Disclaimer: See Chapter I - Beginnings
The Rift
Chapter X
A Family Reunion
The Mako rolled to a stop in the entry garage of the Peak 15, the doors closing behind it. Climbing out, the team stretched a bit before looking around. The entryway was mostly barren of any information about the facility, other than a sign above the interior door welcoming employees. John, Anthony, Tali, and Liara all took a moment to stretch. Anthony took the chance to speak first.
"You know...I'm all for road trips, but next time, someone else drive? No offense, Commander, but whoever certified you on this thing must not have been riding shotgun with you." Shepard just smirked.
"Actually, Snyder, training with them is all in VR simulators, now. Just as good as the real thing, though." Anthony just shook his head, stretching a little more. Shepard also tilted his head to the side, the vertebrae in his neck letting off several loud pops. "Although...I don't think the Alliance had long-distance travel in mind when they designed it."
"I'll say. I'm used to tight spaces, but that was a bit much even for me." Tali added. For a moment, she seemed to shiver a bit before pulling up her omni-tool and hitting some controls. "Can we please get inside more? I'm still feeling a chill. Remind me never to come back to this world once we're done."
Anthony suddenly looked worried. He looked over to the rest of the team. "Hey, guys...is it just me...or is there a voice coming from in there? Sounds like an automated warning or something..." The rest of the team looked over to Anthony, who was now standing beside the door to the main part of the garage, the door still closed for now. Sighing, he shook his head. "I can't make it out. But it sounds like someone on the PA."
John thought for a moment, then looked over to the main garage doors. "Tali...you're the best with an omni-tool. Can you see if you can get the main doors open? If there's anyone in there, I'd rather have the Mako for the firepower, just in case." Tali nodded, walking to the door's controls, pulling open her omni-tool and seeing what she can do with the controls. Shepard walked over to Anthony and Liara.
Liara looked up as he walked over, and saw the look of concern on his face. "Commander, I know what you're going to say. If my mother is indeed still here, and working for Saren, I want to go in. I need to find out what is going on. As I know her, she never would have done something like this." Shepard nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"Please, Shepard. I need to." John lowered his gaze and sighed.
"Alright, Liara. I won't ask you to stay back. But if we start finding things you can't handle, say something." Liara nodded. Tali then interrupted them.
"Alright. I think I've got it. If we're taking the Mako in, then whoever is driving should get in." Shepard nodded and made his way to the hatch. Climbing in, he left it open for the moment. The rest of the team readied their weapons as tali brought up the omni-tool again, hitting a button. "Okay, doors opening!"
The door slowly retracted it's way into the celing, Anthony peeked around the doorframe. Not seeing anything just yet, he raised a hand, making a waving forward motion to show the room was clear. Liara and Tali moved up with him into the garage, the automated warning now able to be understood.
*User Alert: All Peak 15 facilities have suffered a great deal of damage. Bio-Hazard materials present throughout facility. VI/user interface offline.*
John looked up, a little more alarmed as he heard that. Leaning over to the hatch, he called out. "Everyone, hardsuit protocols, NOW!" Hitting a button on the side of his own helmet, the breather mask slid forward, locking in the middle and pressing against the opening, sealing him into his own environment. Tali had nothing to worry about, since her suit was hard-sealed, anyway. Liara and Anthony did the same thing, their respective masks sealing their helmets, as well. Shepard's voice came across the suit radios.
"Alright, everyone, radios only from this point on. Snyder, take a minute and boot up that medical scanner. Check everyone for any contamination.* Anthony nodded and put his rifle away, lifting his arm up to access his omni-tool. Before he could, though, Liara all but tackled him out of the way. Before anyone could question her, though, a reddish blast of energy sailed through the air where he was standing. Shepard looked through the Mako's viewport.
On the far side of the garage, several geth, including a Destroyer, which had fired the shot, were now advancing on the squad.
"Contact!"
The door to the elevator slid open, revealing an out of breath ground team, each of them with weapons raised in case of the slightest non-humanoid movement in the hallway. Seeing none, each took a moment, leaning against the elevator walls.
Anthony, Liara, Tali, and John all were looking at each other, none believing what they had just seen. Some kind of beasts were rampaging though the facility, and none of the researchers were anywhere to be seen, not even bodies. Soft panting was heard through everyone's radios, each of them trying to catch their breath and calm themselves from the monstrosities that were infesting the building. Anthony looked over to the others.
"I'm guessing...those things aren't a Citadel race, then?" The other three stared at him for a moment. John's soft chuckling slowly came across the radio.
"Snyder...congratulations. If we make it out of this pit...I'm making you ship's morale officer." Anthony chuckled as well, straightening enough for a moment to throw off a salute. "I'm going to go out on a limb here, but...I think these creatures are the 'Bio-Hazard' the VI was talking about." Tali made a scoffing noise at that.
"Well, they certainly are hazardous. To us, in particular. It would make sense with the turrets facing inwards, as well, back there." John nodded for a moment, thinking for a moment.
"Still, keep your breathers active. No chances. I don't want to contaminate the ship with whatever might be here." With nods from the team, the four made their way out of the elevator and into the hallway. At the end of the passage, the door slid open, revealing what seemed to be a waystation central corridor. Signs at the far end of the room advertised different destinations of the lab. The VI came across the PA again.
*Non-contaminant life forms detected. Alert: Critical startup error. VI/user interface offline. Manual repair required.*
Shepard kept his shotgun raised, still sweeping the room. Walking further, he spoke sternly. "Alright, people, by the numbers. Contacts?"
A chorus of 'clear' answered him, and he slowly lowered his weapon, walking further toward the back of the room. "Tali, that looks like the VI core over there. You're up." She nodded and wet over, connecting her omni-tool to the computer. When she got nothing, she came back out of the ring, looking back to Shepard.
"It's completely offline. It looks like the core is down further. I'm going to have to take this lift down and see if I can pull together a backup copy." Shepard nodded as Tali disappeared back into the core.
"Alright, you two, let's see what we can find out about this place."
The elevator to Hot Lab 2 opened, Anthony and Liara stumbling out, both covered in what appeared to be blood and various pieces of alien flesh. Shepard and Tali both rushed over, helping the two from the elevator and into Rift Station, proper. John looked over at the two, having taken off his helmet once he and Tali created a cure for some disease that had gotten out in the Quarantine Labs. "I'm guessing that everything down there is dead?" Anthony sighed and nodded, pulling his own helmet off.
"Yeah...we hit the neutron purge. Little fuckers didn't feel like going quietly, though." Anthony looked over to Liara. "You alright?" Liara pulled her own helmet off and just nodded, panting gently from the run. Anthony Looked back to Shepard. "There...must have been over a hundred. Running and gunning the whole way. Damn motivating, Commander, I'll tell you."
"Hell, I can believe it. Took the krogan to wipe these things out last time." At the confused looks, John continued. "They're rachni." Anthony wasn't too affected by it, but Liara gasped. John nodded. "Yeah, that's what we said when we found out. Binary Helix found an egg on a derilict ship. It was a queen. And guess who happens to be the majority shareholder?" Anthony looked down, closing his eyes.
"Saren Arterius?" Shepard just nodded, helping him up as Tali helped Liara to her feet. "Well...one lab and a fuckton of rachni down. One lab, one queen, and one asari matriarch to go?" Anthony watched Liara out of the corner of his eye as he spoke, watching her face fall as he mentioned her mother.
"Yeah. I hope it doesn't come to that, but so far this whole planet has been a clusterfuck. But everyone, stay aware of your surroundings when we go down there." Shepard led the squad to the next elevator over, marked 'Hot Lab 1'. Opening to the keycard Captain Ventralis had given Shepard after coming back from the Quarantine Lab, John watched as everyone entered. Stepping in, he paused his hand over the controls. "Anyone have doubts...last chance."
Stares of determination met his gaze as he looked around the elevator cab. Nodding once, hit hit the button, closing the doors and descending the team into the lab. "Alright. Eyes on a swivel, everybody. Who knows what else might be down here. If it has more than two legs or is glowing from the head, don't hesitate." Nods answered him as everyone pulled their helmets back on. Given the tight quarters, everyone pulled out their shotguns as the door opened.
"Alright. Move out."
Surprisingly, there was very little still in this lab. The group kept alert and quiet until they came to the main experiment area. Opening the door and bursting into the corner of the room, all guns were trained on the platform in the center, and Benezia. The Asari Matriarch almost seemed to pay the group no attention, standing next to a tank containing a single Rachni. Benezia quietly began talking towards the team, but not looking at them yet.
"You...you do not know the priveledge of being a mother. The power of creating a life. Turning it towards happiness or despair." She turned to face the team, her eyes locking with Liara's for a moment. "Her children were to be OURS. Raised to slay Saren's enemies. Your boldness is admirable, Shepard. But I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation." John shook his head, Liara standing slightly straighter in defiance.
"Liara is here because she asked to be. I was actually going to ask her to stay behind. She wanted the truth." Benezia just sneered at the group.
"Indeed." She stared down Liara, seemingly ignoring the others for a moment. "What have you told them about me, Liara?"
"What would you have me tell them about you, mother? That you're insane? Should I tell them how to kill you? No. I told them that the woman I knew as my mother would never do anything like this!" Anthony reached out, placing a hand on Liara's shoulder. She turned to face him, and after a moment, she nodded solemnly. Benezia laughed.
"Found a new thing of interest, my dear daughter? Well...it is too bad. Shepard, have you ever faced an Asari commando unit before? Few humans have...and survived to tell of it." Shepard looked up to Benezia in surprise.
"You would kill your own daughter?" The Asari Matriarch just chuckled darkly.
"I see now I should have been...stricter with her. A mistake I now rectify!" Benezia glowed the eerie blue of biotics before launching a ball of dark energy at the squad. Shepard's eyes went wide, screaming out as he dove for cover.
"BREAK!"
The team just barely made it out of the path of the projectile, only to have to take further cover as shots rang out from the far end of the lab, a group of heavily armed Asari coming out of their ambush positions. Everyone pulled their weapons back up to bear on the new attackers. Shepard called out once again. "Pick your targets and take them out. But we all hit Benezia together!" Anthony looked over to Liara when that order was given. Her face was set hard for what needed to be done, but her eyes spoke a different story. 'She's terrified...even seeing her mother like this, she can't do it...'
Anthony looked over to Shepard, calling out. "Commander! I swear, nothing stupid this time. Give me a distraction and I can take her down." Shepard looked over to Anthony.
"Commandos, first, Snyder! Then we worry about her!" Anthony nodded, putting his shotgun away and pulling out his pistol. Commandos started to corner in on the squad, firing almost constantly. "Everyone, take cover and shut your shields off!" At the squad's sudden look of surprise, John continued. "Tali, wide area overload. You think you can hit them all at once?" Tali nodded after a moment's thought, and from the sound of her voice, even through the vocal filter, one could tell she had an evil smile on her lips.
"It'll be like they were never on." Shepard nodded and waited for a moment, throwing a grenade over the crate he was behind to give a little more cover. He then nodded to Tali. She brought up her omni-tool and overloaded it, sending a shock wave across the room. Shields sputtered and failed as the mini EMP overloaded the circuitry.
"Alright, take them down!" The team reactivated their own shields and pulled up over the crates. Against the now unshielded opponents, their weapons had devastating effect. Commandos began falling under the hail of rounds. Shepard then looked over to Anthony. "Alright, Snyder, you're up! Don't get dead!"
Anthony nodded and put his pistol away, sprinting for the platform beneath the Rachni tank. He reached into the trauma kit that was attached to his leg, a gift from Dr. Chakwas before the team left the Normandy. Now, he was glad he had it. Pulling out an injection gun, he loaded it with sedative. It was three times the normal dose, yes, but it wouldn't be fatal. Just knock out whoever it was put into for a while. For someone like Wrex, it might last a few hours, but for an Asari, he was sure it would be a few days before she woke up. And this was triple that dose. Anthony keyed up his radio. "Liara...I need you to distract her. She focused on you before, I need you to do that again so I can get behind her."
"Got it." Anthony slowly made his way up the other side of the platform as Liara called out. "Stop this, mother!" Benezia actually did stop for a moment, Liara coming out of her cover completely, lowering her weapon. "I...I don't want to hurt you, mother!" Benezia turned to the three, sneering at her daughter.
"You will fail. Saren's armies are unstoppable." She turned towards the Rachni again. "My mind is filed with his light!" Shepard and the rest of the team slowly advanced towards her, climbing onto the platform. Anthony slowly made his way up the stairs behind her. "You will not make me betray him! You...you...will..."
"Mother...?" Liara took another hesitant step closer as Benezia faltered in her words. When she turned back to the group, however, they were surprised at her words.
"You must listen to me. Saren...still whispers in my mind. I can fight his control, briefly, but...his indoctrination is strong. Being near him makes your mind twist and warp. It makes you want to do anything for him, even give your life. Soverign...Saren's flagship. That is the key. It is a dreadnaught of unimaginable power."
Shepard slowly lowered his weapon. "You mean...that ship that attacked Eden Prime? Where did he get it?" Benezia shook her head.
"I don't know, but it's capacity for destruction is not it's true power. The longer you are aboard, the more his will seems right. It is...subtle at first. I...I thought I would be able to resist. I saw Saren's power ad I wanted to steer him toward a more peaceful path. Instead...I became a willing pawn." She turned once again, looking toward the Rachni Queen. Her voice took on a more remorseful tone. "Saren sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. It's position was lost thousands of years ago by a supernova. The relay wound up in Rachni space. Their Queens gain the genetic memories of their mothers. I...took it from her mind. I was...not gentle." Liara spoke quietly.
"Mother, please...did you send the relay's location to Saren?" Benezia just nodded solemnly.
"Right before you arrived. But here." She turned again, facing the team. During this time, Anthony made his way up the platform, hanging off the side of the railings behind the consoles to keep hidden. He held the injection gun in his teeth as he pulled himself now over the railing, bending his knees as he landed, making his footfalls almost silent. Benezia took the noise as the Rachni in the tank and dismissed it. "I copied the data onto an OSD. Please...take it." She held out a disc to Liara, who took it.
"Mother..."
"Now...you have to go. I...I can feel Saren's whispers in my ear...his teeth within my mind! You...you need to..." Benezia collapsed down to a knee at this point, clutching at her head. "AHH!" Anthony gripped the injector tightly, knowing he would have one shot. As Benezia stood, he moved in, cutting her off in mid-word. "DI-Ahhh!" Pressing the injector against her neck, he pulled the trigger. Benezia swung wildly in surprise, knocking Anthony backwards against the console, her hand going to her neck. "Treachery is how you fight! With poison when your opponents back is turned!" Benezia stumbled slightly as the drug began to take effect, falling backwards against a railing. Liara rushed to her side as Shepard moved to check on Anthony.
"I'm alright..." Anthony groaned as Shepard helped him up. Looking over, he watched Liara and Benezia.
"Good night...my Little Wing. I will...see you again on the dawn." Benezia's head dropped forward for a moment before she lifted it again. Liara's voice was now choked with tears.
"Mother...!" Liara was nearly speechless, crouched down beside her mother. Benezia simply smiled for a moment, before looking confused.
"No...no light...? They always said...supposed to be a li-..." Benezia's eyes closed as the drug took full effect. Anthony walked over to Liara, wanting to make sure she didn't assume the worst.
"She'll be alright, Liara. It was just a heavy sedative. She'll be out for a while. But we might be able to find a way to reverse this...indoctrination. She was able to fight it long enough to help us." Liara just nodded softly, still cradling her mother's limp form. Nobody noticed one of the dead Asari commandos slowly getting up, walking jerkily towards the Rachni tank.
Until she spoke. "This one...will speak for us." The whole team turned, leveling weapons at the commando. Shepard quickly raised his hand.
"Wait!"
Walking closer, John looked at the Asari's chest, where a shotgun round had left many small holes, some still oozing light purple blood. The commando spoke again, her entire body moving erratically.
"We can not sing in these low spaces. Your music is...colorless. We...are the mother. We sing for those lost...to silence." Tali quietly spoke up.
"The Rachni...she's using this Asari to speak." Shepard looked over to the tank, at the Queen within.
"What do you want?" The controled Asari twitched more as she spoke.
"You are...not in harmony with those who wished...to control us. What will you sing? Will you release us...or will you let our song fade again into silence?" Tali looked up to Shepard.
"John...you can't. It took the Krogan to stop the Rachni attacks last time. And look what happened!"
"Your companion...hears the truth." Shepard gave a hard stare to the Rachni.
"If...I let you go...would your kind attack other races again?"
"No! That was...not of our doing! Our songs were...thrown from harmony. Songs of...oily shadows mixed with ours. The same songs that...shake her mind." The commando looked toward the unconscious Benezia. "But...her song has not ended."
Liara looked up, toward the Rachni. "If you can control that body...can you...can you restore her song?" The Rachni almost seemed to look down.
"No. Her song is not our own. But her song still plays. If the songs of shadows can be ended...her own will crescendo." John looked down to Liara and nodded. Turning back to the tank, he walked to the controls.
"I believe you. And you won't die here. Not by my hands."
"You will let us compose anew?" At his nod, the Rachni turned her head to face Shepard, her tentacled claws lowering, as if in a bow of thanks. "We...will remember you. And we will sing of your forgiveness...to our children."
With a whirr of machinery, the tank began to rise. Coming into contact with a passageway above, the movement suddenly stopped. The Rachni Queen once again seemed to look at Shepard as the Asari commando's body crumpled to the platform, released from her control. The Queen then moved to the passage and scurried out of sight. Anthony looked up to Shepard as they watched. "I hope you know what you're doing, John." Shepard just nodded.
"Yeah. Me, too."
Back on the Normandy, Anthony had received a healthy dressing down by Dr. Chakwas over his methods. But ultimately, Shepard had stepped in, pointing out that if he hadn't done what he did, Benezia would more than likely be dead, rather than laying in the med-bay under heavy IV sedation. Liara was staying close to her mother for the time being, and everyone had cleared out to give her some privacy. The rest of the squad had gone to the briefing room to report to the council. Needless to say they were surprised to hear of Benezia's survival, but were worried of hearing the Rachni were loose again. After the last report, Shepard had a button ready on the podium, and when the Turian Councillor started his rant, John hit the button, closing the link. Anthony and John were now in the mess, taking in the day's events.
"Anthony...that was reckless...but I'm glad you did that. Losing her mother like that would have been a huge blow to Liara. Just...pray we don't come to regret it." Anthony nodded softly, nursing a cup of tea, not trusting the coffee for the moment.
"Yeah. I do. But...hell, I don't know. The Hippocratic Oath got to me. 'Do no harm', and all that, you know? Plus...if she's so respected with the Asari...maybe if we get through this, the Council will listen to her?" John nodded.
"Sound thinking, I suppose. Anyway, good work. We're going to head back to the Citadel for now. Resupply, as well as get Benezia to a proper hospital so she can be monitored better than we can do here. The med-bay isn't made for long-term care."
"Aye, sir." John nodded and stood, making his way upwards toward the bridge, to inform Joker of their course, no doubt. Anthony then stood and made his way over to the med-bay door. He didn't activate it, though. Touching the door softly, he turned and walked off.
"For you, dad."
AN: And another one down! I'd like to thank Sarge1995 for the idea for saving Benezia in this chapter. I hope that I didn't make it too odd, or break far enough from the game to make it not as believable. On a more personal note, this chapter is dedicated to my father, who passed as the result of a massive stroke on 1-18-06. He was my closest friend, even when I didn't have any, and was my inspiration not only to become an EMT, but to begin writing in the first place.
Also, on going through my old computer, to bring files to my new laptop and portable hard drive, I found a file I had started years ago. So after this story, I'll be using that one as my break from the ME universe to plan out the sequel a little more. See you later, everyone! And as always: Love it? Hate It?
↓Let me know right here!↓