…
"What good's an honest soldier if he can be ordered to behave like a terrorist?"
(JC Denton)
…
MFV Normandy, January 13th, 1:12 AM, 2185
…
Once more I paced back and forth on the bridge of the Normandy, waiting anxiously as we approached the Dresselhaus system in the Titan Nebula. Ferris Fields was in the system along with two uninhabitable planets. We were approaching using conventional FTL due to the stealth systems being active, and my nerves were beyond shot. If it weren't for the overwhelming sense to do the right thing, I'd probably crawl into my bunk and stay there.
Everyone on the bridge was quiet as we approached the colony, even Joker who was completely stone-faced. I kept eyeing up the radar console in the corner, seeing if there were any signals at all it could detect.
"ETA is one minute." Joker announced, keeping his eyes glued firmly on the controls in front of him as we all waited. "Still no communication activity."
"That's a bad sign." Garrus commented, arms crossed as he too stared at the radar console. "Wasn't contact lost with the colonies before they disappeared?"
"That is correct." I answered in a dull, expressionless tone as I stared into space.
"If lucky, just a simple comm failure." Mordin suggested, likely having noticed our somber faces. "Small colonies, common occurrence."
We dropped out of FTL with a dull vibration in the hull, still expecting g-forces in my gut despite the inertial dampeners in the ship. Out the window we could see the green and blue orb that was Ferris Fields. It looked very peaceful, but my gut was still tighter than a brick as I anticipated anything happening.
"I don't see anything on the scanners…" Tali commented, shaking her head as she switched between different settings. "No comm signals either."
"Try the terahertz locator, maybe that'll find something." I suggested, pointing at the console as I walked over and stared into the screen with staggered breath.
Dan's upgraded scanner pulsed, sending out T-rays that would bounce back if anything was there. Despite being originally designed to peer through walls and map out structures, we discovered that it functioned exceptionally well when used to detect ships utilizing stealth countermeasures. There was no way to block the rays from bouncing off your hull, especially in the background of space.
All the recon satellites the Migrant Fleet had blanketed the Klenot Nebula with were equipped with the same kind of terahertz locators we had built into our hull. If there was something out there, we'd find it.
I waited for a few seconds before something off the planet's horizon appeared for a moment before immediately disappearing again. My eyes widened, questioning if I had really seen something before looking back at Tali.
"You saw that too, right?" I asked, pointing at the spot where it had appeared.
"I did. It appeared to be cylindrical in shape." She confirmed, running the image back a few frames before it showed up again. "I don't know what that was. Your guess is as good as mine."
"Could it be orbital debris?" Miranda asked, looking over my shoulder at the blurred image.
"Debris don't just disappear like that." I dismissed, feeling heat buildup around my collar. "Whatever that was, it just left."
"I know what it is." Joker said from his chair as he looked at the same image from his console. "It's the same ship that attacked the old Normandy above Alchera."
I could see Shepard's eyes widen before the comm station gave us a positive ping. Communications had been re-established with the colony. Joker wasted no time putting on his headset.
"Hello, is anyone down there?" Joker asked into his headset, only to be met with silence. "This is the Systems Alliance, can you read me? …Anyone?"
He looked back at us with a tense expression as Shepard shook his head.
"Let's get down there." Shepard ordered in a defeated tone, letting his arms hang back down as he looked down at Joker. "Find us a good spot that isn't too close to the colony, we'll travel the rest of the way in the Hammerhead."
"Affirmative." He agreed, gunning the engines as we walked over to the elevator and silently rode it to Deck 4.
No one said a word as walked past an equally silent crew, getting into the Hammerhead one by one. I could feel the gravity of the colony as we entered its atmosphere, knowing as well as everyone else that we were too late.
I took the co-pilots seat next to Shepard, giving him a curt nod as the bay doors opened, revealing an idyllic plain filled with little more than tall grass. We shot out of the ship as fast as the IFV would go, blowing away the grass with hot gusts of air as Shepard followed the nav marker in front of him.
I took the time to scan the atmosphere for any contaminants, unable to find a trace of anything around the vehicle. I shook my head, not sure what to make of this. If those were the Collectors, then there must have been something left. I couldn't imagine what they could have used to abduct so many people without a trace.
We pulled over another hill, finally spotting the colony prefabs in the distance. Shepard nodded to me as I pulled down the scope, looking at the settlement with increased magnification. I hovered over each and every prefab in sight, unable to see any movement at all.
"It's deserted." I announced, pushing the scope back up as I shook my head. "Christ almighty…"
"We'll move in closer then investigate on foot." Shepard redirected, gunning the IFV once more as the prefabs got closer and closer.
We pulled into a paved area, some kind of landing pad as Shepard killed the engines. He cautiously looked out the windows for any movement at all before he turned to me and everyone else.
"Masks on!" He ordered, raising both of his hands into the air as we stood up. "We'll split up into two teams. Mordin, Garrus, you're with me. Tali, Miranda, you're with Sean. We move in slow and cautiously, scan the area for any survivors or signs of Collector activity. If we come across anything, I want it recovered. Move out!"
Shepard popped the hatch as I readied my Carnifex, stepping out right behind him. I could feel my breaths become more labored as the sunshine hit my head, warming it. Even just standing here something felt off. All the doors in the area were closed, the power appeared to be out, and, of course, there wasn't a soul in sight.
It made me feel nauseous, but I suppressed the gut reflex, breathing deeply and forcing my heart to slow down. I knew I was here to do a job, and I needed to make sure I was in the right mindset to lead my assigned squad.
We needed to find out what happened here.
Shepard motioned to our team to head west, while his went east. We'd fan out, checking each prefab one by one until meeting up at the colony's primary comm unit.
"Comm check, can you two hear me?" I asked into my newly-created channel, turning and looking at them. They both confirmed, tapping the sides of their helmets as I nodded. "Right then. Let's see if we can't find anything."
"Only if we're lucky." Tali quipped, causing me to pause for a moment before shaking my head and moving on.
We carefully moved through the first unit, confirming my observation that the power was indeed out. I switched on my helmet's built-in flashlight as we slowly checked the inside of the residential unit. Food that hadn't been finished sat on the table in the middle as a child's toy could be seen lying on the floor. Seeing it nearly brought me to tears.
Failing to find anything, we walked into an adjacent storage unit filled with various colonial supplies, mostly farming equipment and specially designed seed pods for planting in the soil. There was a crate that had fallen over recently, and several of the seed pods could be seen on the floor.
"This isn't right…" Miranda commented, checking each corner with her modified M-4 Shuriken. "Everyone is just gone, as if they got up and left."
"Just like the other colonies." I added, gritting my teeth as anger began to take hold. "These bastards…"
We moved out into the open again, seeing we were in a small square. There was a small fountain in the center that sat still, with a flag above it that flew with the colonial logo. I walked over to a dirt area, looking for any signs of recent movement before my radio crackled. It began playing a low frequency static in my ears, barely loud enough for me to hear it.
"Did one of you two say something?" I asked out loud, banging the side of my helmet to try and get rid of the sudden noise with no avail.
"No, why?" Tali asked, walking over to me before stopping in her tracks. "Static?"
"You hear it too?" I inquired as Miranda walked over two, tapping the side of her mask before looking down at me.
"Something's interfering with our signals." Miranda deduced, opening her omni-tool and checking the comm strength. "It seems to get stronger the farther northwest we go."
"Shepard, do you read me?" I asked into the full channel, waiting for a moment before getting a response.
"I read you, though your signal seems a little weak." He replied, static still going strong.
"Yeah, we're nearing something that seems to disrupt our communications." I said, making sure to speak clearly. "We're moving in to investigate. Be aware that communication may be lost."
"Understood. Be careful, Sean." He finished as the main channel cut off, leaving me a moment to sigh.
Using Miranda's omni-tool, we slowly made our way to the source of the signal which appeared to come from a cafeteria unit. We cautiously moved in closer and closer until we came up to the back kitchen, specifically the walk-in freezer.
"What do you think it could be?" I asked through my mask as we stacked up on the doorway, our radios being too scrambled to use.
"Could be a colonist, could be one of the Collectors." Miranda replied in a similar fashion, closing her omni-tool as she prepped her submachine gun.
"Alright, on my go… one… two… three!" I counted down, Miranda pulling open the door as Tali and I aimed our guns into the doorway.
We were immediately forced backwards as something fell out of the freezer, nearly landing on us as it hit the floor with a solid thud. I landed on the floor, nearly knocking Tali down with me.
"Fuck!" I yelled out loud, my heartbeat jumping up as I felt adrenaline surge through my body. I kept my handgun pointed at the object, taking a moment to examine it before realizing it wasn't moving.
It was a body. A human body.
"God, damn it…" I exclaimed, getting back on my feet as I focused on the body's details.
It was an African-American male wearing a standard set of farmhand clothes. Condensation was quickly building up on his skin as he was exposed to warmer air, leaving me to believe he had likely frozen to death inside.
"That's an awful way to go." Miranda remarked through her mask, shaking her head as she swept the opening of the dark freezer with her submachine gun at the ready. "Sean, look at this."
I walked in, standing next to her as she illuminated an odd, brown bug creature on one of the crates with her gun's flashlight. It was unmoving, likely having been frozen the same as the man. It looked like a heavily-armored cockroach of some kind, having strange, glowing white eyes and large pincers. The sight of it brought back bad memories from my childhood.
It made me feel queasy.
"I don't know what the hell that is, but it can't be natural." I said, backing away from it instinctually. "Come on."
"But shouldn't we take it as a sample?" Miranda questioned, not understanding my sudden irrational fear.
"I's rather re-establish communications and call it in first." I denied, taking care not to slip on the icy floor.
As I backed up towards the doorway, I looked up at the ceiling, seeing there were at least three dozen more attached above us. My heart froze the moment I saw several of them moving.
"Oh, no no no!" I shouted in a sudden panic, immediately dashing out of the freezer as Miranda followed suit. "Get that door closed now!"
Tali and I pulled the dead colonist out of the way as Miranda slammed the door shut, squashing on of the "bug" things in the doorway and causing the static in our headsets to lessen slightly.
I panted as adrenaline forced my heart into overdrive, giving me mild chest pains.
"We need to get into contact with Shepard ASAP." I forced out, getting back on my feet. "Seal that door, I don't want those things getting out."
"Right." Tali nodded, locking out the door controls with a keycode.
As she finished, something else happened that I hadn't expected.
The colonist who I had presumed dead suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs, causing all of us to turn to him in another bout of shock. His body was still stiff as a bone, but he shook uncontrollably as his bloodshot eyes darted back and forth at all of us.
"Sir, sir!" I stammered out, trying to calm him down as Tali and Miranda crouched down next to him. "It's OK, sir. We're here to help, it's alright!"
All he could do is stare at the ceiling, facial features frozen as tears streamed from his eyes.
"Miranda, get out of the jamming range of those… things and tell Shepard we have a survivor." I ordered, looking back to Tali. "Let's get him out of here, we need to warm him up."
She nodded as the two of us picked him up, carrying him out of the cafeteria and into the sun outside. To my complete surprise, the man wasn't that cold, and his stiffness wasn't due to the cold either. His muscles seemed to be seized up, completely locked from head to toe. Only a few small muscles appeared to be moving, and those were just the ones vital to keeping his internal organs going. I couldn't understand it at first, but then it dawned on me.
This man was trapped in there with those things, and they clearly weren't natural as far as I could tell from the brief glimpse I got. They appeared to have communication-jamming properties based on how our signal strength increased the farther we moved away from them, and they looked to be equipped with pincers thick enough to pierce skin and clothing.
My best guess was that these "bugs" were what the Collectors were using to attack the colonies. If they were released in swarms, they'd be able to subdue the colony populations by cutting off communications and attacking with a paralytic toxin or venom. then the Collectors would swoop in themselves to pick them up and load them onto their ship.
I was unable to detect what kind of toxins were in the man's body, but whatever it was his liver seemed to slowly weening it out. His fingers were slowly beginning to twitch as his breathing started to normalize.
"Shepard's on his way, he wants to check a few more residential units first." Miranda said, running back over to us. "I can't believe we've found a survivor. How didn't they find him?"
"The thick walls of the freezer must have shielded him and those creatures from whatever kinds of scanners they were using." Tali theorized, administering medi-gel to the areas where he had fallen and broken his skin.
"Ground team, this is Joker, can anyone read me?" My comm crackled, forcing me to stand up and move farther away.
"We read you loud and clear Joker, go ahead." Shepard replied, sounding worried as I began to feel the same.
"Another ship just jumped into the system. The IFF tags it as a Cerberus frigate." He explained as my heart dropped, and Miranda's face shrunk as well.
"Have they detected us?" I asked quickly, nearly yelling before I restrained myself.
"Don't think so, the stealth systems are still running at full capacity." He answered in a hopeful tone, pausing for a moment. "It looks like they've released a shuttle. Its heading towards your location."
"They're probably here to investigate the colony's disappearance, same as us." Miranda suggested, looking at me with widened eyes.
"What should we do about this?" Garrus asked over the comm, sounding unsure as to how to handle the situation. "Most of us aren't too popular with them, you know."
Silence filled the channel for several seconds as Shepard mulled over our options.
"Sean, find a place to shack up with the survivor while we make our way over to you." He ordered, surprising me and Miranda.
"We're not going to leave?" I questioned, not sure what his motives were.
"No. I want to hear what they have to say about this." He elaborated further, deepening his tone as I nodded to myself. "We'll prepare an ambush, then capture and question them aboard the Normandy."
"Seems risky, but I can't argue with your reasoning." I agreed, looking at Miranda and Tali as I pointed to a taller building that overlooked the square. "Move, we'll be able to see any and all movement from that building."
"Heading there now." Miranda nodded as Tali and I picked up the man again, carrying him carefully up the stairs before setting him down gently on a bed inside of one of the housing units.
"Sir, we'll be back in a few minutes." I reassured, drawing my weapon as Tali and I locked the door and ran to meet up with Miranda.
The building was a larger, administration complex. Like the rest of the colony, it had been thoroughly swept of its population by the Collectors, and was eerily still. The open balcony that overlooked the square was covered in various large planters and chest-high railings, leaving it a good spot to look over the area without being seen.
It didn't take long before Shepard and Mordin arrived, quickly ushering themselves into the building with us. A sonic boom could be heard overhead as the Cerberus shuttle sped over the settlement at supersonic speeds before circling back around.
"Looks like they're doing a fly-over of the colony." Tali muttered as we made sure to stay hidden. "Could they be here by coincidence?"
"Not likely, the timing is too perfect." I shot down, shaking my head as I checked the ammo counter on my plasma rifle to make sure it was full.
"Report." Shepard ordered, stopping next to me with his Mattock at the ready.
"The survivor is secured in one of the residential units below us. The freezer in the public mess is filled with what appears to be some sort of bioengineered bug creatures that emit a disruptive signal that blocks communications." I laid out, speaking quickly as I tried to balance the Collector and Cerberus situations in my mind at once. "I also believe the creatures are also how the Collectors are subduing the colonial populations."
"You're sure?" He questioned, looking at me harder through his helmet.
"About 95 percent sure, sir." I nodded, taking in a deep breath. "I think it's safe to say we aren't dealing with any airborne pathogens. Whatever the Collectors used, it's isolated to that man's body."
"In that case, let's get these off." He replied, peeling off his helmet as Miranda, Garrus, Mordin and I did the same.
"If I might ask, where is Garrus?" I asked, noticing he wasn't here.
"He's at the top of that comm relay. He's going to try and track them once they're on the ground, and provide sniper support if needed." He answered, pointing up at the skinny tower that now had a small, blue speck on it. "Joker, able to pick up any comm traffic from our new arrivals?"
"That's a negative. They're using an encrypted network." He said, sounding nervous. "All I can really tell you is that they landed somewhere east of the colony."
"Thanks Joker, keep trying." Shepard finished, cutting off the connection. "Garrus, you have eyes on?"
"Yep. It looks like three Cerberus operatives… standard small-arms, nonstandard armor… two males, one female." He reported, carefully describing them. "The female appears to be leading them… heading towards where we just came from."
"Keep them in your sights and let us know when they're near our position." Shepard finished, turning to me. "You feeling OK?"
"After our little experience in that walk-in freezer, let's just say a few more hours were taken off my life." I remarked with a forced whimsical tone, making myself breath normally. "I don't even like normal bugs, Shepard. Engineered monster bugs are just the tip of the iceberg for me."
"Everybody has their own tick, I suppose." He nodded, shaking his head as he looked over at the empty cubicles below us. "I still can't believe this… we were too late."
"In the end, it's probably for the best, Shepard." I argued, looking over the railing for any signs of the agents before ducking my head back down. "If we were here during the attack, there's no way of knowing if we would have been able to fight them off in our current state."
"Try telling that to the colonists." He brushed off in a slightly disgusted tone, not looking at all happy with my statement.
"Hey, if we can get a few of those things in the freezer and study them, at least we might be able to develop a countermeasure of some sort." I pushed, trying to get him to understand my reasoning.
He simply shook his head, not wanting to hear it as we heard a loud bang in the distance. We all shrunk behind cover, peering carefully for the source of the noise.
"One of them just blew open a door lock with a shotgun." Garrus reported back, sounding rather cool and collected despite being so high in the sky. "They're nearly at the square, get ready."
I took deep breaths as I squeezed the forward grip of my plasma rifle tighter, knowing that anything could happen the next few moments.
The three Cerberus agents walked out into the open, coming through one of the residential units. The one in the front was a woman with olive skin and dark hair, wearing a light set of black recon armor with a few modifications I didn't recognize. She looked very alert, but also seemed to be annoyed based on her movement. She carried a M-5 Phalanx with a red laser sight.
The second was a pale-skinned man with an odd visor attached to his head that covered his eyes. He had an unkempt brown goatee that stretched up his jawline, nearly connecting with his similarly-colored head hair. He wore medium armor that had white and gray accents, but otherwise appeared standard. He carried a large shotgun which appeared to be of Cerberus make.
The last one wore a helmet that obscured his physical features. He wore unique heavy armor that was a combination of gray, black and yellow, and carried what appeared to be a grenade launcher, specifically a M-100 manufactured by Elanus Risk Control Services. Seeing it made me wonder if these guys expected some action like we did. He moved with purpose and discipline, leading me to believe he was either ex-Alliance or had some military training.
"…can't even follow basic orders. No wonder The Illusive Man had you knocked down from your position on Kronos." The woman spoke to the man with the visor, sounding pissed off even from this distance.
"Hey, it was locked, and the power was out. What else was I supposed to do?" The man with the visor shot back in a carefree tone, not intimidated at all by the woman's attitude as he smiled.
"I swear to god, Messner, I will end you the moment you step out of line again." The woman threatened, stopping to jab her finger into the man's chest plate. "I'm sick of you and your bullshit."
The man called Messner glared back at her, recognizing just how angry she was as he looked at the heavily armored man.
"Come on, Randall. Are you gonna let her treat me like this?" He said, trying to sound sympathetic as the big guy walked past the two of them and visually scanned the area for movement.
"I'm not getting involved in your stupidity." He replied in a deep voice, sounding like he was much older than he first appeared. "We're here to do a job. Shut up and do what you're told."
The woman smiled as Messner maintained his frown, moving towards the fountain in the center of the square.
"I can't believe it… that's Maya." Miranda quipped from next to me, looking at the three individuals below as Shepard and I turned to her.
"You know her?" I questioned in a softer tone as she looked at me.
"She's a lower-level agent, or at least she used to be." She replied, focusing on the woman as she moved closer. "I've never seen this Messner man before, but the name Randall sounds familiar… I think he's one of their combat veterans."
"In that case, we should be extra careful." Shepard finished, peeking over the balcony. "They're within range, everyone get ready."
I nodded as everyone else did the same, prepping my rifle as they got within twenty meters.
"Drop your weapons!" Shepard shouted as we all popped out of cover, aiming down at the surprised trio with our respective weapons. "I will only warn you once! Drop'em and put your hands above your head!"
Messner immediately dropped his shotgun with a shocked look on his face, throwing his hands skywards. Maya scanned all our faces for a moment before dropping her handgun, slowly raising her hands. Randall was the only one who hadn't followed Shepard's order, still holding his grenade launcher but not raising it towards us.
"Are you deaf? Listen to the man and drop your weapon!" I yelled out, aiming specifically at him with my plasma gun.
Randall looked back at Maya, who gave him a quick nod before he reluctantly threw the weapon at the ground and raised his hands.
"So… Miranda, these are they types you've been paling around with?" Maya mocked, narrowing her eyes as Messner looked between the two of them.
"No need to act disappointed." She shot back, submachine gun aimed squarely at her temple. "So far, they've been far better friends than you and the rest of Cerberus."
"I see you revived Shepard… and you've made friends with the good doctor and his team." She redirected, looking at me and Shepard. "You've got quite the price on your head, Dr. Michaels."
"So I've heard." I replied in an unamused tone, aiming at her instead.
"What is Cerberus doing here?" Shepard asked, jumping down from the balcony and walking towards them.
"Why should we tell you anything?" Messner blurted out, trying his best to put on an angry face as we gave him various unimpressed reactions.
"It's in your best interest." He replied in a lowered tone, raising his hand into the air before pulling it back down into a fist.
The ground next to Messner suddenly exploded outwards as a high-caliber mass accelerator round tore into it. Less than a second later we heard the gunshot from Garrus's position in the comm tower. Messner nearly fell over in surprise as Maya looked at the hole in the ground with minor shock.
"Tell me why Cerberus is here, and I might let you go." Shepard finished, crossing his arms.
Maya stared Shepard down, trying her best to read his expressions for any signs of weakness. Failing to call his bluff, she let out an annoyed huff, letting her arms hand back at her sides.
"The Illusive Man put together a small cell to monitor the Terminus colonies after Lazarus, the cell dedicated to bringing you back, went dark." She began to explain, applying all her weight to one leg as she leaned towards her left side. "We were patrolling the system in our ship before we realized there were no outbound signals coming from the planet."
"Unlikely. Timing of arrival too perfect to be random occurrence." Mordin rebuked, not sounding at all convinced. "Cerberus knows something."
"Take it or leave it, that's why we're here." Maya stonewalled, refusing to amend her original statement.
Shepard glared at her, not satisfied at all with her answer.
"Sean?" He asked out loud, turning his head slightly towards me without breaking eye contact with Maya.
"Yes sir?" I quickly answered, walking to the very edge of the balcony.
"Take Mordin and Miranda over to the freezer you mentioned earlier." He ordered, reaching into a pocket on his belt and pulling out zip ties. "Everyone else, we're taking our Cerberus friends back to the ship."
Before any of us could react, Randall suddenly flared up with a biotic field, blasting Shepard backwards as Maya and Messner ran for cover behind the water fountain. I fired several shots at him, watching in amazement as he barely dodged them and threw a biotic wave towards the balcony.
"Incoming!" I shouted as the wave made contact, blasting away the cover we had been using. Miranda and Mordin opened fire as Tali and I got back to our feet, and the cracks of Garrus's sniper rifle could be heard in the distance.
"They're making a run for it!" Shepard yelled, giving chase as they retreated towards their shuttle. "Garrus, where are they?"
"They've moving quickly, very quickly west through the industrial sector." He reported, another gunshot ringing out as we followed Shepard through the doorways. "I can't get a clear shot, they know I'm tracking them."
"Do your best, and let us know if they change course." Shepard replied, breathing picking up as sweat could be felt running down my neck.
We quickly turned a corner, seeing a door that had been blasted open as we entered the industrial sector. It was here oils, grains, and other farm by-products were processed and distributed through the spaceport, though like the rest of the colony it was empty. I had to watch my fire in this place, because a good stray round from my plasma rifle could light the place up like a fireworks stand.
We spotted them turning one of the corners as Messner slipped and fell, hitting several barrels of canola oil and getting drenched.
"Leave him!" Maya shouted from outside of our visual range as Messner attempted to get back to his feet.
"Wait, no!" He called out, raising one of his hands as he slipped and fell again. "You fucking bitch!"
"I have a shot on the fallen one, should I take it?" Garrus asked quickly with bated breath, as Messner looked at us with what I could only assume was terror as we caught up with him.
"Negative." Shepard answered, looking at him before looking over at the direction Maya and Randall ran off to. "Keep tracking the other two and let us know the moment they've reached their shuttle."
Messner looked at all of us, breathing heavily as canola oil dripped down his face and armor. He tried pulling out a handgun before Shepard knocked it out of his hands and punched him square in the face. He was out cold.
"We need to move him quickly." Shepard remarked, looking back to me. "Joker, we need an emergency pickup ASAP. Sean, take Miranda and Mordin back and get a sample of one of those creatures. Tali, help me move him."
"Got it!" I said with gusto, rushing back the way we came with a clear objective.
It didn't take long to reach the square again. By the time we had reached it, we saw the Cerberus shuttle speed away as Garrus fired off several more shots at it with no effect.
"Alright, considering there's a small swarm of those things in there we need to be careful." I warned, looking over at Miranda. "Hey Miri, can you create a wall of some sort with your biotics?"
"For a short time, yes." She nodded, crackling with a blue aura as she clenched her fist.
"Good. I want you to cover the doorway while we open the freezer." I laid out, looking at Mordin. "Is your containment device ready?"
"Device ready!" He confirmed, holding a small, clear box in his hands that he had been carrying.
"Alright… go!" I shouted, opening the door as static blared into our radios and a loud buzzing sound nearly deafened us.
Miranda glowed with energy as the bugs bounced off her biotic barrier, remaining trapped in the freezer as Mordin moved in closer.
"Inserting device!" Mordin yelled over the buzz in the air, slipping the box though the barrier slowly before one flew directly inside, bouncing around for a few moments before he closed the door and secured it.
I closed the door, slamming it shut at Miranda exhaled sharply and dropped her barrier. Beads of sweat rolled down her face before she cracked a small smirk.
"Good, now let's get our survivor out into the open." I nodded, forcing myself to run again as the rumble of the Normandy could be heard above.
We entered the residential unit as the Normandy landed outside, getting the man to the ship just as Shepard and Tali arrived with our new Cerberus friend. Garrus arrived moments later with the Hammerhead as we sped off back into space.
Another fun day with Shepard.
…
A/N: Well, the crew finally has some solid evidence to go off in regards to what's been happening with the colonies. What will come of that and their talks with Messner, only time will tell.
Another fun chapter to write, I got to indulge myself with a lot of the details this time around. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it!
I'd love to read any reviews, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Stay tuned!