The Chosen Few Chapter 4: Know your Enemy

"Tri. Where did you get this armor?" He turned and gave Amber a sideways glance, trying, yet failing to hid the annoyance on his face.

"From Vaira. She had some left-over armor and she said I could use it for scrap."

"Oh really, is that the lie you're telling yourself. Alright then."

"Amber, I've told you hundreds of times, there is nothing between us. We're simply friends."

"Whatever spark pluck. Whatever gets your current flowing." She smirked, earning a growl from the Exo. Shepard glanced over her shoulder at him, and he turned to face her. Despite his angry expression, Shepard couldn't stop a smirk from spreading across her face. Her smartassness was starting to show again.

"So, you have a girl Tri?" This earned her a glare from him, followed by a yank on the connecting strap on her back, resulting in it growing painfully tight. She held in a pained yelp.

"Shutting up."

He loosened the strap back up before speaking. "As I said. We're friends. However, Amber likes to think since she's the only female Exo I ever hang out with means that we're dating. Which is just stupid."

"Well, whatever the case, thanks for the armor." Tri attached the final metal shoulder pad in place before patting Shepard's back.

"It's not trouble at all. Like I said, I was planning on scrapping this. But this is a far better use for it if you ask me."

Shepard nodded, then turned to face Tri, admiring her armor. The armor was colored a glossy white, with red accents surrounding her joints, and with a black under suit. It was a little bulkier then her N7 armor, but it felt just as light, and even more maneuverable. Truly incredible. She glanced back up, and saw Tri holding out her helmet. It was the same color as her armor, and had a large black visor which covered the entire top of her head and the front of her face. However, it looked like it was made of metal, not glass. Curious. She slipped it on, and immediately the inside lit up with light, a display screen appearing, allowing her to see through the helmet. A HUD appeared on the screen as well, showing her shield level, her ammo count and weapon type, as well as a radar system. She smirked within her helmet.

"This is sweet."

Tri chuckled. "Glad you like it. However, since you don't have a ghost, some of your systems will be more difficult to maintain. Until we figure out how to fix this, I'll let my ghost Sparks help you out." He held out his hand, and Sparks appeared, however this one looked quite different from the one she had seen before.

This one had a bulkier orange shell, with black metal straps bolted to the two side panels, two blue lights glowing from between the bolts. Navy blue strips also ran down the points of the ghost, and its eye was blue as well. It examined her before flying towards her then vanishing, startling Shepard slightly.

"Don't panic, but I'm inside your helmet. I'm just going to boot up all your systems, connect you with our fireteam comms, and…. Huh?"

Shepard rose a brow. "What is it?"

"I'm detecting another connection point, almost like a computer."

"Oh um. Could you transfer all the suit controls to that please?"

"Why? I'm not even sure it's supposed to be in here."

"Please Sparks, it'll help my suit run better."

He sighed. "Fine. Transferring systems over now. But I'm not being held responsible if anything goes wrong."

Shepard glanced down at her right arm, her omni-tool brightening up as the suit commands were transferred to it, granting her easy access. She smirked, glancing up as Sparks reappeared. She quickly shut her omni-tool off before he saw it.

"Thanks Sparks." He glanced at her before nodding and flying back towards Tri, who was approaching her with an orange auto rifle in his hand.

"Here. Take this."

She took the rifle, giving it a small spin in her hands.

"Don't forget to tap the box on your hip if you need ammo, and try not to drop the cartridges, it makes combat a lot more dangerous."

She smirked, placing the rifle on her back, where magnetic seals engaged and held it firm, before she nodded.

"How good are you with shotguns."

She brightened up with that comment. "Pretty good. I normally like to carry one with me."

Tri nodded, holding out his hand again as a shotgun materialized in his hand. A second black box, this one with a green shine on it, was also in his hand.

"Then take this. And be sure to only use this ammo in it." She took the shotgun, and the box, clipping the shotgun onto her back and the box to her hip, below the first one. She noticed how her HUD automatically changed to match the weapons she now carried, along with displaying the ammo she carried. This was too cool.

Her attention was then drawn back to Tri, who now had a helmet over his head. It looked almost like a futuristic Roman helmet. A large fan of black and white feathers stuck up from the back of the helmet, curving with the shape of his head. Two large blue plates covered his face, and a pink light was glowing from between the plates in the front. He was holding a rifle in his hands, and a larger, more powerful looking shotgun was on his back. Beside him, Amber stood, her armor fully on again, and a rifle in her hands, and a sniper on her back. Then, they all vanished in a flash of light.

Tri lifted his rifle as soon as they touched the ground. The Cosmodrome spread out before them, its low rusted buildings covered in snow, and its few plants lazily shuddering in the cold breeze. It was nighttime, and the moon shone upon the landscape, turning it white. After a quick sweep, Tri lowered his rifle, then turned back to face the women behind him.

"Amber. Mount up and stay close. Shepard, you'll be riding with me."

She tilted her head at him. "Riding?" In answer to her question, Tri's Aeon Glow sparrow materialized under him. Shepard stared at it as if in shock.

"Ok. That is pretty cool." Tri gestured for her to hop onto the back. Carefully, she did so. She wrapped her arms around his chest, for lack of a better hold, and squeezed onto the small seat. Next to them, Amber sat on her own Aeon Glow sparrow, waiting patiently. Then, they took off into the distance.


"I thought you said this would be easy?"

"It will be."

"You call infiltrating a primary Devil's lair easy?"

Tri knelt beside Amber, who was lying prone on the ground, her face to the scope of her Dead Orbit sniper rifle. Behind them, Shepard was kneeling down, staying low so she would be out of site. Below them, a large set of buildings lay on the valley floor. A massive complex consisting of multiple warehouses and a factory building. From the distance, one could easily make out the large House of Devils banners that hung from the sides of the buildings, along with dozens of vandal guards pacing on the rooftops and by the doors. Several Skiffs could be seen filling a courtyard, and a team of pikes had just come in, parking themselves inside on the open warehouses. The only thing missing from the picture was walkers, but those were certainly here somewhere.

"Alright. So, it's a larger facility than I expected, but we can handle this. We've been through worse." Amber turned to glance a Tri, most likely giving him an "oh really" look. Tri ignored her.

"Just keep an eye on those pikes. Tell me if they move, and wait for my signal." Tri stood, and slipped over the lip of the hill and began sliding down. Shepard gave Amber one last glance before she shrugged, then slid down the hill as well. She followed close behind him, both moving carefully down the hill, hiding behind boulders whenever they stopped. Shepard came to a stop beside Tri, and glanced around the edge of the boulder. About 50 yards ahead, one of the warehouses stood, its door open. A single vandal, wire rifle in hand, stood by the door, looking incredibly bored. As far as it seemed, he was the only guard at this location currently.

"So. What's the plan." Tri glanced back a Shepard, and she stared back at him, waiting patiently. He then pointed around the boulder.

"Amber is going to pick off the roof guards first, creating a distraction. While that's happening, I'm going to run up and handle that guard." He gestured towards the vandal by the door.

"I want you to stay here till I handle him." Shepard frowned, a little disappointed she had to wait, but she nodded. She wasn't going to question him. Tri turned, facing the facility again as he placed a finger on the side of his helmet.

"Alright Amber. Knock them down."

Shepard glanced up, expecting the shots. However, all she could make out was a faint sliver of white, zipping by in an instant. No gunshot, no vapor trail. This happened once, twice, then three times. Finally, a fourth zipped by, resulting in a guard, who must have been standing on the roof out of site, crumbling to the ground. The body landed right next to the guard by the door, causing him to jump in surprise. However, he had no time to react to the body. As soon as it had fallen from the roof, Tri took off running straight towards the guard. Shepard watched as Tri sprinted with incredible speed towards the guard, tackling him to the ground just as he turned around. Raising an elbow, Tri slammed it into the side of the vandal's head, causing the helmet to crack and ether to spurt out from the shattered mouthpiece, killing it instantly and quietly. He then dropped to his knees, and signaled Shepard.

Glancing from side to side, Shepard then took off in a low crouch, covering the distance quickly before sliding into the open doorway. Inside, Tri had dragged the two bodies into a corner, where he was now discreetly stacking them to hid them from view.

"I'd say you've got about ten minutes before someone notices the guards missing."

"Noted. Keep us informed if anything changes. And stay out of sight."

"Copy that."

Tri glanced at Shepard, and she nodded, taking out her shotgun. He pulled out his auto rifle, and moved towards the door.

"Stay close, and don't shoot unless I say. Or if you're about to die." Shepard smirked at this, following close behind Tri.

They moved down dark and rusted halls, sticking to the shadows. Suddenly, Tri froze, listening. He then shoved Shepard to the side, pushing her into a gap within the wall. This alarmed her, but she kept silent, remaining still as Tri held her against the wall. He then squeezed in himself, pressing himself almost uncomfortably close to her to fit within the small space. He must have heard something to cause this reaction. Then she heard it, a soft whirling sound, like a machine of some kind. The source of the sound then appeared. A drone, about the size of a dog, flew down the hall slowly. It was box shaped, mostly, but two small discs where placed on its back corners, small flames erupting from the discs, showing they provided the drones propulsion. Small metal fins underneath steered the drone. The drone stopped, then slowly turned to face the wall they hid in. Three blue lights in the front lit up, looking like the eyes of a creature. A gun was attached underneath the drone, providing it with a means of defense. It slowly scanned the wall, the small gun twitching from side to side. Finally, after a few moments, the drone turned back around then continued down the hall, as if it had seen nothing.

After a few moments, Tri slowly pulled himself from the tight space, and glanced down the hall. Shepard glanced out as well.

"What was that?" She made sure to keep her voice low. Tri answered in a low voice.

"That was a shank. Small fallen drones that act as scouts and attack drones. Their weak, not difficult to handle, but they will sound an alarm if they see us."

They moved down a few more corridors, sticking to the shadows. Finally, Tri held up a fist, causing Shepard to stop. A chattering noise could be heard from around the corner, the same kind that Shepard had heard the day she'd waken up. Tri moved forward, then peaked around the corner, looking inside. It was a small room, filled a several of those communication pillars that Shepard had seen earlier. A single vandal was in the room as well, its four arms moving across the pillars as it worked on them. Tri glanced back at Shepard, then gestured to the vandal with his head. She glanced at it before nodding at Tri, placing her rifle onto her back.

Slowly creeping forward, she activating her omni-blade as she entered the room. The vandal stood by one of the communication boxes, using its top two arms to hold it open while the lower two were rooting through wires and cables inside the box. Shepard moved forward slowly, staying low. The vandal froze, lifting its head and smelling the air before slowly glancing over its shoulder. As soon as it did, Shepard lunged forward, wrapping an arm around the vandal's neck as she shoved her omni-blade into its back. The alien went rigid, the lid of the comms box falling from its hands and crushing its lower arms with a dull thud. Shepard then pulled out the blade, and placed the body down on the ground. She turned just as Tri entered the room.

"That was pretty good." He glanced at the still active omni-blade.

"What is that?" Shepard glanced down at it, then deactivated it as she stood back up.

"It's an omni-tool, a multi-purpose tool that works as a melee weapon, a hacking device, and a personal computer. Their quite common where I'm from." Sparks then appeared, flying over to the boxes, but not before glancing at Shepard.

"Well that explains the additional computer port in your suit." Tri glanced at Shepard, then shrugged, and she shrugged back before at Sparks. The Ghost was scanning the boxes with a beam of blue energy, but what exactly he was doing, Shepard wasn't sure. Tri approached Sparks, placing a hand on one of the boxes.

"What do got Sparks, any clue what this "item of interest" may be?"

"It seems that the "item" is actually a person. If I'm hearing this correctly, they found a blue skinned humanoid that is neither a human nor an awoken. They've been trying to contact their Kell for hours, but have yet to make contact."

Shepard's eyes widened. A blue skinned humanoid that isn't a human or awoken. Could it be?

"Tri. We need to find this person. I think I might know who it is."

He glanced at her, "You do? Who?"

"A friend. Someone who was with me when I… came here."

He nodded, then turned to Sparks.

"Do you know where their holding this person?"

"Not specifically, but if I had to guess, it would be one of their back-storage rooms, deeper inside the facility.

"Which way is that?" Shepard glanced at Sparks.

"Whoa. Easy there Shepard. You can't just go running through the facility. You'll get yourself killed."

"Then come with me. Didn't we come to get the item of interest?"

Tri sighed, nodding. "Your right. We need to move." He glanced around real fast, peaking his head out of the room for a quick check.

"I think it's time we reveled ourselves to the fallen."


Amber glanced over the facility, thinking. How to make a distraction, many options. She could see several guards, pacing the roofs. Some expensive looking boxes near the rear, some… She stopped, a boom breaking the silence. She glanced up and spotted a Skiff flying in towards the facility, giving her an idea.

Leaping from the top of the hill, she allowed herself to slide down the slope, her rocket launcher appearing within her hands. A blue wire shot zipped by her head, but she ignored it. They'd spotted her, but that was the idea. As she came to a stop about halfway down the hill, she turned, then lifted up her rocket launcher, aimed it at the Skiff, then fired. The rocket screeched through the air, colliding with the Skiff's engine just as it passed over head. She lept to the ground, dodging the ball of flame and debris the erupted from the Skiff as its engine was blown out. The craft began spinning out of control, flames spewing from its back as it slowly descended from the sky before smashing into one of the buildings. An enormous explosion erupted from the buildings, a pillar of fire and smoke rising into the air as the ground shook.

Amber glanced up, a smirk spreading across her face as she watched the ball of fire slowly dissipate. An alarm began to blare, and the chattering shouts of fallen began rising into the air. She placed a finger on her helmet.

"How's that for a distraction?"

"Amber… I think that will do."


Horvack sat on the floor, his legs crossed and hands placed on his knees as he meditated. He breathed deeply, using the silence to clear his head. However, this silence was suddenly interrupted by a large explosion, which shook the building, flinging dust into the air at the metal walls rattled. His eyes opened slowly, and a low growl began to form in his throat. An alarm began to blare, and a few moments later, the door behind him burst open.

"Archon Horvack! Guardians are attacking the facility!"

Horvack glanced behind his shoulder, and spotted a captain flanked by two vandals standing in the doorway.

"Are you the one in charge of the guard?" Horvack's voice was low, almost calm. This unnerved the captain, causing him to hesitate for a moment before he straightened.

"I am. And I take full responsibility for…" His words were cut off as Horvack spun around, snarling as he stood, his fist extending to collide with the captain's head. The captain was knocked through the door and into the hall, were he smashed into a wall before landing on his stomach. As he tried to rise, Horvack rushed into the hall, the two vandals stepping aside, both out of respect and out of fear. Horvack slammed his foot onto the captains back, causing him to grunt in pain from the intense weight. He then bent down, and grabbed the captains two lower arms with his, as well as his cape with an upper hand. He then shoved down while yanking up, resulting in the cape, and the captain's arms, being torn from his body as he howled in pain. Horvack turned, the captain's arms dangling from his hands, ether splattering the floor and walls. He snarled at the vandals, who cowered in the doorway.

"Anyone else want to fail at their duty!?" The two vandals said nothing. They simply stared down at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Horvack growled before stepping off of the captain's back, dropping his arms and cape. He then grabbed the captain by the head, lifting him up before throwing him farther down the hall. He then turned and snarled at the vandals again.

"Then get this filth out of my sight! And kill those Guardians!" The two vandals nodded before hurrying down the hall, one picking up the captain's arms, while the other grabbed the wounded captain by the shoulders, lifting him to his feet and moving him out of the hall. Horvack growled as he turned back to his room, stepping inside and grabbing his staff from where it leaned against the wall. He stared at the inscription that he had carved into the metal wall, his hand extending to trace one of the shapes that made up writing.

"These fools. All they care about is what the wretched humans have left behind, and how they can use it. They're blinded by greed. All Eliksni have fallen from our former glory. But I will return them to that glory. I will make them see the light once again." As he turned to leave the room, his fingers trailed from the image, his claws leaving a small trail underneath the three eyes that stared out from the snarling face on the wall.


The vandal snarled as it crawled out of the drainage pipe, drawing its two swords before rushing forward. Shepard stood, and fired her auto rifle at the vandal, causing it to stagger from the hail of bullets. Finally, its integrity failed, and it crumbled to the ground. Tri lept out from behind his cover, shotgun in hand, and rushed the captain. The fallen snarled, firing its shrapnel launcher in an attempt to stop the guardian, but it wasn't working. It tried to step to the side and dodge, but this failed, and it was knocked back by the shotgun firing, shattering its shields. Before it could retaliate, it caught a shotgun round to the face, resulting in its head erupting into a small fountain of ether. A dreg crept through the shadows, shock dagger in hand as it snuck up on Shepard. Shepard heard it and spun, deploying her omni-blade. The dreg snarled, lunging at her. She kicked her foot onto the air, her boot connecting with its head, knocking it to the ground. She followed up by slamming her blade into the dreg's chest, killing it instantly. She yanked out the blade, and looked at Tri.

"Tri, we need to go before we get surrounded." Tri looked up and nodded, releasing his grip on a dreg's crushed throat.

"Indeed. Stay close." He stood back up, and ran towards another hall, Shepard following close behind. Soon they came to a cross roads. Tri glanced from side to side before pointing to the left, then to the right. Shepard nodded, and ran down the left hall, while he ran down the right.

As Shepard ran, her mind raced. Her friend was here somewhere, and she was going to find her, and nothing was going to stop her. She rounded a corner, entering a wide room filled with shelves. A squad consisting of two dregs and a vandal were on the far side, all turning to face Shepard. She snarled at them, lifting her rifle and opening fire. One of the dregs dove for cover just as the other was knocked to the ground, its knee being blown out from Shepard's shots. The vandal lept back, grabbing one of the shelves and pulling it down. It then clambered over the cover before sticking its shock rifle out and firing. Shepard dove to the side, executed a role, then came up shooting again, moving her shots upward. The dreg on the ground groaned in pain as the bullets trailed up its body before the last shots connected with its throat and skull, dropping it.

The second dreg poked its head around the corner, lifting it pistol and firing at Shepard. Shepard stood, back-peddling to avoid the tracking shots of the vandal. She fired at the vandal, forcing it to duck back behind cover. Shepard ran at the dreg, then swung her fist right as it peaked around the corner. Her fist connected with its head, knocking it to the ground. She fired into its back, ending its thrashing. She turned, placing her rifle on her back as she drew her shotgun, rushing the vandal. It stood, and lept over its cover, and swung its arms. Shepard was hit in the head, but she ignored it, swinging her gun at it. The butt of the gun smashed into the vandal's head, disorienting it. Before it could move, she shoved the barrel up under its chest plate, then fired. The vandal froze, its lower hands clasping at Shepard's gun for a moment, ether spilling out from around the gun. Soon the light faded from its eyes, and it went limp. Shepard kicked the body off of her gun, then wiped the ether off the barrel. She then ran out of the room, determined to find her friend.


Tri knelt down by the captain's body, examining it closely. Running his finger across the large wound in its back, he took note of the burned flesh that surrounded it. This wasn't done by him or Shepard.

"Sparks. What does that look like to you?" The ghost appeared next to him, and began scanning the body. A dreg popped out of a nearby pipe, snarling. Tri turned, lifting his rifle and firing a short burst, dropping the dreg as its head erupted into ether. He turned back to Sparks, who was still scanning the body.

"Looks like a shock sword did this. A clean stab straight through the back."

"I know fallen houses fight amongst themselves, but the closest enemy house is miles from here."

"Then it would seem the Devils have more than one type of intruder." A muffled screech sounded from nearby, drawing Tri's attention. He glanced up right as the screech was replaced by the sound of a blade slicing flesh. From a nearby doorway, the body of a dreg dropped to the ground, its throat sliced open, smoking from fresh burns.

"Yeah. And I think I just found it." He ran towards the doorway, and picked up the sounds of footsteps running in front of him. He gave pursuit.


Amber hid behind a boulder, desperately trying to avoid the shots that pelted the stones around her. She glanced around the corner, but had to immediately pull back as her shields were broken by a wire shot. She gritted her teeth, shaking her head to rid her of a headache. Down below, dozens of dregs and vandals fired at her with shock rifles, pistols and wire rifles. Three captains roared in anger, firing their shrapnel launchers at her. Dozens of shanks wheeled about, trying to flank her.

Amber stuck her rifle out, dropping four shanks with a single shot apiece. She then drew her sniper, steadying her breathing. She peaked over the cover, then fired. The explosive sniper round blasted a captain off his feet, peppering two surrounding dregs with shrapnel as well as shattering the captain's shields. A second shot blasted the captains head off, spraying more shrapnel over the surrounding dregs and killing them too. She fired a third, which blasted a hole clean through the chest of a sniper vandal, knocking him off the roof. However, her shooting was interrupted by a shock grenade landing right next to her. Amber dove to the side, clearing the boulder just as blast went off. Rolling back to her feet, she took off into a sprint, running for a second boulder, firing her scout rifle as she went.

"Tri! Have you got what we're after yet, because I could really use some help out here!" She dove behind the boulder just as two more wire shots zipped by.

"Not yet. I'm in pursuit of a mystery killer. If it's what we're looking for, I plan to find out. Why?" Amber glanced out from behind the rock, and spotted something that made her blood freeze. The door of a large warehouse began to open slowly, revealing a walker, its orange lights and multiple legs giving it the appearance of a spider. Amber pulled her head back, resting it against the stone.

"Because there's a freakin walker preparing to obliterate me! So, hurry up!"

"Alright, alright! I'll try to hurry! Just stay alive." The walker stepped out, raising its cannon, and firing at Shepard's position. The explosion shook the ground, obliterating several boulders, showering Amber with stone fragments. She shook herself, clearing her visor of dust.

"Easy for you to say."

"Oh, buck up meat bag. You'll be fine. Shepard, what's your status?"


Shepard ducked, dodging a spray of shrapnel fire as she fought a captain and a dreg. She fired a short burst with her rifle, breaking the captain's shields. However, he teleported out of sight before she could finish him off.

"I'm making progress, but I haven't found anything yet. Currently busy fighting."

"Keep searching. I might have lead though." Shepard nodded, smirking when the captain finally went down. She stood up, firing one last time to blow the head of the dreg as she walked past. She moved down another hall way, listening to the sounds of combat raging outside. The alarms were blaring, fallen were shouting, and explosions could be heard, shaking the building. Shepard ignored all this, and continued down the hall. As she rounded a corner, she was greeted by a metal pipe smashing into her gut. She keeled over, the wind knocked out of her, but she had no time to recover before the pipe was swung upward, striking her head and knocking her backwards. Her helmet peeped loudly, alerting her of her broken shields, but she shook her head, trying to clear the dizziness. Her eyes cleared just in time to make out her attacker as they reared up for another attack.

"Liara wait!"

Shepard starred in wonder at her friend, who had managed to come to this place along with her. The Asari stared at her in confusion, clearly not recognizing her. Shepard held up her hands, slowly standing back up.

"It's me Liara." She took her helmet off, allowing her to see her face. "It's Shepard."

Relief and joy spread over Liara's face, and she rushed forward, hugging Shepard tightly.

"Shepard! Thank the Goddess! I was afraid I was the only one here." She pulled away, then glanced over her, a brow raising.

"What are you wearing?" Shepard chuckled, pulling her helmet back on.

"I'll explain later. Let's get you out of here first." Liara watched her with curiosity and confusion.

"And where might here be exactly?" Shepard moved down the hall, gesturing for her to follow.

"Another time" Another explosion shook the building. "We're in a bit of a warzone here." Liara nodded, following as close as she could. However, she was limping, so Shepard had to slow her pace.

"Tri. I've recovered our missing person. How are things on your end?"


Tri slammed his fist one final time into the captain's head, cracking its helmet open as it went limp in his hands. He dropped the body, standing up.

"I lost my lead, but other than that, can't complain."

"I can complain! I can very much complain!" Amber's voice was stressed, and explosions could be heard in the background. Tri stood, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Alright. We hear you. Shepard, meet up outside. We'll try to help out Amber. Amber, hold them off till we're clear. We'll make a run for it once we're all out."

"Try to hurry up spark plug. Their walker is not making this easy!" Tri chuckled, and moved out of the room.

Behind him, a fallen watched from a darkened pipe, its green eyes glowing faintly in the dark. As he left, it moved forward, its yellow Kings armor scuffed and blackened, its face covered by a human skull. It then slid out of the pipe, ran to the other side of the room, and disappeared down an air shaft.

Moving quickly, Tri ran down a long hallway before bursting through a pair of doors, finding himself outside. Dozens of fallen stood against walls and boxes, firing at the distant hill. Vandal snipers stood on rooftops, taking crack shots whenever they could. However, one was then dropped by a guardian sniper round, its head erupting into ether. Tri decided it was time to introduce himself. He tossed out his flash grenade, and it landed right in the middle of several fallen. One of the dregs noticed, but its cry of alarm came too late. The grenade exploded, flinging the bodies of vandals and dregs into the air, and destroyed the shields of a nearby captain. As expected, the captain's head was taken off only moments later. Tri yelled, charging the fallen. The few that had escaped the grenades blast turned, surprised by the arrival of the second guardian. However, their surprise was replaced with fear as Tri charged, then shoulder smashed into a vandal, catapulting its body into a wall with a terrible crack. He then turned, and mowed down the remaining dregs with a single clip. He glanced up at the hill, smirking as he placed a finger on his helmet.

"I thought you said this was difficult. Seems easy to me." As if to mock him, a large explosion went off next to him, flinging him to the ground. He groaned, placing a hand on his head as he glanced up, and saw the fallen walker, its laser aimed right at him.

"Oh crap!" Tri lept upwards, engaging his lift to clear the ground just as the walker fired again. The blast lifted him high, and flung him back, resulting in him slamming into the side of a building. He groaned to himself, and stood. A laugh could be heard over the comms.

"I'm sorry Tri, what was that you said? Something about this being easy?" He grumbled, but said nothing, knowing that speaking would only egg Amber on. He turned, spotting several fallen rushing out of the facility, the walker just behind. He dove behind cover as it opened fire with its repeating gun. He stuck his gun around the corner and began firing back.

"Shepard! I'm outside with Amber! Where are you?"

"We're almost there. Are we clear for extraction yet?"

Tri growled, throwing out one of his grenades before unloading the remained of his clip into a charging vandal, which crumbled to the ground before it could reach him.

"Not even close. But its fine. Once you get out here, we're making a break for it."

"Roger that."

Rolling out of cover again, Tri fired upon the walker, ready to finish it once and for all.

"Amber! Take out one of its legs!"

He fired at one of the legs, the bullets tearing at the metal plating. The machine groaned, turning to face him before opening fire, forcing Tri back into cover. However, this didn't last long. A sniper round connected with the leg joint, shattering the metal plating with an explosive round. The machine buckled, its legs weakened enough to cause it to go into a lock down. However, unlike the other times, this time the machines frontal armor plate slide forward, exposing the burning hot machinery within. This design was placed in to prevent the walker from overheating and damaging itself after sustaining extreme stress, but guardians used it as a weakness. Seizing the moment, Tri lept into the air, his Smolder Rocket launcher in hand. While still airborne, he fired two void rockets straight at the walkers exposed machinery. The slammed into it, and a large, violet explosion rocked the tank, lifting it off its feet. It came on line temporarily, its body erupting with sparks of Arc energy as the machine short circuited. Then, the top of the machine exploded, flinging fire and metal shard high into the air before great machine collapsed.

The surrounding fallen snarled in outrage of their war machines destruction. At least half a dozen Vandals and captains roared in fury before charging at Tri. He began back-peddling, unloading into them. However, he only managed to drop one before his gun ran dry. He placed it on his back, then dropped to a knee, twisting his neck to the side to pop it. As the fallen drew closer, Tri proceeded to leap into the air, his fists now alight with crackling arc energy. He slammed them into the ground, and a massive shockwave of energy erupted outward from the strike. All the attacking fallen around him went ridged, their bodies seizing up as they began dissolving into blue light. Many of the bodies where flung into the air, the forms slowly vanishing into nothing. The shockwave died, and Tri remained on his knees, breathing heavy.

He looked up just in time to see Shepard exit the facility, followed by a strange, blue skinned humanoid that he didn't recognize. Grabbing his gun, he stood back up, and ran over to them.

"Quickly. We need to go. I'll take… this thing, and you ride with Amber. No time to lose!"

His sparrow materialized under him, startling the alien, but it tentatively got on, wrapping its arms around his chest for a hold. They then took off. Tri glanced behind him, pleased to see Shepard hopping on the back of Amber sparrow and following close behind. He was glad to have this place behind them now. The alien holding him shifted, returning him to the present. Hopefully, this thing would provide them with some answers.


Garrus screamed in pain, thrashing against his bonds. His body was burning, and his mind was barely functioning. Whatever it was that they were doing to him, it was destroying his mind. His thoughts, memories, and control were all being stripped away, leaving nothing but pain behind. His arms flexed, and the chains holding them went taunt. His chest heaved, trying to bring in oxygen, but the chain around his neck, and the spike protruding from his abdomen was making it difficult. He could feel his blood flowing from the wound in his gut, as well as from his limbs and neck, all rubbed raw from the cold chains. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't, the pain was too great.

"He is ready. Give him our gift." The cold, authorities voice from before was speaking, but it sounded distant and faint. Most likely because of the pain clouding his mind.

Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed his face, cutting off his screams of pain. His mouth was squeezed, forcing it open. Something was forced into his mouth, something cold, and slimy, writhing and thrashing against his tongue and the hand of its captor. It was stuffed farther in, gagging Garrus as it was forced painfully down his throat. His face was released, and he gagged, keeling over as his throat hemorrhaged from the intruder sliding down his throat. He coughed once, then twice. He could feel the blood flying from his mouth as he coughed. He gasped again, throwing his head back, trying to regain breath, and his eyes finally opened.

He couldn't make out anything, blood and tears preventing him from seeing anything beyond cloudiness and blue. His body trembled, the pain now being joined by a burning sensation flowing from his chest. His breathing was staggered as he gasped for air, trying to hold on to consciousness as he body began thrashing.
"Shepard. Forgive me. I have failed you." His voice was little more than a pained wheeze. His breath left him, and he thrashed again, groaning and gagging before his entire body went ridged. Then, Garrus Vakarian fell still, his strength and consciousness failing him as the pain drove him into a world of darkness.