Chapter 13
"Hold them," Chek snapped. His teeth ground together as the soldier next to him cried out and clutched his shoulder, falling to the slick floor. The sprinklers pummeled his open eyes and Chek knew the the man was dead. The turian's pulse beat against his temples, hard and angry. Clever bitch. Damn her and damn the Broker. He should never have involved T'Soni. Above him, the alarms wailed.
A bullet glanced off his barriers, biotics licking in its wake. He lashed out in retaliation, catching the tattooed woman and slamming her to the ground. The Cerberus grunt beside her pulled the human into cover as he shot, forcing Chek back into the doorway. The triple-barreled shotgun left scorchmarks where his head had been. Chek snarled and pressed his back to the wall. The turian could hear the tattoed biotic swearing and struggling. By all means, let go of her fucking arm.
The station lights flickered. Where had T'Soni developed preventative measures for the ice? Even he, the Broker's own agent, had only been able to acquire a few syringes.
She has a mole the system. She must. Chek rapped out orders through his comm link, locking down the corridors that branched off of the hangar bay. Three feet away, he could hear Aleris cursing the biotic girl. The asari stepped out from behind a set of armored crates and flung out her arm, sending a blue ripple of power down the corridor.
It looked like they were holding the door for now. Damn the Broker.
Who was T'Soni's source? A mole, but not on 51. Or else she never would have come, knowing the drell was elsewhere, and the salarian Tazzik overseeing an arms deal on Bekenstein.
His comm link buzzed. "Sir, we're having trouble shutting the doors. There's someone else in our system."
The turian leaned out of cover. The young krogan had lowered his shoulder and looked ready to charge. Chek fired and a burst of bullets forced the krogan back into cover. The big alien huffed like an angry bull, but did not charge. The woman behind him returned fire hurriedly and the light above the door crashed to the floor and shattered. Aleris snarled as the flying shards opened violet lines on her face.
The turian kicked a chunk of glass away from him and returned his attention to the technician. "Of course you're having interference, did you think Cerberus developed a shackled AI to count credits? It's only one machine. Lock it out. Infect it. Do your jobs." He severed the connection, baring his teeth.
Four of his men were still in the corridor, tucked behind defensive niches. More were retreating back toward them, sloshing through pinkish water. As long as the fools don't charge - Chek slammed a fist against the wall behind him, springing a ring of barricades around the open door. "Medium and long range. Force them back down that corridor." A pair of orange combats drone zipped past him through the doorway, dripping sparks as they headed for the enemy. "Explosive drones away," the turian behind the second barricade barked. His facial markings painted a red war mask over grey plates. His mandibles pressed tight against his face, just as Chek could feel his own clamping against his jaw.
Chek risked a look through the doorway. Jacob Taylor and his allies were focused on the drones, intent on taking them out before they got into dangerous proximity. No hint of Lawson or Vakarian. That worried him. His gaze swiveled to the salarian sniper. "Find me Lawson and Vakarian."
The salarian bent to the scope, muddy red eyes searching. A string of lights came crashing down the corridor as someone – he wasn't sure who – barreled another shockwave past them.
"Izo, on the other side of the door," the turian ordered. The human scrambled to obey, skidding across the wet floor and flinging a flashbang down the corridor to cover his movement. A startled cry echoed down the hall and Chek knew at least one of the Normandy's crew had been hit.
Izo grinned lazily across the doorway. "Their krogan's down."
"Dead?" a batarian soldier asked, muscles twitching around his eyes. His voice was high and thick. He seemed calm though, and the barrel of his gun was steady enough as he peered through the scope.
"Not yet." The sniper rifle cracked and an enraged roar echoed back to them. "Son of a bitch, where did they find that thing?"
The salarian sniper's eyes never left the scope. "Lawson and Vakarian are at the end of the corridor. I can't get a clear shot. I think they're talking to someone on the ground."
"Sir, they're moving up again." an asari commando called out. "The krogan looks like he's going to charge."
Chek snapped out of cover, trapping the krogan in a white bubble of temporary stasis. He jerked back as the barrel of Taylor's shotgun lit green. The gun chirped and the smell of burnt plasma filled the air. At least the sprinklers mitigated the human's incendiary ammunition.
The knocked out lights and sprinklers were playing hell with visibility. He caught the asari engineer's eye and rasped "Set the dogs on them. No one gets through this door, understood?"
"Yes sir." The asari's omni-tool whirled as she woke the nearest set of mechs. "They'll be here within th next twenty seconds." She looked up at him. "I've called for another squad of commandos as well."
"Pin the Normandy. Tell your commandos to go through the hangar bay and come up behind them."
Speaking of asari . . . He shook water out of his eyes. "Where's Aleris?"
ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME
The station rocked as Jack sent another shockwave pounding down the hall. The Broker's agents were falling back, retreating over the bodies of their dead and firing the entire way. The sprinkler systems sprayed into her eyes and Miranda shook her wet hair out of her face. Beside her, Liara T'Soni knelt on the chest of a downed salarian.
Miranda grabbed her arm and the asari looked at her and shook her head, reading the anger in her eyes. "We need to get to Shepard."The Cerberus agent stepped back and pursed her lips, eyes hard. The doctor was right. Much as she wanted answers, this wasn't the time.
We can have a nice long chat about the ice later.
He wheezed as her knee sank in and the doctor pulled him into the relative cover of an alcove. Her pistol came to rest just under his chin as she ignored the firefight around them. "Where is Shepard? Is she still on the station?"
The soldier's eyes , opaque and mossy, darted between her and Miranda. The Cerberus officer gritted her teeth as Grunt charged past her, scattering a retreating group. "Answer her," she snapped. The pistol jumped in her hand as she shot an oncoming batarian.
The alien panted. "I don't know, I don't know. They just got he – "
Miranda blinked as Liara brought the gun down across the salarian's face. Green blood beaded on the muzzle as she pointed it at his face once more. Over her head, Thane's rifle hissed and a gurgling shriek echoed down the passage. "You're wearing the uniform of an intelligence officer. I know you're informed of the situation. Tell me what I want to know," the asari doctor said, "or I break every one of your fingers. When I'm done with them, I'll start on your hands. When your hands are gone – "
"They have her in one of the damp rooms, it's because of the ice, please, I don't – "
Ahead of her, the Normandy team was moving up the hall. Miranda noted that Garrus hung back, eyes on the salarian. His mandibles were clamped tightly to his face, his eyes were a furious blue behind the skull-like stillness of his plates. Miranda repressed a shiver as Garrus stared at the salarian.
The turian broke the silence he'd maintained since they stormed the hangar. "The ice?"
"Her body can't handle any more," the salarian whispered, "they're holding her in the damp rooms until we can arrange transport." His fingers twitched. "The Collectors want her alive."
Garrus lunged forward, shouldering Liara aside. The asari stumbled to her feet, her hand going to her arm where the turian had shoved her. Miranda could hear Jacob shouting orders further up the hallway. She reached out to restrain the turian before thinking better of the idea. One blue eye flicked back to look at her and she snatched back the hand on his shoulder. Ahead of her, the corridor was clearing fast. The screaming and gunfire were more remote.
His gun pressed between the officer's eyes. Miranda saw his chest heave once, his mandibles quiver, before he regained control of himself.
Slowly, Vakarian stood. The turian's gun dropped to his side. The salarian's head lolled to the floor as he exhaled. His body was limp with relief.
His hand crunched. The salarian shrieked and Garrus adjusted his weight, twisting his boot over the alien's fingers. His voice was calm, almost sardonic. "This is a big station. Which cell block are they holding her in?" He leaned his weight forward, onto the salarian's broken fingers. A wet pop made the intelligence agent wince.
Liara eyed the turian sidelong, her gaze lingering on his glaring eyes. Miranda gritted her teeth and willed the salarian to give up the information. They didn't have time to waste.
Garrus shifted, stepping on the alien's elbow joint. Miranda saw the salarian's arm twitch and shiver as the turian increased the pressure. "Tell me." The salarian's arm began to shake.
Garrus drove his heel into the salarian's arm.
"Tell me."
The salarian screamed and Miranda heard the gristley splintering as his arm snapped like a wishbone. "D Block, for the love of – "
The Mattock cracked.
Garrus stepped away from the salarian's body. Miranda fell into step next to him. She stepped over one corpse, kicked a limp arm out of the way. Garrus's shoulders were rigid, mandibles clamped. She could hear the hiss of his breath. The Cerberus agent looked away. "EDI, plot us a route to D Block." She heard the sharp report of a pistol up ahead and quickened her steps, bringing her gun up to shoulder height.
"Take the corridor to your right. Be advised, there is a squadron of soldiers behind you. You may wish to leave a rearguard."
Samara's voice crackled in her ear. "Miranda, they are trying to force us back to your position. If we fall back, they will have us pinned."
"Put up a barrier if you have to," she ordered. "Mordin, Tali, stay with Samara and harass them. I want this route kept clear. We'll fight our way to D Block while you take out the squad behind us. I want a quick exit once we find the commander."
"Understood."
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Her breath echoed in the small space. The room was oddly cold, leeching heat from her legs and back where she sat against the wall. The damp room's effects had subsided into a vague pressure at her temples.
Shepard looked down at the knife where it gleamed between her fingers, reflecting the room's dim blue light. She wondered if Chek had gone to meet the Collectors. Minutes past, she had felt the station shudder as Horizon had once had.
They've docked.
She tensed against the station's agitation, locked in a cell in the darkness. For a moment, she had been back on the colony, knee deep in yellow grass with while wind heavy with seeker swarms and pollen slid over her skin.
She missed the grass and the open sky. If she had been able to choose her own death, she would have preferred to die on the battlefield. She did not want to die in a hole in the dark.
Shepard looked down at the knife.
I know, another cliffhanger. I promise the next chapter won't be. Please review, I've missed your lovely voices. =)