Chapter 1: Death and then…life

(Yeah it was like any other day. Not really.)

Well on that day I was just walking around minding my own business. I turned on the computer, an XP, and waited for the thing to boot up. Not that it was particularly slow just it never went quite fast enough. I hear a mechanical whistling noise.

(What the?) I think as I look at my computer briefly thinking that it's a problem with the computer.

Then I looked out the window. (Wow that speck is moving awfully fast.)

I then notice the whistling sound is coming from it. Abstractly I wonder whether it's a plane. (Nah maybe a missile. Nope, could be a meteorite. The thing had been getting closer every second. I started to make out its features. Hmm it's headed right at me….appears to be a...

"F-22," I yell on the spur of the moment diving behind my desk even as I think. (This is absurd.)

I peek over my desk in a moment hoping it missed my house. All I see is the F-22 about to impact the window. It was headed straight at me.

Blackness…

"Where am…"

"Choose." A Voice said. The voice was masculine standing and sounded very old, scratch that, ancient sounding.

"What? Where are you?" I said glancing around. All I was able to see was a very bright light which was blinding me. I checked around me with my hands. I was floating in empty space.

The sound of laughing was heard then it spoke, "I am a 'Great Being."

"You mean I am talking to a giant Bean?" I said not quite fast enough on the intake.

(Wait I should be dead as well…)

It started laughing again, "Of course not. Not that type of Bean, the other one. Being as in an entity."

"Am I dead?" I asked the Great Being.

It sombered up, "Not entirely."

That was just plain confusing. And as a result, "Why am I not dead?"

"The higher Up," the Great Being said.

"Huh?" I said. Now I was really confused.

"Well," the Great Being said, "There is an alternate reality…"

I grimaced as I remarked, "This ought to be good."

The Great Being chuckled omniously then continued, "Where there is an army of sentient artificial intelligences. They are determined to carry out a cycle of genocide that has been continued every 50,000 years for a long time."

(That's strange) I thought. (Wait a moment that is the Mass Effect universe!)

I cleared my throat, "Uh by any chance are those machines called the Reapers?"

The Great Being replied, "Yes, why yes they are."

"Then kill me right now I doubt I would be able to make a change in the outcome, they are stopped, anyways you have Commander Shepard," I told it.

It started laughing, laughing like a madman. It continued on for what seemed like two minutes. All I could think the entire time was whether 'this guy' was sane. Yeah I had decided I would refer to the Great Being as a he.

"Of course,' he the Great Being said, "We are prepared to give you the powers of any being from any reality."

"Uh, Okay…" I said thinking, (what or who should I choose?)

"You will also be granted a companion from the universe you gain your powers from; His or her purpose will be to guide you in the use of your powers."

"Any restrictions?" I asked.

"I wondered when you would ask," the Great Being said, "Your companion must be deceased in the universe they come from. Also we can not grant you any entities powers that will make you un-killable, you can be immortal but not un-killable."

"I see," I said thinking furiously, "What about a Makuta?"

The Great Being response was almost hesitant, "That is a powerful entity. Unfortunately it is allowed," the Great Being said.

My view changed from the bright light to a dimly let cave where there was an eerily shining and moving green and black liquid filled pool.

"The birthplace of the Makuta," the Great being said. As he said this I looked down. I was hoping to see my feet. Unfortunately I appeared to have no feet.

The Great Being laughed then I noticed he had apparently noticed me trying to find my feet.

"You are merely a spirit now," he told me then a hand formed in thin air it pointed at the pool, "there is your body."

Indeed, there was a body it rose out of the liquid covered to bio-mechanical servos and real flesh joined together. It stepped out of the pool showing that it was easily seven feet tall. The flesh quickly seemed to grow becoming pure muscle. The metal parts stretched out just as quickly forming armor that once it had formed into armor, gradually thickened to form armor that looked nearly impenetrable.

"Its all yours," the Great Being said.

I willed myself to enter the body and not surprisingly I felt my mind entering the body and I shook my head.

(Yes! I had a head again! Well then again I hadn't realized I had no head…)

I looked down at my hands and the armor that covered them. I smiled then raised my hand and pointed my hand. I willed a small bolt of pure shadow into existence and willed it to strike the wall. With a sizzle a bolt of dark energy stretched out of my hand and struck the wall. Unlike the blue glow of Mass Effect biotics this dark energy had a red tinge to it. It left a sizeable crater. I smiled again, I focused on absorbing all the light in the chamber with my Makuta power of Darkness and I noticed it growing darker. Or in other terms, the light disappeared and I felt my energy growing for I was feeding off the light.

The Great Being spoke again, "Your powers are the forty-two Rahkshi powers or, Accuracy, Adaptation, Anger, Chain Lightning, Chameleon, Confusion, Cyclone, Darkness, Density Control, Disintegration, Dodge, Elasticity, Lightning, Fear, Resistance to Fire, Gravity, Heat Vision, Hunger, Ice Resistance, Illusion, Insect Control, Invulnerability, Laser Vision, Magnetism, Molecular Disruption, Plant-life Control, Plasma Generation, Poison Generation, Power Scream, Quick Healing, Rahi or Animal Control, Shape-shifting, Silence, Sleep, Slowness, Sonics, Stasis Field, Teleportation, Vacuum, and Weather Control."

I couldn't help the insane smile that sprang to my face.

The Great Being continued, "Also in thirteen weeks to two years your body will evolve to the antidermis virus state that all the other Makuta have become. Which means as antidermis you can activate any of your powers with only your mind so in theory you can destroy anybody without anything but mental exertion. Second to the last is the ability to absorb materials into your body via use of a shadow hand. As a note of caution if you absorb a sentient being be prepared to crush their mind immediately or they can take over your body."

I racked my brain for other abilities that Makuta had to make sure I had all the powers.

(Wait a minute I am missing something.)

I spoke, "What about Kraata?"

The Great Being made an annoyed sound before answering, "You would have no protodermis to make them."

"Yes, but what if I took some with me?"

"All right," the Great Being said. A large metal container or urn full of a metallic liquid appeared, and then a cover materialized on top."

(Okay that must be protodermis)

I reached out with my magnetism power and floated the container over to myself. Once it arrived near me I magnetically attached it to my armor's back.

My insane smile was back and I asked. "What about a mask?"

"Which one do you want," the Great Being said suspiciously.

"Preferably one that would not be redundant to my powers," I answered.

I then continued, "Mask of Shadows?"

"Nope," the Great Being said, "that's kind of redundant anyways."

"It would amplify my existing powers," I protested.

"Absolutely not."

"Mask of Corruption?"

"No you would knock the Geth out of the fight to quickly."

"Water Breathing?" I queried.

"Idiot, Makuta don't need to breath."

(Good I didn't want water breathing anyways.)

"Speed?"

"To mediocre, anyways you can teleport."

"Repulsion?"

"Nope, you won't need that."

"Why not?"

"Too powerful."

"I would need that," I suggested.

"Next one," the Great Being said sounding annoyed.

"Mask of Life?" I said hopefully. (Yeah right I will never get that. Worth a try though)

"I am starting to think you are more insane then me." The Great Being said.

"Mask of Creation then?"

"No you Idiot! You would win!"

(Isn't that the point?)

"Why not? Then I do less work." I told him in a faux distraught voice.

After twenty more negatives I finally decided on a mask. I chose the Great Mask of Regeneration or Kanohi Kiril. This mask would allow me to repair in-organic substances including armor. I after brief consideration shape-shifted it to look like Makuta Antroz's Kanohi Jutlin or Great Mask of Corruption. Which means my face now was red colored and had six mandibles and dripped venom. My armor I also changed to match making it mostly red with some black. I left out the wings that Antroz had possessed though.

The Great Being then said, "Now we are almost done, you only need to choose your companion then I will pronounce your limitation."

What limitation? He never said anything about that before.)

"Let me see," I said as I thought, "What about Makuta Krika, you know I always felt sorry for him especially you know when he was betrayed and…"

Here the Great Being cut me off, "All right your companion will be Makuta Krika he will be in-tangible though so he can only use the mind-based Makuta powers. He also will only rarely be visible to all. You will still hear him through telepathy."

(That's not good. Not good at all. I was kind of hoping he would be tangible. Probably should agree, maybe then the limitation won't be so bad.)

"Okay I guess that will be all right," I said trying to convey a grimace unto my now metal face.

"Now for your limitation," the Great Being said trying to make himself sound like an evil genius.

"What," I asked warily.

"I diagnose you with the FYT syndrome."

(What? I wonder what that is.)

I glanced around still seeing nobody. Then I asked, "And what is that?"

The Great Being said evilly, "Forget Your Thingies Syndrome."

He then proceeded to laugh evilly sounding like an insane maniac.

(Thingies? What the?)

"Thingies?" I asked.

"Thingies as in Powers!" The Great Being said, "So at the most you will remember only two to three at a time."

"What if I write out a list?"

"Then everyone will think you are crazy if you constantly take a list out of your pocket to remember your powers."

The world faded to white again…

And just as quickly

The whiteness faded away.

(Now where am I?) I thought.

I stood up slowly the servos in the Makuta body groaning in protest while the muscles exerted themselves.

(Great. I didn't know Makuta bodies were so heavy.)

"You know you could just decrease your density," a deadly sounding voice said.

I whipped around my arms out in a guard position.

(Who is that?)

The entity standing there was white with a nimbus of blood coloring along hundreds of little blades sticking out of its armor. The entity was supported by four extra long blades that stuck into the ground their ends colored the same blood red color. The effect of it being it made the entity look like it had stabbed numerous people with them.

(Krika?)

The entity glanced at me. His face jutting out quite a distance to support his mask, the Great Mask of Repulsion or Kanohi Crast, now rendered powerless through his intangibility. His mask had three set of small blades running down its length. One on the top parallel to where the spine would be situated in a human and the two other sets ran horizontal down the sides of Krika's face.

~That is me, and you are the new Makuta I presume? ~ The entity, Krika, said in my mind.

"You're talking in my mind!" I said startled.

What almost seemed to be a confused look came over Krika's face.

"Yes, Telepathy is one of the Makuta powers," Krika said, "And you are Makuta. You should know that."

"Do you know where we are?" I asked this oh so benevolent entity.

"Yes the Great Being told me our mission, and our starting place."

"Where?"

"Something called…the Citadel."

(Oh, should have noticed with what the sky looks like, well hopefully we are here before the Eden Prime incident.)

~Yes, approximately three weeks before the incident you know as Eden Prime~

"Good then I get three weeks to build myself a reputation." I told Krika.

I looked around just then and realized that I was in an alley-way. (Hmm even in the Citadel there is some, albeit very little, trash.) I glanced around and noticed that Krika had faded into in-tangibility.

~A fleshling approaches~ Krika told me telepathically.

(Uh Oh)

A Batarian stepped out of a door that led into the alley and took one look at me. I was in full bio-mechanical glory, blood red armor, and a six-mandibled face which dripped poison. He blinked then let out a blood-curdling scream while fumbling for his gun. I stared for a second realizing it was the first alien I saw and he was very strange looking seeing in real life.

I raised my hand and hit him with all the shadow energy I could muster. His body ended up being almost pulverized into mush smashing against the wall and leaving a big stain of blood.

(Um I guess he's dead)

~Yeah couldn't have done a better job myself~

(To bad I had to kill him.)

~Is anything he possesses valuable? ~ Krika asked me telepathically. He seemingly wasn't at all bothered.

I glanced over at the alien I had just killed. Then it dawned on me that I had killed him. I blanched a little mentally but then remembered something.

(Oh I don't have an omni-tool, and he went for his gun)

I walked over to the Batarian's body and looked at it. (Yep there is an omni-tool, heh heh, well it's now mine.)

I removed the omni-tool from the Batarian's body and slid it over my arm. Using a small amount of shadow energy I absorbed the omni-tool.

~What are you doing? ~Krika asked.

(Acting on a theory) I replied.

(Well anyways, just what I thought would happen did, 'my' omni-tool integrated with my mind allowing me to access everything on the omni-tool, by just thinking about it)

~I see, I am guessing the device you took was the 'omni-tool'? ~

(Go do something useful while I fabricate myself an identity.)

~Warning. More fleshlings approaching. ~

(Are they in uniform?)

~Uniform? Ah yes~

(Great must be C-sec.)

~What is great about it? And by the way…~

(What?)

~The Great Being said to tell you he was joking about the "Thingies," whatever that means~

(Um that's good) I finally replied. Then I focused on shape-shifting. I rapidly decided to change to a human in armor. I willed myself to change. I felt my body began it. The metal proto-steel parts moved outwards turning more into an exoskeleton. My flesh remained on the inside. My face began to sag a little and I realized I had no bones so I sent some metal back inwards and built myself a skeleton of metal. I gave myself a muscular build while retaining many of my facial features. My face having short brown hair in a buzz-cut, hazel colored eyes, and pale only slightly tanned face.

(Krika how soon till C-sec get here?)

~Thirty seconds~

I focused on my omni-tool. After a few seconds of concentration I moved into the extranet and hacked customs. There I set up a fake identity as a visitor from one of the System Alliance's colonies. My name being after a brief hesitation became Grievous Pridak.

~They are here~ Krika's voice sounded in my head.

A Turian in a C-sec uniform turned the corner. He was closely followed by another Turian and an Asari. The lead avian looking Turian yelled something out I didn't understand.

(I don't have a translator)

"I lost my translator," I lied putting my hands into the air.

The Turians kept their guns pointed at me but the Asari nodded and pulled out a small earpiece looking thing which she tossed to me.

I caught the translator and put it in my ear.

Just then I heard the lead Turian who had just looked at the Batarian say, "He took down Tarkol!"

The other Turian that had a look on his face that must have been surprise said, "The bounty we had on Tarkol was immense, half a million credits!"

I started in surprise. Then fought to keep my grin from showing (Just my luck) I did an insane evil laugh in my head.

"All right," the Asari said, she had just been whispering into her communicator, "We are authorized to forward the reward money to your account after we ID you of course."

I showed my identification then quickly created an account via my omni-tool then she transferred the money to me. Then after the Turian that was in the lead held out his hand, "My name is Officer Orakus Guaran, not bad for a human."

I shook his hand careful not to exert too much pressure with my Makuta super strength.

"Grievous Pridak but just call me Makuta," I replied to Officer Guaran. I inwardly smirked at his mention of 'human.' For no longer was I human. I also smiled at my new-found codename, Makuta.

The Asari held out her hand, "Officer Nihli T'la"

"Pleasure to meet you," I told her.

"Are you a biotic?" She asked.

(Me a Biotic? Um guess good to have some cover.)

"Yeah," I said.

The last Turian who had been in the back said in a gravely voice, "Nice that you removed that scum from the Citadel."

"Always happy to perform a duty for the community," I said finally, "Does any of you know a place I can stay? I plan to see the sights on the Citadel."

The last Turian to speak spoke up, "yeah eleven blocks down that way there is an apartment that is moderately priced.

I thanked the Turian and headed off in that direction. I heard the officers behind me start up an animated argument.

I heard the last part that the gravely voiced Turian was saying, courtesy of my Makuta senses, "-What is C-sec coming to if we have to resort to vigilantes?"

Then I heard the reply of the Asari, "Now Garr-" at that point I had turned the corner of the alley-way.

~That went well~ Krika said.

(At least you didn't interrupt when I was talking.)

~Well your welcome~

I carried out a pointless conversation with my now fellow Makuta for several, or seven, blocks before Krika told me, ~there is two fleshlings coming up behind you, my probing of their minds has deduced that they have hostile intentions~

(Great) I reached out with my mind and deduced that it was a Krogan armed with a shotgun and a Turian with a pistol.

~They are really close now~

Then I heard an angry, Turian sounding voice behind me, "Hey you, Human, stop right there."

I stopped. Mentally I thought, (activate invulnerability power.)

"Now human," the Turian said, "hand over your credits."

"Why?" I asked while running the possibilities on how to render them a 'un-threat' through my head. Then I realized that I had to make it seem as 'normal' as possible. Precisely because people would notice if I fried them with a massive blast of electricity or used my red shadow energy. Or I could act to fast for witnesses to see anything.

"Because," the Turian said drawing out the word, "You don't have a gun and you don't have a barrier."

(Oh yeah the kinetic barrier thing looks like a box on someone's back, Doesn't it?)

"And human," the Krogan said, "Open up that urn I want to see what is in it."

At that I felt the Turian put his gun up against my back. (Krika suggestions?) I asked the Makuta.

~Silence~

(OK)