*****A Cursed Existence*****
Entry 1: Waking Up
AN: Hellloooooo prospective reader! Thanks for deciding to check out my story! Now, as I'm trying to do my best to avoid massive AN's (they're a habit of mine when I don't watch myself), and seeing as the description was relatively, well, descriptive, I'm just going to stop myself before I begin. You didn't come here for my ramblings after all. :P
That said, I'll have a few short references to what's happening/did happen here in the US as part of this chapter. Nothing plot relevant, just bringing it up for the sake of realism. And yes, I actually know someone who experienced this first-hand; not being political, just factual, but take that as you will. A little late now, I know, but I originally intended this to be a surprise post before election day. Suffice to say, that didn't happen, and not because of how it turned out either; I just couldn't find a way to end this until now.
Anyway, that done with, here's the first chapter of my latest story. Enjoy!
I laid prone on top of an abandoned building, something that at one point might have been a business or hotel of some sort, across the street from the apartment; the few squatters inside the building running off as soon as I showed up armed to the teeth; Viper rifle trained on the wall-to-wall window that was the only protection for anyone inside the relatively small living area across from my position. Well, for me it was small; for the residents of Omega, most of whom have probably lived the majority, if not all of their lives on this damned station, it was the lap of luxury.
They're certainly taking their time getting here. *sigh* No matter; I can wait. I learned that much from him at the very least.
Another ten or so minutes passed before my targets finally arrived: a light blue-skinned asari in a form-fitting black bodysuit that did little to detract from her amazing figure and who could somehow emanate an impressive sensual aura even from the distance I was watching from, and a tall human man with a buzz cut and almost, but not quite pale skin – a good sign of him being a spacer for most of his life – wearing a suit that likewise failed to hide the incredibly well-toned muscle underneath. I knew who both of them were, but in spite of that, I was determined to carry out the objective no matter what.
"Retrieval Team, this is Revenant: standby for package delivery. The targets are here." I whispered into my helmet comms.
"Revenant, this is Retrieval: we read you loud and clear. Moving into position." the leader of the retrieval team responded in a gravelly voice; the team being an all batarian one that was loaned to me for this mission because of their experience with what was about to happen. I should know. They did the same thing to me.
As they carried out their half of the mission, I watched the scene unfold in front of me. Sure enough, just as expected, the asari sat down on a couch and waited while the human spent a few minutes admiring the various pieces of artwork, sculptures, and a pair of swords mounted on the wall. While I couldn't hear what they were saying, I already had a fairly good idea as to what was being discussed.
I could tell that the asari was starting to get impatient as she gestured to the spot on the couch next to her, and the man obliged her – as I knew he would – and sat down. Several more minutes passed and during that time the team leader informed me they were set up and waiting for the signal. I continued to wait myself, and was rewarded when I caught sight of the smirk on the man's face, immediately followed by a second, more familiar asari in a revealing red and gold outfit bursting through the apartment's front door and wreathed in biotic energy.
The first asari was unprepared for such an interruption and was thrown into the window because of it; cracking the glass on impact and being held there until she freed herself with a burst of her own energy. The two biotic powerhouses began duking it out in flashes of blue light after that, thoroughly trashing the apartment around them, until they reached the point I was waiting for: both of them were locked in a contest of raw biotic strength, and as far as I could tell, were almost evenly matched. The human finally decided to get involved and headed for the black-clad asari as I expected him too; but unfortunately for him, I had other plans.
"Now, now, now!" I whisper/yelled to the Retrieval Team, and before the human could interrupt the first asari's concentration and inevitably decide who won the fight, I sent four grain-sized rounds into the woman; shattering the cracked glass window entirely. Rather than wait for the three people on the other side of the street to recover from their momentary shock, or in the case of the asari I shot, to register the four new holes in her chest, I reached out with my own biotics and used a pull on the now severely injured woman; yanking her out of the window and sending her falling towards the street some twenty stories below.
My half of the op complete, I folded my rifle and attached it to the magnetic plate on my back; calmly activating my cloaking module and slipping away before anyone was able to figure out what happened.
Hard to believe it's only been three years since I first woke up here. I can still remember the first time I looked in the mirror…heh. Wasn't that a shock? I miss those simpler times…
November 2nd, 2020, 11:23 pm, Sol System, Local Cluster, Earth, United States, northwestern Indiana.
After a particularly grueling 16 hour double-shift at work thanks to one of my coworkers apparently deciding to quit the same day without giving any notice – and we're already short-staffed, that lazy bastard! – I finally managed to trudge my way home to my apartment. Considering the price and size, it was quite the bargain; the only downside was- "-ET OUT OF MY HOUSE! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP BITCH, I'M LEAVING!"
Ah. Joy. The neighbors on the first floor are having their bi-daily argument right now. *siiigghhhhh* Just ignore the obnoxiously noisy people; they don't care about everyone else that lives here, so you should return the favor.
I continued walking by as if there weren't two grown adults screaming at each other like 9 year-olds fighting over a toy and made my way up the stairs to the second floor. When I reached the top (it was a two-story apartment building) I caught sight of one of the neighbors I actually liked trying to open up their door with a bag of groceries in one hand. "Need some help with that, Mrs. Fenowicz?" I asked the Polish woman.
She looked over to me and smiled kindly, nodding in the affirmative. "Yes, if you could please, that'd be wonderful, Michael."
I walked up to her and she handed me the bag, and I took it with an exaggerated flourish. "Why thank you for granting me such a gift, milady! I shall cherish it till my dying day!" I said, dripping with sarcasm, and was rewarded for my efforts with a chuckle.
"What would I ever do without you, my shining knight?" She asked sarcastically in turn, with an eye-roll for good measure. "Oh right: have one of the kids open the door by calling or texting them."
This time I was the one that chuckled. I was on good terms with the family, and would occasionally watch their three children when the parents wanted a night to themselves. I may have only been 20, but from what they told me, I tended to act both much older and much younger depending on the situation, so they trusted me to handle the pre-teens, at least for a couple hours anyway.
"So, have you voted already?" she asked.
"Not yet, no. What about you?"
"Yesterday. Won't you be cutting it close if you vote tomorrow? I thought you worked the morning shift."
"My boss gave us all day off to do just that, so I should have plenty of time."
"Well good for you! You don't want someone else 'voting' in your place because you didn't; I have a friend that found that out the hard way when she tried voting in person and was told 'she' already did through the mail several days prior."
"True enough." I accepted with a nod, and Mrs. Fenowicz focused back on the task at hand.
"Now, which one was it again?" She muttered and began digging through her purse, eventually pulling a large set of keys out from the miniature black hole that most of the women her age that I knew of tended to carry around. After looking over them, she settled on one with an almost triumphant expression. "Ah-ha, here we are!"
She then proceeded to unlock the door, and even though it was very much so past their bedtimes, I still heard one of the kids yell out from inside "Is that you, Mom?" If the voice was anything to go by, it was most likely the eldest of the three children; him being a whopping 11 years old and just barely responsible enough to be trusted not to burn the apartment complex down if his parents left him in charge of the other two for an hour or so while they were busy.
We shared a look and she sighed, while I merely chuckled, and she responded with "Yes Freddie, it's me!" She then shook her head and took the grocery bag when I offered it to her. "They should know better than to stay up this late."
"Don't you have Alan send them to bed when you're not home in time to do it yourself?" I asked, referencing her husband.
"Typically yes, but with all the extra business going on lately as everything starts getting back to at least semi-normal, he's been working longer hours at the office; at least until they rehire the people they had to let go back in June."
"I know what that's like…" I muttered just loud enough for her to hear and sagged a little, displaying how tired I was, and she looked me up-and-down when she noticed.
"Well, you should probably head home then; I can handle the kids by myself."
I gave her an appreciative smile and nodded, turning around and continuing to walk to my apartment. "Will do. Have a good night, Mrs. Fenowicz!"
"You too, Michael!"
I waved goodbye just as she closed the door and soon enough found myself digging around my pocket for the right key – similar to Mrs. Fenowicz, now that I think about it – when I ended up in front of my own humble abode. Fortunately, I had them organized properly, so finding the right one wasn't a hassle in spite of my exhausted state.
"Home sweet home." I mumbled into the silence that greeted me, and went straight for the bedroom in the back of the apartment; not even bothering to undress. I did, however, kick my shoes off before face-planting onto what may as well have been the most comfortable pillow in existence.
Ahhh, I can finally…I released a yawn and slowly closed my eyes…get some sleep. I can worry about voting in the morning…
Just before I dozed off I caught the muffled yet distinct sound of childish laughter from nearby, but my sleep-craving mind brushed it off as one of the Fenowicz kids – Agatha, if the girlish lilt was anything to go by – simply playing some sort of game with her older brothers.
?, ?, ?, ?
I awoke to a flickering ray of what I assumed was sunshine washing over my face, making me instinctively squint even though my eyes were still closed. Just five more minutes…
As if in response to my silent request, the light disappeared a moment later. I let out a content sigh, only for another ray to shine on me; interrupting my attempt to go back asleep. Fine…fine…I'm awake…
I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, yawning and rolling my shoulders in an attempt to chase away the physical urge to stay in bed as I dealt with the mental one. It was after I finished the yawn that I noticed something odd with the room I was in. Weird…I don't remember my curtains being light brown…and since when did my window take up most of the wall?
The second thought served to snap my mind out of the remnants of drowsiness, and I stood up to get a closer look. I wasn't expecting the immediate lack of balance that followed; as if I had just finished spinning around in circles for a solid minute. Deciding that tripping over myself was not how I wanted to start my day, I stood still until the moment passed. Must've been something I ate. That gas station pizza on the way home maybe?
Shrugging it off, I went up to the window; idly noting how I felt…lighter, for lack of a better word. Now, I was never what you'd call 'overweight' mind you, but I knew I could benefit from exercising more often than I did. Once more shrugging it, as well as every other unusual occurrence thus far, off as my memory just being temporarily faulty, I pulled the curtains back further; widening the gap so as to let in more light, and somehow missing the flash of pale, almost ice-colored blue where my hand should've been.
To say I was not prepared for what I could see off in the distance would be putting it mildly.
That…that's a city! It can't be Chicago; I've been through there enough times to know. And what's going on with those skyscrapers? Never seen a city skyline that looks like that, or has so many tall buildings. And just how big is that one in the center?! Never mind the strange design-wait. Did something just move between the buildings?
I squinted and tried to get a closer look, leaning forward and resting my arm against the glass in front of me. I didn't miss the moving patch of blue this time. That-but-what?
Completely bewildered, I held up my arm and just stared at it in confusion; it quickly turning into denial. I can't really be seeing this…yeah, that's it: this is all just a strange dream! I mean what else could it-
The thought died just as quickly as it began when a loud something flew overhead with a muffled roar of what could only be engine's of some sort; the massive thing going past my window as it headed towards the city off in the distance.
Was that a plane?! No…no way…it couldn't have been! Since when did planes look like that!?
I slowly backed away from the window as a growing amount of panic began to set in, only to trip over something as I was too busy staring at the impossible scenery in the distance to pay attention to where I stepped. When I landed, I found out rather quickly from the pain in my rear that the floor was anything but comfortable. "Dammit!" I exclaimed, falling back on old habits for whenever I did something like stubbing a toe or, as in this case, landing hard on my butt.
I was about to get back up after rubbing the spot I landed on when I noticed a number of things, each new thing causing me more alarm than the last. Firstly: judging by the coldness I could feel from the floor, I was most likely naked. Which was…concerning, when you take into account I don't remember getting undressed. Secondly: when I rubbed the sore spot, I noticed my skin seemed to be more…scaly, or at the very least, far less smooth than it should've been. Thirdly: I couldn't feel any body hair where I was rubbing. And the final, and most important thing I noticed: my voice. It wasn't mine.
"That can't be…" I trailed off as once more a completely unknown voice came out of my throat. If that, on top of everything else, wasn't strange enough, the 'voice' had a distinctly feminine tone to it.
"No, no, no, this is just a dream…just a dream…" I finally stood back up, repeating it a few more times for good measure; but before I could do anything else I noticed my foot brush up against something.
Looking down, any air I may have had in my lungs forced its way out and I felt the blood drain from my face. It wasn't the pile of strange clothes I noticed that caused this reaction, oh no, it was the two 'extensions' on my chest that had no right being there.
Breasts. I have breasts. And they're blue. The calm and analytical part of my mind provided, even if every other part was currently frozen like a Siberian winter.
After staring at them for a good thirty seconds, I stumbled numbly towards the first door I saw. I was too out of it to notice that this wasn't the only door connected to my bedroom anymore, nor did I notice the odd lump on the other side of my all-of-a-sudden queen-sized bed, neither did I pay attention to how the door slid open with a slight hiss when I approached. It apparently led to a bathroom, which funnily enough was where I wanted to go anyway.
Looking around, running on autopilot and nothing else, I spotted a mirror to my left. Searching the wall for a switch rewarded me with finding one, and I flicked it on to get a better look at myself. I didn't know what exactly to expect, but this…this was not it.
It was moments like these I could at least count on the singular part of my mind still functioning to point out the obvious. Pale blue skin, undoubtedly…female…anatomy – I had to keep myself from staring in both morbid fascination and ingrained male interest at that particular area of my new body – no visible hair whether it be scalp, facial, or otherwise, and finally…head tentacles. Or is it supposed to be called a scalp crest?
Whatever part of me was currently keeping my body standing decided it would be a good idea to touch one of the – one of my – head tentacles. It felt…weird. Like rubbing both sides of an earlobe simultaneously, but at the same time not, as it was on top of my head rather than on the side, and it was far more sensitive than an ear.
I moved it around a little for a couple seconds out of curiosity just to see if I could, and sure enough, the tentacle, or whatever it's called, appeared to be flexible to an extent; just like a certain fictional blue-skinned doctor said they were. After doing such, I let me hand drop back to my side limply.
"Asari…" the word came unbidden from my throat, and I just stared at the reflection in a state of mental shutdown; trying to process what I was seeing. Five, or possibly ten minutes later – I had no way to be sure – I let myself slide down the bathroom wall, uncaring how cold both it and the floor were. There's no way…I mean I have a good imagination, but this is just…I mean I can't be…
Unable to finish the thought, I continued to watch the asari's reflection, and was mildly confused when she – refusing to accept that it was in fact me – started to cry. My analytical side made a comeback, albeit briefly, in the momentary period of calm brought about by the strange alien woman's act.
"I must admit: the games never did manage to fully convey the raw emotion behind crying. The tears always looked poorly done in comparison to other franchises. They certainly didn't manage to do it justi-" I reached up to my face, wondering why the asari was copying me, and felt a droplet of liquid on my cheek. I moved the hand away and stared at the water caught on one of my fingers; watching as it rolled along the icy blue skin as I rotated my hand. "Oh." I said in sudden comprehension.
"Oh…" I repeated, and rather than slip back into another mental shutdown, I felt bile trying to claw its way up my throat. It didn't succeed, thankfully, but that did nothing to improve my mood as I leaned back against the wall for support; even though I was sitting down, I didn't trust myself to stay upright.
"Oh…" I repeated once more when I managed to start thinking over the implications of just what, where, and, more importantly to my situation if my intuition about why I was here was accurate, when I happened to be.
I lingered on that particular topic to the point I felt dizzy sitting down, so I decided to move past it for the moment.
"Oh…" I said a final time to collect my thoughts, standing up on still unsteady legs after I did. Finally having dealt with my breakdown, I took several deep breaths to calm myself further. "Well then…this is probably going to suck, isn't it?" I asked to no one in particular, still more than a little disturbed at the feminine voice that replaced my own, before giving one last look at my reflection.
A pair of familiar steel blue eyes looked back at me warily, as if waiting for me to do something that I knew wouldn't end well for anyone involved, myself included. At least that part stayed the same. But at the same time…nothing else did…
I pulled my gaze away from the mirror and towards the currently closed bathroom door. It wouldn't do to start crying again so soon after I got a hold of myself. Come on, get it together! Worry about Shepard and the Reaper apocalypse later, focus on where you are and what you're going to do now!
After one last breath, my confidence returned to, if not its previous levels, then high enough to where I was sure I wouldn't fall apart at the slightest shock.
To my utter lack of surprise, I was still unprepared for everything else I discovered in my now significantly larger bedroom, never mind the house I found myself the sole occupant of. And if the point hadn't yet been driven home that I wasn't in my comfy 1200 square foot apartment anymore, then what I discovered on the other side of the bed I'd woken up on certainly did.
So, whadya think? With all the SI Mass Effect stories out there, I've noticed that the ones where the MC is "reborn" as an alien are surprisingly few and far in-between. And fewer still that manage to do it justice. It's my hope that this and the next story I'll put out, a still untitled one where Grunt becomes GruntSI upon being woken from his tank, rather than the baby-super soldier-murder krogan we all know and…love? Find entertaining? Didn't really care for and sold to Cerberus as part of an evil character play through? Well anyway, it's my hope that this and the other story (whenever I eventually start working on it, which won't be until some time next year) manage to spark people's interest in this particular version of the genre, and that I in turn can manage to pull it off.
As with every story I write that isn't The Broken Reaper: expect chapters for this to be short, sporadic, and to have potentially long gaps between updates. I'll do what I can to focus more on writing, but with Christmas coming up and the subsequent family time it entails, combined with a Christmas event in my favorite MMO that has a few goodies I want to try and get, I'm not sure how much time I can invest in fanfiction. But NEVERTHELESS! I! SHALL! RETURN! With more content that is.
Alright, nothing more to say, and even if did have something, the AN has gone on long enough. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!