Rylee wanted his mom. He was following the lady like he was told to, but the whole time he searched for somewhere to hide. The lady stopped to talk to someone and Rylee took his chance and ran, fast, back the way he'd come. He got into the lift and pressed the highest button. Mommy said she'd be back and she would.
As soon as the doors slid open a siren began to sound. He ran again, along the corridors into the main area. Everyone around him was standing still in confusion at the sound of the alarm. Rylee just zipped past them, found his spot and sat back on the wall, waiting. He wondered if the alarm was because of him, and he tried to make himself smaller.
Five minutes.
Rylee saw a lot of activity through the glass windows, but his only concern was his mom. He began to worry that she'd come back while he was gone, and was now looking for him. He nearly got up to look for her, but then he remembered what mommy had told him. If he ever got lost, he should stay exactly where he was and she'd find him. So that's what he'd do.
Loud bangs started outside, screaming people ran in, guns were firing. Rylee had heard it before, on the Citadel. Bad people were here. He was torn between staying so mommy could find him, or hiding. Then he saw things coming into the building. Not bad men. Monsters. Monsters that made horrible sounds and were attacking people.
He didn't have anything of Zaeed's to protect him any more…. So he ran. Back through the doors he'd ran from just a short time ago. He found a small closet, full of stuff, and pushed himself to the back. He saw a jacket someone had hung on a hook on the inside wall next to the door, and he went to get it before settling back in the little nook he'd created, covering himself with the coat. Only a crack remained, and it gave him a view of the doorway.
He was trying to be brave. Mommy had said they had to deal with what they had. They could look after themselves. So he would look after himself until mommy came for him.
Then the lights went out.
-x-
Zaeed was five hours into his twelve hour journey. It was times like this he appreciated how damn fast a ship like the Normandy was. If he was aboard that, he'd be there in less than eight.
Being on the 'Kismet' made him feel closer to Jas though, and suddenly the thought of Osoba trying to lay his hands on her, made him angry. She was his. It was something he'd thought the first time he'd found her, just six/seven months ago, but now it had real meaning - because he was hers, too.
-x-
Jas didn't know what was happening, but it didn't sound good. She listened harder as the noise became louder. Those were definitely explosions, and gunfire. Had someone else discovered what this place was? Could it be help?
She was about to call out when she heard the screech. That wasn't human. Had the husks escaped? She froze at scuffling right outside the door to the cell she was in. The door banged. It was all Jas could do, not to cry out in fear, as her whole body jumped. It screeched loudly. Another bang. Then it moved off. Thank God the room was locked.
She thought of Rylee. He'd be so scared. She yanked harder on the cuffs. Harder and harder. It was no good. They were too tight. Her wrists throbbed from their treatment, now red raw. She felt that awful despair again, like she had in the park on the Citadel. Her baby needed her.
Her son needed her.
She got angry.
She wasn't trying hard enough. She looked up at her restraints. There was no way she was getting out of the cuffs, but maybe the ring they were attached to was a weak link. She had to try.
Jas twisted as far as she could so she was nearly facing the wall. Next she started bringing her feet up the wall, her wrists felt like they were on fire. Then she pulled back with all her strength, using her legs to give her extra force. She thought there was some give, but as a sharp pain exploded in her left wrist, she realised she'd just dislocated it. She let her legs fall, her head resting on the wall. It was useless. She closed her eyes. She had no idea how long she'd been here.
Would Zaeed be on his way by now? Would he be able to handle whatever was going on out there? The whole thing seemed completely beyond anything she could comprehend. He was just one man. He'd be killed. She wouldn't wish for him to be anywhere near here.
She was suddenly so unbelievably tired. The pain was intense as she hung limply from her damaged limbs.
She had failed her son.
-x-
Zaeed was only been a short distance from the system that was the home to Horizon, where 'Sanctuary' was located, when Liara contacted him.
"T'Soni?"
"Zaeed! We're heading for Sanctuary!"
Zaeed knew instantly that if Shepard was headed there, bad things were happening.
"We've just tracked a known Cerberus agent, Kai Leng, there. I thought it important to let you know. If he's gone there, things may not be all they seem with the facility."
"I knew it! Damn it, T'Soni, tell me you're close."
"About two hours."
He was only an hour out at his speed.
"Then I'll see you down there."
"I'll let Shep-" The communication fizzled out as Zaeed flew into the blackout zone.
-x-
Coming up on the facility, he saw the aftermath of a battle. He got a closer look at the downed bodies.
Well that was just great. Cerberus and Reaper abominations. Nothing was ever easy.
He wouldn't let himself consider that he was too late. He would have to stand over their bodies before he accepted that.
He settled the ship down behind a shuttle and grabbed his weapons, his trusted 'Jessie' in his hand. She wouldn't let him down today.
He made his way to the building, but stopped after only a few strides as he noticed something on the ground. He bent, his stomach twisting in recognition of what those broken parts had once been. Rylee's ship. He knew that boy wouldn't have willingly relinquished it.
Zaeed steeled himself into that hard-assed merc he was so familiar with, and went inside.
-x-
The sound of the cell door unlocking, invaded the fog in Jas' head. She watched the door slide open and sighed in relief when she saw a man standing there. Then she saw the Cerberus logo, the long sword strapped to his back. This wasn't good.
He stared at her, motionless for a moment, nothing showing on his face but indifference, then he moved off. What were Cerberus doing here? Were they part of the attack, with the Reapers, or were they fighting them? She couldn't get her head around it all.
The door slid closed again, and all Jas could think was that it was no longer locked. The next time something came to that door, they'd be able to walk straight in….
-x-
The place was a wreck. Gunfire in his direction had him ducking for cover. Cerberus bastards. Some of them were fast buggers too. Not that all that ridiculous jumping and spinning about, impressed him. Goddamn waste of energy. A few well-placed shots soon took them down. The rest went the same way. Amateurs.
A quick survey showed that everyone must have fled. Most of the bodies belonged to either Reapers or Cerberus. A good sign.
He scanned the doorways. The power must be out. Then he spotted some doors, just slightly open, and ran for it. He wedged as much of his body into the gap as he could, and forced the doors open enough that he could get through. They closed completely behind him. Looks like he'd be finding another way out.
A familiar sound up ahead had him readying his weapon. Husk.
-x-
Rylee jumped as the closet door slid open. He couldn't take his eyes off the creature that filled the space. It looked like a person, but he knew that it would just want to hurt him. It stood there for a moment then screeched loudly.
Rylee couldn't stop the whimper that escaped his mouth…. And it heard him.
It screeched again as it rushed forward and Rylee screamed as he pushed himself up and nimbly past the monster. He had just got out into the hallway when it grabbed him.
-x-
The child's scream was one of pure terror, and Zaeed ran flat out until he saw the husk. His heart froze when he recognised Rylee. He wouldn't risk hitting the boy, so he leapt forward and swung a fist that went straight through the monstrosity's head, dropping it instantly.
Rylee was hyper-ventilating on the floor, his green eyes wild as he stared at the husk as though he expected it to come back to life if he moved.
Zaeed tried not to spook the kid.
"Rylee, breathe."
The boy's eyes flickered as his brain slowly processed the familiar voice.
"It's me, kid. Zaeed."
That little head instantly swung to look at him, and he looked at Zaeed as though he wasn't sure if he was real, so Zaeed ran his hand over the boy's head.
That did it. Rylee snapped out of his daze and jumped at Zaeed who held him close while the kid wailed into his neck.
"Hey, you need to be strong now, kid. We're not out of this yet, and I'm gonna need your help."
It amazed Zaeed that the boy seemed to do exactly as he was told, as he began to wipe his eyes, though his body still shuddered violently, and he didn't ease off his hold on Zaeed.
"Where's your mom?"
"I…don't…know. She told me… to stay…while she went to find out…why she didn't like this place…like I didn't…..And she didn't come back! Then the men came to take me away….and Uncle Dom had to go somewhere else….and when the lady wasn't looking, I ran….to come back….to where mommy had left me, so she could find me. But she still isn't here….and the monsters came!… Uncle Dom broke my ship…..so I didn't have it to protect me….so I ran and hid. You're not mad are you?"
"It's just a piece of plastic, kid."
"I won't need it now you're here, right Zaeed?"
"Damn straight, kid. We need to find your mom, so I need you to think very hard about where she went."
"She came through the doors that I went through!…But that's all I saw."
"Okay, good. Then we're on the right track. Let's go."
They followed the corridor to an elevator. Inside, Zaeed wondered where she might have gone. Crazy woman. What was she thinking, going off by herself? Damn, if it wasn't something he would do. He perused the list of floors, and finished on the one labelled 'Labs'. Hmm. Seemed a logical place to investigate considering this was supposed to be a refuge. That's the floor he selected.
-x-
As they arrived, Zaeed made sure that the kid stayed behind him. The shrieks of inhuman things indicated that the abominations had reached even this far down. Rylee was crouched behind a pillar, his hands over his ears, eyes screwed shut, and Zaeed startled him when he laid his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You're my right hand man, remember? I need you to watch my back."
Rylee swallowed and puffed himself up, giving Zaeed a small salute that would have amused him in any other circumstance.
Zaeed went to move forward when the previously sealed doors behind him, suddenly opened. Rylee reacted by throwing himself on to Zaeed's back, and Zaeed swung to face whatever was coming through, taking the boy with him.
Shepard, with Vakarian and T'Soni. He lowered his weapon.
"About goddamned time. Thought I'd have to clear the place single-handed," groused Zaeed, lightly.
"I'm sorry, Zaeed," Shepard responded sarcastically. "We just had to get through a few dozen Cerberus agents, first."
"Must have gone rusty while you were locked up, Shepard, if a few amateur jackasses like those can slow you down," joked Zaeed.
"Oh, I've just realised how much I missed you, Massani," teased Garrus. "We'll have to compare kills later. Bet mine are more impressive."
"Ha! You're on, Vakarian! Now let's quit chatting like old fishwives and get moving."
"Fishwives?" he heard Garrus mutter quietly as they moved on as a unit.
"New accessory?" Shepard asked, nodding at the boy on Zaeed's back.
"Yeah, upgrade. Gives you eyes in the back of your head," answered Zaeed, deadpan.
Rylee gave a little giggle.
"Hey, kid, meet Commander Shepard. Shepard, Rylee."
"Whoa!" gasped out Rylee, in awe.
"Nice to meet you Rylee." Shepard then glanced an unspoken question about the boy.
"He's the kid of the woman I came here to find. She's missing," Zaeed said, solemnly.
Shepard just nodded, not needing to tell him that the likelihood of a civilian surviving down here was low.
"We'll find her," supplied Liara, assuredly from behind him, and Zaeed got the idea that it wasn't just for the kid's benefit.
They went from lab to lab, Liara checking all the terminals, filling in the pieces of the puzzle at just what the hell was going on here. Apparently, Miranda Lawson was around here somewhere too.
The abominations kept coming, and Rylee managed to hold it together admirably as he crouched down low behind a pillar or wall until the gunfire stopped. Every room was opened, searched. It was a long process that had Zaeed looking forward to the distraction of killing something, just so he didn't have to dwell on the fact that they were running out of places to look.
The tanks had done it for him. Knowing what these bastards had been doing with the refugees… At each tank, Liara checked the monitors that listed who had been altered. The lists were extensive, but so far, Jas wasn't on them. Nevertheless, every time he took down a husk, he wondered if it was her.
Liara was searching another monitor now, when she gasped, and Zaeed went numb in preparation.
"Goddess! Dominic Osoba, the human ambassador, is listed." She looked at Zaeed, who was staring back stoically. Then she looked in sympathy at the boy, now standing at Zaeed's side.
"Is Uncle D- my dad….is he one of those monsters now?" Rylee asked quietly.
"I'm sorry, Rylee," was all Liara could say to the child, who looked up at her so sadly.
"Does that mean mommy is-"
"No!" interrupted Zaeed gruffly. "Come on, there's more to search."
He moved off.
The next area revealed Brutes, three of the bastard things. Zaeed forced Rylee behind a thick pillar and got to work. Every shot was filled with rage. What was it he'd said to Shepard once?
'Rage is one hell of an anaesthetic.'
Well, it seemed to be true for more than just physical pain.
They brought two down relatively quickly, then the third Brute went for him, and he leapt and rolled out of it's path. They were well into the room now. Zaeed turned to get it in his sights again when he was distracted by the doors behind the creature sliding open. Jas! His heart leapt, then felt like it was in his throat as the Brute also spotted her. She was cuffed to the wall, a sitting target!
"Watch your shots!" yelled Shepard.
Zaeed could see it tensing, readying itself to charge, with a roar. Zaeed answered with a roar of his own, as he fired and ran straight at it. The Brute started for Jas, and Zaeed jumped up on to it's back and yanked out his knife, severing the head from it's body. The momentum from the beast's charge still carried it forward and Zaeed's weight was forcing it down, but it would still impact Jas.
Jas did the only thing she could. She forced her wrists to take her weight and jerked her body up as high as she could, drawing her legs up. The Brute's body smacked hard into the wall directly below her, leaving a huge indent, before landing on the floor.
Zaeed flung the knife aside and stood on the Brute, lifting her body to alleviate the stress on her bloody wrists.
Jas couldn't believe he was there. That moment the door had opened, had been her worst nightmare and her best dream all in one! A huge Reaper thing, and Zaeed just beyond. She was in complete turmoil.
Then he kissed her, and everything sorted itself out. He pulled away, his eyes glistening.
"Get her the hell out of these things!" he called over his shoulder.
Garrus stepped up and did something that released them.
Jas cried out as her arms began to fall, the muscles having been stretched in one position for so long that they were seized. Garrus grabbed them and helped her slowly lower them. Liara scanned her.
"Dislocated left wrist, severe bruising to both. I recommend getting her back to the Normandy. Dr Chakwas will soon have that sorted out."
Jas didn't know who these people were, though the man by the door looked somewhat familiar. All she knew was that Zaeed trusted them, and that was enough for her.
"Zaeed! Rylee!-" Jas gasped.
"-Is fine," he assured her, and as soon as she processed what he'd just told her she dropped her head to his chest and sobbed with relief.
Shepard brought Rylee from out of hiding and led him to the cell.
"Mom!" He went to run to her, then hesitated as he saw what they were standing on. "That's really gross," he stated dryly.
Zaeed helped a shaky Jas onto solid ground and she sank down in front of Rylee, holding him tightly to her as best she could. It was another goddamn miracle, that they were both still here. There was something special about them both, that was for sure.
He noticed Liara wiping tears from her eyes, then Shepard was moving Garrus and Liara on. They had a mission to complete. Zaeed though, was staying put.
-x-