Shepard couldn't pinpoint a time in her life where she had been angrier than this. The lights in the war room flickered as she walked past, her mind turning over what the Dalatrass had just said. She had a horrible nagging anxiousness at the danger involved in her situation, the danger of the choice she had to make. She had reached that awful cross road of choosing what she felt was the right thing in her heart, and doing what was right for the war effort. Reaching down, her hand gripped the console ledge and stiffened, the knuckles turning white as she grit her teeth thinking of Wrex and Eve.
"Commander the shuttle is waiting for you" Joker's voice sounded over the intercom.
"I know" She snapped, regretting it instantly "On my way"
"Yes Commander"
She felt like a great fire was raging within her as she ran over the scenarios available to her, judging the possibilities and weighing the outcomes. She shut her eyes and sighed, her crew, the people she trusted, Liara, they would never understand that she would have to choose the harder path.
They manoeuvred through the echoing tunnel for some time, going downwards in what felt like a straight line but actually might have been a wide spiral. It was an odd sensation as Shepard stepped over mounds of old plant material, the light from her rifle bouncing off the walls. It was as if there was no longer any ground underfoot; only a soft layer of dead, soft moss and sand. It was a landscape in which great holes had been cut into rock and huge boulders deliberately placed. Some of the holes lengthened to tunnels and dropped into deeper, darker layers further down, while others narrowed and doubled back, and throughout the bewildering three-dimensional maze great old dead roots ran, undulating across the rock like massive blood vessels standing out on the skin of some enormous animal.
The ground shook violently and Shepard braced herself against the wall, chips of rock and debris bouncing off her shoulders.
"Wrex are you guys feeling those tremors?" She glanced behind her to Vega and Liara, both stood braced against the wall.
"No Shepard, we got nothing where we are" Wrex replied through the static.
"It could be something else Commander" Eve's voice sounded through the comm "It is said that Kalros, the mother of all Thresher Maw's lives in this region"
Shepard froze. The mother of all Thresher Maws she considered the image in her head and it terrified her, making her legs turn to rubber, her blood to liquid oxygen. She felt suddenly lost, immersed in a deeper darkness than she had ever known. With no way out.
"Wrex" Her voice thundered out, laced with venom "You knew this and you didn't tell me?"
"Shepard I..."
"I'm going to rip your fucking head off" Her voice was unnervingly calm "I'm going to make you regret the day you ever met me"
Silence greeted her as another tremor rippled beneath them.
"Commander?" Vega shone his light at Shepard "Everything alright?" His face was puzzled.
"I hate Thresher Maw's" Shepard shook her head and started moving forward "I've had some shitty moments in my career Vega. But being stuck in a nest of Thresher Maw's while my company dissolved in acid around me, is probably the worst of them"
Vega just mouthed the word 'oh' and fell in beside her.
"I hope he doesn't think I'm joking" Shepard muttered.
"Oh I don't think he does" Liara added, her heart going out to Shepard.
They kept moving, mindful of the ground moving beneath them, until eventually they started going up. At the top of a flight of stairs Shepard finally emerged in the ruddy sunlight. She cast her gaze along the view and was actually surprised. A great square was laid out before them, with ruins and broken statues jutting out of the rocks like angry teeth. She had always found the atmosphere on Tuchanka difficult. It gave the impression that you were out in the open air, but the heavy clouds and whirling winds made it perpetually dull and oppressive. The air here, in the ruins actually felt a little cold and the lightening was there, far off in the distance like it always was, seemingly half above and half beneath the cloud cover. She stood there, catching her breath and waited for another flash, looking out as the light revealed part of the clearing in front of her; a half glimpsed jumble of geometric shapes in the rock that curved away beneath them. And there had been something else half glimpsed, to her right and level with her only a few meters away. A figure, a person. She jumped.
"Shepard?" she heard Liara whisper, uncertain.
"Statue" Shepard muttered, pointing her rifle at the half collapsed figure next to them. She was jumpy but something caught her eye "Is that the colour green?" he voice incredulous.
"Well I'll be damned" Vega grinned, bending over and peering down at the little plant growing in the cracks beneath them.
"That is hope Commander" Eve whispered to her and Shepard smiled at the fact Wrex had chosen not to speak.
"When I was younger" Liara spoke aloud as she joined Vega in examining the plant "I would have loved this place"
Shepard looked out at the sky line and frowned as a thick trail of smoke fell from the sky, hurtling towards them "We've got incoming" Sheapard shouted even as the earth twisted and turned beneath her "And I think you were right about Kalros" she spoke into her comm set.
"Well we've an idea about that.." Wrex's voice trailed off and Shepard swallowed a feeling of dread "Head to the bridge Shepard, we'll pick you up there" a click and Wrex's voice went silent.
"OK" Shepard spoke to Liara and Vega, watching as a handful of Cannibals wandered out of the smoke "stay close, pick your shots and let's make it to the bridge quickly" Both of them nodded in reply, falling in behind Shepard as she picked her way down a low set of stairs in front of them.
"So, Kalros?" Shepard stowed her rifle and approached Wrex, Eve and Mordin. She wiped the sweat from her brow, leaving a smear of dirt in its place.
"I know the odds don't normally mean much to us" Liara spoke as she moved forward, head tiled up towards the Reaper that dominated the sky "But I don't think even we can make it to that tower"
"That thing is huge" Vega muttered, checking over his rifle as he pulled alongside Liara.
"Speaking of Kalros" Wrex muttered moving closer to Shepard, mindful of her anger "Eve has had an idea" he glanced at the female Krogan next to him.
"Kalros" Eve spoke slowly "we will summon her to the Reaper"
There was a moment of stunned silence before Shepard began to laugh, the pure hysteria in the laugh unnerving even Wrex "Of course" Shepard giggled "That's just what I was thinking, what, shall I just go up and ask her?"
"We have already discussed the plan Shepard" Mordin clicked through something on his omni tool "Plan is feasible, we just need to distract Reaper while we access the tower and the cure is synthesized"
"What makes you sure she will come?" Shepard sighed, resigning herself to the path laid out before her.
"Legend has it that all other Thresher Maws are born from Kalros" Eve looked at Wrex "This is as much her home as ours"
"If Tuchanka has a temper, she is it" Wrex might have been smiling "No one has ever faced her and survived"
"Oh" Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose and stepped towards Wrex. Her head hurt and there was a dull ache in her thigh "Wrex I've taken some risks in my time, but this? This sounds crazy"
"And going head to head with Sovereign didn't?" Wrex jerked his finger at her "This is the only way to get to that tower!"
"Commander, the tower is built in an arena dedicated to Kalros. There are two Maw hammers there, the biggest in existence" Eve looked at Shepard as she spoke "If you can activate them, she will come, and that should distract the Reaper"
"That's a pretty big if" Vega mumbled, his eyes glancing from the Reaper to Wrex.
"In the mean time I can use the nearby laboratory to finish synthesizing the cure" Mordin sounded far too cheery as he walked past.
Shepard had a dull ache of anticipation wrapped around a knot of fear in her belly "Well" she looked out at the Reaper "We're going to have one hell of a story to tell if it works" she turned but her forward momentum was stopped as Wrex grabbed her shoulder.
"Wait" He stuttered a little, unsure "Shepard I want you to know, that no matter what happens here, you've been a champion to the Krogan people, a friend of clan Urdnot" He paused "And a sister to me. From this day forward to every Krogan born, the name Shepard will mean hero" he reached for her, pulling her into a massive hug that threatened to break her bones. Shepard couldn't breathe under the weight of her responsibility and she cough, plastering a fake smile on her face as Wrex put her back down.
"Stay alive Shepard" Mordin added from somewhere behind her.
"See you on the other side" Shepard said.
Shepard heard Vega shout as the Reapers Massive beam passed behind them. It wasn't a nice sound. A thick bubbling roar that made her gut clench. Bits of rock flew into the air as the bridge collapsed, crashing into the ground around her as she went spinning down, hurtling at break neck speed towards the ground. Everything was roaring now and her ears popped painfully. She grunted and twisted onto her back looking down at the length of the bridge still left to slide down. A spray of shale flicked up in to her face as she bounced down, her whole body shaking, teeth and vision jarring. She hit the last lip and somersaulted into the air, tumbling in a heap on the ground. She might have passed out, she wasn't sure. With a grunt she stood up, raising her hand against falling debris.
"Everyone alright?" she shouted.
"I think so" Liara replied, and Shepard closed her eyes in relief.
"My arm is fucked!" Vega yelled, standing up and clutching his left arm to his chest. A stream of blood leaked over the surface of his suit, but he looked aware and otherwise unhurt.
"How bad?" Shepard walked over and examined his arm.
"I still got my shooting arm" He waved his rifle and gave her a crooked smile but there was a lot of blood.
Shepard nodded and turned around "God help us" she looked straight into the eye of a Reaper.
"Did we just get shot by a Reaper?" Liara whispered to herself.
Shepard surveyed the scene before her. Reaper ground forces filled the ground between them and the hammers, and pockets of smoke and fire indicated even more landing every minute.
"We have to get those hammers down" Shepard took her rifle off and handed it Liara along with a handful of spare thermal clips.
"What's this?" She frowned at Shepard.
"Cover me"
"What?"
"Cover me"
"You can't be serious?" Liara asked, horrified.
"Vega can't make it, he's injured, I can't leave one of you behind" Shepard was busy unclipping some of the heavy plates from her shoulders "I'd say we could split up, I'll take one, you take the other, but that leaves Vega a sitting duck" She dropped her two shoulder plates to the floor and bent over to unclip the ones on her knees "If I go, you two take position here, draw their fire, give me as much cover as you can" when she was happy, she stood up and rolled her shoulders, gave a little jump and nodded.
"Shepard you won't make it" Liara shook her head.
"I'm pretty fast Liara" She pointed at the discarded plates on the floor "Offers a little less protection but makes running easier, I'll take my pistol" She looked out at the sea of death and misery that awaited her "I'll make it. Besides, I'm not asking and this is not a suggestion" She hated to take that tone with Liara of all people but there was no other way.
"Commander I can still fight" Vega stepped forward. He looked pale.
"I know, that's why you're staying here to take the weight of fire" Shepard tossed him a thermal clip "Aim for the big ones" Shepard pointed out two areas on the field on the left "I'm going left first, go for the Brutes and Ravagers" she spoke while checking her pistol. When she was happy she looked up at Liara and her stomach clenched "I'll be fine"
"The last time you gave me an order like that Shepard, you died" Liara looked away.
"Here" Shepard walked up to her but the Asari kept her head bent "Liara" Shepard put her hand under Liara's chin and gently pushed, forcing her head up, forcing Liara to look at her "That's not going to happen ok?"
Liara stood very still, struggling to express emotions she barely understood herself "Ok" she swallowed and stepped backwards, breaking the contact "Just hurry up Shepard"
Shepard turned around and didn't give too much thought to what she was doing, she just ran. She ran down through the broken fragments of the bridge and dodged between two Cannibals. She heard the thud of rifle fire as Vega and Liara took them down and a wash of black ichor splashed across her face. She jumped over a low wall and fired her pistol in the face of a husk.
Sprinting up a small flight of stairs she spotted the hammer and ran towards it, cutting through a line of husks as rifle fire shot through the air. When she got to the hammer she slammed her fist down but didn't hang about. She span and sprinted forward, already catching sight of the other hammer, half way across the square the ground shook and Shepard skidded, rolling forward, only just avoiding being speared by the leg of the Reaper. She staggered and fell, collapsing to one knee and taking a deep racking breath.
"Fuck" Shepard looked up, realising she was in the shadow of the Reaper. She lumbered to her feet and ran, terror suddenly clogging her throat, her legs aching. She was only a few meters away from the second hammer when she slipped, fell to her hands and knees and tumbled over, wincing as chips of rock embedded themselves in her palms. Getting up, she made one huge lunge and bought her fist onto the hammer.
The sound was massive and she covered her ears with both hands, wincing. The Reaper reacted immediately, twisting and rotating to face the tower. Making use of the distraction, Shepard sprinted back the way she came, yelling and waving at her team.
"Go, get back to the trucks, I'll take care of the cure!" She felt, more than saw Kalros approach. It was a dull hissing sound that seemed to grow around her. She kept running, kept focused on where she was going, blocking out everything else until suddenly a rain of debris was falling around her and a dark, brown blue curve broached from the earth. Rivers of sand and soil cascaded around her as the Thresher Maw sprung from the ground, its giant questing mouth lifting towards the Reaper.
The two titans came together in a crash of metal and flesh that churned the rock up beneath her. She scrambled, pushing herself against a wall and covering her head, trying to push down a primal terror and experience borne fear that had her locked to the spot. The only thing she wanted right now was an escape, an exit, any exit that would get her away from the hissing, slithering sound of the Thresher Maw.
When the ground stopped shaking she sprinted for the tower, not pausing to even glance at the two monsters battling in the sand. A voice sounded in her ear but all she could hear was the sound of her own blood as she concentrated on running, needing the action to distract her from the fear. In her mind she knew she was missing something monumental but she didn't care and as she skidded through the door to the tower and sagged, thinking of nothing but the fatigue and the sound and the terror.
"Shepard!" Mordin shouted up to her, his voice frantic as his fingers moved over the console "The cure is ready, loaded for dispersal in two minutes!"
Shepard jogged over to him, her breathing still laboured "Eve?" she gasped.
"Procedure was traumatic but she did survive" he paused "Headed for safety now"
A chunk of the ceiling impacted behind them and Shepard looked up at the newly opened hole.
"Mordin listen to me" Shepard stepped close to the scientist "The Dalatrass contacted me before we left" she swallowed as Mordin's head jerked toward her, eyes piercing "The tower has been sabotaged, the cure won't work without intervention"
"Shepard" Mordin looked at her "You should have said something sooner. Fortunately I am familiar with STG work, I can compensate. Control room at top of shroud tower, must take elevator up"
"You can't go up there" Shepard scoffed.
"I must" Mordin was already heading for the elevator, his hands playing over his omni tool "Manual access is required to counter the sabotage and ensure the cure disperses"
"Mordin the damn tower is coming apart, there has to be another way!"
"There is none" he feel silent, head tilted to the ground "No, no other option, not coming back, I suggest you get clear" he walked away.
"Mordin no" Shepard moved towards him, knowing her confession had killed him.
"Shepard please, need to do this, my project, my work, my cure, my responsibility."
"Fuck!" Shepard yelled, kicking out at the console in pure frustration "I'm sorry" is all she could say.
"Don't be, I'm not, had to be me" She stepped into the elevator and closed the door "Someone else might have gotten it wrong"
Shepard watched as the elevator shot up and out of sight, her gaze lingering even as the ceiling collapsed around her.
"Shepard, Mordin come on!" Wrex sounded in her ear.
Shepard shook her head and jogged outside, watching at the lead truck opened and Wrex offered his hand "Where's the Pyjack?" he grunted.
"Not coming" Shepard replied, yanking the door shut "The tower was sabotaged, he had to stay and fix it manually" she looked away "Now get us the hell out of here!"
"Sabotage?" Wrex paced around the big hall, his footsteps echoing on the hollow floor "That two bit slimy double crossing..." He raged " And you?!" He grabbed Shepard by the bicep and spun her, his fist already half cocked as he punched her square in the face "You should have told me!"
Shepard stumbled away, her hands going to her face in a wasted effort to stop the blood streaming. Leaning over, she coughed and spat blood onto the floor.
"Wrex!" Eve shouted.
"S'ok" Shepard coughed, waving her away "Would it have changed anything Wrex?" She paused "You trust me don't you?" She wiped sticky blood on her leg "I mean it's not like I'd send you up against the mother of all Thresher Maws without telling you, is it?"
Wrex looked at her, his anger subsiding "Put it that way" he shrugged.
"Commander" Eve spoke softly "I'm sorry about Mordin"
"Don't be" Shepard's voice was thick as blood clogged her nose "He wouldn't have it any other way, saw it as his responsibility"
"Shepard" Wrex looked at her "I'll have solider sent to Palaven straight away" he smiled "And when you're ready to kick the Reapers off earth, I'll be there"
Shepard reached out and shook his hand "You better be, don't go dying on me Wrex"
His laugh was massive "No chance of that" he slapped her on the back and sent her flying forward.
"Squishy Wrex, remember" Shepard staggered and shook her head, trying to smile at the big Krogan. She gave him a last wave and headed out to the trucks, her leg and heart aching.
Thanks for the feedback so far and the follows, Ive got another chapter ready to go but then im moving house so might be slow for a week or two. Hope people are actually enjoying the story so far :)
