Chapter 45
Shepard barreled down the hallway with both feet off the ground. Liara and Kaidan sprinted behind her. Gearing up had taken long enough. She needed to be there now.
"You're sure?" Shepard panted as they slowed.
The blast of mass effect fields, gunshots, and screaming boomed from around the corner. People ran past them to the docking bay.
Liara breathed hard. "I'm sure. Jack saw Aria on the boarding bridge up above. Jack got across before it collapsed. She comm'ed me, but I haven't heard her since. The rest of the fighting's been in the enclosed bay outside the Normandy."
"You're sure it's the nuclear warhead?" Kaidan asked.
"Tali identified it. It's in the Normandy's cargo hold. Aria's mercs are trying to offload it. She has commandoes."
"Terra Firma must have known she still planned to take the Normandy. Her surprise package wasn't much of a surprise. I saw one of her men here last night," Shepard said. "She's leaving the it here to detonate. She'll escape on the Normandy."
"Shepard," Kaidan said. "If the Normandy leaves the bay at FLT, it'll trigger the detonation."
"FTL from the bay?" Liara's eyes widened.
"The warhead's casing cracks, and the combustion process will ignite. Something like FLT, anything to really rattle it – it'll go off instantly," Kaidan said.
"Terra Firma probably planned for it to denotate in space then, when she would safely jump to FLT," Shepard said. "But if she wants to leave it to detonate, you're right. Reckless, but with a jump to FLT, the bomb detonates. And she gets out of here in a hurry."
"Tali or I need to get to the warhead," Kaidan said.
"How long to diffuse it?"
"Hard to say."
"Okay," Shepard said and peeked around the corner. A ragtag army of C-sec, Alliance, and civilian clothed fighters plugged the bay's doors. She pulled back. "Tali and Garrus are in there?"
Liara nodded. "I saw Traynor, Adams, and Grunt too."
"Kaidan, touch base with Tali. Direct that chaos in there. Don't let them offload the nuke until we've secured the ship. As long as the nuke's aboard, she's not leaving. If you get the chance though, disarm it."
"You?" Kaidan said.
"Liara and I are going to get across that collapsed loading bridge onto the Normandy. We're not getting in through the cargo bay. We need to get to the bridge. We can't let Aria leave with the Normandy."
"All right," Kaidan said. "Be careful."
He darted around the corner out of sight.
"The door to the loading bridge is a few levels up," Liara said.
"Let's go. Wait." Shepard stopped in her tracks and thought for a second. "The door to the Normandy's bridge will be sealed. We need in through the evacuation hatch. That takes a small biotic field."
She twisted on her heels and looked at Liara.
"What?" Liara said.
"You said you saw Traynor?"
XXX
"That's a long way across, Shepard."
Liara looked back at her from staring at the chasm between the docking bay's door and the Normandy. Volleys of gunfire echoed below them. Across the gap, the collapsed loading bridge hung by its corner from the Normandy's loading deck. The door to the Normandy's bridge and the evacuation hatch she needed would be right inside the loading deck.
"It's wide, but I expected as much," Shepard said. "We'll help each other across."
"Shepard, when the mercs see us from below, they'll fire. We'll be open targets. They'll be waiting for the second person across."
"Let's hope they're more concentrated on the gunfire in their faces then. Don't worry about the second person."
Liara sighed and paced back from the door.
"That's a long way to move someone, Shepard. I've never moved someone that distance. And we're so high."
"I trust you, Liara."
Shepard dug through the pack on her belt. She pulled out a coiled blue cord. She looped it around her forearm, counting, as she glanced between the Normandy and the open doorway where they were standing. She'd double it for extra measure. Nice and long.
"What's that? It's so thin."
"Made out of magan steel. Soft, flexible, but it'll hold."
"Hold?"
"For the second person. Now, that should be long enough." Shepard cut the cord with her Omni-blade and pushed the remainder back into her pack.
Shepard tied the cord coiled to the metal framing of the the door.
"All right. Send me across," Shepard said.
"Shepard …"
"I trust you. You'll do fine."
"By the Goddess," Liara muttered but put her hands out.
Shepard's skin tingled with a blue glow. Her feet lifted off the floor.
"Now just get me to the other side."
"Don't rush me," Liara said. "If I lose my focus …"
Shepard's feet skimmed over the doorway and dangled over the chasm. Armed mercs scrambled down below, dodging and firing in a sea of moving bodies. A massive blue shield was bubbled out from the Normandy's cargo bay. Aria's commandoes, no doubt. She couldn't see the bomb amid the horde pressing around the ship. She squinted and made out Javik and Grunt standing amid a cluster of C-sec uniforms.
Some of the mercs in the swirl of gunfire directly below looked up. They peeked up from their makeshift trench of ship repair parts and raised their rifles. A shot fired past her. More mercs were bumping into each other and pointing up at her.
Liara's face scrunched, forehead glistening as she focused on Shepard. She was halfway across. Shepard loosened the loop of rope around her arm. More guns were firing her direction. A bullet glanced off the armor on her hip. Another cracked the armor on her calf. She needed her biotic barrier up, but doing it now might disrupt Liara's focus and it would only make her more slippery to levitate.
"Almost there," Shepard yelled at her.
Liara could probably barely hear her over the gunfire. A bullet glanced off Shepard's hand. She cursed and clutched the coil of cord tighter in her other fist. She was becoming the prime target. A bullet struck her chest. Liara yelped, and Shepard dropped. Just an instant, and Liara caught her. Shepard's heart pounded. Broken bit of armor flaked off as Shepard clutched at her broken chest plate and hissed with pain. She swallowed it down. It hadn't penetrated.
"No. I'm okay. I'm okay," Shepard yelled. "Don't pay—Damnit!" Shepard slapped a hand over her forearm and retracted her lips with a curse. Loose coils of cord fell from her shocked hand, and she fumbled for it. She caught the cord in the middle. It dangled past her feet and bowed in a low arch between her and Liara. If she dropped now, the rope was too loose and gap too wide for her not fall all the way, clutching the rope or not. She needed it for Liara to slide over though. A hot flow slid down her fingertips as she wrapped the rope around her wrist a few times to secure it.
The blue glow of Liara's power wavered over Shepard's skin. She slipped. Just a lurch, and Liara caught her again. Shepard stomach rolled. She was almost to the Normandy's loading platform. Just a little bit more. She could almost touch it.
Pain exploded in her foot. She reached for her leg and squeezed her eyes shut with a hiss. She started to breathed and glanced over at Liara.
"Liara!" Shepard pointed behind her.
Liara spun around as a company of mercs fired their assault rifles. The glow left Shepard's skin. She fell. She clawed at the loading dock but missed. She scrapped down along something as she tumbled – the broken loading bridge dangling from the Normandy. Her hands darted out. She strained to grab something, anything. She caught a rail and slammed against the bridge as she jerked to a stop. Metal ripped up above. The bridge dropped a fraction and swung sideways with a metallic whine. Shepard held on.
"Liara!"
She'd fallen too far to see Liara from this low angle. She was still stories above the gunfire below. She panted scrambling for a foothold. Her boot caught the rail below for a second then slipped. Bullets sparked around her on the metal bridge. One punched into her back. She gritted her teeth with a hiss. Another hit her shoulder with a loud crack. Her boot finally caught traction on the lower rung. The bridge moaned and shifted under her as she adjusted her weight. She threw up her biotic barrier, checking the cord around her wrist, then clutched the rail with both hands. Bullets ripped into the metal by her face. The metal creaked and shuttered. It probably hung by a thread. She needed to work her way up to the Normandy's loading deck.
Gunfire shifted away suddenly with a swelling of yelling. Shepard twisted to look down. More c-sec officers flooded through the hangar doors and spread out in a line. They advanced carrying ballistic shield and protecting a stream of soldiers behind them lobbing grenades over the shields. Mercs leaped for cover as grenades exploded apart make-shift barriers. Behind the line of shields, engineers hunched and set up turrets. Garrus and Grunt ran along the back of the shield line in opposite directions pointing and directing.
Mercs scrambled back from the walls of shields and raining grenades. The commandoes' biotic shield around the Normandy's cargo bay pushed out further. Mercs retreated through a rippling passage opened on the side. Shepard let out a long breath and let her muscles unlock. She wouldn't have any more bullets in her back for a while then.
Shepard checked the cord looped loosely around her wrist. The rope bowed low hanging across the chasm to the docking bay door above. The other end of the rope dangled straight down. She have to watch she didn't tangle her feet in either line of the rope.
She looked up at the Normandy's loading deck. Her arm dripped blood onto the visor of her helmet as she reached up for the next rung on the railing. The bridge groaned overhead. Go up fast or slow, she wasn't sure the better approach. The bridge shifted again and swung slightly to the side. Shepard froze clutching the rail. Something metal shrieked above, and the bridge shuddered. Fast it was.
Shepard scrambled up the rails, grabbing rail after rail, and pulling her feet up to each new rail. She wasn't go fast enough. The bridge screamed and moved beneath her. She held tighter to each rail but kept moving. The loading deck loomed above. Ten more rungs. Almost there. The bridge creaked as she reached up. It broke.
She fell. She scrapped against the bridge as it came with her. Her hands clawed frantically to grab hold of something. Nothing. Nothing. It was all falling with her. Her arm caught overhead, a tightening around her wrist. She jerked her to a sharp stop by the arm. Her shoulder tore, and she bit her tongue tasting blood. The bridge scrapping against her slicing the armor down her arm as it fell away below her. It smashed in an explosion of metal to a stampede of screams.
She swung like a pendulum beside the Normandy and fiercely gripped the blue cord on her wrist. She looked up the cord to the Normandy's loading deck. The cord was caught on the edge of a metal beam on the platform. If it had caught, it would only just be holding. She still couldn't see Liara at the other door.
Shepard swung to give herself some momentum and grabbed the rope overhead with her free hand. She pendulated, waiting and testing. Nothing. It didn't slip, metal wasn't creaking or scratching. Shepard breathed between her teeth and tested her other arm. The medigel injected from her Omni-Tool wasn't going to put a dislocated shoulder into place, if that was the case. She moved her arm. It was torn, no doubt, but not dislocated. Cord still wrapped around the wrist, she reached up with her bad arm and grabbed the cord above. Hurt like hell, but doable. She climbed kicking her feet, hand over hand, panting, and sweating under her armor. The edge of the Normandy's loading deck was jut overhead. She strained and grabbed the edge. She let go of the cord and pulled herself up.
She caught her breath as she got to her feet. The cord dangled in front of her. She grabbed a fistful and looked up at the metal beam it had gotten caught on. She gave a tug. It was stuck damn good. She reached up, and her eye widened. She drew her fingers back and looked across the chasm. Through the loading dock doors, Liara was a small figure far down the hallway. Blue sparks flashed around her as she rushed at a group of mercs.
Shepard frowned and looked down below. It boiled with gunfire, grenades, and dodging bodies. They'd pushed the commandoes and their shield up the Normandy's carbo bay ramp. More mercs were regrouping behind the shield though. Shepard scanned over the soldiers. Her eyes stopped on Kaidan. He glowed blue looking up at her. He gave her a sharp nod and dropped his face raising his rifle at the mercs spilling out through the shield. He motioned at the group of soldiers at his flank and pointed at a gap in the line of shields.
Shepard tugged at the rope again and stood on her toes to see the beam. The cord was tied in a solid knot around the beam. Hell. That was almost fifty meters, and the fine manipulation to tie a knot, especially one that actually held – even up close that was a feat. Shepard stood back and shook it from her head.
She gazed across the open air at Liara's tiny form exchanging gunfire. The cord was tried across the expanse now. Liara could make it across later if she broke free.
Shepard spun around to the Normandy's airlock door to the bridge. It was sealed as expected. She slid to her knees and searched the emergency hatch a tiny energy outlet. She'd used it once before to open the hatch from this side. She was ready this time and pulled Traynor's toothbrush out of her pack. She flicked it on, and the bristles glowed. A second later, Shepard was dropping down inside the hatch.
She slipped through the passage ways in a squatted position. As she drew near the CIC, the murmuring of voices became more distinct. A low, cool voice gave orders. It had to be Aria's voice, always low and cool. Shepard smiled grimly, clutched her pistol, and shuffled further under the grated panels above. Shadows moved overhead. The ship's systems were starting to come online. Shepard shuttled forward and squinted through the grated panels overhead. It looked like at least five people.
"Just get it unloaded," Aria said. "Get all systems up. The moment it's out, we go. We can close the cargo bay hatch as we lift."
"They've got us pinned," a comm'ed voice said.
"Just unload it. They want to disarm it, they'll let you bring it out to them."
"If crossfire hits it …"
"Let them worry about that. Long as you don't open the case to disarm it, it'll hold."
"As you say."
A shadow came around the galaxy map. The tall thin form passed into Shepard's vision. Aria. One shot wouldn't kill her, and that's all Shepard would get through the grate before she dodged. Aria's barrier was damned tough. Shepard needed out from under the grate to get a full view and come at her.
"You," Aria said pointing at someone. "Go down and see it gets done."
"But …"
"Now."
Two shadows moved to the elevator and left. Aria crossed around the map to the elevator, and Shepard's fingers slid between the grates of the panel overhead. Her muscles tensed. Aria looked down at the floor next to the elevator.
"Tell me, Jack. I always thought bleeding to death would feel like falling asleep. You're looking tired."
Shepard threw the panel over and sprang up. She scrambled to her feet raising her pistol and glowed blue. Aria's head whipped up with widening eyes. Shepard's warp hit her barrier even as she dodged to the side. Shots ricocheted off the metal floor at Shepard's feet as armored mercs rushed at her. She broke the closest one's shield with a round of gunfire and threw him backward into the other man.
Aria rushed around the console getting a clear line on Shepard. Shepard threw her hand out at the same time. Their burst of energy connected and exploded between them. A blinding thunderclap threw Shepard to the floor. She staggered to her feet blinking back the white veil in her vision. The two mercs she'd thrown earlier stirred from their pileup against the wall. Shepard fired her pistol at them.
"Shepard, over here," Aria said.
Shepard spun around. Aria swayed on her feet pointing a pistol down at Jack. Jack lay face up on the floor by the elevator. Her eyelids hung hooded, and blood dripped through the grate under her head. The mercs pushed up off each other and stumbled to their feet. In the corner of Shepard's vision, she saw them rush at her. She spun with a glowing hand.
"Stop," Aria said.
The mercs skid to a stop and held their rifled up at Shepard. Shepard eyed them as her barrier glowed over her skin. She aimed her pistol at Aria.
"I thought you were asleep," Aria said to Shepard. "You always were full of surprises."
"Give this up, Aria. You're surrounded out there."
Aria gave a half smile. "Terra Firma planted a nuclear explosive on this ship. I'm leaving it for them and the Council. I want to be surrounded." She looked over at the war room. "Bring out the other one."
"What?" Shepard's eyes darted to the doorway.
A third merc came from the war room and shoved someone out onto the floor in front of Aria. Shepard keeping her pistol trailed on Aria and hand raised toward the two mercs. She moved to get a clearer view of the floor by the elevator.
"Joker?" Shepard said.
"Found him lurking on board," Aria said and took out a second pistol.
Joker's eyes rolled up to Aria. His hands were restrained behind his back, but he didn't appear to be bleeding or noticeably hurt.
"I'll kill them right now," Aria said. "That, and we keep fighting. Or you let my men put biotic cuffs on you."
Shepard's pistol wavered in her hand as she stared Aria in the eye. She glanced down at Joker. His eyes grew large and met Shepard's.
"No, Commander—"
Aria shot his leg. Joker yelled.
"Now, Shepard. The next goes in their heads. Jack's still alive."
Something moved below the grate in the corner of Shepard's vision. She kept her eyes fixed on Aria.
"Fine," Shepard said.
She dropped her pistol. It clattered at her feet and put her hands up. Joker clutched his leg, blood seeping through his fingers, and gaped at her. Aria motioned the mercs to cuff Shepard. Metal creaked under the grated floor. Shepard held Aria's eyes as a merc grabbed her wrists.
A burst of light hit Aria in the chest. She fell back a step dropping one of the pistols, and Liara pulled up out the floor. Shepard spun around and tore her wrist free. She slammed the merc across the room in a flash of blue. The biotic cuffs rattled to the floor at her feet. Shepard snatched her pistol off the floor as the other merc bard down on her. Her shot hit him in the face. A third merc slammed into Shepard from behind. She fell forward and turned on her knees. The merc fired his rifle, and Shepard sprang behind the consoles. The galactic map erupted in sparks.
Aria and Liara dodged around each other throwing biotics. Liara spun away in a glowing streak of light, but Aria snared her arm. She raised her pistol to Liara's face. Shepard slammed into her from the side. They tumbled against the wall. Aria's Omni-blade glowed, and she rammed into Shepard barrier. The barrier broke with a flash. The mercs' bullets rang around them, and Shepard ducked trying to reignite her barrier.
"Shepard, look out!" Liara yelled.
Shepard turned. Aria's foot caught her in the face. She sprawled backward. Liara jumped over her and lashed out at Aria, but Aria turned as if expecting it. She swung out at her.
Shepard staggered upright as the mercs fired at her. A bullet grazed her bicep, and she dropped her pistol with a sharp breath. She threw a warp at Aria, but she'd already knocked Liara to the floor. Aria stepped on Liara's hand and brought a blazing fist down on her forehead. It sent a shockwave through Shepard's chest as Liara's eyes rolled closed.
Shepard rushed at Aria, but Aria ducked the swing and snatched her pistol off the floor. Shepard stumbled under the swing's momentum and spun with her gun raised in both hands. Aria's pistol fired. Shepard froze.
"I just killed Jack," Aria said.
Breath leaked from Shepard's lungs, and her eyes flashed down to Jack lying at Aria's feet. Blood oozed from a maroon hole in her forehead. Aria aimed the pistol at Joker.
"No!" Shepard said and drove all her energy into a biotic throw.
It flashed over Aria's barrier, and Shepard hurtled at her firing her gun. Someone slammed into her from the side – one of the mercs. It knocked her sideways, and she stumbled. The pistol dropped from her hand. The merc stepped back from her with a needle held up in one hand.
Shepard gasped and slapped a hand over her arm where he'd pricked her. A shadow moved over her, and Aria's fist hit her face. Shepard fell on the floor. This was impossible. Even having fought beside her, this was more than she imagined, like fighting a matriarch or justicar, maybe worse.
Shepard flared and twisted against the floor to face her. Her wrists pulled back with a click. The energy across her skin cut off. A merc stood up from behind her with a tiny glowing key. Shepard twisted to see the biotic cuffs on her wrists. Aria snatched the biotic key from the merc's hand and smiled over top her.
"Did you think I was bluffing?"
Aria motioned at Jack. Shepard met her fixed, hollow stare. Blood pooled around the glassy eyes and trickled down her temples. Shepard bit back a sob with her face pressed against the floor. Strands of hair stuck to her lips, and her eyes shifted to Joker. Her dropped his eyes and hung his head. Aria tapped her pistol against her leg and glanced at Liara's breathing but still form.
"So, Commander Shepard and the Shadow Broker. Could be useful. Cuff her too." Aria caught one of the merc's eyes and motioned at Liara. Aria leveled her pistol at Joker's face. "Are you useful, Pilot?"
"Aria," Shepard said.
Aria gazed down at Joker. His chest rushed in and out as he clutched his bloody leg. The barrel hovered in front of his face. He bowed his head all the way to his chest and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Aria!" Shepard squirmed on the floor. Things were starting to become dizzy. "You investigated my crew, didn't you? Then you know Joker's the best damned pilot the Alliance has, and he knows this ship. It's a prototype warhead, and you'll be on the run. Merc pilots won't cut it, Aria."
"Trust him to work for me? Please."
"He'll do it, Aria. He cares about Liara. He cares about me. Hell, he worked for Cerberus once. He'll deal."
Aria smirked at Shepard. "Maybe. We can sort it out later." She turned to the two mercs. "Line them up. Fasten their legs."
Aria motioned at the far wall with her pistol, and Shepard's breath loosened. Hands grabbed her from behind.
"You helped me with Omega and the Terminus System was a nice gesture, but now we're settled up."
The merc threw Shepard against the wall and fastened her ankles with another pair of biotic cuffs. The other merc threw Liara and Joker down beside her.
"Inject them all," Aria said and touched her ear.
She walked into the corner and spoke too softly for Shepard to hear. A merc pulled out a partial vial of some amber liquid and drew it up with the used needle. She injected Liara first.
"And take their Omni-Tools," Aria said over her shoulder.
"The cripple, too, with this?" the merc asked holding up the needle.
"All of them," Aria said.
Joker held Shepard's eyes as the merc jammed the needle into his arm. The merc tore off Joker's Omni-Tool and then grabbed Shephard's. He left them laying against the wall watching the rushing feet and rising tension as Aria yelled into her comm. Joker's eyes drooped and his head lolled to the side. The room had an uneven feel and her fingertips tingled. Shepard rested her head against the wall, breathing slowing, and closed her eyes.