A/N: WARNING - This chapter contains descriptions of torture. Anyone who does not wish to read such descriptions can skip ahead to the next chapter, which will begin with a summary of this chapter. The 'M' rating is there for a reason.
The Return of Archangel
Chapter Ten
The light was stunningly harsh, making the thief's retinas burn with pain inside her skull. Her arm was agonisingly painful, her back ached and her head throbbed. To add insult to injury, she was also stripped to her underwear and tied to a cold metal chair.
The heavy metal door scraped against the floor as it opened, followed by some light footsteps. The light was suddenly tilted upwards, and a blurry face came into view.
Kasumi blinked a few times until the face came into focus. Her captor was female, with fair skin and blazing red hair. She was thin, almost unhealthily so, and her gaze burned with hatred as she looked into the thief's eyes. The woman's face was stern and unflinching, and she wore a simple black uniform, with only a small Cerberus logo adorning the lapel.
"I am Information Specialist Kessel." The woman spat. "You are holding information that General Petrovsky wishes to know. My orders are to extract that information from you."
"I imagine that you won't be asking nicely." Kasumi guessed.
"Indeed I won't." Kessel replied as she put a case on the desk in front of her. Sliding the locks to either side, she opened the case into two halves and laid it flat on the table, revealing a dazzling array of blades and other nasty metal devices.
"We're at the cutting stage already?" Kasumi asked, fear tinging her voice.
"No." Kessel admitted. "But in my experience, people don't like surprises. You have seen what I have, and the lengths that I am equipped to go to. I'll be breaking quite a few more of your limbs before I get to the blades. This little display just acts as a reminder of the consequences of lying to me."
"Why won't Ethan talk to me?" Nala asked as she and Aria watched Ethan sleep.
The two asari were lying in Aria's darkened room on board the Indomitable, watching the gentle rise and fall of the baby boy's chest through the clear Perspex wall of his crib. The little girl wore an oversize T-shirt as she cuddled up in the blankets, whereas Aria wore her usual outfit, minus her boots, lying on top of the covers. Aria had draped an arm over the girl, drawing her close as the two of them watched Ethan.
"He's too little sweetie." Aria replied, reassuring the girl. "He doesn't know how to talk yet."
"Oh." Nala replied. "But how will he know how to talk?"
"Well," Aria began, "someone will teach him."
"Will he talk like us, or like one of the others?" Nala asked, turning to look up at the elder asari.
Aria smiled, the girl was clearly, as the humans would say, 'bright as a button'.
"Bailey will teach him how to talk, so he can talk to the other humans he meets." Aria guessed.
"Does that mean we can teach him how to talk like us too?" Nala asked, excited at the prospect.
"Sure we can." Aria smiled. "I'm sure when he learns to talk, he'll love talking to you more than anyone else!"
The two continued to watch Ethan in silence for a while, and Aria could feel herself beginning to struggle to stay awake.
"Aria, we need you in the war room." Archangel's voice stated over the comm, jolting the asari out of her restful state.
"Acknowledged." Aria replied softly, careful not to disturb the children. Nala had fallen into a light slumber herself, curling up into a little ball to keep herself warm and safe. Softly laying a palm onto the girl's head, Aria leapt into her mind. She was dreaming about a day on Thessia, the elegant silver spires on the horizon standing out against the backdrop of a cloudless amber sunset.
This was the first night Nala dreamt of a galaxy without Reapers.
A piercing scream echoed down the dark hallway.
"Miss Goto, this is just the beginning." Kessel snarled, bending another finger on the thief's dainty hand backwards until it snapped.
Kasumi screamed in pain under the ministrations of her captor. This was the third finger that the Cerberus bitch had broken, and she was showing no sign of slowing.
"I'm not asking for much Miss Goto." Kessel explained. At this point, Kasumi had to admit, she wasn't wrong.
"The last we heard," Kessel began, "the Horsehead Nebula base had fallen to the Alliance, the Illusive Man was headed to the Citadel, and the allied fleets were massing. Unfortunately, our communications blackout worked both ways."
"Cerberus is gone." Kasumi spat, wincing through the pain.
"That much is already clear." Kessel replied. "But what of the Illusive Man?"
"Dead." Kasumi replied gleefully. "His body was found on the Citadel."
"Liar!" Kessel snapped, her fist connecting with the thief's nose.
"It's not a lie, it's the truth." Kasumi replied as a trail of blood slowly began to crawl down over her lip.
"What of Commander Shepard?" Kessel asked, already gripping another of Kasumi's fingers.
"Missing, presumed dead." Kasumi replied.
"The first bit of good news so far." Kessel grinned. The grin suddenly disappeared as the next inevitable question occurred to her. "If Shepard is dead, who sent you here?"
"No-one." Kasumi replied. She steeled herself, waiting for the next broken finger, but it never came. Opening her eyes, she saw Kessel sharpening a blade she had extracted from her case.
"Evidently, you require a great deal more persuasion." Kessel stated in a monotone.
Garrus grimaced as the recorded message ended. Kasumi was in big trouble, and they were no closer to getting on to the station.
"So much for your great plan." Aria scowled from across the table.
The war room was an area on the ship that Aria's group had not really explored until now. Like the war room aboard the Normandy, there was a central area containing a round table with a holographic display. However, unlike the Normandy the room was a harsh chrome and white ensemble, typical of Cerberus, and had its own FTL communication system in the same room, allowing all occupants to converse with any callers.
All of the new team were currently pondering the situation. Garrus, Zaeed, Aria, Bailey, Grunt, Kolyat and Xihlus were all staring at the floating hologram of the station, letting Kasumi's message and forwarded intel sink in.
"Frontal assault?" Zaeed asked.
"No chance." Aria replied instantly. "We'd all be dead long before we could see the inside."
"Speak for yourself." Grunt rumbled.
"She's right Grunt, they'd blow us out the sky." Garrus confirmed, leaning with his elbows on the table, staring intently at the hologram, deep in thought.
"Can we use these resistance factions to our advantage?" Kolyat ventured.
"Patriarch will be a problem." Aria replied. "He'll be waiting for Cerberus and the Allied Resistance to wear each other down before striking and claiming the station for himself. No-one has any reason to believe I'm alive."
"You'll certainly be an unwelcome face from his perspective." Zaeed added.
"Not from the civilians though." Garrus added. "Aria always ran things tight but fair. Didn't rip off anybody who didn't deserve it. Patriarch is already clubbing every human within his grasp, Cerberus or not."
"I get it; she's a figure to rally behind." Bailey ventured. "No-one but Patriarch wants Patriarch ruling the station."
"This is a pointless discussion unless we can get on the station in the first place." Zaeed stated.
"Agreed." Aria replied. "The mercenary fleets aren't going anywhere; they're in this for the long haul. Station's still locked down and our insider is locked up. We've got nothing."
Aria turned to Garrus expectantly. To her surprise, Garrus suddenly smiled, lifting himself up off his elbows.
"We do have something." He corrected her. "We have this ship."
"So?" Aria asked, arms crossed.
"Cerberus wants this ship. Badly. They'll know by now that the Illusive Man is dead and most of their resources have been consumed by the Alliance. This prototype, one-of-a-kind warship is way too good an opportunity to pass up." Garrus explained.
"Haven't you already pulled this trick once?" Zaeed asked.
"Not like this." Garrus replied. "Give me half an hour to flesh out the details, then we'll meet back here. Dismissed."
"That's my order to give." Aria reminded him.
"Fine, give it." Garrus replied.
Silence fell between the group as Aria glared at the insolent turian.
"I'll make this clear." Garrus began, sensing a good opportunity. "You put yourself in to cryostasis because you had no idea how to deal with this situation. That's the only reason I'm here. Once we're all aboard, our priorities change and we go our separate ways. Could be, one day we all end up killing each other." He paused, letting his words sink in.
"Until then, I'm in charge." He continued. "This truce is a temporary one. Grunt, Zaeed and Kasumi are getting well paid for their skills and their loyalty. When that cash runs out, I don't expect them to hang around, though I'll be one happy turian if they do. You want to boss Xihlus around, go ahead, but despite your storied and illustrious commando career, you can't hold a candle to me and you know it."
Aria was visibly furious with him now, both for showing her up and for speaking an uncomfortable truth.
"If you'll let me, I'll put you back on Omega's throne." Garrus stated, changing tack. "When you get on that throne, act as you always did, and we won't have a problem."
"Fine." Aria hissed after a moment's contemplation. "You're in charge until the moment we step foot on Omega."
"I'm glad to hear it." Garrus replied. "Dismissed."
Everyone turned to leave, Aria stomping through the doorway quickly, clearly very annoyed.
"Not you Xihlus." Garrus called after the retreating turian. "We need to talk. Close the door."
Xihlus looked warily at the elder turian – from whom he had already received several bruises – and turned to seal the door.
As the doors hissed shut, Xihlus turned just in time to see the butt of a pistol swinging towards his face.
Kasumi choked back a sob as Kessel finally withdrew the blade from her thigh. If she cried too loudly, the bitch would win.
"Miss Goto, you are making this so hard on yourself." Kessel said in mock sympathy. "I only want to know one little bit of information."
"I told you who sent me." Kasumi groaned.
"Yes. Unfortunately for you, even I know that Blasto the hanar spectre is a fictional character." Kessel replied, her lips pursed.
"Do you have any idea what will happen to you if you keep hurting me?" Kasumi spat, clutching at straws. "Do you know the kind of people I associate with?"
"Indeed I do." Kessel replied, nonplussed. "Mordin Solus. Former-STG genophage specialist. Dead. Thane Krios. Assassin. Responsible for the One-Hour Massacre right here on this station. Dead. Commander Shepard. The first human Spectre. Saviour of the Citadel. Dead."
Kessel paused to let the various statements sink in.
"Excuse me for not shaking in my boots." Kessel replied. "But unless the dead rise from their graves I don't have much to fear from your friends."
"What about Admiral Zorah?" Kasumi bit back. "Field Marshal Garrus Vakarian? Not to mention Steven Hackett."
"Have you ever been raped?" Kessel asked suddenly.
Kasumi froze, an ice-cold weight suddenly appearing in her stomach.
"I admit; it's an awful thing for one woman to subject another woman to." Kessel continued. "But some of the soldiers outside were taking a few appreciative looks at you as they dragged you in here."
Kasumi stayed perfectly still uttering no response.
"I see I've hit a nerve." Kessel grinned sadistically.
Xihlus groaned at the pain in his head as he came to. The harsh white of the war room wasn't a pleasant colour to wake up to. The young turian attempted to pull his left arm to his face, but quickly found he was handcuffed to a nearby railing.
In front of him stood Garrus Vakarian, looking over the hologram of Omega projected by the table. At the sound of rattling handcuffs, the elder turian turned around, picking up a pad, and leaned back as he looked directly at the younger male.
"Good, you're awake." Garrus began.
"Is this really necessary?" Xihlus groaned, clutching his head with his free hand.
"Sorry, you've just got one of those faces that I like to punch." Garrus remarked.
"But… you hit me with your gun." Xihlus asked.
"Well, I've already hit you once this week, you can have too much of a good thing." Garrus clarified. "Anyway, down to business."
The elder turian looked down at the pad he was holding, waving it in the younger turian's direction.
"A little parting gift from the Shadow Broker." He gestured to the pad. "The military service and personal histories of one Xihlus Victus."
Xihlus looked carefully at the pad, then at Garrus.
"Born on Palaven in 2157 to parents Adrien and Solyanae Victus. The second of three children. Adrien a noted soldier tipped for command, Solyanae completed her two years military service reliably but unremarkably." Garrus began, reading straight off the pad.
"The first contact war begins a week after you're born, dad's called up, mom's excused. Dad leaves a soldier, comes back a hero, true to the Victus name. School grades, tests, blah blah blah…" Garrus trailed off.
"OK, here it gets interesting." Garrus resumed. "Following in the footsteps of your older brother and your dad, you sign up for your service age sixteen, no surprises there. But the real surprise is that you sign up for the navy."
Garrus looked up from the pad straight into the eyes of the younger turian. Xihlus stared back evenly, waiting for the elder male to finish relaying his life history.
"And here, the lies begin." Garrus stated plainly. "You ace your aptitude tests. You ace your flight simulations and then to top it all off, you ace your live flight tests. Top of your class, third percentile overall."
"That wasn't a lie! I really did that!" Xihlus spat, speaking for the first time.
"I know you did." Garrus replied. "That's not the lie I'm talking about. The lies begin in your personal correspondence to your parents. Instead of relaying the true story about being the rising star of the navy cadets, you spin this ridiculous tale about life as an army cadet."
Garrus let the information sink in, giving the younger turian time to respond.
"What… what was ridiculous about it?" Xihlus asked.
"Oh, your parents bought it for a while, no doubt." Garrus replied. "But you talk about training exercises that never happened, classmates who don't exist. You had to know it would all go wrong eventually. But, for a while, you got lucky."
"I'd hardly call the uprising of a new separatist movement lucky." Xihlus responded.
"Oh, but it was for you." Garrus replied, smiling. "Formal graduation is cancelled and you're immediately pressed into active service. You climb the ranks over the course of the uprising through sheer skill, and within months you're a goddamned Squadron Leader."
Xihlus stared impassively, not reacting at all to the mention of his extraordinary achievements.
"And then… Dad finds out. While he's had his head stuck in the trenches, someone congratulates him on his son's commendation for valour. Victus tells him he's made a mistake, before being handed the news article. There he sees a picture of his son in an air force dress uniform and his blood boils."
"… The Victus name is tied to the army." Xihlus sighed. "We're known for glory on the ground, not in the air."
"And as such, when the conflict is over, he pulls the rug out from under you, transferring you to a fully-fledged, combat-ready commando unit in the army using his substantial connections." Garrus continued.
"He didn't care that I barely knew one end of an assault rifle from the other." Xihlus replied sadly, breaking eye contact with Garrus and staring at his own feet.
"Then an old friend of mine pops into the picture, and information gets, understandably, difficult to come by." Garrus began again.
"Xihlus, what does Saren Arterius have to do with all this?"
Kasumi's head lolled as she struggled to stay conscious. The pain of her various cuts and bruises fogged her mind, making it difficult to focus on Kessel's questions.
"It's only been two hours Miss Goto." Kessel's voice registered in her ears.
"Well… so far it's been… delightful." Kasumi replied breathlessly.
"Your resilience is admirable, if irritating. Indeed, I now respect you enough to not call in the lovely gentlemen outside." Kessel replied, swapping blades for what seemed like the thousandth time. "It'll just be you and me from now on."
"Yay." The thief replied, slipping into unconsciousness.
"This isn't a slumber party!" Kessel shouted, slapping the thief hard.
The Cerberus agent moved closer to the gasping thief, grabbing her hair and tilting her head upwards.
"Do you think someone is coming to save you?" Kessel asked, tracing a scalpel blade down the thief's cheek, drawing a thin trail of blood. "Do you think Shepard is watching over you?"
"I'd just been dumped into the regiment." Xihlus began. "I hadn't even been through basic. Orders came from above. A council spectre has requested the aid of our regiment specifically. Next thing I know, we're on a transport headed for some rock near the Perseus Veil."
Garrus was now the silent half of the conversation, listening intently to the story.
"We don't even know its Saren until the shuttle doors open and he's standing there. I'm not that sure who he is, but the hushed whispers between the men as we followed him into this warehouse… Well, I quickly figured out he was a living legend. He reaches the middle of the warehouse floor and we're trying to figure out what exactly we're doing there. He just… stood there."
Xihlus paused, seemingly lost in the horror of what was to come in his story.
"Go on." Garrus urged.
"Red targeting lasers rained down from the ceiling. We looked up and the ceiling was filled with geth crawlers. Of course, we didn't know that then. Then, destroyers… juggernauts. They came out of the shadows, out of the crates. They cut us down effortlessly, I just watched the guys fall. The geth fired around Saren, his shields didn't even take a hit. He just watched." Xihlus continued, a haunted expression on his face.
"How did you escape?" Garrus asked.
"The whole thing didn't take long." Xihlus explained. "The warehouse door was closing. Saren was too busy watching the geth to see me. I rolled under and ran back to the shuttle. Once I broke atmo, geth fighters followed me. They clearly didn't expect a trained pilot. I outmanoeuvred them, even took one of them down. Hit the mass relay, went straight to the Citadel."
"I take it Saren had made his move by the time you got there." Garrus reasoned.
"Yeah…" Xihlus replied. "Saren reported that he had destroyed the geth single-handed and that I had run away. He was a spectre, I wasn't even commissioned in the army. I was ruined. Parents disowned me, but Saren couldn't kill me for fear of retribution from my dad."
"He must have been interested to see a battle between modern day organics and synthetics… You were so discredited it didn't matter that you lived. I remember the case." Garrus mentioned as he brought up his Omni-tool, remotely unlocking the handcuffs chaining Xihlus to the railing. Xihlus clutched his now free wrist, massaging away the ache. Garrus crossed over to him, extending a hand.
"You know, I could easily clear your name." Garrus suggested.
"No need. Truth be told, I wasn't really a very good turian." Xihlus replied, allowing Garrus to heave him to his feet.
Garrus took a moment to register the familiar sentiment.
"You know what?" Garrus smiled as he stood face to face with the younger man. "Neither was I."
A/N: Many thanks to all reviewers so far, I've been trying my best to get back to everyone who had specific comments/questions.
A/N2: If you like this story, check out my (reasonably) new one-shot stories listed on my profile page.