A/N

Got another one here for ya.

I do not own any of this or the ideas. That goes to Bioware.

~Enjoy

Chapter 18: White Locked

Tali's POV

A knocking sound woke her up. It was faint but enough to rouse her. A door could be heard opening.

"Tali, wake up. Food is ready." said Shepard. Tali slowly got up with a deep yawn.

"Ugh, how long have I been out?" she asked.

"No idea. It's still night here on Noveria. It has a 52 hour day." he replied. Tali looked around the room. Several photos of a scrawny, balding man with glasses and brown hair stared back at her. The man was surrounded by kids, what she assumed was a wife. She shook herself awake and got up.

"What the hell do you think I'm going to eat here?" she asked not enjoying the fact that the scents coming from the great room made her stomach contract in hunger.

"Just wait and see!" smiled Shepard as he led her towards the kitchen. Tali could see Kyson in his boxers and undershirt laughing as he used a pan of some sort to flip a flat thing called a pancake three feet into the air.

"Very nice! I've only had these once on the first Normandy." said Liara. Tali could smell hot food cooking along with the sizzling of meat. Kyson used a spatula as a pointer.

"Sit there at the end Tali. I have a surprise for you." he said as Tali sat on the far bar stool. She quietly watched as Kyson went about his business. There was already a pile of pancakes with a mountain of eggs in a bowl. There was even what Shepard called bacon. All the humans went on about how it was 'God's gift' to them.

"Okay, seats everyone." said Kyson as he put out four plates. Tali laughed.

"Don't tell me you forgot I can't eat with you?" she asked with a small laugh. She wanted to punch him because she was so hungry. He pointed with the utensil at a separate pan. What looked like a blue scrambled eggs and dark brown pancakes could be seen.

"Look at the floor." he added. Tali looked down to see that there was three lines in the floor that ran up and onto the bar making a box. At the top it led to a button. She looked at Kyson who was putting the weird food on her plate. He pressed the button. A scanning field closed her in.

"Decontamination finished in twenty seconds." said an invisible V.I.

"No way!" said Shepard who was smiling for her. Kyson quickly served the other food before joining them. The decontamination sequence finished in time for Kyson to shout.

"Dig in!" he exclaimed as he put the first shovel of eggs in his mouth. Tali was at a loss. This place seemed have everything. It seemed so odd for a Cerberus base to have amenities for her. She stared at the food for over a minute wondering what it was before Kyson poked her causing the decontamination sequence to start again.

"Oy, eat up before it gets cold." he said with a shit eating grin. Tali had missed that look more than anything over the past year. She went to take off her visor but stopped. She had a chance to eat like the others. She took of her whole helmet instead. Long raven black hair dropped down shoulder length when she took the loose tie out. She could hear the others stop eating. She looked to the side slowly. Kyson looked like he was going to bust a nut.

Shepard smiled as he chewed his pancakes while Liara looked speechless.

"Goddess, you really are gorgeous, Tali." commented the Asari. Tali could feel heat rise into her cheeks as she quickly looked back at her food.

"Tali, it's okay. I just never got a good look at you when you had that old room in the Shuttle bay." added Liara. Tali smiled as memories came back to her. She giggled a bit. Kyson grunted.

"I know what you are thinking. Stop it." he said as he began to plow in his food again. Tali raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"Can you?" she asked. She thought about their first kiss.

"Not like that no, but I know you well enough." laughed Kyson causing himself to almost choke on his food. John smacked him on the back causing a coughing fit. Tali shook her head as she took her first bite of eggs. An explosion of flavors made her moan in pleasure. Nothing had ever tasted this good before. Never.

"I heard it! A foodgasm! Was it awesome?" asked Kyson excitedly. Tali just kept eating the food. Both parts were amazing and before she knew it everything was gone.

"I think that was a yes." laughed Liara. They ate their food happily while Tali looked around the place. It was a really nice despite the weather outside.

"So tell us, what do you think about having this new method of communication?" asked Liara. Tali laughed.

"You couldn't make it a whole cycle before asking could you? Ha!" she laughed. It was an honest laugh from deep down. It was a feeling she had thought lost.

"Well, my curiosity often gets me into trouble..." mumbled Liara. Shepard snorted some orange juice.

"Ah! The burn! The citrus-y fresh burn! Ahhhhhh!" yelped Shepard. Kyson began to laugh uncontrollably as he almost put is face in his food. He looked like he couldn't breathe. Shepard whined for ten minutes as he kept trying to blow his nose. Tears were in his eyes as Kyson just kept convulsing. Tali pushed her dish away and put her helmet back on. She turned off the decon field and swung out of her seat. Her knee knocked into something hard under the lip of the bar causing an explosion of pain.

She almost went to the ground as she clutched her joint as she sucked in air through her teeth.

"The shit was that?" she managed to curse. Kyson was already looking under the bar.

"Huh, there are four eye bolts under here." he said with a confused look.

"Fuck those eye bolts!" she yelled as the throbbing subsided. She began to walk off the pain. It wasn't serious but there would be a bruise for sure. Tali felt herself gently lifted off the ground.

"I'm a grown woman, I can take care of myself." she snorted as Kyson set her down on one of the sofas. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Excuse me, miss. I was only trying to be a gentleman." he chided. Tali was only messing with him though.

"Thank you. Now, would you kindly get me a pillow?" she purred. Kyson brought her a pillow without question bringing a smile to her lips. She saw Shepard out of the corner of her eye making a circling motion with his right fist before punching the air quickly. Something Kyson didn't miss as he handed her the pillow.

"I'm going to stoop to your level, John." said Kyson. John laughed as Kyson sat down next to Tali. She was getting very sleepy. She was warm, had a full stomach, and was with her Lifemate.

"That would be wise. Now, since we are stuck here who wants to figure out why this place is here?" asked John. Tali was still thinking about why everyone seemed to call Shepard by his first name.

"Shepard, why does everyone call you by your first name now?" asked Tali. The commander cocked his head to the side.

"Didn't someone already say something? Huh, well I guess it kinda just happened." he replied with a smile.

"More like you wanted to make a family." said Kyson with a sudden change of tone. Tali watched as Shepard smiled.

"You are right. I never knew my parents or had anything like a family before. Not until the Normandy. I kinda adopted you guys." said Shepard. Tali never saw the commander like that before. Wanting a family. She always assumed he was all about the Alliance, and very good at making friends.

"So, who is in this special little club then?" she asked.

"Liara for starters. But that is a given. Let's see...Luke is the closest thing I have to a father. That makes Kyson and Teagann my brother and sister. Garrus has always been a brother to me as well. Grunt...he is kinda odd but there." laughed Shepard. Tali snorted.

"He is like your Krogan tank baby." she said. The jokes she had shared with Garrus had been a bit rough on the subject.

"Yeah. And there is you." said Shepard as he looked at Tali with a funny look. Tali didn't understand for a fraction of a second but caught on.

"Aw, that's sweet." she replied with a happy note. Kyson lit a cig.

"Yeah yeah yeah. Warm fuzzy shit were a big dysfunctional family now." moped Kyson. Tali kicked him in the ribs causing him to grunt.

"He was being all nice and stuff and you have to spoil it." she scalded. Shepard laughed.

"That's Kyson. But from now on Tali, call me John. Welcome to the family I guess?" he asked with a shrug. Tali clasped her hands together and held them on her shoulder.

"I'm touched." she said with a draw in her voice.

"And you kick Kyson for what exactly? Shit." replied John.

"Isn't that sweet. Now maybe you all can focus. I have pulled up some files from the terminals. You might find this place interesting." said Liara who had gone all business on them. Kyson stroked his chin as she sat down next to John.

"This base is more than a fighter station. That is a front for the true purpose." she began. John threw his arms up in the air.

"When is that new?" he laughed as he leaned back and stretched.

"I was just starting, John." said Liara with a dangerous look. It shut him up quick.

"Anyways, this place is called Project SMILODON." continued the Asari. Tali had never heard that word before. No one in the room had. Except Kyson who couldn't recall where he had heard it. Liara began to read aloud the major points. It was more Cerberus research into intelligent life in the galaxy. Data collection of ancient cultures such as the Protheans. All old stuff very similar to Liara's work. Tali found herself drifting off to sleep as the food digested in her gut.

"This is a twenty year old operation. The base has a massive data archive below us just for backup systems of communication. This place will be very valuable for the Alliance. The four researchers here ran the whole show. All of them have lived here every day for the past twenty two years." finished Liara. Tali was almost asleep when Kyson stood up.

"I need to add wood to the fire. But Liara, does this place have enough power to get a signal out of the storm?" asked Kyson. Tali had been wondering the same thing last night when she was trying to fall asleep.

"Not really. Everything was done by strict scheduling. When a supply shuttle would leave, it would have all the feedback needed on their research." said Liara.

"That makes the server bank below us a waste if there is no way to relay information, unless the Illusive Man didn't mind waiting." said Kyson who threw four logs on the existing fire.

"Agreed. Something here must be very important in order not to risk a breech." Liara concluded.

Kyson's POV

He wanted the fire hot in order to fight off the cold. The penthouse systems read a constant 60 degrees Fahrenheit but it was still cold for sitting around in. He even thought about putting his armor back on. He was wondering if there was a way down below from the penthouse when the lights cut off. So did the door controls.

"Oh shit." he mouthed silently as John stood up. Kyson ran around the room checking all of the switches. No power.

"This ain't good. How much you wanna bet there are people down in the server bank. They must have finally poked their heads up from the fire fight and discovered us. Now they intend to freeze us out." snapped Kyson as he spit out the worst case scenario.

"Surprisingly, I couldn't find a way down from here without going outside." said Liara who had downloaded the schematics. Kyson began slapping his armor on.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Tali.

"To find the breaker box. Every place has em." he smiled as he got his gear together. Kyson didn't find anything. Which pissed him off. He couldn't do anything with a dead system with no backup power. He came back to his friends swearing.

"You build a chateau on this frozen rock with no backup power? Now way to get the heat back on? Holy shit I have been giving Cerberus way to much credit." he scoffed.

"Is there a way in from the outside? In the fighter bays we fought in?" asked John.

"Yes. It leads to the main base below. It is just one giant expanse housing tiers of servers." said Liara. Kyson knew if they didn't act fast, the blazing fire he had going would be little use against the falling temperature. They didn't have enough wood.

"I'll get my armor on. Said Shepard as he walked to the air lock with Kyson. John got ready to put his armor on when a slick, sticky sound was made.

"You need to clean that..." said Kyson. John laughed as he deftly slipped his armor on without getting any blood on him.

"That's called experience." smiled John.

"Which only comes with age." responded Kyson making John give him a hurt look.

"You are so cruel." said John.

"Get moving, we only have about four hours before we freeze to death." snapped Liara. Kyson put his took the helmet of his belt and activated it to open up. Once secure, the two men were ready.

"Stay in contact. I sent you both the schematics." said Liara over the com.

"I wonder how long we have out there?" asked Shepard as he got ready to force the door open.

"Alliance regs say we can go as low as -100 Fahrenheit." replied Kyson as he took up position on the glass door. They would have to lift.

"Translate?" asked Shepard as he stretched and got ready. Kyson ran it through his head.

"It was -79 last I checked. That gives us ten minutes." said Kyson.

"Kyson, are you talking about the weather gauge above the fire place?" asked Tali.

"Yeah. Does it still have power?" he asked.

"Oddly yeah. But that isn't the problem. The temperature is -103" said Tali. Kyson looked outside with a sinking feeling. That was below their suit threshold.

"So uh, can we make a mad rush for the server complex?" asked John. Kyson shook his head with doubt.

"We would have...two maybe three minutes tops." he said as he checked for the entrance on the floor plans. It was the door at the end of the hall below them. He showed John the route before rubbing his hands together. Both girls were watching them from the other side of the air lock.

"We'll get the power back on. If we can't get the entrance open in under minute we will come right back." promised Shepard. With a count of three, the two men opened the outer door. It was surprisingly easy, but the cold that hit them like a truck. Their suits heaters kicked into overdrive but did virtually nothing as the door fell behind them. Five feet of snow threatened to swallow up Kyson as he shivered. He could feel his suit giving up instantly.

"Can you find your balls?" asked John who was leading the way with his arms up over the snow.

"Nope." said Kyson as he shivered.

"Same. Just jump down. The snow is deep enough for it." ordered John. Kyson sank almost all of the way through as he struggled out of the snow from the fall. There was a break in their favor. The snow hadn't drifted against the door they needed to get through. But, this door wouldn't open.

"Fifteen seconds." said Liara. Kyson looked around quickly. His fingers were becoming hard to move as his suit began to lock up, and his loss of feeling. He began to step back towards the ladder when he tripped over a body. He cleared the three feet of snow off the corpse. If he didn't ac t fast he would be done for. Until he saw the grenades.

"Turn back. You are at one minute." informed Liara. Kyson ripped of the belt of explosives and put them at the base of the door. He added two of his own before grabbing John. They ran up the path a good fifty feet. Kyson brought his Widow. His suit was screaming warnings of heater failure when he pulled the trigger.

Click. And nothing.

They were past the 1:30 mark on their suits timers. The rifle went off before Kyson had an idea what had happened. It jumped from his hands as the grenades went off. Shepard grabbed the rifle and Kyson. They were barely able to move as they made their way into the small hole. Just enough for them to crawl through. A long black hall was in front of them.

"Did you get in?" asked Liara with a forced calm in her words. The two men ran as fast as they could hoping they would find warm air before their time was up. With only their lights from their tools shining the way they ran. Kyson saw the temp jumping up on his HUD. They had made it back up to -10. Kyson called a stop.

"We did it. Stop for a minute." said Kyson as he tried to make the suit warm him up. Ten minutes passed before they moved again.

"We are only fifty feet from the next door. We should be inside then." said John. When they made it to said door, Kyson sighed with relief. I was a simple set of doors with good old handles on them. John opened the door and bowed.

"After you sir." he said in a stuffy voice.

"Hmm, yes. Thank you Jeeves." came the patronizing tone of Kyson. They laughed as they walked onto the top tier of the server building. Their laughter died in their throats as they looked down the twenty story facility. Down at the bottom was a familiar sight that cast a green glow.

"No way." gasped Kyson as he looked at the structure. John chuckled a bit.

"That explains why they have such an odd way of communicating here. They have access to their very own Prothean archives." said Shepard. Kyson kept quiet once the news was relayed to Liara. She was having a fit for having to stay up in the penthouse. The whole facility was one giant spiraling ramp that went down to the bottom floor. They jogged at a good pace as they made a rush for the power station. They could easily see if there were any enemies or not for the servers were compact four foot towers in clusters on the sides of the ramp.

As they ran, Kyson swept his shotgun at the outside wall. It looked like something was keeping pace with them. He stopped and fired a shot into the wall. A deafening boom filled the space. The muzzle flash threatened to blind him. When he could see again. Nothing was there but dark holes in the wall showing the spread pattern from his shot.

"What was it?" asked Shepard. Kyson shook his head. Nothing was there.

"Keep your guard up. I think I was stupid and wasted a shot. But with the past few weeks, you never know." said Kyson. John nodded as they jogged again. Kyson kept looking over his back. He could have sworn he saw something. The red eyes, the giant form he saw last night outside. It all flooded his mind as he ran.

The Prothean Archives were giving of a green glow as they made it to the last levels. Once they got to the power station Kyson swept the area.

"Clear!" he whispered before going forward. There was only one way in so John stayed by the door.

"Okay, let's see here. The eezo generator is idling just fine. So, someone fucked with it" Said Kyson after running his first scan. He found the control panel. No faults. Just big letters saying 'MAIN BREAKERS OFF'. Kyson found them in seconds. He threw the first two. They were labeled Flight deck and Research facility. The third breaker box had a mark on it.

"John, have you seen any movement?" he asked as he looked around. The lights had all come on showing a two story room in the shape of a box. This was the power station. And on the last power box was five furrows in the metal from the same type of creature he had seen.

"John, shut that blast door and get over here." hissed Kyson. Shepard did exactly as told.

"Whoa! What happened here? Loose Varren?" asked the commander. Kyson shook his head quickly.

"No, that's three claws, not five..." he said. He tried turning on the last breaker.

"That's it! We are back in business up here." said Tali over the coms. Kyson was grateful for the news but they had a new problem.

"Whatever left that mark is huge." said John with concern. Kyson looked around the room. There was a window at the far wall with a workbench along it. Kyson looked out and saw a cave with three tunnels leading from it. Kyson saw nothing of note.

"Probably lava tubes from when these mountains were formed." said John.

"Are you a geologist?" asked Kyson. John laughed.

"No, but I know what lava tubes look like. I may have been in a few." said Shepard. Kyson didn't doubt him. He looked down at several data pads. He quickly downloaded the information. He wanted to leave and fast. There was something down here with them.

"Hey, check this out. A com line to Port Han'shan. It's a direct land line. There are three numbers here. One for a Cerberus contact I think. Another to the shuttle bay. This last one is to the hotel." said the commander. Kyson was about to say 'let's get out of here' but Shepard already had a numbered dialed.

"Hello? Yes, I'm trying to reach a man staying there. A Mr. Vakarian. He is in? Thank you very much." said John who looked back at Kyson with a thumbs up. Kyson rolled his eyes in agitation.

"Garrus! Hey, listen. We are snowed in at the Cerberus base. I don't want to risk anyone getting any details on what happened, but give me a quick status report." ordered John.

"Uh huh, good. Keep at it. Any word from the air jockey? He made it back to you? Nice. How much longer for this storm? Shit. Okay. We have the place under control so get us on the regular channels when it clears...I'm sorry about Ashley too. Okay. Be safe." and with that Shepard hung up. He looked at Kyson with a soft smile.

"Cortez made it back to the Normandy. They took shelter at the capitol for repairs, and clean up." he elaborated which took the smile away. Kyson saw that the heat was rising. It was now above freezing in the room. He took his helmet off and lit a cig. As long as the blast door was secure they were safe.

"They taking things hard?" he asked.

"Yeah. Many of the people on board are still green to combat of any kind. Cleaning up their comrades is grim work." said a downtrodden commander.

"And losing Ash? It hurts just as much as if I lost anyone of you guys here. Just like it hurt to loose Legion, Thane. My friends and family? There is no greater loss." said John. Kyson was very taken aback. That was the more than he expected to hear form the commander.

"And what about that little loss of composure yesterday?" asked Kyson trying to get a better read.

"I needed to cut loose. I almost lost myself there. If I hadn't slipped and nearly fallen off the mountain, I would have gotten worse I think." admitted John.

"Did you say you are sorry to Liara?" was the next question from Kyson.

"I did when I went to bed. She was scared and didn't know what to do with me. She is sorry for yelling at you if it is any consolation." said John. Kyson threw his hands in the air.

"No worries man! I'm just glad I'm not a pulp on the floor. Biotics are for cheaters!" laughed Kyson. John waved for them to get out of the archives. Kyson put out his cig on the floor and looked out the window one more time. A giant, furry creature stared back at him. Two of them, both standing well over ten feet tall.

"Duh...c..c.c..cat. Cat. Cat! Big fucking cats!' screamed Kyson as his knees went weak. Their red eyes stared him with intelligence. And it gave him one feeling. Hate.

"What?" asked Shepard as he bounded away from the blast door. The two beasts bolted into the tunnels and out of sight. John looked out the window then to Kyson.

"Did you say big fucking cats?" asked John. Whatever look Kyson gave Shepard made the commander back off.

"I bet they have pet tigers here for the fun of it. Be careful on the way back up." said John. Kyson could only move his jaw up and down as he tried to reply.

"And I guess Kevin messed with your head too by the way your acting." added John. Kyson was pushed along. He was shaking as he tried to sight down his shotgun when the blast door opened. John led them to a lift that now had power. Kyson didn't say a word as he desperately tried to see if any more were around.

Once at the top, they were in front of the door they entered. Kyson looked down off of the lift. He could see the two creatures looking up at him. He put his helmet back on and wasted no time getting the fuck out. John kept glancing at him as if he had lost it.

"It was probably a pet that got loose, Kyson. We have more than enough time to get back." said John who tried to reassure him. Kyson couldn't speak still. They had an easier time making it back to the ladder since there was enough snow that it covered the bottom of the ladder. John went first. Then Kyson. He made it up right as the warnings started again because of the cold. He looked down behind him one last time. There was one of the creatures at the base of the ladder.

Blind primal fear made him run. Shepard already had the airlock open when Kyson plowed in like a linebacker. He didn't wait for the outer door to close before opening the inner. He ran in sliding on the tile floor as he turned with his shotgun. Shepard shut the otter door. The older man ripped his helmet off.

"What the hell? You need to use the airlock!" snapped Shepard. Kyson who was breathing in heavy rasps saw two huge forms stalk behind Shepard on all fours. They looked not at Shepard though. Just Kyson. With a very wicked gust of wind and snow, they were gone. Kyson collapsed to the floor.

"That air is cold! Ah!" said Liara who had emerged from the great room.

"I could feel it even by the fire." she continued before she saw Kyson. Tali rounded the corner as well. Kyson struggled to get off his helmet because it was getting hard to breath. The fear feeling was choking him. A dull ring in his hears began to become a roar.

"Kyson, what's wrong?" asked Shepard hurriedly as he knelt down to look at Sorley. Kyson was starting to black out. A fist slammed into his chest causing Kyson to cough. Then air found its way back in. He felt like a fish as he rolled on the floor gasping.

"What was that?" asked Tali who was helping Kyson sit up. No one had any idea. John had thought he had swallowed his spit down the wrong way. Kyson knew it was a panic attack. The punch helping was a fluke. But he just limped over to the fire. The twice frozen right knee was killing him and making him see stars. Shepard was bombarded with questions from Liara about what they had seen.

John had recorded everything with his helmet. He left out the part when Kyson freaked out. Liara was running in circles at the possible chance to come back here and dig her talons in the possible information. Tali was leaning against Kyson as he warmed up.

"What did you see down there?" asked Tali after an hour or so. Kyson shrugged.

"The same stuff as John. I almost froze to death twice though." he answered. Tali punched him on the shoulder lightly.

"Ha, I also found some data on a few data pads. I have them downloaded." said Kyson as he sent them out to everyone. An anxious Liara began to dig through the files. So did Shepard. Kyson just kept glancing out the window where it was still dark out. He needed a distraction for sleep was far away from him.

The others were busy looking at the Archive data he wanted to know more about the personnel. At first, it was just generic staffing logs. Then supply lists. Everything about the people here was very mundane. Just people doing their jobs. Then he found a name. A Dr. Christian York, who happened to be the man who owned the room he was staying in. It was his journal.

Kyson got comfortable as he began to read the notes. The days of the first discovery of the Archives here, the Dr. was a good writer. He made everything become more exciting than it really was. York mostly rambled on about his findings. Mostly their inability to translate anything over and over again. But each break through brought more incentives. Kyson kept reading to keep busy. After reading about the guys kids for the sixth time, he had to stretch his legs. He got up and grabbed a beer.

"Liara, did you see the notes mentioning the possibility of quantum entanglement transportation? Asked Tali with a voice full of awe. Liara squeaked loudly.

"No! Show me where!" said Liara as she sat next to Tali. Shepard was laying on a couch. Kyson saw his head roll back as he looked at Kyson upside down. Kyson raised his beer as an invitation. In a matter of minutes, the two of them had settled for a match of table tennis.

"You are screwed." informed Shepard.

"I know. And It's okay." said Kyson as he got ready. The first match, Kyson was obliterated. The second had the same results. The third match had Kyson only five points behind before choking. The girls were busy bickering over their findings while Kyson tried to keep up. After seven straight losses Kyson threw the hands up.

"I get the point, I suck! But do you want to raise the ante?" asked Kyson. A scary looking smile was on Shepard's face.

"We are going to play 'Polish'" he announced. John groaned. Kyson laughed for that meant he had played before. The idea was simple. You played like normal. But each time you screwed up, you had to lift your shirt up and put your paddle in front of your face. The scoring member got a free body shot on you. No holds on the power. John slapped his paddle on the table twice.

"Awright, you are going to hurt Sorley." said John who was on the hunt. They played hard with several close calls. But, Kyson lost the first point. He grimaced as he lifted his shirt up and put the paddle over his face. He made sure to have his pelvis against the table so his junk was protected. This was the worst part, everyone had a tactic to make the other flinch. John bounced the ball. Kyson heard the slap, the pain came. The ping pong ball hit him right in the belly button. Kyson hissed as he looked down at the forming welt.

John served the next round and lost. Kyson could smell blood in the water. Getting the ball back and flexing his muscles the middle Sorley got ready to make it hurt. John got into position.

"Remember, if you hit my paddle you win the game." said John with an even tone. Kyson knew he wouldn't be able to rattle the commander, that's why he wound up his body. The ball bounced...then a loud smack sent the ball right into John's left nipple. Kyson was about to piss himself.

John was dancing around the room with a smile but he was red in the face.

"What are you two doing?" asked Liara who was getting annoyed by the noise they were making. John was still holding his shirt up revealing a welt on his nip.

"Never mind." she said quickly before going back to the research notes. Kyson laughed as he fought for another shot. He played better than he ever had as a kid but it wasn't enough. Shepard scored again. Kyson got back into position.

"You never intended to win did you?" asked John. Kyson couldn't see through the paddle, but he knew he was going to feel pain. The sound the paddle made was deafening as John put all of his ass behind it. The young engineer felt a breeze as the ball flew right past him, cracking on something something solid.

"You missed!" said Kyson as he pointed at John in a mocking gesture. John just stared behind Kyson with panic in his eyes. He must have broken something. He turned around to see Tali looking at them intently from the hearth. She got up and walked over to the ping pong and stomped on it. Shit! He hit here! Kyson was turning red in the face as he tried not to laugh.

The angry Quarian strode right up to Kyson, took his paddle then Shepard's and chucked both items right into the fire. That was the end of Ping Pong. She sat back down as if nothing had happened leaving the two men with nothing to do.

"Air hockey?" asked Kyson. Tali looked up at him instantly.

"Nah, I'm going to read for a bit. It's all the rage these days." said John before he jumped on a sofa. Kyson lit a cig now not knowing what to do. He grabbed another beer to figure out this problem. He sat at the bar and gave in. he began to read more of the good Dr. York. The journal only had two paragraph entries about four or five times a year. Until a date from five years ago. His wife and three kids died back on Earth. It was the oldest ones graduation from high school. Their car got crushed by an ancient tree on the property they lived on the moment they parked.

As Kyson read more, it turned out that York made frequent trips back home despite being divorced for many years. The man had been crushed by the loss. The sorrows the doctor had begun to poor out were nothing but regret after regret. A life spent chasing answers in far flung places had cost him, for York believed if he had been there they could have still been alive.

Kyson almost stopped reading. He already had his own memories killing him. But he noticed a huge gap between dates. There was nothing entered up until a year ago. Kyson had a feeling of unease as he read the first line.

I wish I had never listened to the others. I can't forgive myself for what I have done.

Kyson lit another cig and got another beer. As he read further he began to regret eating. The other doctors that York had spent so many years with had an idea to cheer him up. Port Han'shan was a notorious, high class Omega. And this attracted some high class indulgences.

"Prostitutes..." whispered Kyson. He wasn't shocked. But the journal continued to become more pitiful. York was ashamed at first. He had always stayed at the lab when his colleges went out to Han'shan to party. But now, he was descending into a man with no restraints. York cursed more as he began to tear apart his personal beliefs. He lost his faith, his money. Even his friends he tried to keep up with. All he had were three other men who kept bringing in girls and booze. But there was one girl of note. Her name was never mentioned. But she was the only one who listened to York. Kyson had muscled through pages of perverted rambling up to this point but it changed.

This girl always made time to talk. She never wanted to do anything over the top or kinky. She just made sure he was pleased. This made York very happy, and the others jealous. York made sure that he got this girl every time she came over. Soon, she was all his. The others took favorites as well. Then things got twisted.

"Oh, come on!" said Kyson as he turned his tool off. He wanted to get the image out of his head but it wouldn't leave.

"What's wrong?" asked Tali who had at some point walked into the kitchen.

"Reading the journal of the guy who owned our room." said Kyson with a pained expression.

"Well, what is it then." she asked. Kyson didn't want to tell her. He knew that some things were to be left as a mystery.

"This guy was into some strange sexual fantasies." he said hoping that giving enough of the truth would be enough.

"Tell me the bed is clean." she asked quickly.

"Yeah, the beds have a daily decon cycle." he reassured. He really didn't want to discuss the orgies that had happened in there.

"Good, if it freaked you out then I don't need to know." said Tali as she walked back to the fire. Kyson was about to go back to reading, but her words sank in.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" he asked. He didn't ever remember being odd or over the top with her. Tali laughed as she walked away. Another cig came to life as he delved back in.

Now, York had grown tired of the sympathetic girl. He had saved his money up for a real treat. Something exotic. But, in order for her to be of any fun he had to modify his room and arrangements in the penthouse. There was a waiting period for this new one. He had gotten a Quarian. Kyson felt his stomach churn as York described how exciting the process was. How she was kept chained up like the others, and he exposed her to him in his new 'clean room'. Never touching at first as she recovered from her illnesses.

It had become a game for him to come back and care for this girl. This new prized pet had a drawback, he had to wait for his pleasure. So York brought back the sympathetic girl while the Quarian was forced to watch. The Quarian almost died when York made her adapt to the Sympathetic girl as well. He wanted his treasure to learn ahead of time before he finally got to caress her.

This went on for months. The four men working, then coming back and fornicating in the most retched ways. The girls were not prostitutes. They were slaves. Kyson ground his teeth when the Quarian girl was forced to strip naked on the island where Tali sat. He now knew why it had been installed.

A vid of the scene was recorded. Kyson tried to flick past it, but the look on the girls face made him watch. She sat with her legs open so the men could ogle her privates while she just stared at the camera. The girl had a stoic face that hid something the foul doctors couldn't see. The rage. Kyson had now switched to scotch as he read further.

It was the last entry. It was dated to twenty five hours before Shepard's little assault on this place. It was supposed to be the day York could finally have his long awaited treat. Kyson found his skin crawling as York made the sympathetic girl watch as he took off the enviro-suit. Then York led her to the bed, the descriptions were almost too nasty for him to continue.

The tone shifted in the writing. The Quarian girl had managed to hide a pen behind a picture of York's wife on the night stand. She had stabbed him in the leg.

"Yes!" cheered Kyson loudly as the girl revolted against her captor. But, things got even worse for the two girls. York, who was enraged by this act of betrayal, which Kyson found ironic, had sent the man over the edge. He began to beat the girls as they screamed. He dragged them out of his room still in their bonds.

At this point, York's journal was nothing than a writhing snake of hate. Kyson could feel the scathing heat as the doctor wrote down how he locked them up in the servant's quarters. The doctor wanted to know why he had been stabbed. The two girls had been planning it for months. They had worked together in distracting him so he would forget something like a pen.

Then, the sympathetic girl broke down, and for the first time didn't give York comforting words. She called him a monster, who could never understand others.

And that was it. The journal was over.

Kyson rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. He had been reading for hours now and the ash tray next to him was almost full. He felt drained, and very sad for the girls that suffered here at the hands of these hypocrites. Men, working for a human superiority group acting like that was so damn typical.

But, there was something about a servant's room that confused him. All of the four rooms had a doctor living in it. Where was the servant's room? Kyson got up and got another beer. He needed something to get his mind off of what he read. He looked around the kitchen looking at random cooking tools, cook books and light switches. But next to the fridge was a button. Like any Human would, he pressed it. The fridge began to move towards him. Kyson looked back at his friends. All of them were busy reading, or in John's case taking a nap.

"Uh, what's that smell?" he asked himself as the refrigerator revealed a small room It had a single bed in it with an elevator at the other side. A single lamp was on the ceiling. Kyson covered his nose with his shirt.

Doctor York was hanging from a collection of ties. His toes an inch from the floor. A note was pinned to his shirt. Kyson had to fight off throwing up as he tore the note off.

I couldn't make them understand. I tired but, they wouldn't listen. And the older one, she wouldn't look at me as she froze. She had seen the real me.

Kyson turned to leave, when he saw the two girls. There they were, on a small two foot by five foot deck that was partially sheltered from the weather. The lights were on showing their naked bodies. Kyson's heart sunk, for neither of them could have been older than fourteen. The human girl was nestled under the arms of the Quarian. The same look that was in the video was still on her face, frozen in time as she looked out over the mountains.

The snow had locked them in a white dust, these two girls who had fought back.

"You were so brave. I am so sorry." said Kyson as he put a hand up to the glass. He felt like he was going to lose his composure when he heard a bottle break in the kitchen. It was John.

Kyson walked out quickly and shut the secret door. He could see Liara and Tali coming their way.

"Was that one of the doctors?" asked John with a grim voice.

"It was." said Kyson as he poured another glass of booze. John peeked in, so did the others. They were shocked by the murder suicide. Kyson stayed quiet. As sad as it was, he was oddly emboldened. That Quarian girl, she never once really gave York what he wanted. She had in the end, won.

"How did you find this place?" asked a very rattled sounding Tali.

"By accident. But, I read the dead doctors journal." he answered.

"What did it say?" asked John. Kyson sipped at his drink as he summed up what he had read. All of them were sitting lost in their own thoughts as light finally began to show out the window. It was a faint glow for the winds and snow were still driving into the mountains.

"I can't understand what allows men to become like that." said John with a dark look.

"Everyone is capable. Man, woman...any race. There is vast darkness not just in space but people's hearts. I often wonder if our own wickedness is the very thing that makes us function." Kyson remarked as he put his hands behind his head and stretched.

"That is horrible way to look at things." said Liara.

"I agree. But it is hard for me to not dwell on it." said Kyson as he stared at the fire.

"Enough of this, we are still stuck here so let's talk about something else. We can't fix what those doctors did." said John.

"I'm hungry." said Tali speaking up. Kyson took the diversion.

"Did you like the Turian food this morning?" he asked.

"Very much so! It made all of the difference." she said.

"I think it is well past the time for food. I'll cook again if no one objects?" asked Kyson. John stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"My turn. You got breakfast again if this storm doesn't lift." said Shepard. While food was being prepared, the others began to talk on other things. Mostly to sate Liara's curiosity.

"What are you going to do with all of those files you got off Arvuna?" asked the Asari. Kyson couldn't help but smile a bit.

"I don't know. Some of the papers and notes date back to before the formation of the council. Some are the origins of legends we know today. It's all very exciting stuff." he said. Liara pouted a bit.

"I see no reason why the shadow broker couldn't get a few of these things in order to gain an extra edge. I know that the broker pays good money." smiled Liara.

"You are the Shadow Broker. Just give me money." laughed Kyson causing Tali to punch him.

"You might want to take the offer, last I checked you and I don't really have any kind of income." said Tali in a surprising moment of directness on that issue.

"We ain't broke! And I can make cash no problem." he said in agitation.

"What does the Alliance pay you?" asked Tali. Kyson knew it was jack shit. He was silent long enough for Tali to use it against him.

"Exactly, it doesn't pay much. So why not give Liara some info if she is willing to pay?" asked Tali. Kyson shrugged his shoulders.

"I dunno. I want to read all of them first? It gives Garrus an I something to do. What has you so concerned about money all of the sudden anyway?" he asked slightly perplexed.

"I'm a girl. I need to make sure my bondmate has a grasp on his responsibilities." answered Tali curtly. Kyson was a bit taken aback by the display of agitation. He wasn't sure what to do with it.

"I'm just saying that we need to think out your little shuttle repair shop idea a bit more." she clarified. Kyson looked at Tali with a worried expression.

"You don't like it anymore?" he asked with fear. Tali shook her head.

"No, I want us to draw up the building! We need to do something to keep our minds occupied here." she said as she glanced at the dark scene behind the fridge.

"She keeps you on your toes doesn't she?" asked Liara.

A/N

So, I have some bad news. I am moving soon in order to save up for building a house. But, in order to do this my girl and I are moving to a place that does not have the internet.

I may be out of commission for a while but I will still write. And if I have to use free Mcdonalds WIFI I damn sure will. But, I may get lucky and have it installed.

For more info on this check out my profile.

I hope you liked the new chapter and another is on the way!

Review as you will as always.

~RJ