Chapter 42
Containment Room – Peak 15 – Noveria
Her cold, blue eyes watched the screen as she saw the data she had uploaded being stored onto a portable OSD. The data took time given the current state of the labs. But she had it now, and it would get to him without pause.
While she waited, she looked up at the sleeping creature. It was resting after extensive amounts of enhanced interrogation. The container that it was locked inside was specially made to keep its mind inside and keep it from ripping the brains out of everyone in range of its telekinetic powers. It still had small amounts of access and could sometimes give those in a few meter's range headaches. But it no longer had the power to effectively harm anyone.
The technology that it took to create such a prison swallowed credits like a black hole. But they finally managed to create one big enough for the ever-growing queen. The hardest part was trying to get its cooperation. She had already ordered the removal of its acid glands when it was young, so it couldn't burn its way out of the tank even if it tried. It had to have known its fate. But still it refused to cooperate.
So, she used more advanced methods of making her talk. However, no matter what abuse she suffered, she still refused to cooperate. Then, finally, what broke her was her children. The asari personally didn't care what happened to them. But the queen had been crying out for them since the beginning. It was so subtle because of the chamber she was trapped in, but after every other method failed to yield any results, she had to rely on the basics. And it worked.
Now she had the information she sought and could leave this frozen nightmare of a planet. Finally, the terminal beeped, and she looked down to see that the information was finished transferring. A smile graced her black-painted lips as she reached down to destroy the evidence, and the creature itself. But a door opened at the corner of the large room, causing her to look over. It was one of her soldiers, a commando who had been with her for centuries.
The red-painted asari stepped up to her with a serious look on her face. Then again, she had never known this woman to not have a stern expression. "What is it?"
"The power from the main reactor has been restored," she said in an icy tone.
The matriarch's brows rose slightly. "By whom?"
"We aren't sure. But thanks to the restoration of the power, we learned that the geth from the entry checkpoint up to the tram station have been destroyed," she responded as she eyed the older woman. "You don't think…"
"What I think doesn't matter," she said as she turned towards the armored woman. "What matters is that Saren's enemies shall die here, today. Once and for all."
Bowing her head respectfully, the commando turned around and exited the room. The matriarch inhaled slowly before letting out a heavy, burdened breath. She knew who it was. This was inevitable. Ever since Saren had tasked her with tracking down who the beacon had connected with, she made plan after plan to try and kill the woman. But the Council had foiled those plans by making this… Shepard, into a spectre. And further so by giving her a ship that could hide in plain sight from its enemies.
She supposed she should be thankful that the new spectre was coming to her. She was a human, a weak-minded little creature who had only recently pulled themselves from the muck of their own world. Turning, she eyed the terminal again. The data was still on the terminal. She should destroy it, but something inside her mind, inside her spirit was telling her not to. She didn't know what it was, but it was overwhelming. She found herself wondering if she was becoming weak as well, allowing her feelings to get in the way. But she knew it didn't matter. As soon as this pest was taken care of, then the last hope for anyone in the galaxy would be gone. Turning, she flourished her black dress before stepping away from the terminal and exiting the room.
Tram Station – Peak 15 – Noveria
After exiting the tram, Wrex picked up Tali again and the three began marching through the eerily empty station. Immediately, Shepard commanded the crew to move towards the door labeled Personnel Area. Using her omni-tool, she opened the doors ahead of them and power walked through with her new geth rifle primed and ready to fire in case they ran into anything else.
The upside to her having to use this type of weapon was that it bypassed most kinetic barriers. The plasma fired by most geth weapons fired much more slowly. Accelerator weapons needed the speed to do as much damage as possible. But plasma used heat to do its damage, not kinetic force. The only problem was that most non-explosive geth weapons detonated when their user died, making it nearly impossible to get a hold of. She clenched the weapon as she remembered the automaton that had dropped it. It had a clear shot of her when she had fallen on her ass. She found herself wondering why it hadn't killed her then and there. The geth weren't known for their hesitation. Perhaps Tali would have some better insight into the matter, but currently their geth expert wasn't in any kind of condition to be analyzing these kinds of situations.
Pushing the thoughts aside, she hit the button after her party gathered onto the elevator. Unlike the Citadel, these lab elevators were swift. They hit the personnel floor within seconds, and she stepped off the elevator with her weapon raised. But she was surprised to find soldiers aiming right back at her. They were fully armored and secured behind a stack of half-melted crates.
Lowering her weapon, she raised her hands into the air. "I was beginning to wonder if anyone was still alive up here," she said in a relatively friendly tone. She had no idea if they were working for Benezia, or if they were just members of the ERSC sent here to help guard the labs. Either way, she wasn't about to kill them without some kind of explanation.
After a few moments, a man in white armor finally laid his rifle on its side on one of the crates. "Stand down. They're not geth and they're certainly not the bugs," he said before reaching up and disabling his seals. The others behind the crates let out an audible sigh before sulking down behind cover again.
Shepard put her arms down and approached slowly. "You look like you've been through ten kinds of hell," said the spectre as she eyed the crates on either side.
"Sorry, we couldn't be sure what was on that tram. We heard it hit the station and assumed the worst," he said as he leaned against the crate. "And yeah, we've been fighting off those acid spitting bugs ever since the labs went hot."
"Can you tell me how long ago that was?" asked Shepard curiously.
"Can I ask who the hell you are, and why you're here?" asked the man as he eyed her up and down through his visor.
"Council Spectre Jane Shepard," she said as she realized that whoever these soldiers were, they weren't yet aware that she was here. If they were working with Benezia, she might be able to get around them. "We were visiting Hanshan when we got word that this place had gone dark. I'm here to see if I can help."
"Huh, no shit? I heard they made a human spectre, but never really looked into it myself. Grats," he said with a head nod.
"Thanks. Now, can you tell me what's going on?" she asked in a sterner tone.
"Yeah, sorry. We've just been fighting these things for days. We'll get maybe fifteen minutes of sleep before another one decides to stick its head in the tunnel. We're now running on stims because I've seen too many of my men ripped apart for trying to sleep," he said with a heavy sigh. "As for what's going on, I'm not sure. We were put here by ERCS to keep the lab rats safe and secure. But all the sudden a few days ago one of those…" he said as he pointed to the greenish bloodstains that marked the walls, "fell from the ventilation shaft right on top of our heads. Ever since, they've been showing up every couple of hours."
Shepard tapped the chin of her helmet thoughtfully. "Did anyone show up at the facility or leave right before the attacks started?" she asked as she eyed him through the visor.
"Some asari matriarch came in and headed to the hot labs, but I don't know who she was or what she did. If she's somehow responsible for this, then she won't be leaving here alive," he growled as if he had just remembered the woman.
Shepard nodded and turned to the others, waving towards the far door. "We're going inside. Is there a clinic we can visit?" she asked as the others made their way past the line.
"Doctor Cohen runs the lab medical bay inside. I don't know how helpful he'll be with Mira down, but he might be able to patch you up," said the man tiredly.
"Thanks. And what was your name?" she asked as her squad waited at the door.
"Captain Ventralis. Hope you manage to get this place cleared out. I could use a nap," he said jokingly as he turned back towards the entrance.
She turned towards the door and entered with the rest following her. Opening her omni-tool, she began typing away quickly. Liara noticed her as they walked through the narrow halls of the metallic, pristine lab. "What are you doing?"
"Cross checking his name with the ERCS database that Maeko gave me," she said as she finally finished. "I don't see any Captains that were stationed here. Nor anyone by the name Ventralis…" she said as her brows furrowed. Reaching up, she released the seals on her helmet.
Liara did the same as they stepped through another doorway. "What does that mean?"
"It means that he wasn't sent here by ERCS. He was put here by someone else," she said as her grip tightened on her weapon.
"I see. So, you believe he was put here by my mother?" asked the asari, getting a nod from the spectre. "It would make sense as to why he lied then," said the doctor as she turned back to Shepard. "Did you suspect they came with my mother? Is that why you lied about coming here for her?"
"We've already had to fight tooth and nail just to get this far. I'd rather not send out open invites to any soldiers she may have stationed here to start taking shots at us. As long as the underlings think we're here to help clean up a mess, they're less likely to bother us," said Shepard as the final door opened and they stepped into a large room.
Immediately, every head in the room turned and looked at her with an expression of terror on their faces. Shepard looked around the area and noticed that there was a blend of species here, and every single one of them looked to be exhausted. Even though it took almost a full ten seconds, everyone finally went back to what they were doing after realizing that they weren't the rachni.
Stepping up to the nearest person available, Shepard snapped. "Where's the medical wing?"
The asari, who rolled her eyes in a fashion that would make any frustrated human proud, waved towards the door in the middle of the room. "Down there. Now stop bugging me," she said, her voice filled with annoyance.
Ignoring the woman's snippy answer, Shepard waved to Wrex and headed towards the door.
Medical Bay – Peak 15 – Noveria
Shepard opened the door and immediately her boss persona went into overdrive. There were a few people sleeping in small, sound-proof capsules built into the wall with an elderly man sitting in a cushioned chair. As soon as he saw her, he stood to his feet with an irate look on his face.
"What do you want?" he snapped at her.
"I've had a long day, don't piss me off…" she said as her brows furrowed behind her helmet.
His angry demeanor evaporated immediately as he sighed. His shoulders slumped, his tight-lipped expression melted into a frown, and he let out a heavy sigh. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry. I've barely had a wink of sleep." Slapping his face, he adopted a stern expression again. "Unpleasantness aside, you cannot be in here."
Ignoring his order, she asked, "You're Doctor Cohen I assume?"
Frowning, the man nodded. "I am."
"Good, we have a patient that needs immediate sterile medical care," she said as she stepped aside. Wrex stepped forward with Tali in his arms.
"No no no, I can't take any more patients, especially not with the ones I have!" he said urgently as he waved his hands back and forth. "It's too much work without the VI helping me."
"Well, good news for you, human. That annoying VI is up and running again," said Wrex as he stepped up to the doctor and glared through his helmet. "Now, tell me which bed I can put her in before I put you in one."
The doctor stepped back and pointed to a table folded out from one of the walls. "I-If they need sterile medication, I'll have to apply it manually," he said as he turned to his terminal. Opening it, Mira popped up immediately.
"Greetings Doctor Cohen. Do you need assistance?" she asked in her synthetic, high-spirited tone.
"Oh thank heavens. Now I may be able to stall the toxin a bit longer," he said as he turned to Shepard.
"What's this toxin you're referring to?" asked Shepard as she crossed her armored arms.
His aged face tightened immediately. "I… I'm under a non-disclosure agreement. I can't tell you…" he started, but she cut him off.
"I'm a Spectre, and you're going to tell me both because I have the power to get it out of you by force anyway, and because I may be able to help," she said, her commanding tone back.
"I…" He let out another sigh. "I'd like to think the company values our lives over their secrets." Shepard knew this was a pipedream that would never pan out. But she let him continue. "I was using Mira during an experiment with highly toxic… err… aerosols," he started.
Her eyes narrowed at the stumble in his speech. She knew what toxic aerosols were used for. "Doctor, were you making a bioweapon?"
His defense crumbled after her question. He slumped into his chair with a heavy sigh. "I know what you're going to say. But governments, militaries, they will get their hands on this stuff regardless of what we try to do. I'm trying to limit the damage!"
Liara glared daggers at him. "I suppose you think this makes you noble?"
"No, it does not. I am still a part of its creation," he said as he rubbed his face tiredly.
"I am become death, destroyer of worlds," said Shepard as she took a step closer. "So, you were making this bioweapon. Then what happened?"
"Mira runs the automatic equipment we were using. During the phase where we were working on the cure, Mira went offline as the hotlabs went critical. The equipment went into default mode and dropped a vial it was holding, breaking it on the table. These people, my assistants, were in the room controlling the equipment. They tried to flee into decontamination, but it locked them inside. Their suits aren't meant to be worn for more than an hour, and they were in there for a full day before we managed to pry the doors open. We hoped that their suits held up, but they didn't. Their air filters wore out and they inhaled the toxin."
"So, you're talking about this like there's a solution," said Shepard as she tried to force the man to get to the point.
"You're correct. I can finish the work on the cure from here, but I need eyes in the lab so I can see what I'm doing. Can you go in there with this and let me finish? Nobody outside will go near it because of the contamination," he asked hopefully as he held up a small shoulder-mounted camera.
Shepard eyed it for a moment before nodding. "I can do that. But once I have the cure in my hands, I'm removing all traces of the bioweapon from existence. Is that clear?" she asked as she eyed him sternly.
If the man cared at all, he didn't show it. "Do what you have to. But you must bring me that cure."
"Fine," she said as she took the camera and mounted it on her shoulder. "Filters on everyone."
Biolab – Peak 15 – Noveria
"Shepard…" said Liara in a hushed tone.
"What is it Liara?" asked the spectre as she hit the bottom of the stairs leading to the biolab. The turian guarding the door needed some convincing to let them in, but she had a way with words.
"That asari, back in the main hall. I think I know her," said the doctor as she followed Shepard, her armored hand on her sub-machine gun.
"The bitchy one?" Shepard stopped a moment and looked at the woman. "What, was she a friend?"
"No. I believe I saw her as a new acolyte when I last left my mother's estate decades ago,"she said suspiciously as she eyed the spectre. "I do not believe she is here by coincidence."
"Good eye, Liara. Let's make sure to cover our bases in case she decides to get curious," said the commander as she pulled off one of her few remaining explosive discs and adhered it to the wall just on the other side of the door.
"Heh, the best kind of surprise," said Wrex with a grin gracing his voice.
Reaching down, she turned the dial down to one forth. She didn't want to blow the entire place just yet. "Alright Cohen, we're in. What do you need to see?"
"Just stand over near the table with the terminal and the robotic apparatuses," he responded. Shepard did as she was instructed and the camera on her shoulder moved in a very animated manner. "Very good. Just stay there, and don't move if you can help it. With Mira's assistance, I should be able to finish the cure and you can bring it to me."
Within seconds, the robotic arms were moving again, grabbing vials and placing them in slots, before removing them again. Each time one of the vials entered a slot, it came out a different color.
Suddenly, the door behind them opened. Wrex turned towards the newcomers and let out a cheerful, "Heh."
"Your mission ends here, Shepard," said the asari in the doorway.
"All by yourself? Such a shame you have to die alone," said Shepard as she opened her omni-tool and hit a button.
"What are you-" started the woman, but an explosion tore her from her feet and slammed her against the wall so hard that her teeth nearly shattered. As she hit the ground, she gasped and sputtered through her busted visor as she reached up and touched her scorched and exposed face.
"What was that!?" asked doctor Cohen through the mic as the robotic activity stopped momentarily.
"Nothing. Just getting rid of another infection. Continue with your work," she ordered before turning her head to Wrex, then nodding in the direction of the woman.
The krogan trundled over to the gasping women with a chuckle. "No so cocky now, are you?" he asked as he reached down, pulled her up by her head as her biotics began to crawl along her skin in fear. With a quick twist, a crunch echoed through the room as her body went limp.
Liara kept her eyes away. Shepard could see her biotics were ready in case the grenade didn't work. But now that it did, she closed her eyes as Wrex dropped the lifeless body hit the floor. Shepard doubted Liara knew the woman very well. But it must have been painful to see everything her mother touch turn to ash. The asari simply focused on the whizzing back and forth of the vials in the containment unit.
After a minute longer, they final stopped and folded back into their respective holes. "All done!" said the man from the medbay. A vial with blue-ish liquid slid out of a container right in front of Shepard. "Grab that and bring it to me!"
"Understood," she said as she grabbed it and slid it into a secure compartment on her arm. As they left the biolab, not one of them looked at the body that they had to step over in order to get back to the door.
Peak 15 Cargo Storage – Peak 15 – Noveria
As soon as Shepard exited the room, she saw the surprised glances from everyone in the place. Now she knew that they knew who the asari was. The elcor was the only one she couldn't read, but all of the others seemed to be surprised to see her return. Even the turian guard outside of the decontamination chamber seemed shocked to see them come back.
She wasn't entirely sure whether they were all somehow connected to the matriarch, or if they were being threatened into silence. But she didn't like having to look over her shoulder. Stepping into the large room, she whispered over the comm. "Liara, prepare to use your biotics at a moment's notice, but don't do it unless you see someone move."
"Understood, Shepard," responded the asari as she released the handle of her weapon and let her arms dangle at her sides.
Reaching up, she turned off her silent talking and spoke to everyone in the room. "So many concerned faces, I see…" she said as he eyes flitted from one to another. The salarian, once his shock passed, seemed rather disinterested now. The chances of him being with Benezia went down in her mind. "Let me just cut to the chase, shall I? I'm here to solve the issues you've been having here. I'm here to kill the bugs, kill the robots, grab a criminal, and be on my way so you all can finally take a nap," she said as she began walking in a circle. Out of her peripheral, she noticed that Liara was moving slowly, making sure she was in eye shot the whole time. Smiling in appreciation, the commander continued. "Now, I know plenty of places like this who have team members that work closely together. Everyone knows everyone, and none of you knew her because she came with the matriarch. I also know from your surprised looks that you thought I was going to die in there," she said as she pointed back at the biolab with her thumb. "So, I'm going to give you all one chance. You have one chance to point out anymore 'visitors' who may try to get me when my back is turned. Because if you don't, and someone else tries to put a knife in my back while I'm not looking…" she said before leaning against the far wall, so she had a clear view of them all. "Then you'll all be getting plenty of sleep a lot sooner than expected when I get back here."
The room was dead silent for a long moment. Shepard looked around and immediately noticed everyone staring at an innocuous looking turian dressed in a business suit whose face bore the Macedyn markings. Growling in anger, he drew a weapon from behind his back and went to raise it. Liara reached out to grab him but didn't get the chance. A loud impact sounded, causing the asari to squeak in surprise as the elcor merchant swung one of his massive arms and hit the turian, catapulting him into a wall so hard that it sounded as of his cowl cracked.
Even Shepard's eyes widened in surprise as the elcor were normally a peaceful species. Pulling her new rifle up, she stepped towards the turian man and noticed that his breathing was heavily labored. "Angered; I am tired of the games." The elcor turned to Shepard, who eyed him curiously. "Curious; Spectre, will it take you long to clear this place out?" he asked in his low, rumbling tone.
"The more cooperation I get, the faster I'll be finished," she said as she loosened the grip on her rifle.
"Agreeable; I'll do what I can to help," he said as he closed his narrow eyes and let out what felt like a hurricane of a sigh.
"Are there any more outsiders that came with the matriarch?" she asked as her gaze turned to an approaching turian woman wearing a labcoat.
"The asari woman… the matriarch, she left a group up front before coming in here days ago. We hear them shooting sometimes, I think they were fighting off the insects," said the woman tiredly.
Nodding, Shepard looked between the pair. "Does anyone know where these insects came from?"
Immediately, the turian woman spoke again. "You'll want to talk to Han Olar. He was an assistant on the project in the hotlabs before they started busting out. He's… dealing with issues right now. You'll find him in the facilities."
"I appreciate your help. Now, I'm going to go take care of the bug problem before coming back for the others," she said as she turned and headed towards the medbay. "And remember, if you want to stay alive, do not trust the asari or her soldiers. If they manage to leave, they'll take you out to erase witnesses," she finished as she headed down into the medical lab again. "Wrex, grab the turian and bring him down."
As soon as she entered the door, she noticed that Tali was standing again and leaning against one of the medical capsules. "Shepard!"
Smiling at the young woman, Shepard eyed her curiously. "Tali! You're looking no worse for wear."
"The doctor gave me the sterile medication and some painkillers. I'll be limping for a few days, and I've already got a mild fever, but I've recovered from worse," said the quarian as she eyed the half-dead turian that Wrex was unceremoniously dragging down the stairs.
The doctor in question eyed the turian curiously. "Err… who's this?"
"Someone who decided to get a little fast and loose with their weapons," said Shepard as she turned to Wrex and nodded towards one of the capsules. "He's probably not going to move for a while. Fix him enough so that he'll live, but make sure he doesn't go anywhere. If he's gone when I get back, you'll replace him in that bed."
"U-Understood…" he said nervously at the threat before finally holding out his hand. Shepard pulled the vial free from her arm compartment and handed it to him.
"Alright Tali, let's go. We're almost done here," said the spectre as she turned towards the exit.
Shower Room – Peak 15 – Noveria
Despite his short nature, he was easy to spot inside the shower room. With stark white walls and floors, his black suit and eerie glowing eyes made it simple. She handed her weapon to Wrex before approaching the volus slowly. "Are you Han Olar?" she asked before sitting on the opposite end of the long bench that he had planted himself on.
"That's… me," he said between inhales. Looking up at the spectre with his badger-colored head, he examined her. "You came to ask… about the rachni, didn't you?"
Nodding simply, she rested her elbows on her knees as she looked over at him. "Help me understand how a species hunted to extinction that hasn't been seen in millennia suddenly appeared here."
"Oh…" he said as he looked down at the floor. "That's the easy part. They found it on a derelict ship. An egg, waiting since… the last battles. They brought it here, frozen from cryostasis," he said as he shook his head. "They told us to wake it up, make it live again. A bad idea in retrospect."
Shepard's brows furrowed, both at how forthcoming the volus was with information, and with the information itself. "And nobody thought about what might happen if a species of sentient, biotic, and telepathic bug monsters was brought back to life?"
He seemed to chuckle for a moment before continuing. "Oh, we had our usual morality talk. The hos and hums, as you humans put it. But this is a place of science. Everything we do here is… for the advancement of knowledge," he said as he looked over at her unamused expression. "Oh… you were referring to the… consequences," he said looking at the floor again. "Obviously, none of us considered… that everyone would be killed and the… rachni would break loose."
"You were down there, right? How did you survive?" she asked curiously. Of all of the survivor species in the galaxy, she wouldn't expect a volus to be able to outfight rachni. But she had been surprised before.
"I killed her…" he said in an emotionless tone. Shepard's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the claim.
"Killed… who exactly?" asked Tali, who was now holding her shotgun.
"Doctor Zhonmua. We were going to lunch… when the alarms went off. I… I ran into the tram… and shut the doors. She banged on the window once… then they sliced her to pieces. Her head came apart… like a melon," he said, his words sinking into her mind. She knew survivor's guilt when she saw it. "I closed the door… I killed her."
"It's not your fault," said Shepard with a heavy sigh.
"I don't need your sympathies, Earth-clan. Use them on someone… who deserves them," he said as he waved his clawed hand dismissively.
"Fine. But at least help me solve the problem here," she ordered as she scooted closer. "You know of Matriarch Benezia?" He nodded to her. "Could she have survived in the hot labs?"
"It's entirely possible. The specimens were sensitive to biotics, so they may have avoided her entirely," he said in the same monotone voice he'd talked in the entire time.
"Alright. Then I think I know where we're going next," she said as she stood up.
"If you wish to take care of… the rachni problem, you'll need to go to… the nesting chamber and activate… the purge protocol," he said as he hopped off the bench onto his short legs. "I don't know if anyone is… still alive. But hopefully you can… override Mira in order to activate it," he said as he began walking towards the showers again. "If you'll excuse me… I still have to wash the blood off my suit. So much… blood."
She eyed him up and down. From the looks of his suit, it was already immaculate. There wasn't a trace of blood on him as the steaming water from the shower began raining down on him. After a moment, she realized that it wasn't physical blood he was trying to wash off. She shook her head and turned away, knowing that no amount of water could wash off survivor's guilt.
Nodding to the others, she directed them back towards the main elevator. "Let's go."
Nesting Chambers – Peak 15 – Noveria
After the short elevator ride, she knew this wasn't going to be easy. The door into the nesting chambers had been melted to nearly nothing. The frame of the door still stood, but there was a wide hole burrowed through the supposedly impenetrable door. Holding her rifle up, she signaled the others to stop.
"I want you all to stay as far back as you can. If I can activate the purge, I don't want someone tripping and getting caught in the blast," she said as she held up her pulse rifle. "Liara, you come with me. Wrex, Tali, you stay back near the elevator and if you see any of them, then dispose of them."
Wrex grunted in acknowledgement and Tali nodded. Liara drew her sub-machine gun as she kept close behind Shepard. Silently, she stepped through the wide hole in the door and waited for the asari to do the same. Once inside, she looked around and saw holes all over the floor. The rachni had probably burrowed into the underground rock of the mountain. Looking up, she noticed several holes on the ceiling as well. "They're everywhere," said Liara over the comm, her voice betraying her fear.
"Just stay quiet. We have to get to the terminal in the back," she said as her fear of alien movies resurfaced after seeing the giant nest built on top of the room itself. Through the plasteel windows, you could no longer see the snows of the mountains. Instead, it was a wall of… something. She wasn't sure how insects made their nests, but it surrounded the entire room. "Let's hope they're all sleeping, because if they were awake, we'd probably be swarmed by now."
Stepping around the columns of the same unusual creation that now housed them outside of the mountain, the two of them moved towards the now visible door at the far end. Suddenly, Liara stopped her. "Shepard! There's someone still alive!" she said over the comm as she pointed to a man hanging from the ceiling, wrapped in the same web-like material.
"Shit…" she said under her breath as she reached under her armband and pulled out the turian blade. "Liara, cut him down."
Following the order, the asari put her weapon on her waist and started to cut away at the bindings. But they were both surprised when he spoke. "N-No…" he said, his voice projecting his dehydration.
"Quiet," Shepard snapped as she nodded at Liara to continue.
"Leave me. You have to activate the purge!" said the man urgently as he coughed heavily. "Listen!" he snapped, almost angrily. Liara backed off a second and Shepard nodded. "The purge key is 87502079, Code Omega, Local Execution. Make sure to activate secondary measures as well…" he said before coughing again. "Go, activate the purge, fix our mistake…"
Suddenly, a long tendril reached out of one of the holes in the ceiling and grabbed the man. Shepard raised her rifle but couldn't shoot anything without hitting the man himself. He was yanked into the hole headfirst. Within seconds, the man was screaming louder than Shepard had heard anyone scream, his legs spasming within the cocoon he was wrapped in. She backed off towards the door with Liara now armed and following her, both of them aiming at the hole.
Suddenly, the man went limp, and swung back down into the room, his face now a horrific site. The skin had melted, his eyes were gone, and nothing but the skeletal smile remained of his features. "Liara, go!" she shouted as she opened the door into the next area. As they entered the far room, a loud shriek filled the air and she once again felt the oppressing weight on her mind. "Fuck…" she said as she stumbled over to the terminal. "Watch the door!"
Liara held her weapon in one hand and held the other up in defense, her biotics now covering her white armor as she prepared for battle. As Shepard activated the terminal, Mira popped up again. "Greetings, Spectre. How can I assist you?"
"Activate purge protocol!" she shouted as the screaming got louder.
"To activate purge protocol, I will need the authorization key," replied Mira.
Recalling the man's final words, she belted it out quickly. "Activate purge protocol; 87502079, Code Omega, Local Execution!" Turning, she raised her rifle as the door that separated them from the rachni began sputtering. Whatever they were doing, the door was melting just like the other one. "Make sure you don't get hit with that stuff," she said as she held her rifle aimed at the spot where the door would open up first.
"Activating purge protocol. Neutron purge will detonate in a hundred and twenty seconds," said Mira in an inappropriately cheerful tone.
"Activate secondary measures!" shouted Shepard as a gap finally opened in the door. As soon as there was an opening, she began to unleash hell with her plasma rifle. The rachni waiting on the other side shrieked in pain as it was met with an equally destructive force. It was blown to pieces as shots from Liara's weapon tore it apart.
"Activating secondary purge measures. Timers synced," said Mira as Shepard fired a grenade through the opening. She turned and tackled Liara to the side before detonating it at full power. There wasn't a shriek to be heard from the ones that were torn to shreds in the explosion, sending guts and ligaments flying everywhere.
"Liara, I need you to clear a path to the door. You think you can do that?" asked Shepard as she helped the asari to her feet.
"I'll do my best!" said the asari as she got to her feet again and put her weapon away. Stepping up to the door, she activated her biotics as more and more rachni began to surface from their holes in the lab. She continued to build her power until electricity began to gravitate between the edges of the biotic aura and her armor. Shepard fired into the now human-sized hole in the door to try and provide cover. But Liara finally stepped up to the hole and shoved both of her arms forward in a pushing motion. Her biotics unleased, and a wave of dark energy slammed into the front lines of the rachni.
Shepard grabbed Liara and sprinted through the hole, following the cleaving wave as it slammed into and crushed everything in its path. The pillars of bug excretions that stacked up to the ceiling were blown into dust as they sprinted together through the path that her biotics made for them.
As they reached near the edge of the room, the wave faltered. But Shepard could hear the roar of shotguns. Wrex and Tali were splattering the rachni soldiers as they came close to the door. Liara stumbled, the power of her biotics draining her, but Shepard refused to let go. Reaching down, she grabbed the asari and threw her over her shoulder before sprinting back towards the others. Finally, she made it through the hole as the rachni began regrouping.
"Elevator, now!" she shouted as she ran past the two defending the door. She fired one last grenade at the ground, and they all dashed into the elevator as the insects began flooding through the door. She activated the explosive and blasted another of the endless waves of insects into oblivion as Wrex hammered the controls for the elevator. The doors slammed shut just as a glob of acid slammed into the metal doors.
The elevator moved upwards, allowing them to see the top of the lab through the tube. Shepard, Wrex, and Tali all watched in awe as the ground under the lab collapsed, sending the entire building crushing down into the nest. Finally, with a flash of light, the shrieking and tingling on their minds ended. The final protocol activated, and the lab, now sunk into a pit of the rachni's making, detonated, sending fire and scrap soring upwards into the air and destroying anything inside.
Letting out a sigh, Shepard set Liara down, then sunk onto her behind right next to her.