Firstly I would like to apologize for the delay, I have been suffering from writer's block recently. Ironically enough, this never happened before I made an outline for what happened next in the story. Now however, I am back on track.
Secondly, I would like to present chapter 21 of The Death of Hope.
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The silence was deafening, the emptiness pushing inward on Cortez like a crowd of ghosts. Every muscle in his body was tensed, his rifle was in his hands, gripping it until his knuckles were white. He stood on the walkway, the Conduit to his back, scanning for any sign of movement, any hint of an imminent attack. But there was nothing. They had arrived at the Conduit five hours ago, Conrad getting to work immediately on his omni tool.
There had been little progress made since then. At first when Conrad was able to connect his Omni tool directly to the Conduit's systems and determined that it's navigation and computer systems were functioning perfectly, a ray of hope shone through the darkness, and Cortez thought that they would be able to activate the relay in a matter of minutes.
Then Conrad said he needed a few minutes to run some calculations. Minutes turned to hours, and now Cortez was standing guard, sure that the Reapers would attack any moment. Although they had seen no sign that the Reapers were aware of their presence on the Citadel, that did not stop him from jumping every time a Keeper scuttled into view.
He had tried to help Conrad, but could not make any sense out of non Newtonian dark energy streaming or Keplerian exceptions. Liara sat with him, her knowledge of Prothean technology proving useful, but Cortez stood alone, feeling like the dumbest guy in the galaxy.
Liara's familiar footsteps approached from behind and he turned, the sight of her like a sunrise in the mountains, bringing a smile to his face despite the circumstances.
"Well, do you want the good news or the bad news?" Liara asked.
"Hmm," Cortez said. "What's the bad news?"
"Well, the bad news is that the Conduit was only ever designed to be linked to Ilos, and it's subspace transmitter can't be reconfigured to interface with the Sol relay with the equipment we have with us."
Cortez leaned back against the railing behind him, exhaling forcefully.
"However," Liara continued, "Conrad is pretty sure, and I agree, that we could route the necessary navigation data and computations through the Citadel's subspace communications hub, and send that data to the Sol Relay."
"But Relays transmit massive amounts of data." Cortez protested. "We're not just talking a vid message here, we would need most of the bandwidth from the entire hub, and I'm pretty sure that firing up the commo hub will tip the Reapers off that someone is here."
"Well, yes." Liara allowed. "So we just wait until we have the Conduit ready to uplink, then we activate the hub. Then the fleet comes and saves us."
Cortez sighed. "Well, it wasn't like we had an exit plan anyway."
He lowered his rifle, taking one hand off the forward grip to place it tenderly on Liara's shoulder. "No matter how this ends, I just want you to know that the time we had together, well, I will remember it for the rest of my life."
Liara leaned in, gently brushing her lips against his, and leaning her head against the smooth gray armor covering his chest. "Given that the rest of your life is probably going to be a few hours, that's probably not a big deal." She looked up, her eyes meeting his. "But I will remember you for the rest of my life as well, whether that is a few hours or a thousand years."
Behind them, a figure stepped out of a corridor, shrouded in darkness.
"Liara," Cortez whispered, "I lo-"
Some subconscious warning prickled at the back of his neck, and he pushed Liara backward, spinning and bringing his rifle up, placing his sights on the approaching silhouette.
"Please tell me one of you dickwads has some medi gel, and/or some liquor, cause I am having a really shitty day." Jack whispered furiously, limping out of the shadows. "Seriously guys, it's been so fucked up, I'm like on the verge of needing a hug."
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Vega groaned, his head pounding, something cold pressed against the side of his face. He lay there, his eyes closed, feeling as if he had a hangover rivaling those of his days in high school.
He opened his eyes to see a pair of eyes staring back at him, large and green and multifaceted, like the eyes of a giant ant.
"OH FUCK ME!" Vega shouted, instinctively slamming his fist into the space between the eyes, the impact jarring up to his shoulder.
The Keeper staggered back a few steps, balancing itself on it's four legs for a few moments before turning and proceeding down the corridor away from him.
"Dios," Vega gasped, looking around. "What the hell happened here?"
He was standing in a long, dimly lit corridor, corpses stacked up against either wall. They were mostly human, though a good portion of other races was represented as well. Some bore hideous wounds, some were relatively untouched. They lay there in various states of decomposition, Keepers scuttling around performing incomprehensible tasks.
Then his radio flared to life, making him jump a little.
"Hello," a dual toned voice asked hesitantly, heavily tinged with static. "This is Hammer two to any Hammer units, does, ah forget it. This is Garrus, is anyone alive?"
"This is Vega," He answered, "I hear you scars, are the others with you?"
"No, I woke up alone."
"Shit."
"Yep."
"Well let's link up and head for the Conduit." Vega said, readying his shotgun and starting down the hallway. "There's not much use in trying to find the others, they could be anywhere on the Citadel. We'll try them on the radio every couple minutes. If they lost their radios or something, that's where they'd go anyway."
"Hopefully we'll find Conrad already there," Garrus said, "because I don't know about you, but I wouldn't even know where to start with doing, ah, whatever he was going to do to with the relay."
"Amen to that scars," Vega replied as he stepped into an intersection. "Any idea where you are?"
"I'm in a long hallway full of bodies."
Vega sighed. "Somehow, I get the feeling there's a lot more of those on the Citadel now."
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"Somehow, I get the feeling that this is going to be the least fun I've ever had after an Asari said she wanted me to take my pants off." Jack muttered, leaning backwards against the railing.
"Well, your shirt too, and your underwear." Liara said. There was a pause, and she blushed a deep purple. "Oh goddess, I mean, your clothes are all melted and stuck to your burns, and I can't treat them properly unless you take them off. Cortez was kind enough to borrow this set for you from one of the stores." She gestured at the neatly folded pile of clothing on the floor beside her.
Jack slipped off her slightly scorched jacket, setting it down before she lifted up the bottom of her T shirt, wincing as it pulled at her burned side.
"I would kill for a drink right now." Jack growled, her teeth clenched together.
She yanked up on her shirt, getting to about armpit height, the melted fabric peeling away from her burnt skin with a jagged tearing sound. Jack let out a choked and muffled scream of pain, staggering back to lean against the railing again.
"Fuck me." She hissed, clutching at the streak of bubbled and mottled skin that ran up the side of her body. Jack took a deep, shaky breath. "Can you, uh, get it the rest of the way? I can't fucking-"
Liara stepped forward, taking the tattooed woman in her arms, and gently but firmly pulling the shirt the rest of the way off. Jack bucked a little as it came off, along with a layer of burnt flesh, letting loose with another string of cursing, the likes of which Liara had never heard since Kaidan paid Shepard a visit the night before Ilos.
Liara laid the shirt down, the now topless Jack prodding tenderly at the burns with trembling hands.
Removing her pants and underwear proved no less painful, leaving a similar strip of raw and discolored flesh down the side of her left leg.
Liara applied the medi gel and burn lotion with soft and confident hands, trying not to let her eyes wander to other parts of Jack's anatomy. When finished, Jack dressed quickly, and Liara slipped an inflatable cast around her broken ankle, strapping it into place and activating it, rendering it rigid, supporting her weight without putting pressure on the fracture.
"Thanks." Jack said quietly, slowly placing weight on her injured ankle to test the cast. "I could probably fucking run on this if I really had to."
"Well, given the way things are going..." Liara muttered.
"I don't suppose you heard anything from the other truck." Jack asked, bracing herself to hear the worst.
"No, nothing. What about-"
"They're gone."
"Oh goddess,"
"Anderson died right away." Jack said, her voice dropping to a whisper, rough with the emotions she usually kept buried under layers of sarcasm and anger. "He probably never felt a thing. Kaidan made it out of the truck. He was hurt, and I was going to try to carry him to cover or something, but-"
"What happened?" Liara asked, a chill creeping down her back.
"Harbinger. He, he talked to me, he said he was going to-" Jack swallowed, taking a few breaths. "Kaidan distracted him long enough for me to get away. I always though he was a prick, but he barely even knew me and he died for me. I mean, what the fuck?"
"Are you okay, Jack?"
"If you tell anyone about this, I swear I will bury your mangled body so deep that not even your butt-pirate, archaeologist, friends will find it, but-"
There was a long quiet pause, as Jack nervously looked up at Liara's eyes.
"I could really use a fucking hug."
Liara smiled a little, taking the other woman in her arms. Jack buried her head in Liara's shoulder, hating herself for the tears that fell into the Asari's shirt.
"Don't worry," Liara whispered. "I won't tell anyone."
"Better damn well not." Jack sniffled. "I'll find you."
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"Holy shit! Is that you Esteban?" Vega chattered into the radio excitedly, Garrus keeping a watchful eye on the empty storefronts beside them.
"Yes, this is Cortez" came the response. "Liara, Conrad, and Jack are with me. We have started in on the conduit and are pretty close to cracking it."
"Hell yeah." Vega exclaimed. "Any sign of Kaidan or Anderson?"
"They didn't make it." the pilot answered, his misery palpable, even over the radio.
"Damn." Garrus muttered under his breath, as he and Vega started over a bridge, the still waters of the presidium pools beneath them.
They walked on, keeping a steady pace, heading in the direction of the Conduit, bypassing damaged sections when necessary. The public areas were kept clean and clear of bodies by the Keepers, giving the deserted Citadel a ghostly, almost museum-like quality.
"Well, we should be with you in about half an hour." Vega radioed back. "Wrex and Tali made it to the beam with us, but Garrus and I both woke up alone. I'm going to try them again on the radio."
"Roger that, good luck." Cortez responded. "I'm keeping watch here, and Jack left a few minutes ago to scout out the Citadel comm hub, see how badly damaged it is and whatnot. A few extra hands getting it running would be appreciated."
"Tali, Wrex, you guys there?" Vega asked, holding the transmit button.
There was no response. They kept walking, entering an upscale restaurant district.
"I came up here with Shepard once, a few weeks after she rescued me on Omega." Garrus said quietly. "It was supposed to be the classiest place on the Citadel. It was before we were, you know." He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Aware of each other's preferences."
"Seriously?" Vega asked, surprised. "I figured you two were whispering sweet nothings from the moment you met."
Garrus chuckled. "No, I was interested in that, but I didn't know enough about humans to tell that she felt the same way. I'm sure most of the crew had it figured out, but it took me forever to put it all together. It's just, I think back now, and I wish we could have spent more time together."
"I know." Vega said.
"The dinner was a disaster. I had made a reservation three weeks earlier, studied human culture, even bought some clothes that weren't armor. I thought I was good to go. But then we got there, Shepard was wearing some ridiculous black dress, everything I said came out sounding really creepy, then I went for the kill shot and told her I had been watching Star Trek. She got all excited and asked which one, and I said Voyager." Garrus sighed. "She nearly left because of that. I think she knew the whole time that I was crazy about her, and she was just sitting there, watching me make a fool of myself. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Conrad Verner showed up, babbling about conspiracies and the Illuminati and trying to get Shepard to sign his stupid toy Mako."
"Hey!" Vega blurted. "Don't talk shit, I've got a model Mako. That thing is bad ass."
"But then, I decided to try my hand at human swearing. I had never really gotten the hang of it, but I had been listening to Jack on missions, and I wanted to try to redeem myself after a dinner filled with borderline sexual, heat sink comments."
"I take it that didn't go too well." Vega asked, grinning.
"Well," Garrus muttered. "I told him to get his limp fucking nipples out of my sight before I punched him right in the goddamn asshole."
Vega had to stop to lean against a nearby wall, choking with laughter.
"Shepard laughed so hard she fell out of her chair." Garrus continued. "Everyone in the restaurant was staring. She couldn't stop laughing. One of the waiters called C-Sec, thinking I had threatened to sexually assault him or something. That didn't really help Shepard calm down any. Eventually I had to carry her out so we could leave before C-Sec showed up."
"That's awesome." Vega snickered. "Limp fucking nipples. I've got to remember that one."
"But then things only got more awkward when-"
"Hello, can anyone hear me on this thing?" A deep voice growled from Vega's radio.
"Wrex, that you?" Vega asked.
"I told you I was doing it right." Wrex muttered. "There you are thinking that just because you wear a fancy suit and a mask that you're the only one who can use a radio."
An indistinct curse from Tali filtered through, causing Wrex to laugh heartily.
"Yes, this is me." Wrex continued loudly. "I'm holding the radio the right way around now, and this empty Citadel is starting to creep Tali out, so where are you guys?"
"Actually I'm just fine." Came Tali's voice.
Wrex's sigh crackled through the speaker. "Okay, apparently Tali is just fine now, but maybe there are other people here who are having strong feelings about this place."
"Where are you?" Garrus asked.
"Well," Tali answered, pausing. "I forget the name, but we're in that place with all those stores and stuff. I see Apollo's cafe up ahead."
"Do you know how to get to the Conduit from there?" Vega asked.
"Yes. I'm pretty sure we can manage that."
"Hey Tali." Wrex's deep voice boomed. "Seeing all these abandoned stores got me thinking."
"About what?" The Quarian responded. "The nightmare you kept having when you were growing up about the jack in the box with the Thresher Maw inside and the-"
"No, don't talk about that, that was supposed to be private. Those other pyjaks on the radio can hear." Wrex hissed.
Garrus and Vega shuffled awkwardly, looking at the radio, from which emitted the sound of Tali's exasperated sigh.
"What do the abandoned stores make you think about, Wrex?"
"Well, there's nobody in them."
"Well yeah, that's what abandoned means." Tali retorted.
"So you see where I'm going?" Wrex rumbled.
"Other than back to school when we're done here, no, I don't"
"So the stores are all full of stuff, but there's no one there, and you want to send me back to school cause you don't get where I'm going?"
"Wrex," Vega said, "This is hardly the time to go looting."
"Hold on Vega, I can't hear you over the sound of all the free shit in here, just waiting for somebody to take it."
There was a sharp crack, followed by the tinkling of broken glass.
"Serves these people right." Wrex chuckled. "Charging four thousand credits for a fish. Hey, they've got weapon mods in here, anybody want anything?"
"Tali," Vega demanded. "Get him back on track towards the Conduit."
"What am I supposed to do?" Tali asked indignantly.
"Well, just do something." Vega snapped.
"Wrex," came Tali's hesitant voice. "Don't you think we should keep going?"
"Yeah, yeah, in a minute. I just need to take this rifle, and this knife, and-"
"Wrex, you already have like six guns and a giant sword, now come on, let's go."
"Relax, don't get your suit in a bunch. They've got jewelry over there, girls like that stuff, right, help yourself/"
"I do not like jewelry. I like omni-tools, and shotguns, and ooh, that is a nice pistol. I'm not sure the gold trim is really practical, but it does look good."
"Wait, no, Tali," Vega demanded. "Can you guys get a move on?"
"Yeah, yeah, we'll meet you at the Conduit."
Vega sighed loudly, Garrus chuckling in amusement.
"You realize that we are the best hope the Galaxy has of surviving?" Garrus asked, mandibles fluttering.
"Unfortunately, I do." Vega answered.
The walked on into the silent Citadel, unaware that they were watched through the many surveillance cameras still functioning.
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In the darkened Communications hub, dozens of screens were lit, displaying the empty wards, deserted corridors, Conrad working on the Conduit, Wrex and Tali climbing through a smashed window, arms laden with various products. On another screen, a lone figure, covered in tattoos, walked slowly, shotgun in hand, every step carrying her closer to the Communications hub.
Then a light flared in the darkness. The single occupied chair in the room creaked softly as it's occupant leaned back, removing his cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling above.
"So, Subject Zero has survived all this. Fascinating. I can't wait to see her again."
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So, enjoy the fluff everyone, because that is probably the last fluff and humor before all hell breaks loose. I would like to remind readers that I will be diverging majorly from canon regarding the Crucible, so there will be no red, blue, green, thing, and no blue kid. I have settled on my own concept which I feel is far superior.
Thank you all for reading. Please review.