Three Little Lovebirds
Chapter 17 – Shock And Awe
Lucy felt the blood drain from her face. Surely she hadn't just heard what she thought she had?
"You want me...to do what?"
"Did I not make myself clear enough?" the Shadow Broker hissed with a dangerous note of warning. "Break her fingers or I'll kill Miss Liara T'Soni and feed her to the Husks. Maybe I'll kill Tali as well, or maybe I'll just let an infection do the job for me; whichever is slower. If you want to see them survive, you'd better do what I say. Now break her fingers."
Lucy felt numb. The synthetic's threats washed over her, and although she understood the words, it felt as if she was detached from the thought processes involved in comprehending them. Her mind was simply unable to come to terms with such pure and unfeeling evil. She'd seen her fair share of cruelty, starting with the slavers on Mindor, continuing throughout her life as a soldier and afterwards as a spectre. She'd seen people reduced to debauched animals; blood sport, torture, all sorts of horrors that most people would deny existed if told.
But now, Lucy was forced to be a part of it. The stranger coercing her had no emotion; he did what he did because he knew it was the fastest way to break her down. In a way, it was far worse than someone who enjoyed the process. The Shadow Broker reduced inhuman suffering to a simple tool, where all that mattered was maximising the psychological damage done to his target. Tali and Liara were merely resources; to be used as a bargaining chip until they were depleted, then cast aside.
It couldn't even be called barbaric or sick. Those terms meant nothing to someone who didn't make a distinction between right and wrong. The Shadow Broker was above morality: a chilling reminder of the dangers a true AI could pose when unconstrained by a code of ethics. To him, whether someone lived or died was just another variable.
Lucy had never felt an urge to murder before. Being a soldier, learning to kill was part of the package. As a spectre, she only took lives when there was no other option; Shepard had to have a damn good reason to pull the trigger on anyone. In her experience, even the most vile of criminals could be reasoned with...made to feel pity or guilt over their actions. There was always that tiny spark that reminded her that she was about to end another living being's life. Whilst sometime she was forced to go through with it, that glimmer of compassion was enough to make her hesitate and truly consider all other possible options.
With the Shadow Broker, there was nothing; no matter how hard she tried, Lucy could see no conscience in him. For the first time in her life, the spectre was completely convinced that taking a 'life' was not only the right thing to do, but a favour to the galaxy. She'd feel no regret; would not feel the urge to reanalyze her decision to see if there could have been another way. Lucy wanted him gone; whether by her hands or another, she'd enjoy watching his destruction.
Her wishes, however, was immaterial at this point. The Shadow Broker had Lucy right where he wanted her and unless she could manage some impossible rescue, the spectre would have to comply. If it was just her life on the line, she'd chance it in an instant. When others were involved however, it was too great a risk.
But how could she possibly do what he demanded..?
Lucy felt the vice-like grip around her chest loosen as Tali stirred. The Quarian's body still shook like a leaf caught in a gale but she did her best to ignore it; instead seeking her lover's hands with her own. Mutely, Tali slipped one of her long, flexible fingers into Lucy's limp grasp, closing the spectre's own digits around it with the other two. When she resumed the hug, Lucy couldn't help but notice the tension in her every muscle. Whereas before Tali's torso had moulded tightly to the spectre's own, it was now stiff and rigid; like embracing a plank of petrified wood.
Her finger felt so frail. It was a digit of infinite finesse, whether it be working an omni-tool or manipulating a ship's drive core; something to be treasured and loved. Lucy had felt first-hand how gentle they could be: brushing against her skin in a tender caress, they acted as a conduit for the love they shared. To harm them in any way would be criminal; a horrific act of unspeakable cruelty.
"Do it Shepard," the young girl whispered, pressing herself closer and crushing their entwined hands tightly together "P-Please, just do it."
Lucy could feel Tali's heart palpitating at a rate she didn't believe possible in a living being. It was the only clue of how truly terrified the young Quarian was.
"Oh God, Tali..." she bit back the words, having to put all her effort into stemming the tears that encroached on her vision. It broke her heart thinking of what she was about to do, but above all, she wouldn't give the Shadow Broker the satisfaction of seeing her weep. She had to be a limitless fountain of strength; not for herself, but for the trusting young girl who was prepared to endure mutilation for all their sakes.
"I'm -sorry, my love," Lucy whispered, tightening her grip as gently as she could "I'm so, so sorry."
It happened in less time than it takes to blink. Lucy twisted her wrist, simultaneously clamping Tali's digit against her palm to prevent it slipping. With a sound of cracking bones, accompanied by a sickly pop as the joint came free, the finger snapped.
Lucy felt it go limp in her grasp, accompanied by a suppressed cry of agony from its owner. The sound was incoherent, but the desperation it conveyed was enough to loosen some tears from Shepard's eyes. She found herself nuzzling into the soft curve of Tali's neck, seeking to impart as much strength as she could and hiding her sobs from view. The irony that she was comforting her lover from a wound she'd just inflicted was by no means lost on Lucy.
"You're so brave darling," she whispered, taking another finger in her own, trembling grip. "I'll make it as quick as I can."
Lucy wrenched again, and the Quarian's second digit broke as easily as the first. The spectre heard a whimper escape Tali's mouth, accompanied by trembling vibrations along her throat. It was easy enough to tell that the young girl was crying, but she did her best to hide it. The thought that Tali would try and control her distress to make Shepard's job easier affected the spectre on some profound level that flooded her heart with a surge of fresh love.
As she felt the third finger snap and fall uselessly from her clutch, Lucy was barely able to hold herself together. Despite Tali's best efforts, the noises that she made were thick with pain and anguish, each one cutting a little deeper into the spectre's resolve. Panic threatened to set in, and the thought of torturing her precious engineer by repeating the process on her second hand was unthinkable.
"I-I can't go on," Lucy's voice was raspy and broken, as if it hadn't been used for years "Oh god, I can't do this to you! H-How can I...? I just...I..."
Shepard felt her legs crumple like paper, and was unable to stop herself collapsing to the deck. She didn't bother to try and stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks; what was the point? In all likelihood the Shadow Broker would simply kill them all once he got what he wanted from Lucy. She was powerless, even to protect those dearest to her...and now she'd proven too weak to perform the one act that might save them. To say she felt wretched didn't even begin to cover it.
A reflection caught her eye; different from the pearly tears that dotted the floor where she'd landed. Somewhere amongst the pain and grief that fogged her mind, Lucy recognised it as the Prothean trinket the consort had gifted to her. She'd never found a use for it, but had kept it on her just in case.
Looking closer, she noticed that what she'd thought was light bouncing off its metallic surface was actually a faint glow emanating from within the stone set at its centre. It pulsed with the rhythm of a heartbeat, each time returning slightly brighter than before. Lucy nearly laughed at the sight; wasn't it just typical that it chose now, of all times, to start working?
She suddenly froze as the implication hit home. What were the chances of this being a coincidence? There was no reason for it to suddenly activate unless something nearby caused it to do so...
"It's unfortunate that we cannot come to an agreement," the Shadow Broker said, his syllables touched with a robotic cadence "Now your little scientist will suffer because of it. Perhaps the sight of her tortured corpse will change your mind."
Lucy adjusted her position, shielding the amulet from view using her body. She had mere seconds until the synthetic man activated the slave collar, and she was determined to stop him before that happened. Maybe the Prothean artefact would help, and maybe it wouldn't: either way, doing something was preferable to sitting there, being subjected to the screams of an agonized Asari.
Clutching the trinket tightly, Lucy could feel the power radiating from it as a steady warmth against the palm of her hand. The heat spread up her arm, energizing weary muscles and making her blood sing with sensation. It raced through her veins until, a short second later, the spectre felt it's ethereal presence enter her mind. Like the vision on Eden Prime, it was alien and mostly undecipherable; but amongst the confusion, fragments of sense stood out. Lucy found herself instinctively aware of the devices functions and exactly how to use them.
Feeling invigorated by this fresh burst of energy, the spectre was able to reign in her pessimism. The situation had been hopeless before, but now she had a way to fight back. Now she had a way to protect the women she loved. Leaping to her feet; blinding white light leaking between her clenched fingers, Lucy turned to face her adversary.
"I don't answer to you," she snarled at the Shadow Broker, "Release Liara now or I swear to God you will regret the consequences."
"Your defiance is spirited," the synthetic replied, prowling around the Asari's vulnerable form like a circling vulture "But it will take more than the bauble of a long-dead race to stop me."
"This is my ship," Lucy spat back, advancing on the machine who transformed her life into a living hell. "No matter what you do to the Normandy or its crew I am in command, and I order you to let her go!"
The Shadow Broker paused, and for the briefest of naive moments, the spectre thought he was actually listening to her.
Then he laughed…
The noise grated against her eardrums like a rusty file being scraped across metal…harsh and unfettered with humour on any kind. Nothing but cold logic, designed to unnerve and intimidate.
It worked surprisingly well.
Before her disbelieving eyes, the hull of the Normandy began to peel away. Panels simply buckled and warped; ripping themselves from their mountings as if torn apart by a hurricane of unimaginable power. Huge holes blossomed across the walls, expanding rapidly as more and more plates were removed.
Beyond, the inky blackness of space had been replaced by a whirlwind of light and sound. Lucy's senses were assaulted by the sudden intense stimuli, her eyes and ears unable to adequately convey everything at once. She stumbled blindly; the cacophony forcing any thoughts of escape or protection from her head and driving her to the floor.
When she was finally able to adjust to the barrage of sensation, Lucy forced herself to look at what was happening.
The entire top half of the Normandy was missing, peeled away like a tin of sardines and exposed to the maelstrom beyond. All around Shepard, the cyclone raged, furious and maddening, yet unable to touch her or the others. Whether it was due to the amulet or the Shadow Broker was unclear, yet the latter seemed more plausible as Lucy fixed her horrified gaze on what lay off the starboard bow.
The synthetic had vanished from his position next to Liara, and now occupied her entire field of view. Like a great leviathan from Earth mythology, he loomed over the tiny craft, colossal and terrifying in equal measure. The sight would have been awe inspiring, were it not for the adrenaline-fuelled fury and fear that coursed through Lucy's veins.
The Shadow Broker leaned in close, his skeletal jaw easily big enough to swallow the Normandy whole. Whereas before his eyes had glowed with a deep, crimson menace, they were now alight with an eldritch fire, burning with the intensity of twin suns…vast and inscrutable.
"You are incorrect Commander Shepard," as he spoke, his words resonated throughout the inferno; echoing and multiplying to a thunderous level "This is not your ship."
"This…is your nightmare."