Mass Effect: The Butcher, The Hero and The Survivor

I do not own anything to do with the mass effect universe since all of that belongs to Bioware and EA. I only own my Oc Marcus Blackwood and any other Oc character's I decide to make while Verana Wolf is owned by Ketsueki No Kuki.

The Makings Of A Hero.

The sound of deep laughter entered my ears while I spat blood out of my mouth for the fifth or sixth time today before taking another punch to my face that increased the number to seventeen.

The bastard who has been making me his personal punching bag for nearly over an hour is named Douglas Stevens though he liked to call himself Cobra on account of the cobra snake tattoo that starts at the back of his neck, races up the right side of his cheek and ends with the snake trying to eat his right eye which was a clear sign to anyone else besides me that he is apart of the green fang gang who is to say one of our rivals when it comes to territory,drugs, weapons and anything else that can make us money.

"Listen up Blackwood" Douglas said with a cocky grin as he used my last name as he roughly grabbed my throat and moved slightly closer to me. "My hand is starting to hurt from beating your sorry arse so just give us what we want and I'll let you go with most of your teeth still in your mouth" After Cobra threatened me he released my throat and began to wipe my blood of his knuckle duster that was on his right hand.

"You know Douglas all that green hair dye must be seeping into your tiny brain if you think I'm actually going to give it to you of all people" I said with a smirk on my face as I locked eyes with Cobra who glared at me for insulting not only his intelligence but also his reputation in his own gang.

"Hold him still guys" Cobra said as the two slightly overweight twins called Rick and Nick who are also apart of the green fang gang because of their python tattoos which gladly enough was the only way you could tell those two apart since Rick's tattoo was around his neck and Nick's tattoo as around his wrist.

They slammed me against the brick wall making me stifle a grunt of pain.

"Since you don't want to talk I guess I gotta get creative with my skills at persuasion" Cobra said with a small chuckle as he moved his hand into his jean pocket and pulled out a switch blade and playful tossed it from one hand to another.

"Last chance Blackwood" Cobra said as he stopped playing catch.

"Go fuck yourself Douglas, I ain't selling out my gang" I growled as I gave him a glare that made him form a grin.

"Then I hope you like darkness Blackwood" Douglas said as he advanced towards me making the world seem to slow down as his switch blade crept towards my right eye before it was inches away from it.

Suddenly everything seem to speed back up to normal as a brick came out of nowhere and connected with the left side of Douglas head which sent him crashing to the ground with a cry of pain and spray of blood while I let out small sigh of relief.

"Douglas are you okay!?" Nick asked with shock written on his face as he let go of me and went to help him stand up which was a bad move since it allowed me to send a quick left knee to Rick's stomach making him bellow over before I punched him straight across his face which made blood fly out of his mouth and finish him off as he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"What took you so long?" I asked the person who was responsible for the brick as he just patted my back and gave me a small grin.

"I'm sorry man, I lost track of time since I was busy dealing with Takehiko and a few others blade goons" He said which made me form a smirk despite trying to be angry at the fact I nearly lost an eye.

The person who just saved me is Edward 'Ed' Rocco who has lightly tanned skin, dark blue eyes, wild and messy black hair and has been my best bud since the day we both survived the initial beat down which was a rite of passage to be allowed into the Reds.

We took the rite of passage when we were just thirteen since then our friendship has only grown which was bad for people like Douglas.

The fresh cuts that ran across Ed's arms was all the proof I needed to know that he dealt with Takehiko and some blade goons or as they call themselves the purple samurai since they all favor knives and different type of blades.

"We can talk about how you can repay me after well deal with them" I said before we stared at Cobra, Rick and Nick who were all standing up.

"Fuck you Rocco, you're going to pay for this!" Cobra roared as he stared at Ed who had a glare on his face.

I stared at the damage he did to Douglas's face and saw that the sclera in his left eye was already red from all the blood while his left cheek, part of his left eyebrow and a small section of his forehead was already turning a blueish purple color and was starting to swell up.

"It's hard to make threats when you can't even stand up by yourself Douglas" Ed retorted as a grin appeared on his face "But if you wanna take us on then we are more than ready"

It didn't take Douglas long to figure out that with both of us here, willing to fight and even with the help of Rick and Nick that he wouldn't stand a chance in his current state which is why they began to walk away.

"I swear me and my boys will fuck you both up so you better watch out!" Cobra growled as Rick and Nick helped him walk off.

"Well do you plan to tell me how you got yourself in that situation to begin with?" Ed asked as things now began to calm down.

"I will later" I said as I walked over to a homeless person who was a sleep next to the garbage bins. I crouched down and tapped him on the shoulder. The old man muttered something as he rolled over and stared at me for a few seconds before he put a medium package that I dropped into in my extended hand before I slipped him a couple of credits.

"After I drop this off" I said as Ed simply nodded his head before we walked out of the alleyway and to one of our gangs drop off points.

It took us a couple of minutes since Cobra had told his guys what happened so every Green Fang Gang member was on the look out for me and Ed.

It also didn't help that the purple samurai are also looking for Ed and wouldn't hesitant to kick my ass for the hell of it but we managed to stay low as we made it to one of our drop off points which was hidden as a run down and closed bakery shop.

Ed leaned against the boarded up window and was looking out for any other gangs or the cops while I walked over to the door and hammered it with some force since I wanted to go get some food and heal my bruises.

"Open up Tobias!" I yelled before the sounds of many and I mean many locks being undone came from the other side of the door which made me glance at Ed who simply shook his head with a small smile on his face.

"H-Hey M-Marcus, y-you're r-right o-on t-time" Tobias stuttered out a greeting as he quickly focused on me.

The reason he was stuttering like crazy in the first place isn't because he was shyness it was because of all the drugs he took when he was a kid and still takes now.

"D-Do y-you h-have i-it?" Tobias asked as he rapidly glanced around the area with his light green eyes while he scratched at his patchy fair skin then swept his bright red hair out of his eyes.

"Yeah I got" I said as he showed him the package which made his eyes widen as his whole body began to shake slightly. He began to reach for it but I quickly moved it out of his reach.

"Just to let you know you can't take these ones since the boss said so, If you want your stuff then go ask Kate since she still owes me a couple of favors for saving her hot headed ass"

"O-Okay M-Marcus I-I t-trust y-you" Tobias said with a grin as he quickly snatched the package out of my hand and closed the door before the sounds of locks being locked quickly came from the other side of the door.

"There you drop off your package now are you ready to tell me how you got in that mess?" Ed asked as we walked away from the bakery shop and made our way to the local diner.

"Well let me just say that it wasn't my fault" I started which made Ed chuckle since I've been using that phrase for a long time when people asked me how I got into any situation "I was on my way to Tobias before I got jumped by Douglas, Nick and Rick, they started beating on me and wanted to find the drug package that the homeless man had on him since he picked it up when I dropped it and didn't give it up because of the booze, food and credits I give him from time to time"

"You were always a saint" Ed joked which made me roughly punch him in his arm but he shook it off and flashed me a grin.

"Shut up anyway before I got my eye cut out I sent your forgetful ass a message to wake up and meet me at Tobias's place, luckily for me you're big ears heard the beat down I was getting and came to my long over due rescue" I said which made Ed punch me in my shoulder before he let out a long sigh.

"First you know I was dead tired from the night job I did with Zack, Second my ears just happened to be slightly bigger than normal you jackass and third after hearing that it seems you need to do some more training if you can't handle those three by yourself" Ed said with a smirk as he entered the diner which was a hangout point for our gang.

"Okay then Eddy I'll get some random people to jump you when you least expect it then lets see who needs more training" I retorted as I quickly put Ed in a headlock that he struggled to get out of while I laughed as I tightened the hold making us stumble into the diner gaining looks from the customers who either had small smiles on their faces or couldn't care less.

As I continued to hold Ed in a headlock I locked eyes with the middle age waitress named Clare who is sort of like a mother to me and Ed as she raised us when we young and always tried to keep us on the path that didn't make us end up as some random corpses in the gutter and accepted the fact we became reds because we have people to look out for us other than her.

She glared at me as she raised a rolling pin which made me I quickly let go of Ed before we took a booth near the back of the dinner.

"So Marc I heard from Kyle that you're talking about leaving the gang and heading of to the stars" Ed said which made me mutter a curse at Kyle for being such a big mouth "He came up to me a couple of days ago saying that you've been spaced out quite a lot so I just wanted to hear it from you"

I was about to tell him until Clare came over with our regular meal.

"What's this about Marcus leaving and going to the stars?" Clare asked with a curious look on her face as she must of over heard Ed and it was clear that she wasn't going to leave without an answer since she plopped down next to him and handed us our meal which was chips with beef burgers which made me mutter another curse.

"I was just about to find out myself" Ed said before they stared at me. It took a couple of minutes and some chips before I let out a short sigh.

"It's just that I've been thinking about my life so far and even though I'm grateful to the reds for being sort of like a family to Ed and me and Clare always being there to guide me I just want to do more with my life other than crime and get into trouble" I said slightly louder than I wanted to since some of the customers glanced in our direction before I slumped down in the booth.

"Okay" Clare said as she finally broke the silence that came over all three of us "If that's the way you feel what are you going to do about it?"

"I heard Thomas saying that the System Alliance was looking for new recruits today and I want to go but I'm just having doubts" I said as I picked up a single chip and ate it.

"If you have doubts then look at the situation like this" Ed said as he punched my left arm to make sure I was paying attention "Your choices are stay here on earth, for the rest of your life continuing to do petty crime, fight other gangs, deal with Douglas and continue to think about what could have been if you decided to get off your ass and join the Systems Alliance" Ed said as he locked eyes with me and I saw that he was quite serious for a change.

"Or join the military, see interesting aliens that might want to kill you for just being human, befriend said other aliens because you somehow managed to not get yourself killed long enough for them to see that you can be quite entertaining some times" I chuckled when he said that "And see amazing planets you, I and everyone on earth can only dream of and all while you get paid mind you" Ed said before he took a bite out of his burger and flashed me a sauce smeared grin.

"He's right Marcus" Clare added as she gently squeezed my right hand "You might not get this chance again so you better seize it while you can and don't let nothing stand in your way since the only person who stops you from achieving your dreams is yourself"

I mulled over what Clare and Ed just said and self argued with myself both the positive and negative possibility of both before I sigh and came to a decision.

"You guys are right" I said which made a smile from on their faces "I'll would be dumber than Rick and Nick if I didn't at least try"

"You damn know well that we're right" Ed said as we fist bumped "And you don't know I might come visit you if I save up enough credits"

"I'm going to miss you Marcus" Clare said as she tightened her grip on my hand while tears started to appear in the corners of her eyes "Just don't get yourself killed and give your enemies hell"

"Okay Mom" I said with a smirk as Clare eyes widen slightly as I only call her my mother on rare occasions when situations I gotten myself into could have ended in my death which was a total of five times.

Clare just gave me a sharp glare but the way she my hand tight was all she had to do for me to know that she was concerned for my safety.

I finished my meal and downed my drink before I made my way over to the system alliance recruitment place.

"Number 100 enter!" A man shouted which made me let out a sigh of relief as I was waiting for a long time. I entered the office and saw a fair skin man with light blue eyes, dark black hair and a goatee who is sitting behind a desk with a weird orange glowing hologram gauntlet covering his right arm that his eyes never left.

"To even be considered joining the system alliance you'll just have to answer one simple question" The man said as he moved his eyes away from his orange gauntlet and onto me "Though it is the way that you answer that question which will decide if you actually join the System Alliance since a lot of new recruits think joining the military these days is all about fighting and partying" He said with anger in his voice.

"Okay sir" I said as I waited for him to give me the question.

"The question is, Why do you truly want to join the systems Alliance and how can you benefit the Alliance in joining?" The man said as he waited for my response.

"If you want my honest answer sir I simply want to join the alliance because I want to make a difference in my life other than doing petty crime and getting into trouble" I said with utter seriousness my voice as my eyes never left his "And I also be able to see what space really has to offer other than endless darkness, the moon and stars and it will also allow me to get my feet off earth and onto something more interesting and new" I said as small smile appeared on the man's face but it quickly went away as he had an image to up hold.

"And I can benefit the alliance by only promising to be a loyal soldier and give one hundred percent into every mission I go on and I have some knowledge when it comes to tech and weapons, sir"

The man gave me a simple nod as he tapped on his orange gauntlet.

"What's your name and age?" He asked as he wiped a crease from his military jacket while he continued to stare at his orange gauntlet.

"My Name is Marcus Blackwood and I'm eighteen sir" I said while the man let out a small sigh before his facial features began to harden as he straightened himself and stood up.

"My name is Admiral Hackett son and starting today you will be heading to the Systems Alliance training station in the Artemis Tau Cluster in the Athens section" Admiral Hackett said as he saluted me "Glad to have a new promising face join us, though let me tell you now that the training there won't be a walk in the park so prepare yourself now"

"Yes sir!, Thank you sir!" I said with a grin on my face as I saluted Admiral Hackett who simply nodded his head before he told me to leave and get ready since the shuttle would be leaving in a couple of hours so I quickly rushed home and packed the things I would need the most before I said my goodbyes my fellow gang members which was mixture of emotions.

Sadness because some of the fellow female members said that they were upset to see such an attractive and smart guy leave them, Laughter as at the same time Thomas said that he was upset that such a sexy and tough fighter was leaving him all alone and hugged me in a dramatic fashion.

I just called Thomas an Idiot and completed the hug before I got swarmed by the female members who all rushed to hug me and wish me good luck. I then fist bumped, high fived and gave respect filled hugs to the guys of the gang.

Before I stood in front of the boss who was sitting in his metal chair that he found in the scrap yard a few years ago he surprisingly gave a few touching words as he said that if things goes wrong with the Alliance that I can come back to earth and that they'll accept me with open arms and sent me off with a firm hand shake.

And finally shock as Douglas stopped me when I was half way to the shuttle.

He said that he didn't wanna fight just to say that things are going to be different with me not being here and how it would be awkward since we've been hating each other the moment we met and with it now ending after so long it was just sort of sad.

I just made a joke about I still be thinking of him whenever I get into a fire fight which made him chuckle saying that he would do the same thing as he gets into a fist fight. We continued to tell some funny jokes as we sat on the edge of a run down building and stared at the place we've called home for many years.

"This is for you" Douglas said as he went into his pocket and threw something into my lap while he took a swig on his bottle of ice cold booze.

I looked down in my lap to see a piece of rope which is tied around a snake fang.

"What did I do to deserve such a gift?" I asked as I took a swig of my own bottle while I held the fang between two fingers.

"Nothing, It's just something to remember your favorite rival and will keep your sorry ass alive as you'll have the speed of a snake" Douglas said as he watched me from the corner of his eyes while knocking back another swig.

"Even though the whole snake thing sounds like a load of bull I'll still accepted it since it must of cost you quite a bit of credit to get something this old" I said with a smile and put the necklace on.

"Well it was easy to get my hands on it if I steal it without anyone noticing" Douglas said as he finished his bottle and threw it of the building with a loud shattering sound.

"You can't be stealthy for shit so how many people did you have to beat up to get this?" I asked with a questioning look as I finished my own bottle and tossed it off the building also.

"Listen Blackwood I can be stealthy when I want to and I only had to fight three people" Douglas retorted as we both stood up with a chuckle.

After I finished chuckling I glanced back at Douglas and stared at his fist that connected with my right eye that instantly began to swell up as I stumbled back slightly.

"Don't think I forgot about the whole brick incident since I have no idea where Ed is you have to take his beaten" Douglas stated as he shook the hand that he punched me with, I only nodded my head before I rammed my right knee deep into his stomach which brought him down to his knees.

"And that's for the whole nearly cutting out my eye incident" I said while I stared down at Douglas who had a grin on his face as he stood up while coughing slightly.

"I'm gonna miss beating on you Marcus" He said as he held his left fist out.

"I'm going to miss kicking your teeth in Cobra" I said as I pressed my fist against his before he nodded his head and walked away.

Before I continued on my way I stared at the Reds gang tattoo that was partly hidden on the back of Douglas's neck and how there is a black x tattooed over it which made me let out a small sigh of sadness and regret before I picked up my bags and continued on my way.

As I board the shuttle with the other people who made it I was thinking if I actual made the right choice since I can easily handle anything being with the Reds and staying on earth but the endless reaches of space which is filled with different alien races and planets is a whole other kind of board game but I would be lying to myself if I didn't secretly want to play that kind of board game.

But only time can tell what's in store for me as I took an empty seat and stare out of the window before finally drifting off to sleep.