Author's Note: All characters are owned by BioWare.
Voices echoed in the persistent darkness. Unintelligible, hoarse, as alien to her as the first time she heard a language not her own. The brief pang of fear was quickly subdued: panic would not help her assess her situation. She turned her thoughts to the problem at hand, treating it with the same tactical appraisal she would a battle. First of all, she knew was neither dead nor dying. There was no suffocating helplessness, no desperate attempt to fight the inevitable. She must wait.
The voices continued, transforming into deep growls echoed by a series of clacking sounds, as if someone were systematically hammering bolts into metal. Rising above this came the one word she understood. They know who I am, she thought, listening as chants of her name increased in decibel. Like Sovereign, like Harbinger. The bizarre, almost fanatic chorus did not create unease, only a deepening curiosity regarding how and why.
Something shifted in the darkness, moving closer, closer. Distracted from her thoughts, Shepard strained to make out the silhouette. No use. All but blind, she was left with only a sense that whoever this was, he now stood directly beside her. This knowledge was born from instinct similar to the ability to feel when an enemy had her in their sights. But unlike an enemy, there was no murderous intent. Still, she was wary. This person was undoubtedly responsible for her abduction. And it made her angry.
"Excellent, excellent!" cooed a male voice, high-pitched, sinister. Though it spoke a language she understood, she could not place the accent or tone to any particular species. "You have done well, my darlings." There was a pause as something emitted a series of guttural growls. "Another one?" he questioned eagerly. "He will make for an excellent addition to the next batch."
Kaidan. Was he here? Or did her captor have him in another room?
And just what did he mean by 'batch'?
Another growl sounded. There was an exasperated sigh, like a child being told he had to go to bed. "Yes, yes," he said, his tone decidedly annoyed. "I suppose I must see him." He chuckled. "Then again, if not for them I would not have the means to continue my research." Shepard had the distinct impression he turned away from her. "Go and fetch more parts. Don't worry about her. Even the infamous Commander Shepard cannot shake the effects of stasis that quickly." Another self-satisfied chuckle, the whoosh of an opening door, and Shepard was alone.
She did not know how much time passed. It could have been moments, hours, a day, for all it mattered. But when awareness began to creep back into her limbs, the strange, disjointed feeling that had hovered on the edge of her senses was banished. First, she realized she lay on a table. She tentatively flexed the fingers of each hand, fanned out her toes. Good. She wasn't paralyzed. Her calves tingled, the feeling slowly traveling up her legs, before there was a short, sharp burning pain along the inside of her thighs. She steadied her breathing, waiting for the discomfort to pass. It always comes back to that, doesn't it?, came the amused, wry thought.
Light flooding the room drew her from her mental musings. Momentarily dazzled by the brilliance, Shepard turned her head so she could pinpoint the source.
Shepard was not a woman who frightened easy. Years of intensive combat training had lent added strength to what she endured on Akuze. Then there had been Saren, the geth, Sovereign, her own death, and the Collectors. None of those events inspired fear. Just new resolve born from her experiences.
What she saw now- that sent a chill down her spine.
A flickering overhead light illuminated the corner of an otherwise shadowy room. Lab equipment was scattered all throughout, the pale glow of active monitors eerie in the semi-gloom. Shelves overflowing with specimen jars of various size lined the walls. Darkness obscured the identity of their contents. Metal cots were arranged in the center, severed body parts separated according to type and, from the look of it, color. Mutilated bodies lay in haphazard piles in the corner, the stench they gave off so powerful Shepard gagged a bit. Beyond the piles was a series of tanks like those she had seen in Okeer's lab. Many stood open, while a few others housed beings straight out of a horror vid. Humans with multi-colored limbs, batarians with mismatched heads, salarians with multiple lacerations on torso, legs and arms. The crude, antiquated look of the tanks was the final touch on an already disturbing room.
A rectangle of bright light shone on the left-hand side of the lab. Moments later a hunched figure in black appeared. Shepard recognized it as the same as the one that tried to shoot she and Kaidan. She lay still, keeping her eyes fixed on it. Anticipating it to check on her.
After approaching one of the tables, it dumped a pile of severed arms, hands and feet atop the ones already there. The garish light revealed the deep tan of a batarian foot, the smooth, ebony skin of a human arm, the yellowish-green hand of a salarian. As it separated them Shepard glimpsed its three-fingered hands, and the odd growth on each palm. Once she recognized it calm settled over her, caging her unease and leaving her mind clear. Determined. Somehow, some way, the madman behind this laboratory had gotten his hands on seeker swarms. It explained how they had been paralyzed- but not the thing surviving getting shot and thrown by biotics.
Waiting until after the robed figure left, Shepard sucked in a breath and attempted to sit up. She was met with resistance. Frowning, she tried again. She had full functionality; her body, however, seemed content to just lay there. As if already resigned to a fate she was damned she'd give in to. Come on, Shepard. You can get up. You've endured worse.
It took some time, but at last her efforts paid off. Beads of sweat dampened her brow by the time she eased herself onto her elbows. The first thing she noticed was she had been stripped of her armor and weapons. She could not have felt more undressed were she actually nude.
Movement, shuffling, slow, originating from the far corner of the room made her stiffen. Something was coming toward her. Shepard focused what little mobility she had all on her right first. Though unarmed, she was far from helpless.
The unseen figure drew closer. Shepard counted her heartbeats- one, two, three!- and swung. Her fist connected, causing her assailant to release a surprised cry of pain. By the time she realized she had punched Kaidan she lost what little balance she had and tumbled to the floor. Arms encircled her immediately, tight, unyielding, as he attempted to slow her fall. Yet his hands trembled, evidence of his own weakness. Unable to support both, Kaidan simply let himself collapse, Shepard sprawled at an angle atop him.
She remained still, gathering her bearings, his heavy breathing echoing in her ears. At last she managed to prop herself up. His left cheek was cut, but otherwise he looked unharmed. He stared at her for a long, intense moment, his expression softening ever so slightly, before he seemed to remember where he was. "Can you move?" she asked, pushing herself into an upright position. Lingering weakness forced her to lean against the wall for support.
"Yeah," he grunted. He sat up a little easier, leading her to believe that she had been in stasis longer. "What about you? How are you holding up?"
"Been better," she responded. "Groggy but I should be all right. Oh," she said, indicating his cheek. "Sorry about that."
Kaidan gave a careless shrug. "I've had it worse, too." The bitterness in his tone caught her attention. She realized with a start that she did not know what else had happened to him during her two year absence. But this wasn't the time or place to play getting to know you.
"Normandy, do you copy," she said briskly, touching the communicator in her ear. Static. She switched to the private channels each of her squad members were synced to. "Miranda? Jacob? Garrus- this is Shepard. Do you copy? Dammit," she swore irritably. "Communications must be blocked. We'll have to figure out where we are on our own."
Kaidan raked his gaze over their immediate surroundings. The light from the room beyond revealed a second table, a chair bolted to the floor, and another cot. One hand rubbed idly at his neck. "It'd be nice if we knew where 'here' was."
His reflex made her aware of her own discomfort, and she touched her neck. Her fingers grazed a swollen, tender spot, not unlike a bug bite, just below her jaw line. She remembered the colonists on Horizon, frozen in place, their faces echoing of the terror that struck just before they were paralyzed. Deciding it was best to be frank about what they may be facing now, she looked back at him. "Kaidan," she began, lowering her arm. "You saw what that thing stung us with, didn't you?"
He nodded, his eyes turning haunted. "I do. They got me on Horizon."
"What?" She did not know that. "Mordin had to create counter measures for us so we could even investigate the colony. How did you avoid being taken?"
One hand raked through his hair. "I don't know," he rasped. "All I remember is being frozen soon after one of those bugs got me. The colonists were running, panicking- I had told Lilith to get them to the shelter." He suddenly slammed his fist onto the ground. It was a display of emotion entirely new in her experience of him. He had always made it a point to restrain himself. We've all changed, she thought, watching his eyes flash. "They walked right by me- right by me- and started picking up the bodies," he snarled. "Throwing them like, like trash into their pods. The long rows of them, Shepard...lined up and waiting to be transported to the ship. By the time I came to everyone was gone." He shook his head, his gaze averted. "You have no idea how awful it was watching that and not being able to help."
"I do," she replied quietly, remembering the anger and helplessness at learning the Collectors had stolen the crew. "But what you saw on Horizon didn't even scratch the surface of their intentions for humanity. When we attacked their base we came across a chamber where they stored all the humans they had captured. Dr. Chakwas and Yeoman Chambers still have nightmares from their abduction."
"That's exactly what it was. The stuff of nightmares," he agreed with a nod. There was brief hesitation before he spoke again. "I...don't suppose you found any of the colonists."
Shepard's expression turned sorrowful. "No. I'm sorry, Kaidan."
He bowed his head. "I expected as much," he murmured, remorse heavy in his voice. Again he took in their surroundings, a slight frown on his face. "Looks to me that whoever captured us wants to pick up where the Collectors left off."
"Well, they're not," she stated firmly. When he glanced over she smiled, long and slow. She could almost hear Garrus say, Uh oh. It's your getting-ready-to-kick-ass smile. Our enemies better run. Slowly she pushed herself to her feet. At first she swayed, as ungainly as a drunkard. Kaidan was there beside her almost instantly, offering his hand. But determination had already cast aside the lingering effects of fatigue and weakness, and she walked away from him. "That's why we're going to break out of here and put a stop to it," she announced, glancing over her shoulder.
Kaidan appeared thoughtful. Half expecting him to dissuade her, Shepard went to speak again when he said, "I saw where they stashed our weapons and armor. There." He pointed to a series of storage lockers lined up on the wall nearby. "We'll have a better chance of making it out with those than relying on just my biotics and your hand-to-hand combat training."
Shepard nodded. "Let's go."
Once they had armed themselves the pair crept further into the lab. Kaidan's low comment of, "This is terrible," echoed her thoughts exactly. Seeing it from a distance was nothing compared to actually walking past the tables filled with body parts. Computer monitors she had not glimpsed before were propped upon each one, the screens detailing species, sex and age alongside images of rotating DNA helixes. Many of them, she noted, featured the phrase 'Unsuitable sample' flashing in bold red. This same message appeared outside some tanks. As much as she sorrowed for the unfortunate victims of these experiments, the cold, precise nature of the lab concerned her more- especially if the Collectors were involved.
Soon they reached the exit. Shepard prepared to access the controls when she heard two voices echoing in the hall beyond. She signaled sharply to Kaidan, who took position on the left wall, his raised fist glowing with biotic power. She pressed herself against the right side, leaning in close to listen, her pistol hefted. Snippets of conversation floated to her, gradually increasing in decibel.
"...those things piss me off," one voice declared. The gruff tone revealed it to be batarian. "They come in reeking of who the hell knows what and leave their shit everywhere."
"At least they don't leave body parts in the mess anymore," the second- human- reasoned. "Nothing kills an appetite faster than disembodied hands on a table."
"Wish we could kill them," the batarian grumbled. "I don't care how much money the doc's paying us. He's crazy as hell for doing all this. The way he stares me down scares the hell out of me."
The human laughed with wry amusement. "Don't fancy seeing your head on another body?"
An aggravated snort, followed by the thump of a body being shoved into the wall. It sent small vibrations through Shepard's shoulder. "Shut up," the batarian hissed. "You can joke because he's only interested in one human, and he's already got her. But the rest of us, we might as well be stuffed in tanks like those other poor bastards or the super soldiers he's making for the boss."
"You've seen them too?" the human said, all mirth gone from his voice. He sounded uneasy. "They're worse than the harvesters."
"All I know is that once this job's done I'm gone. I'd much rather go completely freelance than have something like that replace me."
"I'm with you. Heard the Suns are recruiting..."
Their voices died down. Kaidan exchanged glances with Shepard. "Building super soldiers for mercenary gangs? Doesn't sound like the Collectors."
"Those harvesters certainly fit the description, in intent if not in name," she replied, frowning. She hacked the door, releasing the lock. "Come on. We need to find out who's behind this." He acknowledged her and, once the door slid open, passed into the hall at her heels.
As soon as they set foot outside she knew they were aboard a ship. The corridor was brightly lit, the artificial light almost harsh compared to the semi-gloom of the lab. Most of the rooms they passed were sealed shut, though every single one of them stank of decay. The large crates standing outside the doorways did as well. Shepard tread very carefully, her gun at the ready. Kaidan matched her slow pace, taking a step every time she did until it seemed they were walking in unison.
A junction appeared at the end of the hall. The decision over which way to go was made for her, for the sound of a door opening to the left sent both scurrying for cover on the right. Shepard stayed low, peering round the crate she had hidden behind. Kaidan was right next to her, covering her back just as Garrus would. As four Eclipse mercs emerged from the doorway, a harvester for each one, she became even more aware of his absence. The lone harvester notwithstanding, it had been two years since she fought alongside Kaidan; they did not have the same rapport anymore. No matter. They'd just have to make the best of it. Didn't keep her from feeling the brief, sharp pang of missing him.
The corridor was narrow, and there wasn't much room to maneuver. At spotting a series of loose wiring running the length of the ceiling, she sent Kaidan a look. "Knock them back," she ordered. "I'll take care of the rest."
The mercs were conversing about their recent assignment, all much too busy to notice Kaidan springing to his feet until it was too late. He unleashed a blast of biotic power that slammed into all and shoved them against the wall. Shepard took aim and fired, tearing through the cables and sending them, spiraling, whipping, to the floor. Arcs of electricity danced through the air, capturing the group in wave after wave of lethal energy. The harvesters exploded like overripe melons, mismatched body parts going in all directions. The thick, wet sound each part made as it hit the floor was drowned out by the mercs' agonized screams.
Shepard darted from cover, shouting for Kaidan to follow. She was in the midst of turning away when she caught a flash of a yellow uniform, the glowing tech shields, and the end of a gun barrel. Her attempt to dodge came a split-second too late; her legs, still wobbly from the stasis field, gave way beneath her. She couldn't stop herself from falling any more than she could prevent what happened next.
As her knees hit the floor, sending a tremor through her body, a bullet ruptured her shoulder, tearing through shields, cloth, skin and bone, leaving nothing but searing pain in its wake. Shepard clenched her teeth as she fell back. Behind her, she heard Kaidan shout her name, and the rapid release of his assault rifle. Battling pain and disorientation, she had the presence of mind to lift her pistol and open fire. The merc's body shuddered as bullets from both guns tore through his shields. She waited until he had collapsed before dropping her head onto the floor. Unsurprisingly, her hand stayed firmly around the pistol.
She did not lay there long. A burst of adrenaline, spurned on by the blaring of alarms, sent her to her feet. Mechanized voices sounded from the far end of the corridor. It wasn't long before she saw that a small army of drones was headed their way. "Move out," she told Kaidan as she hastily applied medi-gel to her injury. It had hit the left shoulder, which concerned her little. She could still shoot. "There isn't enough room here to take them down."
The two sped down the opposite way, avoiding the scattered debris on the floor by dodging, jumping or outright shooting. Their frantic pace was brought to an abrupt halt the instant they came upon a large room, reputably a mess judging from the waste receptacles, food dispensers and tables present. Kaidan broke away from her to investigate the doorways. Shepard attempted to contact the Normandy again. She had just received a nice earful of static when Kaidan returned to her side.
"The alarm must have sealed the doors," he reported, a little breathless from their excursions.
Shepard responded by approaching the largest table and flipping it onto its side. "Then we need to bunker down here. I'm not going to let this bastard take me without a fight," she informed him.
"Who knows how many of those things that will come our way? Pinning us down might be the intention."
"I've considered that," she admitted, programming her guns with tungsten ammo. "Once we put a nice dent in their front line I plan on hacking as many of those bastards as I can. You keep up with the collateral damage," she said, indicating the furniture.
"And if that doesn't work?"
Shepard sent him a wry smile. "We give those mechs as much hell as they can handle. Who knows? We may even attract their boss' attention."
***
Garrus emerged from the transport car, his gaze immediately fixed on the Kowloon conveyer ship docked a short distance away. At first he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. It just couldn't be the same one. But the truth was staring him in the face. It was the MSV Fedele, reborn under the name Eternity. A brief flash of the last time he had seen Saleon came to mind: the salarian sprawled on the floor, green blood flowing from the head wound Garrus himself had given him. Before, he would not be questioning the finality of a bullet to the brain. Recent events had changed his entire outlook on such things. Unlike the case with Shepard, Saleon's return was a bad thing.
The hangar hummed with activity as dock workers, engineers and mechanics went about their business. A pair of volus merchants were currently engaged in a passionate argument over the worth of their wares with a batarian Garrus recognized as Anto, one of Aria T'Loak's bodyguards. Cargo was stacked all around, labeled according to contents and ship of origin. The ones stamped with Eternity's name only confirmed his worst fears: lab equipment, weapons, and wetware. Exactly like the ones discovered on the old MSV Fedele. Eclipse mercenaries flanked these packages, arms openly displayed. A batarian pointed his rifle at a dock worker who came too close to the crates. The man practically fell over himself in his attempt to avoid being shot. Garrus frowned. Looks like the organ cloning business wasn't as lucrative as before if Eclipse has hired him to make more men, he thought, raking his gaze over the ship once again. This, as well as any assumptions as to why Saleon wanted Shepard, did not bode well.
Choosing a vantage point hidden from view, Garrus observed the comings and goings, his mind feverishly planning the best route to take. Had he expected any risky tactical routes such as infiltration, he would be sorely disappointed. After the mercs finished securing the cargo the batarian suggested hitting up Afterlife for a few drinks. His companions eagerly agreed, shouldering weapons as they strolled away. Garrus watched them leave, stole another glance at the open cargo bay. He didn't have the time to ponder whether or not it was intentional. His need to get to Shepard fast outweighed all else.
Garrus darted from his hiding place, skimmed up the descended platform and entered the ship. Countless crates were arranged within, each stack guarded by a drone. He took them out with a few carefully placed shots, then hurried to the exit. As soon as he passed through the doorway his head jerked up at hearing the faint sound of an alarm. He smiled. Only one person could be responsible for this, and the small army of drones heading his way. The smile turned feral as he pulled the assault rifle from its place upon his back, ejecting the half empty clip. This was going to be a fun, if not interesting, rescue.