Author's note: Hello lovely lovely people. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back here, but there were things happening this week. Stupid life doesn't it know that I would rather be writing? So to re-iterate from the last chapter, I am changing my schedule permanently to updating every three days instead of two. This will give me a bit more polishing time. I hope you are all well and thank you ever so much for the kind reviews.
"Excellent." Nihlus announced once they were alone in their bedroom. "Now we have a ticket to the underground. Wonderfully done, Hill."
Charlie positively glared at Nihlus. "I'm so glad it worked out for you." She spoke the words around clenched teeth.
Nihlus wide grin did not falter in the face of Charlie's cynicism. "Do you know what the Fight Pit is?"
Charlie rolled her eyes and stopped grinding her teeth. "I assume it's some gladiatorial arena."
Nihlus made a quick movement as he checked the reference on his omni-tool. "Yeah that's pretty much it; however it's not usually to the death. Most of the time it's just between two skilled fighters and the winner is the last person standing. Sometimes they pit one group against another. It is purely skill driven. There are strict rules about no armor, weapons, or tech. They do allow biotics, though. Essentially I think it's the perfect space for you to show your strength. You'll be excellent."
Garrus' words of caution echoed back to Charlie and she found herself rooted to the floor.
If Nihlus noticed her expression, he ignored it. "This might not have been the original plan, but it's even better. I can reach out and find contacts while you draw the attention in the arena."
She swallowed her apprehension and forced lungs to breathe easy. She was Charlotte Nacht, damn it, and she was powerful. She hadn't faced a challenger she couldn't overcome on the mat in years. This was going to be just like that only with the threat of death looming over her. Unsurprisingly, that thought did not bring Charlie any comfort.
Nihlus Kryik was extremely concerned for Nacht's safety. The earlier events of the day had been unexpected and dangerous. He was used to plans not working perfectly, but he was accustomed to being the individual who shot his them to hell. Thinking back on every interaction he had ever had with the human woman, Nihlus realized that he should have expected this. He knew that she was feeling restless and anxious. He had known all about the protective aura she surrounded the children of Omega with. Nihlus had attempted twice to relieve some of Nacht's obvious tension with sexual advances, but she had firmly stopped that course of action. The Spectre was not sure what else he could have done. Nacht was a heavily encrypted vault when she wanted to be and she refused to talk to him about her mental state.
The Fight Pit was not where he wanted to be right now. Especially since Nacht was going to be participating in the blood sport. He watched her go through her stretches in the dirty backroom. Her once olive skin had turned brown under the Elysium sun and the effect hid some of the scars that she was mapped with. His eyes stopped at her shoulder where the marks he had left her with had been removed. Nihlus' mask cracked for the briefest moment as his eyes scanned her toned form for the other marks. No, they were all carefully taken away.
It shouldn't have hurt him. He didn't feel strongly for the woman, after all, but there was a part of him that ached with the offense. Nihlus thought he understood Nacht. She was like him. They were both individuals who couldn't risk being tied to another. Either for apparent emotional reasons, on Nacht's part, or career related, on his. Something about the kindred spirit he saw in her had forced him to mark her. It wasn't a property mark and Nacht was not a female who could be tamed. The scars he had left her with were a reminder that he was not alone.
Now they were gone.
Nihlus' diligent mind cast off the perceived offense and returned to observing Nacht's preparation for the battle. Apparently finished with her warm-up routine, the woman began to wrap her forearms and shins in thick gauze. When she stood in front of him dark skinned, fiery haired, and proud a thin layer of his apprehension melted. Nacht was a formidable weapon and it was up to him to see that she was wielded properly.
"You ready?" He asked her, decades of practice kept his voice steady and his face a mask.
Nacht shrugged her muscled shoulders and spoke flippantly, "I guess so. I mean, god forbid, what's the worst that could happen?"
He didn't know what to say to that. The sound of the door opening cut off any response he was trying to form and a krogan stood ready to usher Nacht to the arena. The thundering sound of the audience clawed at his sensitive ears. With another flippant wink at him, Nacht followed the krogan out of the room. Nihlus knew that she was more anxious than him, but an outsider might not have been able to tell. An observer would also not be able to tell that the hunched turian that quietly followed the woman out of the room was actually a Spectre and was positively terrified for his friend.
When Nacht stepped into the arena, the crowd turned murderous towards the new blood. Across the dirt and blood covered floor, a krogan bellowed and beat his chest for the admiration of the audience. Nihlus could see the previous fight had left the krogan injured, but he knew that only made the krogan more fearsome. Nacht had not stepped more than a foot into the arena and looked terrified and frail. Her tight black shorts and sports bra seemed to extenuate her utter lack of natural armor. Compared to the towering mass of muscle that was the krogan, Nacht was a child.
The sharp retort of a gun signaled the beginning of the fight and Nihlus winced when the krogan charged the woman. He almost missed the subtle change of Nacht's footing and how she gracefully sidestepped the attack. Suddenly the krogan was pressed against the plexiglass wall of the arena and Charlie was wrenching his arm out of its joint. Her opponent bellowed in pain and lashed out with his one good arm, but Charlie had easily danced out of the way.
Unlike any of the other fights Nihlus had seen Nacht participate in, there was no humor in her eyes. There was only resolute determination. The krogan, now realizing his folly in underestimating the human woman, matched Nacht's steps as they circled each other. Nihlus was surprised when Nacht chose to charge the krogan. One step from the braced man, Nacht leaped and came crashing down into the alien. His eyes couldn't quite make out what had transpired, but the result was Nacht's knee firmly planted in the krogan's groin while her elbow crushed his windpipe. There was the briefest of pauses when Nacht waited to see if the krogan was going to tap out. When her opponent reached for her, Nacht quickly shifted her straddling position and twisted his one good arm with a hollow crack.
When the guards came into the arena to take the krogan away, the crowd leapt up around Nihlus shouting cries of "Human". Her single victory had turned the fickle love of the audience. However, if she noticed the differing chant, Nacht did not acknowledge it. Instead she sat heavily down on the low bench near Nihlus and took a long drink of the offered water.
Satisfied that Nacht's skills had not diminished over the years; Nihlus skirted the edge of the crowd and sought the faces that could actually help his mission. He had rooted out several sources of where the mercenaries that plagued the Citadel had originated from. The most accessible location had been Omega and as he scanned the members of the screaming crowd he heard the sharp retort of the second fight starting. Nihlus spared a brief glance towards the arena and noticed that Nacht had been pitted against two asari. If they were both biotics, it could pose a problem, but he trusted Nacht's ability to take care of herself. Spying the human male that he was searching for, Nihlus shifted his way easily through the crowd. He took a seat near his contact, but not close enough to draw attention.
Ten minutes later the audience swelled and jerked backwards in a simultaneous wince. The action stole Nihlus' attention from the orange glow of his omni-tool where he had been having a silent conversation with the human male seated to his right. When he jerked his head up to look at the arena, Nihlus' legs forced him to stand and his firmly attached mask slipped and shattered.
Nacht stood in the center of the arena covered in purple blood. At her feet lay a prone and unconscious asari. The most disturbing aspect of the horrifying spectacle was Nacht's movements. She stalked the remaining asari like a wild animal toying with her prey. The wounded asari shouted her submission as she crawled away from the mad woman. With a cry, Nacht launched herself at the asari and landed a foot in her ribs before dancing away and avoiding the flash of feeble blue biotics. The laughter that Nacht had been lacking in the first fight was back, but it wasn't the casual laughter of sentient being. It was cruel, hard, and manic. Nihlus pushed his way back to the front of the crowd and watched as the guards dragged the crying asari out of the Fight Pit along with her suspiciously limp partner.
With a cry of victory, Nacht raised her violet painted arms to the crowd and let their cheering wash over her. Nihlus could see that she was not uninjured this time as she turned and revealed a spider web of red across the back of her left thigh. He recognized the damage as a Warp biotic attack though the turian had never seen the attack used on bare flesh. The severe injury barely put a hitch in Nacht's stride as she approached the low bench. When she came closer, Nihlus noticed the manic expression of insanity in her eyes.
Instead of sitting down to rest Nacht took long pulls from the water bottle on the bench. When she finished she shouted at the crowd until her throat was raw. Nihlus' mind went into overdrive. This insane animal was not Charlotte Nacht. That meant something had happened to her. Nacht would never act in such a manner.
Wouldn't she? Didn't she attack you in the Spectre office? Didn't she charge head on into danger at Grissom Academy?
No, he firmly told himself, that different. This wild-eyed creature before him was not Charlotte Nacht. He tried to fit the pieces together and his eyes stopped on the water bottle in her hands. Where had that come from? The usually cautious and intelligent Spectre had not even questioned its presence in the arena.
Shit.
Shit this is bad.
There were a multitude of drugs that could cause Nacht's behavior, but judging by her ability to retain her combat skills Nihlus bet heavily that the water was laced with either Red Sand or Minagen X-3. Yes, this was very bad.
It was about to get worse. The opposite gate opened once more and this time a creature stepped through that sent chills through Nihlus' plates. Even though he had never seen one before, the turian knew exactly what he looking at when the yahg stepped in.
The beast before Charlie would be a fitting sacrifice to her greatness. The two blue women from before were not enough to show her power. She needed more. She was Charlie Nacht and she was a god. She was a vengeful spirit that suffered none to live. Her loyal subjects shouted their praise and love to her divine strength as they bellowed their prayers. Charlie knew what they wanted. They wanted her.
The beast opened its triangular mouth and bellowed at her. Charlie bared her teeth in what could been mistaken as a smile and returned the gesture. A blade landed at her feet and she did not question its appearance. Naturally, she assumed, she had called the curved length of metal into existence through her sheer will. Charlie wrapped her fingers around the handle and let the long blade lie flush against her forearm. Now she was ready. Now her people would see what happens when you tempt the hand of god.
The beast charged her and Charlie met the charge with one of her own. With a cry she leapt upon the monster and slashed her blade deep into one set of his eyes. Somehow the towering creature gripped her back and threw her clear of his face. It didn't make sense to her. Nothing should be able to stand against her. She was a god.
The warm trickle of liquid down her back confused her. Gods do not bleed. With a roar of frustration, Charlie pulled her shredded top off of her body. She had no shame and let her people look on the body of the divine.
The beast charged her again. Such a foolish creature, she idly thought. Throwing an arm out, Charlie was engulfed with a blue flame. The monster was thrown forcibly backwards and held against the glass wall of her dominion. Moving more quickly than she had ever before, Charlie slashed her blade across the wide grey belly of the brute. Blood flooded her arms and Charlie once again painted herself in the sticky substance. Orange clashed with the violet already on her body.
Letting her control slip, Charlie released the beast as she raised her arms in victory. A hand full of sharp claws buried itself into her right leg in a moment of utter defiance to her will. Rage swept through Charlie's mind once more and she let it consume her. The brute pulled the woman down and under his wide body as he shredded her leg. For the briefest moment, Charlie was afraid. Tears threatened her eyes as she was suddenly aware of immense level of pain she was in. It was overwhelming and panic made her drop the blade.
Confusing joined with the fear as the long talons tore into her flesh. What was she doing here? Where was here? Hot tears muscled their way out of her eyes. Why was everyone yelling? There was too much pain for Charlie to make any sense of the situation.
Just as soon as the moment of clarity came, it was gone and Charlie was once again the terrifying aspect of god. She darted her hand to the gaping wound on the creature's face and plunged her hand within, grasping at every slippery tendon she pulled back. The beast erupted in pain and rolled off of her body. Charlie retrieved her blade and tried to stand, but her cowardly leg folded under her. Reaching deeply inside of her, Charlie shouted at the monster and lifted her arm once more. This time the grey creature was pulled off of the ground and slammed heavily back onto the metal floor.
Charlie had to drag her unresponsive leg, but she reached its neck and sliced deeply through the flesh. Her enemy and sacrifice beheaded, she tried to raise the trophy to her subjects, but her left arm was numb. She looked down at the useless appendage to make sure it was still attached.
The woman, who was covered in more red than orange or purple, tried to stand to meet the next challenger; but it was futile. The new creature rose menacingly above Charlie and she raised her right arm to attack him, but it fell limply to her side. The sharp talons clutched her neck and threatened to strangle her. Bile and sick flooded her mouth and breathing was difficult. What was happening to her? What's going on? The questions panicked her as her vision grayed out.
E.
I am officially done playing spy for you after what I accidentally saw last night. Lil' G is a grown woman and I am not invading her privacy any longer.
G.
E.
What's going on? You either didn't message me yesterday or I didn't get it. Are you alright?
G.
E.
I am getting on a flight to Omega unless you respond back by the end of the day.
G.
G.
The medical condition of E is at present time stable. E did not leave instructions for your imminent departure and has expressed on seven separate occasions that E wishes G to remain on the Citadel.
L. A. L.
E.
Is your VI talking to me?
G.
G.
E has not programmed this virtual interface for the function of written communication. LAL is anticipating the user's commands based off of E's previous communiqués with G.
L. A. L.
"Calmly: The medication may take up to an hour before Ms. Hill is fully awake." The giant elcor doctor had said the words two hours ago and Nihlus' patience was beginning to wear thin.
Another spam in Nacht's right arm caught his attention and the turian leaned over the comatose woman. Her eyes fluttered open for a second time, but this time her pupils dilated and she was clearly watching him.
A jumble of sounds came from her throat and he said. "Hey there, take your time and try not to move."
Another slurry of sounds came from her mouth and Nihlus was fairly certain it was meant sarcastically. It didn't matter though, because she was awake and partially lucid. He felt some of the tension ease from his shoulders. This had been a rough week and he was not sure just how Nacht was alive right now. When he had reached her side and felt the thready pulse as she rested beside the dead yahg, Nihlus had resigned himself to carting her broken body back in a crate. If Aria hadn't had a doctor waiting in the wing of the Fight Pit, Nacht would definitely not have made it. Once again, Nihlus considered the reasons why the matriarch had intervened with help. Once again, Nihlus considered that he might not want to know the mysterious asari's reasons.
"N - us" Nacht stumbled over the words as she attempted speech.
"I thought I told you to stop talking." Nihlus admonished the woman.
"Schtup ir." Nacht mumbled the words, but Nihlus did not understand them. She closed her eyes and the turian could see her muscles tighten under the effort. "Happened … at pit?" The pride of her success was evident on her slack face.
"Well," Nihlus considered his words carefully. "You killed a yahg."
Nacht's large eyes squinted at the turian in disbelief. "No."
"I couldn't make this up." Nihlus thought that that was probably not true, but he was sure that no one would believe the story anyway. "Technically you beheaded the yahg armed with nothing but a batarian short sword."
Nacht's eyes broke contact with his and she stared at the ceiling. "Don't remember."
"What do you remember?" Nihlus asked gently.
The damaged woman closed her eyes for a long time. Nihlus watched as sudden jerky movements worked their way down her body as Nacht slowly regained control of her muscles. His stomach was a hollow pit as he noted the utter stillness of her right leg.
Eventually Nacht turned back to him and said, "Walked to the Pit. Fought krogan?"
Nihlus nodded his head. Her words were jerky as if her mind couldn't remember speech. Nacht's lips wrestled with each syllable and a cold sweat beaded on her forehead.
"I won. Broke his arms." She paused and blinked several times. "Two asari. Didn't think that was fair. Don't remember fight."
Nihlus considered this a good thing as he recalled the grisly display. Should he even tell her what happened?
"There were complications." He began carefully. "In short, you were drugged."
Nacht nodded her head, as if that fit with her memories. "What drug?"
"Red Sand cut with Minagen X-3."
Nacht drew in a deep breath that whistled in her lungs. "Damn."
"So you understand what happened?"
She tossed him a derisive look. "Worked Vice."
"Alright, so I promise that I will tell you exactly what happened later, but you need to rest. You just woke up from a week long medically induced coma after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke."
"Where are we?"
"Still on Omega." Nihlus responded with a weary sigh.
Nacht scowled and leaned heavily back on the pillow. "Usually I'm home when I wake up from almost death."
Nihlus chuckled at the dark humor and waited till she fell back asleep to leave.
G
I'm alive. Don't worry so much you'll crack a plate. I'll tell you all about it when I get home.
E.
E
I will require a full list of your injuries so I can use it as blackmail later. Did you know that your VI sent me messages? Also what do you remember about organ smuggling?
G
G
Yes, I did know. She told me. Talk to C and get the info from him.
E
Two days later and Charlie was slowly being driven insane by the elcor physician. Under normal conditions she didn't consider herself to be racist, but after two days alone with the most chatty elcor she had ever met … her already thin patience snapped.
"Pissed off: I know that I need to stay for more physical therapy, but I have to get out of this room!" Charlie yelled at the elcor.
"Patiently, but strained: If you do not work the muscles in your right leg, you will lose mobility." Even in the bored tones the words cut her.
The last time she had heard those words had been well over twelve years ago and in another life. Charlie was fully aware of the shredded tissue that made up her right leg, but she could manage a loping walk with a cane and that felt good enough for the moment. Back on Elysium she could see a proper doctor and get the scarred tissue taken care of. Of course that meant that her intimidation factor on Omega was going to fall a little flat.
Charlie took a deep breath and composed herself. "I understand that I was badly injured. I promise that I won't exasperate my delicate c-c-condition." She frowned at the stutter that had been plaguing her. She knew that the vocal symptom of her recent brain damage was not going to help her convince the doctor.
"Conciliatory: I will let you leave the facilities only after you watch this vid of what transpired in the aptly named Fight Pit. Admonishing: Perhaps then you will understand my apprehension." The elcor moved slowly to the vidscreen and entered a few commands with his massive hand.
Nihlus had kept his promise and told Charlie what had happened when she was under the influence of the Red Sand cocktail, but watching the events was a completely different experience. Her face seemed to consist entirely of a single emotion as she raptly followed the screen with one hand wrapped around her mouth: horror. The revulsion she felt as the false entity wearing her flesh coated her half naked body with the rainbow palette of blood was overwhelming. She promptly threw up on the floor. She almost missed the harsh rattle that was her avatar's voice shout above the din of the bloodthirsty crowd, "Bow before me, my children. For I am your god made flesh."
Charlie didn't stop throwing up until the burn of yellow acid clung to her throat and mouth.
"Enough." Charlie whispered past her hoarse throat.
"With determination: No, you must watch it." The impassive face stared down at her.
When yahg lie dead on the filthy ground and the abomination that looked like her had passed out resting against the wide body; Charlie watched Nihlus continue to work on her. The wreck of her person could hardly be distinguished as a human. Her leg was in tatters and the white of the bone was visible from small camera high on the ceiling. When her limp flesh was lifted off of the dead carcass of the yahg, Charlie could see the damage that the alien's claws had dealt to her back. Nihlus struggled to keep the shredded flesh of her back together as he passed her to the elcor.
The doctor switched off the gruesome footage and put a large hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Apologetically: It was important for you to understand what transpired and the extent of your injuries. Do you understand?"
Charlie nodded her head. "I do. How did I l-l-live through that?"
The doctor shifted his large body and gestured to the room. "With pride: I was informed that a human female was in need of medical aid in the Fight Pit. You were lucky that I was over prepared for the event."
A thought flickered through Charlie's mind, "Who is paying you?"
The physician drew up his large body and pulled away from her. "Offended: I am a doctor. I help those in need."
Charlie lifted her hands in a placating gesture. "I'm s-s-sorry. Thank you for your help. You saved my l-l-life and I am grateful."