My fist pounded on the ground, a rag clenched between my teeth. A muffled cry broke between my teeth as burning blood roared through my knee. A pained snap made me cry out. Tears tumbled from my eyes, despite my best attempts to restrain them. In a brief pause of pain, a gulp of air soothed my burning lungs before it began again. This took top place as one of the most painful experiences of my life. The quarians around me grunted as they jostled my knee. The sound alone made me light headed.
"Your knee has shattered. I'm not sure how we can splice it back together," a gold and white quarian frowned. "A little while longer, we can line it up for some synthetic bone replacement later," A whimpered answered as pain gagged my throat. Nyryntha, could you not do something? My head exploded as a robotic growl rattled my mind, blinding me.
"You are in this situation of your own accord," she said. My face contorted as my knee snapped again. Bloody Reaper! And how was I going to survive with a busted knee? Unless the Reaper wanted to die that. The migraine erupted, however no sound emerged from my travelling companion. What… what did that mean, was she doing something- My scream droned out as my knee snapped again, but the quarians leapt back in surprise. A shuddered breath rumbled down my throat as the pain eased. The bone knitted itself back together.
"W-What? How did it-?" the purple-masked female asked. My held breath released, my voice free.
"U-Uh... I have... cybernetic implants," I lied. "I-It takes a while to kick in,"
"You owe me, Shell," Nyryntha said. A frown formed, was that not a sufficient reward? It was difficult to keep a straight face through the pain battering through my skull, my vision hazing. It took 10 minutes until the pain in the knee waned enough for my brain to respond again. Being part Reaper had its advantages. Now if only Nyryntha could see my point of view and not want to destroy the whole galaxy. Not that hard right?
"Alright," I sighed as my legs raised me off the ground. The pain pulsed in my knee as a friendly reminder, but it only nipped. At least this wouldn't kill me and the bone was supporting my weight. "From the top. What is going on here?" The quarians gave each other a long look. Shayan stepped forward, rubbing an arm.
"W-We were sent out on an intel run, to gather data about the geth. W-We heard geth had attacked the Citadel a-and came to investigate. But we ran into the Blue Suns and they stole important information about the flotilla's defence network. W-We tracked them to here. W-We thought we could get the data back... but there was an ambush-"
"Shayan!" the purple-masked female snapped. "What part of 'secret intel' don't you understand!?" Shayan jolted, shying away from her as he huddled behind the black and red male quarian. Shayan was friendly enough and wanted to help, relieved even. The only problem was that he had little backbone. Wow, there's something I'd never thought I would complain about.
"B-But how can she help i-if we don't tell her, Cassa-" Shayan said.
"Simple! We-" the female growled.
"Alright, stop!" I sighed. The quarians gawked at me. "Fighting will get us nowhere! You need your data back and I need answers. So then, let's team up and infiltrate their base. You get your data back, I can get a few things put straight, deal?" They all stared at me, immovable statues. My hands pressed onto my hips as a scowl spread on my face. My teeth snapped my tongue to silence the rising comments.
"Well... we appreciate any help. The Blue Suns are too organised for us alone," the male blue-masked quarian said.
"Arthan!" the purple masked female exclaimed, hands clenched by her hips. Arthan glanced to her, but was otherwise unbuffered by her outcry.
"We need help," he sighed, rubbing the top of his helmet. "I'm Arthan'Weer vas Dreda," he offered a hand. My hand shook it, relief chasing the fire fraying my temper. "This is Jhort'Loake vas Idenna," he nodded his head to the black and red male, he nodded, face covered in a yellow mask. "Cassa'Avers vas Choria," the purple masked female nodded her head, grumbling in quarian. "And Phylla'Quines vas Qwib Qwib," My hand slapped over my mouth, the green masked female pinning me with a stare as repressed manic giggles tried to surface.
"Qwib Qwib?" I echoed, my voice pitching closer to hamster level high. Phylla straightened, raised her nose a notch or two as she stared at me with very, straight eyes.
I couldn't hold it in. My legs sprinted away from the quarian while belting out laughter. The short tempered female heralded curses in her native tongue by the dozen as she dashed after me around the warehouse. She even dragged her pistol out to shoot my knees out again had Arthan not called her back to her senses. Oh, my condolences spread to whoever was in charge of that ship! My attempts to cry 'sorry' to the angry female, but my laughter couldn't free me from its grasp. After several circuits around the warehouse, my manic running crossed paths with the other quarians. With them between Phylla and me, my laughter eased.
"I-I a-am s-sorry!" I gasped out. Oh, my knee ached now. Stupid Qwib Qwib... My snigger forced me to turn away. The quarians ignored me, aside from Phylla. I coughed, shaking myself out to bring myself under some form of control.
"Are the Blue Suns still at their base?" Jhort asked, Phylla snorted.
"Last I checked, they were," she said, her haughty tone directed at me. My throat cleared, ensuring my laughter would not get my killed by friendly fire.
"Where is this base?" I asked.
"It's in the Gezazza Ward, on other arm," Phylla said, growling. My lips pressed into a fine line, pulling myself back under control. Serious time, Dell, head in the game!
"Alright then. Shall we move there then?" I asked.
"You have a plan?" Shayan asked.
"Of course she doesn't!" Phylla snapped. "Humans never do! They always charge in guns bla-"
"First," I interrupted, making the quarian stare. "I am thinking of a plan, but I need to see the place before I can do something, you know, like a normal person. Second, don't yell at Shayan. What has he done to deserve it? If you are angry at me, fine. Don't take it out on other people," My eyes pinned her with a heated glare. The quarian simmered down, tamed by my snap. My anger gained fuel from Shayan. Shayan had similar problems to me when I first woke up here. The memories of people talking down on me... never again would I see those days. Shayan didn't need to go through that either. Now with that mess sorted out, there was still the plan to make to break into the Blue Sun's base. We made our way to the cab station, wondering what I was getting myself.
My eyes peered around a corner as we approached the base. We abandoned the car further back. The approach here was too open and the Blue Suns would have some surveillance systems in place. My gaze skimmed passed some of the Citadel street kids as we moved into position. They were scavenging through some bins behind a restaurant, trying to find food. My heart twisted at the thought. That would have been me had Val not helped me. y head shook, focusing on the mission ahead. Shayan didn't have Mat'al's infiltrating skills, if Shayan had the same skills as Mat'al. With luck he did, they were both Infiltrator classes from what Shayan told me. Was it too much to ask that there was some mystical school for infiltrators? A grumble burst out, comparing the quiet quarians shuffling behind me as my back pressed into the wall, glancing at the quarians doing the same. When did it become 'follow the leader'? And since when was I the leader?!
"Alright, that's it there," Cassa informed. Jhort hmmed, staring up at the tall building. The metal coated walls poked high into the sky, but the windows were thin slits in the side. It gave them good protection in case of a shootout. A vague plan formed in my head, but it didn't sound watertight. How the hell were we to get inside this damn thing, for a start? My glance slid to Phylla, the only one with blueprints to the area. My look to her seemed to spur her into action. She glared at me.
"There are two ways into the building," she pulled up a hologram of the building, brilliant blue sections highlighted the routes. "One way is to crawl through the ventilation shafts, however, this is the noisiest method in. Another way is to sneak in through one of the side doors and get our way into an elevator shaft and climb to the top from there. There are guards around, though, so our cover will be blown if they raise the alarm," she turned, awaiting my decision. Neither of them were very tempting. Wait, wait, wait! I was not taking charge of this mission!
"Is that all?" I asked. The quarian nodded.
"It is. Every other route is crawling in Blue Suns or has cameras, drones or other traps waiting in them," Her tone sounded far too full of herself for my liking. She reminded me of a cat strutting after catching a mouse. A mouse that was already dead from a mouse trap. After a sigh, my eyes glancing around the corner to the building. There was no time for infighting.
Blue Suns patrolled the area for any sign of hostilities, working in systematic groups. The main entrance always had at least 2 groups watching it. These were trained mercs, they could be an independent army if they put their minds to it. A frown grew. There had to be another way. Sneaking up the elevator shaft only worked assuming we sneaked past the guards and open the elevator shaft. The plan hinged on too many ifs. The ventilation shaft, from my personal experience, is a noisy ass way to get into a building. There was no way 6 people could crawl their way up to the top without bullets following at every step. My head pulled away from around the corner to look at the quarians.
"I-I have an idea... maybe," Shayan said. The other quarians scowled, but a glare from me silenced any complaints. Shayan was trying, at the least. They could let him voice his idea.
"What's up?" I asked
"What if we managed to... disguise ourselves," he said. My face blanched. "We could change the parts to fit where required. It's not that hard..." It was a good plan, I had seen it in many movies and some people did this for real heists anyway... There was only one flaw to iron out...
"And how do we get the uniforms?" Cassa grumbled. Shayan's shoulders slumped. Cassa voiced my worries. It was easy in the films; lure them away, knock them out or kill them or find the uniform room and steal some. There was never an easy... way...
"I-I don't know-" Shayan stammered.
"But I may," I smiled. It was sick, but from the stories I've heard... "Alright, the Blue Suns want me, right? So we need to get five uniforms, then I'll go in without one-"
"I'm not letting you go in alone!" Shayan exclaimed. My foot paused, calming the boiling blood while wondering if he had missed the point.
"Shayan, you'll be my guards. It's one of the only ways to ensure we have guns going into this place," I explained. Shayan flushed, looking to the ground. He needed to watch more movies.
"It'll be best to have Shayan with you as a prisoner," Arthan said. He shrugged at my gawk. "He's a horrible shot, he is better with his hands than a gun,"
"Alright, four to five uniforms then," I said. "Depending on how many we get,"
"But how are we going to get the uniforms?" Cassa asked. She didn't like being ignored from the looks of things.
"Stay right here," I said. I slipped away from the building before approaching the street kids in the alley. They had numerous stories about them. Assassins using them as eyes and ears, mercs using them to weaken the enemies or as a source of information. Stories of them sneaking onto ships to steal things for people were also commonplace. The tales continued. They might be able to help me out, if they were willing to. Still a ways off, they noticed me. The little ones scurried away to the back, the bigger ones stepping forward. One pulled out pistol, aiming it at my head. His hands were steady.
"Back off!" the boy demanded. His voice was quiet, but his expression from drawn. He was not afraid to pull the trigger. How best to get his attention?
"Want to make some money?" I asked. The kids stopped, perking. The gun disappeared in an instant to the kid's side. He grinned with a toothy smirk.
"Business, eh? What are you looking for?" he asked.
"Can you get your hands on authentic Blue Suns uniforms?" I asked. Smirks grew, making me shuffle. He holstered the gun.
"How much you payin'?" he crossed his arms, giving me suspicious looks. My mind trudged about it for a moment, not something I had given much thought about. I hadn't adjusted to the Credit yet, so it meant little compared to British Pounds. But to be honest, I knew how much was in my account. Mat'al would pick me up soon. Either that or the salarian embassy could help me if the situation was explained explain. Mat'al could forward funds for me. But the more money tagged onto one uniform, the more content I was with four uniforms instead of five. And Arthan was right about Shayan. His confidence with a gun needed improving at close range. Even his distance shots needed work, and he was a sniper!
"I need four complete uniforms. 550 credits for each sound good?" I asked. Their eyes budged out, staring at me as if I had lost my damn mind. The bounced around me, eyes lit up like Christmas lights. My back stayed straight, trying to watch the sea of kids around me.
"Yeah, we can get your some. Easy," he nodded his head to the kids and teenagers around him. They bolted in different directions. "Shouldn't take more than an hour,"
"Great, I'll be here. You'll get your 2200 credits once I've checked them over," I said. Even just the sound of that sent him quivering with eagerness. Maybe it was a helluva lot of money... ah well. They needed the money, right? These kids wore rags for fuck sake!
My body leaned against the wall outside the alley for about 50 minutes. The stares from the quarians drilled into me, peering towards me to figure out my plan. Trying to reassure them with smiles did nothing. They didn't leave their posts. They weren't sure what my plan was, but they'd know soon enough. My attention turned to forming a plan once we were inside the building. Then they appeared from the alley like an army of shadows, carrying four, complete suits in bags. Blood splattered some of them, just a few drops but enough to be noticeable. And they were still warm. My smile grew as I added an extra 100 credits to the credit chit. They stood back, quiet as my hands checked them all. All the parts were there, as asked. I nodded, passing the chit to the 'leader'. He took it, snatched it away from me. The kids bounded around him, eyes alight. The bags heaved over my shoulders. He checked the chit, gawking at the number.
"A little extra. For thinning their numbers," I said. His drawn down eyebrows shot up as a grin spread on his face.
"We can thin them even more if you want," he said. The kids bounded around me, all cheering that they could do it. A cough sounded. Dammit, the last thing I needed was these kids getting shot! My free hand patted his shoulder.
"Thanks, but you've done more than enough for me. Make sure you stay safe and get these kids a good meal or ten," I said.
"Absolutely, absolutely," the kid grinning. "Thanks, misses. You need any help, drop your name to any of the duct rats and either Mouse or I will meet you. Your name?"
"Endellion Shaik," I smiled
"Bulldog," I took the boy's offered hand. "Not sure what you are doing, don't care, but good luck," he said.
"Thanks. I may need it," I grinned. With the armour on my bag, my legs staggered back to the quarians, trying not to grunt. How I carried out that task without help... The last 10 metres, Shayan and Cassa saved me from falling flat on my face under the weight of the damn things. My shoulders rolled while the quarians studied the armour. Arthan rubbed the mouth piece of his helmet as he pondered the suit. He sighed.
"I suppose we could modify these. If I take this apart and then-" Shayan muttered as he did… something to it.
"Shayan?" I said, watching the quarian fiddling with a helmet. At first, my brow furrowed. He took the helmet apart, stretched bits, compressed bits. Did many weird things to it. Awe overtook me. He warped the helmet for a turian, and made it appear almost human, but large enough that with enough modifications to the quarian masks he could fit it over a quarian's head. My knees lowered me down beside him as he picked up a second helmet. "Can you modify everything in the hour?"
"Oh sure," he grinned. "This is what I do best; why shoot a gun when you can alter and create tech and armour?" My glance studied the remaining four quarians, all silent as they regarded Shayan.
"Alright then, let's figure out some sort of plan then, shall we?" I asked.
"I thought..." Phylla began. "You had this figure out?" My expression blanched. Well... uh... shit!
"W-Well, I-I have a rough idea on what to do. H-However, I still need to figure out the details..." I coughed. The quarians stared at me. "Look, I'm new to this alright!?" I sighed in aggravation, running a hand through my mess of hair. "When was I leader anyway?"
"When you told us to work together for the same goal," Jhort answered. My jaw dropped, floundering for words. The urge to kick something reared up. I didn't want to be leader, for God's sake!
Right, well these quarians were about as useful as a wet tissue for planning... or doing any form of independent thinking. Shayan stared up at me like a loyal puppy as he worked away. Arthan and Jhort waited for me to tell them what to do while Cassa and Phylla spoke to themselves about potential suit failures. My hands rubbed my eyes as my attention turned to the details. My tongue clucked as my feet paced, listening to the tinkering sound of Shayan working. Right, so step 1 was to make it look like Shayan and I had been captured. From there, we could sneak into the Blue Sun's office, locate the leader, get answers and get the hell out. My shoulders stretched as we waited for Shayan to finish his modifications, his eyes glowing as he finished a set of armour. His joy brought a smile to my face, infectious as it was. He loved doing this stuff...
"Alright... I think I have a plan sorted. Listen up, ladies and gents," I sighed, gazing back to the building that held my answers and the data these quarians needed to return to their flotilla. Why was my gut telling me this wouldn't be as easy as I hoped?