#Sara-B312

[depressed-sock]

Lucky Number Six

Part two: Pathfinder   

part 1,

Fandom: Mass Effect: Andromeda, Halo (Video Games) & Related Fandoms

Rating: Mature

Relationships: Male Ryder | Scott/Reyes Vidal, Jaal Ama Darav/Original Character(s)

Characters: Noble Six | SPARTAN-B312, Male Ryder | Scott, mentions of noble team, Reyes Vidal, Jaal Ama Darav, Liam Kosta, Cora Harper

Additional Tags: Nonbinary Character, Trans Male Character, Asexual Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Slow Burn, everyone's got anxiety and stress, Found Family

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Scott Ryder was not having a good day. An understatement of the century but he'd rather not try to describe it any further than that. Because that would be tempting fate.

And in his experience, fate always had something up its sleeve to make everything so much worse than it already was. He definitely did not need that right now. Not when first-contact had gone so wrong and left them with an injured teammate and a possibly dead one.

"I can't believe they shot him," Liam mumbles, his voice filled with hurt disbelief. He couldn't believe it either.

They shot him. He'd been surrendering and they had shot him.

Liam stands at his back. His presence right now is the only thing keeping Scott from having a complete panic attack. This shouldn’t have happened. I should have thrown up a barrier. I should have done something.

He can feel Liam leaning over his shoulder. Watching and waiting for his diagnosis of Kirkland. He’s dead and they both know it. But he doesn’t want to believe it. So he checks the scans again and again. Hands shaking as he swipes away the information to clear the cache and check just one more time.

If he's dead what if everyone else is too? What if-

"Ryder, he’s gone..." Liam gently grabs his shoulder, pulling him back up and turning him away from Kirkland's body. "We have to keep going. We can come back for him once we’re all off this hell planet."

"Yeah, I- I know," he sighs in defeat as he moves out of Liam’s grasp, his steps unsteady as they make their way up the hill. "This is all such bullshit." A promise of a better future flushed down the drain. He might have had a better shot just staying in the Milkyway but then he’d truly be all alone wouldn’t he.

At least there’s still a chance for Sara to be okay. He can keep moving for her. Keep surviving. He’s not sure if he could do that for just his dad.

"It is bullshit." Liam readily agrees. His shoulder bumping in comradery with Scott's as they walk. An unintentional motion that helps ground him back to reality. "At least the architecture is definitely something."

It was something alright. Alien technology centuries old, built after the arks had set off on their journey. A mystery he should be excited to try and solve. But all he can do is feel an uneasy anxiety growing with each step they walk further inland.

The feeling doesn’t stop him from at least enjoying the strange tech among the ruins. The readings too hard to decipher by himself but he still keeps a mental tally of what’s showing similar energy signals and what’s not. Why is the hostile alien’s tech so different from the ruins?

They stop on a spot that turns from ground to a metal platform that’s alive with an energy that pulses through its mechanical veins. It’s a mystifying experience as he looks out over the chasm. Energy thrumming from deep underground, vibrating through his very core. Like nothing he’s experienced before.

“Sara would have loved this.” And she's going to be pissed she’d missed it.

“I’m guessing she’s more the explorer type of you two?” Liam asks, kneeling down as he peers over the edge with a whistle, “Would not want to fall down there.”

“No, she’s more the archeologist of the family. She would go on digs as protection and end up down in the dirt with the people she was supposed to be protecting,” he shakes his head with a fond smile. “I just prefer to focus more on the present… and tinkering of course.”

“Of course. Is that why you’ve been drooling all over that tech?” He laughs standing and easily evading the weak punch aimed at his shoulder.

Scott shakes his head in response with a laugh, “Oh please, you can’t even see me drooling with my helmet on.”

“I don’t know man. Something’s definitely leaking out of your helmet.” The laughter between them feels a bit lighter. Tension easing just a bit as it echoes out of tune with the sounds from the chasm. For a moment everything doesn’t feel as hopeless as it had started too.

“We should probably go back and try the other way unless you want to cross the Alien Gods’ chasm of death.”

“Alien Gods? Really Ryder? You- wait... I see flares!” Liam jumps forward, jets activating and allowing him to touch down on the next platform as he points to the sky. Towards the three flares already falling back down to earth.

"I see them. Marking the Nav point!” The omnitool comes to life as he punches in the direction creating a rough estimate of a map towards the flares. “Hopefully, that's some of our people."

Liam nods, crossing his arms as he eyes the next set of platforms, "And the fastest way to it is through the death chasm."

"Yep. See you on the other side!" Scott laughs as he takes a running start. A wave of energy under his feet helping him push off as he aims straight for the empty space between Liam and the next platform.

He can hear Liam suck in a breath through the coms and the sigh of relief as Scott hits solid biotic energy instead of falling to his death. It takes seconds for him to form more energy under his feet, seemingly walking on air before reaching the platform ahead of Liam.

"Hey! Biotics are cheating! Wait up!"

It takes them longer than it probably should to get anywhere near the flares. Several different side trips to scout the area and a trip up the mountain that leads them to Greer. Just in time too, stepping in to save him before he became another victim of the hostile aliens.

It also gave Scott enough pieces of the puzzle to piece out that these aliens were just as much strangers to the planet as he and the team are. At least that evens the playing field a bit. They won’t be the only ones out here dodging the rapidly increasing lightning strikes.

"Cora, do you read? We're almost to your position." It’s a guess that the flares were hers. One he has a feeling is right because the only people left are his dad’s team.

It takes a second. An empty crackle of empty air before her voice comes through, "Loud and clear Scott. Shuttle repairs are underway, but we're surrounded!"

"Shit. We're on our way, and watch out- they are definitely not friendly."

They push forward, running as fast as they can as they hear the sounds of a firefight starting. And maybe when they reach them he lets loose a bit too much. His biotics flaring and blasting in large bursts of energy instead of his usual precision.

It takes concentration and control for those kinds of maneuvers. Neither of which he has the patience for right now.

“Scott get back into cover!” Cora yells over at him, a warning just in time for him to avoid a spray of bullets that hit empty air above his head.

“Thanks!”

The feeling of electricity running up his arms is almost unbearable as the fight continues. Lighting hitting more and more often as each enemy drops. Leaving him distracted enough that he’s not fast enough to realize exactly how close it is.

Not until Cora is suddenly throwing up a barrier around her, Hayes and Harry. The lighting absorbing into it before being harmlessly dispersed towards the ground.

“The last one’s down,” Liam says as he jogs towards Cora. "I didn't know you were biotic.”

"Don't worry. I'm not contagious," she jokingly responds as she shakes out her hands.

"Really? Damn, they told me never to sneeze on anyone because I was." Scott can't help but comment as he joins them. His smile is a bit too wide as Cora glares back at him.

"I think they were talking about your personality Scott."

"Ouch," he places a hand over his heart dramatically. Knowing full well she was rolling her eyes at him now.

“Coms are back up,” Hayes says weakly, Harry helping her back towards the shuttle.

"Don't worry I've got her. You guys worry about getting in contact with the pathfinder."

“Great let’s contact Sam and go from there.”

There ended up leading them straight back to his dad and towards an alien facility. It feels like a rush of information that’s suddenly too hazy to remember. He feels like he's barely able to keep up as his father pushes on ahead. Taking them through enemy territory and a hail of bullets all on a hope that they’ll somehow get out of this.

The anxiety is starting to build up again. A bad feeling that's twisting his stomach into knots and leaving a bitter taste in the back of his throat. Getting worse the farther they go in.

He knows this exact feeling so well, too. He's had it so many times before and something worse always happens after.

"Dad I think-"

"Quiet Scott we're almost there!" His father yells back, switching to his omnitool as he overrides the nearest enemies shields.

Something is wrong. Something is wrong.

He can barely breathe and he has to force himself into cover as his father starts working on the console.

"You doing okay there Scott?" Cora asks as she slides up to his cover. Peeking over and firing a few shots before hunkering back down.

"Just peachy," His voice feels strangled as he says it. So he puts his focus elsewhere. Squeezing his hand into a fist and forcing his biotics to form into solid shards that he flicks out towards an approaching gunner.

He can do this. He can focus on this and not the feeling. And he does until somewhere in the back of his mind he registers his dad shouting for him.

"Scott help me get this open!"

He doesn't want to. He doesn't want to be here or even in Andromeda. But he's got no other choice anymore. "Fine!"

The door opens easily between the two of them, and as they walk in he falls behind just a bit. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Probably not but we've got no other choice. Let's see if I can at least have a conversation.” His dad says as he lights up his omnitool. Punching in a few instructions before beginning to lift it towards the machine.

"Who are going to talk too?" He takes another step back. He should say something, should do something.

"More like 'what'. I think it's automated."

He expects something to immediately go wrong. For something to explode or for them to be overwhelmed by enemies.

But instead, they’re given a cloudless sky. The feeling of electricity almost seeming to vanish from the air itself as they both step back outside.

“It’s amazing.” For a single moment, he thinks his bad feeling was wrong.

“It really is.”

But then there’s a feeling of weightlessness. A force pushing him off and leaving him unable to grab anything to stop his fall. It takes a second to even register that something has happened. Everything hurts. Breathing hurts. Each gasp of breath desperate even as it burns his lungs. He can barely see but he knows his helmet is shattered. Knows he’s going to die here on this hell planet.

He thinks he can hear his dad, see a blur of dark armor and a worried face. He weakly grabs the arm that tries to help hold him up.

He doesn’t want to die.

“Scott - Hang on,” a sound of words that have no meaning even when his breathing suddenly becomes just a bit less painful.

He doesn’t know what’s going on. He wants the pain to stop but at the same time knows something bad will happen if it does. Why are his eyes so hard to keep open?

Why did this have to happen?

[ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask]

If you thought I was going to do this whole thing and NOT write some Kat/Carter, you were woefully incorrect.