Chapter 28
Tomb Raiders
The crew of the Meridia met in the cargo bay once the Merida landed in the ruins. Even Azure made it, looking at least a little steadier than she had earlier. Amber remained at her side, watching her with a concerned eye.
"All right." Scarlet said, looking around at the crowd. "Thanks in no small part to our newer allies, we find ourselves at the threshold of our reward. The coordinates provided by the medallions show the Vault of the League of One is somewhere in this section of the ruin, but they aren't specific enough to pinpoint it exactly. We'll need to search the nearby area quickly, so I suggest we break into teams of no more than two."
Kyra said, "Noir and I are gonna stay behind. The ship's still pretty damaged, and we'd like to make sure it'll be able to get us out of here once you've located the vault."
Scarlet nodded in agreement. "I'd like to suggest that Azure and Amber remain behind."
As Azure opened her mouth, Scarlet said, "No arguments; you still need rest. Besides, I'd like somebody on the bridge monitoring the sensors, and we might need Amber to fly us out of here if something goes wrong."
Sighing, Azure said, "Fine. We'll stay here."
Amber squeezed her hand and smiled reassuringly at Azure, who blushed slightly.
Scarlet looked at the rest of the group. "So everybody else needs to pair up."
"I'm going with Finn!" Jake ran over to his brother and stood beside him, wagging his tail end.
Finn smiled and rubbed the top of Jake's monitor. "I'm cool with that."
A smile on her face, Scarlet said, "Fair enough. Take Auren with you as well, just in case."
"Mmm." Auren said, eyeing Finn appreciatively. "No argument here."
"Auren." Kyra said, giving her former team mate a warning look.
Scarlet continued, "That leaves Violet with Eri and Glen with me. Noir?"
"Yes, ma'am?" Noir said.
"Close the ramp after we leave; I don't want to risk the Meridia being taken by surprise again."
He looked like he wanted to argue, but ultimately just nodded and said, "You've got it."
She must've noticed his discomfort. Smiling at him reassuringly, she said, "We'll be careful."
"That reminds me." Finn said, snapping his fingers. "Could I get a radio? My internal comm might as well be an FM radio at this point."
Noir pulled the radio off his belt and tossed it to Finn. "Here you go, man. We could disable your internal comm for the moment if you want."
"Nah." Finn said as he clipped the radio to his belt. "Might come in handy."
Nodding, Scarlet said, "We should hurry; Finn's deception should buy us some time, but the other treasure hunters will likely not be fooled for long. If you find something, radio the others immediately before you investigate. It is likely the League left a few surprises for those who were after their treasure."
She looked around the cargo bay, her eyes resting on each of them. "Thank you. Thank all of you. We wouldn't have gotten this far without each and every one of you. Now let's go find the Vault so we can go home."
Kyra flashed Finn a smile as she, Noir, Azure, and Amber headed for the lift. Finn returned her smile before patting the side of his leg. "C'mon, Jake. Let's get going."
Finn, Auren, and Jake were the last to leave the Meridia. As the ramp lifted, Finn saw Kyra give him a quick wave, which he returned.
"Well." Auren said, grabbing his arm. "Shall we?"
Trying hard to suppress a smirk, Finn replied, "Let's."
They walked down the stairs that wound around the raised platform, Jake walking a few feet ahead with his face to the ground. He was making exaggerated sniffing noises, as though thinking he could somehow smell the ruins. Finn didn't say anything; at that point, nothing seemed truly strange anymore.
"So." Auren said, still hugging Finn's arm. "We're alone."
"So we are." Finn said, smiling at her.
She gave him a languid smile. "Y'know, I'm glad I could finally get you all to myself."
"I was thinking the same thing." Finn's smile grew wider.
She looked up at him, a slight measure of surprise in her eyes. "Oh? Problems with little Kyra?"
"Not at all." He told her, patting her arm. "If anything, my feelings for her are stronger than ever."
"Oh." She blushed, a knowing smile on her lips. "I understand. Sometimes a person needs a little time fooling around to truly appreciate their chosen one."
As her hand sneaked across Finn's chest, he said, "Not at all. I'm just glad to finally speak with you in person for a change."
Her hand froze. "What do you mean? We've never spoken before."
"Not face to face, no." He said, gently moving her hand from his chest. "Still, seeing as the Saints hijacked my internal comm, I suppose you had no other choice … did you, Hikari?"
"Oh." To Finn's surprise, she didn't pull away from him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not telling them.
They continued to the base of the stairway. Hopping onto the ancient stone tiles, Jake said, "We're getting closer! I'm sure of it!"
"Cool." Finn said. "Lead the way."
As Jake fell back into his own little world, Aurenasked, "How long have you known?"
"I suspected for a while, but I wasn't sure until I found the facepaint in the remains of one of your wardrobes." He pulled the small plastic jar from his tool belt and handed it to her.
"Ah." She said, taking the jar. "And before then?"
"There were a few little things. The flower kimonos, the strange silences that only seemed to happen when Siren's Call was occupied, the way you diverted Azure from the cargo bay when she was about to find us. When you were surprised when I mentioned that 'Jake' told me the Meridia was in orbit, I started putting the pieces together. Why did you have a problem with Glen, if you don't mind me asking?"
"I was getting odd interference; I suspected someone was listening in, and since she just happened to be there …" She glanced at Finn. "You have to admit, she's been a bit strange."
"No argument there."
They walked among several tall columns surrounding one of the massive krogan statues, following Jake more by instinct than by any real motivation. Jake sniffed at each pillar for a moment before moving to the next.
"I admire your commitment." Finn said. "You really look like a quarian."
"Well, it's good body tint." She said, chuckling. "Spared no expense. It wouldn't do me much good if it wore off easily. The rest, well …"
She raised the hem of her yellow dress until Finn could see the seam on her thigh.
"Cybernetic implants?" Finn said as she pulled up her sleeve to reveal another seam near her elbow.
"An accident when I was a little girl." She told him. "They couldn't grow new ones until I was fully grown, and by that time, I realized how useful it was to be able to alter one's appearance. Dad didn't like it, but Mum approved. She was the last Goto, and why we were able to live so comfortably, so he wasn't about to start an argument. Besides, he's still smitten with her."
"Goto isn't really a gang, is it?" Finn asked, already knowing the answer.
"A gang of one." Auren said. "I can't take the credit for it, though; the rumors have been going around for awhile now, ever since that copycat on the Citadel. Of course, she left a rose as a sort of calling card … silly idea, even if the first Goto did the same when she first started. Leaving evidence is a good way to get caught. Kasumi knew that it was more important to be good than to be famous."
Auren let out a sigh. "I'll admit, though … being a part of Siren's Call has been … fulfilling. I'd never worked with a group before; it just makes it easier to get caught. Still, these quarians … they're like family, especially Scarlet. The dancing was kind of fun too."
She let her head rest on Finn's arm. "I'm going to miss them when this is over."
After a few moments of silence, Finn said, "Well, does it really have to end?"
She blushed, the faint hint of red on her tinted cheeks. "Come on, Finn. When they get the payout, Siren's Call is gone. Oh, don't look at me like that; I wasn't going to take all the treasure, just the shiniest trinkets."
"Uh-huh."
She made a face at him. "Seriously, why would they want to keep up the dancing farce when they had the money to do whatever they wanted?"
"Kyra joined Siren's Call before she even knew about Scarlet's plan." Finn said."She just loved to dance. She still loves to sing, and she's damn good at it too. Did it ever occur to you that maybe she wasn't the only one? You say you've come to know them. Am I wrong? I mean, they've been with her for, what; four years?"
"Five for me, Azure, and Violet." Auren said, looking thoughtful. "The Breath of the Forest was our first real heist, and it was only last year."
"There you go. Besides, it's not like Siren's Call doesn't have a following. The barkeep at the Bowerstone Pub was expecting a massive crowd. I missed the performance, so you tell me; how was the turnout?"
"The pub was packed." She said, a smile crossing her face.
"Exactly. I only saw you perform on Neukaara, but you all seemed happy. Not one smile on that stage seemed forced. Hell, that place was packed too. Tell me truthfully; how do you feel about dancing with Siren's Call?"
"It … it feels …" Her blush was clearly visible as she said, "It feels exhilarating."
"Moreso than pulling off a heist?"
"Let's not get carried away." She said, though she smiled as she did.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is maybe this doesn't necessarily have to be the swan song for Siren's Call. You're Scarlet's friend, right?"
"Her best friend." Her smile widened. "Well, maybe just after Noir."
"And is that fake? Just part of the disguise?"
She let out a sigh. "No, it isn't. She's like a sister to me."
"Then tell her you don't want Siren's Call to end. I mean, travelling around is what people with money do anyway, right? Doing it for the sheer enjoyment instead of for a paycheck could only make more fun. Hell, you might even tell her the truth about you."
When she didn't respond, Finn added, "And hey; if I am right, who's to say you couldn't engage in a little heist as you danced your way around the galaxy? It would be tricky, yes, but that's just part of the fun, right? Goto would remain a whispered rumor while Siren's Call grows more and more famous."
"It does sound rather poetic." Auren said, a spark of interest in her eyes. "I'll have to think about it."
Jake stopped and sat upright, his screen flashing red. "Jackpot!"
"Jake?" Finn asked.
Without another word, Jake took off running.
Rolling his eyes, Finn said, "Come on."
"You think he's found something?" Auren asked.
"Maybe. Either way, I'd rather not get separated."
They followed Jake through the last few pillars and around the statue. He stopped just short of a thick growth of ivies on the back of the statue and shone his flashlight at the cluster of plants.
"There! There!" Jake barked repeatedly.
Nodding, Finn pulled out his radio and said, "Scarlet, Eri; looks like we might have something here. Looks like a hidden entrance hidden behind some plantlife."
"Understood." Scarlet replied moments later. "Wait there and see if you can detect any traps."
"Got it." As Finn clipped the radio to his belt, Auren grabbed his other arm. "Finn, look."
He looked where she indicated. It took a few moments to notice what she meant. The long ivy vines typically attach to whatever is around them via little creeper vines that latch the vine on some object. This can be anything that sits still for a long enough period, and most of the ivies near the ruin were latched on imperfections in the ancient stone. On closer inspection, however, a cluster of ivies that hung over the door weren't latched onto anything; the little creepers that had attached to the stone tiles had been torn free recently, so recently that sap from the vines still oozed from the severed parts of the creepers.
Auren mouthed, "Someone's been here already."
Nodding, Finn drew his carnifex and nodded at Jake. Jake readied himself as Finn drew the ivies out of the way.
Jake ran into the darkened passage as soon as it was open. He barked wildly; as before, he simply said 'bark' over and over again with what he must have thought was increasing ferocity until a loud, "Oww!" shot through the air.
"That wasn't Jake!" Finn said, eyes wide.
"No, Finn, wait for the others!" Auren made a grab for Finn's arm, but he was already rushing into the darkened corridor. In moments, he was shrouded in darkness, the light from Jake's monitor the only thing providing illumination.
"Jake!" Finn said, bending over to touch his little brother only for his head to contact something soft and warm. A gasp shot through the air, making him quickly pull back.
"The hell?" Finn said. "Jake, a little light please?"
The flashlight function of Jake's monitor activated, revealing Mannon and Darsan, the former blushing. Finn felt his cheeks grow warm as well when he realized the nature of the warm and soft things against which he had inadvertently stuck his head.
"Sherle!" Finn said, smiling despite the awkwardness of the situation. "Darsan! So this is where you've been-"
"Alarmed; Watch out, Finn! It's a-"
A jolt of electricity pulsed through Finn's body, making him convulse violently before falling to the ground.
As he lost consciousness, he heard Darsan say, "Continuing despondently; -a trap."
