Mass Effect: The Forgotten Soul

Chapter Twenty-One: Phantom Resolutions

Velpia exited the small transport ship's cargo ramp. She disliked the thought of returning to the frozen human hellhole, but she couldn't leave Martin alone to his fate. She moved through the dock's building carrying his equipment in a backpack and walked toward the road. "If I know Martin, I only need to follow the smoke."

It didn't take long for her to notice the active police presence in the city. She walked around briefly, following the small crowd gathering outside a police barrier. Several officers stood around the perimeter, and a light cloud of smoke came from the building in the distance. Velpia quickly recognized the building; it was the New Dawn Pharmacy headquarters. The sight of the building's wreckage gave her some comfort. He had to still be alive.

Velpia moved on from the area and headed to the local Hospital before eventually stopping by the clinic. She walked through the doors and approached the receptionist. The older woman behind the windowed desk looked up at the tall alien. "If you need medical attention, we will have to call in a Xeno-specialist, which may take time.-" Velpia quickly cut her off, "-No, I don't need a Veterinarian; I'm looking for someone that may have come through here. Human, Male, two-hundred-and-twenty pounds, but doesn't look like he should weigh that much... probably been shot or stabbed recently-"

The receptionist's eyes widen, "Yes, you must be the one he told us about." Velpia looked at her, confused, "He did what now?"

"Oh, he told us that someone might come for him here. He said we would know once we saw 'her.' He told us you'd be, eh... tall...." The receptionist paused and awkwardly smiled.

"Right... So what did he say?" Velpia asked, trying to move the conversation along. The receptionist cleared her throat and continued, "He said that you'd find him in the 'dusty hellhole' and that your friends were trying to get a hold of him." Velpia paused for a moment, and then it dawned on her. "Thank you, that's all I needed." She quickly turned and exited the clinic. Velpia promptly headed back for the spaceport to that dusty hellhole they were forced to hide in before leaving the planet. She thought she needed to hurry. If he was hiding out there, something must have gone wrong.

""""""""""""""""""

Dallas came to the warehouse door; he had been listening to police radio chatter of someone in black clothes trying to force their way into an old warehouse near the spaceport. He calmly walked through the partially opened door, taking note of the darkened floor. The exits were barred up, and he blocked the only way in or out. Dallas gripped his pistol in his right hand and looked about the room. "Martin!" Dallas walked into the center of the open floor and waited for a response. "You have about thirty minutes before this building is crawling with reinforcements. I suggest you come out now so you can die with some dignity... or don't and die like a dog. It doesn't matter to me." He continued to scan the room, looking for movement. The building was quiet; only the sounds of the cold wind whistling through the broken cracks of the walls echoed about. The moonlight dimly illuminated the dust in the air that surrounded him.

Dallas turned back to the door and locked the keypad before walking toward the back offices. "How does it feel to know everything I've been forced to live with?" He stopped again to look around the warehouse. "How does it feel to see the consequences of your actions?" Dallas raised his pistol to the office wall and fired six rounds. "Stop fucking hiding!" He yelled.

The silence began to drive Dallas mad; he wanted answers or at least some validation for the things he had experienced. "Your Turian friend landed on the planet not too long ago. Maybe I'll pay her a visit! See what she is made of! Always wanted to know what a bird person tasted like!" Dallas paused; a faint sense arose behind him; he quickly spun around and fired three shots.