Alright. Here ya go.
CHAPTER 12: COLLATERAL DAMAGE
There was a pop as Officer Debra Manning opened her first energy drink of the day. She sighed and tossed her empty coffee cup towards the trash and sipped the energy drink with the other hand.
The C-SEC officer set her drink down and stretched before groaning aloud. A knot in the small of her back ached. Manning relaxed and then scowled at the pile of dishes in the little sink left by last shift.
'Assholes…'
Manning picked up her drink and walked back to the security console from the small counter and sink combo in the corner of the office. The officer adjusted her duty belt and then sat back down in the chair. She pulled her arms inside of her armor vest before lifting it over her head and dropping it on the floor next to the desk. The stiff aramid fabric stood up on its own and Manning sighed as she leaned back and faced the desk.
There was a hiss and chime as the security door opened and Manning rolled her eyes with a smirk.
"Short patrol, Raxus."
Raxus didn't answer.
At that moment Manning looked back up at the bank of monitors and her eyes locked onto a human male in the lobby holding a gun on the Asari receptionist. A cold chill went up her spine.
Manning stood and the C-SEC officer's hand shot for her holstered weapon as she whirled.
Multiple rounds slammed into her chest and blood spattered on the console. The shots in the enclosed space were like thunder. Manning found herself on the ground, on her back.
Manning tried to scream in pain, but blood had filled her throat and all that came out of her mouth was a glob of the thick red fluid.
A man in red walked up to Manning as the cop fumbled for her weapon in its holster. Some part of Manning's brain registered the gang ink.
Tears filled her eyes as a handgun was leveled at her face. Her hand found her weapon and pulled.
Manning's last thoughts were of home.
Citadel Security Central Dispatch was a sprawling facility. A huge room under the C-SEC Academy, the CSCD handled C-SEC radio traffic for every Ward and the Presidium. From the traffic stops and vent rat vandalism to armed robberies to terrorist attacks the dispatchers at CSCD moved resources to the problem and C-SEC officers to the fight.
There was always frenzied activity in the room. Not a moment wasted. Not a minute spared.
A blaring alarm screeched and a Salarian dispatcher pushed her chair to the console. The alarm was unfortunately familiar. A C-SEC patrol officer's vitals had just flatlined.
She tapped the flashing red icon and stared at the information for a moment for spinning her chair and tapping buttons. She selected the button for the C-SEC Presidium Division and commanded the communicator to transmit to all Presidium officers.
She held down a button and a fast, insistent wailing sounded over the radio. The tones went on for several seconds before the Salarian released the button and hit a button to transmit from her headset.
"ALCON, Central, Signal Flatline at Huerta Memorial. Available units, respond. Gathering additional."
A wave of responses returned of patrol officers acknowledging the message and relaying their intention to respond to Huerta Memorial. Citadal Emergency Services acknowledged the message and announced their intention to support the Security officers.
The dispatcher selected a single officer's comm. The storm of radio traffic went away and the dispatcher spoke again.
"Manning, Central. Status."
No answer.
"Manning, Central. Status."
Nothing.
The dispatcher flipped back to the general frequency. The ongoing tornado of radio traffic flooded back and the dispatcher transmitted. Her console possessed priority traffic status and she spoke over the others.
"ALCON, no response from FLATLINE. Signal Black."
The radio storm increased in ferocity. The dispatcher tapped a button that messaged the Executor of an ongoing Critical Incident before transmitting again.
"ALCON, clear the air. Relevant traffic only."
The Executor acknowledged her message and signaled the activation of C-SEC's Special Response Unit.
The dispatcher sent a message to SRU's dedicated dispatcher and immediately received a response the SRU was already jocked up and responding to Huerta.
Deckard sighed as she watched the Presidium traffic out the windows of Huerta. She was alone. Mallory wasn't back yet. Ashley had left the hospital for a few minutes to grab something for them to eat. The surgery wasn't expected to take long and the ex-ganger ought to be back soon, but God knew when they'd be leaving this hospital.
What kind of hospital didn't have a cafeteria?
A brown coat caught Deckard's gaze. Mal's coat.
Deckard didn't honestly know what to think of Mallory. The woman seemed to making an honest go of it. Trying her best. From the looks of her she'd kicked the Sand at least.
But she was a Red. Deckard had done her time in the AMX with the Alliance Security Forces. The Reds were notorious. Quick to fight. Easy to offend. Not to mention the Human Supremacist streak that had begun cropping up some years back.
Deckard snorted.
She'd read up on the Reds after encountering Mal beating the snot out of Harkin. The Reds had upgraded and gone vac side a few months back now. Spread their Red Sand distribution to the Human colonies and were now spreading onto the Citadel.
She'd also looked up Mal's rap sheet and ASF profile. The brutality and depravity inside that folder had her impressed that Mallory wasn't locked up on Purgatory out in the Terminus Systems. Maybe one of the prison colonies on Jupiter's moons. It stank of friends in high places.
The recent history was certainly interesting. The war between the Bombers and Reds finally ends. Not long after, the personal enforcer of the Reds' boss goes rogue. Breaks both his legs and spine. Jumps vac side and then find herself in the middle of the Eden Prime Massacre.
Rescues a bunch of aliens, helps the Marines secure Eden Prime, and then testifies before the Council. Dimes out the Council's favored Spectre as a traitor and then finds out that the first Human Spectre is her long lost brother.
Deckard wanted to laugh. Mallory Rechs was a conundrum, for sure. Either she was very lucky or she was about to receive a cosmic FUCK YOU from the universe. Probably both.
Muffled booms sounded from the direction of the lobby.
The hair on the back of Deckard's neck stood on end and her hand was moving for her service weapon before her brain had translated the noise into gunfire. The noise was from a small caliber weapon. Nothing big.
Mallory.
The cop exited the room and followed signs towards the operating theater. A Turian in C-SEC blue was coming the other direction and he threw up a taloned hand. A pistol was in his other hand.
"Hey!"
Deckard slowed but didn't stop. She threw a knife hand towards the lobby.
"Shots fired that way."
The Turian pointed his weapon that way.
"I'm going. You coming?"
Deckard shook her head.
"PSD. Operating theater."
The Turian nodded professionally and moved off towards the origin of the shots.
Deckard raised her gun and quickly moved through the sterile hallways of Huerta. She finally found doors that were locked down. She lifted her omni-tool and the door recognized her security credentials. It opened and she found Doctor Chakwas and Doctor Solus in the room at a bank of monitors. A large window was between them and Mallory's inert form inside the operating room. They were smiling at each other. A computer flashed that the operation was complete. They both turned to look at their intruder.
Chakwas looked at her with a scowl.
"Deckard. I hope this is-"
Deckard pointed at Mal's inert form and interrupted.
"Can she be moved?"
Chakwas and Solus looked at one another as the lights in Huerta went out and red emergency lighting kicked on.
The Salarian dispatcher turned her head and dragged the icons representing the SRU into the call representing the critical incident at Huerta. A couple dozen other icons representing patrol officers were already under the call.
Citadel Emergency Services icons were showing underneath the call in grey marked STAGED.
"Central, Marktus, I last heard shots at the front of the hospital."
The dispatcher keyed her headset.
"Copy, break, break. Units on Huerta. Shooter last known at the front of Huerta."
Units began calling that they were on scene.
"Central, Marktus. Eyes on shooters. Three. Human. Male and female mixed."
The dispatcher moved her hand to acknowledge.
Raxus breathed heavily, his hands wrapped around his Edge handgun. His talons gripped the weapon tight as he quickly moved towards the lobby. There was a whistling in his ears and his mandibles twitched.
Shooters.
Manning.
Civilians.
Hospital.
Back up.
Manning.
Braytus.
Manning.
Nara.
Manning.
Manning.
Manning.
Raxus' mouth opened slightly, and his sharp teeth bared themselves. Someone was going to pay.
Raxus reached the long hallway approaching the airlock that led out to the lobby. The hallway had patient rooms on each side. Voices drifted to him.
"You're going to get us out of this! This is your fuck up!"
"She went for a gun!"
"'You killed a cop!"
"Did you not hear she went for a gun?!"
"They sent more cops as soon as she flatlined, you fuckin' moron!"
Raxus peered around the corner and saw three humans standing in the hall. All had pistols in their hands. One male was shrunken in on himself as he was scolded by who appeared to be the leader.
Leader pointed in the shrunken one's face.
"We find Mallory, zip her, and then you're going to get us out of here."
Manning's killer snarled and threw his hands in the air.
Raxus keyed his comm and whispered.
"Central, Marktus. Eyes on shooters. Three. Human. Male and female mixed."
Raxus stared at the gangers. Their backs were turned. An image of Manning's smiling face at his wedding flashed across Raxus' mind. Impulse hit him like a truck.
Raxus levelled his weapon and his weapon roared. He put three rounds into the back of Manning's murderer. The murderer dropped and Raxus swapped his weapon over to the Leader. He got three rounds off into that one before Raxus found himself slammed to the floor. A sudden screaming pain in his head.
Raxus found himself suddenly struggling to breathe as dark blue blood filled his vision. Ringing filled his ears. Voices drifted through the ringing.
"Lonny is dead!"
"Fucking pig!"
"I'm fine! Vest took the rounds."
"Cop's dead!"
'Am I dead?' The thought flit across Raxus' mind.
'Nara…'
Black spots filled his vision.
Raxus knew no more.
The dispatcher was reaching for the console to acknowledge Marktus when the console wailed and flashed a red light. The dispatcher's breath caught, and she hit the button to transmit.
"Marktus, Central. Status!"
No answer.
"Marktus, Central. Acknowledge!"
Nothing.
She hit the general transmission button.
"ALCON, ALCON. Signal Distress at Huerta. Break."
Radio traffic ceased for an instant before she hit the transmission again.
"Marktus reported three shooters before vitals distress."
A storm acknowledged the report of three shooters.
"Central, Special Response, ten minutes out."
Deckard led the way with her Phalanx handgun. The wheels on the bed trundled behind her as Chakwas pushed the bed with Mallory on it. Mal had a small cloth under her head. Doctor Solus was walking behind her staring at a data pad. Mallory's vitals were scrolling across the pad.
Apparently, there was no great danger to Mal at the moment. The surgery wasn't traumatic, and Mallory could be expected to awake shortly with an earth-shattering headache and little other sign of the surgery having taken place. That and a newly enhanced ability to break the laws of physics.
Another smattering of gunshots brought Deckard's thoughts to the present.
The red emergency lighting of the hospital painted everything in red and shadows. The hallways were empty. All the personnel were sheltering in place.
Deckard keyed her comm.
"Home, Deckard. Active shooter at Huerta. Normandy Primary in jeopardy."
A moment later and a human voice answered. Male, confident.
"Deckard, this is Boxer. Shooters flatlined two C-SEC guys. They rolled the SRU. Ten minutes out.
'Fuck. Both C-SEC guys at the hospital are down.'
"Copy. I'm moving Primary to a hardened location."
"Copy. Be advised. Sicario is available for tasking at your convenience."
Translation. The Alliance Security Forces Counter Assault Team assigned to the Human Embassy were jocked up and rearing to go if she asked for them. All it would be is a minor intergalactic incident.
Fun part about the Alliance. Their people took priority. Even Udina, ladder climbing, sanctimonious ass he was, knew his job when it came to Alliance citizens.
Those CAT guys weren't subtle. They'd drop a hammer on whoever was in the building.
There was a muffled roar as there was a brief firefight towards the front of the hospital.
"Deckard, Boxer. Shooters flatlined another C-SEC guy. They're waiting for SRU. Eight minutes."
The Human Embassy was just slightly up spin of Huerta. Fuck it.
"Boxer, Deckard. Primary in jeopardy. Roll Sicario."
"Boxer, Sicario. Copy direct. Inbound, two minutes."
The dispatcher idly listened to the radio chatter from the C-SEC patrol officers who had attempted a front door breach of Huerta. They'd been met with a hail of gunfire and one Asari officer had gone down.
The rest of the officers were trading shots with entrenched gunmen in the lobby.
She sent a third message informing the Executor of an officer down and heard a notification chime somewhere behind her. She peered over her shoulder and found Executor Pallin standing in the room looking at the map.
A Turian dispatcher nearby raised a hand and pointed to her. She acknowledged and then accepted the auxiliary connection from the Turian. Immediately upon connecting a voice came through. The voice and cadence sounded human.
"Citadel Central, this Sicario. On final to Huerta, ETA sixty seconds."
The dispatcher searched Sicario in her database and found an ASF Counter Assault Team stationed at the Alliance embassy. Ancestors, they were practically on top of Huerta.
"Sicario, Central copies. Say intention."
"Preserve life. Seek and neutralize threats inside Huerta."
"Copy. Entry?"
"Roof entry via shuttle."
"Copy. Will notify units on scene."
"Many thanks. On scene."
"Central copies Sicario on scene."
The Dispatcher patched to the SRU dispatcher.
"Advise SRU that ASF has a tac unit on scene. Rooftop entry."
"Copy. Will advise."
The dispatcher switched to her own channel and listened to on scene traffic.
"Central, Charlie Echo 4, we have one patient onboard. Inbound to Presidium Health."
A Citadel Emergency ambulance had a wounded C-SEC officer onboard and was moving to Presidium Premier Health across the Presidium ring from Huerta.
"Central, Baratus. I've got an Alliance Marine here demanding entry. Stating she's got a close protection detail inside."
"Copy."
An Alliance protective detail certainly explained the response of the ASF assault team. Would have been nice of the Alliance to notify C-SEC of an HVI going into Huerta.
"Central, SRU. ETA two minutes."
Ashley ground her teeth as she ran up behind the C-SEC cops at the doors of Huerta. They were trading shots with someone inside. A pool of blood turned into a smear where someone had been dragged away from the fight.
The Turian cop in front of her, Baratus, held up a hand and turned to her.
"You hot?"
Ashley held up her recently provided M7 Lancer and nodded. A tactical vest just slightly to large for her hung over her frame and the kinetic barrier generator on the vest hummed.
Ashley was irritated as she took her place at the back of the stack. She'd been looking for a damned burger joint when all this had kicked off. She'd had to beg and push her way through the C-SEC barricades. Finally, Baratus had decided to utilize her skill set and brought her in.
The Asari at the front nodded to a Turian and both lobbed something around the corner into the hospital. There were a cascade of bangs, pops, and a little smoke as the flashbangs went off. There were yells of pain and frustration that were drowned out by the C-SEC guys entering the lobby. Screams and shouts for the shooters to drop their weapons and show hands rang out in the lobby.
The Asari at the front fired her shotgun at something and then the stack made entry.
Ashley followed Baratus in and posted up to the right of the door, surveying the lobby. A splash of red blood covered the receptionist counter, and a human female was lying in a heap in front of it. Another swearing and human male was laying on the floor with a damned Krogan cop on top of him. The Krogan C-SEC guy lifted the human suspect to his feet. The human male continued swearing and throwing insults.
"You have the right to remain silent! Now shut the hell up!"
Ashley looked at the suspect and her blood ran cold. Red jacket. Ink that was eerily familiar to Mal's own.
'Shit. This is a hit.'
Deckard hunkered down in the hospital president's office. More shots and what sounded like nine-bangs has detonated towards the lobby. The hospital president, a Volus, was hiding behind a filing cabinet nearby. Mallory was laying on the ground behind a heavy solid wood desk. Deckard was in a kneeling position staring at the door. The door was solid metal and a red holo-lock spun in front of it.
Muted voices sounded outside.
"-aid they were headed this way."
"Cops are inside. Need to find Mallory and get the fuck out."
Deckard blinked at the door and heard Chakwas whispering to Solus behind the desk. They were monitoring Mal. The muted voices stopped. The door creaked and the red holo-lock signaling the door being locked down began to distort. A red exclamation point began pulsing on the screen. Someone was brute forcing the lock.
Deckard inhaled through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth.
She keyed her comm.
"Boxer, Deckard. Expedite Sicario. Suspects imminent."
"Copy."
Chakwas and Solus quieted and hunkered down.
The holo-lock disappeared and the door creaked.
To Deckard's senses, the world dissolved except for the crack in the door which widened to the width of a human. A handgun peaked through, and Deckard oriented her weapon on it. Deckard barked a command.
"ASF! Drop the weapon!"
A male human face appeared on the other end of the gun and eyeballed Deckard. The gun twitched in her direction.
A blue laser sight appeared from underneath Deckard's Phalanx. It bounced across the man's face and Deckard's pistol thundered. The ganger's head evaporated in a spray of blood.
The Volus in the corner covered his head and shouted in fright.
Chakwas and Solus threw themselves over Mallory.
Swears and curses erupted from outside the door and a spray of gunfire came back towards Deckard. The cop held her fire, but she laid down on her side, hiding more of her body behind the desk. Another male peaked around the corner Deckard cracked off a few shots towards him. His head jerked backwards, and he replied with some shots of his own.
"Give up the bitch!"
"Fuck you!" Deckard shouted back.
As if to reply 'No, fuck you' there was a metallic tink and small disc rolling across the ground that made Deckard shut her eyes before her brain completed the thought of 'FLASHBANG!'
The next Deckard knew she was shaking her head as her head swam. She recognized two people coming through the door and threw herself backwards to cover the two doctors and Mallory.
The cop fired two shots in the direction of the assassins and one jerked backwards and fell to the ground before another raised an arm and as Katrina Deckard saw the flash a burning flame erupted in her shoulder. She tried to raise her gun to the other, but the arm wouldn't cooperate. The Phalanx lay on the ground by her side.
Deckard's vision cleared and she saw a blonde woman in a red coat leveling a gun at her face.
"Wrong place, wrong time, bitch."
Deckard stared at the ganger's gun and her heart froze.
The ganger suddenly froze, and her face twisted in terror. Her body was surrounded by blue energy.
"Mal! Mal! Wait!"
The ganger suddenly flew vertically into the ceiling with a sickening crunch before being thrown bodily into the wall by the door.
Deckard looked over her left shoulder at Mal. The ganger's face shown out from under Chakwa's shoulder. Her hand and arm were extended out and surrounded by a biotic field. The cop sighed and side eyed the ganger.
"Shit. About time your ass woke up."
Mallory gave her a watery smile as her nose began to bleed. Her eyelids fluttered but she kept her eyes on Deckard.
"Crystal…saved you…"
Deckard frowned as the ganger passed out and Chakwas swore aloud at the bloody nose. Solus moved his hands on his data pad frantically.
Deckard's mind came to the present and screamed at her to get the hell off the floor. The cop used her good arm to pick up the Phalanx and sweep the room. The female ganger was a red smear on the wall. Deckard swept her eyes over it and noticed a missing ganger.
The one she'd shot when her head was scrambled. A small pool of blood was on the ground and small drops of blood led out the door.
She keyed her comm.
"Boxer, Deckard. Shots fired on my pos. Primary is secured. Break."
Deckard waited a moment before keying up again.
"Two suspects 10-7. One more wounded and on the run."
"Copy, Deckard. Sicario should be imminent."
In confirmation a voice yelled out from the hall beyond the door.
"Blue, blue!"
Deckard shouted back.
"Sicario?"
Four humans in the black and grey camouflage armor of ASF Counter Assault stepped into the room brandishing Avenger assault rifles. Four more were visible out in the hallway. They surveyed the room before the lead tactical officer, a tall dark-skinned man in a patrol cap and Kuwashii visor, let out a low whistle.
"There's a hell of a report."
Deckard snorted and looked at the man in the doorway whose head she had blown apart.
"Hey."
She looked back at the Lead CAT officer, a tag on his armor read MOBUTO. Mobuto punched her shoulder.
"You're a fucking stud, hear me? Fuck him. You're a fucking stud."
Deckard nodded before she looked back at Mallory. Chakwas had the ex-ganger on her back. Mal's eyes were open and she was trying to brush the doctor away.
"I'm fine, mom, lemme go."
Chakwas forced Mal's hands down to her side.
"Damn you! You've just had a major surgery you damned fool!"
Mallory laughed.
"Yeah! Look at that shit!"
Deckard looked at the red smear and pile of ganger laying in front of it.
"Jesus Christ!" The voice of Ashley Williams sounded in the room as she entered the room behind a group of blue and black clad C-SEC Special Response officers. Deckard eyeballed the Marine who was in a tactical vest and holding a Lancer.
Deckard blinked at the Marine.
"Bitch, are you for real?"
Ashley looked confused.
"You fuckin' leave me and Mal to get hunted down by Mal's old crew, and then have the brass balls to come back without the goddamn food?!"
Mal's unhinged cackle filled the room as Ashley spluttered excuses to a furious Katrina Deckard.
The Salarian dispatcher breathed out heavily and took off her headset. Units inside of Huerta were calling all clear but patrol all over the Citadel were looking for the lone Human male who had escaped with a gunshot wound in his shoulder. Ancestors knew where he had disappeared to.
The dispatcher looked to her right at the status console. One female human officer's photo appeared on it. Bold text sat next to the photo of her smiling face in a dress uniform.
Name: Manning, Debra
DOB: 14-02-2167 ([26] Earth Standard)
Rank: Patrol Officer II
Division: Patrol (Presidium)
Emergency Contact: Victor Manning (Brother)
Information scrolled of Victor Manning's contact information and then continued with Debra Manning's professional credentials and information.
The young woman's file came to a stop on a bold and red DECEASED: FELONIOUS GUNFIRE at the bottom of the file.
An officer on scene had found her in Huerta's security station with her weapon lying next to her, unfired. Someone had jumped her before she was ready.
The face of a Turian scrolled in.
Name: Marktus, Raxus
DOB: 29- 5-2162 ([30] Palaven Standard)
Rank: Master Officer I
Division: Patrol (Presidium)
Emergency Contact: Nara'Ran vas Jorshan (Wife)
The information scrolled to his status of ADMIN LEAVE: OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING: WOUNDED (FELONIOUS GUNFIRE).
Raxus had been recovered at the scene. His signals had flatlined due to the destruction of his comm unit. Relief was had by all when it became clear that Raxus would recover. He'd have one hell of a headache and would need physical therapy, but he would live.
The last officer was the Asari patrol officer who had been wounded trying to breach the front door. She was laid up with a gunshot wound in her arm.
The information scrolled back to Officer Manning's smile and the dispatcher looked to her supervisor. The female Turian met her eyes and waved a taloned hand. The Salarian looked back down and the call disappeared from her screen as it was moved to another dispatcher.
She exited from her systems, logged out, and lifted her backpack. She turned away and walked towards the back of the room.
Executor Pallin stood at the back with his arms behind his back. He nodded at her as she moved to exit the room and she bowed her head politely to her boss.
The dispatcher held her omni tool to the door and it opened after recognizing her credentials. She walked out of the room and breathed out.
She walked the halls of the C-SEC Academy and out to the Rapid Transit. The taxi arrived quickly. She told the taxi to bring her to her home and the hatch closed on the aircar.
As the hatch sealed the dispatcher set her backpack in the seat next to her and placed her face in her hands. In the privacy of the taxi, the young Salarian had her own private emotional breakdown.
Alright. So the objective of this chapter was to shed some light on the background characters of the Mass Effect universe. Those characters who aren't super soldiers and who do not possess plot armor.
Reviews are welcome, folks.