Chapter 23: The Salarian Connection
The message arrived through channels so encrypted that even Miranda raised an eyebrow. A single line of text: "The creator seeks the creation. Warehouse 47, Level 12. Come alone, Marcus Wayne."
I stared at the message, feeling that familiar twist in my gut that meant the timeline was about to get more complicated. "Creator? Who the hell knows about IDA besides Cerberus?"
Miranda leaned over my shoulder, studying the text. "Could be a trap. Or bait from the Illusive Man."
"No," I said, deleting the message. "This feels different. Personal."
The warehouse district on Level 12 reeked of industrial chemicals and desperation. I found Warehouse 47 nestled between a defunct mining operation and what appeared to be a black market medical clinic. The kind of place where questions weren't asked and bodies disappeared.
Inside, banks of humming servers lined the walls, their blue glow casting eerie shadows across laboratory equipment that looked like it belonged in a Cerberus facility. At the center of it all stood a salarian—thin, nervous, with the rapid eye movements of someone who'd been looking over his shoulder for years.
"Dr. Solveli, I presume," I said, keeping my hands visible but ready.
"Marcus Wayne. Subject Zero-Seven of the IDA Protocol." His voice carried the typical salarian rapid-fire cadence, but underneath lay exhaustion. "You're not using it correctly."
"Straight to business. I like him already."
"Excuse me?"
Solveli gestured to his equipment with twitchy movements. "The System. You're treating it like simple gene collection. Primitive. It can do far more—analyze, predict, simulate genetic combinations before synthesis. I should know. I helped design the original prototype."
I felt the System stir in the back of my mind, suddenly alert in a way I'd never experienced.
[PROXIMITY ALERT: IDA Protocol Designer Detected]
[Scanning... Analysis Complete]
[Subject: Dr. Keval Solveli - Security Clearance: OMEGA-BLACK]
[Warning: Subject possesses administrative access codes]
"You worked on IDA before Cerberus stole it," I said.
Solveli's laugh was bitter. "Stole? I gave it to them. Voluntarily. Until I realized what they intended." He tapped commands into his terminal, and holographic displays filled the air around us. "Project IDA was meant to help soldiers adapt to alien environments. Instead, they turned it into a weapon of biological supremacy."
The holographs showed genetic structures I recognized from my own System interface, but with layers of complexity I'd never seen. Evolution trees, synthesis pathways, probability matrices for successful integration.
"This is what my System could become?"
"What do you want?" I asked.
"To fix my mistake. To show you what IDA can really do." Solveli's eyes gleamed with scientific fervor. "In exchange for research materials. Genetic samples from dangerous species. Living samples."
I thought of the Collectors coming, of the timeline accelerating beyond my control. If Solveli could unlock hidden System functions, it might be the edge I needed.
"What kind of samples?"
"Alpha Varren pack leader. Active genetic material, not just dead tissue. The pack coordination genes are complex—I need to study them while active to unlock the simulation protocols."
"Of course it's something that wants to eat my face."
The waste processing levels of Omega were a nightmare of grinding machinery, toxic runoff, and feral creatures that fed on whatever organic matter filtered down from the upper levels. Anto followed behind me, his rifle ready, mandibles clicking with nervous tension.
"Remind me why we're hunting giant space dogs for a paranoid scientist?" he muttered.
"Because the paranoid scientist might help us survive what's coming."
The Alpha Varren was exactly what I'd expected—three meters of scarred muscle, razor teeth, and pack intelligence that made it far more dangerous than its smaller siblings. It had claimed territory near the main processing plant, using the machinery noise to mask its pack's movements.
I could feel them before I saw them—Varren Alpha Instinct resonating with the pack dynamics around us. Seven juveniles, two adolescents, and the Alpha himself. Classic hunting formation.
"Time to establish dominance."
I stepped into the pack's territory, letting my genetic enhancement show in my posture, my movement patterns, the way I held my space. The juveniles noticed first, hackles rising as they picked up the scent of something that didn't belong in their hierarchy.
The Alpha emerged from behind a massive turbine, yellow eyes fixed on mine. It was magnificent—evolution honed to perfection, every muscle designed for killing. This wasn't going to be like fighting Eclipse mercs or Blood Pack vorcha. This was facing nature's apex predator on its own terms.
The first attack came from my left flank—an adolescent testing my reflexes. I spun away from its leap, using enhanced speed to stay just ahead of snapping jaws. But it was a distraction. The real attack came from the Alpha, a coordinated strike that should have pinned me between two sets of teeth.
Should have.
My Varren Alpha Instinct kicked in, letting me read the pack's coordination like a tactical display. I ducked under the Alpha's lunge while simultaneously blocking the adolescent's follow-up strike with my forearm. Enhanced muscle density absorbed the impact that should have shattered bone.
The Alpha landed hard, spinning to face me with something like surprise in its predatory eyes. "That's right, big guy. I'm not just another piece of meat."
I straightened to my full height, meeting the Alpha's stare directly. In the wild, that was challenge behavior. Here, surrounded by his pack, it was a declaration of intent.
The second exchange was brutal. The Alpha came at me with everything—claws that could shred armor, jaws that could crush steel, and the tactical intelligence to use his pack as support. I fought back with enhanced strength and speed, but more importantly, with understanding of how his mind worked.
When he coordinated a pincer attack, I was already moving to counter it. When he tried to isolate me from escape routes, I anticipated the pattern. When his pack moved to support, I was ready for their arrival.
The fight turned when I grabbed the Alpha mid-lunge, using enhanced strength to grapple with three meters of furious predator. We crashed into the processing equipment, metal shrieking as the Alpha's claws scraped for purchase. I wrapped my arms around his throat, not trying to kill but to demonstrate superior strength.
For long seconds we strained against each other—his raw power against my enhanced capabilities. Then, slowly, inevitably, I forced him down. The pack watched in stunned silence as their Alpha submitted to something they couldn't quite understand.
[PACK HIERARCHY ESTABLISHED]
[ALPHA VARREN SUBMISSION RECORDED]
[GENETIC SAMPLE ACQUISITION: OPTIMAL CONDITIONS]
[LIVE SPECIMEN DATA: 100% COMPLETE]
I released the Alpha, stepping back while maintaining eye contact. He could have resumed the fight, but pack dynamics are absolute. I was Alpha now, and he acknowledged it with a rumbling growl that his juveniles echoed.
Solveli was ecstatic when I returned with tissue samples that still carried active genetic markers. "Perfect! Perfect! The cellular activity is exactly what I need!" He scurried between terminals, uploading data with manic energy.
"Now what?" I asked.
"Now I unlock what the System was always meant to be."
The upgrade process felt like fire in my veins. Solveli's access codes bypassed normal System limitations, installing functions that Cerberus had apparently locked away. My vision blurred as new interfaces flooded my consciousness.
[ADMINISTRATIVE UPGRADE IN PROGRESS]
[GENE SIMULATION MODE: UNLOCKED]
[DATABASE ANALYSIS PROTOCOLS: ENHANCED]
[SYNTHESIS PREDICTION MATRIX: ACTIVATED]
[HIDDEN EVOLUTIONARY PATHWAYS: REVEALED]
When the process finished, my System interface had transformed. Where before I could only see basic gene information, now I could preview synthesis results, analyze success rates, and see hidden combination opportunities I'd never known existed.
"This is incredible. I can see what different gene combinations will produce before I try them."
Solveli wiped sweat from his brow, looking exhausted but satisfied. "That's just the beginning. The simulation mode will show you evolution paths, suggest optimal combinations, even warn you about dangerous genetic interactions."
I tested the new interface, selecting my current genes and hypothetical additions. The simulation showed me potential futures: Krogan Blood Rage plus Turian Endurance could synthesize into "Unbreakable Fury"—a legendary-tier combination that would require specific resources.
"What's the price?" I asked.
"Ongoing access to your genetic data. Anonymous, of course. I just want to study how IDA adapts in real-world conditions." Solveli's expression grew serious. "And perhaps, someday, you help me undo the damage Cerberus has done with my work."
"A morally questionable ally who provides invaluable support. Perfect for this universe."
[NEW RELATIONSHIP ESTABLISHED: DR. SOLVELI - SCIENTIFIC ALLY]
[STATUS: QUESTIONABLE ETHICS, HIGH VALUE]
[CREDITS EARNED: +15,000 FROM RESEARCH PAYMENT]
[EXPERIENCE GAINED: +300 XP - 2500/3500 TO LEVEL 7]
That night, I sat in my apartment testing the simulation mode while Miranda watched with growing concern. I could see dozens of possible evolutionary paths—routes toward biotic mastery, technological supremacy, physical perfection, or balanced adaptation. Each path required different genes, different resources, different sacrifices.
"You're trying to min-max yourself," Miranda said quietly. "This isn't a game, Marcus."
I looked at her, this woman who'd defected from everything she knew to stand beside me against incomprehensible threats.
"Isn't it though? Level up, get stronger, beat the boss. Except the boss is a race of genocidal machines, and I can't reload if I die."
Miranda had no response to that. She just sat beside me in companionable silence while I planned my evolution, the weight of impossible choices pressing down on both of us.
The simulation mode showed me what I could become, but not what I should become. In the end, that choice would still be mine.
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