escordvi | went to a manta club last night -

[At first, Shadow thought nothing of the robots he had encountered during a routine stop on one of the islands. But as he continued his travel, he would notice they were present at nearly every settlement. It wasn't just a one time thing, the robots were common nearly everywhere, raiding towns, looking for something.

So he dealt with the machines like he always does, wrecking them. The mass assembly of these robots were a curious observation. At first, he thought the Doctor might have been involved, but these do not carry the signature look a Badnik would, and Eggman always had a thing for the theatrics. An eventual conclusion Shadow reaches, a new threat that could become a bigger problem.

Tonight, he's overlooking the town of Eltrut, showing some restraint to observe the robots that were present just outside of the town. Their behavior was...not quite as uniform. They were slowly making their approach into town, but most were displaying a patroling behavior, examining what's around them. It's only when some fool decides to walk into their view that they start to act hostile.

There was a caravan on the road, trying to get into town with their supplies and had to halt just before reaching a cluster of these robots. One catches sight of a civilian, alerting the others as they all stop what they're doing and start to advance towards the caravan. Just as Shadow was about to descend to handle them, one of the robots suddenly just falls over. Their head had bursted open. Their comrades do not stop, continuing towards the caravan, even as another of theirs falls in the same fashion.

They're being shot at. Shadow scans the area around him. Someone else is out here tonight.]

[Ugh, just what this place needed, hostile mechs. Like the shark people and the snail cultists weren't bad enough. Now there were mechs. Of all the damned things.]

[There was a higher concentration of them here, at the edge of town, for some reason. So that's where he's parked himself. Up on one of the rooftops here, out of immediate sight, armored, armed, and picking them off as soon as their ugly little aggression protocols boot up. Archangel style.]

[If someone knows how to track the shots, they could probably figure out where the sniper's perch is. The mechs definitely don't. Neither does the caravan, because they're hurrying faster.]

[Those tin cans will certainly try to fire lasers in some direction in hopes of hitting their shooter, but they will fail. Shadow though, has worked out where the mystery sniper is after tracking the trajectory of those shots. Eyes glance in the Archangel's direction for a moment, stationed on a rooftop.

...

The next moment, there's a trail of golden light as he speeds down towards the action. Some of the robots manage to break through the barrage of bullets being fired at them. As the caravan tries to flee, one of them will manage to land a shot at one of the wheels. There's screaming from within the caravan as it starts to tumble onto it's side. It's then Shadow arrives, pressing his hands against the side of caravan before it completely turns sideways. He'll be occupied for a moment, pushing it back upright before he can deal with the robots.]

[What the hell are these? Where did they come from? At least, if he picks them off at the right points, he can probably leave their weapons intact. The better to arm Zelda's ship with. He ducks behind a pillar as one of the lasers strike where he was standing.]

[Something goes streaking toward the caravan, and honestly, Garrus snaps his attention to it. Focusing his scope on the apparent threat. It... looks like the blue animal-person Darin had been chucking into the ocean during the crew's day off. Except different colors.]

[He doesn't stop tracking until he sees what the stranger is doing. Then it's pack to picking off the robots sneaking up on the scene.]

[Damn if only Shadow wasn't a party pooper so he could witness Sonic getting dunked. His ears twitch at the sound of shots continuing to be fired, a robot's head getting blasted beside him before it could get to him.

The caravan is set back upright, though it remains a sitting duck amongst the crossfire. Without missing a beat, he curls up into a ball and starts spinning around the caravan, knocking any nearby robots away, creating a perimeter. Once they back off, he leaves the caravan starts work on the still functioning robots, weaving around their laser fire like it was nothing. His handiwork is certainly not as clean, having no issue ripping their limbs off and immobilizing them that way.

He'll try to corral them all into one spot, easier targets when they're all gathered together.]

[Okay, this thing is weird. Really weird. How does rolling up in a ball make it go faster? How is it even moving like that?]

[Questions for later. What's important now is getting the mechs dispatched. Getting them put out of commission. The mechs have their attention focused on the animal-person, and not on the sniper above. That makes picking them off easier, for him, at least. One by one, they're dispatched.]

[One of them gets a lucky shot off, but his shields hold.]

[He can't concern himself with the sniper right now. He has himself and the people hiding in the caravan to contend with. The number of robots are dwindling from their efforts though. At some point, Shadow tears off one of their weapons and starts firing back at them with more efficiency and precison. Soon, there would be none left standing.

Some spark and twitch, but they won't be getting up anytime soon. A few stray lasers get fired from the few that could still move their arms. One manages to graze the side of the caravan. Smoke faintly comes off from the fur on Shadow's head as another barely misses him. He'll be quick to deal with the stubborn ones until there was only the hiss of the machines function failing them.

He surveys the area just to be sure, looking to the caravan. It's passengers cautiously peeking out when things were quiet. His ears swerve, listening. He turns so that his eyes lock in on the spot where the mysterious sniper was stationed.]

[Damn, this guy works like a tiny krogan. "Tiny" being relative.]

[He keeps up the pressure on his end, regardless. At least until it seems the mechs are down for the count. They seem like they're done. The last of them sparking and still. The caravan safe for the moment. So... time for cleanup.]

[He'll climb down from his perch, rifle still in hand, just in case. By the time Shadow looks up, he's moved. He'll be down on site in minute or two, to cautiously prod the nearest hunk of metal with a boot. Yeah. They're down all right.]

[There are eyes following the sniper when they arrive to the scene. Silence, while he looks them over. The futuristic armor, how they carry themselves like a soldier.]

Do you know anything about them? [Saying as he kicks a busted head of one of the robots.]

These mechs?

[He prods one of them again, himself. Then hunkers down and starts to... strip it for parts. Sorting out what's not broken, what can be repaired.]

I know they have more advanced tech than this place usually has. [A beat, and he reaches up to undo his helmet. Easier to work on the wiring this way.] You?

[...Huh. That is a face he does not recognize, neither is it a human one. His eyes look at the machine he's starting to strip apart before they would notice him staring.]

Nothing. [Beneath the casing of these machines...there is flesh. As if these artificial parts were install onto something that was once organic. More cyborg than robots. Protected in it's chest cavity, will be a crystal, dimly flashing with what little power it has left.] Do not strip them all. I'm looking into them myself.

Mm. Never seen them before, either, then?

[If he caught the staring, he doesn't comment on it. He's too busy working... and...]

Oh what the hell. [He doesn't quite drop the panel he'd been holding, but it's a near thing.] This isn't a mech.

[It looks like something Cerberus would have come up with. What the hell is this.]

[From their reaction, he can work out they just uncovered what made these machines "unique". He approaches, seeing the familiar organic limbs that were kept hidden under the metal.]

...Go tend to the caravan. [There are still civilians nearby. It be best they weren't here if they're going to be investigating.]

[He just stares. His eyes slowly leaving the Cerberus-like husk of flesh, and locking on the other person here. Expression flat, cold.]

What the hell is this?

[If Shepard gave the order, he wouldn't have hesitated, but there's something here, and damned if he isn't going to press.]

[A pointed look. Don't piss him off.]

I'm not repeating what I already told you. [He's looking into it. He doesn't know what this is right now. A voice calls out from the caravan.

"Is...is the coast clear out there?!"

One of the passengers starts taking a few cautious steps exiting. Shadow groans. Since the other is being useless, he'll bregrudgingly walk over to the people of the caravan.]

Can this thing be repaired and moved?

Huh? Well, yes, I believe we do have the parts to-

Focus on repairing and go. Don't leave the vehicle if you're not needed.

[The people just stares flabberghasted. A few looking at the scattered robots that had been trashed by this small creature and the tall one further back. They think better not to test them and do as told.]

[He doesn't actually growl in frustration, but it's close.]

[He doesn't know this guy from anyone. And here he is, getting ordered around like he's fresh out of boot camp. Add to that, the decomposing bodies, the mechs... nothing about this is reassuring.]

[Instead of any kind of useless growling, he just starts back to work again. Avoid the body parts. Set aside the weaponry.]

[The sound of metal bodies hitting the ground several times can be heard. Shadow had started lifting these husks and clearing the path in front of the caravan. Keep them out of the way, keep them where they could be examined.

Once that's done, he starts breaking into their chest cavities and grabbing the crystals that had powered them. Keep them from starting up again. His brows furrow, how they faintly lit up in a similar color as the ones found on that now sunken island. He waves his hand, the crystal disappearing as he decides to hold onto a few of them.

His path will cross the the sniper, eyeing the weaponry he had separted from the body. He takes one up, exmining it's crude design. Mass produce, to perform one thing and that's it.]

[He's noticed the crystals, too. His leg aches, deep, down near the bone, the more he looks at them. They're painfully familiar, and Garrus honestly has to resist the urge to smash the rocks. But that won't actually help anything, and he's better than that, damn it!]

[Was this what was planned for the captives on the island?]

[More important, sorting through the weapons for salvage. Which parts would work best? They're not much to look at, on their own, but their components would probably be able to be repurposed. If anyone could, he's pretty sure he can.]

[When he looks back up, the stranger is there. He sighs. And holds up one of the crystals.]

Answered my own question. They're from that prison island. Aren't they?

[It's less of a question he's expecting an answer to, and more a confirmation request.]

[He's looking over the strange gun. It can fire lasers, so is something powering these things instead of rounds? There's a click as he manages to open where the chamber would be. He finds another crystal instead, smaller one in size, and held in place like an obvious battery for the gun to function.

He gives the stranger a glance, considering.]

Yes. [He finally answers. That was the extent of his information gathering so far.]

Damn.

[That's what he thought. What he was hoping wouldn't actually be confirmed. He busies himself with breaking the weapons down, instead of focusing on the... unpleasant memory.]

And we have no idea where these things are coming from, do we?

[Because this is the first he's seen of any of them.]

Who are you? [He cuts through their line of thought with a different one he found more pressing.

Is he here pretending to help, but actually cleaning up the mess he had a part of? It was a thought, but their behavior so far doesn't indicate toward that being a possibility. Either way, anyone can be a suspect right now.]

[Ah, right, that little fact. Probably should have come up sooner. He huffs, to himself, before he answers.]

Garrus, with Captain Zelda's Seventh Heroine.

[It's still kind of a struggle not to mention the Normandy, or Shepard. It feels weird. Wrong, somehow.]

You?

[Oh, that woman. He sighs, not at him, just...whatever.]

Are you a scout? [He'll get to who he is eventually. He rips off another weapon, starting to empty them of their crystals as they pile on the floor.]

The ship's gunnery chief.

[... Zelda says "second in command", he's well aware of that. But lately he's been more focused on the ship's lack of weaponry. And rectifying that.]

[He plants a foot on the nearest mech, stripping its gun with ruthless efficiency.]

Now it's your turn.

...Shadow the Hedgehog. [And that's all that needs to be said. His ears twitch, the sound of the caravan can be heard, finally able to move once more. Some of the passengers giving them both thanks as they move pass them.]

I've seen these creations on different islands I've visited, but no base has been located.

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cw: implied rotting corpse

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