Chapter Twenty-Three: Éalú Feirge
"Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly."
The chaos of the fight still echoed in Martin's ears as he moved through the dimly lit warehouse, his breath heavy and labored. His mind focused solely on the path ahead, the sound of footsteps following closely behind. Velpia was keeping up, but her arms were held down. Martin spared her a glance, seeing the tension in her grip as she tried to handle his pistol. The recoil had been giving her hell, but she kept firing. Not bad, considering she wasn't used to it.
His gaze fell to the floor as they neared the exit—there it was, his other pistol, discarded in the struggle with Williams. He scooped it up, checking the clip with a practiced motion before holstering it. "Come on, we need to get to the others," he muttered, and without waiting for a reply, they pushed forward.
They burst through the rear exit, stumbling into a part of Omega Martin didn't recognize. The familiar lights were nowhere to be seen; instead, it was dark, grimy, and claustrophobic. The air smelled of rust and rot, and the only illumination came from flickering, half-broken lights far away. "Where the hell are we?" Velpia hissed, her voice low as she surveyed the surroundings.
"Doesn't matter," Martin said, scanning the shadows. "We need to keep moving before—" A hail of gunfire cut him off, slamming into the walls around them. Velpia dove for cover, her pistol raised, but her hands shook as she returned fire. The first shot went wide, the second barely hit a target, but the third struck one of Williams' men square in the chest, dropping him.
Martin moved like a ghost, firing with cold precision. He dropped three mercs in rapid succession, his movements fluid and controlled. Velpia struggled to keep up with the pistol's recoil, her shots wild and frantic, but she landed a couple more hits. "Keep them busy!" Martin yelled over the gunfire. "I'll clear a path!"
Velpia nodded but reached out to grab some thermal clips from his suit. After reloading, she gritted her teeth, took a few shaky breaths, and fired again. Her arms ached from the recoil, but she forced herself to focus. Meanwhile, Martin charged forward, his pistol barking with each shot as he cut through the remaining mercs. Velpia could only watch in disbelief as he moved with ease as if the weight and power of the gun didn't even faze him. She struggled to her feet, and together, they raced toward the others.
They found Athria, Dez, and Rinn up ahead, pinned behind cover. Athria's eyes were blazing, her biotics flaring up like fire as she gritted her teeth. Without warning, she stepped out into the open, her hands glowing with raw energy. With a single, powerful biotic throw, she sent two of them crashing into a wall, their bodies crumpling on impact. Another wave of biotic energy erupted from her, lifting more enemies into the air and slamming them down with bone-shattering force.
"Athria, stop! We need to get moving!" Velpia shouted, but she was beyond reason. Her fury consumed her as she hurled another merc into a stack of crates. Her anger was palpable and raw.
A dark figure shot out from the shadows, moving faster than any of them could react. Williams. He was back, and he was aiming straight for Rinn. "Rinn!" Martin roared, his feet already in motion. The biotic charge was like a freight train, but Martin was ready. His omni-shield flared to life just as he leaped in front of Rinn. Williams' charge slammed into him with enough force to send him flying backward, but the shield absorbed most of the impact. Martin grunted as he skidded across the floor, his back hitting a metal pillar. "Martin!" Rinn cried, scrambling to her feet.
Velpia opened fire, but her shots barely grazed Williams. His biotics surged again, and in an instant, he was on her. With a swift, brutal backhand, he sent her crashing into the ground, her body hitting the floor hard. Athria screamed in rage and launched herself at him, biotics swirling around her like a storm, but Williams caught her mid-strike and flung her aside as if she weighed nothing. Dez, trying to get the drop on him from behind, was swatted away with a single punch, sending her to the floor as well.
Martin forced himself up. His vision blurred as he saw Williams standing over him. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Williams sneered, his voice low and menacing. His fists glowed with biotic energy, the power gathering as he raised his arms to crush Martin into the ground. But just as Williams brought his hands down, Athria's biotics exploded. With a furious scream, she unleashed a shockwave that sent Williams crashing into the wall, the force denting the metal behind him.
"Don't you dare touch him!" Athria's voice trembled with fury, her biotics crackling dangerously around her. Williams pushed himself up, his gaze narrowing on her, but now there was a flicker of hesitation. He hadn't expected that. The two leapt at each other with explosive force, forcing the others back, still on the ground.
Athria's biotics flared, lighting up the dark alley with a brilliant blue glow as she faced Williams head-on. Her breathing was heavy, her gaze locked on him with seething hatred. She stood tall, her posture defiant, while Williams wiped a smear of blood from his lip, his smirk unshaken.
"Typical asari arrogance," Williams growled, his voice sarcastic and confident. "Think you're special just because of your tricks? Seen a thousand of you. All the same. Always think you're in control... until you're not."
Athria's fists clenched, her body practically vibrating with energy. The insult cut deep, not because it was original, but because it came from him, yet another arrogant human. Her fury surged, a tide of anger she could barely contain. With a snarl, she threw herself forward, her biotics crackling to life once more.
Williams smirked, raising his fists in a defensive stance. "Come on, then. Let's see what you've got."
The impact of their collision was deafening. Athria's biotic charge slammed into Williams with enough force to send a shockwave rippling through the air. The others, still recovering from the earlier fight, were thrown back as the two clashed in a whirlwind of biotic energy. Blue and purple light sparks exploded from where their powers met, sending debris flying everywhere.
Martin, still trying to gather his strength, watched through bleary eyes as Athria and Williams exchanged devastating blows, each hit shaking the ground beneath them. Athria moved with incredible speed and precision, but Williams was no slouch. He dodged and countered, his biotics flaring brightly as he blocked her strikes and retaliated with his own.
But Athria wasn't holding back anymore. Her biotics swirled violently, her every movement fueled by anger. With a grunt, she landed a solid punch to Williams' ribs, sending him stumbling back. She followed up with a biotic throw that hurled him across the alley, his body slamming into a metal container with a sickening crunch.
Williams groaned but quickly pushed himself to his feet. His smirk was gone now, replaced by a dark scowl. "Alright, maybe you're a little different after all," he muttered, holding the same side Martin had stabbed. He raised his hand, and a swirling mass of biotic energy began to form in his palm. Athria's eyes narrowed, her hands glowing bright as she prepared for his next move.
Williams hurled the biotic mass at her with a roar, but Athria was ready. She dodged to the side, the energy slamming into the ground and sending shards of concrete flying. She unleashed a biotic slam in the same motion, sending a shockwave that tore through the air and knocked Williams off balance. She didn't stop. Athria charged again, her fists glowing as she closed the distance, unleashing a flurry of powerful strikes that forced Williams on the defensive. He tried to block and counter, but she was relentless, with each hit landing with bone-crushing force.
"You're done!" she screamed, her voice a mix of rage and exhaustion as she sent him flying back with a final, devastating punch. Williams crashed into the wall, crumpling to the ground. His breath came in ragged gasps as he struggled to rise, his biotics flickering weakly around him.
Athria stood over him, her chest heaving for air. She was exhausted. "I've spent too much time keeping assholes like you from stopping this mission!" Williams laughed, coughing up blood. "You think... you've won?" His voice was raspy, but the arrogance remained. "You shouldn't do speeches." He quickly held out his arm and released something from his wrist. It stuck to her chest before she collapsed to the ground.
Martin rushed forward at Williams, standing up again. This was shot, he was weakened, he had to be. Athria forced him to expend what he had. Williams staggered back to his feet, his biotics flickering weakly around him like a dying flame. His eyes locked onto Martin, filled with that same sneering arrogance. "Still think you can take me, Marine?" Williams spat, his voice thick with labored breaths.
Martin didn't respond. He moved swiftly, closing the distance between them with cold efficiency. His knife was already in his hand before Williams had a chance to react. Williams tried to muster another biotic attack, but his energy sputtered and failed, leaving him exposed.
With a brutal thrust, Martin drove the knife into Williams' side, right where the previous wound had weakened him. Williams gasped in pain, his knees buckling as the last of his strength drained away. Martin twisted the blade, the cold steel slicing through the muscle. "Why won't you die, you stolen valor motherfucker," he growled through clenched teeth.
The Two fought with the knife. Even in his weakened state, he was still strong, resisting every tug Martin applied. He reached out and grabbed Martin's hair as he pushed the knife deeper into his body, the handle, and Martin's hand sinking into his abdomen. "You think... this ends here?" Williams choked out, blood gurgling from his lips. "You've... got no idea... what's coming... God... will see you dead..."
With a final gurgling breath, Williams went still, his eyes staring blankly into the darkness above as they rolled back into his skull. He collapsed to the ground, leaving Martin with the knife and hand completely covered in blood. The warehouse fell silent, the only sound the distant hum of Omega's neon lights and the faint hiss of the flickering, broken lamps.
Martin wasted no time, rushing to Athria's side. The device on her chest emitted a low, steady hum, pulsing ominously. He swore under his breath, trying to pry it off, but the thing was locked tight, digging into her armor. He took the bloody knife and wedged it between her and the spider-like device. It took some force, but he managed to peel it off of her. His lungs immediately filled with air as her biotics flared as she sprang up. Athira's confusion and rage sparked her biotics, charging them; Martin quickly grabbed her, holding her. "Hey, it is done it over. You can relax." Her biotics faded as she calmly pushed him away.
She blinked, her eyes unfocused momentarily before they locked onto Martin. "What... happened?" she rasped, her voice weak. "You won. Well, I ran the knife through him, but, yeah." Martin said, relief flooding his voice. He helped her stand up, his grip steady as she leaned on him for support. Athria gave a faint, tired smile. "About time you did something barbarian." she joked, her voice slurring from exhaustion.
Dez and Rinn finally made their way over, both of them bruised and battered but alive. Dez, ever the smartass, grinned as she looked between Martin and the crumpled body of Williams. "Just what we needed, another you."
Martin wiped the sweat and blood from his face, his expression weary. "Yeah, but there can be only one." Velpia glanced down at Williams' body, her brow furrowed. "What did he mean... about something coming?"
"Religious rambling, don't worry about it.," Martin said, Helping to keep Athira upright. "Let's just get the hell out of here, I'm tired of this fucking place."
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Athria's legs felt like lead as they stumbled toward the skycar. Her body was bruised and aching from the fight. Her body was drained of its energy. Each step was a struggle, and she nearly collapsed if it weren't for Martin's arm catching her around the waist. He half-carried her forward, his movements slow but steady, guiding her to the car. She wanted to protest, to insist she could make it on her own, but the truth was... she couldn't.
However, what surprised her the most was her strange sense of comfort in his arms. There was safety here, an unfamiliar sensation. She wasn't known for relying on others, but something about this moment felt different. His grip wasn't possessive or controlling; it was steady like he knew exactly how to keep her upright without making her feel weak. Athria allowed herself to relax, just for a moment, to his touch before they reached the car.
They piled into the skycar, squeezed tightly against one another, the space barely large enough for all of them. Athria felt Rinn's elbow jab into her ribs at one point, but she was too tired to care. Martin sat beside her, his body taking up more room than it should have because of the armor and Velpia silently took the front seat with Dez, nursing her own injuries. The hum of the car's engine was the only sound as they lifted off Omega's grimy streets, the chaos below them fading into the distance.
Athria leaned her head back, closing her eyes for a short moment. She was completely exhausted, her body practically screaming in protest. She had pushed her biotics to the limit, something she hadn't done in almost a century. But she had to keep going. They always had to keep going.
The familiar sight of their ship came into view, and Dez was the first to jump out, practically sprinting onto the bridge. She jumped into her seat on the bridge and screamed into the comms. "Ship's refueled! Ready to leave this hellhole whenever you are!"
Athria sighed tiredly as she reached the captain's chair, her legs barely holding her weight. She slumped into the seat, the cold metal contrasting the warmth of the car's cramped interior. "Get us off, Omega," she ordered, her voice heavy with exhaustion. The ship's engines hummed to life, and soon, they were soaring through the void, leaving Omega's twisted streets behind.
As they reached clear space, Athria finally allowed herself to exhale, the tension in her shoulders releasing as the ship steadied. But the moment of peace was short-lived. She turned to Martin, sitting in a chair on the right side of the cockpit, Athria's eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Is there anything else we need to know about Project Titan? Anything else that's going to come back and bite us in the ass?" Martin leaned back against the chair, his face still bruised from the fight with some dried blood, but his eyes sharp. His usual sarcastic smirk tugged at his face. "You think I'd hold out on you? Hell, I don't even know half of what Cerberus was doing. So, no. I don't know shit." He shrugged.
Rinn stepped in between them but turned toward her. "We should worry about this later. You need rest. We all do." Martin stood up from his chair. "We should probably head for the relay and just take our time for a bit. We shouldn't rush off into something else like this." Athria agreed for once. His tone was confident, reassuring, and, for once, not dripping with stupidity. Rinn helped her up and took Athria to her quarters.
Hours later, Athria rested on the small bed in the Captain's quarters. Her body still hurt; it was all a dull ache, but at least most of her strength returned. She managed to get out of her combat suit and into something more comfortable to rest, but she lay there, unable to sleep. A quiet knock happened on her door. She slowly stood up and approached the door, and opened it. To her surprise, Martin stood on the other side. She stared at him momentarily out of annoyance, but then that feeling backed away. "You have a few?"
Athria stepped away from the door, allowing him to enter before sitting down on her bed. He closed the door behind them. He kept his distance and sat at the desk, leaning back in the chair, and crossed his arms. His gaze moved over Athria before settling on her eyes. He looked a little uncomfortable, which was unusual for him. "I just wanted to check on you," he said, his voice softer than usual. "Make sure you're okay."
Athria sighed, rubbing her temple. For a moment, the flash of irritation returned. She wasn't in the mood for concern, especially from him. She was fine. They'd all been through hell, and she didn't need to be treated like some fragile thing. "I'm fine, Martin," she said, a little sharper than she intended. But when she saw his expression, something softened in her. "Really. I'm... fine. Thanks."
Martin quirked up slightly, almost a smile, but not quite. "Good." He paused momentarily, letting the silence stretch before he sighed, sitting up straighter. "About Project Titan... I know Williams said a lot of crazy shit back there, but I don't know what he was talking about at the end." His tone was serious now, the casual sarcasm slipping away. "I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. I don't know anything. After the New Dawn building blew up, I took off, killed Dallas and Soren, and made a Deal with Cerberus to stay out of each other's way. It wasn't good for business."
Athria studied him for a long moment, searching his eyes for any hint of deception, "What do you mean the building blew up? Every source said you blew it up."
Martin shook his head, "Man, your sources are shit. No." He briefly dropped the sarcasm, "I was in some research facility in the basement of the building. Cerberus wanted some information stored on the control chip in my head. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Williams leaked my location, and apparently, the shadow broker sent a few squads to ruff the place up. I'm thinking that either they intentionally blew it up, or Cerberus did. Or it could have been an accident. All I know is once the power cut out, I got the fuck out of there." Athria paused for a long while, trying to piece everything together from what her files said. "And what about Soren? You killed him, too?"
Martin didn't skip a beat, "Oh fuck yes, I mean, well, I didn't kill him, Velpia did, but... Me and Velpia stormed his apartment. We gathered enough evidence to show that Soren was the working head of the Project, and we went to settle our score. Some Cerberus rep cut us a deal. In exchange for us killing Soren, he would let us go, pay us off, and we'd go about our own ways."
"And you took it?!" Martin shrugged. "Yeah, better than being hunted for the rest of our lives. Not that this is any different." Martin's answers seem sincere. Any deception, if there was any, was damn convincing. "I believe you," she said quietly. "But that doesn't make this any less complicated, though." Martin nodded. "I get that."
He leaned back in the chair again, but there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes as he changed the subject. "So... where'd you learn to fight like that, anyway? That biotic blast you threw back there? Hell, I've seen commandos with less control."
Athria smirked, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I was a commando," she admitted, her voice tinged with a bit of nostalgia. "A long time ago. I left before things got... complicated."
"Complicated how?" Martin asked, raising an eyebrow. She waved it off, not wanting to get into the messy details. "It's a long story. I left, drifted around for a while, but eventually returned home to Thessia. Decided to do something with myself. Got a few doctorates in technology engineering." Martin blinked, genuinely surprised. "A few?"
"Three," she corrected, her smirk widening just slightly.
"Well, damn," he chuckled. "I should start calling you Dr. Kysan. No wonder why you call me a dumbass."
"No, I call you a Barbarian because you headbutt your problems." She smiled, letting herself take in the moment. "I can't help it." He joked back. "But it's still impressive. I mean, I was lucky to make it through basic, just a scrawny seven-teen-year-old kid getting yelled at by the Drills." Martin grinned, though there was a hint of admiration in his tone. "But you? Commandos, degrees... Done anything else?" Athria tilted her head, her smirk fading a little as she thought. "Plenty," she said softly, her voice trailing off. There was still so much she hadn't done, so much left unfinished. And right now, they were knee-deep in something none of them fully understood.
Martin must have sensed the shift in her mood because he stood up, his usual swagger replaced by something a little more grounded. "Well, if there's one thing I've learned in all of this is not to piss you off. Or plan an escape and fast."
"Make sure if you do, you don't piss me off on the ship." She continued his joke. He gave her a brief nod, then headed for the door. Before leaving, he glanced back at her, "Get some rest, Athria. We're gonna need you to punch something really hard. Probably." She nodded, watching as he left the room. The door slid shut behind him, leaving her alone once more. Athria sighed, sinking back onto the bed. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing thoughts, although Martin did seem to calm her mind, a little.
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Velpia stood in the doorway of the small kitchen area, her hand resting on the cold metal frame as she peeked out. Her eyes flickered down the dim hallway toward Athria's quarters, the door just barely in view. It had been nearly twenty minutes since Martin had entered, and Velpia's chest tightened with every passing minute. Why was he still in there?
Her jealousy flared again, an all-too-familiar burn that crept up her throat.Another person to complete with?... The thought was bitter, sour. First Rinn, and now Athria? Velpia felt her heart race with frustration as snippets of their conversation floated toward her. Giggling. Low murmurs. Her mind rushed with assumptions, with images she wished she could block out.What the hell are they doing in there?The possibility made her stomach turn.
Velpia clenched her fists and looked down, trying to force herself to calm down.I'm overreacting.The thought crossed her mind, but she couldn't shake the gnawing doubt. She'd been here before, felt like this before, and it never ended well.
Her ears strained to catch more of the conversation, but the door opened with a soft hiss. Martin stepped out, a faint smile on his face. Velpia's heart sank further, her chest tightening as her worst suspicions seemed confirmed. She pulled back into the kitchen, hiding in the shadow just enough to avoid his gaze before completely disappearing into the room.
Martin entered the kitchen and shut the door behind him. He walked over to the kitchen's exhaust fan and turned it. The whirling sounds created a loud hum before sitting across from her. He looked disappointed, or at least not completely happy. Velpia's mind began to race, thinking that he may have caught her in the act, but he only sat there looking into her eyes, not saying a word. She paused, returning the stare, unsure what message he was trying to convey. He stopped blinking, and his eyes also stopped moving, piercing deeper into her mind. She tried to clear her mind of any thoughts just in case he suddenly developed the ability to read minds. Her pulse raised and began thumping in her chest as her pupils narrowed.
Martin suddenly started smiling before laughing, pounding his fist on the table, and breaking contact. "You should see the look on your face." She exhaled, her body relieving herself of the tension. Then suddenly, his demeanor switched on a dime. "No, but seriously, stop spying on me." He stood up, a smile returning to his face, before opening the door and heading to the bunk room.What in the actually fuck?