03-03-2018, 11:02 PM
Mordin came around the corner of the Isolation Wing like a freight train. There was a time when stealth and espionage was the name of the game, but this was not that time or place. He was a deadline and he knew it. It would be mere minutes before an alarm announced that he had gotten loose, and he had to get as close to Dr. Illyana Ivanov as possible before that time was up. In front of Isolation Two was a single armed guard, but Mordin was up in his face way too quickly for him to do anything about it. The seemingly weak scientist slammed the butt of his heavy pistol (the always dependable M-6 Carnifex) into the side of his head and sent him to the ground in a reap.
He moved to the door's controls to open it up. Once the electronic entrance-way slide apart, he was surprised at what he saw.
The big man that he had come to rescue, the Zabrak known as Jor, was sitting on the end of the examination table in the center of the small room. He was staring at the door, as if he had been waiting for it to open. Around him was three bodies, similiar to the set-up that Mordin had just left his own room from. Two guards and a scientist all lay unconscious and bloodied. The scientist immediately identified they known of them had clear fatal wounds, so his gut instinct suggested they were not dead. "What took you so long?" Jor asked, a mix of humor and seriousness lying in his monotone voice.
"My apologies," Mordin smirked, which was difficult to read on his unusually-structured face, but Jor seemed to notice it fine. "Looks like you handled yourself fine." He looked around the room for something. "Question: Where is Illyana Ivanov?" It seemed as if Jor successfully put down his captors, but unlike Mordin, did not leave anyone awake to open the door.
Jor moved up off of the table and picked up a firearm that was resting against the wall. It was some kind of assault rifle, suggesting it belonged to one of the guards Jor had knocked out. That made Mordin even more impressed. "She went to wake up Kior. She is going to force her to resign by using me as leverage."
As Jor walked by him, Mordin's eyes followed him. "This doctor does not appear to have thought this out."
"She is a good scientist," Jor responded. He looked over his shoulder to ensure Mordin was following. He was. "But not so good at strategy. She is emotional. She was jealous of my sister's accomplishments. Now she is trying to take it all for herself." He stopped walking for a moment, about half-way down the corridor. They were at a fork. They could continue straight, or go right. "This is my fight. You've done enough. This way is the exit. Ivanov is keeping this under wraps, so you won't have a hard time fighting your way out."
"Impossible." Mordin said simply. "I cannot walk away now."
Jor grunted, but he nodded. He nodded his head out of respect. Mordin could feel that Jor likely already knew his answer. "Thank you," Jor said.
The two moved to the right, with the Scientist Salarian following the Zabrak's lead. Jor seemed to know where to go. After a couple winding turns, Mordin recognized where they were as one of the main research wings of the Empire Research & Development Wing. They didn't meet any resistance on the way to the main room, likely because of Dr. Ivanov was trying to keep the whole situation quiet, but they did stumble upon two guards in front of the main research lab. Mordin put his hand up to Jor to stop him from attacking first.
"Gentlemen!" Mordin shouted to get their attention. But he already had a small blue object in his hand. He tossed the circular device so it bounced once before resting in front of them. They looked at each other in confusion as it suddenly erupted between them. The chilly blast froze them instantly in mid-falls. "Go now!" Mordin shouted to Jor. By the time they rushed over to the two, the soldiers were starting to drop to the ground, but were slowed enough that Jor and Mordin could easily knock them out with the bottoms of their weapons.
"Neat trick," Jor complimented. "What was that?"
Mordin smiled. He was happy he was asked. "Portable Cryo-electronic Explosive Device. Lowers temperature around blast radius to extreme degrees to modify the speed in which molecules..."
"Cold Grenade," the Zabrak interrupted. "Got it." He then moved to open the door. Mordin blinked in surprise, half because he was unable to finish explaining the finer details of his device, and half because Jor was smart enough to decipher all of it so quickly. The guy was smart. Rude, but smart.
Inside the room, the attention quickly shifted to the doors opening. "...is the best thing you could do for this facility." Dr. Ivanov was just finishing saying before she (and the guards in the room) noticed they were being intruded upon. "Get them!" She screamed, pointing at Jor and Mordin. "Shoot them now!"
The firefight was immediate. Jor began to fire first, screaming as he unleashed the assault rifle's powers into the room blindly. Mordin was a bit softer in the touch as he dove behind a counter just in time to avoid being blasted by the soldiers. Joining Mordin behind the counter was a single human scientist, who seemed like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. His face looked terrified and shocked. Before he lost sight of the room, Mordin had counted four armed guards (three right, one left) and two more scientists, plus Illyana. He noted that the blonde scientist had been next to Kior, who was sitting in a metallic chair. He couldn't tell if she was strapped down or not.
"Let her go, you bastards!" Jor screamed as he unloaded an entire magazine into the room. The guards fired back at him, some of the shots hitting by not seemingly hindering him. They were clearly doing damage, as he finally did duck down to reload his weapon. Mordin guessed that this man was a Prime, based on how much punishment he could take. Jor looked at Mordin from behind cover. "You gonna help at all?"
Mordin blinked his big eyes back at the man. "Patience." He took a deep breath as he held his pistol up to his lips, almost breathing on it. He formulated a plan in his head. "I'll go left to Ivanov. You shoot right. On my signal."
"What's the signal?" The guards had seemingly reloaded and were now blasting their weapons full steam at the two counters Mordin and Jor were hiding behind. The scientist by Mordin, who he was ignoring, cowered further as the glass jars and beakers above them were shattered.
Dr. Solus took out another circular object from inside his lab coat. He activated it, causing it to change color. It was crimson, with a small flame design engraved on its side. "This is the signal," he told Jor, and then tossed it backwards, above his head.
The firefighting stopped for a moment. "What are you doing?!" Illyana was screeching. "Shoot the-!"
The explosion erupted and Mordin immediately moved. Jor stood up. Mordin crossed the room from the right to the left. The three guards that had been at the right were now freaking out as the fire from his Incendiary Grenade had blasted them out of place up against the walls and counters. As soon as the salarian moved in front of Jor, the zabrak unloaded his rifle on the three burn victims. Mordin fired his heavy pistol was he moved, hitting the soldier at the left side of the room by surprise. He fell backwards, hitting center mass, and slumped against the wall, unconscious. Mordin was thankful his guns were not strong enough to be fatal, if aimed correctly.
"That is enough!" Illyana shouted. Mordin turned to aim his Carnifex at the corrupted researcher, only to find she was armed as well. She was holding the weapon he previously had, the M-12 Machine Pistol. She blasted it at Mordin first, who ducked behind another counter, and then swiftly moved to aim it Jor. Mordin watched as Jor took the shots right to his chest and fell backwards. The salarian hoped his newfound friend was okay, but couldn't tell how much damage his own weapon had done. She unloaded the clip until it stopped firing. "Come out, Dr. Solus!"
Mordin stood up. She was breathing deep. He surmised she was not suited to combat, given how much adrenaline she clearly dumped in that round of firing. The three soldiers Jor dispatched were lying on the ground, two knocked out and one hurt enough to stay out of combat. The scientists were, like the other from before, cowering. "Here I am, Doctor." Mordin said, his hands up, but his pistol still in one.
"Put your gun down," she commanded. She was panting her words. He set his pistol on the counter and slid it away from himself. "Good. Good." She seemed to relax, but kept Mordin's own gun trained on him. "You shouldn't have meddled. You should have let me do my work!"
"You should be ashamed." Mordin said to her. "Your work is unethical. Criminal."
"I get results!" Illyana shouted. "She never got the kind of results that I get!" She was screaming now, more emotional then Mordin had ever seen her. She was pointing at Kior, who Mordin had just noticed was wide awake, watching all of this unfold. She was strapped to the chair, but did not appear to be hurt. She was tense, but didn't look scared. "She was too timid. But I will find out what Primes are truly made out. I will find out what makes people like you so special! By any means necessary!" Mordin began to step forward, causing Illyana to panic and pull the trigger. Nothing happened. Her eyes went wide in shock. "W-what?"
Mordin swatted the gun away with his hand. "That firearm does not use bullets. It uses biotic energy using a micro mass effect field. If fired for too long, it will overheat. Needs a new heat sink."
Illyana shrank up against the wall. Mordin walked up by her. "Wait. Dr. Solus, wait!" she insisted with fear in her voice. "We are both scientists. You have to understand! Mercy! Mercy!"
"You are an ethical, legal and scientific disaster," he accused, vitriol in his voice. "Pain. Suffering. Separation. Fear. No scientific discover is worth those costs! None!" He punched the wall next to her head and she squeaked loudly, terrified. He was losing his temper, which was uncharacteristic of him. "Worst of all. You did not do it for science. You were selfish. Angry. Jealous of your peers. Jealous of Primes everywhere!" He stopped and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. Opened them again. "I am ashamed of you, as a scientist. As a person."
"Please, Doctor..." Illyana pleaded. "Mercy..."
"Don't kill her," someone said. It was a new voice. Female. Mordin turned to see the back of the chair that Kior, the former head of Primes Studies and Jor's sister. She was still sitting, but had been listening intently to the exchange happening behind her. "She will be punished, but she should not die. She is exposed now. Her peers have seen her true self." He was referencing the other scientists, who were now standing and listening as well. They seemed to nod, both them. "Let her live in this Omniverse. Let her live with her consequences, and maybe find redemption."
Mordin backed away from Illyana, who slid all the way to the ground in a heap of sobs. He walked over to Kior and nodded down at her. "I wouldn't have killed her anyway," he promised. He pulled on one of the straps at her arm, freeing her so she could do the rest herself.
"I know," she responded. "I could see good in you immediately. That's why my brother trusted you."
As if on cue, Jor came to his feet with a loud groan and flopped over the counter he had been behind. He was panting, his torso bruised and bloodied from the shots he had taken from the weapon Illyana had been mishandling. He looked at the two, seeing Kior was safe and Illyana was disarmed, and smiled big. Mordin, as well as he could, grinned back. It was over.
He moved to the door's controls to open it up. Once the electronic entrance-way slide apart, he was surprised at what he saw.
The big man that he had come to rescue, the Zabrak known as Jor, was sitting on the end of the examination table in the center of the small room. He was staring at the door, as if he had been waiting for it to open. Around him was three bodies, similiar to the set-up that Mordin had just left his own room from. Two guards and a scientist all lay unconscious and bloodied. The scientist immediately identified they known of them had clear fatal wounds, so his gut instinct suggested they were not dead. "What took you so long?" Jor asked, a mix of humor and seriousness lying in his monotone voice.
"My apologies," Mordin smirked, which was difficult to read on his unusually-structured face, but Jor seemed to notice it fine. "Looks like you handled yourself fine." He looked around the room for something. "Question: Where is Illyana Ivanov?" It seemed as if Jor successfully put down his captors, but unlike Mordin, did not leave anyone awake to open the door.
Jor moved up off of the table and picked up a firearm that was resting against the wall. It was some kind of assault rifle, suggesting it belonged to one of the guards Jor had knocked out. That made Mordin even more impressed. "She went to wake up Kior. She is going to force her to resign by using me as leverage."
As Jor walked by him, Mordin's eyes followed him. "This doctor does not appear to have thought this out."
"She is a good scientist," Jor responded. He looked over his shoulder to ensure Mordin was following. He was. "But not so good at strategy. She is emotional. She was jealous of my sister's accomplishments. Now she is trying to take it all for herself." He stopped walking for a moment, about half-way down the corridor. They were at a fork. They could continue straight, or go right. "This is my fight. You've done enough. This way is the exit. Ivanov is keeping this under wraps, so you won't have a hard time fighting your way out."
"Impossible." Mordin said simply. "I cannot walk away now."
Jor grunted, but he nodded. He nodded his head out of respect. Mordin could feel that Jor likely already knew his answer. "Thank you," Jor said.
The two moved to the right, with the Scientist Salarian following the Zabrak's lead. Jor seemed to know where to go. After a couple winding turns, Mordin recognized where they were as one of the main research wings of the Empire Research & Development Wing. They didn't meet any resistance on the way to the main room, likely because of Dr. Ivanov was trying to keep the whole situation quiet, but they did stumble upon two guards in front of the main research lab. Mordin put his hand up to Jor to stop him from attacking first.
"Gentlemen!" Mordin shouted to get their attention. But he already had a small blue object in his hand. He tossed the circular device so it bounced once before resting in front of them. They looked at each other in confusion as it suddenly erupted between them. The chilly blast froze them instantly in mid-falls. "Go now!" Mordin shouted to Jor. By the time they rushed over to the two, the soldiers were starting to drop to the ground, but were slowed enough that Jor and Mordin could easily knock them out with the bottoms of their weapons.
"Neat trick," Jor complimented. "What was that?"
Mordin smiled. He was happy he was asked. "Portable Cryo-electronic Explosive Device. Lowers temperature around blast radius to extreme degrees to modify the speed in which molecules..."
"Cold Grenade," the Zabrak interrupted. "Got it." He then moved to open the door. Mordin blinked in surprise, half because he was unable to finish explaining the finer details of his device, and half because Jor was smart enough to decipher all of it so quickly. The guy was smart. Rude, but smart.
Inside the room, the attention quickly shifted to the doors opening. "...is the best thing you could do for this facility." Dr. Ivanov was just finishing saying before she (and the guards in the room) noticed they were being intruded upon. "Get them!" She screamed, pointing at Jor and Mordin. "Shoot them now!"
The firefight was immediate. Jor began to fire first, screaming as he unleashed the assault rifle's powers into the room blindly. Mordin was a bit softer in the touch as he dove behind a counter just in time to avoid being blasted by the soldiers. Joining Mordin behind the counter was a single human scientist, who seemed like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. His face looked terrified and shocked. Before he lost sight of the room, Mordin had counted four armed guards (three right, one left) and two more scientists, plus Illyana. He noted that the blonde scientist had been next to Kior, who was sitting in a metallic chair. He couldn't tell if she was strapped down or not.
"Let her go, you bastards!" Jor screamed as he unloaded an entire magazine into the room. The guards fired back at him, some of the shots hitting by not seemingly hindering him. They were clearly doing damage, as he finally did duck down to reload his weapon. Mordin guessed that this man was a Prime, based on how much punishment he could take. Jor looked at Mordin from behind cover. "You gonna help at all?"
Mordin blinked his big eyes back at the man. "Patience." He took a deep breath as he held his pistol up to his lips, almost breathing on it. He formulated a plan in his head. "I'll go left to Ivanov. You shoot right. On my signal."
"What's the signal?" The guards had seemingly reloaded and were now blasting their weapons full steam at the two counters Mordin and Jor were hiding behind. The scientist by Mordin, who he was ignoring, cowered further as the glass jars and beakers above them were shattered.
Dr. Solus took out another circular object from inside his lab coat. He activated it, causing it to change color. It was crimson, with a small flame design engraved on its side. "This is the signal," he told Jor, and then tossed it backwards, above his head.
The firefighting stopped for a moment. "What are you doing?!" Illyana was screeching. "Shoot the-!"
The explosion erupted and Mordin immediately moved. Jor stood up. Mordin crossed the room from the right to the left. The three guards that had been at the right were now freaking out as the fire from his Incendiary Grenade had blasted them out of place up against the walls and counters. As soon as the salarian moved in front of Jor, the zabrak unloaded his rifle on the three burn victims. Mordin fired his heavy pistol was he moved, hitting the soldier at the left side of the room by surprise. He fell backwards, hitting center mass, and slumped against the wall, unconscious. Mordin was thankful his guns were not strong enough to be fatal, if aimed correctly.
"That is enough!" Illyana shouted. Mordin turned to aim his Carnifex at the corrupted researcher, only to find she was armed as well. She was holding the weapon he previously had, the M-12 Machine Pistol. She blasted it at Mordin first, who ducked behind another counter, and then swiftly moved to aim it Jor. Mordin watched as Jor took the shots right to his chest and fell backwards. The salarian hoped his newfound friend was okay, but couldn't tell how much damage his own weapon had done. She unloaded the clip until it stopped firing. "Come out, Dr. Solus!"
Mordin stood up. She was breathing deep. He surmised she was not suited to combat, given how much adrenaline she clearly dumped in that round of firing. The three soldiers Jor dispatched were lying on the ground, two knocked out and one hurt enough to stay out of combat. The scientists were, like the other from before, cowering. "Here I am, Doctor." Mordin said, his hands up, but his pistol still in one.
"Put your gun down," she commanded. She was panting her words. He set his pistol on the counter and slid it away from himself. "Good. Good." She seemed to relax, but kept Mordin's own gun trained on him. "You shouldn't have meddled. You should have let me do my work!"
"You should be ashamed." Mordin said to her. "Your work is unethical. Criminal."
"I get results!" Illyana shouted. "She never got the kind of results that I get!" She was screaming now, more emotional then Mordin had ever seen her. She was pointing at Kior, who Mordin had just noticed was wide awake, watching all of this unfold. She was strapped to the chair, but did not appear to be hurt. She was tense, but didn't look scared. "She was too timid. But I will find out what Primes are truly made out. I will find out what makes people like you so special! By any means necessary!" Mordin began to step forward, causing Illyana to panic and pull the trigger. Nothing happened. Her eyes went wide in shock. "W-what?"
Mordin swatted the gun away with his hand. "That firearm does not use bullets. It uses biotic energy using a micro mass effect field. If fired for too long, it will overheat. Needs a new heat sink."
Illyana shrank up against the wall. Mordin walked up by her. "Wait. Dr. Solus, wait!" she insisted with fear in her voice. "We are both scientists. You have to understand! Mercy! Mercy!"
"You are an ethical, legal and scientific disaster," he accused, vitriol in his voice. "Pain. Suffering. Separation. Fear. No scientific discover is worth those costs! None!" He punched the wall next to her head and she squeaked loudly, terrified. He was losing his temper, which was uncharacteristic of him. "Worst of all. You did not do it for science. You were selfish. Angry. Jealous of your peers. Jealous of Primes everywhere!" He stopped and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. Opened them again. "I am ashamed of you, as a scientist. As a person."
"Please, Doctor..." Illyana pleaded. "Mercy..."
"Don't kill her," someone said. It was a new voice. Female. Mordin turned to see the back of the chair that Kior, the former head of Primes Studies and Jor's sister. She was still sitting, but had been listening intently to the exchange happening behind her. "She will be punished, but she should not die. She is exposed now. Her peers have seen her true self." He was referencing the other scientists, who were now standing and listening as well. They seemed to nod, both them. "Let her live in this Omniverse. Let her live with her consequences, and maybe find redemption."
Mordin backed away from Illyana, who slid all the way to the ground in a heap of sobs. He walked over to Kior and nodded down at her. "I wouldn't have killed her anyway," he promised. He pulled on one of the straps at her arm, freeing her so she could do the rest herself.
"I know," she responded. "I could see good in you immediately. That's why my brother trusted you."
As if on cue, Jor came to his feet with a loud groan and flopped over the counter he had been behind. He was panting, his torso bruised and bloodied from the shots he had taken from the weapon Illyana had been mishandling. He looked at the two, seeing Kior was safe and Illyana was disarmed, and smiled big. Mordin, as well as he could, grinned back. It was over.
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