No escape, no chance. They are everywhere.

"Find cover!" she shouts.

Panic. A foreign emotion. But it's too late. A blinding flash. Pain.

Shepard!

Thane's body lurched upward with his arm stretched outward. But there was nothing to grab onto. There was no blinding light, there were no scattered body part, there was no Shepard. And as Thane's mind cleared, the pain became more evident. His whole body ached and his head felt like it had been smashed against a wall with biotics, numerous times. Though none of this compared to the pain he felt in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting back the incoming images.

"I'm sorry, siha..." he whispered, pushing the heels of his palms against his eyes. He had failed her. Again. He had failed himself. Pushing off the covers, Thane stumbled out of bed, grasping in the darkness for something to steady himself with. Where was he? The small confines felt unfamiliar. There was acidity in the air that made his nose wrinkle. He tried to squint to see if you could make anything out, but to no avail. Thane was alone in a small room with no window, no apparent weakness, no escape.

He was a prisoner.

Taking small, cautious steps he felt his way around the walls in search of any kind of door hatch. But he found no break in the rough texture. There was only one other option, having been stripped of all his possessions.

"Liara?" he whispered as quietly as he could, pressing his index finger against the hidden comm. All he received in reply was static. Thane tried again, but with the same result. One thing was clear, though. Whoever imprisoned him wanted him alive. The question was, for what purpose?

Feeling like there was no sense in wasting energy, Thane made his way back to the small bed and sat down. At this point, meditation was his only choice. The challenge, of course, lay in blocking the images he never wished to see again.

Shepard.

She had given him everything. Strength, courage. Life. She was there for him even when she didn't want to be. Nothing in the galaxy could ever possibly begin to repay for what she had done. But Thane knew that he would rather die than stop trying. He just needed to find a way out, first. As if on cue, the room filled with a hissing sound and it was suddenly flooded with light, temporarily blinding Thane.

"You're awake!" a familiar voice sounded from above. "Good! Saves me the trouble." It took a second for Thane to place the voice and the source. He couldn't find a door because there was none. Not on the walls, anyway. The only way in or out was through a hatch in the ceiling. It took a second more for him to adjust to the bright light, but Thane already had a good idea who his captor was. The stench of red sand and sex was unmistakable.

"I hope you haven't forgotten me, Krios." the turian grinned, now standing right in front of Thane. "After all, we have such history together! You and me, Krios! Oh!" the turian exclaimed, raising his clawed finger to his mouth in mock surprise. "I think I'm forgetting someone... Who is it, now? Ah yes!" he turned a sly grin on Thane. "Commander Shepard. How could I forget!" As much as Thane tried to remain composed, a flicker of anger flashed in his eyes, betraying him.

"Don't be shy, Krios. I know all about you and your association with the Commander. An assassin trying to atone for his sins by working with the savior of the galaxy herself. What a duo!"

"What do you want with her, Torik?" Thane growled. He remembered Torik from Illium. A notorious red sand dealer who specialized in selling asari, as well. Thane had brought his organization to its knees. In hindsight, he should have probably sent the turian to the afterlife, as well. Shame he wasn't the target.

"What's this?" Torik leaned forward inquisitively, his arms clasped behind his back, "Loyalty? From an assassin? Or... Ah... I see." A look crossed the turian's face that sent a shiver down Thane's back. "You have feelings for her. How special. And what would your dead wife say about that, hm? What was her name?"

If it wasn't for the sniper rifles trained on his vital organs, Thane would have snapped Torik's neck right then and there. But he needed to stay alive. For Shepard's sake.

"You do!" Torik pronounced gleefully. "How quaint! Does she know this? Should I bring her in? Reunite the lovebirds? Better yet, why don't I show you how delightful your Commander is in bed. If, of course, you have the credits for it! She's not cheap, you know!"

The rage that filled Thane was insurmountable. It took every ounce of his self control to keep himself seated and not rip out Torik's jugular. He knew what the turian was capable of, he had seen it firsthand. To imagine Shepard going through that, Thane couldn't bring himself to think about it. All he could do was clench his fists, focusing on the pain in his palms.

"Here," Torik pulled out a data pad and threw it beside Thane, "for your viewing pleasure." Nothing good would come of this, Thane knew it. "Oh," the turian paused before hopping on the small platform that brought him down, "there will be a quiz after you watch it. If you fail, you die."

Just like that, Thane was plunged back into darkness, only his rage and the glowing data pad to keep him company.