2 – Once Again (2)

EARTH, 2168

To Samael's luck, his first years of life passed like a blur. He, however, had already put some of his plans into action. It wasn't anything special, but the things he did in the first 10 years of his life were in preparation for the future. It helped the fact he knew when shit would hit the fan—in 2183, to be exact—a few years into the future.

It was plenty of time to prepare, but that did affect the 'social life' of kid Samael. So much so that even though he was almost a teenager, he didn't have many friends—only one, in fact. Her name was Veronica, and she was a constant in all of Samael's lives. 

But he didn't care about the lack of friends, as they were still growing up right now, but they were scattered across the galaxy with not a single one of them living close to Samael, so he mostly waited to meet them again.

And, as he didn't have to socialize as a child, something that Valery didn't like, he had more time to do his things, like upgrading a few of his gadgets here and there and making preparations for when he would eventually leave Earth and explore the galaxy. 

Speaking of Veronica, they were good friends in all of Samael's other lives/cycles and a romantic interest in others. She was an odd one in terms of personality. So much so, that Samael was also her only friend. They were almost inseparable, and as Samael knew her already from his other lives/cycles, he didn't mind her company. She was the only person in the galaxy as of now, that 'knew' what Samael was doing, as he showed his gadgets to her. But, as she was too young, she didn't understand any of it, that's why he continued showing it to her with no problems.

As Samael knew her future and liked her attitude towards life, he made plans for her, as he knew what she was good at. She, in most of his past lives, followed the path of a pilot, and a good one at that. So, at the tender age of 10, he was slowly helping her get her talent to shine earlier.

But Samael finally hit a wall he would need help overcoming, to help with his plans and with Veronica. He needed money. A LOT of money. He knew the stocks, but only from the future, close to when the game begins, so he need a plan to get money NOW.

In the others cycles, after he realized about the time loop, he didn't really care on the how to get money, so he exploited some people here and there. 

Meaning the money he got wasn't 'legit'. Of course, a few millions were, but for his initial sum, he normally used others.

So, as this was supposed to be his last life, he wanted to do things normaly. Gaining money in a legitimate way.

That was going to be difficult if not for the fact he knew the future amoung other things.

He was also excited a little, as this was the first time in ages he was going into a uncharted territory, doing things he didn't do in past cycles.

And that was something that made him really happy, as something new to a person who lived trapped in a constant time loop, was a blessing.

---

Valery noticed very soon that her son was special. At the age of 2, he was already doing things that 5-year-olds did. At 5, he was ahead of everyone, and at 10, the only reason he still wasn't in university was because he said he wanted to enjoy his youth, doing his own thing. She was over the moon seeing her son display this disposition, as it normally meant he was set for life.

Samael was so good at what he did that even though he was only 10 years old, he helped most people in the slums with their electrical problems. And let me tell you, there was a lot of trouble. So much so that little Samael got the reputation of a 'genius helper' in the slums, giving him more than a few cookies from the nice ladies around.

The only thing Valery didn't like was that he didn't make more than one friend, even though kids his age have lots of them. But Samael reassured her that he liked that way, as it gave him more time to study, or so he says.

So, Valery could only accept as she knew her son's potential. If sacrificing friendships could lead him to live a happy life, she didn't mind one bit. Besides, he had Veronica, and she usually came around the house every day. Valery found that cute, but she refrained herself in the sense of acting as if Veronica were her daughter-in-law already.

As the boy's needs grew, she had to eventually accept the help of the doctor, Amanda, as their bill only went up. And Amanda graciously helped her.

''Are you sure?'' Valery asked when she saw the amount Amanda gave her. It wasn't enough to leave the slums, and Valery didn't want to leave either, but it was enough to help with Samael's studies.

'' I think it's too little, based on what your husband did to me. I tried to contact the others to see if they would help, and they said they would send a few thousand credits in the future.'' Amanda once again reassured Valery that it was ok, as her husband literally gave his life to save her and others.

'' I... I don't know what to say.''

'' Say nothing and make sure to use this money well.''

She smiled, remembering that conversation. She then focused her attention on Samael, her 10-year-old son, and noticed he was making something in his room. She was content with their lives at the moment.

'It would be best if you were here with us, Mason.'

Mason was Samael's father. He died in the First Contact War. He was on the offensive to retake the colony from the Turians.

From the stories they told her, he singlehandedly saved at least 100 colonists, as they were about to be killed by the Turians. Of course, it cost him his life, but a few of the 100 vowed to help his family, and Amanda was one of them.

As she was lost in thoughts about how their lives would have been different if Mason were still alive, the 10-year-old Samael was making some upgrades to his omni-tool.

Omni-Tool was a technology exclusive to the Mass Effect universe. It was essentially a computer that also worked as a lifesaving device, a phone, a weapon, etc. It was a jack of all trades, and in one of his lives, Samael learned how to better it to a terrifying degree. And this is exactly what he was doing, as his omni tool would be, at least for the next 18 years, the best in the whole galaxy.

In the games, you exclusively had to choose a class, and there are a lot of them, and as always, each one of them specializes in one thing. If you choose one, you can't use the perks of the others, but as this was ' real life', this limitation didn't apply to Samael.

His modified Omni-tool would put Engineer (a class you can choose from in the Mass Effect games), Sentinel, and Infiltrator to shame. Those three were supposed to have the best omni-tool in the galaxy, but the one in Samael's possession was better than them. All that with limited funds.

The only problem with the limited funds is that, at least for now, he couldn't make an advanced AI just yet. He even got the original code from EDI, an AI who was an ally with Shepard and the rest, and the modified and upgraded version of her he made with Tali a few cycles ago.

Another problem is that he needs to make this AI in the shadows, as in the Mass Effect Universe, they were considered very dangerous. The people who were caught making them would be arrested or even killed.

So, at least for now, no AI. The possibilities of what he could do with it were enormous, but he didn't have the money or the opportunity to make it. He could build a VI ( Virtual intelligence), which was a lesser version of an AI, more restricted and with limited opinions, and that is exactly why he didn't build one.

' AANNNND, done.' Samael smiled as he waved the finished product. 'Now, I just need the ingredients to make the serum.'

This serum that Samael was talking about was something he made in one of his cycles with the help of Mordin Solus. This serum supposedly gave him more lifespan.

Supposedly, because he never had the time to see if it was true, as he returned in time. But based on what Mordin said, the serum was legit.

Supposedly, it also didn't have a side effect.... supposedly.

He asked help from Mordin just in case the time loop stopped , so he could enjoy his life with Liara, who had at least 1000 of lifespan, and he was glad he did that, as now he didnt have to worry about it.

At the end of the day, Samael was just a human, with no cheats on him. No game-like-system, no superstrengh, nothing. His only 'cheat' was that he was trapped in a time loop.

Samael didn't have biotic powers, and he didn't want to risk trying to have them. Biotic powers allowed the person to do some 'magic' stuff, as Vallery would say. It was also a class in the game and allowed for some pretty crazy combos with other classes. Generally, people choose this class as it is one of the most fun to play. But the price to get those powers was high.

You had to either be born with it or be exposed to a radioactive material called Element Zero and if you were lucky, you would have biotic powers. If you weren't, you would probably die of radiation.

But the problem with the serum was that the ingredients were expensive, way above the budget of his struggling family, 'Mom is already borrowing money from Amanda, so I can't bother her now... It seems it's time for me to do some risky stuff.' 

' But, it can't be something illegal, so that reduze my options.'

' Sigh, I should've studied the lottery numbers from before the year 2180. Or, at least the one from 2170 and before.'Samael was already regretting not grabbing the number of lottery tickets from the past. He only remembered the numbers of the ones after the year 2180, but, at that time, the amount of money he would earn would be meaningless, as he planned to be a trillionaire at that time. ' But, no sense crying over what already happened. I just need to be careful.'

Samael didn't want to risk everything just yet, but the prospect of this being his real last life made him more reckless, something he didn't mind, as it was making him enjoy life for the first time in decades. 'I need money. A lot of it.'

Just to put it in perspective, the SSV Normandy, the main ship of Jane Shepard and her crew, was estimated to cost at least 150 billion credits, the currency of the Mass Effect universe (equivalent to the dollar). So, if he wanted to make changes in the galaxy, he would need more than that, as his plan wasn't just limited to a ship.

Countless planets could sustain life out there, and Samael didn't mind getting one or two... Or three.

And he knew exactly how to get that kind of money. It was risky, but it was the only way for him now. Betting on future sports events, as he knew everything about it. That was one of the ways he made money in the other cycles too, but generally, he waited until he was away from home to start his fortune. As this was his 'last' life, he was in a hurry to be rich, but the problem was how to bet at this exact point in time, as he was still 10 years old.

' I can't use the Valery name, so only one more option remains. Getting involved with shady people.' To his luck, in the slums where he lived, there were a lot of them; he just needed to find one that could be manipulated by him and was, generally, a good person. Of course, the chosen one would probably become rich like him, so he needed some trustworthiness, and that was going to be difficult.

' Well, I at least have to try... Besides, after the serum, there's the AI too, and the Advanded Med-Gel. This one will bring me a lot of money.'

Med-gel was a foam that healed almost every single injury, save the fatal ones, like a shot in the heart or head. The upgraded one that Samael invented with the help of Tali, who wanted to help her species live out of their suit, was even better than that. They managed to make one in a cycle, and Samael never forgot how to make it.

Sighing, Samael got out of his room and said,'' Mom, I will go out to play with Veronica.''

A surprised voice came from the kitchen: '' Oh? Ok, but don't stay out there too long. Dinner is almost ready. And bring her with you!''

'' OKAY!''

So, Samael went out 'to play'. He wasn't lying per se, just that the people he was going to play with were different from what Vallery expected.

---

In the middle of the slums, where crime ran rampant without any trouble, you could see a child walking right to the heart of it, where the 'owner' of said slums lived. The thugs knew the kid as they heard the history of his supposed genius intellect and he had already helped their distant relatives, some even had their problems fixed by him.

They never got involved with him or his mom because of their 'protection'. Mason had a few friends here, and they made sure to protect both.

So now, seeing the kid come toward them, they were surprised. One of the five thugs protecting the area where the kid was passing said to the other, '' What do we do?''

'' He's probably lost. Send someone to guide him home.''

''I'll go.'' One of the thugs there raised his hand and started to go towards Samael. The other four watched as the man smiled at the kid. But soon, his face changed, and he came back with the kid in his tail.

The leader of the five thugs asked as he got closer, '' What's wrong?''

The thugs who guided Samael looked a little ashamed. '' He says he wanted to talk with the boss.''

The leader snorted, '' Ha, not everyone has that privilege. Send him away.''

Under the gaze of the leader, the thug almost passed out, but he managed to say, '' He knew the boss's name... and he said he wanted to do business with him.''

That made the leader pause. The latter part flew through his head as he focused on the fact that the kid knew the boss's name. ''Are you sure?'' Everyone in the slums knew that the real name of the boss was a NONO subject, as only their group knew it. Not even the government, police, or their rival faction knew, as if they did, things would be ... problematic.

'' Yes.''

The leader of the five thugs looked at Samael, who was smiling as he watched this unfold. ' It's a risk, but I can just say I'm a genius and figured it out. My 'Reputation' will help with that, I hope.'

It was an extremely dangerous situation for Samael, as his body, even though he trained every day, was still that of a child. So, while he was confident he could face an adult or two, he couldn't win against 5 of them. Not yet, anyway.

Again, the only reason he came here in the first place was because he needed money and someone to bet for him. And the only people he knew now was the boss of the slums.

From his past cycles, Samael knew the man superficially. He knew his name, as he introduced himself in one of the cycles, but never met him for good. So he didn't know if he was trustworthy or not.

But, based on what happened in his other cycles, he decided to try. By the way, if you're wondering why he never took this exact action in his past lives, it was because he was focused on getting to help Shepard. Only in his first life did Samael act in a hurry to get money, and it took a while, even with the game knowledge. In the other lives, he only got rich much later, as he was focused on Shepard.

As Samael was remembering a few things about the boss of the slums, the leader of the five thugs said with a grim voice, '' Follow me.''

Samael did so and followed with ease. They didn't say a single thing until they arrived at the heart of the slums, where the boss was.

'' Wait here.'' The leader of the five thugs said, left the other four and Samael behind, and went to a house. It didn't take long for him to come out and say, '' Follow me. The boss will speak with you.''

Samael smiled and said, ''Thank you.'' Inside, he was thinking, 'Let's re-met my money cow!'

---

After entering the house that was supposed to be the hideout of the boss, Samael was guided to the boss's room. The thug looked at the kid in front of him with a strange gaze and said, ''He is inside, waiting to talk with you.''

Samael smiled kindly at the man. '' Thank you.'' He honestly didn't care if they were thugs or not, as he himself acted out of the law in a few cycles. The only thing that mattered to him was that they were humans and not Reapers. Of course, even he had a bottom line, if he found out one of those thugs did something he considered nefarious, he didn't mind giving them their punishment.

So, Samael entered the room and was soon met with a familiar face: the boss of the slums. While familiar in the sense that he met him once in a past cycle, he knew very little about the man. By the way, he was a typical-looking thug.

Bald, a few tattoos here and there, and a slightly bulging stomach.

And as Samael was judging the boss, the boss was doing the same. Though he was more than just surprised,' So, the rumors of the genius child were true. I never thought I would meet him like that.'

The boss, or Tarzan, was a thug but a good man. He occasionally helped people with potential in life make out of the slums. And the young child in front of him was one of the candidates for that. So, imagine his surprise when one of his men told him the kid knew his name and wanted to talk business with him.

And the topic of his name was taboo because, well, his name was ... exotic, to say the least. And, as it was exotic, it was very easy to find his whereabouts if the police found out about him, as crime was fiercely fought on this Earth. And, if the rival's faction knew his name, they would make fun of it, and the fate of the ones that did so weren't good. A war would start, so everyone who knew the name stayed quiet and just called him boss.

Tarzan found the situation a little absurd, but he didn't mind talking with the kid. ''So... what business do you want to talk about with me?''

Samael, who finished his detective work on the man, said,'' Before that, do you have a drink?''

Tarzan paused and soon started to laugh, '' HAHAHA, where are my manners! BOYS!''

A voice came from behind the room door: ''Yes, boss?''

'' Bring me a beer. And what do you want, kid?'' Tarzan asked Samael, who at this point was acting very comfortably, not like he was in the house of a thug.

'' I'll take anything you have.''

Tarzan smiled, "Bring me two beers then!"

'' On it!''

Tarzan noticed Samael just smiled at that. So, he coughed to ease the awkwardness,'' So, again, what business do you have with me? I assume you didn't come here just to waste my time.''

'' Of course not. Before I say it, tell me what sport you like. Football, basketball?'' Samael was going to act as if he were a master analyst by giving the man in front of him the results of his favorite team and sports. 

So, when he was proven correct, they could start the business partnership.

By the way, sports have incredibly survived until now, and they mostly were the same as Samael's old Earth.

'' Hmmm? I don't know why you asked, but I like the Chicago Bulls.'' Tarzan found the conversation amusing and didn't mind answering.

'' Ok. So, first things first, let me introduce myself formally. My name is Samael, and I assume you heard of me.''

Tarzan nodded at that.

'' Good, so that makes things easy. I started to delve into sports recently and noticed a few things. I can basically predict who would win a game with an error margin of 0%.'' Samael said that, and, as expected, Tarzan started to laugh.

'' HAHAHAH, KID, don't make me laugh! There's no way anyone in this entire galaxy could have a 0% loss.''

Right on time, one of the thugs entered the room with the beer and passed it to Tarzan, who passed one to Samael. The thug left soon after

Samael, under the gaze of Tarzan, said mysteriously, '' The galaxy is a big place. Are you sure it isn't possible?''

' Ahhh, if only I had my AI already, things would go much faster than now.' Samael sighed internally.

He could've used his AI to bet for him, but being poor sucks.

Tarzan then paused. He knew what the kid in front of him said was true, something like that had a chance to be real. But, still, it was difficult to accept that.

''... Why come for me then?'' That was puzzling to Tarzan. If he had that kind of ability, he would use it to his own benefit.

Samael took a sip of the beer. His throat didn't like it that much, but the soul was already accustomed to the taste. '' I need money to start to bet, besides, I'm only 10. Even if I managed to have money, just to find a way to bet on it was going to be impossible.''

Only now did Tarzan remember that the person in front of him was a kid. The aura he gave made him forget about the fact. He then also took a sip of beer.

'' So, you need someone to bet for you, and you take all the money?''

Samael shook his head, "No. I take 70 and you take 30%. By the way, this is what I plan on making in a week.'' He passed a paper to Tarzan.

When Tarzan took it and saw the numbers, he almost choked on his beer. He looked at Samael like he was a mad child. ''How much is going to be the initial bet?''

'' 10.000 credits.''

' It isn't much...' That was what Tarzan thought. But, while not much, it was still money.

Just as Tarzan was thinking about the pros and cons, Samael said, '' Listen, I'm only willing to show you this so you trust me and bet those 10.000.'' He then passed another paper to Tarzan.

When he saw the number on this new paper, Tarzan said with a trembling voice, '' In how much time do we make this kind of money?''

Samael smiled widely. '' In a year. And remember, you take 30%. Not your friends or family, you. You can even use the money to buy a planet or two.''

The cons went out of the window, as the money there was enough to last for 20 generations. Of course, all that is based on the fact that the kid was right. Tarzan had some money on his account, and while risking 10.000 credits was a little bit nerve-wracking, if what the kid was showing was true... it was worth the risk.

''...OK, I'll lend you 10.000 Credits. It will be from my own money, by the way, so you better be right.'' Tarzan would not admit it, but he was almost drolling, thinking about the money he would earn in one year.

'' Good. Here's the list of games and which team will win. I didn't know which team you liked, so I made a few.'' Samael passed a list to Tarzan with the results of the games.

Samael only passed the list with the basketball results, as it was the one Tarzan said he liked. He had more lists about other sports, but those will stay with him to use in the future. The money he would earn would be more than what Tarzan could ever dream of, but because of his age, he could not use it. So, after this first week of successful betting, he would slowly give more lists to Tarzan, and in return, he would make more money.

Of course, he would lose 30%, but it was acceptable. He trusted his guts and instincts, which said the man was trustworthy, so he would probably be okay. If the man in front of him did something wrong, Samael didn't mind teaching the man a lesson he wouldn't forget.Let's just say the Krogan, more specifically Wrex, had a few... exotic ways of torturing humans, and the Krogan had taught him in the past cycles.

When Tarzan saw the list, he noticed four games were today. It would start in a few hours, so he acted fast, '' A few games will start soon, so I'll leave in a bit... If it does not work and I lose the money...''

Samael immediately said, '' I'll work for you in the future. You know what I am capable of, as all the rumors about me were true. Child genius and all that, so me working for you for a measly 10.000 credits is a nice deal.''

Tarzan said nothing more, as he knew it was the truth. He then said goodbye, '' I'll go bet now. Follow me, and I'll leave you at your house.''

Samael smiled and said, '' Well, I didn't tell my Mom I was coming here. Leave me at Veronica's house.''

Tarzan snorted, as the tales of the two kids were normal around the neighborhood ladies. '' Sure.''

'' By the way, send the money to this account when you win. You can deduce the 30% yourself.''

Tarzan looked at the account in his hand and said, ''How did you do this?''

'' I hacked into the bank.''

While the AI would help the hacking process, Samael didn't live 250 years for nothing. He had some particular sets of skills that he used to his benefit once in a while.

Hacking was one of them. While not the best in the galaxy, he could hack into the bank.

The only reason why he didn't hack the betting site was because it was more risky than hacking the bank. As in the bank, he wouldn't steal any money, he just made the account using someone's name and that was that.

'... Then why did you not hack a betting site?'

As if Samael could almost hear his thoughts, he said to Tarzan '' Too much trouble. It's a fake account that I'll only use for now, and I'll ask my mom in a year or two to make one official.''

The duo then talked no more, as Tarzan then drove Samael to Veronica's house. When the man was leaving, Samael said, '' Follow exactly what's on that list, and we will make it rich!''

Tarzan nodded and went away to bet. If it were all true, he would be able to fund all of his brother's families and their studies. 'It's a long shot, but it's worth the try.'

HOURS LATER

' No FUCKING WAY!' That was the only thought in Tarzan's mind. As all 4 games happened at the same time, he didn't have the chance to become too nervous, so his reaction to the results was explosive. He double checked the result just in case.

He looked at the list Samael gave him and put it beside the results. It was the same, every single game, even the ones where the 'weak' team won, was on the list. 

Tarzan was grinning like a maniac and trembling as the 10.000 turned into 500.000 in 4 games. ' It's true! IT'S TRUE!'

Tarzan vividly remembers the huge amount they would make in one year, according to Samael, and almost fainted.

He even started to think of stealing some money, but soon stopped himself. He wasn't dumb and knew that Samael had more of those lists. The amount of money he could earn was astronomical, even if only 30% of it. ' It isn't worth losing his trust for so little..' 

Tarzan knew the kid was testing him, as he had already hacked into a bank at 10 years old. So, if he didn't deposit exactly 70% into that account, he didn't doubt the kid would search for another person to bet for him.

'... I'll honor the deal. 30% of 500.000 only because I used my age to bet is more than generous. ' He knew that the kid gave him 30%, so he didn't have other thoughts. And it was working. ' By the way, I can't let this kid with no protection. After I go back, I will send a few of my man to protect the area around his house.'

Tarzan smiled as he knew the kid had him hooked for good, ' HA! The kid is a special one, a genius indeed.' He then made his way to the slums, more rich than before and now trusting Samael.

That was the start of Samael's empire and the Tarzan legend within the slums, but no one knew that yet.