CHAPTER 21

As soon as Alex had gone into the tunnels Tali unbarred the door to the small stock room at the rear of Ledra's shop. Her two snoozing team mates would be out cold for another four hours or so, hopefully by then Alex would be back.

Tali set her drone guarding the tunnel entrance, then set about searching for her friend. The acidic goo left behind by the creepers was everywhere and the quarian was extremely careful not to step in any of it. There were some bodies lying where they had fallen, most burned beyond recognition by the acid. Tali was eternally grateful she could turn her suit's olfactory receptors off. As much as she also wanted to see if the surviving colonists were alright she knew the threat they posed if they woke up before that Thorian thing was dealt with was too great.

She scanned each structure for signs of Alliance tech, for some reason Abby had turned her tracking beacon off. The last time they had spoken she hadn't thought to ask her where she was hiding. She had been too worried at the way Abby's voice was shaking.

The prefab used as a make shift hospital since the geth attack was eerily deserted, she did find Abby's med pack. That meant she wouldn't have been able to sedate herself.

The quarian's omni tool picked up her friends omni tool in what used to be the admin office.

"Abby?" Nothing.

Slowly Tali pushed the door open. "Hello?" On the desk were Abby's weapons, a phalanx pistol and an M-15 Vindicator assault rifle, her omni tool was also there. That made no sense then it did, Abby didn't want her omni blade either.

Why would she leave herself defenceless? On the back wall was a door leading to a bathroom it was open a crack.

Her helmet made it hard to see. Abby was sat on the floor hugging her knees, rocking backward and forwards muttering.

Tali hired her audio volume to hear what her friend was saying.

"I won't do it I won't do it I won't do it I won't do it I won't do it I won't do it I won't do it..." Over and over and over again.

"Oh Keelah," whispered Tali. Examining the door more closely she realised Abby had blocked the door from opening. To keep the colonists out or to keep her in?

Tali didn't know what to do so she called Karin and explained the situation.

"Are you close enough to scan her?" asked Karin.

"I think so." Tali did as she was requested. She heard Luke's voice in the background as Karin was checking over the readings she had just sent.

"If the Thorian uses pain to condition its thralls then it's torturing her."

She didn't hear what Karin said to him, but she did hear Cassidy asking Karin if she could do anything to help her.

"Tali keep an eye on her. Until Alex kills the Thorian there's not much any of us can do." said Karin. Tali sat on the desk's chair while she waited, periodically she checked on her drone. The quarian had discovered the joys of spinning on the chair.

Suddenly Abby started screaming.

MEMEMEMEME

Zhu's Hope was silent when Alex followed Wrex out of the tunnel. Tali's drone was floating on guard.

She opened her comm channel to the quarian, "Where are you?" Tali told her and that she was with Abby. "Ash go I'll co-ordinate with Karin."

Ash ran to the location Tali gave her. Inside the bathroom she found the quarian holding her sister.

"Abby?"

"Ash..." She sounded awful.

"I'm here. Tali thank you." Ash kissed Tali's face plate as she hugged her sister, "It's over, it's dead."

"I...know. I felt it."

Outside Karin had arrived wearing a full body suit while she scanned and treated the colonists Alenko and Garrus had been transferred to the Normandy. Shiala had been taken on board as well. Liara had gone with her so that there would be a friendly face.

Once Alex was sure Karin had everything under control she went to find her wife. She could hear Abby crying before she entered the office. She knelt down next to them and wrapped her arms around both of them.

"It wanted me to stop you, but I wouldn't." whispered Abby, clinging to both her big sisters. Ash picked up her sister, she was far too shaky to stand on her own.

A few hours later Karin declared an end to the quarantine. The spores died when the Thorian did. Juliana and Lizbeth, who both had medical training offered to take over the colonists treatment until more help arrived.

Alex had called the council and appraised them of the situation. Then she went to the med bay to see how everyone was doing and to talk to Shiala. The first thing she noticed was Abby was lying on Cassidy's bed with her, she was asleep.

Liara was talking quietly to the new asari.

Alex walked over and introduced herself properly. "How are you feeling?"

"I am better, Commander."

"You up for answering a few questions?" Shiala nodded. "What can you tell me about Saren's plans?"

"Unfortunately not very much. Lady Benezia foresaw that Saren would be a great influence on the galaxy. Lady Benezia allied herself with him to lead him down a gentler path. Saren has a ship Sovereign, spend any time on board and his words pour into you and seem right to you."

"You're saying he's brain washing the people who are with him?" That was something Alex had not considered.

"The process is subtle, it can take days or weeks, but it is absolute. Some how the Thorian broke Saren's hold on me."

"I saw that ship on Eden Prime. I also saw ships like it in the vision the beacon stuffed into my brain. I think it's a reaper ship." Alex decided to be candid, she was expecting Shiala to be honest with her. "I'm guessing Saren saw it?"

"Yes." replied Shiala, "That is why he sought out the Thorian, He like you can not understand it. The Thorian had prothean thralls fifty thousand years ago. It learns how to communicate with it's thralls and as it learned with the Feros colonists. It gave Saren the knowledge to think like a prothean. After I got it from the Thorian I gave it to Saren then he left me as a gift. It had never experienced an asari."

"Can you give it to me?" asked Alex.

"I can transfer the Knowledge from my mind to yours as I did with Saren."

"Are you okay to do it? Or do you need to rest some more?"

"I can do it now."

Alex nodded, "Liara can you take her to my cabin. I'll go find Ash." To say Ash wasn't happy when she heard the plan was a gross understatement.

Karin was also on standby in case Alex had a reaction similar to the beacon.

Alex sat on the couch next to the asari with Ash behind her ready to grab hold of her.

"Ready Commander?"

"As I'll ever be," retorted Alex taking a deep breath.

"Embrace Eternity."

Alex felt like molten lead was pouring into her mind as images started flicking through her brain. She had no idea how long the meld lasted as Shiala withdrew Alex became aware of two strong arms around her and that she was shaking.

"It will take time for your mind to process this new information," said Shiala quietly.

Alex nodded as she leaned back against her wife.

"I assume I will be turned over to the Matriarchs as an accomplice to the attack on Eden Prime?"

"Do you know where Saren is now?"

Shiala shook her head, "I was on the ship most of the time except for going to the Thorian. Last time I saw Lady Benezia she was on Sovereign."

Alex studied the asari, if she sent her to the council and they found out about the brainwashing and the fact that she had been cured for lack of a better term. She couldn't guarantee that Liara's friend wouldn't end up being dissected on a slab somewhere.

"Will you help us? I can give you immunity. I think helping stop Saren will get most folk's off your back. " offered Alex, "You're a trained commando, right."

"I am Commander. I did not expect leniency for my actions."

"It's not your fault. And this might well be one of the hardest things we have ever done. It may take all we have." returned Alex seriously. "Besides you're the only person who's experienced this...indoctrination. You can work with Karin to see if we can find a way to counter it."

"Thank you. I accept."

Alex held out her hand and the asari shook it, "Welcome to the Normandy."

MEMEMEMEME

Ash woke to her wife thrashing in her sleep, yelling in what had to be prothean because her translator had no clue. She reached over to touch her Alex reacted as she jerked upright. Her fist connected with Ash's jaw. Whether it was the physical contact or Ash's startled yelp that snapped Alex out of the nightmare/memory? Realising what she'd just done had her rolling away from her wife, she landed on the floor and scuttled backwards until her back hit the desk's leg.

She had hit her wife! If she had activated her omni blade in her cybernetic arm! Alex pulled herself into a ball.

Ash had never seen anything like this. "Alex? I'm coming over to you okay?"

"N..NO!"

"It was an accident. You won't hurt me."

"I don't know that!"

"I do," returned Ash with total conviction. She sat down next to Alex and wrapped her in a gentle bear hug. "We'll fix this."

"How? I didn't even know who I was?"

"Exactly. You didn't hit me." She made it sound so simple.

"You're bleeding," said Alex finally looking at her wife. Ash had a gash on her right cheek, the blood was just starting to drip down onto her nightshirt.

"I'm okay." replied Ash. "It's not bad."

Alex slowly took a deep breath and moved so she kneeling. "You need medi gel." Her wife nodded and stood up then helped Alex over to the bed while she went to the med bay.

Abby was awake talking quietly to her girlfriend, Karin was sat at her desk filing reports. They looked up as Ash entered.

"What happened?" gasped Abby.

"Alex," replied her sister helping herself to some medi gel, "She was having a nightmare I startled her."

"Is she okay?" asked Cassidy.

Ash shook her head, "I think the Cypher thing is starting to work. I don't know if it was just a really bad dream or that beacon actually put some damn prothean's memories in her head. I don't know what to do?" She admitted as she smoothed the medi gel on her cheek.

"I have an idea," said Cassidy, "I need to talk to Liara first though."

Ash thanked her then left when it became clear she would get no more details.

Alex was sat at the desk a small tool kit open in front of her, she was doing something to her cybernetic arm. "Hey."

"What you doing?" She asked hugging Alex from behind. She sounded better.

"De activating my omni blade." replied Alex. That was the only she could think to do. She would have suggested sleeping somewhere else if she thought for one moment her wife would go for that.

"You going to stay up?" Alex nodded. Ash kissed the top of her head and climbed back into bed. For a while she watched as her wife turned on her computer and started reading some of Liara's paper's on the protheans. Cassidy had promised to simplify them for easier reading. Ash nodded off hoping that Cassidy's idea would work. If it didn't Alex wouldn't be sleeping any time soon.

Liara entered the med bay after breakfast wondering what Cassidy wanted. They weren't due to start work on the prothean data till tomorrow.

Cassidy explained about Ash's late night visit. "Alex has the beacon info and the cypher. You know more about this topic than anyone else alive. Can you do a kind of knowledge meld to help her sort it out?"

Liara shook her head, "An ordinary knowledge meld will not work...but a deep meld may work." Liara had only experienced such a meld from her mother. She would need Shiala's help. Also she had never melded with any non-asari. Abby called her sister to the med bay so Cassidy could explain her idea. Shiala was there too. Alex hadn't left the cabin.

The older asari added, "The kind of meld we need is dangerous for asari let alone humans. If you didn't have such a strong bond with your bond mate I wouldn't even try it. The Commander and Liara will both need to be anchored. You have experienced a link meld before, yes?"

Ash nodded, "I will do anything."

"I can meld the four of us together. You will anchor your bond mate I will do the same for Liara. We hope the vision from the beacon, the cypher and the prothean knowledge that Liara possesses will be able to help her to understand. Then if I have her permission I can block some of the worst images, which should stop a recurrence of last night."

"Do we need anything special?" asked Ash.

"It might be advisable to have Dr Chakwas or Abby present."

"I'll go," said Abby.

"Okay I'll go tell Alex."

Alex stared at her hands after Ash had finished speaking. She was touched that they were all going to such trouble for her." Ash you realise if anything goes wrong Shiala will have to yank you out. And if I go nuts you're going to have to stop me hurting anyone."

Ash swallowed, "Nothing will go wrong."

Suddenly Alex swept Ash into a hug, "Promise me you won't ever let me hurt an innocent person... Please." She sounded scared.

"I promise," whispered Ash. "Alex we're going to beat this." Her wife just nodded while Ash called the people she needed to their cabin where they would have some privacy.

Shiala asked Alex's permission to do the meld. "As it's a deep meld you are aware that we will see more than just the images from the beacon." Alex nodded. "Nothing we see will ever be mentioned outside this room."

"Thank you."

"If there are memories that you need to explain to your bond mate, I would advise you do it now." suggested Shiala, when Liara had first told her about the two human's bond she hadn't believed it. Most asari couples did not forge the type of relationship that the two soldiers had.

Alex linked her fingers together with those of her wife and rested their foreheads together. "You're going to see some of my N7 missions," she said quietly, "Sometimes they used me more as a sniper. Though I guess the term assassin might fit better. They were all major scum bags, involved in or backing slavers."

"I already guessed that," said Ash softly.

"These melds always find the memories with the strongest emotions associated with them," added Liara.

"So Mindoir, Elysium, Torfan, Eden Prime..." Alex sighed, not that she didn't want her wife to see rather she didn't want to there herself. "Ready?"

Ash smiled and gently kissed her. "Yes."

Shiala had them sit in a circle and join hands. Abby sat on the couch monitoring them with her omni tool.

After a few minutes of breathing and relaxation exercises Shiala said "Embrace Eternity."

To establish the meld properly the asari did guide the humans away from the beacon images. Ash had already witnessed the slaver attack on Mindoir, Shiala had heard about it. Liara was shocked, how could a child survive an experience like that?"

"I had a reason to live," said Alex and showed the young asari her love for her then girlfriend.

"I apologise I forgot everything we think we will all know."

Alex let Liara see Dalia's meld that had saved her sanity. Some flashes of battles in her time with the Armadillo's came to the front of her mind. Her guilt of not finding her brother was so very strong even now.

Elysium showed Ash the kind of fire fight even surviving the geth on Eden Prime didn't come close to. And as the Armadillo's dropped one by one until she'd been forced to shoot her own sniper.

Shiala was pleased at how the link was strengthening between them as Alex trusted them with some of her most painful and private memories. Torfan showed Ash glimpses of her sister and Cassidy. Why Cassidy hadn't been asked to join the N7 program was a mystery, she was easily good enough. Now that she had resigned she never get that opportunity. Their wedding was another source of strong emotion, but of the good kind. Alex forced herself away from that memory before the two asari witnessed their honeymoon. She felt amusement from Shiala and Liara blushed.

"You've never...?" asked Ash in amazement.

"I am only 106. I have spent all my time on remote digs."

"What about the people you worked with?" Alex was curious too.

"I never met anyone I liked like that."

"Are you ready Commander, Liara?" asked Shiala, deciding to change the subject.Both said they were.

The horrific images from the beacon flooded their minds, even Shiala gasped at the violence. As Liara began to slowly make sense of what they were seeing so Alex started to calm down. She hadn't been implanted with a protheans memory, just a few odd snippets like universal over ride codes, basic knowledge of their technology. The warning of the Reapers returning every fifty thousand years like they had for millions of years. There was also information regarding some super secret last ditch effort against the Reapers. Liara explained that the beacon was a warning sent across the Prothean empire with just enough information that whoever activated it would know to prepare for the next invasion. Suddenly without warning the images stopped.

"What? What just happened?" asked Alex.

"That is all there is Alex." replied Liara, "When the beacon exploded it must have interrupted the data transfer."

"Damn! Thanks Liara I guess we need to find another beacon. That plan of there's has to be the Conduit."

"I agree and if Saren knows about it he must have access to one." added Liara.

"Okay," agreed Alex "But he's still looking so his info mustn't tell him where it is. That's why he attacked Eden Prime he needed the beacon."

With no other ideas Shiala helped to block the worst images. So Alex wouldn't be terrified of sleeping with her bond mate in case she hurt her again. She ended the meld telling the two humans to go to bed because they would sleep for the next couple of hours, Liara too would have to sleep off the affects of the meld.

Alex offered Liara the couch they let go of each others hands. Abby helped them up, Shiala left when the three were settled and already sleeping.

"Did it work?" asked Abby.

"Yes. The information is now understandable. And I hope the blocks I have put in place will help with the nightmares. It is not permanent but it will be gradual so she will be able to deal with it. "

"Thank you for doing that." said Abby sincerely.

"I have been given the opportunity to redeem myself. As you humans say I owe her one." Shiala needed to rest as well.

Abby returned to the med bay to report the success of the meld.

"Everyone okay?" asked Cassidy as Abby sat down on the bed next to her.

"Yeah."

"What about you?"

"All I did was keep an eye on them."

"I was talking about the Thorian." Abby hadn't told her what had happened to her when the spores had taken full effect and with the state she had been in when Ash had carried her on board she hadn't asked. To be honest Cassidy had been surprised when Ash had gently deposited her sister nest to her. Karin hadn't commented on it either she had just scanned her while Cassidy had held her.

"I'm alright. "

"Why did you disarm yourself ?"

"I didn't know if I could resist it." admitted Abby. "It wanted me to stop them. When it died...I think I for a moment that so would I..." She turned to face her girlfriend.

Cassidy moved her arm letting the younger woman snuggle next to her.

Abby rested her head on Cassidy's chest, "I love listening to your heartbeat."

"I love that you love it," said Cassidy kissing the top of her girlfriends head.

"I love everything about you," said Abby looking up to meet her partners eyes, "I love you."

Cassidy's eyes filled with tears, "I...Love you too." She tightened her arms around as much as she could without hurting herself.

Karin smiled to herself. From her experience with the spectre and her wife and these two she was seeing the benefits of fraternising. They each had someone to talk to when they needed to.

While they slept Joker received another message from Barla Von suggesting the Normandy check out the Voyager Cluster, Yangtze System. Lt Pressly in the Commander's absence told the pilot to set a course. The last piece of info from the volus had paid off. He just hoped they didn't find another giant plant monster!

TBC...