I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters.
Infiltration
David stepped into the Normandy's airlock and Jack slipped her hand into his, giving it a light squeeze. He smiled, and she kissed him before pulling her mask on. Then, he activated his helmet before the doors opened and they split. Shepard was taking one team consisting of himself, Tali, and Jack through one door. Miranda was leading everyone else through the other. Everyone except David. David, being the best hacker on the ship, was taking a small ventilation shaft to slip past blast doors that would be locking everyone else out. It'd be small, exposed, and if he didn't hurry, everyone would die before ever getting inside. Which was exactly why he volunteered. He could travel through the shaft invisible to avoid detection, and he could get the doors open and closed again relatively easily, he hoped.
He climbed into the shaft, finding it slightly larger than he was tall, and with six sides, rather than round. Also, it was hot. Like inside of an oven set to high, hot.
"I'm inside the ventilation shaft," David reported. "It's hot in here. I won't last long, but it looks like the tunnel's clear for a ways."
"For a ways?" Shepard asked.
"I'm expecting filters, or some other form of obstruction," David said. "Maybe incinerator barriers."
"Let us know if you find one and we'll shut it down," Shepard said.
"Will do," David said.
"Second team, are you in position?" Shepard asked.
"In position," Miranda reported. "Meet you on the other side of those doors."
David walked through the shaft quickly, taking several turns before stopping at a gate in a section with transparent yellow spots along the walls. The gate was hot, glowing orange, and the air around it was suffocating, but he could see what looked like a glowing green control panel below him, and outside the pipe, he could see Shepard's team quickly killing some Collectors.
"Shepard, when you get a minute...I'm blocked by a gate," David warned him. "There's a green panel by the shaft where I am. I think it opens the gate."
"Be right there," Shepard responded, just before Jack sent a Shockwave out at the last handful of Collectors, killing them all before sprinting toward the panel. "Jack's on it."
She hit the panel and the gate opened. The moment the gate rose up out of the shaft, the temperature dropped several degrees. He gasped in a breath as he kept walking.
"Thanks, babe," David said. "Remind me after this mission to put a temperature control unit in my armor."
"Will do," Jack said, flashing him a grin from where she was walking along the partially transparent tunnel beside him before she had to turn right.
However, just up ahead, his own path turned right, then left again, except for the second gate blocking his path, this one even hotter than the last. To his right, he could see through the transparent tunnel wall, and saw three Collectors waiting to kill Shepard and the others as soon as they rounded the corner.
"Heads up, Shepard," David warned. "You've got three Collectors waiting to ambush you around a left turn up ahead. Not sure how far. Also, I'm blocked by another gate."
"Roger," Shepard said, just before an arm swung around the corner, hurling a Singularity and catching the three Collectors.
Shepard's team stepped around the corner and quickly shot the three before the Singularity faded and Jack rushed to the green panel, opening the gate. They nodded to each other and continued along their paths. Not a hundred meters later, there was another gate, but apparently Jack could see this one from where she was, because before David could tell them, Jack used a Shockwave to slaughter a group of Collectors that had flown down to fight them, then opened the gate just as David reached it.
"See you at the next one," David smiled.
Jack returned the smile before getting serious and continuing. Two gates later, they reached a massive open area, Collectors instantly flying down to attack Shepard's team. He could see another gate ahead, but could also see Shepard's team was pinned down for the moment. David got as close to the gate as he could while still being able to breathe and waited. Slowly, Shepard and the others moved up, killing the Collectors a few at a time. Then, finally, Jack opened the gate. David turned, quickly jogging along the shaft. He was drenched in sweat, uncomfortable, and Miranda had already reported her team was in position, which meant they were probably about to be swarmed now that they weren't moving. He turned a corner and swore as he found a gate just ahead of him. Except, another door suddenly closed behind him, the temperature rising rapidly.
"Shit!" David swore. "Shepard, I'm trapped!"
He looked out through the wall of the shaft just as Jack sprinted into the small tunnel the shaft was running through, Tali and Shepard finishing off the Collectors. She hit the control panel and both gates rose, a rush of barely-cooler air providing no relief whatsoever. David groaned, squinting as sweat ran into his eyes.
"Moving up," he reported, walking as quickly as he could with the temperature so high it felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest. After a moment, he reached a larger open area with a plateau-like setup, the massive doors he'd be hacking open for them in the back wall, and two control panels in the room along the tube, one of them massive and with eight smaller hexagons inside of it, two of them green and the rest orange. "There's an open area ahead. Expect an ambush. I can see the doors, so it should be the last area. I see two control panels. I think these are the last two gates."
"Got it," Shepard said.
As soon as his team walked into the room, Collectors flew down from above, opening fire instantly. Several died on the way down, several more died as Jack sent out a Shockwave. A handful got caught by Shepard's Singularity and were killed easily. Just as David reached the first gate, Jack opened it for him. However, they got swarmed hard as soon as it did. Cody moved closer to the next gate, but Shepard's team's progress was slowed almost to nothing. There was a burning Collector directing the other Collectors. The air began to heat rapidly, and David's breathing began to grow more ragged and raspy, his body unable to handle the heat much longer. Finally, Shepard managed to kill the burning Collector and Jack used a Shockwave to clear a path to the controls. Tali sprinted toward them as Shepard and Jack focused on the other Collectors, more of them arriving quickly. The moment the gate opened, David dove out of the tunnel, deactivating his helmet and gasping for breath, coughing tice.
"We need through the door now!" Miranda shouted.
He shoved himself up, moving to the control panel for their door and scanned it, quickly typing on his omni-tool. A moment later, the door opened and Miranda's team backed into the room rapidly, firing out of it.
"We're in position!" Shepard reported, gunfire echoing from his side. "Waiting for the doors to open!"
"Look out!" Miranda shouted. "Seeker Swarms!"
"We need this door open!" Shepard shouted. "Now!"
David shook his head as he typed. Then, finally, the door hissed and slid closed. He turned, sprinting to the other door and once again scanned the control panel to hack into it with his omni-tool. After a moment, the door opened and Shepard's team fell back through it. Miranda's team joined them at the door, everyone firing through it to hold the Collectors at bay. After a couple seconds, however, the door slid closed. David sighed, deactivating his omni-tool and turned to look around. Everyone looked fine.
Shepard, you need to see this," Miranda said.
David turned to Jack as Shepard went to see whatever it was Miranda was worried about. Jack threw her arms around him, holding him tightly before pulling back, taking her mask off and kissing him fiercely.
"You saved our necks," Jack said.
"Of course," David smiled.
Jack smiled, kissing him again, more calmly this time, before pulling away and looking around, eyes widening. He looked as well and saw a pod with a tube connected to the bottom, a woman with dark brown hair just above her shoulders stirring inside.
"Looks like one of the missing colonists," Miranda said.
"Shepard, it's our crew!" Tali said from off to the side where there were more pods.
Just then, the woman in the first pod stirred, screaming and beginning to pound on the inside of the pod's transparent cover.
"My God, she's still alive!" Shepard gasped.
Before anyone can react, she suddenly began to sink, blood spraying up into the pod, coating both her and the inside of the pod.
"Get them out of there!" Shepard ordered. "Hurry!"
Everyone set to work while David scanned the pod. There was a tube connected to the bottom that ran to the heart of the station. He looked over at the others as they pulled the last of the crew members out of their pods.
"Doctor Chakwas, are you okay?" Shepard asked.
"Shepard," Chakwas said, seeming exhausted and partially unconscious. "You...you came for us."
"No one gets left behind," Shepard said, helping her stand.
"Shepard, the tubes run to the heart of the facility," David said.
"What are they for?" Shepard asked.
"The colonists, they...they were...processed," Chakwas said. "Those swarms of tiny robots...they...melted them down into grey liquid and pumped it through these tubes."
"Why are they doing this?" Shepard asked. "What are they doing with our genetic material?"
"I don't know," Chakwas said. "I'm just glad you got here before it happened to us."
"So are we," Miranda said. "But we're not done here yet. We've still got a job to do. We've done well so far. Let's hope we can keep it up."
"Joker, can you get a fix on our position?" Shepard asked.
"Affirmative, Commander," Joker said. "All those tubes run into the main control room right above you. The route is blocked by a security door, but there's another chamber that runs parallel to the one you're in."
"I cannot recommend that, Shepard," EDI said. "Thermal emissions suggest the chamber is overrun with Seeker Swarms. Mordin's countermeasure cannot protect you against so many at once."
"What about biotics?" Shepard asked. "Could we create a biotic field to keep them from getting near us?"
"Yes," Samara said. "I think it may be possible. I wouldn't be able to protect everyone, but we might be able to get a small team through if they stayed close."
"I could do it too," Miranda said. "In theory, any biotic could handle it. Except David. He doesn't have enough control."
"And yours aren't strong enough," David said. "If it runs parallel to this chamber, it's probably about the same size. We'd be moving at a walk and pausing any time we fight. It'd be probably five minutes. Maybe ten. And the Seekers will be slamming into it constantly, on all sides, the entire way."
"Christ that sounds exhausting," Jack said.
"I hope you're up for it," Shepard said. "I want you maintaining the barrier, Jack."
Jack nodded. "Alright."
"Miranda, you'll lead the second team through the main path," Shepard said.
"I'm going with Jack," David said.
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "Tali, you'll come with us too."
Tali nodded.
"What about me and the rest of the crew, Shepard?" Chakwas asked. "We're in no condition to fight."
"Commander," Joker said. "The engines are up and running again. We can do a pickup, but we need to land back from your position."
"We can't afford to go back, Shepard," Miranda snapped. "Not now!"
"They'll never make it on their own," Shepard said, glancing around at the squad. "Mordin, can you manage an escort on your own?"
Mordin nodded, activating his omni-tool. "Joker, need location of landing zone. Will meet you there."
"Alright," Shepard said. "We've all got our assignments. Let's move out."
They all nodded and split up, heading toward their chosen paths.
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