Disclaimer: I own only my OCs…

A/N: You know… two reviews is kind of pathetic, you guys… because of this, I'm losing morale pretty quick… Anyway, let's get to the story, everyone.

Testing Abilities

"My brother's going to get me eaten… by a Thresher Maw." I whined quietly, slumping a little. She looked shocked then confused as she continued to gaze at me.

"What do you mean, eaten?" she asked, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Do you want to come and find out?" I offered, starting for the door. She followed wordlessly behind as we went to the cargo bay. Shepard was already there with Jake and Ashley, getting the mako ready. She said Liara could come, but she'd have to stick with the main team. It being Shepard and Ashley. Jake and I would be the decoys, much to everyone's chagrin. It was nice to know they at least cared if we'd die.

When Wrex overheard the plan, he stomped up to me and just stared. I wasn't sure if he was doing that for a reason or not, but it made me feel naked. His scrutinizing got Shepard to step in and ask what was up, but the warlord just grunted as if satisfied and walked off. It was a little anticlimactic.

"Drop in 3…2..." Shepard counted down, prepping the jets. The cargo bay doors slid open and Shepard edged the mako to the end of the bay. Suddenly, she gunned the accelerator, throwing us out of the ship. We plummeted towards the ground at such high speeds, I felt my stomach climbing to my throat and I shook around in my seat haphazardly. It was definitely fun, but it was kind of ruined at Jake's maniacal laughter.

We jerked in our seats as the jets powered on and slowed our descent. As the mako hit the ground, we juggled around a bit. I felt pressure release from my arm that I didn't realize was there before and looked down to see Liara's hand had had a death grip on my forearm while we fell. I looked at her and smiled reassuringly as she took a deep breath to calm down. Jake saw the whole thing apparently and stared at me with such a lecherous grin, I blushed.

As Shepard drove us around, it became an apparent fact that she was one of the worst drivers out there. She hit pretty much every bump and boulder along the road! I could see Ashley trying to keep her breakfast down and Jake gripping the bars of the seat. Liara had returned to grabbing my forearm as if to make sure we wouldn't fall out of our seats or something. It was humorous to see the faces she made at each jolt.

After what seemed like forever, we arrived at our location. Shepard stopped the vehicle at a cliff overlooking the flat area. She turned to my brother and I and had a look of concern on her face.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked. Jake and I stood in the mako and he opened the hatch, climbing out. I turned to her and nodded, then joined Jake outside, closing the hatch behind me. We walked to the back of the roof of the mako and braced ourselves. I thought my helmet would come in handy, and, as I thought that, it clicked and opened, encircling my head. I saw it turn on and activate, the HUD fading so I couldn't see it. It was as if the helmet wasn't even there, but as I looked to the bottom right, I saw bars indicating energy level and such. I wondered briefly if it had read my mind somehow.

"Ready?" Shepard asked over our comm. She didn't sound too happy from what I could hear. I could understand that since she told me earlier in the day that even though she wasn't at Akuze, she lost a good friend who was there. I could tell she hated Thresher Maws, but I didn't want her to get herself hurt because she tried to get revenge. I just had to hope this plan wouldn't kill me.

"Ready." I answered, the mako then started to slowly back up, ascending the hill behind it to get higher ground. Jake immediately wrapped his arm around my waist, hoisting me up. He put his other arm under my thighs, so he was holding me like a Gatling gun. Instantly, Shepard revved the engine, throwing us off the cliff, into the air. Just as we sailed into the air, the Thresher Maw erupted from the surface, poised to strike.

"Good luck." Jake whispered, turning in a circle to gain momentum. As he turned the second time, he launched me toward the giant creature. I forced my mind to clear as I flew toward it, then let out a roar as the monster engulfed me in it's maw.

…

Liara watched in horror as her closest friend on the Normandy jumped into the giant creature's mouth. She couldn't help but feel a great loss, thinking she was truly just eaten. The mako was completely silent as they saw it unfold. Avaera had released a monstrous roar in defiance just before she was consumed. Tears threatened her eyes as she struggled to keep calm. She saw Jake launch himself into the air and pull out an AR, immediately firing upon the giant creature.

They landed by the beacon and dead soldiers after what seemed like an eternity later. They got out of the vehicle quickly and headed for the beacon. Shepard immediately destroyed it with her own AR, holding the trigger down as she screamed at it. Liara could see the rage and sorrow in her eyes as she stopped firing only when her weapon overheated.

Ashley was silent, but the anger on her face showed what words couldn't. Liara forced herself to look at the Maw that Jake was engaged with. He had gotten it a safe distance away and continued to tear at it and draw it's attention. How could Avaera do this? She got herself killed for nothing! Liara's hands shook as she tried to control herself, but her biotics reacted to her anger and flared to life.

…

"This thing is disgusting!" I growled, struggling to concentrate. I had luckily been swallowed whole, so the damn Thresher had yet to kill me. I mean sure, it already ate me, but that was the plan. But that was the easy part. I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the smell and forced myself to reach for it. The energy that had stirred inside of me earlier in the day.

As if summoned, the electricity once again flowed in and throughout my body. It was already taxing on me, but I had to succeed! I couldn't let this thing kill anymore people! I gritted my teeth and forced the level of power higher, focusing on the inside flesh.

…

Suddenly, the Thresher Maw paused. Liara looked at it, confused. It stopped moving and simply sat motionless. She noticed Shepard and Ashley look at the monster ready to burn it alive, but stopped as they saw it was still.

Instantly, it started bucking and screeching, the horrible noise piercing their ears. They were even in pain from the horrible scream this far away! Liara focused on the creature and caught sight of a bulge in it's throat. It slowly expanded as bluish purple streaks of thunder burst from it's mouth. It roared as the electricity flowed and attacked it's entire body, making it jerk and wave around.

As the powerful energy scorched the body from the inside, Liara could see the bulge was larger now. It grew even more as the thunder streaked out of it's mouth and shot out of various holes, now being formed from the immense attack. With a final roar, the monster exploded, sending bits and chunks of it flying everywhere.

She looked into the sky and saw an oddly shaped form falling from the air. She looked closer and realized it was Avaera! Without a second thought, all three of them surged forward, sprinting full out towards where she'd hit the ground. She could only hope her friend wasn't dead already. It must've been her power that dealt such damage to the Thresher Maw!

"Ava!" Shepard called, running even faster than her two companions. She skidded to a halt as she reached Avaera and pulled her up, resting her head on her shoulder. Liara and Ashley caught up and looked over the girl, checking for wounds. Slowly, the helmet retracted back into the armor, revealing Avaera's face to be uninjured, but scrunched in pain. Shepard hastily checked for a pulse. They watched in bated breath, waiting for the news. Shepard let out a breath and smiled, showing the girl was still alive. Liara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and relaxed.

"Shepard..?" her head snapped up as she heard Avaera's haggard voice. She was awake now, but barely. Liara saw she was exhausted and more than likely very weak. Shepard tried to look at her sternly, breaking into a scowl.

"Never again! I don't care if it's 100% guaranteed to work! Don't do this again!" she demanded, sounding pissed. It was natural for Shepard to be protective of her crewmates, but when they pull a stunt like this, it worried her immensely. Avaera had been a great new friend to her and over the few days they knew each other, Shepard became close with the small family. She felt comfortable with them, which was odd, considering it took her a while to do that with anyone she met.

"Sorry… I just… didn't want… you all… to get… hurt." she managed, trying to keep from passing out. Her face displayed great pain, but happiness was there too. Shepard couldn't help thinking she was too much like her. Jake, who had passed out from the shock wave, woke up and came over. He knelt down by his sister and looked relieved to see she was alive.

"Sorry for throwing you into a Thresher, sis." he tried humor, getting a small laugh from her. Her breath was shallow and forced, Liara saw. She would have to get back to the Normandy quickly and to the med-bay.

"Ash, start up the mako and get it over here. Liara, call the Normandy for pickup." Shepard commanded, her mind working double time. They all set out to do the tasks given and it wasn't long before the mako pulled up and opened it's back door.

Shepard carried Avaera into the mako and set her down. After a minute or so, the Normandy picked them up. Shepard and Liara took the weakened girl to the med-bay quickly while Jake and Ashley set to telling the rest of the brothers what had happened.

…

I awoke in the med-bay again, feeling drained from the last escapade. I felt a lot better, but still low on energy. I sat up slowly, testing my body. It was stiff and sore but it wasn't too bad. It was a good thing I had a high tolerance of pain, that was for sure. Dr. Chakwas noticed I was awake and came to stand by my bed, crossing her arms.

"You had us worried there, you know." she said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Really?" I asked, injecting disbelief into my tone. She just frowned and shook her head in amusement.

"Yes, really. I've been getting constant visitors insisting on seeing you." she responded. Yeah, she definitely sounded aggravated. I was a little surprised that I wasn't affected worse with the amount of energy I drew on.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"About sixteen hours." she answered, looking me over. That would make it about seven in the morning, so everyone was probably at breakfast. Chakwas cleared me and said to take it easy for a few days. Just as I was about to get up, Liara came out of her room. She noticed me immediately and rushed over, worry evident on her features.

"Avaera, are you alright?" she asked, looking for wounds. I laughed, but winced at the soreness, making her fuss even more.

"I'm fine, Liara, really. Just a little drained is all." I said, getting her to stop scrutinizing me.

"Are you sure?" she asked, sounding unconvinced. I only nodded as I went to stand. Unfortunately, the second my feet touched the floor my knees buckled and I fell into Liara. Thankfully she caught me and helped me to the door. As we entered the mess hall, everyone looked up and rushed over to greet me.

"Why couldn't you just stick to drawing it's attention?" Gregori demanded, obviously upset at my stunt.

"It was too boring." I answered, managing a smile.

"You have to be more careful, sis!" Victor announced. I ruffled his hair, but said nothing.

"You should've taken me along, Ava." Corey said, sounding a little disappointed.

"Next time, little brother." I answered. He huffed and went to sit back down at the tables with Tali who said it was good to have me back. Garrus stared at me a little, but finally said it was a good thing I didn't get killed. He went back to his food and Gregori and Victor went back to their own table with Corey and Tali.

"Interesting method, Avaera. I want to see it myself next time." Wrex said. I nodded and he lumbered back to his table and pile of food. Ashley and Kaidan came up then, looking a little concerned. Kaidan just said to take it easy then went to get his food. Ashley stepped forward and clasped my shoulder.

"Worry me like that again and see what happens." she said, sounding perfectly serious.

"Maybe." I said, mock pouting. Her eyes narrowed and she smirked, stepping forward and jabbing me in the ribs. I groaned in pain which got her to stop, but it lingered. I saw Liara give Ashley an exasperated look which got her to shrug apologetically. It was good to see she wasn't so bad with aliens as she was in the game, but I could tell she still didn't like Garrus.

"I'll get you two some food." she said, already walking to the synthesizers. Liara helped me to an empty table and sat down next to me.

"I'm happy you're okay. I was very grieved when I thought you were gone…" Liara muttered, barely loud enough for me to hear. I looked over at her and smiled as I gave her a partial hug. It hurt with the strain, but I felt she needed a hug.

"Now, why you'd think I'd just die and leave my favorite Asari behind, I'll never know, but I promise I won't." I said. It took her a minute to realize I was talking about her, and her enormous blush was worth it. Ashley came over then, Shepard in tow. Both had two trays of food, and, as they sat down, Ashley set hers in front of her and Shepard while said Spectre set hers in front of me an Liara.

"If you ever do that again, I'll personally tear you a new one." Shepard stated, looking me in the eye. I had no doubt she'd do just that, too.

"I'll do my best." I said, earning a glare from her and Ashley.

"Are you feeling well?" Liara asked, changing the subject before anyone could answer my comment.

"I'm fine. Man, I wish you guys could've seen it though! Those things are gross on the inside!" I laughed, trying to ignore the soreness. I could see they were trying to fight the smirks threatening to show on their faces. I figured we'd all be laughing about it soon though.

"Yeah? What was it like?" Shepard asked. I smiled and brought up my Omni-tool that Shepard bought me back at the Citadel. I grinned at their confused expressions and stood up as best I could without falling over, but the table was the only thing supporting me. I looked around briefly and saw Wrex was finished eating and stood so I called him over before he could get away. Everyone was even more confused as he walked over.

"What do you want?" the battle master asked, frowning.

"Wrex, could you help me get to the Comm room? I can't really walk on my own…" I requested, holding on to the table. He stepped forward and grabbed me, throwing me over his shoulder. As he walked toward the stairs, I called back to Shepard to bring everyone.

…

About a half an hour later, the entire crew was assembled in the Comm. Room. It was a little crowded, but with my direction and Wrex's threatening, we were able to get them to sit down and get comfortable. I even got the twins to put the ship on autopilot and kidnap Joker to bring him to the room. Of course, he got one of the chairs at the end while Shepard took the other end one. Once everyone was settled, I got their attention and called Tali over to hook my Omni-tool to the interface.

"Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I requested for Shepard to bring you all here." I said, making sure everyone could hear. I got nods in return and continued, "Well, I thought to fiddle around with my Omni-tool that the Commander so graciously gave me. Oddly enough, I found a program that could interface with my armor and record audio/video."

"What's that got to do with this?" a crewman called.

"I'm glad you asked. Now, as you all know, a few of us went down to investigate a distress beacon yesterday. I'm sure you all heard some tall tales, yes?" I got more nods that told me they had some trouble wrapping their heads around what had happened. "Well, my brother Jake and I thought to test that recording program on the mission. And, just this morning, the Commander asked me what the mission was like to me." I paused, looking to everyone in the room.

"Let's watch it!" Joker said, deciding to stop sulking from being away from his post. There were a lot of murmurs in agreement, so I nodded to Tali to activate it. The video started at where we stopped at the cliff. Everyone watched in silence as I climbed out of the vehicle after Jake and got ready. The audio was working to, so they heard what we were saying also.

As the mako launched off of the cliff and my brother threw me at the Thresher Maw, there were a few gasps from the crowd. They all heard my yell as I was consumed by the large creature and fell down it's throat a ways. I looked at everyone's shocked and horrified faces. The inside of the creature was purplish in color and slimy everywhere. There was a small ripple of laughter from the crew when I said it was disgusting. The muscles of the throat squeezed me all around, pushing me down. I could feel the anticipation in the air as I concentrated as hard as I could and built up a continuous flow of energy, heightening the draw level. They saw the power arcing everywhere inside of the monster, scorching the flesh and puncturing the body from the inside. As it exploded, there was a cheer, but as they watched me fall, it died down. I was out at the time, so I hadn't remembered falling, but it could've been a contributor to my sore body. The program stopped as the helmet retracted into my armor.

There was a pressing silence as the video ended. I looked around at everyone as the ordeal sunk in. Wrex was still holding me upright, but he chuckled in amusement. I smirked at him as everyone burst out in whoops and hollers, clapping loudly. Joker got so excited, I thought he'd get up and dance if he could. Once it died down, I held up my index finger and called Jake over. He gave me his Omni-tool, then went to sit back down as Tali switched his with mine.

"Who wants to see what it looked like on the outside?" I asked, getting more whoops in agreement. Tali started it up and the video went off from where mine did in the mako. It was in his point of view, so seeing myself was a little odd. I hadn't noticed he put his helmet up, but he had been holding me so I couldn't see. It showed him throwing me off and jumping off of the mako right after, drawing the Thresher away from the vehicle. Everyone looked excited and tense as they watched him dodging the acid and attacks of the creature. He did a back flip to evade another spout of acid just as the Maw stopped. Jake's HUD tilted up as he looked on the creature. The energy suddenly arched out it's mouth and it went into an epic hissy fit as it threw itself around in agony. There were a bunch of whoa!'s from the crowd as it roared and screeched, the sound making Jake clamp his hands over his ears. Again, the creature exploded, sending Jake flying into a boulder and knocking him out. The video continued though and since he was propped up by the rock, it was in the perfect angle to capture my descent from the sky. I saw myself actually bounce on the ground before settling in the dirt. It looked painful, actually. It ended as Jake's helmet retracted when he started to approach me.

It was cool, seeing what happened from two perspectives. Everyone seemed amazed or just excited, having seen what happened, relatively first hand. Wrex even looked a little surprised when my thunder spouted from it's maw. Ashley, Liara and Shepard looked on with a mix of relief and awe, along with everyone else.

"And that, my friends is what it's like to get eaten by a Thresher Maw." I got some laughter with the bad joke as Tali turned off the screen and turned the lights back on. From what I could see of her body language, she was either afraid of me or appalled. Maybe both…

"Why did you record it?" Kaidan asked, his eyes wide.

"Because I felt like it." I said simply. There was another ripple of laughter at the simplicity of the answer as I gave everyone a cheesy grin.

…

I stood in Liara's room again, playing the violin and staring at the floor. She had told me she wanted to hear me play it while she worked, so I obliged. I wanted to practice more anyway, since it helped me concentrate. I made sure not to play it loudly, so it was like a soft background music. A few minutes after I'd finished the first song that came to my mind, Liara told me it was helping her to relax and work easier, so I began another one.

It had been two weeks since I woke up in the med-bay after the Thresher mission. Every time we were about to head to Noveria, some new mission got in the way. Everyone was getting along well though, and my brothers were currently being tested on what they were or weren't good at. I'd already gotten Shepard to test me the day before, so I was off for the moment. I was uncannily skilled at tech and hacking, but it wasn't really my big strong point.

It was Corey that had tech skills that could rival a Quarian, but with the way he was learning, I wouldn't be surprised if he surpassed it eventually. Jake was a typical soldier class, but he could repair most any piece of armor or weapon that came his way if he had to. Gregori and Victor were a little mysterious as to what their strong point was, but they had yet to find themselves, I thought. All in all, it was odd how we seemed to already know what things were or how to fix them even when we hadn't come across the stuff before. Maybe we have some kind of advanced muscle memory from when we were back at our… original home.

I couldn't help but wonder who we used to be. Who our real parents were or if we had any good friends from that time. I was only able to recall facts about the Reagas'Kar generally. There weren't any personal memories or anything that had to do with my actual life back then. It was disheartening to think I'd never remember no matter how much I tried. My brothers were also getting zero luck, but none of us were very fond of the migraines that greeted us whenever we did try, so we only did it occasionally.

It was hard for me to accept this as a reality, too. No matter what I saw or felt, I couldn't bring myself to believe I was from some unknown alien race millions of years extinct. I knew it was true, but every time I saw myself in the mirror, I was reminded of my life from Earth. The life I always hated, the one I never wanted, all of my old friends, even the people I used to despise. I couldn't really bring myself to miss it, but what really hit me was knowing it was all a lie. My brothers and I were just lost souls, floating around the cosmos until we occupied our old bodies. Our Human bodies.

Even if we had had a crappy life, it wasn't always terrible. I remembered a time my friends and I went to the mall with my brothers and saw movies that had just come out. They were all a bunch of ridiculous goofballs, but they always did their best to look out for me. And I'd never get the chance to say goodbye…

"Avaera?" Liara's voice cut through my thoughts and I looked up after ending whatever I was just playing. I hadn't even paid attention to the song. She stood and came over, all the while looking worried. It seemed to me that I may have done something while I was spacing that caught her attention. I didn't trust my voice enough to say anything, so I just put the violin down as she got me to sit on the edge of her cot.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting down beside me. When I didn't answer, she took my chin and turned my face so I had to look at her. She wiped away tears I hadn't realized were there and searched my gaze, waiting patiently.

… (Liara)

"Can- can I tell you…?" Avaera's voice broke as she tried to speak. Her expression was so completely lost and desperate, she didn't know what to do, and It pulled on Liara's heart more than she would have expected. What caught Liara's attention in the first place though, was Avaera's melody. Before they had sat down, her song was so full of sorrow, she could feel her pain in the music.

"Tell me what?" Liara asked softly, hoping to alleviate at least some of her pain. At her question though, she saw Avaera almost second guessing herself. It was as if she was suffering greatly, but was afraid to say anything. Liara couldn't help but worry over her friend's burden. After all, she was the only one who seemed to truly accept her for who she was.

"I-… it- it's nothing." Avaera gave her such a broken smile, she had to force herself not to embrace her. She looked as if she was at the end of her rope. They had been almost constant companions since they met and had become very close friends. But if Avaera was having so much trouble trying to tell her something, it had to be weighing down on her heavily.

"It is clearly not nothing, Ava!" Avaera's eyes widened in surprise at the use of her nickname. Liara hadn't called her that before, but this was a special case. Her small outburst had also caused Avaera to flinch noticeably, as a look of guilt covered her features for a moment.

"It's okay, Li…" Avaera's nickname for the Asari had only been used once before when she tried to comfort her after talking of Liara's mother. She knew Avaera wanted to tell her, but was almost afraid to. It was a sure sign something was amiss. Before she could say anything more, Avaera stood and stepped to the door, opening it.

"Avaera, keeping it locked away will not help me to know what's wrong!" Liara tried to reason, staying on the bed with the hope she could get through to her. When she finished though, Avaera slumped a little and turned her face in the general direction of Liara, refusing to look at her directly.

"Maybe it's better that way…" her torn words made Liara's heart stutter, and at that, Avaera left.

A/N: I know, it's all melodramatic and a little depressing, but we need friction of some kind, somewhere, right? Oh, and the sad melody I was talking about when Liara thought Avaera was in pain, was "Sad Romance" (Youtube it). Review!