MASS EFFECT CHASM: CHAPTER 4

A sour tasting residue remained in Zalena's mouth as she led her team down the steps from the lounge after speaking with Diplomat Nassana Dantius. The smug blue-skinned alien was unmoved by the fact that she and her team faced a platoon of mercs to save her alleged kidnapped sister to only find out that the leader of the mercs was her sister, Dahlia. Shepard hated to be used and that it seemed to be the reoccurring theme ever since the label Spectre was slapped on her. Scowling, she moved in purposeful strides to find the elevator that would lead her down to the lower wards and eventually the club, Flux. The meeting place between her and Captain Anderson. The Normandy was on lock-down deemed by the Council and Udina made a dirty move in using this as a ploy to broaden his reach politically. Saren was located on Ilos. The council requested a meeting with Shepard on the Citadel. It felt like for once, she would receive more help in taking him down. Instead, they pulled the mission from her and C-Sec locked the Normandy in order to prevent any further action from her. She was grounded. Betrayed, Zalena sulked in the mess until Joker alerted her to the meeting request with her old Captain. A true friend. He never would let her down.

While she was there, she stopped by the diplomat lounge to confront Nassana with the truth she discovered while she was out of Council Space. Her attitude with the diplomat was more curt than normal, but she had enough! Between her and Udina, she was not having a good day. Once they got on the pedway, Kaidan quickened his steps to catch her side. "Hey, you okay?"

"I don't like being used…," Shepard grimaced.

Alenko nodded his head and darted his eyes around the ped-traffic. "Just focus on Saren. We got this."

"I know Anderson has my back. I hope I never see that woman ever again."

"Shepard!" A familiar feminine voice called from behind, bringing the trio to a dead halt.

"Boshtet," Tali cursed. "So close." This stirred a smirk from Zalena. Her quarian ally was having the same feelings.

Lyetese T'Zemi hurried up to them. Shepard pegged her as the same asari diplomat that approached her just after her acceptance into the ranks of Spectre. She inhaled slowly as she tried to be patient with another who needed her utmost attention. She just hoped that the captain would wait for her at the club. Being polite, she held up her hand to stop the woman, "I have urgent business. May I speak with you another time?"

"Too nice…" Tali muttered in her helmet.

The asari didn't flinch by the quarian's comment and kept her ocean blue eyes directly on Shepard. "I saw on the extranet that you claim that the Reapers are returning." Her statement was somewhat surprising since many judged the tale to be farfetched or a tactic used by Saren to cloak his true purpose. The Reapers in dark space were only a myth to most. Tales to create chills among young children to get them to listen. Shepard held back and waited to let the asari finish about how wrong she was. Shockingly, she didn't. She continued, "You need to stop talking about them." Her words flat and emotionless.

Her tone confused Shepard and she scratched the side of her head thoughtfully, "Right. I appreciate your concern."

Something about this meeting rubbed Alenko the wrong way. "Let's go, Commander," He gently urged the woman beside him. "I want to avenge Ash." Using their old comrade's name as a way to hurry her along. Zalena had a big heart…. tough, but very open. The more they lingered around the Presidium, the more time Saren had to fortify his position on Ilos. If that was his true target.

Lyetese roughly grabbed Zalena's arm, jerking her closer. "Do not bring them here!" Her face petrified with large eyes; the tone switched swiftly to one of hysteria. Gasps came from the bystanders as the confrontation unfolded. Many moved on in rapid succession or pressed up against the wall to further distance themselves. After all, Shepard and her team were well armed. Jerking her arm away, Zalena gritted her teeth. The asari was unarmed from the looks of it, but the species had natural biotic abilities. She had to be careful.

"Calm down," Shepard sternly instructed her. "I am armed. I have no intentions of bringing the Reapers here."

"Commander…." Kaidan stiffened up as his right hand rested where his side arm was. Not what they expected out here in the open like this.

Zalena glanced back at him briefly and motioned with her head for him to relax his stance and then shook her head slowly. Clearly, this asari was unstable and she didn't want to open fire on a civilian. She dealt with batarian slavers peacefully, she can handle this diplomat. Her brown eyes panned back over to the disturbed woman. "Easy…I know you're scared. I am doing everything in my power to make sure that it doesn't happen."

"The Reapers cannot come here!" T'Zemi yelled while a purple aurora surrounded her. She was gathering dark energy for some type of biotic attack!

Reacting quickly, Kaidan drew his Raikou pistol and shot the asari square in the chest. The lack of body armor allowed the concussive round to pierce her flesh, a fountain of purple blood erupted from the now gaping hole in her torso. Her once gorgeous gown was soaked with blood. The asari's eyes widened and the pigmentation of her skin was fading. In one futile effort, she staggered towards Shepard with her arms stretched out right at her. Two steps and she collapsed to the ground with a pool of blood flowing out from under her corpse like a river. Screams and cries from bystanders filled the immediate area as they witnessed the violence. "Most urgently! C-Sec! C-Sec!" An elcor's monotone voice boomed as the large quad-pedal alien stood his ground.

"What was wrong with her?" Tali broke the silence as she knelt down near the dead asari. "I've never seen that…."

Shepard flashed her eyes over to Alenko who was reholstering his weapon. "Quick thinking, LT." There was no telling how powerful the asari was in her biotics and Alenko could have just saved her life. "Tali, scan her with your omni."

Bringing up her omni tool, the quarian moved her arm over the body's length and made a few taps with her suited fingertips on the holo screen. "What am I looking for? Besides vitals."

"Any type of controlling chips?"

"No…no implants whatsoever."

"Damnit."

"Suspicion, Commander?" Alenko couldn't follow where his superior was going. He noted a pair of turian C-Sec officers rushing to the scene. Like they needed this type of attention right now.

Tali seemed to be picking up on where Shepard was going. "The salarians on Virmire?"

Shepard nodded her head silently as she too picked up on the officers just up on them. Her mission report and findings about Virmire were classified and only with the Council. Releasing all the tests that Saren did at the facility was unwise. Something about this incident didn't set right with her. Saren was nowhere near the Citadel. Could his grasp reach this far? Was this one indoctrinated? How could Saren be doing this? Lyetese was an anomaly. She not once brought up the rogue Spectre's name. Not like Benezia and Shiala. "Officers," She turned her attention to the pair of turians. One of them was already checking on the asari and doing his own scan for identification purposes.

"What happened here, Spectre?" The other turian addressed her. His beady eyes studying her with a look of distrust. A common phobia towards the humans.

"She was hysterical about my investigation into Saren and the threat of the Reapers," Zalena admitted. It was best not to hide too many details. She didn't need to be dragged to C-Sec HQ right now. She could really be an ass and avoid talking to them. After all, her rule trumped theirs, but that wasn't her nature. "I tried to calm her down, but she presented a biotic attack."

"I took the shot, sir." Kaidan jumped in with his arms behind his back in a soldier stance.

The officer studied both of them and their quarian before looking down at his companion. "Name?"

"Lyetese T'Zemi, diplomat, sir." The turian stood back up from after his scan.

"She's clean. I already checked her," Tali huffed a bit.

Zalena shooshed her with a wave of her hand. "I need a neurological in-depth scan on her immediately, Lieutenant," Pointing out the officer's rank per the insignia on his uniform. Recognizing his rank may give her kudos and some cooperation for a delicate situation. Normally, they would approach this as a homicide. Her title as Spectre superseded any jurisdiction that they had despite being in Council Space.

"What for?" He questioned, tilting his head in confusion, taking a quick glance back down at the corpse.

"Confidential."

The turian furrowed his bony eye ridges. His mandibles clenched as if he wanted to rebut her order; frankly, he knew that he had to heed to the request with the utmost urgency. Failure to comply would result in his immediate termination. No questions asked.

The lesser ranking officer didn't know his place obviously. "This is a homicide, mam. We will need to investigate."

"Quiet, Junior!" The Lieutenant snapped. "Know your place. This is a Spectre."

"It's alright. Just see that it is done. Thank you," Zalena didn't have time to stand there and be petty by pulling rank. She turned on her heel and hurried on her way. The closer she got into the elevator down to the Lower Wards, the further she would be away from judging eyes. The media would have a field day with what just happen. Hopefully, Hackett, would know the importance of her remaining focused and not bombard her with a call as soon as they left. The event was very troubling. It made no sense at all. The closer she got to Saren, the more complex the situation was becoming. It was not just him leading a bunch of Geth to hit human colonies for his sadistic pleasure. There was something in the shadows…darker. What did the turian run into?

"Nice pull on the scan, Commander," Kaidan commented once they were alone in the elevator. "How could Saren control someone like that if they are not equipped with a chip?"

"No idea," Shepard finally sighed. This entire mission was exhausting mentally and physically. It was taking a toll on her.

"Maybe, it wasn't Saren," Tali speculated out loud.

"Explain," Shepard's interest snapped quickly out of her stupor by her friend's premonition.

The exo-suited quarian shrugged. "Just thinking…this could be someone completely different."

"You mean a Saren copycat?" Alenko lifted his brow. "How could they get access to all that data? It would take time and resources."

"True," Shepard agreed. "I don't think Saren would just share that willingly."

"Two words," Tali argued. "Black market."

As the elevator doors open to their destination, the pulsing beat of the music coming from Flux could be heard. "Another time. Let's talk to Anderson and get the hell off this station. Saren cannot get away." Shepard tried to suppress what just happened from her mind, but deep down inside, it was scary. Downright terrifying and haunting. Saren or not, there was no telling who all was supposedly infected by this phantom mind control. Could there be two maelstroms churning at the same time? Mirroring one another? How could they fight an invisible enemy? She had to be careful. She had to watch her back. It seemed like there were more eyes on her.