Revenge - Part 5

"He's here!" shouted Srateris from outside. Thomson's eyes snapped open. He was already in full armour, so all he had to do was collect his M-8 Avenger from the side of the bedroom compartment, and exit the tent.
Thomson immediately levelled his rifle at Vengeance, and fired a quick burst of rounds. They were blocked, of course, but it was worth a try.
His mind went back to his training as he started closing in.


Seven Years Earlier...

"When it comes to biotics," explained Thomson's commanding officer, "They are pretty impossible to get past. Your only chance is to make sure they can't use their powers. Most biotics will have a relatively long recharge time, so they will be weakened for a few seconds after every attack they make. Some Asari, however, have pretty much no breaks between attacks. They can launch warp after warp after warp at you without any rest. So just rely on your weapons. If they get lost there's always a tracking device in them."
"So how do we deal with them?" Renswick asked, "There must be a way to stop their attacks."
"No, I'm afraid not. Biotic energy is pretty much impossible to stop unless you're a biotic too," the CO pointed out, "So Thomson, you're fine."
Thomson grinned, "Yay. Renswick, I bet you're regretting your parents not exposing you to Element Zero."
Renswick glared at him, "There must be a way. Not even biotics can stop a blast of dark energy at close-quarters. I'm going to try and find a way around it. Thomson, throw a shockwave at me."
"Uh, now?"
"Yes, now. Practice makes perfect."
Thomson stepped away from Renswick and a mass effect field gathered in his hand. He thrust his hands forwards and a blue shockwave tore through the air towards his partner. It wasn't the strongest he was capable of doing, more for practice than anything else.
Renswick tried punching the shockwave but he was knocked to the ground.
"Again," he said as he stood up from the ground. Renswick prepared a concussive shot ready to fire.
Thomson waited for the tingling feeling that meant his biotics were ready to use again, then launched another shockwave.
Renswick fired the concussive shot. There was a ripple in the shockwave as the round detonated. The shockwave was halted and dissipated completely.
"Fuck yeah!" Renswick laughed, "Ha! Biotics! Who needs them?"
Thomson threw him backwards with a pulse of blue energy, then grinned. "Well, they are kind of useful."

Thomson fired a quick burst of gunfire from his rifle to cover Srateris who also started getting closer. Not even a biotic could prevent a blast of dark energy at close quarters, so his entire plan consisted of getting in blast range and trying his best to take Vengeance out.
As Vengeance turned towards him, Thomson noticed that his eyes were glowing blue. Almost like a Husk's. It looked like some sort of indoctrination, maybe caused by the Reaper. Still, any advantage they could get would be extremely useful against such a powerful foe. Indoctrination could only work in their favour, since it would make Vengeance slower than usual.
Vengeance fired a blast of biotic energy at him, but Thomson had enough time to throw up a quick mass effect field to block the strike. When his rifle clicked empty, all the bullets being blocked, he threw it to the sand and drew his Predator pistol instead and began firing with that.
Srateris fired his sniper, but the round was blocked by a biotic barrier. However, the distraction by having to summon a mass effect field and concentrate on sustaining it, doubled by the fact that he was indoctrinated, meant that Thomson could draw his knife and slice into his back. It wasn't a deep cut, but it would reduce his combat capabilities.
Vengeance turned and back-handed him across the face. Thomson staggered slightly but raised his pistol and tried to shoot the powerful biotic in the face. His pistol was grabbed and knocked to the side. Vengeance dissembled his pistol with the press of a button on the inside of the trigger guard.
As his gun fell to pieces, Thomson punched Vengeance in the face. He grimaced slightly as it felt like his fist had hit a brick wall.
Vengeance swung a punch at him, but he ducked, smashing his palm into Vengeance's stomach. The biotic doubled over, so Thomson took a step back and unleashed a shockwave.
Emi had not been part of the attack planning. Bei had just woken up and was scrambling for her Reegar Carbine, but they had presumed that Emi would have kept out of it.
They presumed wrong.
Emi cautiously walked out of the tent, and saw the battle that was happening before her. Srateris was firing his sniper repeatedly, all rounds being blocked, whilst Thomson was in a fist fight with a powerful biotic.
There was a flash of blue and then Vengeance biotic jumped next to her, then they both vanished.
"Emi!" yelled Thomson. He stamped his foot on the ground in anger and sadness. His foot kicked up a small cloud of sand, "Fuck!"
Srateris sighed, "Now there's only three of us. We don't know where they are to even try and rescue her."
"We're going to rescue her," Thomson pointed out firmly, "We have to."
" Where do you think we should look first?" Bei questioned. Her voice was raised in frustration. Emi had been her friend, after all.
"Well," growled Thomson, "We should start in the location that is shown on my tracking beacon, after I slipped the tracker in my pistol into Vengeance's pocket when he disassembled my gun."
Srateris smiled, "Clever."
Thomson was in no mood to joke, so he just nodded and took out a device from his belt.

The Reaper disabled Emi's voice amplifier system inside her helmet by hacking into her suit. It had changed it to such an extent that no matter how much she shouted and screamed, no one could hear her. But shout and scream she still did.
She was escorted into a room by two Banshees. The Banshees frightened her. She just wanted to run back to Thomson... She started crying. She didn't know where she was or how she got to the small building. She had seen hundreds of frightening Reaper creatures. Blue-eyed monsters with grey, twisted flesh and almost translucent skin.
The room was small and dull. The walls were a pale brown colour. There were two pieces of furniture, and that was it. Two chairs. One soft and leather, the other misshapen and made of wood.
She was forced to sit down on the wooden chair. She could feel every lump as they started digging into her, but none were thin enough to pierce her suit.
Instead of having her hands tied her back, they were forced behind her and held that way using a mass effect field. Her arms were in an uncomfortable position and they started aching nearly instantly.
Whilst she was being held in place, a Banshee lowered itself down to the level of her helmet. Emi was so close that she could see wires through its grey flesh and sharp teeth in its mouth. It screamed at her and she screamed back, but hers was filled with fear. She tried to back away but the chair prevented her from doing so, so all she could do was shut her eyes. She felt herself starting to shake uncontrollably.
The Banshee extended its hand, which had several long claws protruding. Its nails must have spanned about half a metre, and looked extremely sharp. It placed its hand over her helmet and pushed her head back against the chair, and held that too in place with a mass effect field. She tried struggling but it had no effect on the blue energy that bound her.
Tears were spilling out of her helmet through the induction port. It ran down her environment suit and landed in a pool at her feet.
The Banshee also seemed to be smiling at her when it moved back to its normal level. There was a blue flash and then the Banshees vanished altogether.
She was trembling uncontrollably, crying and screaming. But she could not be noticed inside the confinements of her suit.
She not-so-silently begged and cried for Thomson to come to rescue her. He always did - he even launched a near-suicide mission for her when Cerberus had her captive... But it felt different. There was outnumbered, then Reaper outnumbered. Thomson couldn't even know where she was, let alone the military strength of the Reapers.
The cloaked man who had attacked Thomson strode into the room. Even though the Banshees were no longer nearby, the energy that was holding her in place remained.
"Hello Emi'Derik," said Vengeance. He was still wearing his hood, though light from his blue eyes and advanced cybernetics protruded outwards. Almost like a man fused with a robot.
Emi said nothing. She glared at him, not that it would have any effect considering she had a helmet on.
"Well," Vengeance chuckled, "This is no fun. Let me activate your helmet's electronic systems again."
"... Bosh'tet!" she screamed at Vengeance as soon as he had disabled the Reaper code using his Omni-tool.
"Well, I presumed a young... thing such as yourself would have better manners," laughed Vengeance, "But then again, all your species are just a bunch of liars and thieves. I can't expect you to have common decency like us."
"... You're no human," Emi sobbed, "You're a monster..."
Vengeance shook his head, almost sadly, "And I thought you'd remember."
There was something about his voice. Something familiar. It was horribly distorted by cybernetics, but... She realised in complete shock that she knew who and what it was.