I just copy-pasted the list you copy-pasted. Didn't notice he wasn't part of that list.Thanks. Don’t mean to be rude, but you missed @TWR97 , just a heads up.
I've gone ahead and added him.-
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I've gone ahead and added him.
A wonderful end to the Hohenzollernverse's ME trilogy. Good work.
As for the proper update, Tatiana trusting Mina has me worried, given Mina's counterparts.
As for the proper update, Tatiana trusting Mina has me worried, given Mina's counterparts.
You should be worried, given what's going to happen in Part 4.
Divergence, Part 4
Neu-Pempton - 5:15 PM
Angelalt walked over to Olga.
“General Kirova just dispatched secure transport, so we're moving in ten,” she said.
“I want five minutes,” Olga said, “Just to talk to him.”
“What for?” Angelalt said.
“Jansen created this shapeshifter,” Olga said, “If this thing has any information that could lead us to him, I want to know.”
“We’re under orders,” Angelalt said, “I mean, you can talk to him once he's been processed.”
“Once you take him back, he's going to go so high up the food chain I'll never get to him,” Olga said, “You know that as well as I do. If it were Annie, you'd do the same.”
Angelalt sighed. “Fine, you have your five minutes.”
Just around the corner, Mina’s agent, Markos, got out of his car and made his way through one of the still functional office buildings and up the stairwell to the roof. He crouched on the edge of the roof, behind the bric-a-brac facade, and opened his oversized suitcase. He began assembling his silenced, high powered sniper rifle. When he was done, he loaded his gun and checked his magnified sight.
Back inside, Angelalt led Olga to another room where two X-Division agents stood guard next to a handcuffed Canaan.
“Could you give us a moment?” Olga asked.
Angelalt and the agents left the room and closed the door behind them.
“When you surprised me behind that corner, you could’ve killed me,” Olga said, “I’m not as fast as I used to be. It was easy to break my neck or cut my jugular, and Jansen should’ve ordered you to do it, but you didn’t. Why? Who are you? Who were you? You were human once, right?”
She reached into Canaan’s pocket and took out several Show Me cards and a wallet. She opened the wallet and looked at the picture of the boy inside.
“Do you always keep mementos from the lives of people you've become?” she said.
“That’s mine,” Canaan said.
“This is your son,” Olga said.
“I wish he was,” Canaan said, “There was once someone in my life. It's her boy.”
“And Jansen,” Olga said, “He took you from them when he did this to you.”
“No,” Canaan said, “He came later. She left me on her own. Took Daniel with her. They just went on living their lives as though I were never there. As if I meant nothing to them. I've never really been a... there are these people you come across. These bright, bright lights. They drift through life effortlessly. Unforgettable. I'm not one of them. I wanted to be needed. Or at least to be missed. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Olga said.
“For that, I needed to be more than I am,” Canaan said, “Something unique. David Jansen understood that. He promised to make me like no one else. I was to be the first of a new breed of human beings. But I was a disappointment.”
“Because you didn't turn out the way he planned,” Olga said, "You've been targeting criminals. Sparing innocents. Stealing their DNA. That's what's keeping you alive, isn't it? David Jansen is not worth protecting. You were disposable to him. As disposable as you were to Daniel.”
“You don't know that,” Canaan said, “He promised he would come for me. To fix me.”
The door opened, and Angelalt walked in.
“It’s been five minutes,” she said.
Olga left the room and sighed sadly.
“I'm sorry,” Angelalt said.
5:25 PM
The armored transport vehicle arrived in the alley. Agent Kirova led Canaan out of the building and to the vehicle, while Angelalt, Annie, and the other agents took up defensive positions for the short walk. While everybody was focused on the streets and buildings, Markos lined up his scope and fired. The agents scattered and shouted in panic. Not sure if he hit his target, Markos quickly reloaded and fired two more rounds as fast as he could reload and squeeze the trigger. The agents took cover behind cars and walls, blindly firing their guns at the nearby buildings.
“You have a twenty on the shooter?” Angelalt said.
“Negative!” Annie said.
“Hold your fire!” Angelalt shouted. “Hold fire! Secure the prisoner!”
“The shooter, where is he?” Annie said.
“Agent down!” an agent shouted.
“Check the windows!” another agent yelled.
Olga, crouching behind the transport vehicle, looked in the rearview mirror and saw Markos on the roof, firing more shots at the agents.
“He’s still on the roof!” Olga said. “Cover me!”
Angelalt and Annie motioned to their agents, and they started firing at Markos with their pistols, forcing him to retreat. While he did so, Olga loaded her gun and used the mirror to aim, slowly lining up the sights with Markos’s head as he ran behind the facade. When she was sure, she closed her eyes, moved her gun to account for his movement, and blind fired, just as she learned from Anne long ago. Markos fell, caught in the upper torso.
“Suspect down!” Olga said. “Repeat, suspect down!”
She dropped the rifle and rushed back to Angelalt, Annie, and the other agents, who were checking each other’s injuries.
“Everyone okay?” Olga said.
She ran behind a car and found Agent Kirova clutching her stomach, her hands and arms soaked with blood.
“Agent down!” she shouted. “Agent down!”
“Who knew?” Agent Kirova said.
“What?” Olga said.
“Who else knew we were transporting him?” Agent Kirova said. “We have to find out.”
Annie ran over to them.
“Hey, Olga,” she said, “The ambulance is coming. Aerial drone. You’ll be fine.”
“I’ve been shot before,” Agent Kirova said, “I’ll be fine. And Olga…”
“Yeah?” Olga said.
“That was a hell of a shot,” Agent Kirova said, “I guess you still haven't lost your touch.”
“Sorry I didn’t catch him sooner,” Olga said.
“This is like Erwin Lukesh,” Agent Kirova said, “Right down to me getting shot. I never got the chance to say this, but thanks for having my back then. I owe you one.”
“Two,” Olga said.
Agent Kirova laughed, coughing up some blood. “Right.”
“I’ll be back,” Olga said.
She got up and ran over to Canaan, who had hidden behind another car. She grabbed his neck and slammed him against a fence.
“Hey!” she said. “This was meant for you! Do you understand that? Jansen! The man that you are protecting just tried to have you killed! It's time to wake up. He will never welcome you back into the fold.”
“But he has to,” Canaan said, “I don't know what to do.”
“Yes, you do,” Olga said, “You can keep waiting for somebody else to define you, to give you your place in the world, or you can decide you're not somebody's puppet anymore. Choose!”
One of David’s labs - 6:00 PM
Mina stood in the middle of the lab and gloatingly studied the nearly developed adult-sized shapeshifters gathered in about a dozen floatation tanks. Outside, Markos returned from his assassination mission in Pempton, swiped his security to gain entry to the lab, and was greeted by the sentry.
“Welcome back, sir,” the sentry said.
Markos entered the lab and walked over to Mina.
“I trust you have good news for me,” Mina said, her attention still on the shapeshifter tanks.
“I do,” Markos said, “It's done. We've tied up our loose end.”
“Nice job,” Mina said, “Was there any resistance?”
“The blonde almost took my head off with a nearly impossible shot,” Markos said, clutching his upper torso, “Got my shoulder.”
“That girl Hansen always amazes me,” Mina said, “She and the one from the other side. Well, he'll be pleased we've taken care of the problem at hand. Now we just need for him to…”
However, the lights flickered, and the tanks shut off. The computers turned off.
“Someone's overriding the security system,” Mina said, “There's been a breach.”
She turned around and saw Markos typing on a workstation.
“Canaan,” she realized.
“When I said blonde, I didn’t mean Agent Hansen,” Canaan said.
Mina ran outside and dug into her pockets for her keys, but Angelalt and several dozen X-Division agents emerged from around the corner and the nearby cars, pointing their guns at her. Two drones armed with machine guns appeared from the roof and aimed at her.
“Hands over your head!” Angelalt shouted.
X-Division headquarters - 7:00 PM
Agent Frank walked into Tatiana’s office as she spoke on a phone.
“Understood,” Tatiana said, “Well, let me know the moment she's in the building.”
She hung up.
“General Kirova, I have something to report,” Agent Frank said.
“I already heard,” Tatiana said, “We have your cousin in custody. There something else?”
Agent Frank looked at the floor, not sure of what to say. She nervously stepped forward.
“It’s your daughter,” she said.
Tatiana looked shocked.
“Oh, God,” she said, “What happened?”
David’s lab
Canaan had bypassed the first few locks on the database with what David taught him, enough to disable the countermeasures and give X-Division access to the facility. Olga handled the remaining few security barriers, and soon she was skimming through the database at the heart of David’s operation.
“You're not going to believe this,” she said.
“What is it?” Angelalt said.
“Blueprints, passports, aliases…” Olga said.
“Yeah,” Annie said, “Hell of a window into Jansen’s operation.”
“It's more than that,” Olga said, pointing to a map, “Check this out. It's a tracking board. We knew every shapeshifter was outfitted with a tracking module.”
“Yes?” Angelalt said.
“I think this is their central hub,” Olga said.
“You're saying…every one of these dots represents a shapeshifter?” Annie said.
“If I can breach this last security check, I can get into the mainframe, and we'll have the identity of every agent in Jansen’s network,” Olga said, “We hit the motherlode.”
Annie walked over to them. “Angie, can I have a word?”
“What is it?” Angelalt said.
Annie looked at Olga.
“It’s Agent Kirova,” she said, “She’s still in surgery. Her chances aren’t good.”
Restoration/Unification Island Bridge - 8:00 PM
After passing through a decontamination chamber, Olga led Canaan through the bridge facility, past the machine, and to a conference room on the other side.
“I'd heard rumors of another world,” Canaan said, “Wasn't sure it really existed.”
“It does,” Olga said.
“What're we doing here?” Canaan said.
“Making good on my offer,” Olga said, “There's a man here who'll be able to help you.”
Walter and Anna walked into the room.
“Olga,” Anna said.
“Canaan, this is Walter and Anna Humboldt,” Olga said.
“It's a pleasure to meet you,” Walter said, “I'm really looking forward to studying—uh, I mean, helping you.”
“I think you'll like it there,” Olga said, “You don't have to wait for somebody to give you a home, or live on the outside anymore. You can choose your own destiny now.”
Canaan shook Olga’s hand.
“Thank you,” he said, "For everything.”
X-Division headquarters - 9:00 PM
Angelalt gathered her files in her bag and left her desk. As she walked out of the situation room, she found Olga waiting in the lobby.
“Hello?” Olga said.
“I thought that you would be long gone by now,” Angelalt said.
“I can’t go home,” Olga said, “Not while the other me’s suffering. I didn’t leave her side the last time this happened. You know what? I, I wasn't thinking. My face is probably the last thing you or Annie or Diana want to see right now. Maybe I should go…”
“It’s fine,” Angelalt said, “What's up?”
“We collected a lot of intel on Jansen,” Olga said, “There's more work to be done. I thought I'd stick around for a while. I figured you'd need some help decrypting the database. And it’s the least I could do for the other me.”
Angelalt nodded. “Thanks. Sure thing.”
Now if you don’t mind @TWR97 , I’m going to make some Prequel jokes with Zen using your ME interludes, just a heads up.
It’s over Harbinger! I have the Crucible!
It’s over Harbinger! I have the Crucible!
You underestimate my power!Now if you don’t mind @TWR97 , I’m going to make some Prequel jokes with Zen using your ME interludes, just a heads up.
It’s over Harbinger! I have the Crucible!
Good thing the Valkyrie's technique still works even in the Annionaverse, I'm sure Anne would be quite impressed and proud knowing her friend's daughter is continuing her legacy of kicking ass. Shame about AnnionaOlga though, this whole arc feels like a phyrric victory. Especially since Tatiana looks like to be aiding Jansen's operation too.
THIS HURTS YOU!
I don't know, Tatiana looked really shocked when she found out what happened to her Olga. But it's not like she can back out now. It's Jansen, after all.
You were a Specter. Saren! You were supposed to destroy the Reapers, not join them! Bring peace to the galaxy, not continue the cycle!
In the interest of preserving the peace between synthetics and organics, the Reapers will be ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!
Did you ever hear the tragedy of Sovereign/Nazzara the Vanguard? I thought not, it’s not a story Shepard would tell you. It’s a Reaper legend.
(I don’t know what do with the rest of this copy-pasta, but just know it ends with the phase “not from a Organic” when a certain question is asked.
)
Ironic. They could keep the peace between sentients and organics, but only by destroying the organics.Did you ever hear the tragedy of Sovereign/Nazzara the Vanguard? I thought not, it’s not a story Shepard would tell you. It’s a Reaper legend.
(I don’t know what do with the rest of this copy-pasta, but just know it ends with the phase “not from a Organic” when a certain question is asked.
I'm glad Canaan seems to be getting a chance here. What he was doing was wrong, but I understand his fear of a lack of purpose, a lack of place in the world. Even better, Walter should gain plenty of information from him.
It's very relevant, especially in our time. A lot of people are worried about their place in the world, what their purpose is as society changes around them. Even Anders has begun to rethink who he is.
You’re a specter, Shepard, and your species has a place on the council. But we have dismissed your Reaper claim.
Convergence, Part 1
St. Eudokimos Hospital, Konstanstadt - July 13, 2011, 9:00 AM
Olga, Diana, and Agent Frank walked into Agent Kirova’s hospital room. Agent Kirova lay on the bed, her neck in a brace to keep it still. She breathed through a ventilator. Her stomach was covered in a patch of bandages.
“Okay, this is still freaky,” Olga said.
“Tell me about it,” Diana said.
Olga and Diana walked closer to the bed. Agent Kirova’s finger was connected to a device translating Morse code to German. Unlike the one she used about eleven years ago, this one was just a glove with multiple sensors detecting the slightest muscle movement. Agent Kirova’s condition had improved, and her eyes were open, but she was still in a coma. Olga wasn’t sure if she was lucid, but she was definitely aware of their presence.
“I know, right?” Olga said.
“Anybody feeling the deja vu?” Diana said.
“I don't like hospitals,” Agent Frank said, “I never know what I'm supposed to do.”
“You don’t need to do anything,” Diana said.
“Yep,” Olga said, “Canaan’s safe on our side.”
“We also got Mina,” Diana said.
“Yeah, turns out your Mina’s working with Jansen,” Diana said, “Just my luck. Sorry.”
“Why do you have to apologize?” Agent Frank said.
“Well, for starters, we will do everything that we can to find Jansen and bring him to justice,” Olga said, “I give you my word.”
“Thanks,” Olga said.
“I will,” Olga said.
X-Division headquarters
Angelalt and Annie entered Mina’s holding cell and tossed a sheet of paper on the table. Mina picked up the paper and read it.
“I'm unclear,” Mina said, “In exchange for this reduced sentence, what do you expect from me?”
“We believe David Jansen has a mole in the Ministry of Defense,” Annie said.
“Among other things, someone tipped him off about the location of a prisoner transport, which allowed his men to ambush my team and injure our partner,” Angelalt said.
“So you're going to tell us who tipped off Jansen,” Annie said.
“This is your last chance,” Angelalt said, “One-time offer signed by the Minister of Defense. You're making a mistake. We will find him. And soon Jansen and everyone who worked for him will find themselves rotting in a cell just like you.”
Mina smugly tossed the paper back at them.
“Well, you needn't worry about me, Hansen and Humboldt,” she said, “You see, I'm not going to be here very long. It's your world you ought to be concerned about. Because as bad as you think things are now, things are going to get much worse."
Aartz Holdings, Karlsruhe, the Reich
Jeremy Delman’s workday has gone from zero to sour in less than a minute. Senior Executive Brian Bauer had assembled him and the other team leaders in one of the conference rooms with the sole intent of making Jeremy’s day hell.
“Can anyone here tell me what we are in the business of doing?” Brian said. “We are in the business of making money. Do you agree, Herr Delman?”
“Ja, Herr Bauer,” Jeremy said.
“Can you explain to me why Heinrich and I had to cancel our flight to Nicaea this morning?” Brian said.
“Um, well, uh, because…” Jeremy stuttered.
“...because you and your associates failed to finish the presentation,” Brian said.
“Ja, Herr Bauer,” Jeremy said.
“So you're telling me that this company has to forfeit on one of its largest accounts because you didn't do your job?!” Brian said. “Is that right?!”
“Ja, Herr Bauer,” Jeremy said.
“Well, then it should come as no surprise to anyone in this room, especially you, Herr Delman, you are—” Brian began.
At that moment, Brian was flung up by an invisible force and held a foot below the ceiling. His body rapidly shimmered and faded in and out of view. Then he was violently thrown back on the table so hard it shattered under him.
10:00 AM
Today was an occasion to celebrate, at least for Anders. He finally got the Impala all to himself. Yes, it was his name on the documents, and he did inherit it from Conrad (passing over Walter in the process), but Angela rarely let him drive it. She always insisted on driving. But she and Anna had borrowed Diana’s motorcycle today and arrived at the crime scene earlier. There was also a note on the windshield when he found the Impala parked outside his house.
Unfortunately, Anders had to share the Impala with Walter, who complained the entire trip. He was still complaining when Anders parked and got out.
“It's a miracle we made it in one piece,” he said, “You drive like a daredevil, son.”
“For the eleventh time, Walter, I drive at the speed limit,” Anders said.
“Most automobile fatalities occur driving between work and home,” Walter said.
“Yeah, so does most driving,” Anders said.
They walked into the lobby of the Aartz building, where Anna and Angela waited for them.
“Hey Angie, you want to let us know what we're in for?” Anders said.
“Yeah, about an hour ago two men were killed in this building simultaneously,” Angela said, “Witnesses say they were both lifted several feet in the air and then driven back down to the ground by some unseen force. They died on impact.”
“Yep, sounds like one of our cases,” Anders said, “Not the Sentinel ones, obviously.”
They took the elevator up to the thirtieth floor. Coroners and forensics analysts made way for the team as they approached Brian’s body in the conference room, which still lay on the shattered conference table. Angela felt Brian’s left leg.
“Bones in the lower half of his body are completely shattered,” she said.
“I'm seeing similar injuries over here,” Anna said, pointing to Hermann’s body in an adjacent conference room, “How come out of this entire building, it only happened to these two?”
“The Wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteous men,” Walter said, “That’s from Romans 1:18."
“That's the theory?” Anna said. “The Hand of God reached down from the skies and punished these people for their sins?”
“One could argue God kills us all,” Anders said, “Although typically not this directly. He must’ve really hated these guys. They probably mixed their fabrics, those apostates.”
“Spinal column's crushed,” Angela noted, “Hip bone pushed up through his torso. All injuries consistent with impact.”
“Yeah, sure, but from that height the fall couldn't possible have produced a velocity to do that,” Anna said.
“No, you're right,” Walter said, “His injuries would require much more velocity.”
Angela and Anders walked over to Jeremy, who sat on a bench half in shock.
“Jeremy Delman, right?” she said. “You were in the conference room when it happened?”
“Could you tell us what you saw?” Anders said.
“He was, um, yelling, and I thought for sure he would fire me,” Jeremy said, “He's yelled at all of us before, but not like this. I've never seen him so angry. And then all of a sudden, he was pulled up out of his chair by, like, this invisible hand or something.”
“Invisible hand of the free market, anyone?” Anders said.
Angela punched him in the arm. Her phone rang.
“Excuse me,” she said, walking away.
Walter inspected the corpse more as Anders walked back over to him.
“What do you got?” Anders said.
“It's a laceration of some sort,” Walter said, “Could you check the other victim's abdomen for similar abrasions, Anna?"
“Yeah, I got one here too,” Anna said, “It's just above the waist. What do you think could have caused that?”
“I'm not sure yet,” Walter said.
“A seatbelt,” Anders said, “Look at the way the laceration extends across the waist. If these people weren't in an office building, you'd swear they were in a car crash together.”
Angela walked over to them and put away her phone.
“We have a third victim,” she said, “Dad just called, and apparently they found a man who died in his apartment in Frankfurt. His injuries and time of death are consistent with the men here, and he was a pilot.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Walter said, “The crushed spinal column, the broken femurs. These men's wounds are consistent with a plane crash. That's brilliant.”
"Walter, how could these people have been in a plane crash if neither of them was in a plane?” Anna said.
“Right,” Walter said, “There is that. I might have an idea.”
X-Division headquarters, Konstanstadt, Holy Roman Empire - 10:30 AM
Agent Frank entered Tatiana’s office.
“Ma’am, the other side was correct,” she said, “There was a plane crash.”
“When did it happen?” Tatiana said.
“Approximately ninety minutes ago just after takeoff from a small airfield in Ratheim,” Agent Frank said.
“Casualties?” Tatiana said.
“Two men and the pilot,” Agent Frank said.
Annie entered the office.
“You're just the person I wanted to see,” Tatiana said, “Agent Frank, coordinate with ITSB to take possession of the wreckage and the bodies.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Agent Frank said, leaving.
“I've narrowed it down to 108 names,” Annie said.
“108 names?” Tatiana said.
“Everyone who had operational clearance and would have known about the prisoner transport,” Annie said, “I want to initiate background checks and electronic surveillance.”
“You're talking about investigating our own people, many of whom work for the Ministry and outrank both of us,” Tatiana said.
“Ma’am, Jansen has been a step ahead of us the whole way,” Annie said, “He knew we were coming after Marcus tried to kill us, and he moved his entire shapeshifter operation. When we were tracking him, he knew what frequency we were on. Someone inside tipped off Mina and put Olga in the hospital.”
“I understand,” Tatiana said, “But this level of surveillance comes with a lot of red tape. I'll cut through it. In the meantime, I need you and Agent Hansen on something else. A charter plane crashed in Ratheim this morning, killing everyone on board. Apparently it also killed their counterparts on the other side.”
“How is that possible?” Annie said.
“I don't know,” Tatiana said, “But I want you and Agent Hansen to report to the bridge and pick up members from the other X-Division. We'll be investigating this together.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Annie said.
Restoration/Unification Island Bridge - 2:00 PM
Angela and Anders escorted Walter through the dozens of security checkpoints guarding the bridge between universes. However, Walter looked less than cooperative. The security guards noticed that too.
“Agents, are you ready?” one asked them.
“Uh, almost,” Anders said.
“Always like to empty my bladder before a long trip,” Walter said.
“Walter, do you realize we're just walking through a door?” Angela said.
“It's better safe than sorry,” Walter said.
“We're ready, Sergeant,” Angela said.
The guard looked at Walter. “Dr. Walter Humboldt?”
“Yes, that's me,” Walter said, “Walter Humboldt, civilian consultant.”
“Place your hand on the screen, please,” the guard said.
Walter put his hand on the biometric scanner.
“Do you have a pacemaker?” the guard asked.
“No,” Walter said.
“Have you ever been diagnosed with smallpox?”
“No.”
“Tuberculosis?”
“No.”
“Malaria?”
“No.”
“Are you on any medications?”
“Several. Mostly recreational.”
“It's okay,” Anders said.
“Per UN Treaty Code 5891J, once you cross over, you will be subject to the same laws and regulations as any naturalized citizen of the other side,” the guard said, “Do you understand?”
“I do,” Walter said.
They entered a decontamination chamber and then exited through the opposite door after a few minutes of scans. Once across, they made their way to a conference room.
“Uncle Walter, are you sure you don't want either of us to go with you?” Angela said.
“I'm sure,” Walter said, “Once Anna receives the bodies at the lab, she'll need your help to examine them. And when I've collected samples from the bodies on the other side, I'll return and we can compare the two.”
“Walter…” Anders said.
“And thank you for trusting me,” Walter said, “This is a really big step for me.”
Angelalt, Olga, and Diana entered the conference room.
"Ah, my escort is here,” Walter said.
“Good to see you,” Angela said.
“You too,” Olga said.
“Hey,” Angelalt said.
“Hi,” Angela said.
“You’re late, again,” Diana said.
“Blame Walter,” Anders said.
“Shall we?” Angelalt said.
Walter followed Angelalt out of the room.
“How is she doing?” Angela said.
“As well as can be expected considering other me’s in the hospital," Olga said.
“She wants to find the people responsible,” Diana said.
“Yeah, I hope she does,” Anders said.
“She's lucky to have your help,” Angela said, “Take care of Walter.”
“I will,” Olga said.
She followed Angelalt out.
Dread it. Run from it. The cycle still arrives.Your words are as empty as your future, this exchange is over.