Jenkins

I nodded my head, rocking and moving to the beat of the music in my ears. My hands were occupied, the tools precisely dismantling the weapon in front of me. The Shotguns were the first weapon I decided to work on since it seemed even in the world of mass effect, the boomstick was a relatively simple firearm compared to other weapons.

Not that they weren’t complicated, any weapon that had a nearly infinite supply of ammo and only had to worry about overheating was going to be more complicated than a Remington from Earth. The principles were the same of course, all weapons were in the end just an increasingly complicated version of rock or stick.

The Hurricane and Tornado shotguns were just like most mass-effect weapons. They contained an internal block of metal made from an incredibly dense material. Usually Iridium, Osmium, or Tungsten, depending on the manufacturer. The weapons then shave a sliver of this block off and then accelerate it with mass effect fields to approximately thirty-six thousand meters a second, a frankly ridiculous speed compared to weapons from my old life. Each block could create thousands of these slivers, so as long as new ones were loaded in before a mission the odds of running out of ammo were incredibly unlikely.

The shotguns were a little different, using a larger block of metal and either a series of tiny slivers or a larger ball of the metal comparatively, depending on whether or not it was a slug weapon. It meant the Shotguns were heavier, and overheated far faster than the other weapons, but it also meant they packed a hell of a punch.

I kept my gaze focused, the vision in my right eye not even shifting as I rocked my head to the music. I could see that the parts I removed from the weapon were highlighted in an orange outline in my vision, and their name as well as a quick summary of their purpose was shown. I was finding and loving more and more features of this robotic eye as I discovered them. I was careful to slide some of the parts together, the eye highlighting how best to put together the parts I had, and where I needed to do some welds on the frame to support the changes I was making.

Category Six was a weapon I had in mind the moment I knew I wanted to upgrade weapons for my team. Wrex was a fan of shotguns, that much went without saying, and most shotguns had one limiting factor. Their range lost effective damage faster than any other firearm, projectile spread was a bitch. Now of course the solution to this problem was slug rounds, which the Tornado was known for. The problem that came from slug-round weapons was that they overheated far faster than most weapons, reducing their fire rate compared to the standard shotguns.

I had of course thought of a solution, and it was actually something my old world's military had tried before, but ended up giving up on due to the price of such a weapon and the recoil it produced. This wasn’t a problem for me, since I was making exactly one of the weapons, and the person using it was a Krogan. Frankly, I think Wrex would take concern over additional recoil as an insult.

I slid the second barrel into the now much larger form, smiling as I could feel the satisfied click as it locked into the modified receiver at the back. I would need to secure it but knowing it fit together at all meant that at the very least I had succeeded in creating the nightmare weapon that was sitting on my desk. And it was just that, a nightmare weapon, the casing had gaps in the shell, exposing areas of the weapon’s internals. I needed to finish patching the casing to suit the weapon’s new size, but I would need to do some welding for that, which couldn’t be safely done in my quarters.

I had taken the weapons I wanted to take apart up to my room to work on in privacy. With Shiala aboard I was avoiding putting myself out in the open where I could stumble into a conversation with her. I don’t know what had changed, but the look she had when she first entered the comm room was so starkly different from what I had seen in the brig a day earlier that I knew better than to trust it.

I slid the Category Six to the side, smiling at the quality of the work. Double barrels, firing slugs in alternate barrels with each shot. I slightly reduced the fire rate in each barrel, but it’s still a fifty percent increase in the speed when both are taken together and thanks to that reduced fire rate it takes twice as long to overheat. I just had to finish the casing and heat shroud and then make sure it doesn’t explode when you fire it and it would be done. Wrex would appreciate it I’m sure.

I swept the loose parts off the desk and into a box I kept on the side, placing it alongside the shotgun just to ensure I was keeping the parts together. Losing a part wouldn’t be the worst thing, but I liked keeping things at least partially organized. I began nodding once again as the next track began, and I pulled out the rifles laying them on the table. I followed the drumbeat in my head, a smile crawling to my face as the guitar rose to the forefront, the song being one of my favorites.

“Can’t stop, addicted to the shindig. Chop top, he says I’m gonna win big.” I half hummed and half sang the words to myself as the song picked up.

A tradition from my old life that was impossible for me to shake off, there was only one kind of music that you could listen to while working on a project. It was a habit passed on by my dad, and while it might have been more used for when we worked on vehicles or in the wood shop, I think it applied here as well. It was how things went, if you were working with your hands you listened to rock music, particularly the stuff from the nineties and the early two thousand’s. In this case, I had the Red Hot Chili Peppers and one of their best tracks guiding my head and hands as I worked, dismantling the two rifles with ease.

I fell into the pattern of work, losing myself as plans came together and fell apart in my head, the music fueling the haze. Every part, its use, and how it could go together with whatever else was on the table was highlighted by my new eye. Beta running data in the background was part of the reason the information was coming so fast and was so precise, and already I knew we were pushing well past what the eye could have done with AI help. Once more I found myself thankful for my friend.

My goal with the rifle was simple, I wanted an upgrade that I could do for Ashley specifically. She was a hell of a fighter and a decent shot, but most of her talent just came from her ruthless and unrelenting combat style. Weapon overheating was the biggest issue for her, and it was the only thing that slowed her fire rate or held her back. So, I needed to find a way to prevent overheating or limit its effect on the rifle. The first idea, and the simplest, was to make the transition to heatsinks a little early. Now I was very against this idea since it would result in you further pushing heatsinks forward, which was just a way for the Mass Effect games to introduce an ammo system.

Not that a quick cooling system was a bad idea. There were safety measures in firearms to keep them from firing when they overheat, which is part of why you managed your fire rate to avoid it. It’s also why it waited for the guns to heat up to a certain threshold before it rapidly vented the weapon while it couldn’t fire. However, if I took the idea of heatsinks, and put a series of them in rifles, it would be a place for them to dump the excess heat without needing to stop firing. Then the heatsinks could vent the heat they store slowly in the background. As long as I used a series of heatsinks it would be a massive improvement on the fire rate of the assault rifles.

Although it definitely would make the weapon heavier, it was an option for where to go. Worth considering, at the very least. I took the cooling system out of one of the rifles, scanning each of the parts and how they functioned to see if turning them into a heatsink on a current rifle would work. At least from the looks of it, it seemed possible, but I would have to take the cooling system apart and refit it into the modified shape I wanted. I cranked the volume on the music, letting the volume drown out any other sounds. And then I got to work, more needed to be done.

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I’m not sure how long I worked for, but I was interrupted from my work state by the music being reduced. Beta’s voice filled the headphones.

“Jenkins, you have been working for approximately three hours. It is recommended you take a break to hydrate and regather energy. Also, there is someone at the door.” I have to shake my head for a second at his words. Three hours? Man hyper fixation is a dangerous tool. I take a moment to stretch in my chair, feeling the cricks in my back and neck at the sudden movement.

“Ughhh. Thanks, Beta, didn’t realize how long I was there for. I’ll take a break. Who’s at the door?” I ask the question muting the music on the headphones and taking them out, replacing them with a single earpiece for Beta alone. I can’t help but now notice how dry my mouth felt. I needed to start bringing water with me when I started stuff like this.

I glance at the pile of scrap on my desk surrounding the now-functioning heatsink design. All I now had to do was modify one of the Thunder rifle models to take the modified version, ensure that it didn’t explode, and then it would be good to go. After that, I wanted to modify a Sniper for Garrus, modify one of the Predator armors for Liara, and then give an omni-tool upgrade for Shepard.

While I was working away on the weapons, Beta was doing light support analyzing the gear I was working with, and focusing most of his attention on two things. One was going over all the information on Neural Interface systems we had gotten from Chris. The other was expanding the code of the omni-blade to generate something besides just an insanely sharp blade. He had finished this project since it was mostly just a change to what was printed and where it was held by the device’s mass effect fields.

I clenched my fist and watched as an orange hologram surrounded my fist, a thick bar of light visible across the knuckles and reinforced along the side. Inside of that bar of light was a band of metal. In my case, it was just some Tungsten, sturdy and dense, and formed an excellent set of knuckles to enhance a punch. However, Shepard’s omni-tool would print the knuckles out of an Eezo hybrid material. That way Shepard would be able to pump her biotics into it to increase or lower its mass as she needed it. I was calling it Tech Knuckles, and they would be Shepard's new favorite friend. The hope was that it would absorb any residual energy and better brace her arm if she did something like the Nova Charge again.

Once all that was done I just needed to work on mine and Shepard's armor, finish finding a solution for Kaidan’s migraines, and give Tali her SMG. Although not in that particular order, whichever was easier or more important would be prioritized. Gifts for everyone. Well… almost everyone.

“It is Shiala. She came by earlier to try and speak with you but I assumed you had little interest in that interaction and kept the door locked. However a second visit implies importance, and I felt you should at least be informed.” Yeah, Shiala. I didn’t have anything in mind to make for her, and honestly, I don’t think I was interested in doing it. I certainly didn’t trust her. Even if I did believe she was on our side as far as stopping Saren and rescuing the Matriarch was concerned, I didn’t think she was on our side as much as much as she was against him.

Still, ignoring someone forever wasn’t a good idea, and she was still a powerful biotic and soldier. Even if she knew more than she should, she hadn’t told the crew that yet. Either because she thought they already knew, or because she didn’t want to in case they didn’t. Yeah, I could tell already my stress was going to be through the roof around her but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I just had to deal.

“Thanks, Beta. Unlock the door, I’ll deal with her. Although do keep Shepard and the rest on quick call in case of emergency.” I doubted Shiala would do anything dangerous, it didn’t seem to fit her style. That said it was always worthwhile to be cautious.

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I approached the door, hearing the sound of it unlock as I neared it. Having an AI to do stuff like that for you as you make you’re way around during the day-to-day was way too convenient, and as long as Beta was cool with it I was going to abuse the hell out of it. The door slid open as I reached it, and on the other side was Shiala.

She was relaxed in her stance, not the same professional movement she had when she had introduced herself earlier. She seemed comfortable, and there was a small smile on her face as she took me in. Unlike Liara, Shiala’s facial patterns were more numerous but less intense. While Liara’s made her look like she only had freckles and eyebrows, Shiala had full-on splotches surrounding her eyes and following her cheekbones. The marks on their own bore a similarity to ink blot tests, although I wasn’t going to try and find some shape in them. Her green eyes were piercing, almost luminous in how bright their color was. The most striking detail with her though was her height.

I wasn’t short by any standards, at over six feet tall I was a good height taller than most of the crew. Only Garrus, Kaidan, and Wrex could compete with me for height, but Shiala would have to be added to that list. Even with her relaxed stance, partially leaning against the wall, our eyes were level. She was probably a good inch and a half taller than I was at least.

She was no longer wearing the armor she had come in with, instead wearing a simple black uniform. At least I figured it was a uniform, in that it bore a lot of similarity to the Alliance fatigues, but it was missing any patches or identifiable markings to indicate organization.

“Corporal. It’s good to see you again. Did you have a minute?” Her voice was gentle and smooth, a harsh departure from the sharp intensity she had when we had last spoken. I don’t know what had changed but I had a feeling this is who Shiala truly was. Confident and in control.

“Sure.” It was the only answer I gave, I stepped aside and gestured for her to come in if she wanted. The bunk rooms weren’t large by any means, but they had enough space for a couple of people to sit comfortably and talk at least, and allowed me to pile projects on my desk without it cluttering the whole room.

“So curt. I hope we aren’t on bad terms, Jenkins. I can call you Jenkins, right? The rest of the crew seems to.” I was feeling more and more on edge and unsure how to handle her. The tone she spoke to me with. It was laced with a tone that made it impossible to tell what she meant. Was she being condescending? Was she being genuine? I couldn’t tell from the tone alone, and the look in her eye wasn’t helping.

“Jenkins is fine. You have your minute, what do you want.” I wasn’t interested in playing whatever game she was trying to get at. The best way to deal with people like this was to just cut through whatever bullshit they were trying.

“Very curt. I can’t help but feel you don’t like me very much, Jenkins. A shame given I rather like you.” She wasn’t looking at me, instead scanning over my room, taking in the bed made to standard, and the contrast of the disaster that was the desk I was working at. “What have you been working on?”

I was still processing the first set of her words and it took me a moment to acknowledge her question. She liked me, what the hell did that even mean? What exactly did she want?”

“You like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean? And don’t try and pretend you have any actual interest in my work. I know you’re here to spy on me for Tevos.” I wasn’t going to play this game, even if it was clear she was good at it. She turned around to smile at me, a look that had my heart accelerate. That look was dangerous, but not in a threatening way. There was no hatred or anger in it, only… interest. Looking at me like I was an interesting puzzle or a particularly enticing piece of prey.

“She did say you were smarter than you appeared. Seems she was right. Most would assume I’m here to spy on Shepard or your mission as a whole. Yet you know that you’re the target of interest.” I curse myself for a moment. I got ahead of myself and said something that revealed more than I thought it would.

I had to remember, the woman in front of me was centuries older than I was. She had more experience with this sort of thing than I ever would. I need to be careful what I say and when.

“...” I don’t bother to respond, instead just crossing my arms and leaning against the door that had shut behind me. She smirked at my reaction.

“Don’t worry, Tevos doesn’t believe you’re a seer the same way I do. She only thinks you’re an agent of the Shadow Broker. Interesting theory, but I don’t think it suits you.” She looks back at the pile of parts on my desk. “You figure out your upgrades on your own, not from an outside source. The Shadow Broker wouldn’t risk someone who can make what you can on a dangerous field mission.” She still had the same look on her face. Like she was having the most fun in the world in this conversation.

“I told you. I’m not biotic. I can’t be a seer.” I needed to keep my answer short and simple.

“Yes, you did. And I do believe that what you’re saying is the truth. The interesting thing is that that’s all you said. You told me when I asked you what I was supposed to do, that I should stay and help Zhu’s Hope. You then told me if I didn’t like the sound of that then I should do something else. Well, here I am.” I knew I would regret telling her that, but she already knew enough that leaving her would have been a problem. I thought some guidance was better than leaving her to try and tell everyone what she had seen. Perhaps I was wrong on both counts.

“Here you are. Not much of a seer if I got that wrong.”

“No, not like a seer at all. Yet despite that, you haven’t denied knowing the future once yet.” Her smile dropped for the first time, and the look in her eyes changed. This was why she was here. I needed to play this right. I laugh for a moment.

“Ha, I don’t know the future Shiala. No one can.” I like to think myself a pretty good liar, and given what she’s suggesting should be considered impossible, most would believe my words without much hesitation. Most.

“And that Jenkins,” she stood from where she was leaning, walking over until she was standing only a foot away from me, “is the first lie you’ve told me.” Her smile returned, and I couldn’t help the feeling as my heart rate accelerated. The look in her eyes, and the proximity we now had left me confused. It’s like my body didn’t know what part of fight or flight was supposed to activate.

“And. If that’s a lie what are you going to do with that information? I’ll ask again. Why are you here?” I kept my reaction as even as I could, and watched her own. There was no crack in how she presented herself, just that same smile and look that had me confused as to whether I was being looked down on or praised.

“I’ll keep your secret Jenkins. At least from the rest of your crew. I assume you haven’t told them?” She reads my reaction and seems to take my silence as an answer. “Yes, so you don’t have to worry about me outing you. I was being honest when I said I liked you, Jenkins. I can tell that Saren, and in turn, the Reapers are your enemy. You want to stop them, that’s your goal.” I can only nod in response, and her smile softens ever so slightly, letting me see that there is an actual genuine appreciation there.

“I think your technology is impressive, and I think your knowledge of the Reapers and indoctrination is greater than you let on. If anyone can help rescue the Matriarch, it’s you. What I want is to ask for your help in saving her. To ask if it’s even possible.” For the first time, I can see vulnerability. She is opening up, and being honest in what she wants from me. This isn’t Tevos’ mission, this is her reason for being here.

I have a single moment to make a decision. It is clear to me that she knows, or at least is pretty confident I have more knowledge than I should. Even if she doesn’t understand how, or the full extent of that knowledge, she at least personally believes it. I need to decide whether I keep denying it and working on my own to change things or if I come clean. If I open up to someone try and accept some help in fixing all of this. I know it’s risky, her proximity to Tevos makes it a dangerous option, but at this moment I can only really think one thing.

I’m so tired of doing this alone.

“The Matriarch is supposed to die, the indoctrination is too deep to fix and she passes after fighting Shepard on Noveria.” I answered, sharing the knowledge of what I know, and watched as Shiala deflated. She turned away from me, taking a step back as she took in my response.

“But I don’t like that option. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I want to save her. If we can… she might be our best chance to convince the Council the threat of the Reapers is real.” Shiala perks up, turning around again to face me I can see the excitement, the hope on her face.

“Truly? Is it possible to subvert fate like that?” She is asking, hoping. The Asari clearly have a very different take on fate and destiny than other races, since it seemed they took it as a much more literal thing. Something concrete that couldn’t be changed, at least not easily.

“It has to be. If it wasn’t, neither of us would be here. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, however. I don’t know how to fight indoctrination, or even how they do it in the first place. But I promise you I will be trying to save her. You have my word.” I can look her in the eyes as I say it, and I watch as her expression changes. The hope returned, replaced by a sense of relief and satisfaction, before returning once more to that unreadable grin. The look that makes my heart race and my nerves stand on end.

“I knew I liked something about you. You are a very interesting man, Jenkins. Your will is strong. You’re determined and intelligent, and then there is the knowledge you know of the future. You would be a very memorable partner.” I am unable to hide my flinch, and I try and take a step back only to feel the cool metal of the door behind me, stopping my retreat. Shiala steps forward closing the distance once more. She looks ever so slightly down at me, her hand raising to gently trace the side of my face, just below where I know the burns end.

“Um, I’m not sure what’s happening… this feels like it’s taken a turn.” I can feel my heart accelerating, the intense color of her eyes taking most of my vision, and the feeling of her hand along my face filling my senses.

“Mmm, perhaps it’s not common knowledge among humans. I am an Asari in my maiden phase. New and interesting experiences are what we seek. It’s why I sought work as a Commando. And you Jenkins, strike me as a new and very interesting experience.” Oh. Okay. That made sense. I knew all that about Asari already but hadn’t thought of it in this… intimate of a way before.

“Oh. Right. Um. I’m flattered but there’s a lot to be done and um…” I found myself stammering as her hand moved to the back of my neck, her grip firm but gentle. “Well, we really just met and this feels very sudden and um. I don’t think I’m interested in something like that right now.” I stutter but manage to get the words out. Her smile doesn’t leave her face.

“And that, Jenkins, is the second lie you’ve told me.” Her words are barely a whisper but I can hear them plain as day given how close we are.

The smile doesn’t leave her face, and I truly can’t help but feel like she is a predator looking at her prey. But her hand lets go of my neck, and she reaches past me, pressing the button to open the door.

“But I understand. Do feel free to let me know if you change your mind of course. I look forward to working with you.” She steps past me into the hallway turning as she walks away. I can’t help as my eyes follow her hips as she walks away. She gets halfway there before she stops, turning back to look at me again.

“And thank you, Jenkins. Your promise means more to me than you know. Good luck with your projects.” Her look is gentler, more earnest in this moment. I can’t give any reaction, my brain still feeling on a fritz as she turns and walks out of sight.

Once she’s gone, I close the door to my room. Leaning back against the now shut door I slide to the floor sitting against it. I sit there, just trying to calm my heartbeat.

“What the fuck was that?” I ask the question aloud, still processing what had just happened.

Shiala wanted to… sleep with me? That’s definitely what it sounded like. I wasn’t so sure if it was that simple, her look and how she talked about it made it seem both like it wasn’t a big deal and also like it was the most important decision I was making.

Shiala was attractive of course, and It wasn’t like I wasn’t interested, but to be honest I still didn’t trust her. I believed she wanted to save the Matriarch, and that she found me interesting, but I still think she took the Ambassadors orders more importantly than she made it sound. She did her best to make it seem like she was uninterested in Tevos’ interest, but I couldn’t imagine that was true. I needed to be careful around her, and sleeping with her would definitely not be a cautious decision. As difficult as it was to say no when she was looking at me like that.

I thumped my head against the door. She was right about one thing. I had lied to her twice. I could only hope she didn’t push her chance again. I’m not sure if I could lie a third time.