- Chapter 7: Escaping Therum (Part 2) -
A/N: Part 2 of 2 for getting the absolute heck off of Therum!
Fun stuff! This may be the last chapter for tonight... We shall see!
I'll keep writing until I'm tired lol. But rest assured, this story will go on for a while. :)
Ps: Reviews/comments/critiques/criticisms are all appreciated! I'm always looking to improve!
The commander runs over to Liara and reaches out her hand to help her up. Liara takes it, appreciating the gesture.
Liara dusts off her hands and runs over to the exit with the commander, Wrex, and Tali. The exit is still blocked by the barrier curtain.
"Now what?!" Liara thought to herself in alarm. She did try earlier to bring down the barrier, but nothing she tried worked.
The earth beneath them rumbled again, the sound of crashing rocks and metal sounded from behind them.
The barrier in front of them shone brighter at the fluctuation. Liara shielded her eyes from the burst of light, as did the commander, Wrex, and Tali. The barrier curtain seemed to have malfunctioned at an incredibly convenient time for their escape.
"That works.", Dr. T'Soni whispered to herself, barely audible with the sounds of their surroundings falling apart before them.
Liara lowered her arms from her face as the ground shook again. Huge boulders and sections of the cave in front of the four of them began to collapse.
The commander then springs into a sprint, with Wrex and Tali not far behind. Liara redirects all her attention to running. The doctor narrowly escapes a cave in from behind her. There's only one way out now.
"Run," she repeated to herself, refusing to give up despite her muscles begging and screaming for rest.
They turn the corner to the metal ramps leading up and out of the entrance tunnel. The metal creaked and clanged with each shift of the ground below them, and the ruble falling down around them. Liara did her best to shield her eyes from the debris. Her vision partially obscured by the steady fall of debris and dust, Liara relied on the shadows of the people in front of her and the sounds of their frantic footsteps to guide her way out.
They ran at top speed up the ramps of the cavern, cutting corners and vaulting over falling boulders as they climbed up the collapsing ancient ruins. With each stride, Liara could feel the destruction behind her gaining up on her.
The fleeing team of four turn another corner, flames are burning wildly nearby from all the destruction.
The commander stops and looks back, wide-eyed, towards her crew and Liara. They were not far behind her, but these ruins were caving in fast.
"MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!", the commander screamed as she waved her arm in a rushing motion, encouraging Wrex, Tali and Liara to run ahead of her.
The commander regained speed right behind Liara. In this way, the commander could ensure that everyone in her group makes it out... Or at least makes it out before her.
The final metal ramp began to sway from side to side. Liara slipped a little from the shifting platform, but felt a little more at ease knowing the commander was right behind her. She leaps towards the more structurally sound (by a slight margin) concrete tunnel leading outwards.
"Just a little further..." Liara groaned internally, fighting the urge her legs felt to give way from underneath her. Adrenaline can be quite a force to deal with. It was all it took to propel the asari forward for this long in the escape.
Dust filled the air and the tunnel began to crack. The blue rings of light that illuminated the tunnel zoomed past in a blur. She could see the exit hatch fast approaching.
A light not much brighter than the inside of the cave filled the scene as Wrex shoved the doors of the compound open. He lurched forward and down the other side of the ramp. Tali followed suit.
Smoke and dust filled the air and pushed the fleeing group forward slightly. It knocked Liara forward a little as she ran out the doors.
Tripping over herself and wheezing, Liara slows her pace down a little and looks back to find the commander. She is safely outside the doors of the now collapsed entryway, also out of breath. The commander looks back for a moment before turning her attention forward to resume her run.
Liara turns back around to follow Wrex and Tali. They were making their way on the ship hovering above them. Must be the Normandy.
The commander runs forward towards the open hatch of the ship, looking back to ensure that Liara got on as well.
Satisfied that everyone made it on safely, the commander ushers everyone further back into the cargo hold. The massive ship door pulls shut.
The commander switches on her radio again.
"Get us out of here, Joker!", she hollered into the device in her ear.
"On it!", Joker's voice calls out into the earpiece, loud enough for Liara to hear him next to the commander.
The ship takes off from Therum, as the planet gets engulfed in molten rocks and sulfuric gas.