Normandy Crash Site – Abandoned Ship – Cargo bay
Garrus, Liara, Tali, and a few soldiers were the only ones in the elevator. The Journey to the CIC weakened James to the point that he agreed to wait with the rest of the wounded. The elevator jerked aggressively and opened to revile the nearly empty cargo bay. The only living spectre insight was dirt and plant life that had made a home in the long neglected cargo bay.
"Check the corners." Garrus commanded as the slowly walked down the long halls of crates. Muscles started to relax as they slowly came to realize that there was nothing in sight. Only the occasional paw print could be found upon the floor.
Their boots clanked against the metal floor of the ship until they slowly came to a stop, the large opening in the floor causing them to stop.
"It looks like this is the way down." Garrus said as he peaked down the hole.
Tali sent a glowing combat drone down the hole, giving light to a box that could help them descend into the darkness.
With careful and nervous footing they descended into the next floor. The crates formed a small valley that enveloped them like the very darkness around them. Death with his black shadow had slowed the down time within the valley of darkness turning seconds into everlasting hours. The cool air of the ship had hidden the warm breath that lurked behind them, death smiling as he would claim new victims in this haunted land of misery and rot.
It waited for several long moments in the shadows, holding its breath as it waited harkening to the sounds of boots hitting the ground and the everlasting tick tock of death's clock.
Thus when the beast was sure that the tiny morsels had entered the shadowed valley, it knew it was feeding time. With a loud snarl it threw itself into the shadowed valley, claws scratching on the metal making an ear piercing noise as sparks flew in every direction, the beast barreled down the valley of crates.
"Beast on our six!" One of the soldiers yelled from the back line as the beast tore into his brother in arms.
The monster plowed its way through the men, limbs and blood coated the floor. Liara turned around and stared the beast in the eye. Biotic energy surged through her as she prepared to throw a singularity at it. The eyes of the beast glowed with biotic power as it charged. Liara suddenly felt weak in the knees and tired, unable to conger up the strength to fight or move. The beast continue it rampage, barreling towards the squad.
"Liara!" Garrus yelled before shooting a concussive round at the beast.
The beast stumbled to the side; its long razor like tail flew out to the side as it fell to the floor. Garrus ran to its side and unloaded his rifle in to its eye. Warm blood and bits of eyeball splashed his face. It whimpered it pain as it went through its death throws
A soft whimper could be heard as the beast fell silent. Liara lied upon the floor, her leg's tore off of her body.
"Liara!" Garrus shouted as he scrambled to her side.
Normandy Crash site – Abandoned Ship – Crew's Quarters
Private Megan Kyle's eye fluttered open as she slowly woke up in darkness. She struggled to move but her arms and legs were bound and her mouth was taped shut. The small metal confines of whatever she was in made struggling difficult and her body heat up quickly.
A door opened as she was dragged out of the closet, the old man's finger brushed her lips. "Shush child, stress spoils meat and we would not want you to turn to waste now."
He snickered as he tied her down to the stainless steel kitchen table.
She struggled and tried to scream but it was all in vain. The old man smiled gleefully as he sharpened his cleaver. "Waste not, want not." He chuckled eerily as he licked his dry lips.
The man hobbled over to drawer full of razor sharp knives and cleavers, the tools of his trade.
"In culinary school you learn a lot of things." He spoke calmly as he honed his knives. "One of those lessons always stuck with me and wormed its way into my brain day and night, very lesson revolved around this simple moral." He looked down the edge of his blade, inspecting it. "Never waste food, especially meat."
Megan struggled in her bindings as fear washed over her.
"So, when I saw how these beasts ripped apart my comrades, I was disgusted. They were not treated as prey or food, but waste." He gritted his teeth. "Flesh was ripped and torn carelessly, little thought or consideration was taken into the dissection of the meat! It sickened me. And thus I came to conclusion that I would let no one go to waste ever again." He gave a hearty laugh. "It was hard at first, butchering the corpse of my friends, but it slowly got easier over time, so much so that I became comfortable enough to season and spice the flesh before consumption."
Megan started to cry as her binding started cutting into her skin. Her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. "You sick fuck."
"Sick fuck, twisted bastard, freak, disgusting pig, why can't any of you come up with better names." The old man chuckled. "A broken record the lot of ya." He slowly raised the blade to her broken leg and peeled the skin off with the knife making her scream in pain.
Normandy Crash Site – Abandoned Ship – Cargo Bay...
Liara held on to Garrus' arms tightly as Talia and a couple of others from the squad worked endlessly to patch up her severed legs.
The Asari cursed profusely as they sealed her wounds with medi – gel and gauze.
"I think that should hold." Talia muttered as she slowly backed away from her dying friend.
The Asari's face was pale and sickly before she lost consciousness.
Garrus checked her heart beat, comforted by the steady pulse. "She's fine, just exhausted."
"I can escort Dr. T'soni to the CIC." One of the soldiers spoke up.
Garrus nods. "You three," He points to some other soldiers. "Go with him."
They nod and the small group head into the elevator while Garrus and his team delve deeper into the floor they are on, finding cages and research documents amongst the dead.
Slowly piecing together the true horrors of the confines they were in and learning that some stories are better left for the dead.
Normandy Crash Site – Abandoned Ship – CIC...
It never added up, the amount of blood, the limbs. None of them were hers, it didn't make any sense. The excuse that the swarms of bugs and other ghastly creature ate her so fast seemed like a poor excuse, a laughable reason to not explore the dark.
James slowly stood up from his spot, his body angry with him.
"Sir!?" One of the men was quickly by his side. "What are you doing, you need to rest."
He shook his head. "No, something isn't right we need to go back."
"Sir, you're not thinking straight."
"Well I guess you better come with me." He says bluntly as he pushes past him.
By the time he got to the elevator he had gather a small force to take them down the elevator.
Normandy Crash Site – Abandoned Ship – Laboratory...
They had searched high and low, finding nothing but dirty secrets and corpses that looked as if they were still trying to cling to life. Things started to look bleak. The operation was starting to look like a failure. The door was sealed tight and welded shut, they couldn't find anything to help them get any closer to the part they needed.
Maybe this was the end, they would all die here, lost and never found. Some ghoulish beast would consume their innards as they screamed for mercy.
They hear a bunch of foot-steps slowly creep up on them, the sounds of claws scarping along the metal floor. "Need a hand with that." James said out of the darkness.