7

The Hunt, Part 2

The Bridge, SSV Normandy

Those unfortunate enough to suffer from Vrolik syndrome were sternly advised to avoid excessive movement or blunt-force trauma whenever possible. In fact, many simply chose to live out their days confined to an eezo-powered zero-G bed, floating weightlessly in one place for the rest of their lives. It minimized the risk of shattered bones, but limited nearly everything else. Confinement to a high-tech mattress was never going to be an option for Joker; he would have gone mad within two days. The path of an Alliance pilot, while posing greater risk, was much more rewarding. He didn't need legs; the Normandy carried him wherever he needed to go. That being said, he did still try to avoid an unnecessarily violent situations when possible. His bones were crap, but he preferred them to not be in pieces.

Something crackled like glass powder as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position. Joker grit his teeth, stifling a grunt. It hurt like hell, but then, the tail on whatever had come rampaging up on the bridge looked like it would hurt a whole lot more. As soon as the alarm had been sounded, he knew he wouldn't make it to the conference room. If that thing didn't kill him first, some idiot panic-stricken engineer would probably elbow him in the ribs and send a bone shard through his heart. So he had done the only thing he could think of: activated the emergency stasis field that blocked the cockpit from the rest of the bridge, and then crawled beneath the ship's control panels. Not very dignified, but he'd take looking like a dumbass over looking like ground beef any day.

"Shit." Joker tried to peer around the pilot's chair, but it was impossible to see anything. The bridge had gone dark a while ago, and the emergency lighting didn't offer much in the way of visibility. Plus everything looked distorted through the stasis field; he just hoped it would hold up against that thing. It had looked huge.

A sudden hiss exploded in his ear. Joker jumped, difficult to do when contorted into something resembling the fetal position. Crack. Well, there went a femur. Maybe the intruder would take one look at his shattered body and decide it wasn't even worth the effort to eviscerate him.

"Joker…Joker, are you there?"

It was Tali. Her voice sounded weak and tinny in his ear, and her breathing had become ragged. Joker felt a twinge of guilt; he had completely forgotten about the quarian when the ship erupted into chaos. "I'm here, Tali," he whispered. "How ya holding up?"

"Oh…you know," she said in what was supposed to be a casual tone. "Air supply is running low, but I was meaning to quit the stuff anyway." Joker winced as she devolved into a fit of coughing. "Keelah. I really could use some help out here."

"Just hold in there, Tali. If you die I'll be the only one with a sense of humor on this ship. Unless Garrus starts telling jokes, and I don't think anyone wants that." She laughed weakly in his ear as he crawled out from his hiding spot.

Aaahhh, shit. It was like trying to fold an eggshell without breaking it. He grabbed one of the armrests on his chair and pulled himself up, while keeping an eye on the stasis field. He couldn't see much of the bridge, but he still didn't like turning his back on it.

"What's happening in there?" Tali asked. "I tried to contact you, but all I heard was…screaming."

"Technical difficulty," Joker said. He eased himself into the chair, sighing with relief as the smart-foam conformed to his body, relieving any pressure points.

"One of those things got on the Normandy, didn't it?"

"Yeah. You should probably stop talking. Preserve air." His hands flew over the controls, and the simple act of doing what he was best at served to calm him. The ship was still locked onto Tali's IFF beacon, but had taken no other actions. Maybe there was something to be said for all the automated protocols the Alliance had installed on the Normandy. Joker was starting to regret turning them off.

A low, muffled rumbled vibrated through the hull as the thrusters powered up, pushing the Normandy towards Tali's position.

"Hang on, Tali. We're coming for ya." He just hoped they wouldn't be too late.

His earpiece suddenly crackled again. "Jeff, are you there?" It was Dr. Chakwas.

Living Quarters

"Is that you, Doc?"

Relief flooded through Grace when she heard Jeff's voice. "You're alive. Thank God."

"Yeah, well, don't thank him just yet. Once this is over you'll have to get out the glue and duct tape."

"Are you hurt?"

Jeff laughed. "I think broken is the better term. Had to wedge myself beneath the cockpit controls."

So he was still at the cockpit. Despite the inherent danger in his situation, Grace took it as good news. She glanced at Wrex, who gave her a quick nod before returning his gaze to the screen on his weapon. They were in the Commander's quarters; after sweeping the second deck and finding nothing, it had seemed a good idea to hole up in a relatively small room and come up with a plan. Which the krogan had.

"Jeff," she said, "I need you to do something for me."

"If you're gonna ask me to take my meds, I don't think now's the time."

She ignored him. "I want you to open all the air vents and raise the temperature as high as it will go."

There was a pause. "Couldn't you just put on a sweater?"

"Oh, for God's sake, Jeff, we're trying to flush the damn thing out!" As Wrex had observed, and Grace agreed, all creatures have a natural aversion to fire. If this thing was hiding in the walls – which it almost certainly was – then blasting it with hot air just might drive it into the open. Which, despite what her survival instincts told her, was exactly what they wanted.

"Wait, where are you?"

"I'm in the Commander's quarters with Wrex."

"You didn't get to the conference room?"

"No," Grace said grimly. "There was little time, and besides. I want this bastard out of my home."

Wrex grunted his approval, still watching the sensor. Jeff sighed. "Can't argue with that. Alright, hang on. I just hope this thing doesn't pop up right next to me."

There was a clunk, and then the sound of rushing air filled the silence. Almost immediately the temperature began to rise, making Grace sweat in her confining scrubs. She waited, tense, listening for any sign of the creature: a hiss or an awful screech.

"Got it," Wrex muttered. She whirled around and went to his side to examine the sensor. Something was indeed moving, and it was on their level.

"How on earth did we miss it?" Grace whispered. Wrex said nothing, merely cocked the enormous gun and moved towards the door. They could both hear something moving outside, something with heavy footfalls. Then, an irritated hiss.

"I heard that," Jeff said urgently. "Please tell me you know where it is!"

"Right outside," Wrex growled. He motioned for Grace to stand back; she crouched behind the desk, but was sure to keep the door in view. Wrex leveled his gun, and then kicked the door control. It swung smoothly open and he charged outside. Grace cursed and followed after him.

Wrex stood in the hall, body tense in a hunter's stance, sweeping his gun back and forth. She stood behind him, peering into the darkness. There was no sign of their quarry.

"Lost it," Wrex muttered, glancing at the sensor. "Slippery bastard."

"Uhh, guys? It's…it's up here."

Grace followed Wrex as he pounded across the deck and upstairs. They came onto the CIC – and there it was, crouched over the galaxy map, now dark.

"My God…" It was bigger than Grace had thought, the size of a bull back on Earth. Yet it was somehow lithe and sleek as well; just by looking at she knew it was fast, might even get to them before Wrex could get off a shot. And it was looking at them, although it had no eyes. Its long tail swayed and curled behind it, thick strands of saliva hanging from its open jaws. And its head…it looked like the faceplate of krogan, but distorted. Stretched back.

Wrex roared and fired, the shots thundering across the deck. At least one found its mark – the creature screeched and some sort of hissing liquid splashed across the floor – before it leapt smoothly aside. It landed heavily on all fours, shaking the floor, and roared back at Wrex.

"Watch it!"Jeff shouted in her ear. "These things bleed acid; it could eat right through the hull!"

Grace wasn't sure if Wrex heard, but he suddenly holstered the gun on his back and charged at the creature, his roars as loud as its own. They smashed into each other; Grace dodged out of the way as they rolled towards her, a mass of flying fists, whipping tails, and scratching claws.

"Doc, up here!" She ran for the cockpit as the stasis field disengaged; she couldn't see what was happening, but the sounds of battle raged behind her. She fell into the co-pilot's seat beside Jeff as he brought the field back up.

Through it she could see Wrex fighting the creature. They hurled each other across the bridge and smashed into the walls, sparks flying as consoles were shattered. The creature made quick jabs at the krogan with its tail; he dodged them, then grabbed the tail and jerked. The creature squealed and fell onto its back, and then Wrex fell on top of it. He began driving blow after blow into it, even as it clawed and flailed beneath him.

"We have to help!" Grace shouted. Jeff seemed mesmerized by the fight; he shook his head and quickly turned to the controls.

"Uhh – right! Ok, hang on!" His hands flew across the controls – and suddenly the stasis field flashed. Wrex bounced off it and slumped on the floor. The creature stood at the other end of the bridge. Grace leapt to her feet as it began to charge.

"Wrex, get up!"

The creature was feet away, and suddenly Wrex hurled himself into it. He slammed his head into its own, and she heard a sharp crack. The creature hissed as sizzling blood oozed from its shattered skull, but it was by no means finished. It jaws widened, exposing glistening teeth – something long and sharp darted out. Wrex just barely managed to dodge and it bit into the side of his neck. With a roar he grabbed the strange tongue and tore it from the creature's mouth. Acid blood sprayed everywhere, burning the krogan and the floor. He seemed oblivious to the pain, but the floor panels were already beginning to melt.

"We have to get that thing out of here!" Jeff shouted. "Tell Wrex to hold on to something!"

Grace knew what was about to happen. She shouted through the stasis field; whether Wrex heard her was anyone's guess. A klaxon blared and the airlock opened. Jeff struggled to override the Normandy's systems – and suddenly the outer doors opened. The bridge shook as atmosphere was sucked out into the void. Protected behind the stasis barrier, everything seemed oddly peaceful, but Wrex and the creature both braced themselves. A moment later they flew into the airlock, tumbling from view.

The Void

Tali drifted on the edge of consciousness. She had long since stopped noticing all the warnings her suit was flashing at her. Air was critically low – she doubted if she would last another ten minutes. A terrible chill had begun to creep into her suit, biting down to her bones. She hoped she would slip into hypothermia before she suffocated.

Something twinkled at the edge of her vision. Lights. Apparently her last wish was not to be fulfilled; her oxygen-starved brain was misfiring, causing hallucinations. The lights grew brighter, a shimmering blue. Completely silent, of course. The only sound was her own slow, rough breath.

She wished she could see the Flotilla again. She had never regretted staying on the Normandy; it was as much her home as the ship she grew up on. But the Flotilla was different. Her family was there, her father. It was where her entire people lived. That was worth something, at least.

She also wished Sheperd was here. Well, not here. Then he'd be dead too. But…with her. Somehow.

The blue lights glared across her face plate, and suddenly the Normandy swooped into view, gliding silently beside her. Tali's heart leapt; if this was an hallucination it was a very cruel one.

The ship fired reverse thrusters, completely devoid of sound, and came to a stop. She could see the airlock, mere yards from her. She thrashed, desperately trying to propel herself towards it. But there was nothing to push against, nothing but her floating in the emptiness. She would just have to wait. Hopefully not for too long.

The outer hatch slid open – and suddenly something flew out, ejected like excess waste. At first she couldn't tell what it was: it was a large mass of something, sleek black and red, writhing as it spun in space. It was headed straight for her. Her eyes widened – it was Wrex, and he was fighting one of those monsters!

Silently they battled, trading blows that sent them spinning. Tali knew the monsters could survive in space – that was how they got onto the turian frigate – but she couldn't imagine how the krogan was still fighting. He pummeled the monster's skull, and she saw his fist sink deep into it. The monster went slack as floating globules of liquid issued from the wound. Wrex freed his hand from its skull and kicked its corpse away. It spun into the void.

The krogan floated towards her, and soon they were close enough to touch. She saw his eyes were closed, but he reached and grabbed her with one massive hand – the other found the gun on his back and shoved it at her. She knew what to do: facing away from the Normandy she fired the gun, pulling the trigger until it was empty. The shots made no sound, but she felt them propelling her and Wrex back towards the ship. It didn't feel as though they were moving fast enough, and she soon lost consciousness.

Deep within the USS Sulaco

Shepard's entire body hurt. Every move sent a jolt of pain lancing through him. Worse, he was completely blind. Oppressive darkness pushed against his eyes, and everywhere he looked, he saw nothing. He heard nothing, only the sounds of settling rubble. Slowly he sat up, brushing chunks of resin from him. His hands scrabbled in the darkness – his rifle was nowhere to be found.

His omnitool was no longer working. He stood shakily and listened for movement, yet it sounded like everything was moving. Debris settling, or so he hoped.

Something grabbed him from behind. He whirled, ready to claw the thing to death if he had to – but a soft blue light suddenly illuminated Liara. She stood on one leg; the other looked horrible broken. Her suit was torn and her face was cut. But she was alive.

They embraced simultaneously, both wincing. "I knew you'd find me," Liara said hoarsely.

"I just thought of how angry you'd be if I didn't," he muttered. Incredibly, she laughed.

"Where are we?" Shepard looked around. The biotic light offered some visibility, but it was little help. All he could see was more of the twisting resin and darkness beyond.

"I don't know," Liara said hopelessly. "Deeper into the ship."

They began to search the rubble, moving slowly. Liara didn't leave Shepard's side, providing light. Beneath some chunks of resin they found Garrus, dazed but unharmed. "Good to see you in one piece," he told Liara.

They also found the bodies of dead aliens, their skulls crushed, some of them half-disappeared into holes eaten by their own blood.

But there was no sign of Kaidan.