AML Amstridian 2170 CE
Hours After Mindoir Raid
Jane Shepard
Her father, dead. Her brother, dead. What had become of ma? Where were they taking them? Frantic fingers clawed at her palms. The ship was dark, cold. If not for the whimpering and rattling against the cages, it'd be silent too. What were those things? Monsters? Aliens? She had seen an Asari before. These things looked nothing like the blue, beautiful woman who hosted reading time at school. Did Miss. M'lona die too? Or was she here somewhere, hidden by the blackness?
The little kindergartner from school was sobbing in her lap. Talitha. That was her name. Jane saw her before, many times in fact, during recess. She used to follow her and her friends around like a puppy, always nosing in their business. Now she clung to her waist as if she were the only real thing in the universe. Maybe it was true. Maybe none of it was real. Maybe this was just a bad dream and she'd wake any moment. Then she'd look down at the bite on her leg, still bleeding, still hurting. You don't feel pain in dreams Jane. This is real and you have to get out of here.
Jane shifted, trying to untangle herself from Talitha. The creatures that dragged them here were gone. It was now or never. She breathed deep, focused. I can do this. The blue glowed around her, warm energy, a light in the darkness. Suddenly, silence overtook the cargo hold. Every pair of terrified eyes were on her. A click, a snap, and the prison door gave way.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy? They're going to catch you!" That was Vinny. He was older, bossy. But a big kid. They needed a big kid right now.
"I'm getting out of here!"
"There's no where we can go!"
"You want me to leave you in that cage?" Her whisper grew shrill, desperate.
Talitha followed her out of the crate, to the open floor. The whites of her eyes glowed against biotics as the child tried to wrench herself away. "A Door! Door!"
"If you idiots open that we'll all be dead." Vinny spat desperately against the bars. "We're on a ship in outer space!"
"Then we fight them. I.. I have biotics. And didn't you hunt with your dad? Maybe we can …."
"Shh! Someone's coming." An unidentified voice echoed in the darkness.
Jane grabbed Talitha and flew back into their cage, fastening the door behind them.
A pair of large, man-looking monsters strode across the floor, barking at each other. Their harsh voices made thunking sounds in her brain. Every time they spoke it was too low, as if their voices fell into the gutter and couldn't get out. The noises terrified her to her very core.
They circled the deck, picked up a few objects in the back, and left. Jane scrambled back out of the cage the second she heard the elevator depart. "They're not bringing us anywhere good. We're being kidnapped! We have to try."
As she busied herself opening the various locks, small bodies poured out of their enclosures. Children's voices began erupting all around her.
"I'm in! They might eat us."
"Or lay their eggs in us."
"What!?"
"I saw it in a movie! That's what aliens do. They kidnap humans to lay their eggs."
"That's rubbish. I've been to the citadel. There's lots and lots of aliens no one lays eggs."
"Maybe these ones do!"
"Some aliens lay eggs. I'm in 7th grade and we took xenobiology last term."
"Oh Jesus."
"I can't move my leg. I can't move my leg! Don't leave me behind."
"Someone grab Tim and hide him behind those boxes!" Jane whispered into the darkness. Shortly after, the scraping sound of jeans against a hard floor filled the emptiness.
"What are these things? Anyone know?"
"Does it matter?"
"Maybe they're mutants like The Hulk."
"No way. They have four eyes."
"I think they're batarians."
"What's that?"
"My dad said they're really, really bad people."
"My daddy's dead." Another voice wailed.
"Shut up!" Their voices joined simultaneously in a chorus that was loud enough to make the entire group freeze in terror.
"Shit think they heard that?"
"Stop crying! All our parents are dead. And we will be too if we don't figure this out."
"Quick we need to open these boxes. Maybe they have weapons inside." To Jane's immense relief, Vinny took charge, passing out several crowbars that he'd found scattered. The sound of crates being pried open echoed across the deck. "Wait, throw your shirts on the crowbars to muffle it."
Box by box, small hands worked frantically. Wood creaked against rebar.
"Miss M'lona's here! She's here! She can help us!"
"What's wrong with her?"
"She's not moving!"
"Miss M'lona? Miss M'lona?"
The asari's head lolled to the side, bits of purple goo dribbled from her mouth. "C'mon. Let's go. She's not well."
"We can't just leave her here!"
"I've got her arms. The rest of you help with the legs, we'll hide her behind the crates with Tim." Vinny ordered.
More scraping followed. But Jane was completely occupied with the treasure she'd just uncovered. "Come here quick! I found… I found guns. And… I think this is a grenade."
"Oh thank god." Vinny sprinted over and began taking an account of the weapons. After a few minutes, he passed them out. "They're loaded. I can't believe it but they're loaded. Alright, I want everyone to hide behind the crates and aim for the elevator. The moment they set foot on this deck we shoot and shoot and shoot until every last one is dead."
And so they waited. It felt like an eternity passed before the whir of the lift caught their attention. "Alright. This is it. Don't forget to breathe and the second….." Vinny started.
A shot went off somewhere in the darkness. If there was ever a silent feeling of hope draining out of the room, this was it.
"OH SHIT." The small voice frantically cried.
Jane felt Vinny's body go rigid next to her. Now the monsters knew of their ambush, they'd be here any moment, and they'd be prepared. The children exchanged a look of horror before the older boy calmed himself enough to speak.
"No turning back now. Pick the gun back up and be ready to shoot."
"I-I-I'm so scared." A trembling voice answered.
"Hide then! They're gonna be here any second."
There wasn't even a fight. When the doors hissed open, electrostatic grenades were tossed across the deck. Small bodies thudded to the floor before they even knew what was happening. All except Jane however, she called the blue, surrounded herself in it, and felt the crackle of electricity merely kiss her skin. She pulled the pin, the same way they did in those action movies Jimmy loved, and lobbed a grenade towards the beasts. Only, the one who constantly barked at the others, the largest, had blue of his own. He encased the grenade in a bubble and they watched helplessly as it exploded within. Seeing that they lost, Jane fell to the ground pretending to be incapacitated.
They were on their knees now, hands behind their heads. A cold metal barrel was pressed against her cheek.
The large, burly monster brought an orange, glowing screen to his face. "Which one of you orchestrated this escape?"
They talk. Of course they can talk. They have a space ship and were speaking earlier, she just didn't understand. They're intelligent. What had she been thinking? She did it now. They were going to kill her for this. Panic welled in her throat. Vinny's eyes flicked to her, a silent, slow shake of his head. He wants me to stay quiet?
"I'll ask one, last, time. Who got you out of the cages? I'll find out in the end. We're either doing this the easy way or the hard way. But I'd rather not damage the merchandise."
When no one spoke up, he relented. "Fine. Have it your way." He motioned to his men and as they moved away, he spun on his heel and hurled a shocking amount of blue in their direction. Three little bodies were sent hurtling across the deck.
"Alright. Not one of them. Collar and cage 'em." The monsters obeyed, dragging the kids away and locking them in with new jewelry around their necks.
They were testing for biotics. Just breathe. Don't look guilty. Just breathe.
Three by three, the children were thrown under close scrutiny. And three by three they were collared and caged. When they arrived at her, Jane stole one last look Vinny's way, mouthed 'goodbye' and closed her eyes. But the toss never came.
"It was me!" Vinny shouted. "It… it was me."
What the hell was he doing? Was he crazy?
Large, thick boots slammed against the steel floor, halting in front of the boy. It picked him up by the shoulders and shook violently. Despite the lack of powers, it seemed half convinced that Vinny was responsible.
"It was me sir."
"Looks like we have a hero among us. How old are you?"
"Thirteen."
"Good. Good. Right age." The monster turned to face the rest of the children. Eyes narrowed. "And let this be a lesson to the rest of you. I want no more trouble on this ship. This is what happens to those who disobey."
He grabbed Vinny by the collar and roughly pressed his orange machine to the back of his head. Hair fell to the ground in clumps. At first, Jane thought they were merely shaving him. And she breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, when the sharp smell of antiseptic floated across the deck, something inside of her recoiled.
They poured the liquid onto the back of his head and brought a sharp blade to the base of the skull. He shrieked like a wild animal caught in a trap as they sliced through flesh and chiseled bone. She desperately pressed forehead to knees, curling into herself trying to escape, to not hear or see. Her insides heaved, oatmeal and jam coated her feet. She stared at the mess, shaking in disbelief – the seemingly bright, spring morning bearing down on her.
"No reading at the table." Her father gruffly snatched the book she'd buried her nose in. "After we finish the morning chores, I want you and John to clear out the barn. We'll have two laboring cows soon and we need the extra space."
"Yes sir."
She could practically feel her brother snickering at her from the side.
After their father finished his coffee and left for the bathroom, she kicked Jimmy from beneath the table.
"Hey!"
"Deserved it."
"You're always getting in trouble. Just read after and your life will be ten times easier. Not that it isn't fun to watch."
"I haaaate being bored. And mealtime is booooooring."
Had that really been today? Already, it was another world. Another life.
"Gimme the chip."
The monsters were putting some silver, square object in Vinny's head. He'd stopped struggling at least, eyes half open, staring at nothing, as if he were dead. Silently, Jane prayed that he was. If he were dead and gone, he wouldn't be feeling this. They were sewing now, stitching together what they'd broken.
What came next was far more chilling than anything she'd seen yet. The monster brought up his orange gizmo and with the press of a button Vinny came to life. But there was no recognition behind the eyes. His stare was dead, empty. And when the man-beast spoke into his contraption, Vinny's mouth moved in tandem, lips contorting around the strange, alien words.
"See? It's not hard if you've actually completed that chipping course. Morons without experience shouldn't attempt it though, devalues the merchandise if not done right. Work smart not hard." He spoke calmly, as if Vinny were an object scarcely worth his time.
Hatred burned through her. Legs moved without direction. And before she realized what was happening, she had strode across the deck, tears streaming, to stand directly in front of Vinny.
"What did you do!? What did? Vinny? Vinny look at me!" It wasn't until both hands were clamped around his shoulders, trying to shake him awake that she saw it. The blue. Her whole, entire body was glowing blue.
"Well, I'll be. The runt has teeth."
She swallowed hard. The thing was approaching her, lips turned upward – almost as if he were smiling. But all she saw were hundreds of needle-sharp teeth. "Radio the Datmar Facility, tell them we have a potential. And get me a sedative. There'll be no more trouble from her."
Suddenly, rough, immovable hands dragged her away. She shrieked. Bit. Gnashed her teeth against metal armor. It was no use. Then she lashed out with the blue, remembering how, remembering Wilkie and his broken leg whimpering in a ditch. Focused, determined. One of the monsters flew backwards.
The big one roared with laughter. "Oh she'll fetch an extravagant price."
Someone grabbed her arm, pressed a needle through skin, and the world before her vanished.
