Mike took a turn down a narrow hallway in the facility hidden in the base of the long dead volcano. He followed it to a central hub which many of his "guests" has chosen to live in. He glanced at many of the people there and could not help but grin.

"They think I am keeping them safe from some unseen horror. What fools, they do not even notice that one goes missing from time to time." He thought to himself, glancing at some children playing with a ball, several of them with mutations on various parts of their bodies.

Many of the children looked over at him and waved him to come over, indicating the ball as a persuasive measure. At this he turned and stormed off, grumbling under his breath toward the east hallway.

"I detest children, so loud and hyper, plus they are so short-" he paused and let out a small laugh, glancing down at his own ten year old frame, the result of an experiment to give himself immortality gone horribly wrong.

"Some thing about a pot and kettle?" he heard a small voice in him mind say, almost humorously, to him. "My so many experiments gone wrong, and the best you can do is make some hulking brutes!"

"Shut up!" He shouted out loud, his small voice echoing through the hallway, seemingly mocking him. He gave a quick glance around him to ensure no one heard that brief exchange and notices one of the children from before running off.

He let out a sigh and continued down the hallway till it ended at a door guarded by two hulking brutes wrapped so heavily in robes and cloth that nothing of their original gender could be identified. "Neckshuron delsooth vlad nagacat" he said simply as he walked by them, assured he had said the exact phrase of nonsense, and just as sure that if he misspoke even the slightest bit they would crush him like a bug, he opened the door and walked into his room.

He sat down behind his cherry wood desk in a chair that was far too large for him and laid his head down. He needed an hour of so of sleep. He had been up far too late last night harvesting a very interesting venom gland off of an Asari woman he had modified. She was some kind of diplomat or some thing, but it did not matter to him, even if they were found they would not suspect him, a mere child, as being the monster that did all this.

"Sleep..." cooed a softer voice in his head, unlike the one before it. "Sleep and dream away all your worries..."

Not normally one to take orders, this was a command "The Butcher" could not ignore, and very quickly he was fast asleep.

The Butcher lifted his head to a small beeping on a console in front of him. Giving a glance at a clock on the wall he noticed he had been asleep for about three hours. He shook his head, waking himself up and looked at the console.

Accessed the small console and in simple font is said "complete". At first slightly confused by this Mike let out a laugh as he remembered Cazador, and his love of speaking, and writing it seems, only what is needed.

A slight grin stayed on his face as he began making preparations for them to land. He sent out a message in reply to Cazador, his excitement building. "Understood, we will have an escort waiting on the ground."

"Soon big things will happen" cackled a voice inside his head. "Do you think Mr. Toma will accept?"

"Be silent, I know what I am doing..." He muttered, knowing that would not shut them up for long. "Rin, Shu!" He ordered to the two hulking brutes outside, knowing they could hear him. "Take some of our modified wolves out and escort our Trapper and Mr. Toma here, take them the long way."

Despite knowing that soon so much was going to happen, both good and bad, Mike Weston had not smiled this much in his entire long, long life.

Cazador lifted Cassius over his shoulder and exited the ship. He walked towards the two giant creatures, Rin and Shu, just as Toma began to regain consciousness.

Toma gasped as he opened his eyes and saw the nightmare he woke to. He was being carried over someone's shoulder, still not able to use the muscles in his arms to stop it, and found that he'd be crushed by the other two if he bothered to anyways.

"Where am I?...Who are you? What is this? Are you with the Alliance?!" Cassius continued to ask the silent creature that carried him. Looking around at his environment, he saw glass prisons with disfigured and horrendous beings staring back at him. Many wailed, but through the barriers nothing could be heard. "Jesus..." he whispered, fear settling inside his stomach.

They brought him through various hallways, where screams echoed, only to be silenced by the zap of electricity.

After a time, he was gripped by the ribs and thrown to the ground before a child.

"This one is Cassius Toma." his captor said, bowing to the boy respectively before stepping back a few paces with his hand on his sword.

Cassius clawed at the ground in anger, looking up from on his stomach at the child. "What madness is this?...The Alliance has gone crazy.." Toma whispered.

"What madness is this?...The Alliance has gone crazy.."

At this Mike chuckled. "Do you really think that the alliance would permit such beasts to exist? No Mr. Toma, the Alliance banned this type of science when they became the councils lapdogs." He waved for Rin to lift Cassius up and place him in a chair.

"I am sorry for how you were brought here Mr. Toma, but I can not let my being be known, not yet anyways." He let out a sigh as a whisper began to creep into his ear, but he was able to silence it quickly.

"Tell me Mr. Toma, what did you think of my creations?" He asked pouring two cups full of tea from a kettle sitting on his desk. "Quite interesting are they not? I assure you that any one of them could tear us limb from limb, well the ones that work anyway."

"Where are my manners, how rude to speak of such matters without some thing to talk over." At this he took a cup of the tea and walked over to Cassius, offering him some.

Cassius groaned as he was lifted by the beasts as if he were a toy and placed in a chair. Being offered tea at such gruesome location almost made him sick to his stomach and he shook his head in response.

"What are they?..." He asked, referring to the hulking creatures. "And who are you?..No more than a boy." Cassius said, anger being held back only by the monsters that kept him close company. "And if you're not Alliance...what is this?"

Cazador's unblinking eyes never left the back of Cassius' head.

At Cassius' refusal Mike shrugged, set the tea back on the desk and sat down in the large chair. He placed his hands in front of him and closed his eyes for a moment gathering his thoughts, trying to figure out the best way to answer the questions.

"For starters, Rin and Shu are some pet projects of mine from, oh, many years ago. They are not very bright, but they are quite strong. I could have several squads of them right now if I wanted to." He shrugged as he took a sip of his own drink.

"As to who I am, I was once known as Mike Weston, however I find that name does not exemplify me in any way. My new name is 'The Butcher of Ral Turnadil' some thing much more befitting. I am but I child, yet I have been alive for sixty-six years." He nodded as if confirming the information in his head. "Yes... sixty-six is about right."

"I am a founding member of Funesto Dues, a group dedicated to, well, making Gods. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for humans, and that is why I needed you here. I will be frank with you Mr. Toma, your group can not stand against the Alliance as they are. You are strong willed, but still just human. I am prepared to turn your organization into beings of much greater strength and skill. Able to take down one hundred for every one that falls." He smiled despite himself and a small flicker of life could be seen behind his different colored eyes.

"Imagine it Mr. Toma, an army of beings as skilled as Cazador there behind you, all dedicated to the cause of making humanity strong! A few companies of assassins like him, a few platoons of beings like Rin and Shu, plus my other beasts of war!" He finished by slamming his hands on the desk and smiling. "You could win"

Cassius stared at the child that was far older than him.
"The Butcher of Ral Turnadil...Cerberus spoke of you more than once." Toma said, thinking back to the projects that were co-designed with this one. He heard the promises made by the butcher, and for a moment he felt a great, sickening amount of pleasure at the thought of unleashing such monsters on another force. But then he thought it over, realizing he could not do that to his people. No matter the results, he could not dehumanize his own.

"You underestimate the strength of humanity, I think. We will win this war without the use of beasts and monsters...we will win with human blood, sweat and tears. Do these brutes even have the ability to speak? What do they stand for? Only humans can make humans strong...what you suggest is an abomination...I may have worked with Cerberus, but they did what they wished to themselves. It was not...forced upon them." He said, looking along the floor. What he could do with such a soldier.

"I will admit... Rin and Shu are unable to speak, as they were some of my first creations. Cazador, however, can speak quite well... he just does not feel like it." He thought to himself for a moment, then nodding he looked back at Cassius. "Yes, it is his personality."

After a moment passed, allowing himself to collect his thoughts, he continued. "You mistake some thing Mr. Toma, and that is that there is nothing more human that what we are doing here. All the laws the counsel imposed on us are violated among our group here. We are what humanity COULD have been! Do you not see? Our strength is the potential for humanity, our will, is the things legends are made of!" He gave a small snicker as he remarked, "We are not so different."

"I don't agree with the council, and like you I'm one for private enterprises...but this genetic engineering is far past even Cerberus' magnitude. If the council finds out they will eradicate us...not only that, but it will destroy my credibility. Earth will not want these creatures roaming the streets...there will be a mass panic and before the end it will be my head. Besides, how can I trust these things? How can I trust you? You've abandoned mankind long ago. You would try to make these ugly messes our future!" Cassius yelled, pointing at one of them,

"I will not let Earth be home to your ghouls. I've heard of how you deal with your 'subjects'...and to allow you to unleash these things would make me a fool. I believe that the ends justify the means...but I question your means, butcher, and I question your ends even more." He said, reaching inside his jacket to pull out his pistol, but found it was missing.

At his denial a brief flash of anger passed through 'The Butcher' just gave a slight shrug and sighed. "I suppose I should have seen this coming. However, I am also quite brilliant. I had actually prepared for this contingency when you were taken. What you were stabbed with did not just make you go to sleep, it also took a sample from you, enough to make this."

He pushed a button on his desk and part of one of his walls fell away, reveling an exact copy of Cassius Toma, right down to his very clothes. "I would like for you to meet the new face of Tera Firma, or rather you already have." He mused for a moment. then looked at the real Cassius.

"He has your memories, your body, your everything... except he sees the wisdom of my actions and plans. Unfortunately I can not permit you to continue to exist. I do like you Mr. Toma, quite a fire you have. So... Cazador?" He nodded to him. "Finish it."

Cassius stared at the replication, the shock soon passing into realization.
"Oh...no, you can't... No...I've worked too hard for this. Humanity...my people...my family..." he said, his voice breaking for a moment. He could hear the footsteps of Cazador draw near, followed by the sound of a blade being unsheathed behind his chair.

"In the end humanity will fight. Humanity will win." Cassius said, surprised with himself that he spoke without fear.

The end seemed almost as if it should have happened so long ago. To be granted peace from his own twisted ambitions that were set in stone before he even had a voice. In fact, maybe he had been wrong. That female marine's fierce eyes, John Shepard's rejection, the Alliance soldiers that fought him at the docking bay as he fought alongside the banished and known criminals. Fighting alongside these people would not bring about the Utopia he dreamed of as a child for his species. They were men and women like him, hands drenched in blood that never washes clean. And now with an army of creatures he's never seen before, Earth is threatened once more. All of these thoughts traveled through his head in a matter of a split second, with the last thought that lingered in his mind, This could work to our benefit, he thought as the sword entered through his back and ripped through his heart.

"Dispose of the body Rin" He nodded to the brute and watched him clean it., temporarily lost in his own thoughts and planning. When he was sure he had concluded every possible outcome he looked to the new Toma. "You shall create an army of monsters, for you to defend Terra Firma."

"However I can not let myself to be known." He said after a sigh. He pushed a button on his desk and another part of his fake wall came down, reveling another person. This one looked to be an older man, seeming about sixty or seventy years of age with a large crooked smile and black hair. He walked with a slight limp and he had a small hunch. This man looked at Mike and put shackles over his wrists and had a chain on them.

"This man will act as my face for the time we are together. You will more or less ignore me as a slave until I say otherwise." He sighed as he looked at the well forged silver manacles and smiled. "Thus we come full circle again..." He mused to himself for a moment.

After he had grown bored with the silence he signed for Cazador to give the pistol found on the real Toma to the fake. "Cazador, I am glad to say your work has just begun. I need you to collect more new races and interesting subjects and bring them to Terra Firma." He looked to Toma "And you will signal your men to come here and pick us up... and once we get there we will begin building of our new army."

Cazador wiped his sword free of blood on the back of Cassius' corpse before sheathing it. He nodded to the butcher, going on his way to his ship. He already knew what to bring back.

The new Cassius walked over to the old one, picking up his communication device. He found Roger Archer's frequency and initiated a link.
"General Archer?....Are you there?...I've been cured of my paralysis without the use of painful operations. I've met a man that can help Terra Firma as he helped me. It's important that you pick me up on mars at these exact coordinates. 056 321 999. Over." Cassius said, looking at the dead body.

The real butcher grabbed several vials and papers from his desk and handed them to the fake butcher with a shrug. "Simple boosters. Able to turn a simple soldier into the elite of the elite., saying nothing of an already skilled soldier."

At his prodding the three stepped outside and waited for pick up by General archer. Soon, the fake butcher, the real, and the improves Toma will soon be on Earth, ready to wage war against the galaxy... but to what ends?

Mike Weston looked behind him at where he knew Toma lay, probably being taken by Rin to be put to rest. He considered his actions and Tomas and smiled. "This will be done to show a point. To unite as well as destroy. Your destiny is carved in stone now. Are you ever great enough to cheat Death and fate again?" He heard a voice coo in his head, almost lovingly.

He paused as he waited for the ship and smiled. "Do not take me lightly, I am still several steps ahead of fate." Despite his assurance, he could feel the many voices almost laughing at him.

Roger Archer's ship flew straight to the coordinates and docked. He stepped off the ship alone to meet Cassius.

Toma smiled as he caught sight of the general. On Cassius' left was a strange looking man as well as a child, though Cassius appeared to find this as natural as anything.

"General Archer, I'm glad you made it on such short notice. I came to Mars because I had heard word that they had a miracle doctor. Without even a single operation and look at me! I can walk, run, jump...I feel great. This man will be accompanying us to Earth, as he still has much more to give to us." Toma said, delighted.

Mike looked at his fake Butcher for a moment and his finger twitched. "Yes," The fake smiled his crooked teeth and gangly appearance setting him off from the now strong Toma. "I plan on tipping these little conflicts in your favor." He continued.

"With nothing but a simple injection I can transform your soldiers into beings higher then humans ever could hope to be! I have worked to details over with Mr. Toma, and he was -QUITE- excited about the process and results." The fake snickered, his eyes seeming almost snake like.

"Yes, well, as long as there are no side effects on the people..." said Roger Archer, he found the butcher quite off-putting, and he was also quite unnerved at the child. Why was their a child in this place, children have no place in war.

"You need not worry." The fake snickered. "This particular method has a very high chance of success." He continued snickering as if amused by a private joke. "I trust we can get to Earth soon. I wish to start creating an army. He finished this by nodding to the boy, indicating him to get in the ship.

"We shall strap ourselves in, I am sure you and Mr. Toma have much to talk about."

"Be at ease, General. This man is a genius, and he could very well turn the balance of power in our favour. We are so thinly spread, we must look to every advantage. Of course this procedure will only be permitted on willing soldiers, and they will be given a full briefing on the drug before accepting it." Cassius said, following his eyes to the boy. Toma shrugged, deciding an explanation was needed. "His son, apprenticing." he said simply.

As the butcher looked out over the Martian landscape as they left he could not help but sigh. He knew Rin and Shu would hold down the fort, and that if needed they would come to him as soon as possible. He wondered why he was feeling so uneasy about some thing.

He knew some thing was going to happen soon, some thing that he may not be able to control, he liked being in control. He had already prepared for this move, sending sleeper agents in the citadel and Earth to start operations, but would it be enough, he wondered.

"It does not matter" he whispered, almost laughing. Indeed, this was the most fun The Butcher had ever had in his entire long life.
(Continued on Seven Points thread on Earth)

((Continued from Seige))

Cazador lifted the unconscious Kali off his shoulder, pushing him into a cell with ease. As he slammed the door shut, the creature walked through the corridor towards the life bringer.

He bowed his head lightly, his eyes focused on the ground before his feet.
"A specimen from the new race." he said.

(((Continued from Siege))

The Butcher looked to Cazador, then the creature and a small smile came upon his face. "Good work Cazador, I am sure he has some interesting parts for me to play with. I will need many more parts you know." He sighed looking at a screen with some genetic coding. "Much more, I have a new ambition, I shall form a living armada... it's glory shall know no bounds." He smiled looking at the screen.

After some moments he looked to Cazador and nodded. "I need you to go out, and harvest, while I begin my methods of creation. We shall let the galaxy know of our glory!" He smiled, going to his desk and pulling out several large knives and other items. "I will get started on the new toy." He finished, walking to the new specimen and humming a strange haunting tune.

Cazador bowed his head once more, his face void of expression. However he could not help himself, and broke into the humming with his voice.

"Living armada?" he asked slowly, walking behind the butcher and peering over his shoulder at the Kali. Normally he would never linger after being given his tasks, but his father had never mentioned something like this to him before and he was curious.

The Butcher glanced back at Cazador and nodded. "Yes, a fleet of living creatures. The Reapers, as they are called, are foolish not to see the power of organics. We can breed, we can heal, and we can communicate at the speed of a thought." He smiled looking at the creature as it came to.

"Some reports suggest these being communicating without any physical contact, or radio contact, and that insinuates they may have the telepathy needed for my fleets. But to just take what I need would be foolish, and childish. I should take my time and slowly peel him apart, seeing what I can gain from his race." He chuckled at the thought.

"I hope to make the largest of the beasts the size of the Reapers after a few thousand years, but with the plans I have now I should be able to make them ship sized. I will need to name them as well." He sighed, "So much to do."

Cazador nodded , letting the information turn in his mind.

"They should be honoured." he said after a moment, referring to the use of the Kali's abilities in creating this new life. He turned away and left the Butcher to his talented work, walking to Pestilence. He would leave Mars and look for good subjects, a talent he was born with.

The Butcher looked as Cazador walked off, thinking about his curiosity. "Strange times indeed, but maybe he is just growing up." He commented looking back to the Kali, closing his grey eye and letting the creature stare into his red one. "I know what you are thinking, how can a child, a mere human child, be able to survive and over power creatures like the Krogan, and Turians? Well, I am quite horrible you see, and I intend to show you just how horrible I can be." He smiled, his iris in his red eye beginning to spin.

"Now then, let us see just what you are made of..." He stated calmly, a strange light emitting from his eye. "It has been a while since I have used this, so if I accidentally kill you I am sorry." He finished, getting a manic grin on his face.

That horrible grin was the last thing the Kali saw before it blacked out.

The Normandy II slowed to a 4th of its top cruising speed, Maverick engaging the scanners. The scan brought up results, what seemed to be an installation hidden in the remains of the moon.

"Sir, I have a positive contact. Mako or Land?" He asked over the Intercom.

---------------

"Is there a docking bay we can use, or should we drop near it with a Mako Vera?" Curtis asked.

"I doubt they will have a docking bay we can use. If they even have a dock, it will probably be hidden, and they don't know that we're coming. I think we should drop in the Mako, and find a way in from the surface." She adjusted the pack on her back, making sure that it was secure for the trip down to the surface of the moon.

Jack listened to the Asari. When she finished Jack held his assult rifle on his right shoulder making it parallel with his neck. Jack then said "Well, are we gonig to take one mako or what? The sooner we get down their, the closer we are from getting out of here..or fighting to our deaths." Jack smiled as he awaited order's from Curtis.

"Alright, suit up, were taking two Makos. Vera, Jack, your with me, our other response team will man the second Mako." He told them.

He walked out of the room, going to the weapons locker. The three Marines that would take the second Mako were suiting up, grabbing the best weapons they had.

He took his guns, making his way to the Cargo Bay. He leaned up agianst the M35, waiting for the others to come.

Vera followed Curtis, not knowing her way around the ship and thusly unable to make her way to the Makos on her own. While they were waiting in the Cargo Bay, she checked her own weapons- an Ariake Raikou pistol and a Devlon Rapor assault rifle.

"So... how's it feel to be infiltrating a system against all the rules?" She gave a small, devious smile with that. She normally wasn't one to throw out the rulebook, but she couldn't deny that it felt good.

A figure peered at the ship above, eyes unblinking. Cazador's clothing matched that of the soil to act as camouflage, and after a moment he was gone again.

"Awsome" he said with a smile.

He didnt feel just good, but bad also. For all he knew he could spark off a war between two factions of Humanity that could rip Humanity apart for good. He didnt allow it beyond his mind, never allowing something to give him doubts about a mission.

He climbed into the Mako, starting it up as he felt the ship get ready for a drop. The other team had already done the same. He put his EVA helmet on, as did the rest of the Marines getting ready.

"50 seconds till drop" came over their suit radios from Maverick.

Jack walked out of the weapons locker with his Kovalyov X rassult rifle, Karpov X pistol, and Sokolov X shotgun. He had his rifle across his soldeir still but his pistol and shotgun put up. When he reached the mako they were going in, he stopped and said "Alright, Let's go." He waited for Curtis and the Asari to enter the mako first.

The asari woman closed her eyes and breathed deep, calm breaths while they were dropping to the moon below. It wasn't out of fear or nerves- it was a ritual of hers that she went through whenever she was about to face an important ordeal, like the quiet before the storm. This was one of those times. It was only a moment long, and all too soon she felt the jiggle of bouncing down to the surface, but it was enough to prepare her.

"Alright, let's look around, see if we can find a way in."

As the Mako touched down, another being besides Cazador knew that some one was coming. A small creature quickly scurried back to Olympus Mons, seeking it's maker.

It found him covered in the blood of the Kali, his red eye still glowing and spinning madly. "Master" It whispered, coming out of the floor to look at him. "We have guests... I believe they seek you."

"Company?" He replied, his voice seeming to have an internal echo about it. "I see... we should let them in. I will open the personnel door, and let them see if they can find me. If it comes down to it they can join the countless refugees I have mutated, I can always use new parts." He stated, picking up a blindfold and wrapping it so his red eye could no longer be seen, then opening his grey one. "I will go clean up." He stated calmly, walking away letting the creature see what had become of the Kali.

Despite his father not permitting him to feel fear, nor let him be effected by any of his fathers creations, the goblin like creature could not help but feel a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked at the bloody mass that was once a creature.

After staring for a moment, the goblin fled under the ground to open the personnel door, thus ensuring they would not run over any of his father's works.

((acting on Delta's permission to control Curtis temporarily))

The Makos wandered around the surface for several minutes before they found the personnel door, wide open and inviting.

"That's strange. Looks like someone left the back door open for us," Vera commented quietly as the vehicles made their way in through the door.

"Let's go," Curtis said, and the two teams disembarked from their vehicles.

The team entered the facility, the cold dark rooms seeming very uninviting. He hadn't pulled his rifle yet, but he was considering to.

"Anyone there" he yelled down the hall, it echoing a few times.

He waited for a response, pulling out his pistol. The other team followed, making sure they were prepared if something went wrong.

Cazador placed a hand on the front of the mako as he crouched behind the nose, watching the strangers enter his home from behind. He started to breath heavy for a moment before silencing himself and unsheathing his sword slowly.