A literal tube sticking out of the ground was the entry to the Therum dig site. The Marines went in first, led by Major Anders, and the science team followed. Lucy led them down to the end of the tube, where a door was closed with a green light beside it. She waved her left hand over the light and her omnitool automatically triggered the door to open. It led to a lift, a large one made for carrying machinery and supplies as well. All seven of them easily fit into the lift. Once the door closed Lucy ran her hand over a control on the far side. The entire lift shuddered slightly before it began to descend.

The descent was quiet. Lucy looked over everyone. Cat, Tra'dur, Barnes, and Theek were going through gear. Tulari was by herself running her sensors. And Talara…

...the Falaen woman was standing to one corner alone, but not going over gear or her omnitool. Lucy felt her anxiety and concern, so she approached her. "Are you okay?"

Talara turned and faced her. Her blue eyes, over blue half-moon marks, also had lavender-colored irises, a marked difference from the eyes of many other intelligent species. "I am.. I am fine," she said.

"I sense otherwise."

"Right." Talara sighed and shook her head. "It's just… I feel this sense of imminent danger. Like our lives are about to be threatened."

To that Lucy nodded. "I see." She allowed herself a confident smile. "I feel the same."

"You don't seem worried about it."

"I've nearly died several times today, Ensign. I'm used to the feeling of danger."

"Ensign Talara." The new voice prompted them to turn and face Tra'dur. "I haven't had the chance yet to speak with you."

"You're Beta Shift, Lieutenant. I am Gamma."

"Yes. And I've often been busy with my orientation studies of the Aurora, so let me take this chance to say hello. I am very interested in the history of your people, as the Falaens' past is relevant to my species' current situation."

"As in, being the survivors of a near-extinction," said Talara.

"Indeed. And your species recovered from an even smaller surviving population than my own. Only fifty thousand, correct?"

"Yes. Just enough population to sustain sufficient genetic diversity."

"Then we Dilgar should feel fortunate." Tra'dur shook her head. "Although it is hard to say that for either of us given what had to be endured. But allow me to say that I consider the Falaen people to be an inspiration, a model that we Dilgar can aspire to…"

The lift shuddered again, coming to a stop and interrupting Tra'dur. The door slid open. Immediately the sounds of weapons fire came to them. "Stay back," Anders warned over the radio. "We've got a Geth squad holding the pathway. Give us a few minutes to clear them out."

"Please be careful," Cat urged. "I mean, if you throw around grenades or explosives, you could damage the cavern, or the walkway, or the site itself. We…"

"We're being careful, Lieutenant. Don't worry. Lieutenant Lucero, please remain with them for the moment, we've…" Anders stopped. A loud shot could be heard. "...we've got this under control. We'll let you know when we can move ahead."

"Let me know if you need anything. In the meantime…" Lucy, recognizing the readings on her helmet, released the faceplate and allowed it to slide open. Cool, climate-controlled air rushed in and struck her sweat-coated face. "...I'm just enjoying being out of that volcanic sauna above us."

Caterina let out an amused giggle in reply.

After another gauntlet of Geth rocket troopers and quadruped war machines, the Mako rumbled to a stop inside the tower serving as ExoGeni's HQ. The four piled out and Shepard secured the Mako.

Robert felt the life nearby immediately. It didn't come toward them, not like he expected it to do. "There's someone here, but they're acting shy. Afraid."

"Liz Baynham?" Ashley asked.

"Probably," Robert answered.

Shepard drew her shotgun from its holster at the base of her back. "We'll get to her if we can. Let's move out."

With weapons readied the four approached the entrance to ExoGeni. Upon sight of the blue energy barrier over the opening Tali ran a scan. "A Geth particle barrier. Given the power I wouldn't be surprised if it's being powered by a dropship, probably attached to the building."

"So we're not going through this way," Ashley said.

"I'm sure Jarod and Cat and Scotty could come up with something, but they're not here," Robert mused. He sensed out and felt a slight pull to their right. "This way. I think we can find a way under the barrier."

The team went in the direction he indicated. They came out into a large chamber full of dead varren. Robert immediately recognized the wounds; gunshots. He noticed Shepard steeling herself. She didn't need his senses to know an ambush could come at any moment.

He knew there was no 'could' about it. He felt the terrified intent. The gun come up, shaking in a pair of hands. The tension between fear, the need to survive, and the ingrained discomfort of a thinking being preparing to kill another.

Robert turned and reached out through the Flow of Life. A gunshot went off, going over their heads, accompanied with a shout of surprise and terror as the weapon in those shaking hands was wrenched upward by invisible force. A moment later he felt the weapon pull free. The stunned cry was joined by the thump of a falling body, then another…

...and a woman came rolling down from above them, following the inclined side of the Prothean-built chamber. Dust billowed from where she finally made an impact, graying her white jumpsuit, an ExoGeni patch on one arm. Nearby a pistol, one of the curved Phalanx models, clattered to the ground.

Ashley, ever ready to fight, brought her assault rifle up toward the woman. Her blue eyes widened in terror. "Please don't kill me!" the woman shrieked. "Oh God! Please don't!"

"She's not a threat," Robert said, holding his pulse pistol to the ground. "She's just terrified."

Shepard nodded to Ashley, who lowered her rifle. Turning her attention to the young woman, Shepard said, "Elisabeth Baynham, right?"

There was no reduction to her fear. "I… I can help you. Please don't kill me. I'll keep my mouth shut, I won't talk about…"

She stopped herself at that point, sensing their confusion, but Robert felt the word she was about to speak. "What's the 'Thorian'?" he asked.

"Oh God, you're one of them," Baynham gasped. "You're one of those telepaths from the other universes. Jeong actually hired…"

"We're not working for Jeong," Shepard insisted. "I'm Commander Shepard, Systems Alliance Navy and Council Spectre. We're here investigating the Geth attack on Feros."

Disbelief and hope warred inside of Liz Baynham. Robert knelt down beside her and offered a hand. "Here," he said, bringing a friendly grin to his face. "Let me help you up."

Wordlessly Liz did so. She stared in bewilderment at him and then at Shepard. "I… I didn't know the Systems Alliance had telepaths now."

"We don't," Shepard replied. "Captain Dale here is a Paladin agent from the United Systems. We're working together against the Geth."

"I'm a metaphysical life energy wielder, like Gersallian Life Force Knights," Robert explained. "I don't read minds directly so much as I can sense the essence of your thoughts and feelings through my abilities. You don't need to be afraid. Whatever the Thorian is, it's not why we're here."

"It should be," Liz replied. "I… I was trying to get through to Colonial Affairs back at Arcturus. It's why I was left behind. But the Geth cut the power before I could establish a connection."

"What is it the Geth want?" asked Shepard.

"The same thing I'm talking about," Liz said. "They're here for the Thorian. To kill it. I don't know why."

"Okay, I'm confused," Tali admitted. "Why would Saren want to kill… whatever it is?"

"I don't know. I don't know who this 'Saren' is." Liz shook her head. "But I know the Geth will have to kill everyone in Zhu's Hope to get at the Thorian. They won't be able to flee, it won't let them."

"Maybe you should start at the beginning," said Shepard. "What is this Thorian?"

"It's some kind of ancient life form we found, a living plant of sorts. From the samples we've seen, it's been here for tens of thousands of years, at least. It may have predated the Protheans."

Robert immediately mused to himself that it would explain why Saren's Geth were here. This creature could have witnessed the Reapers exterminating the Protheans. But he didn't say so out loud to avoid distracting Liz Baynham.

Liz was continuing to explain. "I was assigned as a researcher for ExoGeni's examination of the Thorian. But it's all gone wrong… it's why I was trying to reach Colonial Affairs. Jeong's been keeping me away from offworld communication. He's basically kept me a prisoner, put me on probationary status..."

"Why?" Shepard asked.

"Because I opposed the project," Liz answered. "The Thorian gives off spores that let it take control of other life forms. It's how it protects itself. Jeong and ExoGeni… they wanted to test the spores, see how they interacted with other beings. So they used them on the colonists. ExoGeni turned the population of Zhu's Hope into test subjects."

Guilt was radiating from Liz Baynham. Robert felt horror and anger in the others. It matched his own. So much of the sense of fear and despair he'd felt in the colonists now made horrifying sense. "That's why things felt so off back at the Colony," Robert said to them. "I was sensing the Thorian and its control over the colonists. Their despair at having no control over themselves."

"Those bastards," Ashley swore. "We should go back and put a bullet in that lying son of a…"

"First things first, Sergeant," Shepard said, firmly. "I want proof of this."

"And we have to finish fighting off the Geth first," Tali pointed out. "We can't fight this thing and the Geth at the same time."

"I'm more interested in why the Geth want the Thorian dead. We need to see what they're doing in the HQ and neutralize them."

"There's a way under the barrier," Liz said. "I'll show you to it." She reached for her pocket and pulled out a piece of plastic that Robert quickly recognized as an ID card. "The system will think you're me. You can get all of the information I have access to from one of the VI terminals."

Shepard accepted the card. "Thank you. Alright everyone." Shepard gestured forward. "Let's go shoot some more Geth."

With the last Geth cleared out, the science team moved ahead to join with the Marines. With two Marines left behind the group took a couple of lift rides to head down to the next level. The science team was coming second and were together when the tower appeared.

"It's definitely Prothean make," Caterina observed. "And the source of the power signature."

"Including a particle barrier." Tra'dur checked her omnitool. "Someone must have activated the Prothean technology. Why?"

"I can think of a few reasons," Barnes said.

The lift came to a stop. Lucy and Anders were waiting at the bottom. "We're holding here for the moment," Anders explained. "Lucero and I will move ahead with you in case there are more Geth."

"Good. The less we disturb the site, the better," Caterina said.

They approached the tower via the catwalk. The particle barrier forbade entry at this level, but there was another lift to their left. Anders called for some of his Marines to come up and join them, leaving behind a rear-guard of four to watch the first lift. He briefly frowned as Cat and the others piled in. "You should let us go first."

"There's no Geth on sensors," Cat replied. "We'll be fine for the few minutes before we get down there. Besides, Lucy can jump down and join us."

Lucy gave Cat an accusing look. "You've been dying to see me do 'super-jumps', haven't you?"

"Yep." Flashing a grin at Lucy, Cat hit the control. The lift gate closed and the lift descended downward.

Lucy sighed and readied herself to make the jump.

Once the lift reached the bottom Cat frowned. "This says there's another level.

"It's blocked below here," said Tra'dur. She'd stepped out and turned to check below the lift. "Someone placed a container below the left." The Dilgar glanced to her right, toward the tower. "Wait, did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I think someone's calling out," said Talara. "This way!"

As they emerged from the lift, there was a loud thud and an expanding cloud of light dust. Lucy looked up from where she'd jumped and asked, "Happy?" Seeing the others ignoring her, she felt out with her senses and realized why.

Near the tower, the catwalk had been broken as well, leaning down to the lower level. Tra'dur jumped down first, in a very fitting, feline way for the Dilgar woman, and Talara and Cat were next. Lucy got there just as Barnes finally worked up the nerve to join them, already knowing what they would find.

"Thank the Goddess," a female voice said. "I was afraid I was losing my mind."

On the other end of the particle barrier on this level was an Asari in a green and white working jumpsuit. Her complexion was sky blue, with sapphire-blue eyes that looked at them pleadingly. She was hovering in mid-air, trapped in a bubble of energy.

"Uh… Doctor T'Soni, I presume?" Cat asked.

Barnes chuckled lightly at that.

"Yes," the Asari said, her tone betraying a surge of relief. "I am Doctor Liara T'Soni." She looked them over. "You're with the United Systems, aren't you?"

"Lieutenant Caterina Delgado, Science Officer of the Starship Aurora," Cat replied. "These are my friends and subordinates. You're safe with us. You can lower the particle barrier now."

"I would like to, but I'm afraid I can't access it from here," Liara said. "I can't get out of the bubble. I'm not even sure how it came on, I was just trying to activate the barrier."

"Perhaps it was a security measure," Tra'dur suggested. "The technology was looking for Prothean biosigns or an approved biometric signature, and Doctor T'Soni is seen as an unauthorized user."

"Well, we need to find a way to disrupt the particle barrier," Cat said.

"Or see if the system didn't bother covering sections buried under the rock," Lucy added. "If the programming is sophisticated enough it may adopt power-saving methods like that."

"Well, how can we dig down quickly enough?" asked Talara.

"Given the rock type…" Lieutenant Theek checked his omnitool. "We're going to need heavier equipment."

"Yeah. I'm thinking a laser drill," Barnes agreed.

"Exactly, sir. Of course, it will take some effort to assemble…" Theek glanced toward Barnes in time to notice his grin.

"Not as much as you think, Lieutenant Theek," Barnes said, grinning widely.

The others saw the grin and followed Barnes' eyes… to the laser drill left by the vacant excavation team. He immediately ran up to it and began examining the machine.

"Lucero to Anders," Lucy said into her omnitool. "Standby up there. We're going to be firing a laser drill shortly."

"Understood. Be advised that the Aurora just sent us an update. We're expecting unwelcome company."

"That does not sound like a good thing," Liara observed.

"It usually isn't," Cat sighed. "More Geth?"

"That's the way it sounds. I'll take my team up and cover the door. Keep me informed."

After the call to Anders finished, Barnes called out, "Yo, Lucy, science geeks, this thing isn't going to fix itself!"

"Uh, stay right…" Cat stopped that thought before she said something silly. "...hold tight, Doctor, we'll be right back."

"I have nothing better to do," she answered, in a way Cat thought was more a desperate stab at humor in her situation than something meant nastily.

The moment the Geth ships dropped out of FTL, the Aurora and Koenig opened fire. It was a first strike made necessary by the numbers of Geth ships, with several of their wingless dragonfly-like cruisers backed by waves of smaller craft.

Meridina looked up from her console as the ship shuddered. "All fighter squadrons launching."

"Laurent can task the squadrons as he sees necessary," Julia replied. "What's our status?"

"Five of the Geth cruisers and ten smaller ships," Jarod replied. The ship shook again. "They're firing mass effect-propelled mass drivers and more of the plasma weapons. Shields still holding at eighty-nine percent."

"Return fire. Tactical, focus fire on their cruisers. Helm, keep us in orbit, don't let them past us."

Both Angel and Locarno affirmed their orders. The Aurora's main weapons began firing in retort of the Geth. A Geth cruiser to their bow endured, with little success, the hammer blows of the Aurora's powerful pulse plasma cannons. The Darglan-designed weapons, based as they were on the technology of R4A1's powerful Asgard species, blasted great melting chunks out of the Geth ship. Beams, from the plasma cannons and emitters of similar origin to the pulse cannons, lashed at the particle barrier fields of the Geth ships. The heaviest of these weapons also managed localized penetration of the particle fields, allowing them to carve deep wounds into the Geth cruisers.

While the Aurora engaged the larger ships, the Koenig went after the lighter. Under Will Atreiad's leadership, with Apley at the helm, the Koenig dodged and weaved around the Geth fire, drawing their attention so that Laurent's fighters got clear attack runs on these lighter vessels while other fighters engaged their Geth counterparts.

On the Koenig bridge everything shuddered. "Geth attackers to stern," Magda said. "Shields down to eighty-four percent."

"Helm, Attack Plan Charlie Sierra… execute!"

At Atreiad's command Apley pulled the Koenig into a tight maneuver, moving "upward" and flipping the ship in what, within atmosphere, would resemble a "Cobra maneuver". The Geth ships maneuvered away while Koenig continued the flip until her forward weapons were brought to bear. Pulses of amber energy shot through the orbital space of Therum and found their target, ripping the guts from one of the Geth vessels.

"The other ship is breaking off… wait." Magda checked her sensor board. "I've got another ship trying to slip past us. I think it's trying to get into low orbit, probably to launch dropships."

"Bring us about. Fire when ready, April."

At the tactical station, Lt. April Sherlily was already working her controls. The moment her systems showed a target lock thanks to Apley's maneuver, she opened fire with the phasers and a solar torpedo. The phasers did their job, blasting away the Geth ship's protective particle barrier so that the solar torpedo could hit bare hull. The naqia warhead within initiated and blew the Geth vessel apart.

With nothing but remnant radiation showing on her sensors, Magda turned her attention to other targets. The Koenig moved away from her wrecked foe.

Given the amount of energy being tossed around in orbit, those monitoring sensors or the same electronic instruments could not be blamed for missing the slight signature of the Geth dropship that emerged from the broken hull, damaged but intact, to descend upon the dig site below.

The ExoGeni headquarters, like much of Feros, was repurposed from whatever the Protheans had built it for. Crumbling rubble still marred the interior, either from the ancient age of the structure or the Geth takeover. Shepard moved ahead with care, Robert and Tali behind, and Ashley in the rear.

They found a set of stairs leading upward. From above a voice could be heard. "Access denied."

"Lousy machine", grumbled a deep voice. Hearing it, Shepard motioned to the others to be ready for a fight. "Give me the damn files!"

"Please contact your supervisor for a security exception."

By this point they arrived at the top of the stairs. Down the corridor a Krogan was standing in front of a holographic avatar. "If you don't give me the damn files, I'll blow your holographic ass into actual dust!

"Access denied. Please speak to your supervisor for a security exception, and remember company policy regarding the use of profanity while on duty."

They drew closer, as quietly as they could with weapons readied, attempting to get a clean shot without risking damage to the computer terminal.

The VI continued speaking. "At this time, I must ask you to move on. There is a queue forming behind you."

The Krogan, bewildered, turned toward them.

"Stupid VI," Tali grumbled.

By this time the Krogan was already lifting his weapon. He snarled and pulled the trigger.

There was no hope of getting to cover. So Robert jumped ahead of Shepard and felt through the Flow of Life, gathering its power and forming a wall of invisible force with it. It wasn't as easy as moving an object, and there was no time for him to even hope to grasp the individual metal slivers being fired from the rifle. He had to imagine force itself, a constant push away from him and toward the Krogan, with enough fine power to force the ME-field-accelerated slivers to stop.

He succeeded. Mostly.

Tali was the next to move. She lifted her omnitool and used its internal systems to project a thermal field, a use of the tool so delicate only an engineer or machinist of great skill could manage it. The weapon in the Krogan's hands stopped firing, emitting hot steam from its cooling vents, the sign of an overheat for a weapon using mass effect fields.

Shepard shot forward, wreathed in biotic energy, and slammed into the Krogan with enough force to drive him into the wall beside the VI avatar. The VI, aware of the fighting, stated, "It is against company policy for firearms to be discharged on company property. It is also against policy for any sort of physical altercation to take place. Roughhousing, throwdowns, and other such activities are…"

As the machine issued its complaint, Ashley fired on the Krogan. Her assault rifle's firepower was met by a biotic field that protected their foe for the critical moment he needed to stand. He reached to his back and retrieved a shotgun.

Shepard fired first, a shotgun blast into the Krogan's torso that went through the weakened biotic field and armor into flesh. The Krogan roared, just to be cut off by another shot from Shepard straight to his jaw. The result was a bloody mess and a gargle from the mutilated Krogan. Not to be outdone, Tali's shotgun fired as well, sending a spray of metal slivers into the Krogan's neck and torso. Ashley poured another few shots into it.

Robert did nothing. It seemed unnecessary at this point. And he had other concerns.

"That's pretty useful," Ashley said, turning toward Robert. "Being able to… oh God."

Robert grinned weakly while the blood oozed through his fingers, where his left hand was holding a point in his armor between his left hip and side. Multiple impact points showed where the armor had successfully stopped further projectiles. "Stopped most of them," he said. "But I didn't have the control to stop them all. A few slipped past." He moved to lean against the wall.

Shepard approached him and looked down at the wound. "It looks like a lucky hit," she said. "Slipped between thicker plates and hit just above the hip joint. Will you be able to walk?"

"Probably," Robert said. "Just have to stop the bleeding."

"Let's get some medigel on that." Shepard pulled open a pouch of gear on her suit and brought out a medigel dispenser. Moving it over the bloody area on his armor, Shepard found the gap caused by the lucky shot and dispensed a full dose of the gene-engineered healing substance into the wound. The pain immediately subsided, as did the flow of blood.

"Now I see why the Citadel Council turns a blind eye to this stuff," Robert murmured.

"Too damned useful, especially without dermal regenerators," Shepard agreed. Content that Robert was alright, Shepard turned her attention to the VI.

"Apologies. Due to technical difficulties, I am unable to summon medical assistance," the VI apologized.

"That's alright, it's handled," Shepard replied.

"Very well. I shall make a notation on your file, Researcher Elisabeth Baynham, that you are proficient in the provision of first aid. ExoGeni values employees with a variety of skills and talents. May I assist you further?"

"Yes, you can," Shepard replied. "To start with, just what was the Krogan before me asking? What did you tell him?"

"I was unable to provide access due to lack of proper company identification. The unknown individual was inquiring about Species 37."

Shepard immediately understood what that meant. "What did they want to know about the Thorian?"

"The inquiries were into the behavior off the test subjects enthralled to its control and alternate routes to its location."

"The Thorian is under Zhu's Hope, correct?"

"As of last recorded readings, yes. The Thorian is in the substructure of the tower beneath the colony. However, sensors observing the Thorian have been offline for several cycles. Current location cannot be verified."

Everyone exchanged looks. Indeed, everyone had the same thought. "What are its vulnerabilities?" asked Shepard.

"I am afraid that data is classified beyond your current access level, Researcher Baynham."

"Under whose authority?"

"Feros Administrative Operations Officer Ethan Jeong. It is recommended that you consult with Mister Jeong to learn more about your probation and limited access, Researcher Baynham."

"Oh, I think I'll be having a long talk with him." There was an edge to Shepard's voice Robert didn't often hear. "We're done."

"Shutting down. Remember, I am always here to assist you in improving your performance. ExoGeni would not be the firm it was without its dedicated employees." With that final remark, the VI shut down.

"I can see what the Wal-Mart back home might do with those things," Robert mumbled. "And it makes me nauseous."

"I've never understood why corporations speak to their employees like that. Like they're little children," Tali said.

"We can speculate about economics later," Shepard said. "Let's move out."

Anders was in the middle of that standard Marine duty - "hurry up and wait" - when he got the call from topside. "Major, Geth dropship on approach. They're bypassing the perimeters," said Sanger.

Damn. "I guess one got through the fight in orbit," Anders responded. "Get all teams back to the opening. My teams will cover from the inside." He motioned to the others. "Back to the lift, go, go!"

The other Marines responded. Anders followed them while calling up the geeks. "Better hurry up down there," he warned. "We've got company."

"We're almost done, dammit!" Barnes replied. "Just give us a few more minutes!"

"I'll do what I can," Anders pledged.

Geth fire streaked over Robert's head from where he and Tali were ducking behind cover. Below them, in what had once been a machinery space, the Geth were holding an open port through which their dropship was clinging to the tower. Computer interfaces nearby were joined by controls for the port in question. "If we can close that door, we'll shear off the arm," Tali noted.

Nearby Shepard and Ashley were opening up with assault rifles. Given the larger Geth platforms and the number of guns, Shepard was refraining from her usual biotics-fueled charges. Instead, whenever Robert felt the ripple of energy from biotics being employed, it was to see Shepard throwing bolts and shockwaves of biotic force.

Ashley threw a grenade down. A shower of rubble flew up, joined with parts from a broken Geth platform. "There's an awful lot of them." She glanced to Robert. "Why not rip the claw with your powers?"

Tali gave an answer before he could. "No, it's tied too tightly into the structure now. He could damage the entire tower ripping the claw loose."

"Right now I wish I had one of Lucy's lightsabers," Robert admitted. "I could have cut it loose easily."

"Can you try and force the door closed?" Shepard asked him.

He considered it. He had the power. Control… that would be the hard part. "I can try," he said. "But I need to be able to concentrate. And it'll help if I can see it."

"Get down toward the bottom of the stairs until you can see it from the wall. We'll cover you."

Robert nodded. Keeping his knees and back bent, he moved over to the stairs leading down to the area of the platform where the Geth were. Shepard moved up behind him and gave cover fire. He didn't see the effect her fire had until he could finally see the door from cover and noticed, to his left, the broken Geth platform that had tried to cut him off. Shepard knelt beside him and held her weapon up to cover the stairs. "Good enough?"

"Yeah," Robert said. He looked at the door and felt out through the Flow of Life, directing the warm power within him to grip the port from both sides and slide it inward.

Around him weapons fire continued, the ongoing firefight a distraction that was dangerous to him. Again he felt control slip. The immense power threatened to expand beyond his reach, to lash out wildly, and there was no telling the damage he'd cause if that happened. No. No, I am in control. Breathe in, breathe out, feel the Flow of Life and the connection within…

With the lessons he learned from Kilaba and Ledosh he held his control, forcing himself to breathe carefully, using that breath to direct his struggling grip.

There was a shriek of metal grinding followed by a loud crash. He'd closed the door partially, up to the claw itself… but he hadn't shut it hard enough. He kept the control he needed, refusing to let it slip, and directed the doors to open up completely and slam together again. This time the force almost did it, but again it wasn't enough.

So he tried again. One more time.

The doors sheared right through the trunk of the Geth ship's claw.

The loss of the connection was too much for the Geth ship. The tower shuddered as the other claw came loose, unable to keep a grip by itself. The shuddering stopped. The Geth ship was free of the tower and beginning its long, terminal fall to the rubble below.

"...hear us? Commander, this is an emergency!" The voice cut in from nowhere, immediately recognized by all as Joker.

"I'm here," Shepard said. "We just cleared the jamming source."

"That's a relief. The Normandy is under attack, Commander."

"More Geth?"

"No, that's the strange part. It's the colonists. They've all gone mad, they're trying to break in. I don't think they can, but Lieutenant Alenko and the others have a fireteam ready to open up if they come through the airlock."

"It's got to be the Thorian," Robert said, now moving over to join Shepard. He squeezed off a series of shots that took out a Geth approaching the front of the stairs. "It wants to take over your crew too. Or it thinks we're a threat to it."

"Well, it's right about that," Shepard remarked. Over her omnitool, she said, "They've been exposed to something, Joker. Just make sure it doesn't get into the ship. Switch to life support only if it looks like the filters are compromised. We'll see what we can do but right now we're still busy with Geth!"

As if to punctuate her point, Shepard rose above cover and fired her shotgun. The shot blew open the torso of a Geth platform. Robert was certain Joker overheard it. "Yes ma'am," he said. "We'll keep you informed."

Once the call ended Shepard gestured to the others. "Ashley, Robert, cover fire! Tali, you're with me, we're sweeping this place clear!"

Everyone responded in the affirmative and followed Shepard's lead.

In the Therum dig site, Anders' voice echoed over the science team's comm units. "We're holding them at the entrance right now. But they've got some Krogan mercs with them too, and they're not going down easy."

"We're almost done here," Lucy replied.

The sound of weapons fire and explosions echoed in the background of their linked comm units. Anders seemed unflappable when he replied, "Good. We'll hold the door open for you."

"So, it looks like the focusing lens is good. And the power source is ready." Barnes stood up. "I say we fire this fraker up!"

"Everyone over here," Lucy called out to the others. "Just in case."

The assembled team all came together behind the drill. Barnes finished a final check and then crowed, "Fire in the hole!"

A bright beam of concentrated light surged from the end of the drill. The chamber rumbled violently and debris flew upward, blown away by the violence of the energy being driven down toward the tower. Wisps of mostly-atomized rock formed clouds around the forming tunnel through the earth.

"Keep going," Cat said. "Keep going… stop!"

Barnes shut down the laser drill. Wisps of steam and debris rose from the new tunnel carved into the ground. As the cloud of debris settled the gray of the tower became visible, as did the bluish tint of the interior.

An interior uncovered by a particle barrier.

"Alright! You did it!" Cat hugged Barnes. "Good job!"

"Well, it's one of the reasons I became an engineer," he answered. "Blowing crap up is cool."

The team hurried down through the rock and into the interior, lit up and entirely different in atmosphere from the cavern they'd just exited. They arrived at the middle section of the tower, where a console was present. "This whole section is a lift," Tra'dur noted. "Most likely controlled from there…"

Cat looked over the control in question. Remembering what happened to Liara, she accessed it with her omnitool instead of pressing it with her hand. "Hrm, looks like some general security precautions. I think we can bypass it…"

"I believe so, Cat'Delgado," Tra'dur agreed, working her own omnitool. "Is everyone ready?"

"Well, yeah," Lucy said.

A few moments later, the floor under them shuddered and began to rise.

"This will get us to the next level," Tra'dur said. "Then all we need to do is free Doctor T'Soni."

"And get past a bunch of angry Krogan and Geth," added Lucy.

"Yeah." Cat looked over her scans. "The Protheans built this thing from some pretty exotic minerals. I doubt a transporter can safely lock onto us in here."

"We'll have to be ready to fight, won't we?" asked Talara.

"Most likely," said Tra'dur, as the lift finished its trip to the next level. Liara T'Soni was still trapped in her bubble and unable to look behind her back. "Give us but a bit of time, Doctor T'Soni, and you shall be free," Tra'dur assured her.

Cat went to the controls and interacted with them through her omnitool. Liara turned her head toward her. "Do you know why the Geth are attacking the dig site? There's nothing valuable here. Or is this some sort of trick by the mining companies?"

"Oh, they're Geth," said Cat. "And they may be here for you."

"Me?" Liara's surprise was obvious. "Why would they be interested in me? I'm just an archaeologist."

"An archaeologist specializing in the Protheans," said Lucy. "And one who's in favor of the Reaper theory, which may be far more true than anyone imagined." She gave the others a look to silence them. They'd bring up Benezia later.

"Wait, you mean you have evidence of the Reapers annihilating the Protheans?" Liara asked. Her voice rose in volume and excitement, hinting of almost desperate eagerness.

"Not enough to convince the Council, or even our own government," Lucy replied. "But we know they were behind the destruction of the Adranian civilization a quarter million years ago."

"The Adranians... Yes, I remember reading the papers that were published in our archaeology journals. When I was done here I planned to request permission to join the team exploring their ruins."

"One moment… Tra'dur, do you see…"

"Yes, the security programming. Very sophisticated. Tom'Barnes, if we link our omnitools with Cat'Delgado, I believe we can bypass the program that imprisoned Doctor T'Soni."

"Sure thing." Barnes brought his forearm up. Once his omni-tool came alive he operated it with his hands, creating the link Tra'dur proposed and running infiltration software. "Some pretty sophisticated stuff. The Darglan could have given them a few pointers on computer software though."

The bubble around Liara faded from existence, letting her drop to the floor. The particle barrier around the tower also died out. Lucy went to help her, but Cat beat her to it, helping Liara to stand. "Goddess, I was afraid I would die in there," Liara confessed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Caterina tapped at her omnitool. "Delgado to Aurora, we've got Doctor T'Soni and the particle field is down. Can we beam out?"

"Negative, Lieutenant," Jarod answered. "We're still engaged with a Geth squadron. The shields are up."

"Then we'd better get back to the Marines," Lucy said. "Just in case."

Cat motioned behind them. "That lift can take us back to the top level of the site. Can you walk?"

"I think." Liara took a ginger step. She looked stiff from her prolonged time in the bubble.

"How long were you in that fraking thing?" Barnes asked.

"Um… a day or so, I think. I feel very weak."

"Here." Cat offered her canteen. "Have a drink."

"And rations." Tra'dur offered these, in the form of a bar of food matter. "Asari are levo-compatible, yes?"

"We are." Liara took the water first. Tra'dur continued to help her to the lift, then Cat took over, with some visible effort, when she switched to eating at the ration bar.

Barnes activated the lift. This time the shuddering beneath them was stronger. "That… wasn't the lift, was it?" Talara asked.

"No, I fear not," Theek said. The Alakin geologist had his omnitool active and was going over scan results. "Whether it was the particle barrier being raised and dropped or that laser drill, someone has destabilized a magma pocket under the tower. The internal pressure is building and will likely lead to a surface eruption within half an hour."

That drew a sigh from Lucy. "Nothing is ever simple in this job."

Shepard led the way out of ExoGeni HQ. Liz Baynham was waiting for them at the Mako, as Shepard had instructed her to do. Everyone piled back into the Mako, with Ashley taking the gunner's seat this time so Liz and Tali could look over Robert's wound. "It looks like the medigel seal is holding," Tali said. "You'll be fine."

Robert nodded. "A relief to know." There was still a sting of pain at the impact site, but nothing serious now.

He felt slightly more than a sting a moment later as the entire craft kicked into gear. Shepard's rapid turn pulled him into his seat, followed by an acceleration that drove them out of the garage. "No sign of any Geth, ma'am," Ashley said from her seat. "It looks like we got 'em all."

"Best news I've heard all day," Shepard muttered. "Now we just have to deal with this Thorian thing. Baynham, any suggestions? I'd rather not have to shoot my way through people who can't control themselves."

"My mother may know something that could work, she's done far more work on the Thorian than I ever did," Liz replied. "But don't ask her on the radio, if Jeong overhears…"

"You seem quite afraid of him," Tali observed.

"All he cares about is the corporation's bottom line. I… I thought he sent you to kill me," Liz confessed. "It's why I shot at you. He knows I'm trying to alert the government about the Thorian, and what he and ExoGeni have done. He might even kill my mother, anything to save the company."

"We'll deal with him when we get there, don't worry. But for now, hold on." With that Shepard accelerated the Mako down the Skyway, past the still-burning remnants of the Geth they'd fought before.

The trip up the lifts was nerve-wracking given the increasing rumbling. Once the lift stopped Cat shouted "Go! Go!" Lucy was impressed by the fact Cat waited until everyone was off the lift before continuing, letting Tra'dur and Tulari carry Liara. The entire shaft shuddered around them with enough violence that loose chunks of rock were flying free. They were met at the lift by two Marines. "The Major's above, holding the line," one of them said in a Gersallian lilt.

Cat nodded and followed everyone onto the lift. Lucy activated it the moment everyone was aboard. More shuddering threatened to knock over Liara and Tra'dur, the latter helping the former keep her footing. The lift began to ascend.

As for Cat, her heart was pounding and her legs felt rubbery from all of the running. She mused to herself that the Doctor would be teasing her, given how much they'd had to run during her journey with him. Her finger tapped at her omnitool. "Delgado to Aurora. We're less than half an hour from a major eruption in the magma pocket under this site. We need beamout ASAP."

This time it was Meridina who replied to them. "We are still heavily engaged, Lieutenant, and the enemy's positioning will not let us lower shields. You will have to fly out by runabout."

"Alright. We'll do what we can." Cat looked at Liara and cringed. "We left your suit behind, didn't we?"

"I am afraid the Geth took it," she said. "Probably to keep me from escaping on my own."

"We bring emergency spares, although they're only soft suits." Caterina reached into her pack and brought one out, a folded up square of insulated material with a plastic faceplate. She unfolded it and handed it to Liara. "It's got a small compressed breathing pack, but it won't last more than an hour. And with the top-side heat you're probably going to feel temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius, so hydrate again before the lift gets to the top."

"Thank you," Liara said, already fitting the legs of the one-piece insulated suit over her jumpsuit. "Although I doubt I will die of heat exposure before we all die from the lava eruption."

Talara heard that and drew in a breath. She felt trapped here, surrounded by danger. It wasn't the first time she'd felt this way in a life-threatening situation, certainly, but today it seemed even greater in intensity. She noticed Lucy looking toward her. "I'm just anxious, Lieutenant. It won't affect my performance, I promise."

"I know," Lucy said. She pulled her inactive lightsaber from her belt. "Get ready, everyone. The moment the lift gets to the surface, we're going to be in a firefight."

"Right." Cat felt toward her hip, where her pulse pistol was. She was a terrible shot, admittedly, and the Doctor would have shaken his head at her for carrying a gun.

Still, I don't have much choice, she considered before willing the lift to go faster.

The Mako raced into the next tower and turned onto the ramp leading down to the next Skyway level. As they moved in a voice cut over the radio. "Commander Shepard, this is Juliana Baynham. Please, I need to…"

"What are you doing?!" a voice demanded in the background.

"Get her away from that radio!" Jeong screamed.

"Mother!" Liz darted for the door. "Let me out!"

"Hold on." Shepard brought them to the bottom of the ramp. As soon as she brought the Mako to a stop Liz opened the door and jumped out. "Dammit Baynham, wait!"

"I'm with her!" Ashley responded. She finished removing her harness and leapt from her seat, pulling her rifle over her shoulder. Tali followed behind her, shotgun ready. Shepard and Robert took the rear.

Liz rushed down the ramp. "Mom! Mom, are you okay?! Mom, I'm…"

A gunshot rang out. There was a burst of blood and Liz Baynham collapsed to the floor in a scream.

"Liz! NO!" cried Juliana's voice.

"Shepard?!" Now it was Jeong. "Shepard, I want you and your squad front and center, no guns! Do it now or I'll be forced to take extreme measures! You've got thirty seconds or I start shooting!"