Chapter 9 Kobol Part 2
The second shuttle form the Normandy landed only yards away from Sheppard, Garrus, Liara and Javik in the middle of the grassy field. The side shuttle door opened as Ash along with Tali and EDI stepped off the shuttle.
"So Sheppard where is this crashed ship?" asked Tali
"About a hundred yards toward the lake." answered Sheppard
"However we have something better for you." stated Garrus as he pointed his gun toward the ground as the three women approached and finally got to see the Cylon centurion who was still trying to move.
"So we finally have a working one." said Tali as she knelt down beside the mec, she was followed a few seconds later by EDI.
"The frame has taken a lot of damage and it seems to have lost all movement apart from the neck and head area." said EDI
"Well we kind of had to open fire on it and its friends." explained Sheppard
"We should destroy it." answered Javik
"No." order Sheppard as he looked toward Tali "You said there is a hardware block which stops them from reaching true self aware AI."
"I will need to map out its neural net while they are being used to be for sure but yes." said Tali as she kept scanning the Centurion "However I will have to do a little bit more than that."
"Why?" asked Sheppard
"They do not have a speech center." explained EDI "They seem to communicate though a wireless network not that different then the network used in the second decade of the 21th century. It attempted to hack into my systems."
"Did it work?" asked Sheppard
"No, my defensive systems easily blocked the hacking attack." explained EDI
"Still I would rather have you stay at a distance unless it is needed." ordered Sheppard
"Understood I will take a look at the crashed Raptor." stated EDI as she moved on toward the down aircraft.
"I will have to take it up to the Normandy in order carry out all of these repairs." said Tali
"Alright, do what you can to limit the chances of it attacking our systems wireless before you take it up." Ordered Sheppard
"Will do." stated Tali
"Ash, can you stay here and make sure everyone is safe?" asked Sheppard "We are going to head to the sight of the laboratory see what we can find."
"Actually we can handle it fine here." said Tali "You will need all the help when you check out that lab."
"Alright." said Sheppard "Ash, Liara, Garrus, Javik your with me, let's go see what we can find in this lab."
The five of them moved toward one of the two UT-47 Kodiak shuttles which were now sitting on the grassy plans. It only took a few minutes for them to fly from the grassy fields to the large snow top mountains.
"So do you really know where we are going?" asked Ash as she looked at Javik who was giving directions to the pilot.
"Yes." answered Javik as a line of giant mountains came even closer "We built the lab inside the third highest mountain which was called Athine. The entrees should have be located on the southern side. There."
"That is a small landing zone sir, with a lot of trees in the way I am not sure I can land." said the pilot
"Then come to a hover and let us out." ordered Sheppard the Kodiak came to a hover near the edge of a small landing zone. It took them only a few seconds to jump out of the shuttle and onto the grass and rock covered clearing. All five of them had their weapons at the ready scanning the area for any threat.
"Clear." stated Ash as one by one all of them stated the same.
"Clear." stated Sheppard as all five of them lowered their weapons.
"So where is this lab?" asked Ash
"I think I found it." stated Sheppard as he pointed his assault rifle toward a door that seamed carved out of the rock face itself. Without saying a word the five of them formed two short lines on either side of the door. Sheppard and Garrus to one side with Javik, Ash and Liara to the other.
"Three…two…one." whispered Sheppard as he stepped in first followed seconds later by Ash who trained her gun to the left, a half step behind her was Garrus who had his weapon pointed to Sheppard's right. Javik and Liara followed up behind them with their weapons behind them in case they had walked into an ambush. The room they found themselves in was circler with a dozen broken and destroyed marble statues spread out all over the place, most of which seemed to be human.
"No one is here." stated Ash
"You sound disappointed." asked Garrus
"On some level I am." answered Ash "At least then we will have an idea when this happened here."
"This was opened recently." stated Liara as she studied one of the statues.
"What makes you say that?" asked Sheppard
"The stones would be weathered more then what they are." explained Liara "Given their condition and the general weather EDI was able to get from her atmospheric readings I say this place was opened around two years ago."
"I am wondering why these statues are human and why they look like those statues from ancient Greece and Rome." said Ash
"I am wondering how this is a lab?" asked Garrus "Looks more like a tomb or a temple."
"We had to hid things during the war." explained Javik "This is just the first floor."
While everyone was talking Sheppard was busy looking at a golden arrow which was sitting inside a bow. Unlike almost everything else it wasn't covered with dust, it still glowed in the sun light that came though the open door.
"Why is that one have a golden arrow?" asked Sheppard as he reached out and touched the golden arrow almost instantly everything changed as the door closed and they found themselves standing in the middle of a grassy field with twelve large stone monoliths standing before them. On each stone monoliths had star constellations covered into them.
"Those are star constellations." stated Ash as she looked at them more carefully "Earth constellations at that."
"It is a hologram." stated Javik as he touched the grass "Nothing more than light mixed in with shields to create an illusion. We use this in our religious temples."
"Then why does it show Earth that you can see from earth?" asked Sheppard
"The temples were programmable to carry out different religious ceremonies." stated Javik
"Why use them to hid a lab?" asked Garrus
"The same reason why the Asari would hid a Prothean Beacon in a temple on Thessia." stated Sheppard "It would allow them to hid it easier, if someone triggered this they would think it was part of a religious experience and leave without looking deeper."
"There is more to it them that." stated Javik "We programmed the computer to only once a Prothean deactivate the computer."
They watched as Javik walked up to one of the giant stone monoliths, then he placed his hand on the monoliths which instantly light up.
"Computer deactivate simulation." ordered Javik as the image disappeared and they found once again back in the same room with the broken statues however before any of them could say or do anything as a glowing circle appeared around them.
"What is going on?" asked Ash as suddenly the floor itself started moving downward deeper into the mountain.
"We are going down into the laboratory." stated Javik as the elevator just kept going deeper into the mountain. Lights were glowing around the side of the elevator shaft most of whom were still intact and still glowing a light blue.
"Is it just me or is this place strangely intact?" asked Garrus as the elevator slowed before coming to a stop, showing the five of them a destroyed corridor which was covered with marks on the walls and water damage. "I take back what I said."
"This place is over 50 thousand years old." stated Liara as they moved down the corridor with their weapons at the ready "I am surprised the lights even work at all."
"This place is powered by what you would call geothermal power." explained Javik "We tapped into a nearby volcano for the power."
"That explains why the lights are still on but why are their marks along the walls?" asked Sheppard as he reached out and touched the line after line of marks which seemed to have been almost dug into the stone walls.
"Reapers?" offered Ashley
"No…if the Reapers had found this place they would have just destroyed and the marks are leading out not in." stated Javik as the neared what appeared to be a circle room with radiating corridors branching off. When they reached the center circle room they walked up to what appeared to be a guard station located in the center of the room.
"Are the systems still up?" asked Sheppard as Javik placed his hand on a central pad as a holographic keyboard and screen appeared.
"So it would seem." stated Javik as he pulled out the map of the lab, it was a seven level complex with a two massive pods located on the bottom levels. Two of the seven levels were flashing red and another three were flashing yellow. Only the top floor and the bottom floor and pods were still green.
"It would seen that most of the floors have severed either heavy or medium damage." stated Javik "However the monitoring systems are still intact."
"Can you access the recordings?" asked Sheppard
"I can only access the recordings for this floor." answered Javik
"Well, pull it up." ordered Ash as she kept an eye and an ear open for any sign of a threat. It took only a few moments for a blurry image appeared; they could see a lot of movement but no real shapes.
"The data is corrupted but I think I can clear it up a bit." answered Javik as the image cleared up to show a bunch of humans dressed in a mix match of strange clothing.
"Is that man wearing a robe?" asked Ash
"And that man has a sword." said Sheppard
"The date on this record would place it over three thousand years ago." said Javik
"How could a group of humans get across the galaxy three thousand years ago?" asked Garrus
"I don't know." said Sheppard as he watched as something else appeared. It had a humanoid appearance and looked almost remarkably human. The entire body was covered with a silver metical plates and black hose. Its two forward facing eyes had a blue tone to them as it held a Prothean beam rifle in its hand
"So is that a Cylon you know?" asked Sheppard
"Yes, that is what we called them when the Zha'til used them." stated Javik "In reality they are organics who have become enslaved to the AI in their brains."
"There is a person in that thing?" asked Garrus
"Yes, however most of its body is nothing more the machine." stated Javik as he zoomed in on the ancient version of a Cylon. "That is strange."
"What is?" asked Sheppard
"The eyes are blue, all the Zha'til's eyes glowed an orange yellowed." stated Javik
"So add that to the list of mysteries." stated Sheppard as suddenly a ding filled the air as a large door behind them opened up. Instantly four beams shot out of the door as four of the Zha'til Cylons stepped out. No one said anything as the team dove out of the way of the fire taking cover behind the remains of a desk.
"How can those things still be alive after three thousand years?" asked Garrus as he poked his head up for a second firing few shots at the Cylons, the rounds simply bounced off the mec's shields. "And their shields are still working."
"The machine part of them keep them alive, as long as the machine lives they live." explained Javik
"Doesn't matter right now." stated Sheppard as he held up his rifle pressing a few buttons on the side as a small holographic field appeared around his rifle "Load Disruptor ammo."
It only took a few seconds for all their weapons to have the disruptor ammo.
"Alright, Liara put those things in a singularity. Once they are air born Javik and I bring down their shields and Garrus and Ash will destroy them with concussive shots." stated Sheppard
"Sounds like a plan." stated Liara as deep blue biotic energy gathered around her arms. She broke cover for a moment as a singularity opened up in the middle of the four Zha'til Cylons. The singularity lifted them off the ground and began to spin them around in the air. Once they were airborne Sheppard and Javik moved out from cover and opened up on the Cylons. The shots hit their mark as the ancient shields gave way.
"Now." ordered Sheppard as the last two members of the group appeared from behind cover and fired their concessive shots destroying two of the four Cylons out right. The other two were heavy damaged and when Liara's singularity exploded it destroyed them. With the threat gone they all moved toward the elevator were the Cylons had come from. They were only feet away from the lift when a small explosion happened above the lift sending it crashing down into the depths of the lab.
"I feared this would happen." stated Javik in a strangely calm voice.
"Ok what the hell is going on here?" asked Ash
"The VI which runs this lab must still be active and it believes we are a threat." stated Javik "That is why I wanted only Sheppard and I to enter this lab, maybe if we had the VI would see us as friends instead of enemies."
"That really wasn't that friendly of a welcome." stated Sheppard as he looked down the elevator shaft his flashlight piercing the darkness.
"The defenses program is stop us from reaching them." stated Javik "The fact that it had to resort to destroying the lift means their isn't that many forces left to defend the lab."
"I am more conserved about these Cylons." stated Liara as she started the scan them "How did these last fifty thousand years? And why are they in a Prothean lab when they belong to your enemy."
"Well they were probably studying them." stated Garrus
"I would agree with that, maybe the VI program who is in charge of this lab took them over to use as Mecs." Stated Ashley as Liara kept scanning the remains.
"The thing is this DNA is human." said Ashley
"What?" asked Sheppard
"Yes, the scans say that the core of this thing is a human female." said Liara
"The mysteries just keep adding one on top of another." Stated Sheppard as he looked down the lift shaft and at the metal cable located in the center of the lift. "Where is the VI core located?"
"Lowest level right beside the main lab." stated Javik
"And this VI will have the answers we need." stated Sheppard as Ashley walked up to the elevator shaft.
"You thinking what I am?" asked Ash
"Fast roping." stated Ash as Sheppard nodded his head "I haven't done it in a while but it should be fine."
"What can we expect at the lower levels?" asked Sheppard
"Standard defense procedures is to save at least a five mecs to defend the VI core." stated Javik "Along with any other base defense systems are left."
"So apart from five Mecs you really have no idea what we are facing down there do you?" asked Garrus
"Correct, I didn't have clearance for that level of the lab." stated Javik "I never went lower than the second level, that is where the life pods were made."
"Well you're going lower now." stated Ash as she jumped out onto the cable and started fast roping down, a few seconds later Sheppard followed her into the darkness. It took them around a minute to reach the remains of the lift. They moved out of the way as Garrus, Liara and Javik join them on top of the lift remains and right in front of the doors to the lowest level of the base. Liara quickly placed a small unlocking tool as Garrus and Sheppard moved to either side of the door. The locking tool beeped as the door opened slightly as Sheppard and Garrus either side of the door, together they forced open the door. The moment it opened a hail of bullets and beams came flying toward them.
"Alright what do we have?" asked Sheppard as he poked his head around the corner for a second only to see a long hallway with a large blast door located at the end. In between them and the door was located five of the Cylons which had taken cover behind some metal barriers. On top of that located on either side of the blast door was two very large automatic machine guns.
"Well we are in a bottle neck so the only choice is to go though them." stated Garrus
"This was our top research center I was expecting more in a defense." Stated Javik as suddenly another turret decended inbetween the two machine guns. This open barrel extended into something more resembling an arteary cannon. Everyone ducked as shell came flying toward them hitting the wall behind them sending concreate and rock everywhere.
"You just had to say that didn't you?" asked Ash as she glared at Javik
"You can deal with that later." ordered Sheppard as another shell flew down range hitting a little lower on the back wall. "Garrus hit that cannon and one of the machine guns with chain over, see if you can keep them off our back."
"Will do." Said Garrus
"Javik use some of your lift grenades along with Liara's singularity to get those Cylons out from cover then take them down." stated Sheppard as Javik and Liara nodded their heads. "Ash…you I will move forward and take down the turrets and anything else that moves. Everyone ready?"
"Just say when." stated Ash
"Now." stated Sheppard as Garrus sent an overcharge down range at the main heavy cannon and since both machine guns were within eight meters of heavy cannon however he could only hit one additional target so he brought down the machine gun on the right. At the same moment Javik threw a lift grenade at the nearest Cylon and Liara's singularity lifted up another. Sheppard and Ash dodged fire as they moved behind the first wall. For a moment Sheppard's eyes locked on Ashley's, her eyes showed a focus and instantly which was one of the reasons he loved her however he didn't have time for that at the moment. At the same time they both popped their heads up and opened fire on the heavy turret in the center. Their bullets flew true as they hit the main turret which had lost its shields thanks to Garrus's over charge. Garrus joined the fight firing his sniper rifle from behind cover, together the three of them caused the main heavy cannon blew up however by the time they had brought it down the shields had come back over the machine guns.
"Do it again Garrus!" yelled Ash
"I need to recharge." stated Garrus as the heavy machine guns and the three Cylons which hadn't been destroyed by Liara and Javik.
"Lets cover them." stated Sheppard as he and Ash opened up again, their bullets flying down range hitting the shields of the of Cylons and the turrets. When the enemy focused on Ash and Sheppard Javik and Liara moved forward with Garrus staying back to cover them with his M-97 Viper sniper rifle.
"Same play as last time Sheppard?" asked Liara as she looked at her friend.
"Yes." Stated Sheppard as Garrus overloaded the two remaining turrets. When that happened Sheppard and Ash opened up on the turret to their right destroying it while Liara and Javik destroyed two more Cylons. Now they were down to a single remaining Cylon and a turret.
"Alright everyone focus on the turret we will bring down the Cylon last." ordered Sheppard as all five of them opened fire on the turret. The total force of Javik's beam rifle, Sheppard's M-8 Avenger, Ashley's M-15 Vindicator, Liara's M-9 tempest sub machinegun and Garrus M-97 Viper was too much for the ancient machine gun which exploded. In a desperate and futile last stand the remaining Cylon broke cover and moved toward them only to have a hole open up in between the eyes from the shot from Garrus.
"Well that was fun." said Garrus as he finally moved up as they rest moved toward the large blast door located at the end of the hall. As they neared the door they noticed a small holographic red circle was visible coming out of the door meaning that the door was locked.
"The VI control room and the main lab should be behind this door."
"Javik can you open this door?" asked Sheppard
"Give me some time." answered Javik as he moved toward the control panel.
"So Sheppard do you think we will find some answers behind that door?" asked Garrus
"I hope so." answered Sheppard as the holographic lock changed from red to green.
"It's open." stated Javik as the sliding doors opened allowing them to enter the main VI core and the main laboratory.
"Here we go." stated Sheppard as they walked into the darkened lab.
Well I hope you liked this chapter and the little bit of action. The next chapter will answer some of the questions that some of you may be wondering. Thanks Wilkins75.
