22:15 Hours - September 8 - 2194
Shots peppered the ground around him, and the wall just across form him, as Tolan rounded the corner. Running far too fast to round easily, he slammed into the wall and grunted with the impact, pushing off again in an effort to maintain some sort of forward momentum. He worried for just an instant that his suit might be damaged from the impact, but he had no time to stop and check. Desperately the young quarian sprinted as fast as he could, as the cries of his pursuers drew closer.
Ahead of him stretched a long alleyway, devoid of much cover aside from a few trash canisters, and his heart sank. There didn't seem to be anywhere he could hide, and his pursuers would round the corner any second. The heads-up display of his mask warned him yet again of his elevated heart rate, and yet again he ignored it. One bit of shadow up ahead looked like it might contain a doorway, and Tolan forced himself to maintain his sprinting pace.
Just as he reached his target spot, the mercenaries rounded the corner he had just passed, and almost instantly the alley was filled assault rifle fire. Tolan felt his arm jolt, saw warning lights flare up across his HUD, and knew that he had been hit. There was no time to react, as he frantically pressed the panel of the door in his little sheltered alcove. His ancestors were with him, as the door opened swiftly and Tolan fell through it amidst a hail of gunfire, and the sound of gunshots on metal as the doorway closed again.
Knowing he had only seconds, Tolan activated his omni-tool and frantically scanned for the door code. His fingers veritably flew over holographic keys, and within just a few rapid heartbeats he heard pounding on the door's other side, even as his omni-tool and the door gave echoing security beeps. Tolan fell back onto the floor, almost sobbing in relief, his entire body shaking. This was not how today was supposed to go.
The sound of a pistol sliding open and powering up sent electricity up the exhausted young quarian's spine. He moved to roll onto his side and leap up, but a voice stopped him cold.
"Freeze!" The man, a human, carried a pistol and wore what looked to be the uniform of a soldier. Tolan didn't know enough about human military to even guess what branch the man was, or even if he was enlisted or officer. In the long run, he figured it didn't really matter.
"Please, I was just trying to get away from the Blue Suns," he said, between panting breaths. His helmet was working overtime to scrub the air fast enough for him to breathe
"Who the hell are you?" The man asked. He seemed frightened, almost as much as Tolan, and the quarian was simultaneously comforted and made uneasy by that assumption. Slowly, he raised his hands and looked up from his prone position, trying his level best to appear as nonthreatening as he knew he was.
"My name is Tolan'var nar Kelif," he replied. "I'm being chased by mercenaries, thugs, and I just wanted to hide."
Those same mercenaries were still pounding on the door less than a meter away from Tolan. Their muffled curses could just be heard through the barrier.
"You a thief or something?" The human asked. Tolan winced inside his helmet.
"I...no. Well, they think I am." He sighed. "I bought a small ship from a volus, and I think he stole it from someone, because they came after me."
A particularly loud thud hit the door, causing both Tolan and the human to jump. They both looked at the door, and could hear someone working at the access panel. Apparently the mercenaries were being paid enough for persistence. Tolan looked up at the human.
"Please, I'm not here to cause trouble, please just let me go," he begged.
The human looked at him for several moments, visibly frustrated. He seemed at a complete loss for what to do, until another loud bang at the door made his mind up for him.
"Get up. Slowly!" The last word was emphasized, and he waggled the pistol. Tolan complied wordlessly, rolling onto his side and standing up. He groaned with pain as the wound in his arm surged across his nervous system, and he wondered how bad the hit was. According to his HUD the environment suit had successfully sealed off the breach, but he figured he would still pay the price later. Once he was on his feet, the human moved to the side.
"Walk to the other side of the warehouse," he said. Now that he could see the human at a proper angle, Tolan judged that they were about the same age; maybe Tolan was even a bit older (not that he was an expert at judging human adges, the man just seemed young). Looking around, it made sense. On the flotilla only the youngest quarians were saddled with boring duty such as guarding warehouses, and it seemed logical that humans would follow a similar pattern.
"What are you going to do?" Tolan asked, as he slowly walked to a passageway between large crates. He kept his hands clearly up at shoulder level on either side. The human fell into step behind him, pistol shaking but never wavering.
"I'm taking you to the Lieutenant," the human replied.
Eager to be done with this whole thing, and hopeful that the human military might help him out of this situation, Tolan gave a sigh of relief. Surely things would go better now that he could appeal to some authority figures, and explain his situation rather than being shot at.
With alarming suddenness, the thudding behind them stopped. Both Tolan and the human stopped, the quarian turned, and the two exchanged a look. Just as the human turned around, the doorway exploded inward completely in a massive ball of fire. Both quarian and human were knocked prone, which saved their lives as gunfire filled the air.
"Keelah!" Tolan exclaimed, and he dragged himself behind a crate. The human followed him, and the two young men found themselves pinned by a withering hail of gunfire.
------
------
This is a work of fan fiction, intended for the amusement of myself and those reading it. I am in no way affiliated with Bioware, Electronic Arts, or anyone else who has any official say over the Mass Effect franchise.
Like my words? Buy my stuff!
Also, please support my facebook page and follow me on twitter!
More importantly; tell other people about my work!
No comments:
Post a Comment