Disclaimer: I don't own the Mass Effect universe or Bioware.

«5.06: Attican Beta: Theseus System: Feros: ExoGeni (Upper Level)»

«or Surprise Attack»

The geth drop ship had latched onto the ExoGeni building, using its landing gear as claws digging into the building. Wires snaked inside, powering equipment and tools necessary for their livelihood. They moved their equipment around and did their duty, just as they were ordered to. This would be their home base for the time being, until they did their duty. Then, they would simply leave and go back to wherever they were ordered to. There was, however, one necessary object that the geth needed: a shrine to conduct their worship of ones they called the Reapers. On this upper level of the ExoGeni building, three geth were performing their daily worship of their gods, bending down on their knees and connecting their neural networks to the shrine.

Shepard could see that it was a place of worship and he guessed that they were worshiping the Reapers. He knew this, though he didn't really care. At the moment, the Geth were the enemy and they were standing in between him and his goal.

Through the scope of his HMR X sniper rifle, the kneeling geth were sitting ducks.

"Go," he ordered. He squeezed the trigger and the first bullet tore through the geth's shield. Its head exploded in a flash of shrapnel and machinery.

Liara reacted at his word and exploded in a flurry of biotics. She pushed forward, launching a tidal wave of biotic energy that crashed into the geth like an avalanche. They were thrown off of their feet as the waves of energy swept them into the storm. Venting her rage and frustration, she left no mercy in her wake.

Kaidan's left arm was beginning to feel hot as his Omni-Tool went to work. He ignored it though as he destroyed the geth's weaponry, causing them to overload and short-circuit, exploding by their sides and in their hands.

"Three behind that concrete block 30 degrees left!" Shepard shouted. Liara quickly looked and saw them. Closing her fists, she reached out and lifted them into the air, where they dangled in mid-air helpless and defenseless. Sparing only one shot each, Shepard shot each of them once through the head, eradicating them each before they dropped to the ground.

Kaidan ran forward, shooting with his pistol before he rolled into nearby cover as the geth's weaponry pelted into the block he hid behind. Shepard saw this and aimed his sniper at a nearby geth trooper, putting a hole through its head. Kaidan breathed before popping out of cover and blasting the rest of the body with his pistol.

Then there was silence as the geth fell in heaps and piles of broken machinery.

"Clear!" Kaidan called.

"Clear," Liara said.

"Clear!" Shepard affirmed, standing up straight and placing the sniper rifle on his back, where it folded back into a compact rectangle. He dropped down to ground level and surveyed the battle field. "Good work. Now let's figure out how to get this damned ship off this building."

"I've been looking at it," Kaidan said, wiping the sweat of his brow. "We don't have the resources for a bomb strong enough to blast it off."

"But that doorway the leg is sticking through," Liara noted as she picked up a datapad from the ground. She blew the dust off of it and read through it. She waved her Omni-Tool over it, which copied the files onto it and translated it into an asari dialect she could read. "According to this, the door is glitchy. If we set the PSI to anything below 30, then it works fine. However, anything between 31 and 34, then it cuts through steel like paper and from 35 and up it just shuts down."

Shepard and Kaidan stared at her.

"That's…convenient," Kaidan noted.

"Convenient? If I wasn't an atheist, I'd say it's a pretty freaking large coincidence!" Shepard exclaimed. "I mean what are the odds! We've just so happen to need to blow a ship off the side of the building and it just so happens that the door can cut through it all without breaking a sweat! I mean, if we-!"

"Commander, we're short on time," Kaidan reminded him.

"Ah, let's just cut through this bitch," Shepard sighed, disheartened that his rant was interrupted. He walked over to the control panel, rubbing his head as he walked. The migraine was still there and it still annoyed him. Nevertheless, he got to work on the panel. Behind him, Kaidan and Liara watched and waited patiently for him to finish.

"I have to say, Dr. T'Soni," Kaidan began. "Your biotics are impressive. You seem to know how to handle your powers better than I can."

"For the asari, biotics comes as easily as breathing," Liara said, then regretted her words. "Not to say that your biotic abilities aren't impressive already! It's just, uh, our biotic abilities is closely linked to our…reproductive process."

"How so?" Kaidan asked, intrigued.

"Well," Liara thought for a moment. "The asari reproduce not through physical contact but through neural and mental interactions. This requires a extensive amount of control over your internal electrical stimuli that runs through the spinal column and nervous system. Because of that, the asari are simply more…biotics come much more naturally to us. It is because of our physiology. For the humans, turians and salarians, it is a rare and unnatural occurrence."

Kaidan nodded and crossed his arms as he watched Shepard work on the puzzle that was the PSI systems.

"I'd give anything to be able to use my biotics as much as you can without getting a nosebleed," Kaidan muttered to himself absently, a hint of sadness in his voice that only Liara picked up. Liara looked over casually and sympathized for him.

"Fuck this horseshit!" Shepard screamed. "I'm a fucking soldier of the Alliance and a goddamn Spectre! I don't have time to be figuring out this fucking puzzle just to figure out how to close a goddamn door!"

Without another word, he stalked off, fists clenched tightly.

"Shepard, we don't have the equipment to set off a large enough explosion to blast that thing off," Kaidan reasoned.

"That's where you're wrong, LT," Shepard said. He walked over to a small container hidden in the corner. He looked over his shoulder and grinned. "So pay attention, lady and gent, because I'm gonna show you a trick a friend of mine showed me."

Kaidan and Liara stared at Shepard for a moment, glanced at each other and followed closely behind him. They watched as he gathered up three containment cells that held radioactive (and combustible) fluid and tied them together with some duct tape he found in one of the nearby desks. He then took five of the grenades he had on him and taped them to the large radioactive tri-cell he had fashioned. Then, casually tossing it from hand to hand, he walked over to the claw and lodged it into one of the joints.

"That should do it," Shepard muttered, smiling at his handiwork.

"What is it?" Kaidan asked.

"It's a small trick my friend with fists that were made of blue fire taught me," Shepard said without looking back. "A big fellow who didn't talk much."

He spun around and walked away from the bomb. When he reached the two, he placed his hands on their chests and pushed them backwards, forcing them to take a few steps back. He turned around and faced the leg.

"Eh, better take a few more steps," Shepard muttered as he turned again and pushed the two backwards. Liara was starting to feel a little uneasy and Kaidan began to wonder if Shepard had finally snapped.

"Alright, let's see if this works," Shepard said, barely hiding his enjoyment.

"Shepard," Liara began. "Why didn't you mention something like this before?"

"Because I'm not entirely sure how big of an explosion this will make," Shepard answered.

"Wait, what?" Kaidan started.

"Counting down, 3!" Shepard called.

"Shouldn't we get behind something?" Liara asked.

"Probably," Shepard answered. "2!"

"Is this safe?" Kaidan asked.

"Probably not," Shepard shouted again. "1! Fire in the hole!"

He pressed a button on his Omni-Tool. It sent a signal to the five grenades strapped onto the radioactive (and combustible) containment cells.

What happened next was an explosion. Not like an explosion that Kaidan and Liara had experienced before. It was an explosion they had never before seen in their entire lives. It was akin to watching something in slow motion. The first explosions they saw were the grenades going off in brilliant displays of yellow and red. This ignited the radioactive cells, which in turn burst open in designs of green. What hit the trio first was a large shockwave that nearly threatened to crush their bodies. It knocked them off their feet and sent them flying into the wall, causing cracks and indentations.

The explosion blew apart the joint of the leg, rupturing the machinery and causing it to become undone. It was enough to dislodge the entire leg, which put pressure on the other legs. Too much pressure and the weight of the drop ship did the rest. It tore gigantic holes in the building, ripping it nearly to shreds. Physics did the rest as the ship fell to the surface below, joining the ruin that was the planet.

The dust began to settle and the trio shook themselves awake.

"What happened?" Liara shouted, trying to get her bearings.

"That," Shepard muttered. "Was awesome! I can't believe that actually worked!"

"You ass!" Kaidan screamed, weakly throwing a rock at Shepard's form that bounced off harmlessly. "Give us a little warning before you blow apart the building!"

"I thought I did," Shepard said. "Despite the awesome explosion we just saw, how is everyone?"

"Still alive," Kaidan muttered.

Shepard sat up and shook the dust and debris off him. He casually pushed himself up and stumbled onto his feet. He walked across the ruined room, casually glancing at the rather large window that was recently formed. He came across Liara's coughing form and knelt down next to her.

"How was that?" Shepard asked, grinning. Liara looked at him. She looked around at the destruction around them. Then she found herself smiling.

"Exhilarating!" Liara said simply.

Shepard's grin widened and he took her hand and pulled her onto her feet. She stumbled slightly and fell onto Shepard's chest. Shepard quickly and automatically wrapped his arms around her to support her. Liara's eyes widened and she looked up. Shepard eyes showed only surprise, just as hers showed.

"Sorry," Shepard mumbled as he gently pushed her away.

"I apologize," Liara mumbled as well, scratching her cheek in embarrassment.

"Discounting our broken bones," Kaidan groaned as he pushed himself up. "The barrier that's up around the building and to our communications should be gone now. We can head back to Zhu's Hope and deal with that…Thorian thing."

"Sounds like a plan," Shepard nodded. "Keep your guards up. Could be more geth still in the building."

"Normandy to shore party! Come in shore party!" Came a familiar voice rich with static over their earpieces. "Are you reading? Normandy to shore party! Come on, Commander, talk to me!"

"Joker!" Shepard exclaimed. "That you? What's wrong?"

"We've got a problem!"Joker exclaimed.

\::/::\::/::\::/

Garrus limped behind Ashley, assault rifle at the ready. Dr. Chakwas held him up, wrapping her arm around his thin waist while she half-held, half-dragged him along. He was still in no shape to be doing heavy lifting or extraneous work of any kind. But the situation demanded it. The colonists had attacked.

It started simply enough: the colonists suddenly began acting stranger than usual. They stretched out their limbs, cracked their necks, and bent their joints in odd positions. Ashley didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't stretching of any kind and it just seemed…forced. Ashley and Garrus along with the doctor tried desperately to understand what they were doing, but they wouldn't say a thing.

And then the screaming started. Like they were in agonizing and crippling pain. But their bodies wouldn't move. They just stood, stiff as a metal beam; their heads bent back and staring into the sky. And they screamed into the burning sky, as if their bodies were being torn piece by piece.

And then they stopped. And they looked at the trio. A turian, a human and a doctor.

"Capture them alive," was all Fai Dan said.

And now, they were running away from the horde of silent humans, chasing after them without thought and without emotion. Ashley cursed under her breath at her inability to shoot back. They were civilians, despite what they were doing now. Instead, she slammed the butt of her gun into the face of any who tried to stop her. She tried to minimize the damage, but it was getting harder as she tired. She had to not only look after Chakwas, a mere doctor and no fighter, but also Garrus as well, who was wounded and in no shape to do battle.

All they could do was keep running and hope to make it to the Normandy in time.

"Keep going! Do not stop!" Ashley shouted as she took point. She ducked as a colonist swung at her with a shovel. Without stopping, she slammed the butt of her gun into the man's knees, sending crippling pain up his leg. He fell to the ground with a grunt and Ashley kept moving.

Garrus huffed as he tried desperately to not be a burden. But each step sent a bolt of pain up his wounded side and made him gasp. He could not last long, not with Chakwas holding him up.

With a grunt, he grabbed the doctor's hand and shoved her forward.

"Keep running! I'll hold them!" Garrus shouted.

"Don't be stupid!" Chakwas tried to grab him again, but Garrus knocked her hand away.

"Go now! There's no time!" Garrus shouted.

"Garrus, you trying to be a hero?" Ashley shouted as she took the doctor's shoulder.

"No, just sicking the dog on the angry bear, chief!" Garrus said sarcastically.

"Garrus," Ashley breathed.

"I'll stall them," Garrus told her. "Give you enough time to get to the Normandy and call the Commander. You heard Fai Dan. They want us alive. I'm sure the Commander will think of something. Always does. Now, go!"

Ashley stared at the turian for a moment.

"Aye aye," was all she said before grabbing Chakwas' shoulder and running, dragging her along.

Garrus watched them go for only a moment before turning around and facing the horde. He opened fire on them, aiming above their heads, hoping to make them duck, dodge, something to make them stall for time. Some dodged, some dove out of the way, but most kept running towards Garrus. Grunting, Garrus tried to fire off more rounds, but a thrown rock came out of the sky and collided with his already weakened shields, causing it to dissipate.

A man screamed as he jammed the blade end of his shield into Garrus' side.

Ashley heard Garrus' scream as she ran and gritted her teeth.

"Come on! Get on board!" Ashley yelled.

The Normandy was in sight. Shelter, safety.

"Joker! Open the doors! Let us in!" Ashley yelled.

Something collided into her back, knocking her down the stairs. She grunted as she scraped her cheek across the concrete. Chakwas skidded to a halt and ran back to help her.

"Go! I'll be right behind you!" Ashley ordered. Chakwas looked at her, near panic in her eyes. She looked up and then back towards Ashley. Then she turned around and fled towards the Normandy.

Ashley pushed herself up and tried to run. Something stabbed into her joint, causing her to scream as she felt warm blood flow down her leg. She felt herself get pushed onto her back, pain coursing through her leg. She looked at her attacker.

It was the young boy covered in dirt and oil. His thick lips still glistened. In his hand, he held the bloodied shovel. With one swift move, he raised the shovel over his head. Without emotion, he slammed it down on Ashley's head and her world descended into darkness.

\::/::\::/::\::/

Tali wasn't sure what to do now. She wasn't sure how long she spent shouting into the darkness below where Wrex had fallen. But she had to move on. There was one more water valve she needed to turn on. She would have to finish it on her own.

It was still strange. She wasn't sure if she should consider Wrex dead or alive. He hadn't picked up on any of the transmissions she sent out and all she heard back was static. But he was a krogan. And krogans never died, it seemed.

No, something within Tali told her he was still alive. So, she guessed she would have to wait and trust that he would make it out alive. Besides, she couldn't just sit around doing nothing.

She reached the last glowing panel for the water valve and she looked over the controls. It was the same as the others, so she waved her Omni-Tool over the panel and it turned on. Tali nodded with satisfaction as she heard the water beginning to rush forward through the pipes, filling the hallway with the sound of moving liquid.

Tali also heard the heavy breathing of a man coming up behind her.

She spun around and raised her shotgun.

"Can't…I can't…stop myself," the man said as blood dripped down his leg, his arm and his chin. The bloody knife was held tightly in his hand. It was the same man that Wrex and Tali had come across earlier. "The master's voice…can be so hard to ignore…the whip…oh god the whip is just…too painful."

"What master?" Tali asked, keeping her shotgun trained on the delusional man. She, however, didn't want to hurt the poor man.

"No time…no time to think…" the man said, falling against the wall and dragging himself along. A red smear followed behind him. "No time…just…do!"

He leaped forward, slashing with his knife. Tali cursed as she jumped backwards and put away her shotgun. She didn't want to use it against him. Instead, she cart wheeled backwards onto her hands and spun on the palm of her hand, spreading her legs apart and pirouetted, kicking the knife out of the man's hands. She landed back onto her feet and took a step back, ready for anything.

"My name…is Ian Newstead…" the man breathed. "I…don't want…to fight…I…"

He snarled as he leapt forward, right into Tali's foot as she kicked him in the temple. She continued her spin and kicked him in the stomach. Ian was launched backwards, falling against a nearby pipe. All Tali could hope for now was to beat him into submission.

"The master…has awakened…" Ian coughed. "He wants…you all to…disappear…to be gone…by any means necessary."

Ian leapt to the side and grappled for the knife that was knocked out of his hand. And before Tali could react, Ian placed the knife against his throat. For a brief, tension filled moment no one said a thing.

"I think…the master wants you to come with me…" Ian said, tears mixing with the blood on his face. "If you don't…I guess I'll have to kill myself…"

Tali didn't wasn't sure what to do now.

"Drop your weapons," Ian commanded.

\::/::\::/::\::/

"Pressly ordered a Code Red Lockdown on the Normandy!" Joker relayed. "Something happened to the colonists. Chakwas said they just…attacked! They have Garrus and Ashley. Tali and Wrex still haven't returned from the sewers. She doesn't know if any of them are still alive, but she thinks so. Not very promising but there you go. Now the colonists are clawing around the ship, banging on the hull and trying to break their way in. Its…its like a scene out of a bad zombie movie."

"Guess the Thorian decided now was the best way to retake the colony," Kaidan surmised.

"Joker, they can't do any real damage," Shepard said. "Tell Pressly to just sit tight. I'm on my way back."

"Uh…yeah, okay, we'll just…sit here on our hands," Joker didn't sound pleased at all. "In a cramped ship…waiting for the end."

"Oh, grow a spine," Shepard heard Pressly call out harshly.

"I would if it would just stop breaking!" Joker complained.

Shepard shook his head and turned off the radio.

"Alright," Shepard breathed, rubbing his temple unconsciously. "We need to head back to Zhu's Hope."

"There you are!"

Shepard grabbed his pistol and aimed it at the direction of the voice. It was Lizbeth, who nearly fell over when Shepard took aim.

"Whoa! It's me! It's me!" Lizbeth cried out as she raised her hands. Shepard sighed as he holstered his weapon.

"Didn't I tell you stay put?" Shepard sighed.

"There were geth all over the place! I had to move or else they'd find me!" Lizbeth protested. "It's not safe here. We'd better get out of here."

"Not so fast," Shepard said coldly. His blue eyes held a secret fire within them as he met Lizbeth's eyes. For a brief moment, she knew fear. With lightning fast reflexes, he snatched her by her coat and held her above the floor with ease. "You lied to me."

"Lied? About what!" Lizbeth tried to squirm, but her feet weren't touching the ground.

"You knew about the Thorian," Shepard said, ice in his eyes. "And about what ExoGeni was allowing to happen to the colonists at Zhu's Hope. You mind explaining why you didn't mention any of this?"

Lizbeth stared, terror on her face as she saw Shepard's anger and frustration. Her lip trembled slightly.

"Sir, is would be best if you put her down," Kaidan said softly as he placed a hand on Shepard's arm firmly. Shepard looked at Kaidan and then back at Lizbeth. With a scoff, he dropped her onto her feet, where she stumbled backwards. Liara took her comfortingly by the shoulders and held her up.

"I…" Lizbeth began meekly. "I was afraid! I wanted to stop the tests, but…they threatened me! Told me I'd be next! And they threatened they'd kill my mother! I…I was trapped! But the geth attack gave me a chance to make things right, I guess. When everyone else was evacuating, I stayed behind to send a message to colonial affairs. But before I could send the message and tell them where to find the Thorian, the power cut out and I was trapped. I…I never meant for this to happen! You have to believe me!"

Seemingly unmoved, Shepard stared down at Lizbeth, the same icy fire present within them as before. Then he sighed.

"I have no choice but to believe you," Shepard said, rubbing his forehead. "Where exactly is the Thorian?"

"Right beneath Zhu's Hope," Lizbeth replied. "Beyond the sewers. The entrance is blocked though. The colonists covered it up with a piece of the ship they arrived in, the Borealis, when the geth attacked."

"That doesn't explain why the hell Saren would bother looking for the Thorian," Shepard muttered.

"The Thorian does have mind-control capabilities, Commander," Kaidan offered.

"That's what ExoGeni was interested about in the first place," Lizbeth said.

"No, it's not that," Shepard said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Saren is working with the Reapers. He wouldn't bother with simple mind-control. And besides, the geth are trying to destroy the Thorian. Why kill the very thing you need to control people's minds? It doesn't make sense."

"Normandy to shore party, come in," Joker's voice chimed in yet again.

"Miss me already?" Shepard asked sarcastically.

"Don't flatter yourself, you're not that pretty," Joker…joked. "We're picking up a lot of geth chatter. I can't speak mathematical speech but from where the communications are coming from, it looks like they're heading your way."

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Shepard sighed. Then a thought occurred to him. "Lizbeth, you said that you had to move because the geth were swarming your position. Do you know if any followed you here?"

"Uh…" Lizbeth began.

An electronically induced squeal answered his question.

"Great," Kaidan sighed, readying his pistol and Omni-Tool.

"We need to get to the Mako and back to Zhu's Hope. Now," Shepard said.

"I'm coming with you!" Lizbeth said in a demanding tone. "I may be able to help! Undo the mess I helped create."

Shepard didn't look at her but could hear the regret in her voice.

"If we're going to get out of here, you do exactly as you're told, understand?" Shepard ordered.

"I do!" Lizbeth nodded.

Shepard didn't seem to hear her. All thoughts were slowly beginning to fade as he entered a state of focus, clearing away all thoughts of all kind. He, instead, became a being of cause and effect; a being of pure instinct and survival. The fire within his eyes faded away as his emotions died. He no longer needed to think. He saw the situation in front of him and he knew instantly what to do about it. He was clearly here and now.

"The hallways in this building are small," Shepard spoke tonelessly. "Larger than the hallways of the Torfan base, but still small. They can only hold two and a half people standing side by side. That means they will come at us one at a time. I'll take point. Kaidan, you back me up and take out any I either miss or can't reach. Liara, you'll look after Lizbeth. Protect her at all costs."

Kaidan nodded and Liara's biotics flared.

"One speed," Shepard spoke without emotion. "Mine. Time is against us now."

Shepard walked with purpose towards the corner leading to the main corridor. He flexed his fingers, causing them to crack and pop. He rolled his head along his neck, popping the joints there. He then stretched his shoulder muscles as he rolled his arms forward. He was ready.

He took position at the corner rounding towards the main corridor and leaned against it. He took a deep, calming breath and looked at his companions. Kaidan was ready, Omni-Tool glowing brightly and pistol ready to kill. Liara was ablaze with biotic fire, a new kind of determination within her eyes.

Shepard turned his attention forward again and breathed. He closed his eyes and with his right hand, he reached for the knife strapped to his arm. As he closed his fist around the handle, a feeling sparked in his fingers, familiar and clear. The blade slid from the sheath, sending that feeling up his arm and throughout his body. Without thoughts or emotions to block this cool feeling, it swam throughout his focused being.

Shepard knew at once it was the adrenaline kicking in, his body reacting to the touch and feel of the knife in his hand. His body was getting ready for a fight and without thoughts and emotions blocking this feeling, it produced a peculiar effect. It was a cool tingling effect throughout his body.

It made him giggle.

He spun without warning from around the corner and his hand clamped hard into the throat of the geth trooper. With strength alone, he tore out where the throat would have been in an organic. Dropping the tube from his hand, he stabbed downward into its flashlight head and twisted. He dropped it and ran over it. He heard Kaidan put a pistol round into the body. Unnecessary but he was being careful.

Shepard reached behind his body towards his shotgun and whipped it out. He placed it under the next geth's head and squeezed the trigger, spraying its contents onto the ceiling. He did not slow down as the geth fell to the ground and he moved on to the next geth, slashing its arms and kicking it down to the ground so Kaidan could finish it.

He didn't have time to spare on these machines, so he wasted a little energy as possible. He smashed one's head against the wall and another he merely stabbed its eye. Others he blew apart with his shotgun. His body was trained in close quarters combat. He had learned how to use his knife from his father on Mindoir and had perfected it on Torfan.

The walls enclosing across him were very much like the hallways of that distant moon base. Crowded and dark. Comrades behind him and enemies in front. There are differences though, between here and Torfan.

There are no screams from his enemies as they died. And there are no screams from his comrades as they died.


Well, hello there. If you're keeping up with my Fable story, then you should know that I'm not dead. Mentally, I am but physically, I'm just exhausted. Summer classes. 6 credit hours crammed into 4 weeks. Ugh. But I'm done with that.

Overlord DLC came out recently, and I have to say, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Gameplay wise, same old Mass Effect 2 awesomeness. Some new play around with the Hammerhead. It's much better than the Mako, but so much weaker. Oh well, at least it doesn't overturn and then inexplicably rights itself like a cat.

Where it really excels is the story. At first, I thought it would be your normal "man tries to control technology and it bites him in the face" story. But its not. It's a rather deep and emotional story when you get down to it. Bioware took the story where I wasn't expecting it to go. Buy it, play it, enjoy it for two hours.

I'm out. Updates should be much more frequent than before.