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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)	By : unrealuniverse Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 22186 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Mass Effect characters, species, locations and the universal setting are owned by Bioware and not myself. Any other brand names mentioned are property of their respective owners. This work is and always will be free for anyone to read.

Chapter List
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Chapter 4 - Boom
12th December 2016
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Sam Barnes had just got back home from working as an IT systems engineer. He dumped his bag in the hallway as he made his way towards the living area. He turned on the TV before making his way into the kitchen. "In other news. Scientists are warning that there is a high probability of unusual coronal activity happening on the sun after a much longer quieter period than normal. Doctor Huxton of the international scientific council stated that the peak of the suns cycle should have happened over five years ago, but never occurred. This could mean either the cycle has been skipped or will be stranger when it does arrive. If you wish to see further information on this story please view our website."
"I really do wish they would stop reporting on speculation." Sam getting a little peeved as he put the meat pie in the oven before he walked back to the living room and sat down on his chair by the newly erected Christmas tree. He pulled out his laptop to check his e-mails noting they are all spam and unceremoniously deleted them all in one action.
"With only twelve days left until Christmas people are starting to plan their Christmas gatherings. With the recent increases in fuel prices pushing the price of unleaded petrol over two pounds per litre. What impact is it likely to have on traditional family gatherings? Sarah Faynam reports." Sam changed the channel before he heard any more.
"Shit." Sam just rubbed his head noting an incoming headache. "Why is it that everything reminds me?" Sam felt a little upset at the memory before he smelt a rather warm pie smell from the kitchen. He trudged to the kitchen and pulled the dark brown pie out of the oven onto a plate before he walked back to his seat.
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14th May 2016
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"That was a good meal Sam. What do you think of coming back here again sometime?"
"Dad, we have barely left and it is over three months till your birthday. I shall decide nearer the time."
"I certainly enjoyed today. Thank you again Sam." Fay gave Sam a hug.
"No problem given it was your birthday and everything." The three of them climb into Sam's car. Sam got into the drivers seat given Fay and Alan had been drinking wine with their meal. The three of them set off home, working their way through the typical Saturday city traffic.
"How about a drive on the country roads given it is a nice day?"
"Ok Dad." Sam turned off to the left just ahead. This allowed them to skip most of the heavy traffic and lead them on to a reasonably quiet road out of the city. It was an extra five miles to get back home that way but it was a pleasant drive.
"I do not think you could get much better than this." Alan looked out of the window over the lake and a view over all the trees towards the city.
"I remember when we used to walk up here together when we were younger just for the view." Alan just smiled to himself at the memory of him and Fay having picnics in the blowing wind. Sam slowed the car a little for the crossroads ahead but he did not need to bother as it was his right of way. Out of Sam's peripheral vision to his left he saw a blue shape heading towards them. Instinctively he turned his head to get a better view and reality dawned that it was a car going way too fast to stop.
"Shi..." A large explosive crash cuts off what he was about to say as the car impacted the side of his pushing the car on to its side.
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"Where are my parents? Are they ok?" Sam attempted to look around bout could only see the roof of what seemed like an ambulance. A slightly passive looking face appeared in his field of view.
"Calm down. You are heading to hospital. Unfortunately I do not know how your parents are as they were still trying to cut them out of the car when we left. My name is Steve by the way. Could I ask what yours is?" Steve already had a decent idea who he was from the number plate check but he needed to be sure.
"Sam."
"Sam Barnes is it?"
"It is" Sam wanted to nod but a collar prevented him doing so. His mind felt a little like it was spinning as it attempted to piece together everything that was happening.
"Sam, your only injuries seem to be from the broken glass. We need you to have a CT scan however as you banged your head rather hard on the support pillar when the car rolled. If you have nothing broken then you will likely be discharged with the instruction to rest." Sam just laid on the stretcher, a million pieces of information floating around in his mind just waiting to be pieced back together. "Sam, can I ask if you have any pain in your neck or spine?"
"I have a really bad headache and my neck is a little stiff but that is it."
"Ok, we should be arriving in about three minutes. Just try to relax Sam."
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Sam was wheeled back into a cubicle after having his CT scan to await the results. He was not in there much longer than a minute before a police officer walked through the curtain. "Sam Barnes?" Sam gave a small nod given his stiff neck knowing this can only be bad news.
"My name is John Winston." John skipped his formal title due to the nature of the news to be given. "I am extremely sorry to be the person to break this to you but both of your parents have died in the accident." Sam seemed to take the news reasonably well, he looked upset and disappointed but there were no tears. A doctor pushed the curtain aside to walk in before realising what was happening.
"If you need a few minutes Sam this can wait."
"I would rather hear it now." The doctor did not look much more than five foot four from where Sam was but that information was trivial at the moment. He nodded before delivering the results.
"Your CT scan is clean however I need to warn you that you may have a headache for a while as you were out cold when the paramedics found you. Yo9u may also find that your neck remains stiff for a while as well. You are however free to leave here once you have a collar to support your neck for a few days." Sam nodded lightly to the doctor who seemed to leave in a bit of a rush.
"I would be more than happy to give you a lift home if you wish Sam."
"I would appreciate that as I doubt I am in a great condition to walk all the way to the bus station."
"That would be why I offered Sam."
Sam was given a number of leaflets and printed information as he left the hospital with the white collar around his neck. He travelled back home with John in the police car.
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They pulled up outside Sam's house. "Would you like me to sit with you for a while Sam?"
"No. I will be fine, thank you for the lift and your help."
"That is no problem Sam. Again my sympathy for what happened and just remember about the leaflets you were given if you need any help. There is always someone to talk to if you need them."
"I will. Thank you again." Sam got out of the car and carefully shut the door before making his way to his front door down the empty driveway. The gravity of the situation hit home as he closed the front door behind him to hear nothing other than the humming of the fridge. All Sam could do at that point was to slide down the front door and weep.
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15th December 2016
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The Council deployment of three Turian ships to help the ASL-Enlighten and its crew arrive at the location that was sent with the distress message. After systematically searching and destroying all the Batarian mining facilities, twenty of the crew were found alive inside containerised storage ready for transportation. Logs indicate where another four may have been taken to. There was no sign of the Enlighten ever being in the system so it was presumed destroyed with the five remaining crew on-board killed. Searching local systems which could be accessed with a damaged ship would however still continue in the hope that the ASL-Enlighten would turn up.
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22nd December 2016
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The Christmas party was the only item of conversation on the agenda at the office today with everyone seemingly overexcited. "You don't seem too pleased it is the office party tonight Sam." Tony was a good guy but a little over the top at times.
"I loathe Christmas parties as people get way too drunk, make too much noise, and it just is not fun."
"I think you need to lighten up a little. Anyway I will see you in about an hour." Sam just gave him a nod before he walked out of the office for the day. Sam was tempted earlier not to bother even going but he thought it may be better to show his face even if it was only for a few minutes.
It did not take long for the hour to pass and Sam walked into the local pub which the office had taken over for the night. Finding a comfy corner seat by himself he sat and enjoyed his orange juice whilst watching all the silly antics, as he had predicted, from people who had severely overestimated their alcohol tolerance.
"Is anyone sitting here?" He just about heard over the din of the cheering as someone tripped over a chair and fell flat on their face. He turned around to see Kate from public relations who seemed to be weathering the drinking remarkably well.
"No." Sam being deliberately simple in his reply trying to make sure he was heard over the rabble trying now to sing carols and failing to make little more than noise. Kate had been appearing quite often recently in the IT department, usually for fairly trivial reasons. Sam thought it was just because she was not all that good with technology but her job in PR meant she needed to use IT daily so it was a bit odd.
"Do you find this a bit pointless, Sam?" Waving her arm towards the crowd and nearly knocking her drink over in the process. A smile appeared on Sam's face as he saw Kate flailing to save her drink from spilling.
"Yes. I have nothing against a drink, however going to excess and acting like a clown is not exactly group bonding. A weekend of working together as a team on something different would be more advantageous in my opinion."
"True but it's a tradition, like having your parents around for Christmas lunch."
Those words hit Sam hard. The memory renewed that he would not have his parents saying he had overcooked the Christmas lunch this year. With tears starting to form in his brown eyes he shuffled his way out from behind the table. Looking over at Kate he just stated "I need to go, sorry." and quickly left before his control gave in. Once he had got to his car he took a few minutes just to sit there recomposing himself before setting off home.
Approaching the supermarket on the way back he thought the idea of doing the Christmas shopping now was a half decent idea. He felt quite drained but it was not as if pushing a trolley around was hard work. It did not take long for him to get all that he needed and pile it into the boot of his car. It took an hour and twenty minutes for him to get home given the mad Christmas shopping traffic and the road works that had sprung up over the course of the day.
During unpacking the car he wondered if he did indeed live alone as there was easily enough food for four people for a week. Christmas was always a time to go over the top so shrugging to himself he hauled the last of the bags out of the boot of the car and into the house. He dumped most of the bags on the kitchen table before he went to turn the TV on to the News Channel before beginning to put the food away.
Whilst packing the fridge shelves like it was a real world game of Tetris a breaking news item caught his interest.
"A large solar flare has in the last hour been ejected from the sun. Scientists had been expecting a flare as a very large sunspot called AR3411 had been growing steadily over the last week as it turned to face the direction of Earth. The current estimates predict that the ejected particles are expected to hit Earth between four and six tomorrow afternoon. Initial estimations of the measurements taken from the GOES satellite indicate that the flare could be equal in intensity to the previously largest measured flare that occurred on the 4th November 2003. That flare however only grazed Earth and no major damage was done."
Sam quickly packed away the rest of the food and plonked himself on his favourite chair in the living room, laptop in hand, trying to glean what the flares effect could be. After exhausting all possible avenues of information, and the laptop battery, he had to settle on the fact that it was a crapshoot as to what would likely happen. With that realisation and after the long day he turned in for the night.
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Notes.
New characters and a solar flare. How are they related? The next few chapters should explain all.
- 3
- 4
- 5
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Marked Effect (AFF Edition)