Chapter 22: Gene Hunting
Marc's reflection stared back from the bathroom mirror, cataloging changes that marked him as something beyond baseline human. Silver streaks threaded through his brown hair. His left eye had shifted from brown to startling blue—a side effect of genetic integration. Enhanced muscle density gave his frame a predatory edge that made crowds unconsciously part around him.
"Batarian Four-Eyed Vision, Varren Alpha Instinct, Turian Marksmanship. Three gene slots. Not enough. Not nearly enough to survive what's coming."
The mirror cracked under his grip. Enhanced strength was useful, but Collectors fought with biotechnology that could paralyze entire populations. His current genetic loadout was powerful enough to handle Omega's gangs, but the insectoid horrors coming would make Blood Pack vorcha look like house pets.
Anto entered the small apartment they shared, carrying steaming cups of whatever passed for coffee on Omega. "You're brooding again. That usually means someone's about to have a very bad day."
"I need stronger genes," Marc said. "The threat assessment is escalating, and I'm not adapting fast enough."
The turian bartender set down the cups and studied Marc with the calculating expression of someone who'd survived decades on Omega. "You're talking about hunting specific targets. Not random encounters."
"Exactly. Time to stop collecting randomly and start optimizing for survival."
"There's a turian sniper working Eclipse operations. Decimus. Never misses. Made his reputation picking off Blood Pack leaders from impossible distances."
Marc's enhanced vision tracked the tactical possibilities. "Turian Marksmanship gene evolution. If I could synthesize superior accuracy abilities..."
"He's contracted for an Eclipse cargo run this afternoon. Moving through the industrial district."
"Perfect. A controlled encounter with a legendary marksman. High risk, but potential for rare gene acquisition."
Marc equipped his current combat loadout—Batarian Four-Eyed Vision for enhanced perception, Varren Alpha Instinct for pack coordination with Kreek's crew, Turian Marksmanship for accuracy bonuses. The combination felt balanced but insufficient.
[Current Loadout Analysis: Effective against standard mercenary threats. Insufficient for Collector-level combat scenarios]
[Recommendation: Acquire rare or legendary combat genes within 72 hours]
[Time to Collector Incursion: Estimated 5-7 days]
The industrial district sprawled across Omega's lower levels, a maze of mining equipment, manufacturing plants, and cargo transit routes. Perfect terrain for a sniper to control engagement ranges while Marc would need to close distance for melee effectiveness.
Marc crouched behind a massive ore processor, watching Eclipse forces escort a shipment through the mechanical landscape. His enhanced vision picked out Decimus on an elevated platform three hundred meters away—long rifle, perfect sight lines, calm professional demeanor.
"There. Legendary turian marksman. This is either going to be the smartest thing I've ever done or the last."
Marc keyed his communicator. "Kreek, initiate distraction protocol. Draw their attention from the south."
Vorcha war cries echoed through the industrial complex as Kreek's pack launched a deliberately noisy attack on the escort's flank. Eclipse soldiers swiveled to engage the new threat, but Decimus remained focused on overwatch. Professional discipline.
Marc activated his Turian Marksmanship gene and put three precise shots into a fuel tank near the Eclipse ground forces. The explosion provided perfect cover as he sprinted between machinery, closing distance while Decimus was forced to relocate.
The sniper's next shot sparked off metal plating inches from Marc's head. Impossible accuracy even while moving position. Marc rolled behind cover as a second shot punched through sheet metal where he'd been standing.
"He's tracking my movement patterns. Need to be unpredictable."
Marc's enhanced perception caught the glint of scope reflection as Decimus repositioned again. Two hundred meters now. Still too far for effective engagement, but closer to the theoretical maximum range where pack coordination might matter.
Another sprint between cover. This time Decimus anticipated the movement, placing his shot perfectly to intercept Marc's projected path. Only enhanced reflexes saved him as he threw himself sideways, feeling the heat of the round passing centimeters from his skull.
"He's not just accurate. He's analytical. Predicting behavior patterns."
One hundred fifty meters. Decimus shifted to a new position with practiced efficiency, but Marc noticed something—the turian was breathing heavily now, stress responses showing despite professional training.
Marc grabbed a chunk of twisted metal and hurled it toward Decimus's position while moving in the opposite direction. The sniper tracked the thrown object for a critical half-second before recognizing the deception.
One hundred meters. Close enough for Varren Alpha Instinct to register pack members in combat support range. Marc felt Kreek's vorcha coordinating their assault pattern, drawing Eclipse attention while maintaining tactical awareness of his position.
Fifty meters. Decimus abandoned his rifle for a pistol, recognizing the engagement range had shifted beyond sniper effectiveness. But Marc was already moving, enhanced muscle density driving him forward faster than baseline human capacity should allow.
The melee engagement lasted seconds. Decimus was skilled, but turian physiology couldn't match Marc's genetically enhanced combination of speed, strength, and regeneration. When Marc's fist connected with the sniper's head, enhanced strength ended the fight decisively.
[Combat Victory: Legendary Target Defeated]
[Gene Acquisition: Turian Marksmanship (Rare) - Analysis Complete]
[New Ability Unlocked: Impossible Shot (Can achieve accuracy beyond normal physical limitations)]
[Weapon Accuracy Bonus: +35% to all ranged weapons]
[Experience Gained: +600 XP from significant combat - 2200/3500 to Level 7]
Marc felt the new genetic information integrating, his vision sharpening as turian neural pathways enhanced his targeting systems. The sensation was intoxicating—suddenly every sight line became a potential killing shot, every angle revealing tactical opportunities he'd never noticed.
But Decimus was only the beginning. The Collectors employed biotechnology beyond conventional combat parameters. He needed genes that could counter organic weapons, resist paralysis effects, maybe even defend against their harvesting procedures.
That meant finding an asari biotic.
Captain Enyala of the Eclipse had been a persistent thorn in Omega's side—powerful biotics, tactical experience, and the kind of genetic heritage that might provide resistance to Collector biotechnology. Marc had encountered her before, during the cargo raid that first brought him to Aria's attention.
"Time for a rematch. But this time, I'm hunting her."
Marc tracked Eclipse patrol patterns through Aria's intelligence network, identifying Enyala's route through the merchant districts. The asari maintained regular schedules—professional habit that made her predictable to someone with access to station security data.
He found her near the market levels, leading a standard patrol of Eclipse troops through territory they controlled. Six soldiers, experienced but not elite. Enyala herself was the real threat—biotic abilities that could crush him instantly if he gave her the opening.
"Direct confrontation is suicide. Need to isolate her from support."
Marc activated building fire suppression systems throughout the district, triggering emergency evacuations that scattered Eclipse forces as they responded to apparent emergencies. In the confusion, he cornered Enyala in a side corridor.
"The one who destroyed our cargo shipment," she said, biotic energy crackling around her hands. "I've been wanting this rematch."
"Here we go."
Enyala's first biotic throw hurled Marc against a wall hard enough to crack his ribs. His enhanced regeneration began healing the damage immediately, but the asari was already following up with a biotic barrier that would deflect his ranged attacks.
Marc drew his pistol and fired precise shots at her position, not trying to penetrate the barrier but forcing her to maintain it while he maneuvered. Turian Marksmanship guided his shots with mechanical precision, placing rounds exactly where they needed to create maximum tactical pressure.
The asari countered with biotic shockwaves that shattered the corridor's metal paneling, but Marc's enhanced reflexes let him ride the impacts rather than absorb them fully. He was bleeding from multiple cuts, but still mobile.
Enyala's next attack was a biotic singularity—a gravitational well designed to pull him into crushing force. Marc barely escaped by grabbing exposed piping and using enhanced strength to resist the pull, but the effort left him exposed.
Her warp attack caught him center mass, biotic energy tearing through enhanced muscle tissue like acid. Marc screamed as the attack literally began dissolving him from the inside, but his Varren regeneration fought back, cellular repair competing with ongoing damage.
"Can't win direct engagement. She's too powerful. Need leverage."
Marc triggered another fire suppression system, filling the corridor with obscuring foam. In the confusion, he used his enhanced perception to track Enyala's position while she lost visual contact.
His next attack came from above—a leap from building infrastructure that brought him down behind her defensive position. Enhanced strength drove his elbow into her skull hard enough to stagger her biotics.
But Enyala recovered quickly, spinning into a biotic-enhanced strike that should have shattered his spine. Only enhanced reflexes let him partially deflect the blow, taking it across his shoulder instead of his neck.
The fight became a brutal exchange—Marc's enhanced physicality against Enyala's biotic powers. She had superior firepower, but his regeneration let him absorb damage that would kill baseline humans. Every biotic attack hurt him severely, but every physical strike he landed disrupted her concentration.
Finally, Enyala made a mistake. Overconfident in her biotic superiority, she attempted a killing blow that required full commitment to the attack. Marc accepted the devastating hit to his chest while simultaneously driving a combat knife into her shoulder.
The asari screamed and staggered back, her biotics destabilizing. Marc pressed the advantage despite massive internal damage, following up with enhanced-strength strikes that Enyala couldn't counter while injured.
But she was too experienced to go down easily. Instead of trying to win a losing battle, Enyala triggered a biotic explosion that collapsed part of the corridor ceiling. In the chaos and falling debris, she escaped.
[Combat Result: Tactical Victory - Target Escaped with Significant Damage]
[Gene Data Acquisition: Asari Biotic Heritage - 45% Analysis Complete]
[Proximity Combat Bonus: Extended Biotic Exposure Recorded]
[Experience Gained: +400 XP from significant combat - 2600/3500 to Level 7]
[Warning: User sustained severe internal damage - Regeneration required]
Marc collapsed against the rubble, feeling his enhanced healing working frantically to repair biotic damage to his organs. The pain was excruciating, but survivable. More importantly, extended exposure to asari biotic abilities had given his System extensive data for analysis.
"Not a direct gene acquisition, but progress toward understanding biotic integration. Need to find more asari subjects for complete analysis."
That night, Marc reviewed his gene collection strategy with Miranda in their makeshift laboratory. She studied his combat reports with scientific fascination.
"You're approaching genetic enhancement like a research project rather than random acquisition," she observed. "Methodical target selection based on strategic requirements."
"The timeline is accelerating," Marc said. "I need specific capabilities before the main threat arrives. Random encounters aren't efficient enough."
Miranda activated her datapad, displaying genetic analysis charts. "Based on your System's documentation, you should focus on evolutionary pathways. Multiple related genes that can synthesize into superior variants."
She highlighted potential targets on the display. "More turian genes to evolve your marksmanship line. Krogan genetics to enhance your regeneration and combat abilities. Asari biotic heritage for energy-based defenses."
"Strategic gene collection. Build toward specific capability sets rather than random power accumulation."
"Why are you pushing so hard, Marcus?" Miranda's voice carried genuine concern. "You're taking enormous risks for genetic material."
Marc met her eyes, seeing a woman who'd defected from everything she knew to stand beside him against an incomprehensible threat.
"Because what's coming is worse than anything Omega has ever seen. And I need to be strong enough to matter when it arrives."
Miranda's expression softened. "You already matter. But I'll help you become stronger anyway."
[Gene Strategy Optimized: Focused Collection Pathways Identified]
[Target Categories: Turian Combat Evolution, Krogan Enhancement Line, Asari Biotic Integration]
[Current Database: 15 Species Cataloged, 8 Genes Acquired, 3 Synthesis Recipes Available]
[Time to Level 7: Estimated 2-3 Combat Encounters]
[Collector Incursion Probability: 87% within 5 days]
Marc practiced with his enhanced Turian Marksmanship abilities, placing shots that should have been impossible for human physiology. Anto watched with professional interest as Marc consistently hit targets at ranges that violated baseline limitations.
"You're collecting aliens like some people collect weapons," the turian observed.
Marc grinned despite the weight of approaching catastrophe. "Except these weapons rebuild themselves and get stronger."
The humor couldn't hide his real concern. Even with accelerated evolution and targeted gene hunting, would he be strong enough when the Collectors arrived in force? The System displayed his growing capabilities—impressive by Omega standards, but potentially insignificant against Reaper biotechnology.
[Progress Assessment: Significant capability enhancement achieved]
[Warning: Collector threat level still exceeds user combat parameters]
[Recommendation: Continue aggressive gene acquisition protocols]
[Alternative Recommendation: Focus on team coordination and strategic leadership rather than individual combat supremacy]
Marc considered both options as he watched construction crews finishing defensive fortifications throughout Omega. The station was as prepared as he could make it given the constraints of his speech curse and the factions' limited understanding.
But preparation might not be enough. The Collectors were coming with biotechnology that made conventional defenses look primitive. Marc needed to evolve faster, or find ways to multiply his individual effectiveness through the allies he'd gathered.
The night sky outside Omega's viewports showed no signs of approaching threat, but Marc knew that was illusion. Somewhere in the darkness, insectoid nightmares were preparing to harvest human colonies.
Time was running out.
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