rolling in, he could make a move for any other of the Megatropolises on Earth. Maybe even one of the colonies or the Citadel.

He had money. Money bought everything…even more money.

The Reds boss turned as the door slammed open and the guard fell to the ground unconscious.

Chris withdrew the fist back to his side and Crystal walked in over the unconscious Red. Was it that time already?

Jared gestured to his desk.

"Well that was one hell of entrance. Lucky for you, my schedule just opened up." Jared sat behind the desk and subtly pushed a button on the side of the desk with his foot.

"Well how fucking magnanimous…" Chris grumbled as she sat in the chair across from Jared. Crystal elected to stand with her arms cross. Jared peered at his terminal.

"What can I do for you two?"

Crystal snapped at him and he looked at her.

"You're done with Mallory."

It was that time already. Jared pursed his lips.

"Am I?"

Chris nodded.

"You are. That means no more Red Sand. No more hits. No more breaking shit for cash."

Jared threw his hands up.

"Well shit it's a little late for that isn't it? Your spitfire has made a career out of violence."

Crystal scowled.

"At your direction, yes."

Jared shrugged and smiled.

"Well I am into helping the needy. Besides it isn't like she isn't paid for services rendered."

Chris curled his lip and leaned forward.

"Paid in Red Sand."

Jared could hear footsteps coming up the hallway and smirked. Time for the coup de grace.

"As if the fucking junkie would have it any other way."

Jared expected the open-handed slap that hit him in the cheek from Crystal. He let the furious woman hit him before standing and shoving her away. He never saw Chris move as the one eyed man came over the desk. Jared covered his face as Chris threw blow after blow into the Reds boss.

There was some shouting that Jared couldn't make out before a loud snap sounded and Chris keeled over in a pile. Crystal screamed and moved towards her lover. A second snap caused her to fall sideways as dead weight.

Jared stood and dusted himself off.

The gang leader looked at the three heavily armed Reds that made up his security team.

"Get them out of here."

Before Jared could say anything else the head of one of his guards exploded. Jared whirled to the door to see a flare of blue energy throw another guard into the ceiling. His neck snapped on impact. Jared moved towards his desk as he heard the last guard fire several shots before a wave of blew energy sent him flying through a window and down several floors.

Jared grabbed his pistol from the desk drawer and raised it at the enraged biotic standing in the doorway. He felt as if he was weightless as he was lifted from the ground.

Holy shit!

"Mal! Wait!"

Jared saw Mallory's face twist before suddenly he was flying backwards and out of the window. Jared felt a tear of primal fear the moment before he felt his back hit something hard and he saw no more.

Mallory whirled and ran to Chris who was behind the desk. Mallory kneeled next to the old Red and looked into his eyes.

Gone.

Mallory felt like she was choking on something before she gently laid Chris down. The biotic ran to Crystal who was lying in a pool of spreading blood.

Crystal coughed as Mallory lifted her up into her lap. Crystal reached for Mallory's face. Mallory felt like she couldn't breathe until the fingertips of the bartender touched her face. Crystal smiled wide.

"You're such a beautiful girl. Don't listen to them. You're perfect."

Mallory felt something running down her cheeks. She felt panic rise in her chest.

"Crystal! I…I don't know what do! Tell me what to do!"

Crystal shook her head.

"Run. Run far from here and don't look back."

Mallory shook her head and choked.

"But…but…"

Crystal touched a finger to Mallory's lips.

"No buts."

The hand dropped and Crystal breathed shallow.

"Run, Mal. Promise."

Mallory nodded vigorously.

"Far from here."

The light faded from Crystal's eyes as she stared into Mallory's. The biotic tensed and leaned forward.

"Crystal…Mom…don't…"

Mallory felt a weak arm wrap around her chest.

"You're perfect…" A barely perceptible whisper.

The arm dropped.

Mallory shattered.

Jared gasped as he tried to breathe. His face twisted in a snarl of anger. He sat up and looked across the road at the building he'd been thrown from. The roof he now sat on was smooth and cool. Jared grit his teeth at broken bones in his legs grinding together.

He pulled up his omni-tool and made a call to one of his lieutenants. He told the lieutenant his location and demanded an aircar. Once he was satisfied that one was on the way…

"Find Mallory and bring her to me!"