Chapter 12:

The Thorian

"It was nice of the Commander to let you stay and help us," Michael said as he led Patrick deep into the lower levels of the colony that according to several colonists were the varrens' nests. The giant varren that had attacked Kaidan and Ashley earlier was obviously the leader and Patrick had offered to take down the brute that was posing so much of a threat to the colonists. Fai Dan had told Michael to accompany Patrick since he was one of the best shooters in the colony which had led them to their current situation. "I mean I'm sure the Commander could have used your help up at the ExoGeni headquarters."

"You underestimate Shepard, Michael," Patrick said, his hand brushing against a warm wall. The whole lower level of the colony seemed to be alive. The air was moist from so many varren living together in such a tight space and the floors seemed to breathe every time Patrick took a step. Patrick found himself sweating underneath his armor, but was determined not to show any weakness in front of Michael. If the colonist could move quickly in the heat then Patrick would force himself to do the same. "Shepard has quite a resume. He's done the impossible."

Michael nodded, "We heard about how he is the first human Spectre. That was before the geth cut our communications."

"He's a good man," Patrick agreed as they continued their walk down the dark halls, the only light trickling from the cracks on the ceiling. Patrick could barely see Michael standing beside him and he knew if they were to run into any varren at that moment, they would be very easy prey.

"How long have you been serving underneath him?" Michael asked and Patrick wondered what was with the twenty questions before he felt his ally shaking beside him. The colonist was nervous! Patrick almost tripped in surprise as he realized the truth. Michael just wanted to keep Patrick talking. Noise was better than silence especially in a dark atmosphere.

"Only a couple of weeks, but the good thing about Shepard is that he really makes you feel like you've known each other forever. He is a charismatic individual." Patrick said honestly and the two of them walked in silence for a couple minutes until the sound of heavy breathing caused Patrick to stop, placing a firm hand on Michael's shoulder to tell him to stay silent. "Did you hear that?"

Before Michael could respond, Patrick felt himself topple over, some heavy object landing on his back. The dark creature clawed at Patrick's armor, but was unable to do anything except to press Patrick's face harder into the stone ground. "Shit! Get him off of me!"

Patrick tried to reach his pistol, but when he twitched his arm, the varren seemed to decide that the hand was the threat and jumped onto Patrick's arm. Patrick could hear Michael stumbling off him, trying to locate exactly where the varren was so he didn't accidentally shoot the Serviceman. "Just shoot the goddamn gun, Michael!"

There was a flash of the light as the bullet was shot out and Patrick felt the body fall onto his arm, practically crushing his fingers. "Shit, Serviceman, are you alright?"

Patrick managed to find Michael's hand and allowed the colonist to pull him to his feet, both of them panting heavily. With the faint light coming from the ceiling, Patrick bent down and examined the varren, "Do you think it's the brute everyone was talking about?"

Michael bent down to join Patrick, his fingers brushing against the rough skin of the dead creature, "I don't know a lot about varren, but this one does seem larger than normal ones."

"Should we continue and see if we run into anymore? If this is the brute then the attacks should sort of stop, but if it isn't…" Patrick's voice trailed off. "What do you think?"

Michael didn't say anything and Patrick glanced at the colonist, watching as his outline began to twitch and moan. "Michael…?"

Michael still didn't say anything and instead lifted the pistol. Even in the dark, Patrick knew it was aimed at him.

"Shit!" Patrick shouted, rolling away from Michael, "Shit! Shit! Shit! Michael, it's me!"

Michael stood up and began to limp towards Patrick, gun aimed directly at his head. Patrick scrambled backwards, grabbing his gun and aiming it at Michael. "Michael, stop!"

Michael didn't stop and Patrick closed his eyes. A shot rang out.

Patrick's eyes flew open and he watched Michael fall to the floor, clutching a wounded leg. Patrick sighed in relief as he realized that he hadn't killed Michael, but when the colonist tried to reach his fallen gun, the Serviceman knew he had to leave his ally. "Sorry Michael. I'll send someone to help you later." If there is anyone sane enough to help you…

Shit. Okay so the Thorian is exercising its control over the colonists. I still have control over my mind so maybe the indoctrination process takes longer than I originally thought. Or maybe its just Michael… it's been silent overhead so maybe the colonists are still normal. Shit. Okay so when the colonists fell under the Thorian's control, Shepard was… shit. Had the geth ship fallen yet? Is Shepard on his way back with news of the Thorian or does he not even know about the giant plant under Zhu's Hope? Shit. Maybe I should have gone with the Commander.

Patrick fought with his thoughts as he ran up the stairs, two at a time, anxiety clawing at his chest. Every time a thought trailed off or a memory seemed blurry, Patrick wondered if he was beginning to lose his mind, one step at a time. If he lost it then… would this Shepard, the Shepard that Patrick had gotten to know for weeks, save the colonists or kill them? Would Shepard save Patrick or kill him if he fell to the control of the Thorian?

Of course he would, Patrick thought to himself, Even if he didn't, I'm sure Kaidan would. He always tries to do the right thing, but would he disobey Shepard? Ashley definitely would try and convince Shepard to save him. She was probably one of his closest friends on the Normandy.

"Shit!" Patrick felt his feet slip from underneath him and his whole body slammed against the stone steps. The force of the fall vibrated through his whole armor and Patrick felt himself rolling over onto his back, lying in the thick heat of the Feros air.

Maybe I should just stay here… I won't have to shoot any of the colonists should I run into them and I won't get in the way of anyone. I can hide here with the varren and maybe try and find a way home. Maybe if I stop following the course of the game, I will just return home… with Lily… and Father… and…

"Serviceman Hamilton, can you read me? Serviceman Hamilton, are you there? Shit kid, answer me," Patrick sat up immediately as Joker's voice flowed through the com system, the light purr of the Normandy sounding behind the pilot's voice.

"Loud and clear, Joker," Patrick answered and he heard a sigh of relief from the other end.

"What's going on at the colony?" Joker asked, static cutting through his voice.

"What?"

"I said what's going on at the colony?" Joker repeated, "The colonists that were patrolling the landing dock seemed to have completely lost their minds. They started screaming like hell and they're clawing at the Normandy trying to get in."

"Indoctrination," Patrick whispered and then added, "Have you spoken with the Commander?"

"No," Joker answered, "I've lost complete contact with him."

"Keep trying to get in touch with him," Patrick said and then paused realizing it sounded like an order, adding, "Do you think that's the best plan?" Joker grunted an agreement and then Patrick suggested, "I'm going to see if I can Fai Dan and maybe see what's going on." If Fai Dan isn't already indoctrinated…

"Okay," Joker paused, "So I take it I can't tell Wrex he's allowed to shoot the colonists?"

"Do you want to piss the Commander off?" Patrick asked, pushing himself up on the ground. Even though he was nothing, but a lazy ass kid from Jersey, Patrick had enough sense not to piss Shepard off.

"Good point," Joker said and Patrick could almost see the pilot wincing, "Okay Joker out."

Patrick continued walking up the stairs and finally the light of the sun fell across his pale face. The hallway was deserted unlike an hour before when Patrick was taking out a horde of geth alongside Shepard. The sounds of battle seemed to still bounce off the stone walls and Patrick wondered if that was an omen for another fight approaching.

"Fai Dan?" Patrick called, his voice vibrating off the walls and echoing in the silence. "Is anyone here?"

There was some movement and Patrick whirled around, his pistol already aimed and ready to fire if necessary. Patrick was hoping he wouldn't have to fire his gun, but if he had to, hopefully there wouldn't be any human blood on his hands. He could deal with geth and when they caught up with Saren he would love to fire the killing shot, but could he actually shoot indoctrinated humans who in their own way were completely innocent?

A deep moaning came from behind a giant piece of stone and a tall, gray body stood up. At first Patrick thought it was a corpse somehow reanimated and then his next thought was that it was some gray husk. Its hands were long claws and black sockets were the closest thing the creature had to eyes.

"A real Thorian creeper," Patrick whispered in wonder, completely forgetting the danger he was in. The creeper turned and glared at Patrick, or what he assumed was a glare, and tipped its head back, green spews of who knows what flying at Patrick. The acidic plasma burned Patrick's skin through the armor and he swore, "Shit! Not good!"

Patrick lifted up his pistol and fired two shots, watching as the creeper slid to the ground and after a few spasms, the creature was dead. Patrick leaned forward and stared at the creeper, whispering, "And I thought Krogans were ugly."

"Noise… up… here…" A mechanical voice joined Patrick's and he stood up quickly, realizing that he could hear the light padding of feet walking up the staircase.

"Shit," Patrick backed up, but there was nothing around him except for the wall. Two colonists appeared, their faces white and damp with sweat, two pistols in their hands, pointed directly at Patrick. "Shit. Listen! I'm not the enemy here. You are being controlled!"

Whether they didn't hear him or they didn't understand, Patrick didn't know, but the colonists kept moving forward, aiming for Patrick's head. He lifted up his own pistol, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do. If he shot one and then quickly shot the other, he risked giving the first one time to reload and be able to kill him. Although if he killed them… Patrick didn't want that on his conscience even if they were nothing, but data.

Running was heard coming down a flight of stairs and Patrick barely blinked before a flash of green knocked him to his feet, his back landing hard on the ground. "What the hell?"

Patrick looked up at three figures that were moving around him, one of them bent over an unconscious colonist. "It worked, Commander. Lizbeth was right."

"Commander," Patrick pushed himself up once more and looked up at Shepard who was standing over Kaidan as he examined the colonist. "What the hell-?"

Patrick was cut off by Ashley who heaved him to his feet only to slam him against the wall, "Shit Ash! What was that for?"

"Williams, what are you doing?" Shepard demanded, walking over to Ashley and resting a hand on her shoulder.

"He could be indoctrinated, Commander," Ashley said, a pistol pointed directly at Patrick's head. It was then that Patrick realized his thoughts before were wrong. Shepard would most likely ask questions before shooting and he would never kill an ally. Ashley on the other hand was to shoot first and ask questions later.

"We left him here for an hour, Williams," Shepard said simply, nudging Ashley back a little bit so she had to release her grip on Patrick, "I'm sure he's fine. Right, Hamilton?"

"Yeah," Patrick said, rubbing his shoulder where Ashley had grabbed him. He certainly didn't want to intentionally piss her off. She might actually kill him. "I remember everything."

"Maybe we should question him," Kaidan suggested. Of course suspicious Alenko wouldn't trust him. More moaning came from the stairs and every unsheathed their weapons, knowing exactly what was coming.

"Later," Shepard ordered, "We have some old friends to deal with, but if he proves to be indoctrinated, you have my permission to shoot him, LT."

"Thanks Commander," Patrick said, but no one paid attention to him as they ran down the stairs, shooting at the horde of Thorian creepers that were running towards them. Patrick fired off shot after shot and with a smirk watched two Thorian creepers fall because of him. Everyone else was doing just as well and soon the hallway was silent once more and everyone was moving once again.

"So what happened after we left?" Shepard asked as they ran, checking behind every corner for a crouching creeper.

"I went down to the lower levels with Michael to see if we could kill that giant varren that the Chief and Lieutenant were talking about. I think we may have killed him, but then Michael started acting all odd and began shooting at me. I shot him in the leg and left him down there. He seemed to be fine and he still had his gun so if any varren came along he would be able to defend himself. After that, I talked to Joker and he was trying to get in contact with you."

Kaidan nodded, "We talked to him apparently right after he shut off contact with you. He was saying about how there were problems in the colony and the colonists were going completely insane."

Patrick nodded in agreement before asking, "So what happened at the ExoGeni headquarters?" It was a pointless question since Patrick already knew what had occurred, but still to keep his charade he had to ask.

"A lot of geth," Ashley answered, "I've never seen so much. Not even on Eden Prime."

"We also learned about a sentient plant, the Thorian, living under Zhu's Hope," Shepard explained as they walked down more stairs, "It has the ability to indoctrinate anyone who lives around it for too long."

"That's what happened to the colonists," Kaidan added unnecessarily.

"What should we do next, Commander?" Patrick asked and Shepard paused before answering,

"Lizbeth, an ExoGeni worker we ran into, gave us a couple gas grenades that should knock out the colonists," Shepard said, "It won't cure them though. I think the only way to help them is to completely destroy the Thorian."

"And that involves us going underneath Zhu's Hope," Ashley added.

There was a pause where the only sound was their boots hiding the stone floor. Silence continued for a couple more seconds until Patrick said, "The colonists aren't going to let you do that. They will rather die then let the Thorian come to harm."

"Hopefully we have enough grenades," Shepard whispered.

"And if we don't?" Patrick asked.

There was yet another pause and Shepard answered, "Leave that to me. All of you just focus on the Thorian creepers."

"Aye, aye skipper," Ashley said confidently. Patrick wished he shared the Chief's confidence.

As soon as they entered the colony half a dozen creepers stood up and ran towards them, claws outstretched while brainwashed colonists defended them from behind cover. Patrick fired at the creepers just as Shepard had told him to and as he concentrated on the human-like creatures, he heard an explosion and green fire seemed to appear out of no where. The four colonists that had been defending the creepers lay motionless, not moving except for their chests.

"I was skeptical at first, but those grenades really work," Kaidan observed as they moved to a console that would move the giant freighter, shielding the Thorian. Shepard nodded to Kaidan to activate it, but as soon as the lieutenant touched, a set of deep moaning was heard and everyone whirled around. Patrick knew who it was, but was still shocked to see Fai Dan, the leader of the colonists, looking so weak and helpless.

"It wants me to destroy you… but I can't," Fai Dan whispered, stumbling towards them with a pistol in his hand, "No… I won't!" Fai Dan lifted the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

"Shit!" Ashley shouted and took a step towards Fai Dan, but the colonist was already dead. "We could have helped him."

"He didn't know that," Patrick whispered, feeling very sick in the stomach as he stared at Fai Dan, "To him that was the best option."

"I wonder how he was able to stop the indoctrination process," Kaidan wondered out loud.

"He didn't stop it," Shepard said, "Not fully. He must have just had a stronger willpower then the other colonists."

Ashley sighed, "Let's just move this freighter. After we take care of the Thorian, we can make sure he receives a proper burial." There was a pause and Ashley whispered, "Poor Michael."

Kaidan activated the console and the freighter moved. They all walked towards the stairs and Patrick glanced down into the darkness before turning to Ashley, "Ladies first?"

Ashley stared at Patrick an eyebrow raised and he shrugged, "Okay me first."

Patrick walked down the stairs, the layout of the level clear in his mind. They wouldn't run into any creepers until after they saw the Thorian. Everyone followed him and Ashley kept in step with Patrick, shuddering beside him. Patrick gave her an odd glance and she explained, "I hate the dark."

And it was dark. It was a little bit lighter then when Patrick was with Michael, but it was still hard to see. Patrick was grateful that he could at least see Ashley and the others so he didn't end up shooting one of them. Shepard's words about giving Kaidan permission to shoot him should he prove to be indoctrinated rang in Patrick's ears. Shepard was loyal to his teammates, but he always worked towards the greater good… always.

As well as being dark, the level was hot as hell although that was expected. The air was stale from being shut away by the freighter and the new, cooler air didn't make much of a difference. A couple beads of sweat fell from Patrick's bangs and as they continued walking, he debated on taking off his armor. Surely being armorless didn't make much of a difference? Patrick knew he was wrong. A soldier's armor could be the thing that keeps him alive or sentences him to death.

So sweating in the dark was the option and as they walked down flights and flights of stairs, Patrick began thinking about the planets they would visit later on in the game. Noveria… with its snowy mountains and cool temperatures…

"It's quiet," Ashley observed.

"Yeah," Patrick nodded his head in agreement, "No creepers yet."

"Now we have to find," Patrick stopped right behind Kaidan and everyone else halted beside them. "To find…"

The Thorian was a hell lot uglier in person.

That was Patrick's first opinion. The Thorian was an ugly brown color with red scarring that showed its age. It had long stems, the same color as the rest of its body, falling down its figure like hair on a human.

"That's a plant?" Ashley asked in wonder and Patrick silently agreed. The Thorian seemed to be more animal-like then plant-like. Patrick knew, should he ever return home, he would never look at garden flowers the same way again.

"That's…" Shepard's voice trailed off as though he was looking for the right words to describe the Thorian. "Large. This could be problematic." Despite not wanting to, Patrick followed Shepard and took a couple more paces towards the Thorian.

"So…" Kaidan said, standing beside Ashley, "What do you think we should do?"

Patrick glanced at the lieutenant and shrugged, "Poke it?"

"Hold on," Ashley said, "It's doing something."

The Thorian had begun to convulse and everyone raised their guns towards its… mouth where an asari was being dropped down. Shepard raised his hand and ordered, "Don't shoot."

The asari clone, green due to living inside the Thorian, stood up and glared at them before saying, her speech slurred, "You are before the Thorian. It commands you to be in awe."

Patrick shared a glance with Shepard and the Commander stared the Thorian down, saying, "Um… hi." Shepard took a step forward, not even really looking at the asari, but focusing mainly on the Thorian. "Listen, you gave Saren something. Something I need."

"The Thorian is angry at your request! How dare you try to command it?" The asari shouted, "Saren gave the Thorian something in return for the Cipher. For the first time in thousands of years, the Thorian listened to organics and trades were made!"

"We can make a trade," Shepard said calmly despite having the asari shouting at him.

"No," The asari shook her head wildly, "The Thorian was betrayed by the one you call Saren. It will not be betrayed again. You must die!" The asari's body glowed blue and threw a biotic field at Shepard who rolled away, shouting,

"Everyone duck!"

Patrick didn't need telling twice and dropped to the floor beside Ashley as the asari readied to attack again. The sounds of a dozen feet thundered around them mixed with loud growls.

Ashley pushed herself up and helped Patrick get to his feet, hissing at her friend, "Great. I thought we were done with the creepers."

I didn't.

The next few seconds were a blur.

The creepers thundered in and soon Patrick was surrounded by a sea of gray, drowning in the stench of the Thorian's critters. The creepers were enough to deal with, but what made matters worse was the asari who kept throwing them around with her biotic abilities. Patrick was up against a wall with Ashley, his cold sweat making him completely forget about the unbearable heat, while Shepard and Kaidan were in the midst of the creepers. With all the creepers screaming and the gunshots going off, Patrick heard Shepard shout, "Kaidan, put a biotic field around us now!"

"I need space to do that, John!" No one even noticed that everyone was slipping into informalities. They were no longer Commander or Lieutenant or Chief or Serviceman, but four friends in a very difficult position.

"Shit!" Shepard shouted and then suddenly Patrick felt Ashley shove him towards the stairwell, the only part that didn't seem to be flooding with Thorian creepers.

"What the-"Patrick began, but Ashley cut him off,

"Just move, Patrick," Ashley ordered and then turned to shout at Shepard, "John, Kaidan, get to the stairwell!"

"Why?" Kaidan asked. Ah Kaidan, Patrick thought fondly, Always asking questions when someone is trying to save your ass.

"Follow orders, Kaidan," Shepard shouted and soon the four of them were sprinting towards the stairwell. "So what exactly did you have in mind, Ash?"

"Just this," Ashley said and despite the situation, Patrick saw his friend's pink lips turn upwards in a smirk. Ashley slowed down so that she was behind them and suddenly a grenade appeared in her hand. Had he been playing the game instead of living it, Patrick would have sworn that some glitch made her get the grenade so quickly. Ashley through it in the middle of the creepers and with a loud bang that had Patrick covering his ears, the gray figures fell to the ground.

(A/N: I felt like we needed someone Ashley time since its always Shepard or Patrick saving the day.)

"And that's how it's done," Ashley said with a grin while everyone was looking at the gunnery chief in surprise. No one had even thought about using a grenade. Not even the great Commander Shepard.

"Nice job, Williams," Shepard said, formalities setting back in now that they were out of danger.

"Real nice job," Patrick added, grinning at his closest friend. Ashley smiled back before glancing up the stairwell where a dozen crouched Thorian creepers waited to spring…

"Looks like we're not even close to being done though," Ashley said with a sigh although confidence was settling in. After taking out the massive swarm of creepers, the team felt like they could do anything.

The four of them began walking up the stairs, the creepers never stirring, not even when Patrick almost tripped over one in the dim light. As they walked, Shepard stopped them suddenly and all four of them stared at a giant stem-type thing latched onto a nearby wall. With his hand still raised in the motion to stop, Shepard wondered out loud, "What do you think it is?"

"I think they're some sort of object that's keeping the Thorian suspended," Patrick knew that his guess was correct and while he was trying to be careful about not giving away too much, he wanted to get above ground as soon as possible. He loved space. His body had easily adapted to the changing air in space yet he felt completely uncomfortable underground.

"So if we shoot them…" Ashley started with a grin, glancing at Shepard with excited amber eyes.

"The Thorian should come crashing down," Shepard finished before raising his rifle, pausing to glance at Ashley, "Williams, would you care to do the honors?"

"My pleasure," Ashley said with another small grin, taking out her own rifle and breathing quietly before a round of shots echoed in the small space. The Thorian screeched in either pain or fury and suddenly the stairwell was filled with screaming creepers.

"Shit," Shepard swore, "That backfired."

"Up the stairs, up the stairs," Kaidan shouted and everyone began sprinting, Patrick and Shepard bringing up the rear.

Patrick turned around and fired a single shot, taking off a creeper's head. How much he had improved since Eden Prime…

"Hell yes!" Patrick crowed and Shepard took down two with a handful of shots, pulling off an equally amazing kill.

"Great shot, kid, now don't get cocky," Shepard said as they ran, turning around and firing more and more shots. Patrick grinned and took down another creeper, the 'kid' comment not even bothering him. He used to be annoyed when Ashley saddled him with that title, but he was too focused on missions to care what people called him. How much he had grown up… Patrick was sure William wouldn't even recognize him if his father could see him now.

"Alenko, destroy that node," Shepard ordered and the lieutenant complied. Another round of screeching was heard from the Thorian and Patrick knew that even as they killed a dozen creepers, two dozen more would take their place.

The four of them sprinted up more stairs, killing creepers and shooting the nodes that- Patrick knew- would ultimately bring down the Thorian. Soon they approached the height of the Thorian's burrow and Patrick knew soon the giant creature would fall and Feros would someday be nothing, but a distant memory.

"Shit, another Asari clone," Kaidan brought everyone's attention to the green Asari who was marching towards them, dozens and dozens of creepers at her side.

"Great," Ashley groaned with a roll of her eyes, her previous confidence gone. Patrick knew that she was tired. Hell they were all exhausted. The Thorian was probably one of the most dangerous enemies they would have to face except for Sovereign, of course.

They all lifted their weapons and Shepard raised an arm to halt their fire until the creepers started screaming, racing towards the four Alliance soldiers. Bullets sprayed everywhere and Patrick switched his pistol for the sniper rifle that Kaidan had given him days ago. He took out a couple creepers, the aftershock of the shot ringing in his hears so loud that he didn't hear Shepard warn,

"She's throwing a biotic field."

Patrick lifted his head and glanced at the Commander, "Wa-"Patrick didn't finish his question due to the biotic field that slammed her into a stonewall, his head bashing against the rock.

For a moment Patrick just laid there, his eyes closed, until Ashley grabbed his arm and shouted, "Hamilton, get up! Get up now!"

Patrick felt Ashley yank him to his feet and he looked around at everyone near him. They were all blurs and even the dim light that surrounded them hurt his eyes. His blood was roaring in his ears and Patrick distantly heard Kaidan shout, "Shit, Commander, I think he's going to pass out."

"I'm fine," Patrick coughed, his voice not sounding normal at all. He reached up a touched his head, his hair coated in a thin layer of blood. The very action of lifting his hand hurt his ribs and he bent down to clench his stomach, wondering if he had broken any major bone. Despite his pain, he nodded and whispered, his voice extremely hoarse, "Let's keep moving."

"You just slammed your head into a fucking wall," Ashley explained as though Patrick was a little kid, "I think you should at least sit for a couple moments."

Patrick shook his head and opened his mouth to talk, but it was Shepard who spoke to Ashley, "He says he's fine and even if he wasn't where would we rest? In the middle of all the creepers? Sleep next to the Asari? We have to keep moving."

Ashley sighed, "You're right." She then turned to Patrick and wrapped an arm around his waist, "Lean on me. Shepard and Kaidan can cover us."

"Are you sure?" Patrick asked, feeling his legs almost give way as he tried to focus on Ashley.

He could barely see her smile as she said, "I'm just returning the favor. You watched my back on Eden Prime and if we die on this suicide mission, I don't want to have any debts."

Patrick laughed, the action hurting his side, and the group continued walking, Ashley being forced to stop every few moments to make sure Patrick was alright. He felt like shit, but he wasn't going to admit that. He wouldn't mess up the mission.

"Shit, more creepers," Kaidan suddenly called from his position up front. Patrick felt Ashley practically shove him to the ground and the sounds of battle surrounded him. Patrick closed his eyes and for a second, he passed out, but within a heartbeat Kaidan was shaking him awake, "Come on, Serviceman. Just think of a warm bed on the Normandy."

Patrick smiled weakly up at his friend and took Ashley's arm again as they all continued walking.

"There's another Thorian node," Shepard pointed out and Ashley took it out without even being asked. There was suddenly a loud roaring followed by a loud crash and Patrick smiled softly as he pictured the Thorian falling to it's death. "Well, we've got the Thorian taken care of."

"Good," Ashley grinned.

They walked for a little bit more after that and then there was nothing, but a dead end.

"Shit," Kaidan swore, but both Shepard and Patrick knew that the dead end wasn't so empty.

"Look at that thing on the wall," Shepard nodded towards a type of egg object that was being opened.

"Do we want to find out what that is?" Ashley asked, but it was too late. The violet Asari emerged.

"I'm free," She whispered as though not believing it, "I suppose I should thank you for releasing me."

Everyone's weapons were up in a heartbeat except for Patrick who knew they had nothing to fear from the Asari. She would help Shepard in ways that no one else could.

"Yes," Shepard answered cautiously, "Now just who have I freed?"

"My name is Shiala," She whispered, bowing her head to Shepard, "I am- I was a loyal servant of Matriarch Benezia."

"Shepard, if she's with Benezia then she's with Saren," Kaidan murmured.

"No," Shiala pleaded, shaking her head wildly, "I did follow Benezia and join with Saren, but after a time- after a time, you don't have a choice. You lose your will. I was nothing, but Saren's loyal servant when I came to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian and I gave him the Cipher."

"The Cipher?" Shepard asked and it was odd hearing the Commander sound so confused.

"One of you has received a Prothean vision similar to Saren's, but it is unclear to you. Having the Cipher would make it make more sense," Shiala explained, "Once Saren had what he wanted, and he ordered the Thorian to be destroyed, me along with it. He wanted to prevent you from getting the Cipher."

"The Thorian is gone now," Ashley said, "How can he get the Cipher?"

"Luckily while I was one with the Thorian, the Cipher was implanted into my own mind." Shiala answered, "I can give you the Cipher, Shepard, so you can better understand the Prothean vision."

For a second, Patrick was so absorbed in the conversation…

For a second, his pain made him forget things…

For a second, he forgot his unique place in the world…

For a second, he forgot that it wasn't Shepard who had the Prothean vision.

"Well tell us if it hurts or not, Hamilton," Shepard said with a crooked grin, resting a friendly hand on Patrick's shoulder as he nudged him towards Shiala who was looking confused,

"Saren was so sure that it was you, Commander Shepard, who had received the Prothean vision," Shiala said, "Saren's been ordering his followers to track down you."

"No I'm not that special," Shepard said with another grin, nudging Patrick forward once more.

Shiala nodded and took a step forward, placing two hands onto Patrick's shoulders and whispering, "Try to relax, Hamilton. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grab the ties that bind us, one to another." Shiala moved slightly closer, "Every action sends ripples across the galaxy, every idea must touch another mind to live, and each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Hamilton. Embrace eternity!"

Shiala's eyes turned black and she threw her head backwards as though she was laughing. And it was then that Patrick saw the vision.

A statue sheltered underneath the stone walls of a building…

Broken machines…

Real machines… were destroying Protheans…

Sovereign…

Illos…

Patrick opened his eyes to find Shiala staring at him with wide, scared eyes.

"What?" She whispered, backing away slowly, "That… that's impossible."

Patrick froze with understanding. As well as seeing the Prothean vision that was burned in his mind, Shiala would have also seen all his past memories… she would know that he wasn't from their world.

"Please Shiala," He whispered, glancing nervously at Shepard and his crew.

Shiala nodded in understanding. As well as seeing the truth, she would know that he wanted to keep it secret from Shepard and the others. At least for the time being. Patrick bowed his head and whispered, "Thank you."

Shiala seemed to compose herself and she continued on as though nothing had happened, "I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."

"Are you alright?" Kaidan asked, taking a step forward, "What happened?"

Patrick turned to look at the lieutenant. Out of everyone on Shepard's crew, the already suspicious Kaidan Alenko was the last one Patrick wanted to know the truth. If Kaidan were to find out, by himself, then his loyalty to Shepard and the Alliance would force him to tell the truth.

"I saw… I still don't know what I saw. It didn't make any sense still," Patrick lied.

"You have been given a great gift," Shiala added, "The experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process this information."

"We should get you back to the ship, Serviceman," Ashley whispered, "Medical needs to know about this."

"I am sorry if you have suffered, but it was the only way," Shiala whispered, "You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon."

"Now that you are free of the Thorian, what are you planning on doing next?" Shepard asked curiously.

"If you allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists," Shiala answered, "They have suffered generally, and I played a role in their suffering. I would like to make amends."

"The colonists need all the help they can get," Shepard said with a nod, "They'll be happy to have you on their side."

Patrick nodded and the action made him remember the pain that he had been experiencing before receiving the Cipher. The pain came roaring back and the last thing he heard before passing out was everyone shouting his name.

Author's Note: Oh my god. God awful chapter. I wrote this one three times (hence the delay) but I was never satisfied with it. Ah well. What can you do? Please review.