Cade led Tali and Liara through Port Hanshan towards the garage. He saw Liara glance out of the windows, an apprehensive look on her face. Cade knew what she was thinking. The blizzard was still going strong and they had to get across the mountains in it. He would never show it, but Cade was very uneasy over the whole situation. He wasn't the best driver in the group; he drove too fast and usually ended up stuck at a crazy angle, or hitting bumps too hard and damaging the Mako. Maybe he should have brought Allegra. She had a real knack for handling vehicles.

Finally arriving at the door to the garage, Cade showed the guard stationed there his pass, then walked on through. He stopped almost immediately. Something just didn't seem quite right. . .

Gunfire suddenly just missed his head, bouncing off his shields. He brought up his gun, searching for the source of the fire.

"Geth!" Tali cried, realizing what they were up against.

As they dived for cover, Cade could make out two geth destroyers towards the back of the garage, a shock trooper up on a ledge to the left, and a hopper on the ceiling above them.

Liara sent a surge of biotics towards the geth on the ledge as Tali took down the hopper. Cade checked the position of the destroyers, then, with a deep breath, he lunged from cover, running full out towards the geth, dodging their gunfire. He took the first one down as he ran towards them. The second geth's shots ripped through his shields as he hurried for cover. He stayed hidden for a few moments, long enough to let his shields build up power. Then he pulled out his shotgun and broke cover, finishing off the destroyer with a few well aimed shots to the head.

Cade fell back against the wall, breathing heavily. His chest burned with each breath he took. Tali and Liara approached him as he was fumbling the medigel out of his armor.

"Oh, Commander!" Liara gasped as she noticed he had been hit.

"Here, Shepard, let me," Tali ordered, nimbly grabbing the medigel from Cade's hands and applying it to his wounds.

Cade sighed with relief as the medigel soothed the burn. Soon he felt as good as new. Luckily, he had just been grazed and hadn't ended up with any serious injuries. Allegra would have killed him if he had gotten hurt.

"What did you do here, Commander?" a voice shouted.

Cade, Liara, and Tali looked towards the garage's entrance. Captain Matsuo stood there, shocked at the scene laid out before her.

"The geth ambushed us," Cade explained, standing upright. "We fought back. That's it."

"Geth?" Matsuo repeated. "You expect me to. . . Where did they come from?"

"Benezia must have had them in those shipping containers she arrived with," Tali suggested.

"I don't believe that," Matsuo insisted. "We did thorough scans of those. There were no power sources, no element zero masses. If Benezia's containers were packed with those things, there are many more out there."

"We've fought geth before," Cade said. "We'll take care of them for you."

"I appreciate that. My people are good, but few of them have combat experience." Matsuo heaved a heavy sigh. "I must report to the Executive Board. If word gets out about loose geth there may be an investor panic." With that, Matsuo took her leave, leaving two guards stationed at the door.

Cade led Tali and Liara to a Mako parked near one of the garage's outer doors. They all climbed aboard and braced themselves for the blizzard and Peak 15. With the newly added threat of geth, they had a lot to be worried about.

Allegra paced restlessly through Cade's room. She hoped he was all right. Not only did he have to fight his way through a blizzard across a mountain, but he was going to be facing the very powerful Benezia. Sure, he had a biotic of his own on his team, but it was Liara. They still didn't know if they could trust her. Besides, they would be fighting her mother. What if Liara refused to help Cade and Tali? What if she sided with Benezia?

The knock on the door startled Allegra. She hurried to unlock it, thinking maybe someone had heard from Cade, or maybe it was Cade himself!

Kaidan stood on the other side of the door. He visibly relaxed when he saw her. "I've been looking for you everywhere," he said. "I was beginning to think you had run off to Peak 15 by yourself. Cade would've murdered me. I'm supposed to be keeping an eye on you."

"What?" Allegra questioned. "He asked you to babysit me?"

"He didn't want you getting into any trouble. . ." Kaidan replied.

Allegra rolled her eyes as she moved aside so Kaidan could enter the room. The door shut behind him, leaving them very much alone.

"He should have taken me along," Allegra said. "How can I protect him if I'm not with him?"

"It's not your job to protect him."

"He's my brother, Kaidan. I can't just sit back and let him do all the dangerous stuff. And what if T'Soni turns on him? He only has Tali with him. The two of them couldn't take on two biotics plus whatever other cronies Benezia has with her."

"I don't think Liara will turn on him," Kaidan protested. "She's not like that."

"Oh? And how is it you know her so well?" Allegra asked, folding her arms across her chest.

Kaidan looked over at her amusedly. "Are you jealous?" he asked incredulously.

"What? No!" Allegra cried, fervently hoping she wouldn't blush.

"You sound jealous."

"Why would I be jealous? You said yourself you like the adventurous type. Plus Joker told me that you-" She cut herself off just in time. No need for Kaidan to be aware that Allegra knew he liked her.

Kaidan frowned. "What did Joker tell you?"

"Nothing. Just forget I said anything."

"Allegra, I want to know."

Damn, he just had to use her first name. Did he know how good her name sounded on his lips?

"He told me you're hopelessly infatuated with me," Allegra heard herself say.

Kaidan's cheeks slowly turned red. He was so cute when he was embarrassed.

"Don't be embarrassed," Allegra said, stepping towards him. "I think it's sweet."

"Sweet?" he scoffed. "Great. A girl like you doesn't want sweet. You want someone big and strong and heroic."

"You are big and strong and heroic," Allegra replied, grinning. "And also a million other things which I could take the time to list, but I won't because I just want to do this."

And she reached up to pull his head down, kissing him firmly on the lips.

Kaidan responded quickly, wrapping his strong arms around her waist and pulling her more tightly against him. They attacked each other's lips with a passion brought on by the last few weeks of wanting each other. Allegra ran her hands through his hair, massaging his scalp as their tongues wrestled. Kaidan dropped a hand to her butt, gently squeezing as he placed fiery kisses down her throat. Allegra rubbed against his hard body, longing for more.

It was that realization that made her push away from him. Kaidan stared down at her, breathing heavily, fully aroused, and thoroughly confused.

"I can't do this," Allegra muttered. "Fuck, Kaidan, I'm your superior! There are rules against this! We could be kicked out of the Alliance."

"You're right," he sighed, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "We've devoted our lives to the Alliance. We can't risk it."

"I'm sorry," she said miserably. "I really want to, but. . ."

"We can't," he finished for her.

"God damn fucking protocol," she cursed. "You should probably get back to work," she muttered.

Kaidan nodded. He paused by the doorway. "Cade will be fine, Legs. Just try to relax for once." He gave her a brief smile, then headed to his usual workplace.

Allegra stared after him, thinking about the nickname he had just used for her. Legs. She kind of liked it.

Now if only she actually could relax.

Ashley headed towards the mess. She was in a sour mood ever since Cade hadn't deemed her worthy enough to join him on Peak 15. It didn't make any sense. . . Liara got to go but Ashley had to stay and guard the Normandy. Even Tali got to go with Cade, but Ashley wasn't allowed.

Entering the mess, she spied Allegra sitting at the table. The glare on the commander's face was an effective shield between her and the other crew members. Ashley wasn't affected. She sat down next to Allegra, uttering a gloomy, "Hey, Commander."

Allegra looked over at her. "I would have taken you," she said.

"What?" Ashley asked in surprise.

"You know, if I was Cade. Or if I was allowed to lead," she added. "I would have taken you because you know how to fight and you're good at it. And I would have taken me because, well, it's me."

"So why didn't Cade take us?" Ashley wondered.

"Because he's a blind asshole?" Allegra replied.

Ashley grinned.

"I can't believe he took T'Soni."

Ashley nodded furiously. "Right? I don't trust her."

"Me neither. If she has to choose between her mother and us. . . well, who would you pick?"

"Exactly."

"And then he's like, 'If I have to kill Benezia, I think Liara would like to say goodbye,'" Allegra continued, mimicking Cade. "Okay, if she's telling the truth about not speaking to her mother in years, then what makes him think she'll want to say goodbye? Maybe she's already said her goodbyes."

"Sounds like he's making excuses."

Allegra growled in frustration. "Maybe we should change subjects. I'm getting very pissed off."

"You could tell me what's going on between you and LT," Ashley suggested, trying to look innocent.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Allegra replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Come on, Commander," Ashley protested. "I've seen you two looking at each other. He's pretty cute; I don't blame you for being interested."

"Even if I was 'interested', I can't do anything. There are rules, you know."

"You're kidding me," Ashley laughed. "Seriously? The Butcher of Torfan is telling me she won't do something because of the rules? I thought you were supposed to be the fuck 'em type."

Allegra frowned at that. "I'm not a horrible person," she said softly.

"I didn't say you were," Ashley insisted. "I always just figured you looked at rules as things that were meant to be broken. Especially for something simple like fraternizing."

Allegra was silent for a minute, then she looked over at Ashley very seriously. "If I tell you something, will you keep it a secret?"

"Of course," Ashley replied. She had never been one to blab.

"I might be using the fraternizing rule as an excuse to deter Kaidan."

"What? Why?"

"I've never had such a nice guy like me before. I tend to attract the rogue, devil-may-care attitude types. I don't know how to act around Kaidan. I don't want to hurt him."

"How do you usually treat guys who like you?"

"Fuck them, then find an excuse to have to leave right away. One reason I don't date military types; they'll know when I'm bullshitting missions."

"Well, obviously, if you sleep with LT you're not going to be able to escape. We're all stuck on this ship together," Ashley commented. "Do you want my advice?"

"Sure."

"Be the Allegra Shepard you're rumored to be. Fuck the rules and go after what you want. We're on an incredibly dangerous mission; you never know what's around the next corner. This could all be over tomorrow and you don't want to look back and have regrets. Besides, Alenko's a big boy; he can handle himself."

Allegra smiled wryly at Ashley. "Maybe you should listen to your own advice, Chief. Cade will never know you like him if you don't tell him."

Ashley became uncomfortably aware that she was blushing. "It's not the same thing. Cade is just an innocent crush. You and Kaidan have the potential to be something real."

"Whatever you say, Ash."

The two women lapsed into silence. Ashley tried to imagine herself going up to Cade and announcing that she wanted to do the nasty with him. She was sure he'd laugh her off, thinking she was joking. He would never go for a girl like Ashley. Especially not when there was someone like Liara around.

Allegra slammed her hand down on the table, startling Ashley. "Okay, grab your armor and weapons. We're going," she decided.

"Going where?" Ashley asked.

"To help Cade. He can't do this mission alone."

Ashley jumped up. "Yes, ma'am!" she said excitedly. "This is a great idea."

The two of them made their way to their lockers on the lower deck. They quickly suited up and grabbed their weapons, then quietly made their way through the Normandy to the airlock. They had decided to try to avoid as many of the crew as they could so no one would try to stop them. Also, Allegra was sure Cade would be angry that she hadn't followed his orders and she didn't want the crew to be punished unnecessarily.

Finally they were past the airlock and running towards the entrance to the port.

"Commander," Ashley began as they slowed to a walk at the doors, "won't we need a pass to get into the garage?"

"Never fear, Ash," Allegra replied with a devious grin. "I have a plan. But we'll need to make a quick stop."

When they reached the main level of the port, Allegra led them towards the hotel's bar.

"You need a drink to bolster your courage?" Ashley asked.

Allegra laughed. Then she spotted her target. "Lorik," she greeted, sidling up to the turian, glad he was still out getting drunk. "How's my old friend doing?"

Lorik Qui'in looked the two of them over warily. "Can I help you with something, Shepard?"

"Why Lorik, I can't believe you don't remember. We had a deal," Allegra stated casually.

He looked back at her blankly.

"I got you that information from your offices. You owe me a garage pass."

"Yes, but you gave the date to an internal affairs agent. I don't owe you anything."

"You never specified you had to keep the data. Just that we get it."

Lorik didn't look convinced.

"Look, Qui'in, I killed all those guards to get that data. Do you really think I'd hesitate before killing you?"

"But the trial-"

"Like I care what happens to Anoleis," Allegra interrupted. "I'll be long gone from Noveria shortly."

Lorik grumbled something under his breath, then dug his pass from his pocket. He tossed it to Allegra. "Now leave me alone."

"Sure thing."

Ashley and Allegra hurried from the bar. Ashley was amused by the way Allegra had handled the situation. She was still giggling when they reached the garage and Allegra showed their pass to the guards stationed there.

The first guard seemed wary to let them through. The second guard came over to see what the holdup was.

"She's with the Spectre," the second guard said, recognizing Allegra. "They can handle themselves."

"Handle ourselves against what?" Allegra asked.

"Commander Shepard was ambushed by geth in the garage," the first guard explained.

"He took care of them easily," the second guard assured at the looks of shock and horror that appeared on the women's faces. "But there's most likely more geth on Peak 15, if Matriarch Benezia is in fact the one that brought them."

"It's a good thing we decided to follow him," Ashley whispered to Allegra.

Allegra nodded. "Is there a Mako we can use to get out to Peak 15?" she asked the guards.

They pointed out which vehicle she could use. Allegra hopped into the driver's seat and Ashley took the seat next to her. One of the guards opened the garage door for them, and Allegra drove slowly out onto the road.

The blizzard had died down quite a bit, even though the wind was still blowing the snow around, limiting visibility. Allegra was glad she was an experienced driver; being afraid you might actually drive off the side of a cliff might make you actually drive off the side of a cliff.

They passed through the mountains easily. Along the way they saw evidence of a firefight between (now destroyed) geth and Cade's team. The more geth they saw, the more worried they became. Finally they arrived at Peak 15's garage. Cade's Mako was parked outside near a Grizzly that was on fire.

"Well, isn't that a comforting sight," Ashley commented.

Allegra led the way into the garage, where they came face to face with more destroyed geth, and even some krogan.

"Geez, they even had Juggernauts with them," Ashley muttered, kicking one of the geth.

They continued through the building, a lot of which was covered in snow. In what must have been a cafeteria, they found the bodies of a much more organic species.

"What the hell is this?" Ashley asked, peering down at one.

"It looks like a rachni," Allegra replied. "But that's crazy; the rachni have been extinct for centuries."

"Yeah, well, it was also strange that the geth traveled beyond the Veil," Ashley put in.

"Good point."

Allegra led her further into the building. Eventually they reached the tram that would take them to Rift station. Ashley followed Allegra onto the tram, praying that Cade was all right, that the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach was just her imagination.

As the tram pulled up to Rift station, Allegra tried to force her mind off of the possibility of there being rachni still alive. Was it a natural occurrence, or did the scientists here have something to do with it? And if so, why would they want to create more rachni?

After they had taken an elevator up a level, they found themselves looking at the wrong end of a bunch of guns. Allegra and Ashley held their hands up in surrender.

"Stand down," the man in charge said. "Are you with that other guy who came through here? Shepard?"

"Yes," Allegra replied. "Do you know where he is?"

"He went to find that asari Matriarch down in the maintenance area," the captain explained. "I knew he was going to need more people with him."

"How do I get down there?" Allegra asked.

The captain gave her directions then sent them on their way.

"I guess Cade has done all the hard work already," Ashley said as they scurried away.

"Don't be too sure about that," Allegra commented.

The two women made quick work getting to the maintenance area. They avoided the other inhabitants of the station as much as they could, not wanting to be stopped unnecessarily. Allegra grew increasingly more worried the further they traveled.

They heard the gunfire before they reached the secure lab. Ashley shot Allegra a look as they cautiously approached the door.

"We don't know what we'll find," Allegra warned. "T'Soni may or may not have turned. If it shoots you or Cade, shoot back."

"Aye, aye," Ashley agreed.

They opened the door and slipped inside. In the utter chaos they found themselves in, no one noticed them.

Allegra quickly assessed the situation. Cade, Tali, and Liara were pinned down in the far corner. It looked as though Liara was still on their side. Benezia stood on a platform in the middle of the room, a massive biotic shield protecting her. A couple krogan mercenaries and some asari commandos prowled the room, shooting continuously at Cade's team.

Allegra and Ashley took cover behind some crates. "Don't let them see you," Allegra hissed. "Surprise is our biggest advantage."

Ashley nodded, quickly aimed at the nearby krogan, then ducked back behind cover before anyone was the wiser.

Allegra noticed one of the asari commandos approaching Cade's cover. She fired a quick spurt from her assault rifle and the asari went down. Together, the two women took down more of the commandos. Cade and his team, now that half of their attackers were dead, were able to finally get their own shots off and quickly finished the rest. Then they focused their fire on Benezia, weakening her shields.

One well-aimed shot from Allegra later, Benezia's shields were down and, injured, the Matriarch fell to the floor.

"Allegra?" Cade said in surprise as Allegra and Ashley emerged from cover. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass apparently," she replied.

"I have to admit you have great timing," Cade said. "I. . . I should be angry at you for disobeying my orders, but. . . if you hadn't come. . ."

"I know," she said softly.

"Thank you."

"This is not over!" Benezia shouted from the platform. Allegra, Cade, Ashley, Tali, and Liara hurried over. Benezia was pushing herself up from the ground. "Saren is unstoppable," the Matriarch continued. "My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear."

"I expected better from asari commandos," Allegra called.

Benezia turned to her. "I will not betray him. You will. . . you. . ." She stumbled slightly and clutched her head. With a loud groan, she straightened again, looking earnestly at Cade and Allegra. "You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is strong."

Cade and Allegra looked at each other in confusion.

"Why are you able to break free of his control now?" Cade asked.

"I sealed a part of my mind away from the indoctrination. Saving it for a moment when I could help destroy him. It will not last long."

"You chose to join with Saren," Allegra said to Benezia. "You just got more than you bargained for."

"It is a terror to be trapped in your mind," Benezia replied. "To beat upon the glass as your hands torture and murder. I was powerless; nothing but a tool for Saren. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago."

"How does something that big go missing?" Allegra wondered.

"Four thousand years ago, a star nearby went supernova. The shockwave propelled the relay out of its system, but did not damage it. Its precise vector and speed are impossible to determine. As millennia passed, the nebula created by the nova enveloped the relay. It is difficult to find any cold object in interstellar space. Particularly something swathed in hot dust and radiation."

"Lovely," Allegra muttered.

"Can I assume you found the coordinates?" Cade asked.

"Two thousand years ago, the rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. The rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen's mind. I was not gentle."

"You have to give us the location," Cade insisted.

"I transcribed the date to an OSD. Take it. Please," Benezia said, walking up to Cade and handing him the disc.

"Knowing the relay's location isn't enough. We need to know where to go from there," Tali pointed out.

"Saren wouldn't tell me his destination," Benezia continued. "But you must find out quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to him before you arrived."

"Again: lovely," Allegra scoffed.

"You have to stop. . . me," Benezia struggled to say. "I can't. . . his teeth are at my ear, fingers on my spine. You should. . . you should. . ." She retreated from them, shaking her head. Then, suddenly, with a surge of biotic energy, Benezia looked up and shouted, "Die!"

"Damn it," Allegra groaned as they all retreated to cover. "So much for this being easy."

Cade chuckled darkly. "It's never easy for us," he replied.

"Can we do anything about that damn biotic shield?" Allegra yelled as she fired at Benezia.

"We just have to weaken it," Cade called back.

"Anyone got a grenade?" Allegra asked, ducking back behind a crate.

Liara looked over at her sharply. "She is my mother," she hissed.

"And she's trying to kill us," Allegra hissed back.

"I've got it," Ashley called, throwing a grenade onto the platform. "Hit the deck!"

Everyone hunkered down behind their cover as the grenade exploded. Benezia uttered a horrifying scream and Cade announced her shields were down. Allegra nodded to Ashley and Tali, and, together, the three of them emerged from cover, firing at Benezia. They aimed for her legs, easily taking her down now that she was too weak for biotics.

As Benezia slumped once more to the ground, Cade and Liara joined them on the platform.

"I cannot go on. You will have to stop him," Benezia groaned.

"First you turn on the Council, now on Saren. You're not loyal to anything, are you?" Allegra scoffed.

"I suppose that is how history will know me." Benezia clutched her side and shuddered.

"Mother!" Liara gasped.

"Good night, Little Wing. I will see you again with the dawn." Benezia started murmuring something about there being no light as her eyes rolled back into her head.

Liara let out a strangled sob and buried herself into Cade's arms. Cade glanced around at the other women as he patted Liara awkwardly on the back.

Allegra looked away from them, her eyes coming to rest on what was being kept inside the chamber next to the platform. "What the hell is that?" she blurted.

"It is the rachni queen," Tali told her as Allegra stepped closer to the glass.

"Frickin' huge," Allegra muttered, leaning closer.

The rachni queen suddenly lunged at Allegra, its grotesque mouth attaching to the glass. Allegra stumbled back in shock, running straight into one of the dead asari commandos who was standing just behind her.

"Fuck!" Allegra gasped, immediately bringing up her gun. She saw the rest of the team do the same, even Liara, though her pistol was shaking in her hands.

The dead commando walked jerkily over to where the rachni queen still held onto the glass, then turned to face the group. "This one serves as our voice," she began haltingly. "We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Allegra said to the commando. "We filled you with enough plasma to pop a tank. How are you still alive?"

"This vessel is at the edge. Yet she struggles. You cannot see her magnificence. We are breathing the embers. We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni."

"Is anyone else understanding this?" Allegra asked to the group assembled behind her.

Cade stepped up next to her, his attention divided between the rachni queen and the asari commando. "The queen is talking through the asari," he said in awe. "Did you order your people to kill the science team?" he asked.

"No," the rachni replied. "We were locked away here. The children are beyond our songs. They have been lost to silence. The children we birthed were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. They are lost to silence. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are."

"All right," Cade agreed. "I don't think they'll give me a choice anyway."

"Before you deal with our children, we stand before you," the rachni continued. "What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"

"Commander," Ashley spoke up, "I don't trust this thing. We know its kind are killers. The tank is rigged with acid. I recommend using it."

Liara shook her head. "They made a mistake. They let the krogan go too far. This is a chance for us to atone. She had done nothing to us."

Cade turned to Tali and Allegra.

"They wouldn't have installed the acid tanks if they weren't afraid of the consequences of her getting loose," Tali said.

"I agree with Ash and Tali," Allegra said. "The rachni are aggressive; they once threatened every species in Citadel space. Why should we let even one loose?"

"Your companions hear the truth," the rachni queen said. "You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory.

"If I let you live, would you attack other races again?" Cade asked.

"No! We. . . I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard discordance, songs the color of oily shadows. We would seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps we would return."

Allegra looked at Cade. "Don't even think about it," she warned. "If you let that thing go, you could be signing a death warrant for every living thing in the galaxy."

"What if she's telling the truth?" Cade asked.

"Can we afford to take that chance?" Tali asked.

Cade rubbed the spot of skin between his eyes in irritation. "Make your peace with the galaxy," he said after a moment. "The rachni are a dead race."

"No!" Liara cried. "Stop feeling and think! Even if you disagree with asari morals, you must see she could be an ally!"

"Is our kind so frightening?" the rachni asked. "You would seek our silence if you cannot muffle our songs? If you cannot have us as your obedient claws?"

"This time stay dead!" Allegra growled.

"We will not embrace the great silence!"

The asari commando charged to the console next to the tank, about to hit the release mechanism. With a loud shout, Allegra leaped over and shoved the commando roughly out of the way. She quickly accessed the terminal, opening the tanks of acid, allowing it to spill into the container, killing the rachni queen.

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the group. Cade led them out of the lab, back into the maintenance area. They took the nearby elevator, which led them to the hot labs. They arrived into a nearly completely empty room. Only one man, seated in a chair in the middle of the room, greeted them.

"Are you here to secure the situation?" the man asked in a heavy accent as they approached him.

"If by 'secure' you mean 'shoot every monster we see,' sure," Allegra quipped.

"I am certain you are having strong feelings," the scientist replied. "But what has happened here, it is our fault. You understand?"

"You let these things out?" Cade questioned.

"I am only following the orders! Binary Helix found an egg. It was on a derelict ship, thousands of years drifting. This was rachni ship. Inside they find many eggs in cryogenic suspension."

"A thousand-year-old egg hatched?" Allegra said in disbelief.

"Yes," the scientist said. "Very tough, to be so long frozen. That it survived the centuries – this is miraculous."

"I'm not sure I would qualify this as a miracle," Ashley said.

Allegra nodded her agreement.

The scientist told them about Binary Helix's plans to create a rachni army until they discovered the frozen egg was a rachni queen. Apparently the queen laid eggs and the scientists thought that by separating them from the queen they would be able to raise the babies to be obedient. Of course, that turned out to be the exact opposite of what they should have done, and the baby rachni grew up to be uncontrollable. The scientist told them the rachni needed to be neutralized with a neutron purge; it was the only way.

"How do we activate the neutron purge?" Cade asked.

"Arming controls are nearby," the scientist said. "All you do is insert the key. Then I will give Mira destruct code-"

The scientist was cut off as a huge rachni arm suddenly burst through the middle of his chest. The group collectively jumped backwards as a giant rachni appeared behind the scientist. They all immediately brought up their guns and started firing at the rachni, jumping away from its flailing arms.

After a few tense minutes, the rachni finally collapse on the ground.

"We need to get the scientist's destruct code," Tali announced.

Allegra nodded and hurried to the scientist's body. She searched his pockets, successfully finding the codes. Then they found a Mira terminal in the next room. Allegra inserted the destruct code and Mira began the sequence for the neutron purge, which left them 120 seconds to escape the station.

They all immediately turned and hightailed it out of the room. They hadn't gone far before they ran across more rachni.

"We don't have time for this!" Ashley roared, blasting the head off one of the rachni.

"Fight through them!" Cade ordered, lunging into the fray, avoiding claws and gunfire.

The group followed his lead, making a messy exit. As they reached the elevator, Liara cried, "I hope everyone else got out all right!"

"Well we don't have time to go search for them, do we?" Ashley replied, shoving Liara into the elevator.

They didn't breathe until they had all made it to the tram station.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Cade suggested.