CHAPTER 6: "Watch me, if you dare"
The soft glow of the datapad was deceiving. As Thane held it in his hands, it filled the room with sunset orange, faded away slowly into blackness, then back to orange. The standard "you have a new message" vocalization was turned off. To anyone else, it was just an ordinary data pad, but Thane knew of its more sinister intent. It glared at him, beckoning him. The turian's face flashed in his mind, sending a shiver down his back, though it had little to do with fear. Thane swore softly under his breath and tossed the cursed thing aside. He wasn't going to fall for it. He knew the game well enough. Psychological warfare was a tactic he was quite familiar with. He shivered again, pulling his knees up to his chest. A futile gesture, considering how cold his blood ran though it boiled with rage.
By now, Thane's eyes had adjusted to the darkness and he was able to gather the last remaining details of his cell, though there was little to begin with. The walls were made of solid steel and the rust in the corners explained his difficulty in breathing. Other than the trap door above him, there was nothing else to go by. Not even sound. Torik, and whoever else he was involved with, was thorough.
Torik.
What kind of a sick game was the turian playing now? Thane had thought he dealt with him a long time ago. To run into him again, to be imprisoned by him, was a surprise he wasn't quite happy with. The most obvious motive, of course, was revenge. But Torik was all brawn and no brain. Someone else had to be pulling the strings. Who was the master puppeteer and what was their motive? Thane picked up the data pad again and touched the screen to wake it. But before he could do anything else, a crackle from a small intercom interrupted him. There was a cough as though someone was clearing their throat, followed by an unfamiliar voice.
"A mind is a curious thing, is it not, Mr. Krios? Especially that of a drell." It was a male voice. There was too much distortion to ascertain much else, but Thane could swear it sounded drell. "Take yours, for example. You probably suspect what is on that data pad. In fact, you may already know. And you may be right. The question is, of course, can you live with having seen it? After all, when a Drell remembers, he remembers forever. And let me tell you, Mr. Krios, some things you don't want in your head for the rest of your life." The speaker paused, caughed, then continued. "But then again, you could be wrong. Perhaps the information conained within that data pad is vital to your rescue of Ms. Shepard. Or, perhaps it tells you why you are where you are. Can you live with yourself having not seen it? Such a dillema!" A hollow laughter resounded in the small cell, but try as he might, Thane could not place the voice. His captor knew him, knew his name, knew of his purpose. Yet he knew nothing of his captor. One thing was clear, though. One of his questions was answered. The problem was, it brought to mind too many more. Who was this presumably Drell? What did he want with him? With Shepard? Why was he working with Torik, a nobody lowlife?
Too many questions. Not enough answers.
Thane touched the data pad and pausing only for a second, clicked on the message.
The message itself contained only a short phrase and a small video file.
"Watch me, if you dare."
The drell's voice echoed in Thane's head. Can you live with yourself having seen it? Could he? Could he live having not? Two choices, a variable, and his captor's ability to play to guilt left Thane with little alternative. The answer was obvious and his captor knew him well enough to know it, too. Information, regardless of the price, was valuable. He didn't want to play into their hands, but he didn't have any other options. Putting personal feelings aside, Thane clicked on the video file.
The image that came up was in very low resolution and based on the surroundings, fairly dated. But also unfamiliar. There was a brief skirmish, some shouting, and then the video went black. This was certainly not what Thane expected. It was also pretty mcuh useless. It revealed nothing. It was only after playing the video over three more times that he noticed what was going on. It was brief and easily missed, but it was there. Right after the skirmish subsided and right before the video cut out, Thane saw a shadow flash by. A shadow without a body. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be...?