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#RedrockAgency – July 4, 2016
Vasquez is seated on the couch in her and Jason's room, staring at the TV. Cynthia is sitting next to her, a distraught look on her face as she watches the news broadcast. "...was lost with the colony 31 hours ago. When contact with Horizon was re-established eye-witness accounts and recordings started flooding the extranet. The perpetrators of this horrific attack are still unconfirmed, but analysts are claiming that
recordings match descriptions of the mythical "Collectors", speculated by some to be responsible for the disappearances of other colonies in the Terminus Systems. We have reached out to Systems Alliance officials but they have declined to comment."
Jason returns to his room after realizing Vasquez' office is, oddly, not housing her. She must have escaped somehow. But, weren't they one and the same? Vasquez and work. Work and Vasquez? Surely this must be some sort of black magic. Still dressed in his black fatigues, boots and the white tanktop that he slept in, he opens the door to their room and steps inside, giving a weak smile
as he spots the pair on the couch. "Hey..." he says softly, the bad news plain as day on his face. "We-... uhh... We've got a problem, Linda..."
Vasquez doesn't quite seem to register Jason's words, and puts up a hand to shush him as the news broadcast starts to play what appears to be a hand-held recording of several colonists dressed in dirty jumpsuits, fleeing in terror over a a field, passing by several abandoned prefab shelters. Frantic shouting can be heard from all over, and what looks like large, flying insects can be seen swarming some of the colonists,
each of them ceasing to run and dropping out of view. The shaky camera makes it hard to make out any details, but as the person holding the omni-tool trips the viewpoint shifts up at the sky behind them. A massive, towering pillar of what looks almost like rock can be seen hovering over the settlement. The screaming starts to die off as more and more people are swarmed by the bugs, and a seemingly endless stream of
Cynthia is equally focused on the broadcast, not even acknowledging Jason. She's leaned foward, resting her head on her locked hands as she stares at the screen.
Jason slowly makes his way over to the pair, stepping off behind the couch as his eyes come to rest on the screen. He furrows his brow as he studies the screen for a few moments, a small smile starting to cross his lips. "Oh, I think I saw this." he says, placing a hand on the backrest as he points to the TV with his other. "Yeah! It was alright. The original was better, though." He
Cynthia glances over her shoulder at Jason, a confused look on her face. "Wh-... it's real, dumbass." she says before turning back just as quickly. "Early estimates are that as many as 300000 colonists have been taken by the alien attackers. Relief efforts for the survivors are already underway, but have been faced with considerable pushback due to a pervailing sentiment of distrust for the Alliance among many of the
colonists. The failure of the small Alliance contingent stationed on the colony to stop the attacks have done little to help public perception on Horizon. The identity of those responsible for stopping the attack is as of yet unconfirmed, with reports ranging from the human-supremacist terrorist group Cerberus to the STG and even Commander Shepard, the savior of the Citadel."
Jason furrows his brow. "I-... wha-..." he stammers, eyes moving from Cynthia to the images on display. "What do you mean it's real...?" he asks, confusion giving way to anger as the numbers are rattled off. "Is this-..." he trails off as his gaze travels to Vasquez, "...Is this related to the colonies that have been going dark? I-... Is this actual footage?" he manages, his
attention quickly snapping back to the screen as he watches with renewed interest. "The fuck is going on...?"
Vasquez nods in confirmation to Jason, continuing to watch the broadcast. "Yeah..." she says quietly, sounding as if she can't quite believe it herself. The broadcast continues, showing what appears to be footage from a security camera showing strangely shaped, insectoid aliens rounding up paralyzed colonists, placing them on coffin-like containers to be hauled off. The news show switches to a ground crew on-site, the
cameraman filming shot-out prefabs stacked on top of each other, colonists still wandering the settlement, shouting out as they hope to find lost friends and family. Up ahead, atop a metal ramp is an Alliance checkpoint, with marines in full armor guarding a courtyard from which a large AA gun can be seen sticking up. The cameraman manages to zoom in past the guards, showing glimpses of what appears to be the
aftermath of a battle on the other side. Alien corpses are strewn about, many of them in pieces, the evidence pointing to the battle having been an utter massacre since no bodies can be seen of whoever fought them off.
Jason reaches over, placing a metallic hand gently on Vasquez' shoulder from behind the couch and giving it a light squeeze. "Fuck. Who-... what did this?" he asks quietly, unable to tear his gaze from the screen.
Vasquez shakes her head. "There's still a lot of rumors flying, but... the recordings... they match descriptions of the Collectors perfectly. I didn't-... I didn't think Collectors were real though..."
Jason gives a shake of his own head as he continues to watch the footage in silence. "Is the Alliance doing anything about it...?" he finally asks, "The council? Someone has to be doing something, right? Shit... I thought the Collectors were just-... a story, you know?" he continues, his voice barely above a whisper as most of his attention is committed to taking in every detail
of the scene on display. "Where did they come from...? Do we know that much?" he continues, asking questions with little hope that they'll be answered. "This is-..." he shakes his head once again, "...This is big."
Vasquez nods faintly. "The Alliance is there." she says distantly, still watching. "I don't-... how could this happen? The other colonies, they must have taken everyone. I-..." she trails off as the camera continues to film into the area behind the Alliance perimiter, and the lifeless husk of a massive, metallic creature can be seen being hauled off on a hovering cart. The camera zooms in and a climpse is caught of what
appears to be a set of human skulls in the gaping maw of the alien creature, cybernetics covering them. The camera is pushed down rather suddenly and an argument can be overheard as it tips down, the only visible sight the boots of an Alliance marine, presumably the one that is currently admonishing the news team for filming in a restricted area. They're ushered away, and soon end up in an open area outside a large
Jason lifts his hand, pointing at the screen sharply as soon as the creature is shown. "That-...!" he exclaims, his face turning white as a ghost at the familiar sight of cybernetic-infused organics. He leans forward, hovering right over Vasquez, a frustrated groan escaping him as the camera is pushed away. "No, no, no, no... Tell me you saw that, Linda..." he says, panic beginning to
Vasquez curses under her breath, her attention to the screen fading as she goes over what they just saw in her head. "No, it-... it couldn't have been. That doesn't-... why would-... no. The aliens, they didn't look like anything we've seen, why would there be-..." she trails off, watching the interview. "There were so many of them. It was-... they started collecting people. Putting them in these... these coffins, and
taking them away! And I couldn't-... none of us could move! We were just stuck, watching people be-..." he trails off, breaking into tears as the cameraman starts to pan away, and the on-site reporter speaks to the camera. "The scenes here on Horizon are haunting to be sure. Almost every one of the survivors is missing someone. Emotions are running high, and everyone is looking for someone to blame. Many say the
Alliance should have been able to prevent the attack from ever occurring - although no confirmed connection has been established to the other missing colonies it is hard to ignore the evidence. Others still say that the Alliance presence is what caused the attack in the first place by drawing attention to an otherwise peaceful colony. We are all of course with the colony of Horizon in this terrible time and hope
Cynthia turns to look at Jason, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What? What are you guys talking about?"
Jason returns his hand to Vasquez' shoulder, merely staring at the screen in disbelief, nothing after the husks registering in his mind. As Cynthia speaks up he seems to snap out of his trance but his eyes remain fixed on the screen and his voice is distant. "Those-.... those things." he says, "We've seen those things... In that creature's mouth... What if they have something to
Vasquez shakes her head, gaze falling to the floor. "No. It can't be... them. It must be something else..."
Cynthia 's eyebrows rise. "Oh shit... the-... the fucking freaks that you told me about, Chief? That was them?!" she exclaims, pointing at the screen.
Linda... You saw it. I don't know how, but those things are tied to the missing colonies. This is too much to be a coincidence...
Vasquez lowers her head, letting out a barely audible "Fuck..." as her hands move up to her temples, rubbing them. She says nothing else, just staring down at the floor.
Jason leans foreward, a hand on each of Vasquez' shoulders as he presses his forehead atop the back of her head. A short period of silence passes as he processes the information he just saw. His mind runs through all of the ways they can get involved. Help. Make sure these creatures are unable to keep hurting anyone. As he considers his words, the Di Yu operation replays over and over
in his head. The Evening Star before it. Oogafau. A shotgun leveled at him in the pouring rain. The body count on the asteroid. The Evening Star crew. Justus. Linda, sitting in front of a window on a Cerberus base. Everytime they came across these creatures, there was a heavy price. Finally, with no shortage of hesitation, he manages to speak, "...We have to let them deal with it, Linda...
The Alliance... The council... This is their fight. We-... we already put in our time. We've lost enough, alright?" His voice is weak, and it's plain as day that his words betray his feelings on the situation. As he lifts his head up, his eyes scan across his metallic arms before coming to a rest on the back of Vasquez' head.
Vasquez remains silent, rubbing the implant on the side of her head. The broadcast goes on in the background, even though none of them are paying attention anymore. Eventually, after several seconds of silence after Jason's words she nods faintly. She reaches up and places her own hand over the one on her shoulder, rubbing it gently as she looks back at the screen. "I knew it wasn't over... it's never over..."
Cynthia looks between Jason and Vasquez. "Shit... guys, I-... I know I wasn't around for all the... all the fucked up shit you went through but... maybe now something'll be done? The Alliance is doing something now. They can fight it."
Jason squeezes Vasquez' shoulder, casting a glance over towards Cynthia as he gives a nod. "...Yeah... Right..." he says, trying to muster up any enthusiasm he can just to keep from dashing her hopes. He saw the Alliance's attempts. Redrock did more to stop the-... whatever they were. Meanwhile, the Alliance was cornered by red tape, unable to get their hands dirty. "I hope you're
right, Cynthia..." His gaze returns to the back of Vasquez' head. "I've got a few people I might be able to reach out to. Maybe just see what they can tell me... This-... This could be a good thing. It going public, I mean. Not the-..." he winces and gestures towards the screen. He nods, glancing towards Cynthia briefly again as if backing up her stance, keeping his own feelings in check
Vasquez rests her chin on her thumbs as she watches the footage from Horizon, all but having dialed out the audio. It's unclear if she even heard Jason, but when her right hand starts twitching she closes her eyes, making an effort to take slow, deep breaths.
Cynthia leans forward a bit to look over Vasquez, a worried look on her face. "Chief, it's-... somebody fought back, right? Not everyone was taken... somebody beat those things. And now the Alliance is on it. That's huge. Nobody can say it's not real now."
Jason removes his hands from her shoulder and rounds the couch, taking a seat beside Vasquez. "They're going to stop them." he insists, placing a hand on her leg and giving it a pat. As he spots the twitches, his hand moves to cover hers, hoping it may provide some comfort. "The council won't be able to shrug this off. There's footage. Real footage. They will stop them." he
Cynthia chimes in from the other side of Vasquez. "Right. Of course-... I mean, of course we fucking will. Everyone on Elysium has been terrified about the disappearances for months! Now we know who's causing it? You fucking bet the Alliance will step in."
Jason sighs loudly, rubbing the back of Vasquez' hand with his metallic palm. He looks from Cynthia to Vasquez. As much as it tore him up to see that footage- all those people lost- there's nothing they could do for them right now. Va'ynna, however, is a different story. "I know-..." he lets a deep breath out through his nose, frustrated at having to push his own agenda when she's
obviously upset, "I know this probably isn't the best time, but I need your help, Linda. Okay? That's why I came up here..."
Vasquez blinks as she tries to bring back her focus, gesturing to bring up the haptic interface for the TV and shutting it off. "What is it?" she asks, her mind still quite obviously on the reported events, but she turns to look at him regardless.
Jason tilts his head to the side. "It's V." he says, "...She didn't show up for work this morning and wasn't answering anyone's calls. Considering what happened at the Respite the other day, Uvena was a bit worried. I sent Mendez out to retrace her route to work and-... well, a store she passes by had footage of what looked to be her being grabbed and her omni-tool being destroyed.
Mendez identified her assailants' hardsuits as the same ones used by Avoren Security..." he explains, pausing before elaborating, "The same people who came after Uvena over the skycar. My guess? They're going to try and ransom her daughter back to her." He lets out another frustrated sigh. "They operate out of Linissa. I need to know what our relation is with Linissa. Do we have authority to
operate within their boundaries? Can we get permission?" He casts a brief glance to the disabled TV before resting his gaze back on Vasquez, "We can't help those people, Linda... But I'm sure as hell not going to let anything happen to V..."
Vasquez listens in silence, letting out a heavy sigh and closing her eyes again. She doesn't know the young asari particularly well, but she's heard enough about her from Jason. "Shit..." she mutters in a deflated tone, glancing back at the screen before turning her gaze to Jason again. "I'll get in touch with Linissan authorities, make sure they're alright with us sending a team over."
Cynthia furrows her eyebrows, remaining quiet for once and avoiding interrupting since she knows nothing of this.
Jason gives a lopsided grin, forcing it despite his soured mood. "Thank you. I'm going to try and open a line of communication with them. Start working on negotiating her release just to make sure it's definitely them who has her before we make our move. Just-... do what you can, alright? I'm going to prep a team and wait to see how this plays out." His gaze wanders back towards the
TV and another sigh escapes him, his grin quickly fading away. "I'll see what I can do about getting us some answers. After-..." he gives a brief glance to Cynthia, deciding to speak candidly in front of her. Vasquez trusts her and that's enough for him, "...After we hit the Cerberus facility-... You remember the Alliance operatives I told you about? I'll see if they're willing to fill
Vasquez nods. "Yeah... I-... yeah." she says, before suddenly standing up. "I'm... going get to work right away. Send me-... send me the details of what's happened with the Atanas." she says, gesturing towards the door before heading off towards it without another word.
Jason nods in turn and goes to stand up as she hurries off, but decides better than chasing after her. "...Sorry." he says, turning to face Cynthia. "We've-..." he sighs, giving a humorless chuckle at the phrase that comes to mind as he shakes his head, "...We've been through some shit these past few years. And that?" he points sharply at the inactive screen, "...Was pretty much our
worst nightmare." He retakes his seat, practically falling against the cushion. "It's all fucked.... If those things are becoming such a big problem that we're seeing them on the morning news, then-... then I don't know..."
Cynthia nods, glancing after Vasquez as she leaves, a thoughtful frown on her face. "Yeah... she told me about some of the shit you've been through... I-... honestly, I had a hard time believing it, but I knew she wouldn't make this kind of fucked up stuff up. But... the Alliance being on this? That's a good thing. The Alliance can handle these fuckers. Stop them from getting any more colonies. Make them regret ever
Jason simply sighs. "I hope you're right... But I'm not sure anyone can handle these things... They just-..." he shakes his head, not wanting to tumble back down that rabbit hole, "They're not the sort of shit you take lightly. I want to believe that the Alliance is on top of this, but seeing something like that?" He gestures towards the television once again, "Openly attacking
Cynthia raises an eyebrow. "Thought you were a marine, Jace... you should know there's not shit we can't handle. You think some fucked up people-stealing boogeymen are gonna stand a chance against humanity's finest?" she asks confidently with a shove at his shoulder.
Jason snorts, the lopsided grin returning to his face. "Yeah... Yeah. You're right." he says, reaching out to return the shove with a light one of his own before climbing to his feet. "Sorry just-... bad day." he offers, deciding better than to dash her spirits about something she clearly knows nothing about. "We'll work this out. The Alliance always works their shit out, right?" He
cocks a thumb towards the door, a nod of his head following in its direction, "Don't mean to leave you alone and bored, but I should get back to work. Like I said. Bad day. Feel free to stay in here as long as you want. My casa is your casa and shit."
Cynthia settles back into the couch with a gesture at the door. "Yeah yeah, go. Get... stuff done. Work. Save asari. Blow shit up. Whatever you guys do." she rambles while starting the TV back up and switching away from the news coverage, eager to get her mind off what happened.
Jason backs towards the door, pointing a metallic finger towards Cynthia. "Hey, you have no idea who you're talking to. I top the leaderboards when it comes to 'blowing shit up'!" he brags. "Don't you forget it!" he adds as he backs through the door. "I'll see you later, Cynthia." he calls back as he turns on his heels and starts down the hall.