Blood Gun Bonding: Ch. 2 Working For T'Loak

THIS IS MY FANFIC FROM FANFICTION.NET (same username)

Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect, its characters or plots. I own my OC and anything original in this.

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Dawn calmed her breathing as Aria led her into a back room not seen in the game. The two guards were instructed to stay outside. The Turian guard closed the door behind Dawn. She looked from the closed door to Aria who was facing away from her she pulled up the file the Batarian showed her on her Omni-tool.

“Dawn Cole. Earthborn. 19. That’s your natural colour.” Aria nodded to herself. “But you’re, technically, 190 years old.” Dawn grimaced. Aria turned around. “How’d you get here?”

“My PS3 went on the fritz.” Aria raised an invisible eyebrow. “My video game messed up…”

“More details sweetheart.”

“I was playing a game, the console messed up, along with my TV and I heard a … loud blaring sound and everything went black.”

I can’t exactly say I heard a reaper.

“Raesia woke me up and got me a translator.” Aria watched Dawn for a moment. “It’s true.” Aria chuckled.

“You ended up 171 years into the future became your game broke?”

“I don’t know how else to explain it.” Dawn sighed. “You don’t believe me do you?”

“The proof’s in the file, you disappeared in 2014.”

“So you do believe me?” Dawn asked. Aria nodded. “S-so what now?”

“Well, you have no file besides the one saying you’re 190. You don’t have a place to stay and you’re from a time before the Mass Relays.”

“Yeah… meaning I’ve never seen… aliens before.”

“Must have been quite a shock waking up to Raesia then.”

“Uh yeah….”

“Just a heads up, no one uses that term much anymore. It’s Xenos.”

“Right, sorry.”              

“Your file also says you’re trained in hand to hand combat, knives, guns,  and you have a black belt.” Aria said. She looked at Dawn. Dawn smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I had a lot of free time.”

“You could be very useful.”

“Well I don’t know how to use guns here.” Dawn said with a small frown. Aria walked over to a shelf and picked up a pistol. She tossed it to Dawn, who caught it easily.

“Figure it out.” Aria said. Dawn looked down at the pistol and turned it over in her hand. She looked back up at Aria. “Shoot.”

“Shoot what?”

“Anything.” Aria said Dawn hesitated.

“Alright, but don’t shoot me if I shoot the wrong place.” Dawn muttered. She switched off the safety and shot the wall between the shelf and a screen, they were about two inches apart.

“Not bad; you’re a quick learner.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. It looks like a normal pistol just a few differences.” Dawn shrugged.

“You’ll stay here.”

“E-Excuse me?”

“You have no place to stay, correct?” Dawn nodded. “If you stay with me I’ll offer you training.”

“Training?”

“You’ll need more training with our modern weapons.”

“I wouldn’t want to be a burden on you by staying here. I could-“

“You could what? You have no file, no credits, or any official credentials. You can’t exactly tell people you’re from the past.”

“So, what do you suggest I do?”

“You stay here, receive training and I’ll get you an accurate file.”

“Wait…what?”

“I’ll make you exist. What’s so hard to understand about that?”

“I don’t see your gain.”

“Smart girl. My gain is that once your training and file are complete you’ll work for me.”

“For… how long?”

“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t trap you here. But you’ll need credits somehow right?”

“Thank you…”

“You seem surprised.” Aria crossed her arms.

“Well, no offence but, that’s kind of… I didn’t expect that.”

“I’m not an ice queen.” Aria laughed. Dawn chuckled slightly.

“Apologies.”

“Grizz will be your weapons trainer. Anto will be your melee trainer. You’ll have to get a blade on your Omni-tool, I’m sure your Quarian friend can help you there.” Dawn nodded. “And I will be your Biotics trainer.” Dawn shook her head with a laugh.

“I can’t do that I’m not a biotic. I’ve never been exposed to any element zero… stuff.” Aria chuckled.

“That you know of.” Dawn frowned. 

“Wait what?”

“Your scan indicates you’ve been exposed to a very low level of element zero while inside your mother. With a lot of intense training I could get your Biotics to a level of practical use.”

“Wait, don’t people with in-utero exposure get fatal cancers from element zero?” Dawn asked with her eyes slightly wider and her eyebrows up.

“Yes, but in rare cases it coalesces into nodules within the fetus’s nervous system.”

“Meaning?”

“You won’t get cancer.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Do I need an amplifier?”

“With enough training you won’t need one, besides you’re past puberty it would be too dangerous.”

“Right. So… where am I living?”

“There’s a fourth floor of Afterlife where my guard’s and my apartments are. I’ll have one cleared out for you.”

“Thank you again.”

“You’ll stay there until you have enough to get your own apartment.”

“Of course.” Dawn nodded.

“You can keep that gun for protection. I can tell you’re a smart girl but I feel I should advise you to stay away from Vorcha, most Batarians, and Krogans and avoid any merc groups that happen to show up.”

“Alright.”

“You’re not going to question why?”

“I trust your judgment.” Dawn said, even though the real reason was that she already knew to avoid them. Aria chuckled.

“Another word of advice, don’t be so trusting on Omega.” Dawn nodded.

“Can I… have a secondary job? Like part-time?” Dawn asked. Aria raised an invisible eyebrow. “I want to help Ken with his salvage shop.”

“The Quarian? I don’t see why not but don’t be late for training.” I would suggest you set a reminder on your Omni-tool.” Dawn nodded and glanced at her left arm.

“I kinda just got this thing and I still don’t know exactly how to use it.” Dawn said sheepishly. Aria sighed and pulled up her own Omni-tool. After hitting a few buttons she swiped her hand outwards and Dawn jumped hearing a beep. Dawn noticed the band on her left wrist blinking orange. She tapped it and a schedule popped up. The first training session was with Grizz in two hours.  “Um.. who-?” Even before Dawn could start her question Aria pressed a button and the two guards that were outside, came in. Aria gestured to the Turian. “Grizz.” She moved her arm to gesture at the Batarian. “Anto.” Dawn nodded. “This is Dawn Cole.” The Turian nodded in greeting and the Batarian only looked at her. “I’ve already sent them their schedules.”  Aria looked at Dawn.  “Come back when it’s time for your first session.” Dawn nodded. Aria walked to the door and Dawn followed.

“Thank you… Ms. T’Loak.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Sorry… Aria.” Aria flashed Dawn a smile before walking back to her seat.  She sat down and crossed her legs as Grizz and Anto returned to their positions.

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Dawn left Afterlife, ignoring any looks she got. She had put her gun into the side of her shorts; it looked pretty weird but she didn’t want to hold it in case someone got the wrong idea. Outside the club Raesia was waiting and ran up to Dawn when she saw her.

“Well?” Raesia asked.

“I’m gunna get training and work for Aria until I get enough credits.”

“Wait… you’re working for Aria?”

“Yeah,  in exchange she gets me a new file.”

“Well that’s a good thing.”

“Do you think Ken would let me work with him?”

“You’d have to talk to Harrot, his boss.”

“Well, I’ll ask if Ken wants my help first.”

“Before you do that we should get you some clothes… where’d you get a gun?”

“Um… it was a gift I guess.”

“So… anyway clothes.” The two started walking. “Hey, you probably need a place to stay-“

“Well, actually, I found a place… for a while.”

“Wait what?”

“Aria’s letting me stay at Afterlife I guess she has apartments for her guards.”

“Wow.”

“What?” Dawn asked.

“I’m just surprised… I didn’t expect that.”

“It’s only until I get enough credits to get my own place.”

“Alright.”

“So clothes…?” Dawn said. Raesia’s eye seemed to light up.

Oh boy…

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THIS IS MY FANFIC FROM FANFICTION.NET (same username)