"How is it hotter in here?" Ash demanded as they closed the metal door behind them.
"You're in a giant metal tube," Wrex replied, heading down the walkway. "Probably surrounded by magma on all sides."
"That's comforting," Shepard muttered. "All right the tube is too narrow for a full approach, we go down, two by two. Wrex with me, then Garrus and Tali with Kaidan and Ash bringing up the rear. Make sure those geth don't try to sneak up behind us."
The group gave a collective nod and fell into formation.
"Putting the krogan first, hu?" He asked. "Cause I make the widest target?"
"Not at all," she laughed. "I put your first because I know that if they come up close my barrier will stop their bullets and your shotgun will stop them."
Wrex laughed and slapped her on the back. She nearly buckled.
Straightening back up, she raised her gun and motioned the team on.
The tube like structure they were in slopped down at a nearly forty-five degree angle, making speed the enemy. At the end of the tube she could see a metal catwalk and through the grate she could see rocks and a dirt wall a few feet away.
Before they could reach the end of the tube she stopped them. Shepard glanced to Wrex and mouthed 'footsteps'. He nodded and raised his gun, she pulled a barrier up and started them forward. A second later a geth, all white, burst from around the corner and opened fire on them.
Its bullets hit the barrier and stopped them dead.
Wrex opened fire and it dropped. Shepard plugged it in the head and moved forward.
Another geth on the level below them opened fire.
She pressed herself against the wall and kept moving. Wrex stepped forward and fired off a few shots before his shotgun started to overheat. The rest of the team filed out behind them. Ash stepped up when Wrex moved back, taking out the geth below.
The Commander brought up her radar to find it blocked it again.
"Damn it," she cursed. "Flying blind," she called over shoulder advancing down the metal catwalk. It took them behind a rock wall and then wound down.
Three more geth were making their way up the ramp toward them.
Shepard threw a warp field at one and it went down. Garrus came up behind her and took another one down. Tali got control of the last. It turned and immediately started firing down the opening it had come from.
Another geth took the hacked one down and Kaidan took it down as it opened up on them.
They took the rest of the catwalk at a jog. It lead them down and around to the right before it opened up. They were in a huge underground cavern. There was some kind of strange blue barrier several yards ahead of them and an empty elevator on the left.
"All clear," Kaidan announced.
Shepard lowered her gun and walked to the edge of the catwalk.
"That's a long way down," she stated.
Ash came up behind her. "I dare you to spit over the edge," she joked with a smile on her face.
"You seem to be in better sprits," Shepard observed.
"What can I say?" She laughed, "Killing geth makes me happy."
"Good to know," she checked her gun and the heat level. "Alright, Kaidan and Tali with me, we're gonna check out that barrier. The rest of you stay here and guard the exit. We'll be back."
The three moved forward, Shepard at the point, Tali on her right and Kaidan on her left.
"That's not like any barrier I've ever seen," Kaidan commented as he reached forward and put his hand on it. "It's cold to the touch."
"Tali can you tell me anything about this?" Shepard asked.
She pulled up her omnitool and started scanning it.
"I can't get any readings," she sighed. "It looks impenetrable to me and it seems to be running from a power source several yards below us."
"Down it is, then," she sighed. "Let's head back."
"Any luck?" Garrus asked as they walked up.
"No way through from over here," Shepard informed them. "We go down."
"All of us?" Ash asked eyeing Wrex. "Don't suppose there's a weight limit on this thing do you?"
"Are you calling me fat?!" Wrex asked with mock indignation.
"Of . . . course not . . ." she stammered.
"Come on," Shepard laughed. "Let's get going."
They packed onto the elevator and the commander hit the switch. There was no way to select floors. You just hit the button and went.
She wasn't sure what they were doing down here, but the elevator dropped down eight levels by her count. Each level had a large oblong opening the like one up top, only these weren't covered by a barrier. There also wasn't any path leading to them.
The carriage slowed and stopped. A second later the door swooshed open and the spread out onto the catwalk. Shepard exited last, gun and eyes up, sweeping side to side.
She moved to follow the walk way left.
Her radar pinged a second before six geth drones swooped up from the floor below. Without having to be told, each member of the group sighted the drone closest to them and in a second they were dispatched.
"Gonna be more where they came from," Garrus remarked hazarding a glance over the edge. "We've got a few more levels before bottom."
"Down again?" Tali asked.
"Yeah, there's another elevator over here," Shepard said as she led her crew forward.
There was another oblong shaped opening that didn't seem to lead anywhere. It was just an oddly shaped hole in the wall.
"Sterile white," Wrex grumbled. "Protheans sure build things homey."
"Not up to your decorating snuff?" Garrus asked him as they shuffled on to the next elevator.
"Maybe it needs more radioactive rubble," Tali offered.
"Shut up," Wrex grumbled as he hit the button. The doors slid close and the elevator began to descend.
"Is all of Tuchanka radioactive?" Shepard asked.
"Most of it," Wrex replied shortly. "Do we have a direction other than down?" He was clearly done talking about his home.
"Once we get to the bottom . . ." The elevator jerked suddenly and sparks began to fly from the sides. There was the screech of metal against metal and the carriage dropped. They fell three levels before the emergency brakes kicked in and the skidded to a halt.
The Commander fell against the door and the old metal gave way, falling to the ground.
Kaidan reached out and grabbed Shepard by the wrist, pulling her back from the edge and possible death.
She grabbed his arm and held on until the elevator finally stopped.
"Thanks," she sighed, smiling at him.
His cheeks flushed a bright red and he nodded, letting go of her.
"What happened?" Ash asked, poking her head out of the side and looking up.
"Didn't feel like elevator just gave out," Garrus offered.
"I think someone blew the tracks," Tali said, "Intentionally, to stop us."
"Then we must be getting close," Shepard confirmed. "It's only about a story and half, we can jump it." She readied a barrier in her palm, just in case, and jumped. She hit the metal with a thud and raised her gun, scanning the area around. Sher heard the other's land beside her.
"Looks clear," Garrus said lowering his rifle. "What happened down here?"
Shepard walked forward, the catwalks and metal walkways were in shambles. She could just see the blue light of another barrier below them.
"This way," she said finding an opening big enough to drop down. She jumped down on to a hunk of the metal walkway and stopped.
"Uh . . . hello?" A distorted voice called from somewhere unseen. "Could somebody help me? Please?"
She motioned for Kaidan and Garrus to follow and kept Wrex, Tali and Ash lying in wait. Shepard didn't know who or what was down there, but she wasn't going to take any chances.
She jumped down once more and walked down a shaking piece of metal.
What she saw beyond the blue barrier was a sight she didn't fully understand.
An asari, dressed in the garb of doctor was suspended in a bubble on the other side of the barrier. She put her gun away and walked up.
The asari's eyes lit up when she saw them. "Can you hear me out there?" She called, "I'm trapped. I need help!"
"Are you okay?" Shepard asked, "What happened to you?"
"I'm fine," she explained. "My name is Liar T'Soni and this thing that I'm in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?" She sounded frantic and perhaps a bit crazy. Shepard couldn't be sure. At least now she know this was the asari she was looking for.
"How did you end up in there?" The Commander asked.
"I was exploring the ruins when the geth showed up," she explained. "So I hid in here. Can you believe that?! Geth! Beyond the Veil! I activated the tower's defenses. I knew the barrier curtains would keep them out."
She looked around for a moment. "When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out, please."
Shepard glanced to Kaidan and then to Garrus. Knowing that the best way to get information is to ask, she took a step forward. "Your mother is working with Saren. Whose side are you on?" It was blunt, so much so that both Garrus and Kaidan looked to her.
"What?" Liara asked, shocked. "I am not on anybody's side! I may be Benezia's daughter, but I'm nothing like her! I have not spoken to her in years. Please, just get me out of here."
Shepard nodded, that was enough for her, for now anyway. "We just need to figure some way past this energy field."
"It's a Prothean barrier curtain," she corrected her. "I knew it would keep me safe from the geth. But I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. You have to get me out of here! Please!"
"We'll find some way to help you," Shepard assured her.
"There is a control in here," Liara explained. "It should deactivate this thing. But you'll have to find some way past the curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here. But be careful. There is a krogan with the geth. They have been trying different ways to get past the barrier."
"We'll take care of it," Shepard said. "Just hold tight."
She headed back and gathered the others.
"Ideas?" She asked once they were brought up to speed.
"Go down?" Tali offered. "Find a way down to where the curtain doesn't stretch and then work our way up from the inside."
"That could work," Ash agreed.
*"Alright then," Shepard said, "Fan out and find a way to get under that curtain. Stay within line of sight of one another. Dr. T'Soni said there was krogan here too. If you find something, call out."
At once everyone took off in a different direction.
Except Wrex, he stayed back and waited for the others to clear out.
"Shepard," he called quietly.
She turned back to him, already knowing what he was going to ask her about. "I don't know any more other than there is a krogan running around with the geth."
"According to the asari," he stated, his distrust of her statement plain.
"I can't imagine why she would lie right now," the Commander countered.
"Maybe because she's working with her mother?"
She sighed, the thought had crossed her mind. "Look we get her out of that thing and then question her, okay? It doesn't do us any good to sit here and wonder."
"Fine," Wrex agreed begrudgingly. He took off down the metal walk way.
At once she could hear gun fire.
"Commander!" Ash called, "We've got hostiles."
Shepard rushed down the walkway and had to dive quickly to the side.
More geth were streaming toward them from somewhere near the back of the mine. A red laser dot danced on her arm for a second before a bullet hit her barrier and knocked her back.
Geth and they had snipers.
"How many?" Shepard called over the gun fire.
"Can't tell!" Kaidan shouted.
"Radar's jammed again!" Tali finished for him.
Gunfire rang out from both sides for well over five minutes.
Between the rocks and the roughly cut walls of the mines, there was too many places for the geth to dig in.
"Radar's back!" Tali called as the last geth hit the floor. "That's the last of them."
"Fantastic," she sighed. "Anybody hurt?"
There was a moment of silenced while everyone checked themselves over.
"I think we're all good Commander," Garrus assured her.
"Even better. Now let's get the doctor out of that bubble and get the hell out of here. I hate mines." The last part she said quietly and to herself.
"I think I've got a way," Wrex called from behind them.
"What is that?" Ash asked.
"A mining laser," he announced sounding almost excited. "This bad boy could cut through a three inch piece of steel like it was butter."
"So we blast a hole in the rock under the curtain," Shepard said with a nod. "I like it. Efficient. But what are the risks?"
Tali already had her omnitool out. She scanned the laser and then the rock wall directly in front of it. She typed a few things in shook her head. "If we use that laser we risk destabilizing the entire dig site."
"How bad?" Shepard asked.
"We could bring the whole place down, with us still inside."
"Does anyone see another way?" She asked.
"It's the only way," Wrex assured her. "I've operated one of these before."
"Then do it," she told him.
Wrex opened the controls and in a second he was past the lock. "Firing," he shouted almost joyful.
The laser blasted a whole the size of skycar in the ground. The mine around them shook for a moment and a few small rocks fell from the ceiling above them. After only a second the shaking stopped.
"See!" Wrex shouted! "Now let's get this damn asari and get outta here."
"Agreed. Eyes up people, fall in." Shepard checked the heat sink on her gun and moved forward, jumping down into the hole, Garrus was right behind her. They swept the immediate area and signaled the rest down.
They were standing in another of those oblong holes in the wall. As they moved on the area opened up to a short metal platform with some kind of control console at the end. Shepard moved out cautiously, testing the platform before she motioned the team forward.
Tali moved to the console and opened it up. Most alliance and alien controls she'd seen came in varying shades of orange and red. She had seen a few interfaces that were white as well. But this thing lit up green.
"Keelah," Tali sighed as she scanned it.
"What's wrong?" Shepard asked walking over.
"I've never seen anything like this," she whispered almost in awe. "I can't even detect what language it's in."
"Let me see." Tali stepped back and the Commander stepped forward.
She was right.
Shepard had never encountered language like this before.
For a second a word she knew flashed on the controls.
"What the . . ." she whispered, letting her words fall away. The longer she stared at it, the more she was certain she knew how to operate it.
"Commander?" She heard Kaidan call from behind her.
"It's a lift," she stated. "An elevator."
"How can you tell?" Tali asked.
Shepard reached out and pushed a button.
Immediately the lift began to rise.
She watched the wall, needing to make sure they didn't go past the floor with Dr. T'Soni. She was also actively ignoring the looks from her crew. She had no means to explain how she knew what she knew about the lift. Hopefully they would just be grateful they were moving and drop it.
As the lift cleared the next floor she stopped it.
They could see the back of the asari floating in the bubble.
"Let's go." She said moving forward.
At the sounds of their footsteps she turned her head.
"How . . . how did you get in here?" Liara asked, not sounding exactly thrilled to see them. "I didn't think there was any way past the barrier."
"We blasted through with a mining laser," she told her, not sure if she could trust the woman yet.
"Of course. Yes," she babbled. "That makes sense. Please get me out of here before more geth arrive. The button over there should shut down this containment field."
She turned to find several eyes on her.
Ignoring their questioning gazes, she opened the control panel to the left and pushed the button she was sure would drop the field.
Liara grunted as she dropped to the floor. Shepard prepared herself for the worst as the asari turned to face them.
"Any idea how we get out of this place?" Garrus asked.
"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on!"
She took off at a brisk pace, stepping around the group and headed back the way they'd come. Everyone looked back to the commander.
"Are you sure about this?" Kaidan asked under his breath. He'd taken a few steps closer to her so they could talk without Dr. T'Soni hearing.
"No," she replied honestly, "But what other choice to do we have? Those geth will be back and I don't know another way out of here. Do you?"
Everyone turned their eyes away.
"Yea I didn't think so. Let's go," Shepard moved past them and quickly caught up with Liara. The rest of the crew fell into step behind her. The asari stopped at the control Shepard had used earlier. She fiddled around with a few buttons for a moment and stopped when they could hear hydraulics hiss.
The large cylinder the other elevator had come up around was in fact, another elevator. The metal sheeting slid down revealing a large open area and another control area.
Liara started forward immediately and opened the other control panel. She looked up and waited until the rest of the team had joined her on the elevator.
Once she stated it moving she turned to Shepard.
"I . . ." she stammered. "I still cannot believe all this. Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?"
"Saren's looking for the conduit," Ash said belittlingly, "Think fast Ms. Prothean expert."
"The conduit?" Liara asked, confused and hurt by Ash's tone. "But I don't know . . ."
The sound of explosions followed by banging and shaking dropped all conversation.
"What the hell was that?" Wrex demanded.
The sound continued as they spun slowly, trying to see where the damage was.
"These ruins are unstable," Liara explained. "That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event. We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!"
Another crash and the elevator shook, knocking Tali to the ground and almost tossing Garrus off the edge. They needed to get out, now.
"Joker!" Shepard shouted over the sounds of cave in. Get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double mister!"
"Aye, aye, Commander," his voice came in over the comm. "Secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes."
"Gonna be close, skipper," Ash warned.
"If I die in here, I'll kill him," Wrex grumbled.
"Nobody is dying in here," the Commander assured him. Another crash echoed up from below them sending dirt and debris into the air.
Finally they came to the top of the shaft.
The floor of the elevator extended out and sealed the room. Before they could pull their guns a krogan followed by three dozen geth came walking down from the only exit the Commander could see. She stepped forward and put herself between her team and the krogan.
With any luck he would listen to reason and they could settle this outside the collapsing mine.
Wrex stepped up, tense at the sight of one of his kind.
"That's a Battlemaster," he informed her under his breath. "Or at least he wears the armor of one."
"Bad?" She asked.
"If he bite matches his bark, it's about to get really interesting."
"Fantastic."
"Surrender," the Battlemaster shouted. "Or don't. That would be more fun."
"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart!" Shepard shouted at him.
"Exhilarating, isn't it," he laughed stepping forward. The geth fanned out on either side of them. She heard the crew pull weapons behind her.
"Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over."
"Whatever it is you want," Liara shouted stepping up, "You're not getting it from me!"
"She'll stay with us, thanks," Shepard replied.
"Not an option," the Battlemaster informed her. "Saren wants her. And he always gets what he wants."
Liara looked to the Commander, uncertain if this human would be willing to risk her life to keep her safe. She didn't even know the woman's name.
Shepard stared the krogan down and crossed her arms across her chest.
"Kill them," the krogan barked to the geth. "Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter."
Shepard through a warp at the krogan who stumbled momentarily before running for cover. The team scattered, ducking behind some of the pillars and opening fire.
She ran over to Liara who was crouched down behind the control console. She pulled her barrier up so it surrounded them both. She took down two geth who were closing in on her. A third exploded behind her.
Looking up she saw Kaidan rush forward and join his barrier with hers. Together they took down several geth that were coming for the Dr. She smiled at him, thankful to have him looking out for her. She typically didn't need anyone to look out for her. It was different, but she liked it.
One by one the other geth went down.
"How many left?" Kaidan called. The barrier was starting to fade and they didn't know how much more it could take.
"Only a couple and the krogan," She told him.
Garrus cried out suddenly behind her.
He'd taken a hit and gone down.
"Garrus!" She shouted. "Kaidan keep her safe." She shot a geth coming at her as she made her way across the open area to her fallen squad mate.
He was lying on the ground and there was blue blood on the floor around him. She grabbed him under the arms and dragged him to the closest pillar.
"Are you okay?" She shouted over the gunfire.
"I'm fine, Shepard," he assured her. "It's a through and through to the arm. I'll live."
She pulled medigel from her pack and slathered it on his arm. He winced for a moment as the gel took effect but visibly relaxed as the painkillers kicked in. She pulled a small bandage from her belt and wrapped his arm.
The gun fire began to die down as only the krogan remained.
"Seriously, Shepard. I'm fine." He lied as he winced in pain again.
"Stuff it Vakarian," she ordered him as she tide the bandage off. "Now stay down."
Kaidan watched the Commander run off. He kept the barrier up and shot another two geth.
"Is she always so brave?" Liara asked him. She had gotten up slightly and was also watching the commander run.
"She is," he replied, somewhat nervous about the way the asari watched her. A shot hit the barrier and nearly didn't stop. Refocusing on the task at hand, he put another few geth down.
He glanced back at the Dr. She was watching Shepard wrap Garrus' arm. He didn't like it. At all.
Shepard came running back over.
"Are you two okay?"
"Fine," Liara replied, popping up.
"Good . . ." A ball of blue energy came flying at them and hit Shepard square in the chest. She crumpled to the floor.
"Shepard!" Kaidan yelled rushing over.
"It's a stasis field," Liara informed him as she crouched down beside her.
"Stay with her until she comes around," he shouted as he took off after the krogan. He was the only one left.
Wrex had him pinned now, firing off round after round from his shotgun.
Kaidan threw a warp and halted the Krogan's regenerative abilities.
Another two shots from Wrex and a few from Ash's rife, and the krogan went down.
Shepard felt the stasis fade and she was finally able to move.
"Let me help," Liara said grabbing the Commanders hand. She pulled her up and kept a hold of her arm until she knew Shepard was steady.
"Thanks," she told the Dr. "Are we all clear?"
"Clear, skipper," Ash called.
Another crash from somewhere around them and the elevator platform they were on shook violently.
"We have to go!" Shepard yelled.
They ran for the exit only to be halted by another barrier curtain.
Before the team could come to a full stop the dirt walls outside the barrier began to crumble. They curtain exploded out and away from them as the elevator crashed to the ground behind them.
Wasting no time Shepard pushed the team on.
They ran around crumbling walls and huge chunks of rock. The ground was shaking so bad now it was impossible to move as fast as she wanted to. The team was up the metal catwalks and moving past the first elevator they'd ridden in. A noise stopped the Commander.
She turned and saw the whole of the mine caving in behind them.
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!" She shouted pushing them on.
They were at the metal tube.
Parts of it were being shaken off the walls. Most of the team was near the exit now.
Just a little further.
The ground under her feet shifted suddenly to the right, tossing her on the floor.
She scrambled to get back up, slipping on the dirt and rocks that were streaming down from the entrance.
A hand grabbed her under her arm and pulled her along the rest of the way.
As they ran out the main entrance the rest of the tunnel collapsed behind them.
Once the dirt was clear from her eyes she looked around.
Garrus was right next her, his hand still in the crook of her elbow. She was shocked. When someone had pulled her up she had assumed it was Kaidan. He was always running back for her. She opened her mouth to say something.
"Stuff it, Shepard," he said with a smile. He clapped her on her back and let her go.
The ground rumbled again as the mine continued to collapse around them. Magma spayed into the air too close for Shepard's comfort.
"Commander you gotta double time it," Joker called over the comm. "The whole area is about to sink into the lava."
"You heard him!" She shouted, "Get back to the Mako!"
They ran again down the metal ramp as it collapsed underneath them. They hit the ground and kept running. Thankfully the fall wasn't bad enough to cause any harm. They kept going, even Wrex, who Shepard would have thought was not a fast runner, was hauling ass.
They tried to run down the hill but with the shaking they mostly slid.
Shepard hit the hill on her knees and slid all the way down, stopping only when she hit a large rock at the bottom. Her head spun for a moment but then she was up and moving again. She helped Tali to her feet and pushed her on and then made sure Ash was okay. She too had stopped only when she'd come face to face with a rock.
The Commander hauled her up pulled her on.
Her nose was bleeding pretty badly, staining the front of her white and pink armor.
She pushed Ash through the opening in the rocks and toward the Mako. There was another loud crash and the pool of magma that had previously been several feet away, sprayed up into the air. Shepard had just enough time to dive into the Mako before it rained down around them.
Kaidan pulled her in and Ash pulled the hatch closed.
"Are you alright?" He asked helping her to her feet.
"Fine," she called jumping into the driver's seat. "Joker get us out of here!"
"Working on it Commander," he called over the comm. "Kinda hard when there's lava shooting at us!"
Shepard threw the Mako in reverse as the pool of magma began to seep toward them. "Hold on!" She shouted. The all the crashing and shaking had thrown the rocks of the canyon walls around. She couldn't back up anymore.
She shifted back into drive and gunned the engine.
"What are you doing?" Garrus demanded.
"Getting us the hell off this rock. Strap in, this is gonna be close."
"Commander . . ." he started to argue.
"Joker on my signal initiate the return sequence," she shouted. "Garrus, when I say, give the thrusters all we have. We're only gonna get one shot as this."
For a second he looked like he might argue. Instead he nodded and cranked the thrusters to max power and put his hand over the button.
"Ready Commander."
The magma was inches from the front wheels of the Mako, it was now or never.
"NOW!" She shouted.
Garrus hit the button for the thrusters and held it down. The Mako soared up and over the spreading liquid rock and for a few seconds they flew.
Then they started to come down.
A terrible fear spread through the cabin like wild fire through the dry brush.
She'd miscalculated.
There wasn't enough juice left in the thrusters to get them up high enough for Joker to lock on to them. She had messed up and that mistake would cost them all their lives.
