-=Chapter Begin=-

Relay: Sol Relay

System: Sol

Planet: Pluto

On the planet's surface, an M35 Mako stops in its wheels, in front of a ruined entrance of what seems to be a Bunker, Commander Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex in their spacesuit and hop out of the Mako as they walk up to the sealed doors.

Shepard: "From the looks of it, this base has been left here to rot." he says, Garrus stands at the side of the door and examines the console.

Garrus: "The console's fried, Shepard. Any ideas to open it?" he asks, only to be pushed aside by the Krogan, Wrex.

Wrex: "Stand aside, Turian. This is how a Krogan open sealed doors." he says with a chuckle, as Shepard realizes what Wrex about to do.

Shepard: "Wrex! Wait-" he called out but too late, as Wrex shoots his shotgun and activating shredder rounds.

The door burst opens inwards, only to have the three to be pushed away by the force from the inside of the bunker, releasing its pressure from the inside to the outside space.

Wrex: "Ha Ha Ha... That's fun" he comments, not minding the situation of his squadmates

Garrus lends Shepard a hand and pulled him back up to his feet. Shepard let this incident be pushed aside and leads the way inside the base...

Shepard: "Watch your head, there's a lot of debris floating around here." he said before Wrex got hit by a floating metal piece to his head even if he's wearing a helmet to breathe

Garrus: "Regretting blowing that door, Wrex?" he asks

Wrex: "Well, it's fun at first." he answers

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After walking through the empty corridors of the base, the team entered an empty room and manage to find a still active console but with a weak signal. Shepard walks up to it and began searching for any information in the console.

Garrus: "Find anything useful, Shepard?" he asks, as he examines the dirtied room

Shepard: "Nothing, just some files, most of it are already deleted." he said

Wrex: "They must have left in a hurry if they're that careless. Stupid bitches." he cursed.

Garrus: "Shepard. You need to look at this" he called out. Shepard walks up to Garrus who's looking down at a dirtied table.

Garrus gives a source of light for Shepard to see. Shepard looks down to see a folder already opened by Garrus. With pictures of kids to adults being experimented...

Garrus: "They must have used this base to experiment with their own species? For what purpose?" he commented

Shepard: "SPARTAN project?" he read out from the contents of the file

Suddenly out of nowhere, the light from the console brightens as Wrex's instincts kick in, and aims his shotgun at the console

-=Inside The Console & 3rd Person's POV=-

A scientist walks around in a very white room. Wearing in a sealed suit with the logo of Cerberus on their left shoulder. The female scientist slams her hands on the metal table where a kid is currently out cold...

Female Scientist: "We've gone too far! Now we're experimenting on children?!" she says, obviously objecting to the idea of the operation

Male Scientist: "For science! The deadline is just 9 months away! We need to show the progress of our project, not failures!" he explains his side of the table with others agreeing to him

FS: "Screw that! I thought we're doing this for-"

MS: "We are! For humanity's advancement! No matter the sacrifices" he says, before pulling out a pistol from under the operating table. "No matter the sacrifices..." he repeats, before pulling the trigger

-=Outside The Console=-

Shepard and Garrus jump in their boots after hearing the gunshot as the feed went off. Wrex already walks out of the room, but the others left in the Mako saw it on the screens, the reason how is Garrus and Shepard's helmet...

Liara: "My Goddess..." she speaks out

Tali: "I think I'm going to get sick" she comments

Shepard walks up to the console to try and save the footage but somehow the console also deletes it too...

Wrex: "Hey Shepard, I found something" he calls out

Shepard and Garrus walk out of the room and saw Wrex at the end of the hall. Keeping their guard up, they arrive to see Wrex poking an old defense bot... Then, lights brighten the corridor revealing more wreck as Wrex took the initiative as others followed behind to cover him.

Shepard: "Something's not right here"

Garrus: "The fact that we came across that console and see this old wrecks?"

Shepard: "Yeah, but also the fact that this ruined facility still continues with power" he says, checking each room they walked pass on

???: "Stop!" a sudden voice rang out through the corridor

Shepard: "Who's there?" he spoke out, keeping his guard up. Garrus quickly moves forward.

As Garrus passed by 2 open walkways, a defense bot appeared and punched Garrus to the ground. Shepard aims his rifle and pulled the trigger as the bullets tore the defense bot to pieces. Wrex walks up obviously laughing at the downed turian.

Wrex: "Shit! More incoming!" he shouted and started firing at the bots running towards them.

???: "Commander. I recommend to follow the green light" a voice rang out, the group noticed the bulbs on the walls lit up green and leads down past 2 walkways and then to a corridor.

Garrus: "Damn, are we seriously going to go deeper in this place?" he asks after getting himself up to his feet.

The Commander took cover to a corner and raining down bullets at the bots, until his rifle overheats, he took cover and with his quick thinking...

Shepard: "Williams! We need assistance at our location!" he speaks through his coms but heard gunfire on the other end of the coms.

Ashley: "Negative, Commander. We're very busy here outside the bunker! Alenko, watch your 6!" she spoke as more gunfire can be heard. "What the hell happened in there, Commander!" she asks with a desperate tone in her voice

Shepard: "Nothing we know of, Williams. Any chance for sending help?" he asks

Ashley: "Sorry, but that's a negative, sir. The Quarian is having a hard time contacting the Ship. We're completely isolated and no way to enter the bunker. Those defense bots may be old but hell they are many coming out!" she said

Shepard: "Alright. We'll try to find another way out of this place. If the situation got worse, I order you to leave and establish connection back to the Normandy." he says, as he the coms getting static

Ashley: "Commander- *Static* -can't- *Static* -losin- *Static* *Static*" she spoke but got cut off

Shepard: "Shit. Something's blocking off our communication!" he said to his teammates

Wrex: "Then follow the green light it is" he said, as he charge his biotic ability to hardened his armor before heading out from cover and ran down the bots blocking the path as Shepard and Garrus followed behind him.

As Wrex ramming and stepping on bots, Shepard and Garrus kept their rifles up and shooting down the bots coming out from the walkways in the corridor. After several more turns and heading deeper, the greenlight finally stops to a closed metal doors...

Wrex: "Hmp, heavily reinforced doors. What now?" he said after deactivating his biotic ability. Garrus walks up to it and started slamming his fist to it.

Garrus: "Hey! Would you open the damn door!" He shouted as Shepard and Wrex turns back after hearing more bots heading their way

???: "3 lifeforms detected. I recommend to hold off the defense bots as I'll try to bypass the door's mechanism" a voice spoke from a noticeable speaker at the top corner near the reinforced door.

Garrus: "Great. Just fucking great! This is not what I'm expecting to happen after I quit my job Shepard" he said

Shepard: "Well, we'll get used to-" he got cut off by Wrex

Wrex: "Shut your turian skullface mouth and start blasting this tin cans!" he shouted, it's clear that he's angry just by the tone of his voice

Garrus hissed at the racist insult from the krogan and helps in the fight, as the reinforced doors began to slid down slowly with a noise of two metals scratching with friction from rust. Shepard tried to contact Ashley William's side but still static. Wrex loaded a shredder round and fired as it mowed down a lot of bots, with Garrus precise aims with his assault rifle hitting the bots in the head.

As the reinforced door slid halfway, Shepard quickly took the chance and climb over, as he got to the other side, he took cover and start raining hell at the charging defense bots, every time his main weapon overheats, he quickly switches to his side arm, a brawler pistol. As Garrus' assault rifle overheats, he turns and got over the halfway door, only leaving Wrex as due to his Krogan disadvantages, he needs to wait for the reinforced door to slid down fully so he could get in.

Wrex: "Get out of the way, big guy running through!" he said as this gave time for the bots to get closer without the suppressing fire from Garrus and Shepard. "Not this time tin cans!" he called out as he turns around and fired his last shredder shell at the horde of bots.

Garrus and Shepard quickly return position and fired at the enemy. With the same method of switching weapons whenever the other get overheated. This gave enough time for the reinforced door to slid closed as bots kept trying to climb in but get shot and the others get crushed after the door slid closed... As everything went quiet and the only source of light is their flashlights on their shoulder, except for Wrex where his flashlight is on his shotgun...

Wrex: "*Laughing* Now that's a good experience! I'll never regret joining you Shepard *Laughs*" he said while laughing, maybe trying to lift the mood...

Shepard: "I'll take that as a compliment, Wrex" he says, while checking again the coms to try contact outside the bunker but failed anyway.

Garrus: "After all we get ourselves in... We're now trapped! And we didn't even know who the voice is!" he said, beginning to panic.

Shepard: "Garrus Vakarian keep your shit together, alright?! We're not dead yet, so that's a plus in my book" he said as he scans the room they're in

-=Shepard's POV=-

As Wrex stayed behind to make sure that the doors won't bust open by those defense bots, me and Garrus went ahead to check the large room we're in...

Garrus: "You know Shepard, for an abandoned base, that's a lot of defense bots like their old version made me regret to think we're good" he comments, I agree, why would Cerberus leaves a base with more like a thousand of defense bots left behind to rot, or more like still activated...

We noticed the room is clean unlike the rooms and corridors we walked through, seeing steel beds and chairs on one side and empty capsules on the other side. We we're checking one of the capsules until the same voice spoke again...

???: "Identification complete. Commander John Shepard. From Alliance Military, and Council Spectre. Please step into the room in the end of the room" the voice said, now that I think about it, it seems more artificial than human nor any other races.

Garrus: "I don't trust it, not a single bit" he voiced his opinion.

Shepard: "Do we have any other choice?" I said as I began to walk my way to the doorway that just slid open.

???: "I repeat. Commander John Shepard is allowed to enter. Garrus Vakarian, I recommend for you to stay behind" it said as Garrus gave a few words of encouragement before walking back to where Wrex is.

I walked in the dark empty room as the door quickly slid shut behind me, I scan around with my flashlight. Until, I got bombarded with a blinding light, I shielded my eyes until I get used to the new source of light. I open my eyes to look around to see more empty capsules, 6 at each side from my left and right. However, the 4th capsule on my right that is obviously occupied.

I noticed a circular console at the middle, I walked up to it first as I examine the details on it, 1 green light means occupied and 11 gray light means empty. I pressed the green light, but suddenly a new icon appeared in the middle, a locked icon. Then, the screen change to nothingness, as I step back, seeing how the console began to change as it lowers itself, as a hologram appeared, a female VI that is wearing a uniform...

???: "Commander John Shepard. You are the first to answer the SOS for... 5 years" it said, I got surprised by this VI... it seems to be a bit advance for a VI from 5 years ago or so. "Code name: Master Chief, is currently in cryogenic process. You are not allowed to cancel the procedure with the current condition of the base" it said, I turn to my right and walk up to the occupied capsule, feeling the cold from 5 feet away from it.

Shepard: "Master Chief?" I spoke my mind out. "VI, any information that may describe who Master Chief is?" I asked

VI: "Nothing in my database, Commander" it replied, I got frustrated. "Recommendation. It might be possible to transport the Cryogenic Capsule to a safer condition" it continued

Shepard: "For what reason?" I ask

VI: "My system is not allowed to cancel the procedure with the current condition of the base" it said

I stood still. Thinking deeply about this decision, there's greater threat out there with the rogue spectre. However, if I could get this guy out, and may or may not be helpful to our cause...

Shepard: "Hope I won't regret this decision... How are we going to do this?" I asked

VI: "I can release an electrical surge throughout the base to shut down the defense bots. Then I will provide a way for the closest exit. However, before we continue, I will transfer myself to a chip and request to help me placed inside the capsule. You may insert me at the side near the door" it explained

Shepard: "Alright... Uhmm... Start the Electrical Surge- Wait! Are you sure there's no other people in the halls?" I said, worried about the others

VI: "Negative, Commander" it said

Shepard: "Then, do it" I give command

VI: "Electrical Surge will commence in 1 minute" it replied before fading away as the console rose up again and a chip appeared, I grab it and walk up to the capsule and put it inside.

The capsule hissed as it detaches itself and moves forward as the door in the room slid open. I followed the capsule until we reached Wrex and Garrus looking outside to see the defense bots fried.

Garrus: "What happened?" he asks, while Wrex light kicking a bot to make sure...

Shepard: "It's a long story, we need to leave first" I said, as we both follow the capsule to the nearest exit. 

-=Timeskip=-

I sat down in the Mako as Liara and Tali examines the capsule while Garrus stations the gun and Ashley and Kaiden in the front of the Mako. Wrex... he's sleeping...

Shepard: "So, any ideas how to open it beside what I told about the VI's information?" I asked the two

Tali: "No. This is different, even if I am trying my best to hack into the system, something blocking me from it. Like... what do humans call it? Fi- Fie- Firefly!"

Shepard: "You mean firewall?"

Tali: "Yes, just like I said"

Liara: "Commander, I never thought you could find someone trapped in this cold prison for 5 years. Are you sure that he's stable?" she asks

Shepard: "From what I understand, he may be stable but there's still a chance that may become chaos if it gets out of hand" I said

Tali: "So... We're in trouble?" she asks

Garrus: "I'll say we're in deep if we don't find a way to restrain the big guy, like hell, he's taller than Wrex!" he said from the gunnery position of the Mako

Shepard: "Well, let's find out later in the Normandy" I said as we rode on in silence, Liara and Tali return to examining the capsule...

Kaiden: "We'll be arriving in ETA 10 minutes!" he said from the driver seat

As I sit back, thinking about this Master Chief guy... is he a threat or a friend. Nobody knows until we open that damned capsule...

-=End of Chapter=-

-=Words: 2902=-

-=Author's Note=-

Hey guys, I'm back! Well, finally I manage to continue this with almost 3k words? That's new for me to achieve for a single chapter... and I like it hehehe... Well, comment down below about your thoughts and your ideas, and yes, I used Cortana from Halo Infinite. Don't judge! She's the only Cortana with a uniform on that almost identical to Cerberus... so... yeah... Enjoy and see you in the next chapter!