Author's Note: This is hitting the T rating pretty hard. It's pretty dark compared to my other chapters. It will be split into two parts.

Chapter Seven, Part One: Kidnapping, and Its Friends

This mission was getting more boring by the second. They had been instructed to investigate suspicious activity, possibly Geth, but they had come across nothing. Liara knew that she had to keep alert, but this was turning out to be a waste of their time. Even Commander Shepard, who was like an excited twelve-year old during missions, seemed bored and only going through the motions. Garrus didn't seemed very impressed with this assignment either.

They were in underground ruins. What looked like concrete slabs littered the area. There was a tunnel leading into the main cavern they were currently in. The only room was the main cavern.

"Well, we obviously haven't found any Geth activity...so I think we can head back to the Normand-," Shepard started, before a bullet whizzed by his head. "GET DOWN!" This happened so fast that Liara didn't have time to get down before Shepard had yanked her downwards. He pushed her into a slab of concrete, gave her a small smile, ducked out of cover, and fired at the enemy.

"Garrus, can you get a read on our enemy?" Shepard shouted at Garrus. Confused, Liara poked her head around the concrete slab. Whoever had fired on them was no longer visible.

"Negative, all I can pick up is multiple life forms behind a couple of those concrete slabs. About fifteen meters away," Garrus responded, his eyes scanning his omni-tool and occasionally looking at his blue eye patch.

"How many? Keep your weapons tight people, we have unidentified hostiles!" the Commander shouted back, looking through the scope on his rifle.

"Around ten, it's hard to tell because they're bunched up so much," Garrus stopped looking at all of his gadgets and snuck to the next piece of concrete, probably trying to get into a good position to use his sniper rifle. Liara readied a warp, hoping one of them would make a mistake.

She never got to use it. Smoke grenades were hurled at them, her line of sight completely obscured. Liara got ready to move out of cover, and behind the next piece of concrete but Shepard yelled, "Retreat, fall back!" Liara didn't think that Shepard knew the meaning of retreat, but he was her Commanding Officer and generally knew what the best course of action was. She ran towards the tunnel, and saw someone else doing the same.

…

"Good. Now tell them to meet outside the ruins or I will slit your throat, and have my men slaughter your team," a voice whispered into Shepard's ear. He had been firing into the smoke when hands grabbed him from behind, pulling him behind a piece of concrete. The hands momentarily left his neck, and shoulders only to return holding a knife.

"Meet me outside the ruins!" Shepard yelled, listening for Liara and Garrus' feet. When he heard them, he relaxed a little. Knowing that at least someone was safe Was a small comfort. He tried to stand up a little more, since he had been forced to his knees, but the knife held to his neck nicked him.

"Sweet dreams, Commander."

…

"Where the hell is he? He did say to meet him out here...didn't he?" Garrus was pacing in front of Liara, making her even more nervous. They stood just outside of the ruins, the Mako close by.

Liara nodded, worry making her unable to speak. She had clearly heard Shepard tell them to come outside.

After a pause in his pacing, Garrus pulled up his omni-tool, "Garrus to Normandy, Garrus to Normandy, do you read me?"

The response was immediate. Shepard's XO,Pressley, said, "We read you ground team, what's the issue?"

Garrus sighed before answering, "Shepard is MIA."

"Repeat Ground team," Pressley had a quiver to his voice.

Before Garrus could answer, Liara replied, "Commander Shepard is MIA."

"Understood ground team, I am calling all non-essential personnel together. Wait for another twenty minutes, then get back to the ship. Also, be advised that night is approaching, and the temperature will drop to hazardous conditions in thirty minutes," Pressley replied.

"Understood, Liara out," she replied, voice audibly shaking. She looked over at Garrus, and he nodded. A silent agreement went between the two; they needed to go back inside the ruins.

"Shepard!" Liara and Garrus' voices echoed through the empty cavern. There wasn't any sign that just thirty minutes earlier they had been fighting an unknown enemy. Liara couldn't even see footprints. Nothing was out of the ordinary until they found another door in the rear of the cavern and slightly to the left. Garrus checked for life inside the door; there were none. When they walked into the cave, there was evidence of someone. When Liara saw the faint drag marks in the dirt she couldn't breathe.

It was clear that someone had used this tunnel to escape because when they reached the end of it there was an opening to the cold air outside. Both Liara and Garrus knew they had to move to get to the Normandy before they froze, but they remained there staring at the ledge and the absence of their commander.

…

"… We waited ten minutes for Shepard, but he was just…gone," Garrus told the entire crew of the Normandy, who were gathered in the conference room. The atmosphere was cold. Liara kept turning to Shepard's chair expecting a joke that was borderline inappropriate. She kept disappointing herself. Most of the crew was in shock, the hero of the Skyllian Blitz didn't just get kidnapped.

"So that's it, Shepard has been kidnapped? Did you even see who took him?" Ashley Williams' voice rose with every word she said, disbelief dripping from her words.

"Yes, and we could've prevented it… we could've saved him," Liara said, her voice small and barely audible.

"Say again, Doctor," Chakwas was also in the room and she looked at Liara, searching for an answer like everyone else.

"We could've saved him," Liara said louder for the group. "I knew that something was wrong when he ordered us to retreat, but I never acted on it. If we hadn't waited outside so long for him, he would be here."

Before anyone could say anything else, Joker came on the comm, "Admiral Hackett is sending us a live video now. He says it may be a link to the whereabouts of Shepard." The screen in the front of the room came to life, a grainy video was playing. It looked like there was a large room with a man seated in the middle, it took a moment to focus and the whole room gasped when they saw it was Commander Shepard in the middle.

…

Shepard flew back when he felt water being poured over his head, or at least he thought he had, but the chair he sat in kept him firmly on the ground. When he came to his senses he realized that his hands were bound behind the chair, and his shirt was off. He was face to face with a Batarian. "Finally, I have gotten the hero of the Skyllian Blitz." He spat out the words, as if they burned his mouth to say them. "You are the person responsible for my… downgrade." Shepard had no idea what this loon was talking about, and sincerely hoped that this was some alcohol-induced dream.

"I have no fucking idea what you're talking about," Shepard mumbled to the Batarian, still groggy from just waking up. The rifle butt to the head was practically like getting a double shot of espresso through his veins; he was awake now.

"You ruined my reputation as a great Batarian raider. The little stunt you pulled back at the Blitz? Well, this is payback. Killing the Commander Shepard will surely earn my respect back, and scare the Alliance. Two in one," the Batarian prick pointed towards a camera with another Batarian behind it.

"Who the hell is this being broadcast to?" Shepard was furious now. He was being used as a publicity stunt.

"Alliance Command and Batarian Warlords," he replied, his disgusting mouth forming an even worse smile. "Don't worry, the cameras love you." His laughter echoed through the room as he signaled his partner to start rolling the camera. "Please state your name for the audience," the Batarian told Shepard, but he remained silent. The Batarian circled Shepard. Without warning the asshole back-handed him in the face. Black spots formed in his vision, and his head felt even fuzzier. It would definitely leave a bruise.

"My name is Commander Colt Shepard," he said, his head still aching from the hit.

"Please state the name of your ship, and achievements made in your military career," the Batarians voice was steady and calm.

"My ship is the SSV Normandy of the Systems Alliance Navy. Notable achievements in my military career are as follows: Skyllian Blitz, admissions into N7 school, graduation from N7 school and command of the SSV Normandy," Shepard said this almost mechanically, noting that he had been asked this question too many times to count.

"Let's talk about the Skyllian Blitz-,"

"No," he said almost whispering.

…

Liara watched in horror as the Batarian punched Shepard squarely in the nose. A sickening crunch translated over the poor connection. The whole room flinched at the hit.

"What did you say?" the Batarian slaver asked, circling Shepard once more, a nasty glare in his eyes.

"I will not the discuss the Skylian Blitz. Especially with a Batarian, " Shepard cooly. He spit a glib of blood at the Batarian.

"I would suggest that you fully cooperate with me unless you want me wringing the neck on your pretty little asari, and your turian friend," Liara saw Shepard snap straight up at the mention of the two. The Normandy crew glanced at Garrus, and her with dull eyes.

"What do you want to know?" Shepard was obviously panicking at the mention of Garrus and Liara.

"Why did you go to Elysium?" He said. The Batarian was clearly gloating now.

"I went to see a zoo, one of the best zoos in the galaxy," Shepard's back was straight as a board, and he was keenly watching the Batarian now.

"Who'd you go with, Shepard," the Batarian asked, sneering.

"I went with A-Alexander Shepard," Shepard had closed his eyes now, his voice quivered.

"Who's that Commander Shepard?" The Batarian said, him calling the Commander 'Shepard' sent chills down Liara. There was something very wrong with openly disrespecting an enemy.

Shepard mumbled something and the Batarian lashed out again, this time with his gun. "Louder!"

"He was my brother!" Shepard screamed that at the Batarian, his face bright red. The comm room was abuzz with questions like: 'Shepard has a brother?' 'Where's he now?' 'I thought Shepard grew up alone on the streets?' Liara had caught a glimpse of his brother during the meld.

"How old was he when you went to Elysium?"

"He turned eleven that day," Shepard was slightly hyperventilating now.

Joker came over the comm. again, "Admiral Hackett just sent a message saying that they are tracking Shepard. Be prepared to go in once his location is known."

…

"Let the records show that Shepard's brother was an adolescent in human years, and his legal guardian was then Lieutenant Colt Shepard." The Batarian faced the camera, his words were slow, letting that all sink in. Colt was near tears."Please tell everyone about that day."

"Fuck. You," Shepard told the Batarian. He was not going to share his past with half of the Alliance. The Batarian stalked up to him. Cool plastic made contact with his face, and sent rivers of pain coursing through him. His grip on consciousness started slipping away. He could distantly hear the Batarian talking, mostly cursing. A minute later he felt his cheeks being slapped in an attempt to make him aware again. Colt slid into unconsciousness anyways.

What was probably only minutes later, Shepard felt water once again being poured over his face. He hesitantly opened his eyes, hoping he had been teleported to the Normandy, and someone was pouring water on him in annoyance. Unfortunately, he knew he had no such luck. A combination of water, and blood streaming down his abdomen. "If you don't stay awake for this, I'll shoot your kneecap off… or better yet your friend's kneecaps." Shepard nodded in understanding, and waited for the next question.

"Since you don't feel like answering that question, I'll ask another. What happened to your brother? Please say your answer loudly for everyone." The Batarian was close to him. The asshole easily he could hurt Shepard if his answer was unsatisfactory.

"He was taken by Batarian slavers on Elysium," Shepard admitted.

"Did you see him being taken by slavers?" The Batarian's voice was menacing.

"Yes," Colt replied. A few tears escaped against his will.

…

Everyone looked at each other. Shepard had let his brother die. Crew members shifted uncomfortably in their chairs, everyone knew they should not be hearing this about their Commanding Officer. Liara was sick to her stomach as she watched Shepard admit that to some low life.

"So, you let Batarians kidnap your brother, and you did nothing to stop it?" At this point, the Batarian was just egging on the Commander.

"If-if I had stopped to save my brother, every colonist on Elysium would have been dead. I had to let him go," Shepard's voice started out loud and his last words were barely detectable.

"Well now that everyone knows the truth about the Hero of the Blitz. I think it's time for the next segment," The Batarian was pointedly looking at the camera now; his beady eyes seemed to stare straight into Liara. A twisted smile stretched across his face, "How do you guys feel about watching Commander Shepard's execution?"

…

Author's Note: Part Two will either be out tomorrow or the next day. Hope you enjoyed!