A/N: All right. With that, we just finish witnessing some really crazy stunts on Khar'shan.
This time, we're actually changing the focus of where MV is. Well, if you thought the B Story chapters were confined to the first part of MV3, that is where you would be sorely mistaken. The main character of the B Story changes, but the B Story marches on. And this time, we return to the B Story.
So without further ado, here's the chapter:
Chapter 33: B Story: A Glimmer
Ugh... Oh...
Oh... Ow... Oh, God...
Mm... Where...? Where am I...?
I slowly open my eyes... Ow! Oh, ow, my ribs... Oh, how...?
I look up as soon as my eyes open. And all I see is a garden around me that is up in flames. There is debris literally everywhere, and I look around to see... Oh, God... I look up at the tall steel walls that form where we are, and then turn my head to see that there's a huge window in the distance that looks like it was shot through. There's a faint blue shimmer just beyond the broken window...
Oh, God... what...?
Wait. There was a panel... And a man in front of it... No, not a man, a turian... Okay, girl, there we go... Yes, he was the councilor! And he was doing something... Reapers... Calling them in... Yeah, something like that.
And what about that dream I had? Yes, that dream... that was a strange dream I had, and I can only barely recall something about... I don't know, something about something... yes, in the center of the Citadel. But what? I don't... I don't quite know...
Oh, relax, it was only a dream. And dreams... well, you can think about that later. What else...?
I slowly pull myself into a seating position. Agh, oh, mind the ribs, girl. Oh... Ow... I need to get that looked at when I can find medical help. But what...
Wait, yes, the Reapers. They... they invaded. Even after... Yes, I remember now! We were trying to stop the turian councilor, but we didn't succeed.
... We? Hold it... wait, we... turian... yes, with blue facial marks, one that goes on his mandible, and-
Garrus! Shit! Garrus was with me!
I slowly pull myself to my feet... Oh, god, my ribs are killing me. Just be careful girl, don't aggravate them too much... Nng... I stand up, letting out a loud grunt as I lean against a particularly tall piece of debris. I look around... God damn it, where is he? I just remember the both of us getting blacked out... Where...?
I bring my hand up behind my head and... shit, is that blood? I bring my hand forward after feeling the dried fluid at the back of my head. I... Damn it, the lighting isn't optimal, but... yep, that's definitely blood. And it's dry blood, no less.
How long was I out, anyway? And if I was out for a while, then where's Garrus? He can't have abandoned me, and if he had found me he would've given me medical attention, and...
Wait...
I look up... No, I can't shout, that might hurt the ribs... So I begin shuffling around. I slowly move around... Ow, Christ, it hurts just to even walk... Oh, keep it together, girl, that won't help you find Garrus. He's got to be around here somewhere...
I slowly stumble around, holding a hand around my hips and moving with very small movements. It feels like hours when I finally manage to get even ten feet away from where I started. I feel a pronounced limp all over my body, and by now I just feel like I'm in constant pain. That makes the journey easier, though, as I get used to it after a while. I begin to move forward more confidently once this happens. And eventually, I begin to move about the room.
All the while, my eyes scan the area around me, searching for any sign of Garrus... C'mon, Garrus, where are you? I just... c'mon, even if there's something as simple as an eyepiece, or a sniper rifle, or...
Or...
Wait! What's that over...?
I slowly saunter up to it, being careful not to cause a spike of pain as I walk forward. I then look at... yes, it's a sniper rifle! That means Garrus was here. But-
Ah!
"Garrus!" I whisper.
I move a little more quickly than before, coming to stop right by the turian. He's laying there, right by the wall with some blood having dried on the side of his face. A piece of debris must've fallen on his leg, because I see some more blue blood dried right under a black piece of Sovereign. He still looks like he's out cold... And no wonder, with that rock on his leg...
I get to my knees, and place my hands on the piece of debr-ow! I breathe steadily, biting on my lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Okay, girl, just ignore the pain... You've gotta get this rock off of Garrus' leg somehow... Okay, girl, that's it... Just... steady... and...
I push as hard as I can, the piece of debris shifting from Garrus' leg. I feel a stabbing pain in my ribs, and immediately take my hands off the rock, letting out a loud moan of pain. Damn... ow! Oh, God, ow! I lean my back against the wall, feeling the tears spill from my eyes. I take a few seconds to breathe, getting the pain back under control. Ow... Okay, okay, I'm... I open my eyes (wait, I closed my eyes?) to see that the debris has actually shifted well enough that the rock is no longer on Garrus' leg. Okay, good... I look back at the leg, slowly and carefully leaning forward to examine it.
Okay, it's bent at an odd angle, but it doesn't look shattered. So if nothing else, it's at least broken. It's a good thing turian hide is made of stronger stuff than people think it is, otherwise I think I'd be seeing bone. Still, I have to set the leg and bandage it... but with what? I mean... I look at the sleeve of my clothes.
...
Well, if it'll heal Garrus' leg, then I don't have a problem with it. I don't think I can do it now, though: I don't want him to wake up to a screaming pain in his leg as someone sets it.
So I guess I just wait for Garrus to get up. However long that takes. Either way, I'm not moving away from this spot.
It's not like I could really get very far, anyway...
Eventually, after an hour that seems to drag on tortuously, I hear a groan from Garrus. He shifts close to where I'm sitting, and even despite the ever subsiding pain I manage to smile as Garrus moves. Slowly, I lean over him, stroking his shoulder gently.
"There there, Garrus," I say. "I'm here."
He then looks up at me. "Madison..." he says. "W... what happened?"
"A lot of crap," I reply. "Don't move too much. It looks like some of the debris broke your leg."
Garrus groans as he sits up, and I can tell by the way his mandibles are shaking that he is trying his best not to cry out in pain. "Ng... I can see that," Garrus comments. He chuckles bitterly. "I'm not too worried: I've had much worse injuries on Omega."
I manage to chuckle, shaking my head and smiling. "Oh, don't remind me," I reply. "The last thing I need is a reminder of the time you came back from fighting Garm. I didn't think you could beat someone like that and still live."
"A broken arm, lots of cuts, and three shattered ribs was what Kat counted." Garrus smirks in that unique turian way. "Typical day on Omega, you know."
I roll my eyes. "I can't believe we're still joking about that," I comment. "Especially after... well..."
Garrus nods. "Yeah," he says. "Even after everything we did, the Reapers still came into town." He sighs. "We've faced suicidal odds before, but I don't know that we'll get out of thisset of odds all that well."
"Well, we're still here, aren't we?" I ask. "Maybe there's something that'll help us get out of here."
"Yeah, and Omega was a perfectly fine little rock with no problems on it," Garrus comments sarcastically. He then looks above us. "The Reapers are going to come for us eventually, you realize that."
I simply scoot closer, being mindful not to upset my injuries. "So?" I ask. "We've still got each other, we're still alive, and they haven't come for us yet." I look up. "I think they must think we died in the explosion or something."
"Probably," says Garrus. He then groans. "But we don't have a way out of this chamber, not unless we try to see if we can outwit a Reaper by hacking the elevator controls. I'm good with tech as it is, but even I won't say that I'm that good."
I shake my head. "Maybe there's something we haven't tried," I comment. "Maybe the Keeper tunnels would help us."
"Not a good idea," Garrus replies. "Some of the passages are too small for us to fit in them."
I frown. "Emergency stairs?" I ask.
"To my knowledge, they don't exist," says Garrus.
I look down at the ground. "Do you think if we tried to call someone they might respond?"
With this, the turian looks right at me. "It could work," says Garrus. "It assumes that there are people still in range of a car, but it's something."
I nod. "Then that's what we'll try first," I say. I look down at his leg. "First, I'm going to set this, though. We can't have you walking around with an untreated broken leg, you know?"
Garrus groans. "This is gonna hurt," he says.
I look up at him, winking playfully. "You say that like I'm a mad doctor."
Garrus chuckles at this. "Hardly." He smiles as best he can considering the circumstances. "I know how you are, Madison. Just... be careful."
I lean closer to his leg, slowly taking his broken leg in my hands. I hear a high-pitched whine come from him almost immediately, but I give him the warmest look I can manage. "I don't know how well I'll do that with broken ribs, but... I'll try my best." I nod, moving his leg carefully over a displaced piece of debris. I then take my jacket off, placing it away from the pool of dry turian blood that was where Garrus' leg was. Okay, now I just need... yes! I grab a couple of pieces of pipe from nearby. Thank God that was there...
"Now, hold still. This will probably hurt."
With this, I position his leg, and promptly set it. This earns me a whine from Garrus, who looks like he's trying really hard not to scream in pain. I immediately take my jacket and the pipes, and place the pipes just behind and in front of his leg while it's still set in more or less the right place. I tie my jacket around both the pipes and Garrus' leg as quickly as I can, being careful not to let the two pipes fall.
I then lean back against the wall, looking at my handiwork. "It's not an actual cast, but it'll have to do for now," I say. "You okay?"
"Ng... No... Ow..." Garrus immediately says, sitting upright.
I nod. "Trust me, I'm not in the best shape either," I comment. "But we'll get through this."
I place a hand on his good knee reassuringly. He returns the gesture by placing his hand on my knee, dragging his two fingers across my hand slowly as he does this. He nods, still not looking completely happy, but he drops the subject, and then pats my hand.
"We better... gah... place that call," Garrus replies. He inhales and exhales harshly a few more times, before leaning against the wall and groaning in pain.
"Yeah, we should," I say, opening up my omni-tool. "Leave that to me, Garrus."
All right... let's see... Tidoses? Maybe... Let me try that.
I open the comm link, and then bring my hand to my ear. "Tidoses," I say. "Tidoses, are you there?"
But all I hear in reply is static. I look at Garrus, who I guess can hear it too. I frown, looking out the window briefly. Maybe there's someone else...? Miranda, yes! She was around the Council too. Yes... there she is.
"Miranda?" I ask as soon as I open the comm line. "Miranda? It's Madison. Are you there?"
And again, I only hear static as a reply.
"Damn it," says Garrus. "The Reapers must be jamming communications."
I shake my head, closing my omni-tool. "They must be," I comment. I look directly at Garrus. "Any more bright ideas?"
"Did you bring a breathing apparatus?" Garrus asks.
I shake my head. "No," I say. "Why?"
"Well, the other option would've been to try scaling down the Citadel Tower on foot," Garrus replies.
"You can do that?" Madison asks.
"Shepard and the rest of us did it when Sovereign attacked the Citadel," Garrus replies. "The problem is that we need a breathing apparatus: the outside of the building exists in a vacuum." He shakes his head. "And it's a zero gravity environment."
"Which we don't want to traverse with broken bones..." My hand tightens into a fist. "Damn it, there's gotta be something we can do to get out of here."
I look up. Hm... there's the window over there. We could always... no, Garrus already explained why that's not an option. We'd just be jumping out into a vacuum, and probably into a Reaper if we're not careful and they're still floating around between the tower and the wards. I look at the rest of the debris, seeing how the flames are only now beginning to die, and how dark the room is becoming as a result of this. I mean, maybe there's...
Wait.
"How did the turian councilor get here?" I ask.
Garrus leans forward. "That's a good question," he says. "How did he get here?" I slowly find myself standing up. "It's too bad he's on the bottom of a one-story fall. That fall's hard enough when you're body's in perfectly good condition, I can't imagine how much it would hurt with broken bones."
"But maybe there's some clue as to how he got here laying around somewhere," I comment. Garrus slowly leans his body against the wall, preparing to stand on his good leg. "Maybe he took a sky-car over here, or maybe there's some secret passage to the rest of the Citadel that we don't know about."
"Either way, it's worth a look." Garrus stands up slowly, being careful not to aggravate his broken leg. "Come on."
With this, he walks with a very pronounced limp to where the Citadel's control panel was. I follow him as we slowly walk towards where the control panel was. Whoah, it was really right there? Interesting... I can't believe I didn't notice that before, but I guess it makes sense that we didn't get too far from where the control panel is. We then walk forward, looking right over to the hole that Sparatus fell into when we shot him.
And sure enough, the turian councillor's body is still there. He's laying face-down in a pool of his own blood that's dried by now. He remains unmoving, and almost looks normal from here. He had to die for the good of everyone, but it's still sad. He didn't know what he was doing, and even if he did he must've been screaming pounding against the walls of whatever cage he was trapped in... And now, he's got nothing to show for it. It's almost sad.
Damn Reapers. Damn them all...
I look to Garrus, looking at where his eyes are, before turning my attention elsewhere in the room. I look where Garrus is looking to see that part of the floor above where Councillor Sparatus fell seems to form a strange staircase. Sure, it's in pieces, and the steps are uneven thanks to the distribution of the debris, but with some effort we could probably climb down those stairs.
I look at Garrus, our eyes meeting briefly. "Well, we could always use that," I comment.
"We could," says Garrus. "Come on. Let's see if we can get out of this chamber."
With this, we walk right over to the debris staircase. I slowly step down, feeling the pain flare in my ribs. For his part, Garrus manages to find a way to climb down without aggravating his broken leg, but I actually end up pausing. Noticing this, Garrus looks up at me as soon as he descends the first staircase.
"You need help there?" Garrus asks.
I nod. "I... I think I could use it," she says.
The turian only nods. "Trust me, I know you're a tough girl," he says. "Come on."
With this, he reaches towards me, being careful not to grip my ribs too hard. I still cringe as the pain flares up again, but at least I'm able to weather it rather than feeling the pain the exhertion might have caused me. He then proceeds to help me down the stairs along the way, moving as slowly as he can and making sure to brace himself so he doesn't break his leg.
When we both finally get to the ground, Garrus immediately goes over to the turian councilor. I follow him, kneeling next to the councilor. Garrus does so as well, and begins patting the turian's body up and down. I'm not sure what that would do given that Sparatus was in a prison cell, but maybe there is something there. In the meantime... I open my omni-tool and then wave it over the arm that Sparatus' omni-tool should be on.
And sure enough, I watch the omni-tool open. Hm... I begin scrolling through his menus... Wait, how'd he get his... No, one of the indoctrinated prison guards might've given it to him when they broke him out. Only natural, after all...
Hm... What was the last application he used? Hm... Okay, go to that menu, go through the drop-down box... map? Hm, this might be interesting. He apparently needed a map of something. But what...?
I open the map in question, and am then treated to a map that appears holographically. Garrus looks up immediately, and then we both look at the image. Not wasting any time, I open my own omni-tool.
"Garrus, get a transfer going there," I say. "I think that map I've pulled up is important somehow."
Garrus nods immediately. "And if I know your instinct the way I do..." He leans over, being careful not to lean over his broken leg. "Let me see here..."
The turian's hands begin to manipulate the Councillor's omnitool pretty quickly. I watch as his hands immediately send the map digitally over to my omni-tool. A few seconds later, I hear my own omni-tool ping, and then I bring up the map. Hm... This map looks odd, but what...?
Wait a second. It seems to go up to some place. And then, the destination point is marked very clearly. And the destination is somewhere in the middle of a tall tower. An extremely tall tower, actually, and it's a little something that...
I raise my omni-tool to Garrus. "I think I've got it," I say. "I think... I think Sparatus had a map of a secret passage here. One that went all the way up to this chamber."
Garrus leans forward as he closes Sparatus' omni-tool. He ends up placing one of his hands on the ground to steady himself. "A secret passage?" Garrus asks. "Do you think the Reapers planned that?"
"Probably," I comment, looking above us. "If he needed a way to quickly get up here, then he could've used the pandemonium to get to the top of the tower and activate the relay without anybody knowing." I look off to the side. "And maybe that's how Saren got to this part of the Citadel so quickly once he went through the Conduit."
Garrus shakes his head. "There are elevators right where the Conduit is," says Garrus. "He wouldn't have needed that secret passage. Still, he had chaos on his side." Garrus slowly stood up, cringing a little as he accidentally placed some weight on his leg. "The question is, where is this passage?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." I zoom into the map. squinting as I manipulate the map. C'mon, there's gotta be something... Hm.
"Well, it's actually not far from where we are now," I comment, pointing out that we seem to be pretty close... yeah, there's the slight dip in the ground there that's not right at the stairs. That's gotta be it. "So it has to down here where we are... but where would we open the passage?"
"And how do we open it?" asks Garrus. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Reapers found some way to keep us from using it."
I look up, glancing back at the omni-tool. "Maybe there's some kind of Reaper code there," I comment. "Check it again, see-"
And at that moment, I'm interrupted by the sound of a passageway opening somewhere close by. Garrus and I both jolt, the jolting actually causing a small shooting pain to shoot up in my body. I look towards the source of the sound to see part of the wall seemingly peeling away from us. It peels away from us, and then retreates into a little something, opening up to a black void. I look there... oh, is that it? Then how...?
And who is that? And who...
Wait, I know her!
"Liara!"
I slowly stand up as the young human that was accompanying Liara stands guard at the passageway. Liara walks forward, Garrus immediately walking forward to greet her.
"Liara, I didn't think you'd ever return to the Citadel," says Garrus.
"I didn't think I would either," Liara says as I slowly stand up. "Are you two all right?"
"No," I reply. "We have broken bones, the both of us. And... agh... It hurts just to breathe, I'm afraid."
Liara nods. "You certainly have looked better," she concedes. "I'm just glad you're both alive. Bailey sounded worried when we found him."
W-what? "Bailey?" I ask. "You mean... he's alive?"
"Yes," says Liara. "I ran into him while trying to locate the secret passage that went to the Council chambers.
I sigh in relief. "Good," I comment. "Is he safe now?"
"He's waiting further down the passage," says Liara. She then turns to the passage again as the young man remains standing where it is. "He mentioned you were up here. So we thought to come and find you. It's a good thing you are alive."
"Everything's gone to hell below us, hasn't it?" I ask.
"I'm afraid it has," says Liara. She shakes her head. "Feron is down below, trying to ferry as many other survivors into one group as he can and trying to find a safe spot. I said I would be down to find him in a little."
"Then I guess that's our cue to get going?" I ask.
"It is," says Liara.
I nod, looking at the young man. "Well, I guess we better move," I comment, looking at the young man. "And by the way, that is...?"
"Brendan Ganserig," says Liara. "He's one of my operatives."
Garrus blinks. "Dropping the secrecy, Liara?" he asks. "I didn't think you were the type."
"It's meaningless to keep using my cover when I ended up opening the secret passage with him and Bailey present," says Liara.
"Yeah, how did you find us, anyway?" I ask.
"It's a long story," says Liara. "I'll tell you on the way down."
I nod. "Then let's get going," I say. "Feron probably doesn't want to be kept waiting."
With this, Liara nods. The three of us walk on over to the opening of the secret passage, which Brendan had been keeping open with his body. We step through the passage's doorway almost immediately, and then Brendan follows us. I watch Brendan and Liara turn on their omni-tool flashlights as we begin walking deeper into the passageway, and then the wall rises up again and plunges us in near-total darkness.
"Well, I didn't think you survived that blast at the top of the tower. But somehow, you two proved me wrong. Drinks are on me once this whole mess gets sorted out."
It's a relief to hear Bailey's voice as the group of us continues walking along the dark passageway. I simply look up at Bailey as he pushes off from where he was leaning against the wall. And in the light of Liara's flashlight, he actually doesn't look like he got off too badly. I see a pretty big bruise by his right eye, but other than that he looks all right.
I smile, walking forward and shaking his hand. I wince a little as this aggravates my injuries, but I try not to think about it. "You're alive," I say. "I didn't think..."
"It was a close one," Bailey adds. He then looks over at Brendan. "Thankfully, I ran into this kid here at the right time. I'm pretty sure my ass would be grass if he hadn't saved it."
"Well, I do my best," Brendan replies. "And besides, I was under orders of the Shadow Broker him-herself."
Garrus and I both look at Liara. "Well, we've got company," says Garrus. "That's better than nothing, but we still need medical attention."
"I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do about that," says Liara. "Any clinics that might have helped with that may not be functional when we return to the wards."
"So we're stuck with these injuries," I comment. I shake my head. "Great. Now we have to survive against Reaper forces with broken bones."
"It could be worse," says Brendan.
I look up, glancing down at my self. "True," I comment. "I could have to go through that without the wonders of medigel to help me. There's that."
I think I hear Garrus shift his foot uncomfortably behind me, but I don't think about this too much before Liara nods. "We're wasting time here," she says. "Come on."
With this, the five of us proceed to move on. Well, Liara's here, Feron's down below trying to gather us together, and we're still alive, so… it could be far worse. It really could.
So we continue moving in the darkness.
We move quite a ways, still remaining in the dark. The flashlights are the only light around us, and I find it a little difficult to navigate. Thankfully, Bailey and Brendan have been very helpful, helping Garrus and I to traverse some of the ups and downs of this odd synthetic terrain. It just keeps moving up and down all over the place, with stairs that lead down and ladders that lead up...
Eventually, though, I start to feel gravity tug at me in a rather odd way. I only take a couple more steps before I end up falling on my face. I let out a groan of pain as I feel the pain in my ribs flare up again, and I lay there for a few seconds before I feel someone's hands take a hold of me. Eventually, I'm helped to my feet, though the pain in my ribs hasn't totally gone away. When I do, I suddenly marvel at how the floor we were walking has suddenly become the wall.
I look at Liara as she takes her hands off of me. "Thanks," I say.
"It was strange for us as well," Liara comments. "Gravity misbehaves within the entrance to this passage."
"So I can tell." I look back to Garrus as he's helped to his feet by Bailey and Brendan.
"Well, it could be worse," says Bailey. "The Reapers could've entered this passage while we were still in here. That would've been annoying."
"We've been fortunate on that account, yes," Liara agrees. She draws her pistol almost immediately. "I doubt we will have such luck when we get out of this passage."
I nod, looking at Garrus as he draws his assault rifle. "Well, we better get going then," Brendan replies. "Feron's probably waiting for us. And then..."
"What then?" I ask.
"We do not know," says Liara. "I guess... we attempt to survive as long as possible. And against Reaper forces and Cerberus troops, that is easier said than done."
"Maybe it is," I say. "There's gotta be something we can do, though."
Liara simply shakes her head. "Unfortunately, Feron couldn't find anything in what we had," she says.
"So we've got nothing," says Garrus.
Liara bows her head. "I'm sorry, Garrus," she says. "We tried to look."
The turian shrugs. "It could be worse," he grudgingly admits. "We could be dead."
"That's true, though I wouldn't put it in such blunt terms," Liara replies.
"It's a chance, at least," Garrus says. "That's better than nothing at this point. And maybe we'll find something. Either way, we may be able to find something that can stop the Reapers."
"With the galaxy divided eight ways from Sunday, I don't think that's gonna happen," Bailey adds.
"Well, we can't just sit here and wait to die," I reply. "We have to hope for something! I don't know what we'd hope for, but there has to be more than this."
"Maybe, but from where I'm standing I ain't seeing it," Bailey replies. "We're trapped in the Citadel, we're cut off from everyone else... If you've got any ideas, princess, I'd like to hear them."
I shake my head. "We'll think of something," I say. "We'll figure it out. I don't know how, I don't know when, but we'll figure it out." I then look to Liara. "Come on. We need to get back into the Citadel."
The asari nods, and then we follow her as she begins to move through the rest of the passage.
Eventually, we come to a place in the passage that lets out to the Wards. The Wards look just as grey as I remember them to be, though the streets are oddly quiet now. I guess I shouldn't be so surprised, what with the Reapers having taken over the station and everything. Liara steps forward, looking around.
"I guess having the comms out complicates everything," I comment.
"Yeah," says Brendan. "The comms don't really work as well as they should. If we try to use them, we just end up getting nothing but static. But we did work around that."
"We told Feron to look for survivors, and get them to the med clinic closest to where we are within five hours," says Liara.
"There's a hospital clinic near here?" asks Garrus.
"No, but we agreed to meet there," Brendan replies.
"At the moment, we're in the Kithoi Ward," Bailey notes. "It's been pretty quiet since the Reapers came in."
"I'll bet," I comment, looking up. "Are there any nurses on hand?"
"Hopefully," says Liara. "I would not expect them to be there, but hopefully there will be something there so you can get medical attention for your wounds."
"I hope there's something there: I don't want to go around with a broken leg while the galaxy's falling apart," Garrus says. "Let's hope there's something there..."
Liara nods. "This way."
She then leads the way, with Brendan and Bailey holding the front. I stand behind Garrus. I mean... I don't want to worsen my ribs with anything like the recoil of these guns. I need to take it easy. And so, I stand behind them all and walk forward with everyone else.
We come out onto a street, and that's when we see the first of these husks. They're a rather small group of human husks, of course, so they simply start running towards us. Liara responds by throwing a singularity at them, and I watch as the husks suddenly float in the air. Bailey simply draws his pistol, firing shots at each of these husks as the singularity does its thing. Eventually, the husks drop to the ground, and none of them are actually moving. Taking this as a good thing, we continue on, me keeping my head down in case these husks come out and attack us again.
And indeed, I suddenly hear several mass accelerator rounds fly right past my head. Almost immediately, I take cover behind a nearby wall, making sure there are no husks in there before turning my attention back to everyone else. There are several turian husks that come out of various storefronts, and I even see a pair of human husks as well. The human husks rush forward as the turian husks fire at everyone. The first of the human husks runs right for Liara, but she takes her time off of shooting at the turian husks to punch the thing biotically, sending the human husk flying back. The second husk goes for Brendan, but thankfully Garrus is far enough back that a few assault rifle shots take care of him.
I then watch as Garrus' shields die around him. I hear Garrus shout in pain as I see a mass accelerator round penetrate one of his arms. He immediately ducks behind cover, and I only lean further behind cover as the assault only gets more intense. There must be more turian husks that've gotten over here when I wasn't looking. Damn it, if only I didn't have broken ribs...
I dare to lean out of cover to see the fight. Electric sparks are emitted from one of the other turian husks, and I watch as it gets taken down by fire. I briefly glance over to Bailey right as he raises his omni-tool at another of these turian husks. I watch those turian husks also get shocked, but another husk forces Bailey back into cover with a well-placed assault rifle volley. I see Liara appear out of cover again as she throws a biotic warp at one of the husks. The warp causes the turian husk to stumble back, to which Brendan rises up and shoots the husk down immediately. It goes down, and stays down as Garrus comes out of cover. I briefly notice the medigel mixed with blue blood on his arm before he fires into the crowd of husks again. He manages to help take another one down, before he flashes his omni-tool and causes another husk's shields to overload.
The small fight continues in such a fashion, up until the last of the turian husks is taken down. When I see this, I walk out of cover, looking over as Brendan comes along to help me out of cover. As soon as I'm out of cover, I see Bailey and Liara stand up, looking for husks that we don't actually end up seeing. She then nods and turns to us as Garrus comes out of cover.
"Come on," Liara says. "The coast looks clear for now, but no doubt we'll have to worry about more husks."
"They always come 'round when we least expect them," Bailey adds. "Come on. We need to get moving."
I nod. "Right."
With this, I follow Liara and Bailey as they lead the way to our destination once more.
We encounter several more skirmishes with Reaper-based forces on our way back, though none of them are really major. Thankfully, we've avoided dealing with that thing that we saw with Bailey last time. We don't accumulate any more injuries on the way, so for that... well, that's something, girl. That's something.
Liara and Bailey all round a corner, raising their pistols again. I watch them as they look ahead of us, but they hesitate this time. Frowning, I walk forward with Garrus and Brendan. We all look over, and then I see a particularly noticeable building. It's not a storefront, but it does look like... Wait, those windows, the way some of the desks are arranged...
"Well, looks like we got to this clinic in one piece," Garrus immediately says. "I thought we'd have a couple more broken bones than that."
I walk up to Liara, looking at her as I look back at the windows. I then look back to Liara, raising my eyebrows. "What's the problem?" I ask.
"There's no one here yet," says Liara.
Bailey then opens his omni-tool, and looks at a little timing function briefly. "Well, that may have something to do with the fact that we're early," he comments. "At least we got here. That way, we can hold the fort if the Reapers suddenly try to attack this place."
"That's true," Brendan comments as he looks up. "We're going to need to do what we can to keep these s'kaks off of us, you know?"
I blink in surprise. S'kaks? Say what? Is that...? No, girl, it's not important. "That's true," I comment. "We can get in there and fortify this place in case Feron comes back with a bunch of husks."
Liara nods. "At least we're here at all," she says. "Come on, let's go inside. Bailey's right. Feron may not be here, but we have to prepare for his arrival. If he comes back."
"I'm sure he's fine, Liara," says Bailey. "Feron can handle himself, you said it yourself."
Liara nods. "I know," she replies. "I have to be prepared for that responsibility, though. Come."
With this, we walk towards the clinic in question. Bailey uses some authorization code to open the door, and with that we step into the office. I find myself looking around the room as Liara, Bailey, and Brendan begin moving around the office. I feel a dull ache in my ribs again as we move along. Hm... Well, we don't have a nurse yet, but maybe this would be a good time to stock up on medigel.
I look over to Bailey. "Yep, just as I thought," he comments. He holds up a thermal clip. "This station hasn't been touched by anyone since we got here."
"You checked the place out first?" Garrus asks.
"Of course we did," says Liara. "We needed to be sure this place would have what we needed to help people survive."
Garrus nods. "Fair point," he says. "Hopefully, nobody noticed that the door was unlocked."
"We locked it back up before we went to the top of the tower," Brendan replies. "Trust us, if anything got in here, it'll be a surprise to us too."
I nod, looking over. "So does this thing have any medical beds?" I ask.
"It does," says Bailey. "But none of us know how to use them. Again, we'd need a doctor here if we're gonna make any use of that."
All right. Well, I guess I could wait for a short amount of time if that's what it'll take. I step away from Bailey as Garrus walks up to him. Brendan walks into a back room soon after that, and then I look over to the windows. I notice that Liara stands there looking out of them too. I walk up to her, glancing around at the empty streets that surround the clinic's entrance.
"I can't believe that the Citadel would be so empty..." I comment.
"Neither can I," Liara adds. "I have never seen the Citadel so empty before."
"And you're a hundred and... nine, now?" I ask.
"I am," says Liara. "I've seen some strange things in my life, but this? I don't know what to make of this..." She shakes her head. "Everything over the past several hours has been... surreal. I can barely believe it myself."
I sigh. "Join the club," I comment.
We both look outside, right before Liara turns to me. She glances to the side, and I turn back to see that Garrus and Bailey are both concentrating on taking stock of the ammunition we have left. I look back to Liara, right as she pulls a little something from a pouch in her little coat. I frown as she nods to me.
"I saved the piece you and Art found from the Collector base, by the way," she says. She then holds out... holy crap, she saved that? "Not that this information will make much of a difference now. With the Reapers invading anyway..."
I nod, taking the small tablet of prothean cuneiform in my hand. "It's good that you saved it," I comment. "Thank you for bringing it. I'll make sure to hang on to it, even if it can't tell us anything else."
Liara looks outside, placing her hands behind her back. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," she says.
I frown, looking at the asari as she looks outside. "What does that mean?" I ask.
She glances behind me, before shaking her head. "I'm afraid I can't talk about what that means right now," she says. "Trust me. You'll see."
I raise my eyebrow at this comment. "It sounds odd, is all," I comment. I shrug, looking back out the window of the clinic. "You sure you can't just tell me that?"
"It's something that the Reapers and Cerberus can't hear," she says. "If I say it now, they may catch on. We can't risk that, and in the Citadel as it is now we can't be too careful."
I nod. "All right," I say. "But I'm hoping for some answers soon."
"You'll get those when the time comes," Liara says. "For now... We have to make sure Feron and the others come back."
And with this, I nod, watching as Liara goes to talk to Bailey and Garrus. I look over to Liara as she begins discussing things with the two C-SEC people, their conversation becoming quite animated. I keep my eyes on this conversation for a few seconds as Bailey hands Liara a thermal clip.
I then look at the little tablet of cuneiform that Liara gave me. What is up with this thing...? Ah, well, don't sweat it, girl. Maybe it's not actually important, and she's just giving it to you for old times' sake. Maybe. I don't know. She was cryptic there, and that's not always a good thing. But what if she's telling the truth and there's more to this object that I didn't see? Maybe...
I pocket the object, and then walk over to where Garrus and Bailey are right as Brendan comes out from deep within the clinic.
A few rather uneventful minutes pass as we begin taking stock of what is actually in this clinic here. I find myself looking out of the window as everyone else continues to do their thing. I simply stand there with my hand on the windowsill, looking outside. It's... eerily quiet, really. It shouldn't be legal to be this quiet, but I guess that's what happens when the Reapers come into town and cause... this.
Did the Reapers really get through the Citadel and overpower it so quickly? It's almost unreal how there are very few survivors that we can see... That's just... How did it end like this? This is... This is horrible...
I simply breathe in, looking outside. Maybe Bailey's right. Maybe there's nothing we can do. I mean, if by some miracle we manage to save the Citadel, what then? We're still talking about extreme civilian casualties and all that, so...
Oh, this is just great.
I sigh, shaking my head as I walk away from the windowsill.
That's when I hear... what is that sound? It sounds like a partially synthetic scream. A really high pitched one, but something about it doesn't sound... natural. I turn back to the window, looking outside of the window and wondering what...
"What the hell was that?" I ask.
We hear the scream again, and then I hear footsteps as Liara and Bailey both go up to the window. They frown, looking out of the window.
"I think that's a Reaper husk," says Bailey. "It's not the first time I've heard that scream."
"Then what the hell is causing it?" I ask.
"I dunno," he says. "I didn't actually get close enough to find out."
We look ahead of us, and before long I see some movement in the distance. Hey, wait a minute... I raise my hand and point in the direction of the movement.
"Hey, what's that?" I ask.
We all look towards the motion as it comes closer to us... Wait a minute. That motion...
"Survivors!" Liara says. "Feron is back!"
And indeed, I see a rainbow-colored drell leading the pack of survivors back. I then hear Liara rush over to the door, Brendan running over there. They both open the door, and they start yelling at the drell who I assume is Feron. And indeed, he has a few survivors tagging along with him. I... Is that Miranda? Yes... yes it is! She's all right! And there's... that's probably Oriana and Kolyat with her. I think. Art may have mentioned that Miranda was staying behind for Oriana, so it would... and... holy crap! It's Eltarn and Sawrik... Shit!
I watch the group of survivors get near us. They run, and... wait, what's that?
I look over there suddenly, looking at the large creature following them. That's... That's a husk! Sit, they're being chased by-!
"Futar!" I hear Brendan shout. "Shit, they're being chased by a husk!"
I look over as the husk seems to teleport a few feet towards us. It does so again a second or two later, and then...
"It's not just any husk," I comment. "It's an asari husk!"
I watch Brendan run out, wielding an assault rifle. I watch as he joins Bailey and Liara in providing cover fire. This only manages to distract the strange asari husk, which looks at the three people firing at her. Feron and the others duck under that fire, and I see Miranda turning around and throwing a warp at the asari. Feron turns back as Miranda yells at the civilians to make a break for it. Feron then grabs a submachine gun he was holding, turning back and laying some fire there as well. I step back, watching as the civilians run right past Bailey, Brendan, and Liara, and come rushing right in just as Garrus passes them with his own assault rifle. I look at the civilians as they rush in, getting behind tables and chairs and exhaling harshly.
I walk away from the window, moving towards Eltarn and Sawrik. I briefly see the second drell and what I think is Oriana both checking on each other before I walk over to the older turian. "Eltarn?" I ask.
He looks up, and then beams. "Madison!" he says. "You're alive! I didn't think you..."
"I'm here," I say, looking back out the window to the asari husk. Feron and Miranda quickly turn around, the asari husk walking towards them threateningly. "What the hell is that?"
I then watch as the asari husk stands perfectly still, bringing its arm forward quickly. I then watch as the asari launches a large blue ball of energy that goes right for... shit! I watch as Liara, Bailey, and Brendan scatter around, Garrus making an attempt to do so before the large biotic ball hits him. I feel my heart rate rise as he stumbles back, though thankfully Miranda runs by there just in time to catch him.
Shit, no! Garrus!
With this, I watch Liara walk towards the asari husk, glowing blue as she does so. Within a few seconds, Liara has broken out into a run, and before I can say anything else she leaps at the asari husk. I watch as the asari husk takes the blow, keeling over and screaming. Ah, that's a scream, all right! I cover my ears... Jesus, I feel like a knife is trying to stab me in the ear! I cower behind a desk, feeling the pain in my ribs flare up again. I squeeze my eyes shut for a few seconds, before hearing footsteps enter the clinic. I open my eyes immediately, seeing Miranda and Bailey helping Garrus into the office. Garrus...
Oh, good, he's still breathing. That's as good a sign as anything. I look up as Liara immediately runs in, Brendan following her. As soon as they're through the door, Brendan closes it. The asari husk is left to look at us through the windows, glaring at us almost angrily as she eyes us like we're prey of some sort.
The husk miraculously remains quiet, and then we watch for a few seconds as the asari just looks at us. I feel chills run up and down my spine, unconsciously placing my hand on a desk and... Holy hell...
"Is it over?" I ask.
"I hope so," says Miranda immediately. "That thing chased us halfway across the Kithoi Ward. Nearly got Eltarn and Kolyat at a couple of points, too..."
I sigh. "Hopefully, it can't break through glass," says Liara.
And then, we see the asari husk outside gather in on itself. I watch as blue energy swirls around it, and then I hear Feron's group of survivors take a step back.
"Crap, it's that attack again!" shouts Feron.
And before I can say anything else, a biotic field erupts from the asari husk, and the asari lets out an almighty shriek. I cover my ears, feeling myself get yanked under the desk. No sooner do I do this than I can faintly make out the sound of glass being shattered. I open my eyes to see a few shards of glass slide across the floor, and I flinch when I feel shards of glass rain down on my head.
"Motherfucker!" I hear someone shout. I can't make out who it is, but I know-
And almost immediately, I hear the sound of gunfire echoing within the small office. I hear Sawrik let out a loud shriek that's immediately overpowered by the scream of the asari husk. I look at Eltarn as he tightly holds Sawrik against him, and then I look over my cover to watch the asari husk teleport into the office with us.
Holy Christ, what the hell...!?
The asari husk immediately teleports towards me, and before I know what has happened it's standing right over Eltarn, Sawrik, and I. I look up at it, staring into black, lifeless eyes... Oh my God... What... Okay, keep it together, girl, just keep it together, whatever you do. Don't-
I then hear the asari husk roar. Before I can think anything else, I feel a pair of claws grab my neck. I'm suddenly hoisted off the ground, being held high in the air. My ribs start screaming in pain, and I let out a shriek as I suddenly bring my arms up, trying to break the hold this thing has on my neck. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!
I kick wildly in the air, and then I find myself looking right at the asari husk. I stare into its dead, lifeless eyes as it lets out another loud shriek. I then shut my eyes, trying to look away. Oh, God, this is the end, isn't it? Fuck, no... This is gonna-
"Get away from her, you bitch!"
I hear Miranda shout this, and then I immediately feel myself get dropped to the ground. I land on the ground hard, and I let out a cry of pain as I feel my ribs flare up again. I find it a little hard to breathe at first, but then I feel hands grab at my arms and pull me away. I look back at the asari husk as Miranda throws another warp at it. The husk lets out a screech, and then Miranda runs in and throws another warp. The asari husk stumbles back, and then Miranda grabs her pistol, aiming it at the husk's head.
"Die!" Miranda shouts.
With this, she pulls the trigger, and the asari husk is shot right between the eyes. I then hear it shriek one more time, and then watch as the husk slowly disintegrates in a way I have never seen happen with a husk. After a few seconds, the asari husk is little more than a pile of dust on the ground. After the dust settles on the ground, there is a lengthy silence punctuated only by a soft sobbing of what I assume has to be Sawrik. Everyone just stares at the pile of ashes, looking quite shocked at everything. I'm half expecting them to come back to life, myself. And if they do... holy fuck...
I then look as the rainbow colored drell from earlier peeks his head out from behind a desk. "It's dead," he said. "I thought that thing would never die..."
Bailey looks at the pile of dust. "I don't doubt it, if it chased you all the way here and destroyed windows that would normally withstand a blast from a rocket launcher," he comments. "What was that?"
"Some kind of asari husk," Miranda replies. "We don't know how it came to be, though. We saw some asari bodies on dragon's teeth when we ran into Feron, and some of them didn't turn."
Liara looks at the dust. "Was this asari maybe an ardat-yakshi?" she asks.
"An ardat-yakshi?" Brendan asks as he comes out from behind me. "I thought they were kept within asari space or something!"
"Not always," I comment, looking down at the corpse. "Some of them manage to slip through the cracks. That, or this one didn't even know yet."
"As someone once told us, you don't know you're an ardat-yakshi until you kill your lover in the meld," Garrus adds as he leans against the table. "That bitch packed a punch, though."
"That she did," says Eltarn as he stands up. Sawrik is sobbing lightly against his father's shoulder, and Eltarn is holding him like there's no tomorrow. "Well, we're here, Feron. And it looks like it's not going to be safe for much longer."
"It definitely doesn't look like it," Feron agrees as he looks to Liara. "We need to get out of here."
Liara nods. "Of course," she says. "But I think we all need to rest first. Some of us are injured, and I think that running around the Citadel for several hours is exhausting."
"It is," says the other drell in the room as he stands up. Hm... teal. I should've expected a teal-colored drell. "We need to rest, Feron. We can't keep running around like that."
Feron nods. "Then I guess we have to stay here for a few hours," he says. He then looks to Liara. "And what of the injured ones?"
"Some of them have broken bones," says Liara. "We were waiting to tend to them until someone with medical knowledge could help us."
Miranda nods. "It's a good thing I'm here, then," she says as she walks up to me. "I have some knowledge of how to use the machines that a clinic might have. Hopefully, I should be able to get them functioning enough that they can shoot things."
I nod as she picks me up. "That would be-ah!-great," I comment.
Miranda nods. "All right," she says. "Oriana, Kolyat, make sure that Eltarn and Sawrik are attended to."
"Of course." I see Oriana stand up, and then she walks over to Bailey.
I see her start a conversation, but I don't pay attention to it as Miranda walks away from the office and takes me to the back room. "Glad you're still alive," says Miranda. "I thought you and Garrus were probably dead."
I chuckle, but then wince as I feel the slight stab in my ribs again. "We've survived worse," I reply.
"No doubt," she says as we cross a door to the medical machines. "What are your injuries?"
I sit up an hour or so later, looking at Miranda as she nods.
"Well, your ribs should be in relatively good shape from here on out," Miranda comments. "They're not completely healed, but they shouldn't limit your movement too much now. At the very least, you should be able to fire your gun."
"I hope so," I comment. I then look at Miranda. "You're all right."
Miranda simply looks at me, leaning against the medical bed as I look at Miranda. "I could say the same for you," she replies. "Feron told us what Bailey told him. I thought you wouldn't be alive."
"It's almost a miracle that we're alive, really," I comment. "I thought we were gone when we the Reaper hit the control panel with that beam." I pause... "But that means that we don't really have a chance..."
"Maybe not, but we're here," says Miranda. "That probably means more than you think it does." She then looks out of the room. "At least my sister is all right. There is that."
"You've stayed by her side, I take it," I say.
"And fortunately for us, we have run into no Cerberus units either," she says. "I don't think they can say much that can make me rejoin Cerberus since the invasion has already begun, but you never can be too careful."
I nod. "Good," I say. I pause, looking at her. "I don't know how, but Kai Leng is still alive."
Miranda frowns. "That slippery bastard is still alive?" she asks. "I thought you killed him!"
"I thought we did too," I comment. "But... we probably would've arrived at the Citadel control panel sooner if Kai Leng hadn't somehow come back to life." I look up. "Do you think they had a Lazarus Project version 2.0?"
"Can't be," says Miranda. "Even if all the data was already there, it would still take time to bring him back. The drugs don't kick in immediately, and the cybernetics are extremely expensive. Even the Illusive Man would hesitate before spending four billion credits twice." She then pauses. "Unless..."
"You think Reaper tech was involved?" I ask.
"Possibly," Miranda replies. "I can't say for certain, but the possibility exists. Reaper tech is more advanced, not to mention it would cost much less than buying resources for the cybernetics." She pauses. "It still doesn't explain how he was resurrected so quickly."
"I don't know if that matters," I reply. "He's still out there." I look outside to Garrus as he talks to Feron. "And by the way, Garrus has a broken leg. I did what I could with broken ribs and no casts, but I think you should look at him too."
"Turian physiology is not my expertise, but I will do what I can," Miranda replies as I step off of the table. "You should go talk to Eltarn. He and Sawrik were worried about you."
I nod. "I'll go ahead and do that," I say. "You take care of Garrus."
"Of course." Miranda exits the room with me, and she immediately walks over to Garrus.
I nod, looking over to Eltarn where he sits by a nearby desk. Sawrik is in his father's arms, holding on to his father for dear life. He's stopped crying by now, though, and can only stay still there. Eltarn himself looks... well, he looks like he's got a rather nasty cut just underneath one of his eyes, but otherwise he looks like he's doing okay. Eltarn looks up as I approach, and he nods.
"Madison," Eltarn says. "You're all right."
"I am," I comment as I sit down next to him and Sawrik. "I guess you survived the end of the galaxy as we know it, too."
"We did," Eltarn replies. "I didn't think I'd ever see that much happen, but..." He shakes his head. "At least Sawrik's still with us."
I nod. "That's a good thing," I comment, patting his shoulder. "At least he's still here."
"Yeah," Eltarn says as he rubs his son's back. "Poor kid is scared out of his mind, though. I can't say I blame him." He looks behind him. "I don't know where those monsters came from, but I don't think they're here to treat us well. And..." He shakes his head. "What the hell could've created them?"
"I don't know," I say. "But we intend to stop them."
"How?" Eltarn asks. "You saw that... thing that nearly killed you. And think, there are probably hundreds of them crawling around the Citadel. Not to mention the other things that can kill us all! And you say you're going to stop them? How?"
"I don't know," I admit. "But we'll find a way. Trust me, Eltarn, we'll find a way, even if we have to fight a Reaper with our fists."
And with this, he sighs. "I..." he shakes his head, closing his eyes as he holds Sawrik close to him. "I don't know. It all seems hopeless, Madison. I know that logically we're all screwed, but..." He looks over to me, opening his eyes. "If you say it, I want to believe you. I want to believe you'll find away."
I nod, placing a hand on his knee. "We'll find a way."
Eltarn nodded, holding Sawrik close. "You know, it's a funny thing that happened on the way here," he comments. "You know Mr. Shelby?"
I raise my eyebrows. "Of course I do," I comment. "What happened?"
"Well, he and I bumped into each other," says Eltarn.
I gasp. "What?" I ask. "He's around?"
Eltarn simply looks at the ground in dismay, Sawrik getting noticeably grim. "Not... exactly, no," Eltarn replies. "He broke out when the Reaper attack first happened I guess. And then he came up to us, and..." Eltarn looks back to the banshee's remains. "He actually saved my life, and possibly Sawrik's too. He... He was there when that ugly thing first showed up. He told us to run, and he stayed behind. I didn't stick around to see him die, but... I heard the loud yell that accompanied his death."
I blink, looking at Eltarn. "Wait, so he..." I pause, looking at the floor. "I'll be damned, he did believe in all that stuff about finding a father who would risk anything for a son."
"I guess in the end, he did," Eltarn comments. "I don't think he was right, but in the end..." He shakes his head. "I thought you should know that. You know, what with you having a history with him and all."
"I appreciate you telling me that," I say. "Even in the end, he believed in what he was doing. Thank you, Eltarn."
"Don't mention it," says Eltarn.
And with this, we fall into silence, right as I see Miranda attend to Garrus' wounds through the doorway.
I find myself walking through a crowded street. Wait, this street... This is like it was back in Philadelphia... Hm. I have to be dreaming. I mean, there's Garrus to worry about, there are the Reapers out there...
...but if this is a dream, why does it feel so real?
I walk up to a sign post, placing my hand on it immediately. It feels cold; that's when I notice the snow falling all around me, all white particles falling to the ground. They seem extra fuzzy for some strange reason, and the people walking around me...
It's just a dream, and yet... Did it...? No, it never normally snowed this much in Philadelphia. And if it did, they'd plow most of the snow and salt all the roads. And as it is, the cars are just driving through the snow. No, there's no way this can be real. It's vivid, but it's not real. I'm just experiencing it like...
Like I'm awake...
Hold on. If I'm experiencing it like I'm awake... why?
Maybe there's... Wait a second. Liara gave me the cuneiform inscription earlier today. And Art mentioned that his dreams were vivid whenever he had that thing he found on the Collector ship with him. And my dreams only got this vivid when... is it possible? Shit, I'll have to ask Liara how vivid her dreams were recently when I ask her about this, 'cause if she and potentially Feron had the same thing happen to them...
I don't get to think about this too long, though, for then I see a cloaked figure walking in the streets. I frown, looking at the cloaked figure. That's very odd for Philadelphia, and I'm sure that there's something different about this one person there. I don't know if... no, if I die in here, the worst I can expect is to wake up. No, I'll be fine.
I begin following the cloaked figure around the city as he weaves through the streets. A couple of times he glances behind me to see that I'm following him. I simply continue following him, sifting through the large crowd of people that keeps on bombarding me. I have to see that cloaked figure. This is unusual, and I have to see why it is. Things like this don't just happen.
I walk along, following the cloaked figure. Eventually, he turns into a dark alley. I follow him there, seeing that he has suddenly stopped in the center of the alley, though he's not very far from the entrance of the alley. I pause as soon as I enter the alley, looking at the cloaked figure nervously. I take a step forward, remembering some of the alleys in Omega briefly.
The cloaked figure then turns to me. His skin looks like it's been bleached with ash of some kind, and he sports a black beard. I can also see through the cloak that he's huge, and could probably beat the crap out of me if I moved. He simply stands there, looking at me, and I can instantly tell that there's something more to him.
"Uh..." I say. "Is there a reason I can think rationally in a dream right now?"
"There is," the man replies. "You may ask the asari, but... the artifact you have now was tainted with a strong piece of the Fade. A... Fade signature, if you wish."
I frown. "Wait, what?" I ask. "You mean... what does that even...?"
"The Fade is present in all things," says the cloaked man as he steps towards me. "However, some who know the Fade best can... amplify the Fade in this world through an object. The Protheans did much amplifying in their day."
"They did?" I ask. "I guess they had an affinity with it? The way Art talked about the rachni queen?"
"Yes," says the man. "But that is only one part of what you must be told, and in the grand scheme of things it is not important." He then leans towards me. "There is a way to save the Citadel from its current predicament."
I jolt. W-what? "You mean, there is actually a way?" I ask.
"Yes, though it may not matter now," he says. "What I tell you may be a false hope, for the Reapers may have found it by now."
"If it's a hope, we have to take it," I say. "What do you need me to do?"
The cloaked man walks past me, looking back at me. "I will not say what it specifically," he says. "I trust that you know of the protheans that came to the Citadel from Ilos."
"I... think so," I say. "Garrus may have told me about them at some point."
"They did more than sabotage the keepers' signal," the cloaked figure replies. "They also left something deep in the bowels of the Citadel. It was their last gift, built as they starved to death. It may save you. It may not, as the Reapers likely know it exists now."
"What is it?" I ask.
The cloaked figure then turns back past me, and walks up to the doors of one of the buildings in the alley. I look at him as he nods at me. "I will not be specific," he says. "But if it works, you must be prepared for anything. And regardless, there are many dangers that will greet you on the way there. I cannot promise that it is a solution that comes free."
"Oh, just tell me already!" I comment. "Where do I go? And what is it?"
"It is... complicated," he says. "It is... a back door, if you will. As for where to go... seek out the keeper tunnels in the Kithoi Ward. They will take you to where they are." He then pauses, opening the door. "Do not worry. The tunnels in the Kithoi Ward are safe. Go."
And with this, the figure opens the back door of the building and enters it. He then leaves me standing in the alleyway, looking at the door... what? What is all this? And... does he mean there's a back door to the Citadel? As in... their systems? Maybe... maybe that's what he means. So there's a back door into the Citadel's systems somewhere in the Citadel that no human would dare reach. How did they...?
I don't know. And I don't know what's going to happen when we get there. And from how that cloaked figure put it... it may not entirely be good. But... I have to trust this. It's something, which is a lot better than nothing.
Yes. I have to trust that man. I don't know who he is, but somehow that doesn't matter. All right. I think I know what I need to do when I wake up.
"So your dreams became extremely vivid as well, and they told you to look for that?"
I nod, watching as Liara prepares a pistol. "They did," I say. "I guess you had a similar experience."
"I did, yes," says Liara. "I remembered my dreams more vividly. I even had a conversation with my mother in a few of these dreams."
I raise my eyebrows. "And I guess the dreams started telling you to do things," I say.
"The dreams told me to give you Art's cuneiform tablet," Liara replies. "I would have disbelieved them, but... when do dreams ever become so vivid that you can remember them as if you experienced them while awake?"
"I know," I say. "When that happens, it's almost impossible not to take it seriously." I pause. "How did you know it was a dream immediately?"
"My mother is dead," Liara replies plainly. "And I was speaking to her on Thessia as if the years of silence between us had never existed."
I blink, looking down at the ground. "Right..." I comment. "Sorry."
"It is all right," Liara says. She then leans forward. "So this person told you to look to the keeper tunnels in the Kithoi Ward?"
"Yes," I reply. "I think they might lead to some back door into the Citadel's systems. I'm not a hundred percent sure that this is the case, but we have to try looking."
"We do," says Liara. She looks out there. "It will be difficult to convince people to go in there, you know. But here, you may have an advantage." She walks through the small office, and I follow her immediately. "Did you know that the keeper tunnels in the Kithoi Ward are actually larger than most keeper tunnels in the Citadel?"
I blink. "Really?" I ask.
"Yes," says Liara. "The... duct rats, as they are called, are actually a little older here in the Kithoi Ward than they are in the remaining wards of the Citadel. Some of my agents have actually hid in the Kithoi Ward's keeper tunnels at times."
"So what's stopping people from living there?" I ask.
"The keeper tunnel entrances are tucked away in corners," Liara replies. "It is true for the whole Citadel, but especially in the Kithoi Ward." She shakes her head. "I don't believe we can convince people here to look for an entrance to the keeper tunnels of this ward, but if you believe it, I will see what I can do." She then looks over to Garrus where he's sleeping with his back against a desk. "Do you plan on telling Garrus when you wake up?"
"Of course!" I reply. I then look behind Liara at everyone else. "And even if we can't convince anyone else to look for that entrance, we still have to tell them about this."
"Of course," says Liara. "It would be dangerous and quite insensitive to abandon them here without an explanation." She rubs her chin. "The question is 'how do we explain this to them'."
"You worry about that," I say. "I'll tell Garrus when he wakes up. You don't have to come with us when we go to the keeper tunnels."
Liara frowns. "And why not?" she asks. "If this back door was potentially constructed by the Protheans as the reference to Ilos suggests, then how will you know what to do?"
"You had a difficult time translating the cuneiform," I reply.
"Only because it was not neatly written, and Prothean cuneiform was an infrequently used letter system within the Prothean empire," Liara replies. "If I was met with a cleaner text that was more commonly used by the Protheans, I may be able to help you. A back door into the Citadel's systems is useless if we can't read the interface. It may not be in Prothean text, but we have to assume that this is the case for now, for I doubt that they would set the interfaces to be read in Galactic Standard."
I nod. "Point taken," I say. I sigh. "All right, you can come with Garrus and I. But we're not asking anyone else to come with us."
"Maybe not," says Liara. "But I get the feeling we'll have more people with us by accident by the time we're done."
"Probably," I comment. "Here's hoping we can actually get there safely."
"Indeed," Liara comments.
"Go into the keeper tunnels? Are you crazy?"
Bailey finishes asking this as soon as Liara finishes proposing the idea to him. Everyone else is up by now, and we're about to start our trek deeper into the Citadel. Garrus simply looks at me with a knowing glance, and I see Miranda nodding to Liara. I think they both understand what we're getting at, but for everyone else...
"We don't really know if there's anything there," Liara says. "But what if we just had someone check the keeper tunnels and go as far as they can take us just in case?"
"Sorry, I don't buy it," says Bailey. "I've seen enough duct rats vanish in the keeper tunnels to know that it's not a good idea."
"Even in the Kithoi Ward?" Kolyat asks. "I thought the keeper tunnels were larger in the Kithoi Ward than the rest of the Citadel."
"I thought that was the case too," Garrus adds.
"It doesn't stop children from disappearing," Bailey replies. "I'm not going down there."
I raise my hands. "We're not asking you to come with us," I say. "We just think there might be something in there we haven't thought of..."
"Maybe, but what if you die and then it turns out that there's nothing there?" Bailey asks. "Then we've just wasted a life meaninglessly. And even if we don't come, there's still the risk of you dying on your way down there."
"And on the chance that something is down there?" I ask. "Wouldn't it be worth the risk if there was something we could do down there."
"I doubt you'll find anything where the keepers are, but you're welcome to try," says Bailey. "Just count me out of it." He looks behind him. "Besides, we have civilians with us."
"And that's why I'm going there with Liara and a few other people," I reply. "We won't ask you to come with us. Not all of you, anyway."
Garrus nods. "Well, if you're going there, then I'm going as well," he says. "I can't let you wander off and get killed."
I watch as Brendan pushes off. "You know? What the hell?" he asks. "It's probably going to be crazy down there, but I kind of want to see what's down there."
I blink in surprise as Brendan walks towards us. "I... I guess that works," I comment as Brendan walks towards us.
Miranda crosses her arms. "As much as I would like to help, I can't," she says. "I have Oriana to look after. And the others may need protection."
"I'm staying as well," Feron replies. "Someone needs to look after the civilians."
I nod. "All right," I say. "That's fine. We won't force you to come with us. But we just think there might be something down there. Don't you think that's worth investigating?"
"Maybe," says Bailey. He sighs, and rubs his temples. "I just hope you know what you're doing down there."
"We'll figure it out," says Garrus.
"We'll go a short ways with you," says Liara. "As soon as we have an opportunity, we'll break away, and then we'll go deep in the Kithoi Ward."
"All right," says Feron. "In the meantime, we should be going."
With this, we all nod in agreement, and so we exit the clinic. As we do, however, I feel a tug on my arm. When I do, I look down to see Sawrik there, with Eltarn standing a little behind him.
"Please don't go," Sawrik says. "There are bad things in there!"
I blink, and then kneel next to Sawrik. "Sawrik, I know that," I reply. "But we have to go in there."
"B-but you could die in there..." he says. "And..."
I nod. "Look, Sawrik," I say. "You know the big bad ships everywhere?"
Sawrik nods. "I guess," he says.
"And you know all the monsters they've dropped here?" I continue.
"Yes..." he says.
I nod. "I'm going to go to try and stop those things," I say. "I will need something very special there, and hopefully it'll make all the monsters and the bad ships go away. And then you and your daddy can be safe again."
Sawrik looks up at me. "You think so?" she asks.
I pat his head, giving him a smile. "I certainly do, kiddo," I reply.
Sawrik nods. "All right," he says. "Just... make them go away."
I stand up. "I'll be sure to do that," I comment.
I look at Eltarn, who looks so thankful that I said the things I did to Sawrik. He nods, and then guides Sawrik along as they rejoin everyone else. I stay behind looking at them for a few seconds, before I begin walking again. I feel Garrus place a hand on my shoulder, and when I look at him he only smiles.
Elsewhere in the Citadel...
"Are they gone...?"
I look over to the salarian C-SEC officer and the turian Spectre. The salarian has just finished speaking, and he dares not speak above a whisper. We did just manage to hide from one of those huge... brutes that are outside of the store. I shift slightly, looking up and seeing...
I duck back down. "No," I say. "They're still sort of there."
The turian Spectre shakes her head. "We need to find a different solution than just sitting here hiding," she says. "There's got to be a better way than this."
"If there is, I don't know it yet," I reply. I sigh, looking up at the ceiling. "I just wish..."
"Well, I wish I could get back to my father, so you're not the only one who's wishing for something," the turian Spectre replies. She shakes her head, and checks her assault rifle one more time. "If only we had a damn rocket launcher or something, we'd be out of here."
I sigh. "Well... we can't use the back entrance, so..." I shake my head. "Yeah, a rocket launcher would be useful right about now." I sigh.
"He's fine," says the salarian reassuringly. "I'm sure he's fine."
"I hope he is," I reply. "Otherwise..."
I feel a three-fingered hand rest on my shoulder. I turn, looking directly at the turian Spectre as she looks at me. "We'll find him, Will," she says. "We'll find Nadeire. Trust me."
I nod. "I hope so, Tidoses," I say. "I hope so..."