Phantom Ship

Aite, 2185, December 5th 1:26 PM

I stand out front, arms crossed, waiting.

Riley hasn't told us much yet, just that we're splitting up. That's it. Nothing about why. Nothing about what's inside the other facilities. Just… nothing.

Archangel and Zaeed are off to the side, talking amongst themselves. Riley and Miranda are behind me somewhere, leaning against the building, deep in their own conversation. No one else seems bothered by the lack of information.

The shuttle comes into view. Finally, they're here. The thrusters kick up a cloud of dust as it lands, making me take a step back.

The door opens, and the first one off is Grunt. He spots me and makes a beeline over. Before I can react, he grabs me in a tight hug, lifting me off the ground.

"Whoa, big guy!" I struggle against his grip, but he just lets out a satisfied grunt before setting me down.

He steps back, looking way too excited. "I heard we get to shoot things."

I shake out my arms, trying to get the feeling back. "We sure do. Geth."

His grin widens. "Better than being on the ship."

Jack steps out of the shuttle, heading straight for me. "Hey."

I smirk. "Guess you're helping a Cerberus base in the middle of nowhere, too."

She rolls her eyes. "I bet you planned this."

"As if." I nudge her arm.

Kasumi steps off next, her hood pulled low over her face. She doesn't say anything, just slides up beside us like she's been there the whole time.

Once everyone is out of the shuttle, Riley steps up, scanning the group. "Okay, listen up."

Everyone quiets down, turning toward her.

"We need to override security at two facilities. Miranda and I know what to do on that front." She glances at her omni-tool, then back at us. "Miranda will be leading one team to the Vulcan Station. I'll take the second team to Prometheus."

Miranda steps forward, datapad in hand. "My team will consist of Jacob, Samara, Zaeed, Thane, Mordin, and Tali."

Riley nods. "The rest of you are with me."

I glance around at my teammates. Jack, Kasumi, Grunt, and Archangel. Not a bad group. For the most part, I get along with everyone.

"That's good with me," I say.

Riley gives me a look. "Not like you had a choice."

Miranda speaks up again. "Dr. Archer has given us access to some M-44 Hammerheads." Her gaze shifts to me. "Do not break them."

I feign offence, pressing a hand to my chest. "I would never."

Miranda stares with the same unimpressed expression she used to.

I turn back to Riley. "Riles, what's up with the weird green face?"

She sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. "Archer's brother is the VI who's been following us. I would prefer we keep him alive."

That's… not what I expected. "Got it." I give her a mock salute.

Riley looks over the group. "Everyone, get with your team. Let's move."

Aite, 2185, December 5th 2:18 PM

I grip the Hammerhead's controls as we speed across the terrain, weaving between rocks and ridges. The other three Hammerheads are ahead of us, dust flying as they glide. This thing is more responsive than I thought it'd be. Fast, light, makes it fun.

"Who the hell let Vex drive?" Jack says from behind me.

Kasumi groans, gripping the safety rail. "I don't know… but I'm going to be sick."

I smirk, glancing at them through the rearview. "Hey, Riley trusts me to drive."

Jack scoffs. "Because you said you had experience."

I shrug, keeping my eyes on the path. "Driving a skycar up a building is kind of the same thing."

Kasumi tightens her grip. "Oh my god…"

I hit the thrusters, sending us soaring over a dip in the land. The Hammerhead lands evenly, but I hear Kasumi muttering something about regret.

The cliffs ahead break apart, giving us a view of an open area of rolling green hills, waterfalls in the distance, and large rocks. As we pass the cliffside, I spot a valley below, a winding river running its way through the land. For a second, I just take it in.

Riley's voice comes through the Hammerhead's comms. "Vex, follow me. We're splitting off here."

I watch as she breaks off from the group, heading further inland. The others continue along the cliffside.

Following her, I guide us down between two rock formations. We skim across a shallow creek, water splashing upwards before we go up an incline. The path narrows into a canyon, but I keep up with Riley.

"How's it going back there?" Riley asks.

I grin. "Doing just fine."

Kasumi, still gripping the rail like it's a lifeline, shakes her head. "Speak for yourself."

I ignore her. "Where's the facility?"

"Shouldn't be much farther." Riley pauses. "Not sure what we'll be dealing with when we get there."

"It doesn't matter." I tighten my grip on the controls. "We'll deal with it. Lead the way."

Aite, 2185, December 5th 2:51 PM

I follow Riley through the rocks and fields. The view up ahead starts to open, revealing a stretch of lush greenery with mountains in the distance.

Archer's voice appears through the Hammerhead's comms. "Prometheus is a crashed geth ship full of dormant machines used in our experiments."

Up ahead, Riley slows, stopping just before the edge of a cliff. I pull up beside her, hovering as I take in the sight. Below us, the wreckage of the geth ship is embedded in the mountainside, a shimmering shield blocking the entrance. Compared to the green valley around it, it stands out a lot.

Archer continues, "Our people there have gone silent. It's likely the VI has activated the defence shields to keep you-"

The signal cuts out.

"There are shield generators down there, but they're protected," Riley says.

Kasumi leans forward, squinting. "We might be able to hack into them, get us down there."

Riley's Hammerhead starts to move. "Okay, let's go."

It should be easy enough now that I'm used to handling this thing. With a tilt of the controls, I guide us down past the rocky incline until we land beside a generator. It also has a shield around it.

The Hammerhead VI speaks up. "Warning. The VI infection has assumed control of the geth cannon."

I look up to see movement beneath the shipwreck. A geth cannon activates, powering up as it locks onto us.

The VI speaks again. "Warning. We are being targeted."

Fuck.

"Move!" Riley shouts.

I don't hesitate. I yank the controls hard to the side, thrusters blasting as we shoot forward, just barely escaping the impact. As the dust settles, I realise something. The cannon destroyed the shield protecting the generator.

"Well. We don't need to hack them," I say with a smirk.

Riley starts firing at the generator. "Take it out."

I grin, already aiming. "You don't have to tell me twice."

The Hammerhead's guns fire, the plasma bolts breaking the generator as we weave between cannon blasts. Each time the cannon locks onto me, I boost sideways, avoiding another shot.

Jack, in the seat behind me, lets out a laugh every time we dodge. "Holy shit, this is fun!"

Kasumi, still gripping the railing, groans. "I want to get out."

Another blast lands just behind us, close enough to send a shockwave through the Hammerhead. I correct fast, keeping us moving.

One by one, we take out the generators. As the last one detonates, Riley speaks up again. "Come on, take that cannon out."

We both turn toward it, opening fire as we strafe around the cannon. It tries to track us, but we're faster and unpredictable. We hit it from multiple angles until it sparks. It jerks once before detonating.

Jack cheers. "Hell yeah!"

I let out a breath, smirking as I head towards the entrance. I land on the platform outside and open the door.

Kasumi practically leaps out. "I'm so glad to be out of that death trap."

I step out behind her, grinning. "Hey, my driving was fine."

Jack stretches. "You mean reckless?"

Kasumi wobbles, nodding. "Exactly."

"Whatever." I roll my eyes as we see Riley land beside us.

She steps out, followed by Grunt and Archangel, scanning the three of us. "Are you all right?"

"We're good." I glance at Kasumi. "Mostly."

Jack crosses her arms. "I can drive on the way back."

Kasumi's head snaps up. "No! I mean… no."

Riley shakes her head. "I don't even want to know. Just be ready, we don't know how many geth are inside. Watch each other's backs."

She turns and leads us towards the entrance of the facility. I linger for a second, looking up at the sky. Despite the bright daylight, there are two moons. This planet's weird. I exhale and follow the others inside.

The temperature drops immediately as cold air brushes against my skin. Then an automated voice appears.

"Attention visitors. This Cerberus facility contains hazardous AI technology," it says.

I pull out my carnifex. "It must mean the geth."

Archangel nods. "Seems so."

The voice continues as we walk deeper inside. "By entering this facility, you agree to assume all liability for personal injuries or death that may occur during your visit. Thank you."

Typical Cerberus.

Through the next door, the facility opens up into a huge chamber. A large geth hangs suspended in the centre, surrounded by a glowing shield. The room is cluttered with crates, and a second-floor walkway sits above.

We move cautiously, weapons drawn.

Kasumi tilts her head at the deactivated geth. "These things don't look scary at all."

I glance at her. "Except when it's their cannon."

She side-eyes me. "That was your driving."

Grunt puts a hand on her shoulder, grinning. "With weapons, nothing is scary."

Archangel chuckles. "He's sort of right."

Jack shrugs. "No, he is right. These things are just scrap."

Riley sighs and turns to find all of us standing around the geth. "Why do I put you five together?"

Kasumi grins. "Because we make things fun?"

Riley looks unimpressed. "Focus."

We move up the ramp to the second floor, going further into the facility. Screens flicker as we pass, the rogue VI's distorted face glitching onto them, speaking in jumbled speech.

Kasumi avoids looking at them. "I take it back. This is starting to get creepy."

I keep walking, eyes scanning for movement. "Let's just hope the others got something worse than this."

Kasumi nods. "That would actually make me feel slightly better."

We push forward into a narrow hallway lined with windows. The rooms beyond are small, some filled with overturned chairs and monitors.

As we walk, the VI's face glitches onto the glass. I grip my pistol tightly. The deeper we go, the more unsettling this place feels. I don't like it.

At the end of the hall, we turn a corner just as the door ahead slams shut. The VI's distorted face flashes onto the window beside it.

I glance at Riley. "Great. Now it's playing with us."

Riley doesn't hesitate and goes in another direction. "Let's get this over with quickly."

Archangel nods. "At least the geth are still dormant."

Jack smirks. "For now."

Kasumi groans. "Not helpful."

Jack's smirk widens.

We continue forward, deeper into the ship. The corridors twist and turn, endless, like the geth designed it to be a maze. The further we go, the more it feels like we're descending.

None of us wants to say it… But what happens if the geth do wake up?

We step into a wide chamber lined with overhead lights. Tables are scattered around, cables dangling from the ceiling. The windows along the edges are dark. The VI's voice garbles through the speakers again.

The next door leads to a short hallway that's slightly flooded. I hesitate at the edge. I'm going to hate this.

Sighing, I wade in. The water reaches my knees. I was right… I do hate this.

An automated message plays over the ship's comms. "To all Cerberus personnel. In an effort to reduce workplace stress, music has been approved for stationwide broadcast."

A light, cheerful tune begins playing over the speakers, completely ruining the creepy mood this place was trying to go for… I guess. And it's not even good music.

"Oh good," I mutter under my breath.

We enter the next room, stepping onto a platform. The console is on a second platform across the room. Between them, there's more water, deeper this time, it looks about waist-high.

And leaning against the wall on our side, there's a deactivated geth.

Riley surveys the room before turning to me. "Vex, I need you to go across and override the lockdown."

I should've guessed. "And how exactly would I do that?"

She gestures to the console. "Grab the handle, twist, and pull up. Simple. Now go."

I groan, walking to the edge. "Stupid, creepy flooded geth ship."

With a sigh, I activate my thrusters, launching across the water. I land near the console as the music still plays over the speakers. I roll my eyes and reach for the handle.

Famous last words, but this isn't that bad.

I twist the handle and pull the cylinder up.

The automated voice returns. "Override of Atlas Station lockdown accepted."

I turn around and give the group a thumbs up.

Then I hear the console power down as the music abruptly cuts out.

Slowly, I turn back to see the VI's face on the screen.

Well, fuck.

The geth against the wall powers up, but Riley doesn't hesitate, shooting it. "Vex, get back over here, we have to go!"

She doesn't have to tell me twice. I leap off the platform, thrusters kicking up water as I fly across the flooded room.

"Move!" Riley shouts, already sprinting for the door.

We bolt through the hallway, vaulting over the water. Around us, geth begin to reactivate, opening fire.

Kasumi sprints up beside me, firing her locust. "I knew this would happen!"

"No kidding," I mutter. When have things ever gone our way?

Grunt rushes ahead, firing his shotgun at point-blank range. Jack is right beside him, throwing them around with her biotics. They make a good team.

The VI's distorted voice screeches over the speakers, and the doors ahead of us slam shut, cutting us off.

"Son of a-" Archangel starts, already switching to his assault rifle.

"The other way!" Riley calls, pointing to a side passage.

We turn, sprinting for the alternate route… only for another door to seal in front of us.

Jack growls. "I'm so sick of doors closing on us." Biotic energy glows around her hand. With a forceful push, she slams the door with a wave. The metal shakes but doesn't budge.

Kasumi steps forward, fiddling with the panel beside it. "Just give me a sec."

The VI screeches again. Behind us, another door opens and more geth pour inside.

"Incoming!" I shout, diving behind a crate. I pop up just enough to aim, dropping one of them.

Grunt laughs, charging headfirst into the fight, shotgun blasting. Jack follows close behind, using her biotics to shield him from the return fire.

Kasumi curses under her breath, still hacking the door. "You guys could hold them off instead of showing off!"

"We are holding them off!" I roll my eyes, taking another shot.

Archangel comes up beside me, picking off a geth with a single bullet. "It's not our fault if we look good doing it."

Riley doesn't acknowledge our words, too focused on gunning down enemies.

The VI shrieks as the door unlocks.

Kasumi steps back. "Got it! Go, go!"

I'm just glad I got to shoot instead of hack for once.

We round the next corner and into the same room we entered when we got here. We're almost out.

Riley takes point, picking off geth as Archangel snipes from beside her. Kasumi disappears, flicking in and out as she darts between them, firing her locust.

Jack hurls another geth into the wall. Grunt stands by her, firing his shotgun. I switch to my sniper, taking out enemies on the floor below.

One by one, until the last geth drops.

We break into a full sprint, racing for the exit. The VI screams behind us as we exit the ship and back into the open air.

"Get inside," Riley orders, activating her comms. "Miranda, meet us at the split-off point."

I jump into the driver's seat of one of the Hammerheads. Behind me, Kasumi groans. I just grin, power it on, and floor it, speeding away from Prometheus as fast as I can.

Aite, 2185, December 5th 4:25 PM

I sit on top of the Hammerhead, staring out over the valley below. We're the first ones here, which is fine by me. After everything that went down on that geth ship, a moment to breathe is fucking amazing.

Grunt sits on a rock, looking way too pleased with himself as he reloads his shotgun. "That was fun."

Kasumi, leaning against the Hammerhead, crosses her arms. "Fun? You call sprinting through a ship full of geth while a VI tries to murder us fun?"

Grunt smirks. "Yes."

Jack snorts, kicking a loose rock across the ground. "Yeah, lighten up. We're still alive."

Archangel glances at Kasumi. "You handled it pretty well, considering how much you whined about it."

She glares at him. "I didn't whine."

I let out a laugh. "You definitely whined."

Jack nods. "A lot."

Grunt smiles. "Like a varren pup."

Kasumi throws up her hands. "You're all against me."

Riley, standing off to the side, just shakes her head. "Come on, guys. Lay off a little."

Before we can continue, the sound of engines gets our attention. A moment later, two Hammerheads pull up beside us.

Jacob steps out first, followed by Tali, who looks beyond relieved to be outside. Samara steps down with her usual grace, Thane and Zaeed right behind her. Mordin follows, already absorbed in his omni-tool, muttering something under his breath.

Miranda is the last to step out. She walks toward us. "You're all alive. I take it that means things went well?"

Riley folds her arms. "Define well."

Miranda places a hand on her hip. "I won't."

I glance at the others. "How was the Vulcan Station?"

Jacob shakes his head. "Horrible. We had to shut down some serious defences to even get inside."

Thane nods. "And let's not forget the lava."

Tali lets out a sigh. "The heat was unbearable."

Mordin types something into his omni-tool. "Temperature fluctuated dangerously. Nearly compromised shields. Recommend future armour upgrades for extreme conditions."

I smirk. "That bad, huh?"

Samara tilts her head. "We survived. That is all that matters."

Jacob glances at our group. "And Prometheus?"

Kasumi shrugs. "Creepy flooded geth ship with a murderous VI. You know, the usual."

Jack cracks her neck. "So, what's next? I assume there's more Cerberus bullshit."

Miranda sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Atlas Station."

Riley nods. "The VI's core is there. If we shut it down, this all ends."

I stand up and jump off the Hammerhead, using my thruster to land safely. "Then let's finish this."

Thank you for reading.