(This took way too long, I'll try to post more often.)
I looked at Jane, frowning, my face unreadable.
Then I leant forwards and hugged her tightly, relief flooding through my body at knowing that Jane had realized the changes that had gone through my mother since she started taking the red sand.
"You've noticed too," Jane said, hugging me back, clearly just as relieved as I was.
"What should we do? If she does have an addiction, then we can't let her carry on, can we?" Although I was older than Jane by a day, she was always better at taking charge of difficult situations.
Jane bit her bottom lip, and shook her head.
"We need to talk to her about this, Andrew. It is too serious if she has an addiction."
I nod in agreement as my mother calls us downstairs to eat.
After a dinner of roast chicken with beef, mash potato and way too much gravy, Jane nodded at me, then started the awkward conversation.
"Um, Rachael.."
"Yes, Jane?"
"There's something Andrew and I need to talk to you about..."
She looked at us both with confused eyes and I realized she was shaking slightly, her skin much paler than usual.
Worry rushed through me and I started talking.
"Mum, I think that you should stop teaching us biotics now, we know more than enough to hide them."
Rachael opened her mouth to say something when there was a loud explosion from somewhere outside, causing the ground itself to shake.
The living room wall exploded inwards, a devastating heat washing through the kitchen with it.
"What's going-" Is all I managed to say when the Batarian's ran into the house, through the dust.
And the last thing I see before darkness absorbs my vision is a Batarian's rifle coming towards my face.
I opened my eyes and an instant later regretted it, a pounding headache ripping through my consciousness.
Ouch.. I thought, rubbing my head. I noted that I was lying on my back and the ground was swaying slightly under me. Wait, the ground doesn't move...
Where am I, anyway? I forced my eyes open, gritting my teeth against the pain and found that I was on some kind of cart that the colonists used to transport vegetables and such around the small colony.
I forced myself up and leant back against the back of the cart, my legs bound together to keep me from running.
My head erupted in agony and I held it in both my hands, oblivious to everything until I felt something touching my arm and became aware of a voice coming from my right.
"Andrew... are you alright?"
I know that voice..
"Jane, where are we?"
"We're on a cart, I've seen other Batarians fighting men, human men, as we go past.
These are slavers I think, we need to get out of here and to the soldiers as fast as we can."
"But what about my mother? Your older brother?"
She shook her head.
"I'm sorry Andrew, they already took your mother, and if my brother is anywhere then it's with the sol-"
"What do you mean they took her?" I ask, anger and fear numbing the pain in my head enough for me to take my arms away.
"They.." Jane bit her bottom lip. "They injected something into her head and after that... She did everything they asked without hesitation. If we got her back, she wouldn't be the same anymore.." Jane stopped when she saw the look on my face.
"Jane, we're going after her." Biotics flaring, I cut through the leather bonds on my and Jane's legs and looked around, headache starting to subside with my use of biotics.
"No, we're not." Jane said, a sense of finality in her voice, no room to argue.
"Well, that do you suggest we do!?" I shouted at her, biotics glowing with my shout, not caring if any nearby Batarians could hear me.
"I suggest we try to find the Alliance soldiers, if we want to find your mother and my brother, then they will help us. It's why they're here, right?"
I frowned, trying to think past my emotions.
"It does make sense, but I can't just leave her here with these monsters.."
"We aren't leaving her," Jane said, putting her hand on my shoulder and looking deep into my eyes. "We're getting help to find her."
I think some more, and finally nod.
"Good," Jane said and looked around. "There's been no Batarians around for almost an hour now, they must all be fighting the soldiers." She looked at me.
"Follow me, Andrew."
