Chapter Twenty-One: Entropy Wins

They took one of Nos Astra's automated cabs to Ceris's coordinates. It was a long journey, and a quiet one: Thane passed the time meditating or absently toying with that coin he always carried around, and to be honest, Deena didn't have much to say to him, anyway. She fidgeted restlessly, wishing there was room to get up and pace. Her armor felt hot and constricting, her sniper rifle and uncomfortable bulge on her back. Her visor's overlay on the right half of her field of vision was starting to give her a headache. She wasn't used to this anymore. Or perhaps she was just nervous.

Finally, the waiting and the quiet were too much. "Let's go over the mission one more time," she said.

Thane sighed and slipped the coin back into his pocket. "I sent Ceris the altered holo so she would think that I—that you are dead," he replied with practiced patience. He was perfectly aware of why she'd asked, but humored her anyway. "We will set down just out of sight of the building, and I will meet her at the coordinates she specified. In the meantime"—he activated his omni-tool and pulled up a blueprint of the warehouse Ceris had chosen for their meeting—"You will enter via the maintenance shaft here, and follow it to this chamber. Ceris will be keeping the baby there. You will take out any guards who may be present, retrieve Caia, then return to the car and take her directly to your home. I will deal with Ceris, and then find transport back."

"Mm-hmm." Deena nodded slowly, frowning. It seemed a simple enough operation. But was it too simple? Ceris was far too clever, too calculating, for her to be convinced this had any chance of succeeding. She'd been three steps ahead of them at every turn—why should this time be any different?

And beside that, Deena wasn't sure she should still be trusting Thane. The thought stuck like a lump in her throat. Goddess save her, she still cared about him. But after what he'd tried to do… well, he clearly wasn't the man she'd thought he was. And even now, when he spoke to her, it was with none of the warmth she'd become so used to. He had closed himself off. Strictly business now.

She was a little surprised at how much that hurt.

"Deena."

She looked up to find his huge dark eyes fixed on her, his expression carefully blank. But there was an urgency in his voice that held her attention.

For a moment, he only stared at her, as if considering his next words. Finally, he said, "I know you have doubts. And I know I have no right to ask this, but I need you to trust me."

It was as if he'd read her mind and knew exactly what she'd been thinking. Deena studied him with narrowed eyes, wishing she could do the same. There was obviously something he wasn't saying, something he was holding back. But what? And more importantly, why?

Before she could ask, however, the skycar touched down in an otherwise deserted alley. The doors opened automatically, lifting up and out on smooth hydraulics that gave them the grace of a bird's wings. In this dark, dingy corner of the city, the car stood out like a beacon. Deena tried not to think about that as she got out.

"All right," she said as she glanced around to get her bearings, "where is this maintenance shaft I'm looking for?"

"Down there." Thane pointed. "Near the end of the alley, on the left."

But when she turned to see, a cuff snapped closed around her wrist, and before she even registered what was happening, Thane had seized her other hand and secured it, as well. He manipulated her firmly but gently, taking care not to hurt her even as he turned her from partner to prisoner. "I am sorry," he murmured in her ear.

"I just bet you are," Deena snarled. She struggled in his grasp, but it was no use. Damn it, she should have seen this coming! "You played me, you heartless, backstabbing son of a—"

"Quiet," snapped a voice from the end of the alley, and Deena looked up to see two heavily armed asari swagger into view, smirking, casually pointing huge shotguns at her and Thane. Heavy, booted footsteps from behind indicated at least two more at their backs.

"I am here to see Ceris, Thane announced, with a flat, cold cadence that sent shivers down Deena's spine. "She is expecting me. Take me to her."

One of the commandos looked Deena up and down, and demanded, "What about her?"

There was a heartbeat's silence, then Thane answered, "Let us call her a gift."

Ceris paced back and forth, snarling to herself, as the door to the warehouse slid open and her commandos brought Krios and T'Neri before her. She made a show of studying the datapad in her hand, then glared at him over it. "This holo you sent me is an excellent fake. If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought it was real." She set the datapad down and planted her hands on her hips. "But what I'm having trouble understanding is this: you knew that I was watching your every move. There was no chance of this fooling me. What's your game?"

Krios's eyes flicked toward T'Neri, but he otherwise betrayed no emotion. "Deena is intelligent and resourceful," he said. "Great lengths were required to deceive her."

"Maybe so," Ceris snarled, "but that doesn't change the fact that this is not what I asked."

Raising his eyebrow ridge, Krios met her glare with a calm and level gaze. "You wanted to see me kill her—that is why you placed the surveillance device in my omni-tool. When my first attempt failed, I saw… an opportunity. Not just for you to witness the act in person, but also to ensure that you uphold your end of our bargain." He lifted his chin, his stare hardening. "I demand to see the child."

Ceris blinked at him, then laughed. "You demand? Do you really think you're in any position to demand anything?" She folded her arms and shook her head. "I own you, Krios. You do what I tell you. Now kill her before I run out of patience."

But Krios took a deliberate step away from T'Neri and tucked his hands behind his back, every line of his posture radiating defiance. It set her teeth on edge. "Not until I know Caia is unharmed."

Fucking Goddess. "Fine," Ceris snapped. Keying her omni-tool, she called to the underling tasked with watching the kid. "Kanire, bring me the baby." To Krios, she growled, "You'll se I keep my promises."

"No, you don't," T'Neri spat.

Ceris ignored her, instead staring Krios down as they waited for Kanire to arrive. This was turning into a fucking shitshow. She'd wanted T'Neri dead and Krios broken, and had thought she'd pulled enough strings to make that happen. They should have been her little puppets by now. But the bitch was still alive, and Krios was just too damned calm. He had something up his sleeve, and she needed to figure out what it was. Immediately.

She had to make sure this didn't come to a fight. After little more than a week, her body was still recovering from childbirth. Every muscle ached, fatigue dragged at her limbs, even her brain seemed fogged. Her breasts felt pendulous and heavy, and her center of balance was off. Her core muscles might as well have been wet tissue. In short, she was nowhere fit for combat at the moment. If she couldn't keep Krios under control, if she couldn't shut down whatever he was planning right this instant, there was a good chance she wouldn't walk away from this.

But as Kanire brought the child in, the look on Krios's face told Ceris she had all the leverage she needed. She took the squalling bundle and cradled it in her arms, studying its scrunched-up face with faint disgust. Honestly, she felt no connection to this tiny, helpless thing. She'd thought it might come with time, but it hadn't. The child was a useful tool for now, But when this was all over, she might just kill it anyway. Or maybe one of her lieutenants could raise it, if they wanted to.

She let a slow smirk spread across her face. "Happy now, Krios?" she all but purred. "I told you I wouldn't hurt her."

"And when it is done, she comes with me."

Ceris nodded. "That was the bargain."

"Very well."

T'Neri's face was priceless: rage and shock and despair all at once. Even better, she began to beg for her life, turning to face Krios and backing away. "Please, Thane, don't do this!" she wailed, tears running down her face. "You can't believe her. Please, don't!"

Oh, but he knew how to make for a good show. Krios advanced on her slowly, aiming his pistol carefully between her eyes, taking his time lining up the shot. Always the clean, painless kill with him. Ceris would have preferred to see T'Neri suffer a little, of course, but watching her shrink in terror from her former friend was almost as good.

There was not a trace of remorse in Krios's eyes as he thumbed the weapon's safety. His expression gave away nothing, stone cold and blank. T'Neri fell to her knees, sobbing.

A loud report.

A splash of purple.

And then absolute chaos.

Deena's pleas only barely registered as Thane slowly advanced. He kept his attention focused on the commandos arrayed around him: two flanking Ceris, two more near the building's only exit, one behind him, and the other behind Deena. He would have to time his next move very carefully if this was going to work.

Just a few more steps and he'd be in position.

Three.

Two.

One.

Quick as a striking snake, Thane snapped his pistol up and fired a single round into the head of the asari behind Deena. At the same time, he opened his omni-tool and with a twitch of his finger activated the program that remotely released Deena's bindings. Without waiting to see her reaction, trusting that she could defend herself, he spun and took out the commando behind him with three shots to the chest, drilling through her armor and piercing her heart.

By then, the other four had recovered from their initial surprise and opened fire. Thane dove behind a half-wall to take cover from Ceris's bodyguards, but that left him exposed to the two by the door. A hail of bullets splashed off his shields, bringing them dangerously close to failure, before he brought a wide Throw field to bear and staggered them both.

In three long strides, he was upon them. He went hand-to-hand with the first, snapping her head back with an uppercut to the chin, ducking under her wild return swing to sweep her legs from under her, and pinning her facedown on the floor with a knee in her back. He seized her scalp crest and chin and twisted sharply.

But no sooner had her neck snapped than the other commando's Warp caught him broadside. He rolled off the dead asari with a grunt of pain to land flat on his back, coughing and gasping.

On the other side of the room, the staccato bark of gunfire suggested Deena was embroiled in a fight of her own. He had to get back to her before she was overwhelmed. Pushing himself back to his feet, he charged directly at the other commando. He seized her forearm, twisting it until she dropped her weapon. A throat punch collapsed her trachea, a knee to the stomach doubled her over, and then her neck, too, shattered in his hands.

Through it all, a siren wailed. High-pitched and piercing, it speared through Thane's head like an arrow, setting his heart racing and his adrenaline pumping. Letting the commando fall, he sprinted back toward Deena where she crouched behind her weakening Barrier as the last two guards concentrated their fire on her. Charging his biotics again, he unleashed a Warp on the nearest one that brought her to her knees with a howl of agony. A bullet between the eyes finished her off as Deena dispatched her last assailant with a devastating biotic Slam.

Ceris had drawn back, away from the melee, and Thane suddenly realized the sound threatening to pierce his eardrums wasn't a siren at all, but Caia's terrified, painful screams. Ceris held her by the blanket that swaddled her tiny body, letting her head loll unsupported, dangling her over the hard concrete floor. Thane's stomach twisted when he saw the smears of purple blood staining the blanket.

What kind of mother could harm her own child?

Thane stalked toward her, his pistol aimed for a kill shot. "Give her to me, he demanded, struggling to keep his voice calm.

But Ceris only smirked and raised the baby higher. "Or what? You'll shoot me? What do you think will happen when I drop her?"

"You wouldn't!" Deena gasped.

"Wouldn't I?" Ceris loosened her grip as if to let Caia fall, then caught her at the last second, laughing as both Thane and Deena began to dive forward. The jolt cut off Caia's screams mid-cry, with a strangled noise that stilled the breath in Thane's throat. "You may have the numbers, but I have all the power here," she taunted. "Your ill-conceived little rescue mission was always doomed to fail, Krios."

Drawing a pistol from the folds of her dress, Ceris took aim at Deena. "I guess I'll have to do this myself. It's your choice, Krios: your friend or your daughter. Who would you rather see—no!"

Without warning, Deena charged her biotics and Pulled Caia from Ceris's startled grip. Ceris fired at her, but Deena rolled forward under the shot and caught the baby gently. Taking advantage of the distraction, Thane sprang forward to engage Ceris hand to hand.

But he never made it. Ceris recovered quickly and met his charge with a hasty Singularity, lifting Thane off his feet and into a helpless orbit. He gritted his teeth against the pain as the intense localized gravity pulled unevenly at his body, threatening to tear him apart. Ceris's laughter rang in his ears as she lined up a shot on him.

He could see only one way out, and it wasn't going to be pleasant. "Deena, take cover!" he ground out, then aimed a Warp at the heart of the Singularity.

The resultant detonation of biotic effects launched him across the room to slam hard against the far wall. He slid to the floor, stunned, shaking his head as he staggered back to his feet, taking quick stock of his injuries.

His head spun. It hurt to breathe. He was fairly certain he'd cracked a few ribs on impact, and his spine and shoulders ached. But he was alive, and moving.

Ceris, however, had been bowled completely over by the blast, landing in a crumpled heap in a corner. She didn't move: dead, unconscious, or merely stunned, Thane couldn't be sure. She might even be simply waiting for him to turn his back. But before he finished her, he needed to know if Caia was all right. To see what Ceris had done to her.

Keeping half an eye on Ceris's motionless form, he glanced around the room until he found Deena, huddled against the same half-wall he'd used for cover before, shielding Caia with her body. Thane knelt beside her. "Are you all right, Deena?" he asked. "Is Caia…?"

Deena swallowed hard. "I-I'm okay," she stammered. "But I don't know what Ceris did to her, she's not moving, she's not crying, she won't open her eyes…" Her voice cracked, and a tear slid down her cheek. "Thane, I don't know if she's going to make it."

She placed the tiny, quiet bundle in his arms, and Thane could only stare numbly at Caia's slackened face. She was so pale, so still, and as he trailed a gentle finger over the soft curve of her cheek, he could feel how cold she was.

All at once, an icy rage surged within him. "Call for an ambulance. Now," he said to Deena, and with his daughter cradled in one arm, he drew his pistol with the other and strode toward where Ceris lay.

Ceris stirred as he approached—not dead then, but only now regaining consciousness. She started to drag herself to her feet, but Thane Threw her back into the corner, slamming her head against the wall. Turning bleary, unfocused eyes up at him, she chuckled weakly. "Here we are at last," she rasped. "The end. I have to say I saw this playing out… differently."

"I'm sure you did," Deena spat, but Thane held up a hand to silence her.

Crouching in front of Ceris, Thane aimed his pistol at her head and stared into her pale gray eyes. "I will do what I must to protect the ones I love," he hissed, "and though I believe you, in your misguided way, were acting from the same impulse, I cannot allow you to live after what you have done."

"Who do you think you are, a Justicar?" Ceris spat. "If you're going to kill me, just do it."

"There is one thing I would know before I do," he replied. "You say I killed your daughter. Who was she?"

"Her name was Melinoe," Ceris growled. "She was a member of Matriarch Erissana's personal guard. You remember the Matriarch, of course. Melinoe was on duty in her armory eleven years ago, on the night you infiltrated the compound. You were on your way to assassinate the Matriarch, but you just had to go out of your way to murder one innocent maiden alone in a room." Her lips twisted in a snarl. "She wasn't even your target."

Of course. The mission to assassinate Erissana had been a disaster from start to finish, and it was only by the grace of Amonkira that he had completed his objective. But the armory guard's death had nagged at his conscience for a long time thereafter—she had been little more than a bystander, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I drop to the floor, tuck and roll. The guard's barrier shimmers as I leap to my feet. A Warp tears it away. I collapse her knee with a kick, and she goes down with a grunt. She grabs for her weapon, too late. I immobilize her with a knee to her spine. Chin in one hand, scalp crest in the other.

I hesitate. She is innocent, only fulfilling her duty. But I must do the same.

I lean down and whisper in her ear, "Go now to the sea."

Thane bowed his head. "I remember. And for what little it may be worth… I am sorry." He stood, keeping his pistol trained on Ceris's forehead. "May you meet her across the sea."

When Ceris met his gaze again, her eyes had turned black. "Not today!"

Once again, she was reaching into his mind, tearing through his memories, invading his very being. He had only a fraction of a second to react before he was entirely lost to her thrall. Already, he could feel her encroaching on the edges of his awareness, scrabbling at his defenses with so many sharp, wicked claws, Already, he was beginning to lose control over his own body, paralysis creeping over him with an icy numbness. If he didn't act now, he would be lost.

He tightened his finger on the trigger.

A single shot was all it took, right between her eyes. One shot, and lurid purple splattered the wall behind her as she slumped over, now genuinely, unquestionably, irretrievably dead.

Thane stumbled backward as her grip on him dissolved. He caught his breath, then dropped his pistol and turned his attention to the dying child in his arms. His child.

Sweet Arashu, she was tiny, so impossibly tiny. She weighed almost nothing, a blue and white bundle of sky and cloud and air. And she was slipping away.

Caia was too weak to cry, but Thane held her close anyway, rocking her gently and whispering soothing sounds in her ear. The old habits of parenthood, developed when Kolyat was an infant, slid effortlessly back into place, but this time tinged with helpless futility.

"You're safe now, ashi," he murmured, but he couldn't keep his voice from cracking. "I have you. You're safe." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then looked up at Deena as she approached. Thick, icy tendrils of desperation coiled in his throat until he could barely breathe. "There must be something we can do," he pleaded.

Kalahira, Mistress of inscrutable depths, do not take her from me, please. Spare her, Merciful One, I beg of You.

But Deena only shook her head. "The ambulance is on its way, Thane, but…" She looked down, unable or unwilling to meet his eyes. "I just don't know."

Caia coughed, deep and rattling. Her eyes snapped open as she gasped for breath, and they were green, a brilliant emerald green that seemed to see into his very soul. The rest of her face spoke of pain and terror, but those eyes seemed to see beyond such temporary and evanescent things. They were the eyes of a very old soul.

One tiny blue hand waved listlessly in the air, and Thane caught it, letting her fingers wrap around his thumb. His vision blurred, and tears ran down his face.

"Caia, ashi," he whispered. "Don't give up. Fight." Arashu, Guardian of the defenseless, cover her with Your shield. Save her! "I love you, ashi. Hold on."

But until help arrived, all he could do was hold her, and pray.