Creepy and geth infested. That's how Shepard would describe the Protean ruins they were running through shooting synthetic life forms. The walkways creaked, the elevator jolted when it started and skidded to a halt with sparks flying when it stopped. The two of them moved quickly, fluidly. She knew what to do and where to go without him telling or signaling her, anticipating his actions. The awkwardness that she thought would be between them wasn't there. On the mission, it was almost as if the conversation in the com room had never happened. They found Dr. Liara T'Soni in an unusual situation at the bottom of broken scaffolding.
"Help! Is someone there? Can you hear me? Please help!"
"Dr. T'Soni?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, are you with the Geth?" Liara asked warily.
"No." Shepard answered flatly.
"I'm trapped. Can you help me?"
"How did you get yourself into this situation?" asked Kryik.
He tried not to to grin. The asari was in a rather awkward position. Liara's limbs were pulled in a star, held captive in some kind of suspended bubble in a room behind a force field.
"I knew the barrier curtain would keep the Geth and that krogan out. I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to."
"We'll find a way to get you out." Shepard replied.
"Please hurry!" Liara pleaded.
"If the Geth were sent after her then she is not working with Saren," the Spectre asserted. "There's a mining laser over there." Kryik pointed out the machinery below them. "Maybe we can use it to make a way in."
Shepard examined the lava flow that had solidified around the structure without damaging it. It was a marvel of engineering. "We have no way of finding a weak spot that isn't supporting critical weight. Won't making a hole destabilize the chamber?" she asked him.
"It's a chance we'll have to take if we're going to get Dr. T'Soni out of there," he replied, impressed, but not surprised by her forethought. "There isn't going to be another way in," he added, guessing her next sentence.
There were more Geth, but no krogans. According to Liara, there was at least one. The two of them took out the few Geth there were easily. Hacking the controls for the mining laser was slightly more difficult. Kryik knew he got it right when the beam shot out from the needle, blasting a hole under Liara's position through the rock and stone. They found a huge platform circling a central column. There was a control panel near the middle. After Tali explain what the Geth knew about the disappearance of the Protheans, Shepard realized that her visions from the beacon were of the destruction of the Prothean's civilization. She wondered if the visions from the beacon had also down loaded other information to her. Shepard examined the console.
Creepy and geth infested. That's how Shepard would describe the Protean ruins they were running through shooting synthetic life forms. The walkways creaked, the elevator jolted when it started and skidded to a halt with sparks flying when it stopped. The two of them moved quickly, fluidly. She knew what to do and where to go without him telling or signaling her, anticipating his actions. The awkwardness that she thought would be between them wasn't there. On the mission, it was almost as if the conversation in the com room had never happened. They found Dr. Liara T'Soni in an unusual situation at the bottom of broken scaffolding.
"Help! Is someone there? Can you hear me? Please help!"
"Dr. T'Soni?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, are you with the geth?" Liara asked warily.
"No." Shepard answered flatly.
"I'm trapped. Can you help me?"
"How did you get yourself into this situation?" asked Kryik.
He tried to to grin. The asari was in a rather awkward position. Liara's limbs were pulled in a star, held captive in some kind of suspended bubble in a room behind a force field.
"I knew the barrier curtain would keep the geth and that krogan out. I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to."
"We'll find a way to get you out." Shepard replied.
"Please hurry!" Liara pleaded.
"If the geth were sent after her then she is not working with Saren. There's a mining laser over there." Kryik pointed out the machinery below them. "Maybe we use it to make a way in." He suggested.
Shepard examined the lava flow that had solidified around the structure without damaging it. It was a marvel of engineering.
"We have no way of finding a weak spot that isn't supporting critical weight. Won't making a hole destabilize the chamber?" She asked him.
"It's a chance we'll have to take if we're going to get Dr. T'Soni out of there." He replied, impressed, but not surprised by her forethought. "There isn't going to be another way in." He added, guessing her next sentence.
There were more geth, but no krogans. According to Liara, there was at least one. The two of them took out the few geth easily. Hacking the controls for the mining laser was slightly more difficult. Kryik knew he got it right when the beam shot out from the needle, blasting a hole under Liara's position through the rock and stone.
The found a huge platform circling a central column. There was a control panel near the middle. After Tali explain what the geth knew about the disappearance of the Protheans, Shepard had realized that her visions from the beacon were of the destruction of the Prothean's civilization. She wondered if the visions from the beacon had also down loaded other information to her. Shepard examined the console. The characters on the keyboard looked familiar, but she didn't know what they said. She put her hand near the console and hoped her fingers would 'know' what to do. She tapped a few keys and the lift jolted to life, raising them up to Liara's level.
"How did you know which keys to hit?" Kryik asked her, curious and a little suspicious.
"Luck?" She shrugged and jogged over to Liara before he could as her more questions.
"Thank the goddess. How did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier curtain." Liara said with gratefulness and surprise..
"The mining laser." Shepard answered as she let her fingers tap the keys that released the doctor.
"Umph!" Liara landed with a grunt. Shortly after the building shuddered.
"I think you may have triggered a seismic event. We should leave quickly," suggested Dr. T'Soni.
If she was alarmed, Shepard couldn't tell by her tone. Shepard wondered if the woman's voice ever became harsh or louder than a whisper.
"Agreed." Kryik nodded. "Dr. T'Soni, can you operate the lift?"
"I think so," she answered.
The three of them ran to the lift. Liara's fingers moved quickly over the keys and the platform jolted to life once more. As it acceded the column, Liara began asking questions.
"Who are you?"
"We were sent by the Council. We're to secure you, and find out what you know about the Geth and Saren. Do you know anything about your mother's involvement with him?" Kryik began.
"No, I haven't spoken to Benezia for years. Do you think she is why the Geth were sent for me?" Liara asked with wide, child like eyes.
"It's a possibility. More likely Saren is interested in your knowledge of the Protheans. What do you know about the Conduit?" he continued.
"I don't know anything about a Conduit. I..."
Debris fell from the ceiling onto the lift, jarring it, but not stopping it. Shepard activated her omni-tool.
"Joker, get the Normandy air born and lock in on my signal." Shepard ordered.
"Aye, aye, Commander. Secure and away. ETA; eight minutes."
The lift halted at the top of the column with a shudder. A krogan and more than a few Geth blocked the only exit.
"Surrender, or don't. That would be more fun!" A yellow faced krogan shrugged as he approached the lift.
"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart!" Shepard retorted.
"Exhilarating, isn't it?" The krogan mocked. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy shields for us. Now, hand over the doctor."
"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me!" Liara spat.
"She'll stay with us, thanks." Shepard said sarcastically.
"Not an option." The krogan shook his head. "Saren wants her and he always gets what he wants."
"Not always." Kryik growled.
"Kill them. Spare the asari if you can... " the krogan ordered, "if not, doesn't matter." he shrugged again and pulled out his rifle.
Shepard immediately hit the krogan as hard as she could with a warp blast, knocking him to the ground. Liara followed suit with lift, then ducked into cover. She was otherwise unarmed.
Shepard fired several rounds into the suspended krogan. The wounds regenerated before her eyes. This is going to be one tough son of a bitch to take down. Shepard hit him with another warp blast and ran for cover behind the console, firing shots behind her, still burning with blue flames.
Kryik ran up to the ledge where the Geth were fanning out to flank them. He was grateful for the assistance of Lira. She leaned out of cover, alight with blue flame, sending Geth into the walls with warp or throw. Kryik finished them off with a round to the head. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Shepard go down with a hard blow from the charging krogan. He couldn't believe the creature was still alive. He'd never seen a krogan regenerate that fast. He unloaded his gun into the side of the krogan's face. Liara left cover to send a volley of warp blasts. Their combined effort slowed the warrior down, but did not stop him.
Shepard rolled onto her feet, kneeling on one knee and fired her sub-machine gun from the hip. The krogan ignored the bullets hitting him from both directions, charging strait for Shepard. She didn't flinch. As the last round fired from her weapon a large section of the ceiling fell away and crushed the krogan. Shepard could hear him moaning, still alive under the rock, but he was pinned down. It was their chance to get away.
Liara ran ahead, Nihlus hesitated by the opening of the building for Sonya. He pushed her ahead of him with a taloned hand on her lower back. The roof of the cavern was coming down fast. Kryik shot down the Geth that continued to peruse them. T'Soni and Shepard were both blue with a biotic glow as they threw any Geth in there path off the scaffolding to the ground below.
Nihlus ran up fast behind them shouting, "Move, move, move!"
Kryik was worried they may not make it out. The tunnel to the surface seemed longer leaving than it had coming in. T'Soni pushed the hatch open. He could see the Normandy as she flew down, blocking out the sun for a few seconds. When he and his team were in the light of day and he could feel the breeze on his face, when he saw that Shepard was safely on board the Normandy, he was satisfied.