"You... You have to leave me here, Tali" Keenah began with a start, coughing as blood pooled under him "I- I am not going to make it."
"You are! You are going to make it, you hear me?! I am not leaving you behind, you bosh'tet!" Tali barked back, huffing and puffing as she attempted to rise her fallen comrade to his feet yet to no avail: After one last tug, she hissed and fell to the side, clutching her own bleeding "We are so close... Just- Just get up already: We can do this..." Keenah simply laid there, his ragged breathing reverberating all around "Don't do this to me..."
"Me? Do this to you?" Keenah spoke in between breaths, his voice growing venomously with each spoken word "YOU did this to me: It was YOU who wanted to deliver that blasted recording to the council... It was YOU who dragged me all the way up here... Because of YOU, that dammed mercenary found us... And because of YOU, I got shot and now I am going to-" The rest was lost in a cacophony of blood rushing through his throat and the screams of the pursuing mercenaries chasing after them "You... You did this to me..."
Tali was left speechless as her friend continued to cough and writhe in pain, white noise growing in her ears until it was all she could hear: She only wanted to do the right thing. After discovering incriminating evidence regarding a Specter, the only right thing was to bring this matter to the council and see this Saren Arterius punished for his misdeeds: Not to mention the Geth were involved. Tali had to do this... She had to: What other choice was there to make? Simply forget about it? Pretend it had never happened? Allow Saren and the Geth to do as they pleased?
All of a sudden, her line of thought was interrupted as a projectile flew just above her head: Tali ducked and felt her stomach churn as the mercenaries jogged their way toward them. Amongst them, Commander Jacobus regarded them with eyes full of contempt and disgust.
"W- We have to move..." Tali began, a hand reaching out to shake the other's arm with no response "Kennah! We have to get out of-" Yet the rest died in her throat as she was finally made aware of her partner's condition.
He was dead.
Through the helmet, Tali could see his friend was no longer with her: Kennah was dead.
This much Tali knew yet she could not avert her gaze from the corpse: It was as if something was forcing her to look at it, to drink in every single nauseating detail in this macabre composition. The deep gnash puncturing his suit, the sickening liquid trickling down the wound, his hands draped around his chest as he had attempted to stop the blood flow, and the smell... There was the smell: A stench slipping past her filters, into her nostrils, and all the way up to her brain. She no longer was concerned with the mercenaries for instead, her attention was solely focused on that scent. Her hand moved forward, ever so slowly as she attempted to decipher what it was: It was something she knew very well, something she had sensed once...
The aroma of burnt flesh.
All of a sudden, the body burst into flames: Tali screamed and threw herself back as the embers began spreading all around her and the body in a ring of roaring fire. She attempted to put as much distance as she could between her and the blazing corpse yet she stopped, screaming and doubling over as the fire bit at her back: She fell on her face, the river of blood soon reaching her and staining her helmet. She pushed herself, hands desperately attempting to clear the blood from her view but only managing to spread it further: She cursed under her breath, her panic growing with each second... And then, she saw it.
Through the murky blood, she observed as the burning corpse... Twitched.
She froze in place, doing her best to ignore her ragged breathing and thumping heart as she tried to peer through the blood in her helmet: It had to be her imagination... There is no way...
And then, the body jumped to its feet: Fire and brimstone consuming what remained of the Quarian suit, digging deeper and deeper into flesh and leaving naught but scorched charcoal in its wake... And the smell, that disgusting smell: Of boiling blood, of burning organs, of ashen skin, scorched bones... And of guilt.
The corpse lunged at her, his hands soon closing around her neck and allowing for the fire to start digging into her own suit: Tali attempted to scream yet to no avail, his windpipe crushed under the mighty strength of the deceased, only managing a pathetic and desperate meowling. She tried to fight back, pry away the claws of this demon yet instead, the only thing she did was spread the fire onto her arms: She could feel it, the unrelenting flames consuming her little by little, her every nerve set ablaze and overloading her brain with utter madness and misery... Yet throughout the pain, she could hear it... Kennah's voice...
He was blaming her.
YOU DID THIS TO ME! YOU KILLED ME! I DIED BECAUSE OF YOU! IT IS YOUR FAULT! YOU! DID! THIS! TO! ME!
She tried to spat an apology but nothing came out of her scorched mouth, nothing but a sad whisper as her hands gave up: Her body sat still as the fire continued enveloping her whole...
"TALI! Tali, Goddammit! Wake up! They are coming! We have to move!"
A voice spoke in her ear yet Tali couldn't care less... Not under the sweltering gaze of her guilt.
"We have to move, Shepard! I can't hold them up for long; Fuck! I've riddled them with enough ammo to down a godforsaken Krogan! How can they still move?!"
"I am not leaving her behind, Alenko: Just give me a minute! I think I can-"
She could hear them in the distance, bellowing their curses and hexes: They were coming for her.
"Agh!"
"Alenko, no! You bastards! Get away from him! I will kill you all!"
They laughed.
Those were nothing but empty words.
"Fuck... Fuck! Fuck! Alenko, talk to me!"
"I- I think I'm fine: Bastard clipped me... But I am fine... Shit, my shields could barely stop it..."
". . . Fuck"
She knew what was coming.
She could hear it in the Commander's voice... They were going to leave her...
. . . Just how she had left Kennah before.
"I'm... Im sorry, Tali: I am so sorry... I will come back, I promise..." She wouldn't: Both knew it well. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."
Her words were soon drowned in the shrieks of the beasts, a malicious symphony that pierced through her mind... And the flames, the flames advanced undeterred. They were coming, all the more eager to claim its prize.
Tali was alone.
Shepard had left.
Nobody would come to save her.
It was all... Over.
And as the fire began eating at her back, she heard them sing: Dissonant voices in variable pitches yet with a single, unified chant.
MAKE US WHOLE
MAKE US WHOLE
MAKE US WHOLE
MAKE US WHOLE
0~0
Tali woke up with a start.
Her eyes shifting from side to side as she inhaled deep, soon finding herself coughing as the all too familiar taste of smoke clung to her lungs: Her throat felt haggard, saliva akin to tar dripping through her teeth. It felt as if a needle was being hammered through her cranium, the lack of proper air taking its toll on her, and there was this... This pain? This...
It felt as if her skin were boiling under her suit...
She was burning.
The realization made her jump out of her stupor and pull herself away from the fire: Her debilitated muscles protesting at the sudden demand but complying all the same. Soon enough, Tali was on her stomach and began crawling her way toward the only opening she could see in this inferno: Her already scarce reserves began to dwindle at the effort yet Tali pressed on. She could hear what remained of the shuttle creak all around her: It wouldn't be long before it crushed her completely.
She wouldn't allow herself to go this way... Like she had done with...
One last push and she was out of that hell, dragging her body through the opening and into an open space: She continued forward until the top of her helmet collided against some metal bars, causing her to plummet in a heap of gasps and yelps. Her back felt raw, her every move causing for a pang of pain to rush all over her spine and abdomen: As far as she could tell, her suit had not been breached which was good enough for her. Even if it could very well withstand extreme temperatures, the flesh beneath was another story: Still, Tali supposed being alive was acceptable for now.
She let out a soft groan as Medigel was applied to the affected area, her body shivering at the sudden relief... It was temporary, Tali knew but all things considered, she figured she ought to enjoy as much as she could before returning to work: After taking deep breaths in order to clear her system from any remaining smoke, she slowly picked herself up and assessed her current situation...
. . . It was not good.
If memory served her right, she was now at the landing bay of that monster of a ship... And the first thing she spotted was another vessel at the other end of the room...
. . . Which seemed to have exploded not long ago, seeing as there were still fires burning here and there; Had somebody else been attracted by the distress signal? If so, who were they? Even if it was now a mangled mess, Tali couldn't quite recognize what faction this one belonged to: It followed no known design though by the side, she was able to discern some sort of markings. A name.
"USG Kellion?" She read out loud "Sounds human, I think..." Though she had no room to criticize, she always wondered why the Alliance had a knack for coming up with the most ridiculous of designations for their ships: Maybe she could ask Shepard once they... That was right! Where were Shepard and Alenko?! She turned to the burning mess that was their shuttle, biting her lower lip as the worst-case scenario formulated in her mind "No. Both Alenko and Shepard are strong: I'm sure they managed to escape unscathed..." Yet if they did, how come they didn't get her out as well? Why was she alone? ". . . They must be fine... I'm sure of it." She whispered under her breath, clenching her fists as the white noise grew in her head.
No, she would not allow this to keep her down.
She knew Shepard.
Something must have happened... But what?
She eyed the ramp in which she was standing: Littered with suitcases, plastic bags, boxes, and other materials. It might have been her imagination but it appeared to her as if something had barreled through all this stuff? There was a certain pattern there, of something... Or somethings barreling through all these items, pushing and scattering them around as they made their way toward the shuttle: As far as she could tell, there were no signs of struggle. No bullet holes, no blood, no nothing yet she couldn't help but think that Shepard and Alenko were being pursued... For what and why? That was anyone's guess. It was then that Tali had an idea.
"My Omnitool! Maybe I can reach Shepard or Alenko... Or even the Normandy, as a last resort." Tali didn't like the idea of informing Williams about how she had somehow LOST both Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko and Commanding Officer Jane Shepard but as of now, it was best to request support... And maybe even warm them about the Magnetic tether surrounding the ship "Shepard? Commander Shepard, can you read me? This is Tali, over." Static came through her Omnitool, she cursed and tried again "Shepard! It's Tali! Can you read me?" Nothing again. Tali eyed her Omnitool in disbelief before shaking her head and trying Alenko this time around "Alenko! This is Tali! Please, tell me you can hear me!" But to no avail. Her heartbeat began to quicken, feeling as if her legs would fail her at any moment "Shuttle to Normandy! Shuttle to Normandy, this is Tali: Please! Somebody, please respond to me!" Static was the only answer she got "You cannot be ser- Shepard! Alenko! Normandy! Just... Anybody! Is there somebody there?! I repeat! Is there somebody th-"
And there it was.
Amongst the static, there it was...
Tali went quiet as she brought the Omnitool close to her ear, trying to discern what she had just heard: It was like a low growl of sorts, as if filtered and far away... There it was again yet this time around, it felt louder and... Closer: All of a sudden a shiver ran down her spine and she turned around. The shadows cast by the dim lights above greeted her... Yet something was there: Creeping about, inching closer and closer to her. The noise in her Omnitool had grown into a bellow, a maddening and maleficient scream which promised nothing but misery and dread...
. . . They were here.
Her hand instinctively looked for her trustworthy shotgun at the small of her back... Yet when her fingers grasped at thin air, Tali felt herself almost losing balance: Her eyes quickly scanned the shuttle yet there was no way for her to discern anything through the flames. She patted her thigh and at the very least, her fingertips prodded her pistol... But would it be enough against whatever lurked in the darkness? The answer was quite evident...
It wouldn't.
". . . Fuck"
In the blink of an eye, she turned around and bolted towards the door at the end of the ramp: Stepping atop of cans and other rubbish, pushing away suitcases and other forms of baggage, even tripping over a box and spilling over its contents. Tali couldn't care less about the mess or noise she was making: She needed to get away from there immediately. Her mad dash took her towards a pair of doors, slamming against the surface with a grunt before her fingers looking for a button, a switch or... Anything that allowed her inside and away from this place. The only other thing was a seemingly hologram plastered in the middle of it with the word OPEN? yet no matter how hard she tried, Tali couldn't get it to work: She fumbled with her Omnitool but her fingers were shivering in such a way trying to hack the door open seemed impossible at the moment.
So much for being the best ship tech aboard the Normandy.
"Come on, Come on... Open already, you piece of-" There was a thud behind: Upon turning around, Tali found a stray bottle rolling across her ramp... Was that her doing or...? "Open already!" She roared this time around, slamming both of her fists at the metallic surface... Which somehow worked? Much to her surprise, it opened right in front of her and gave way to some sort of waiting area, the doors closing behind her.
There were two rows of seats, filled with more suitcases and backpacks: She could spy some vending machines at the far corners, dimly lit and offering a selection of drinks she couldn't recognize. Lockers and even a few posters with propaganda in them... Nothing she could use in her current predicament.
She spied two other doors ahead of her yet if she had to guess, LOCKED meant those would not open under any circumstance: Perhaps she could try and hack them? But she did not know where they led... But at this point in time, her options were very limited.
And then, there was a loud bang behind her.
Tali jolted and quickly made her way toward the other end of the room, activating her Omnitool and seeing if there was any way she could get the first door open: She fumbled with the buttons yet it was going nowhere... In the meantime, the banging seemed to grow in intensity with each passing second: Whatever was behind, it was growing desperate and frantic and Tali was certain she didn't want to meet it.
"Focus Tali... Just focus: You can do this... You have to do this: Nobody will come... Just open the door and..." Her vision grew blurry with each spoken word "Come on! You can't just curl up, cry and wait for a miracle! It will not happen tw-" Lo and behold, a door by her right opened and gave way to the security booth: Tali eyed suspiciously... This wasn't luck or a miracle... No, somebody was guiding: Who was it and what was their purpose? Tali didn't know and quite frankly, she had no grounds to argue: Hopefully, it was not a trap.
Offering a brief prayer, Tali took the only escape route available... Only to fall face first as her feet slipped on something on the floor.
"Keelah!" She exclaimed in frustration: This had to be a joke. There was no way she had just-
And then, the doors finally burst open.
From her place behind the counter, Tali couldn't see what exactly had made its way in: At best, she could see the outline of the entrance and the light pouring in... But she could hear it: Thumping its way in, the way it gasped as if it couldn't quite breathe, the animalistic whines accompanying its lumbering gait... It was coming for her.
This realization prompted Tali to begin crawling her way into the booth as quietly as possible: Maybe she could find someplace to hide and wait this thing out, or maybe there was an alternate exit like a vent. There was a door by the side but Tali was certain it would make too much noise... And as that line of thought ended, said door opened with a low hiss.
The world suddenly fell into silence.
Whatever was at the other side had stopped moving, its groaning dropping to a low mewling: Tali held her breath, her heart beating loudly in her ears, hoping and praying it wouldn't have noticed...
. . . Its demented bellow told her otherwise.
"Fuck!"
No need to keep appearances now.
She haphazardly rose to her feet and dashed towards the new hallways, the creature screaming and howling hot in her tail: She felt tempted to look back and see what this thing was... Yet such thought was discarded as the stomps of the creature resonated across the narrow hallway: Her gut told her if she were to turn around, it would expel her doom.
So Tali ran.
She ran as fast as her exhausted legs would allow it, her muscles growing sore due to the effort: Her lungs wheezed, a grating and hopeless sign she could not continue this for long. Eventually, the beast would catch up to her.
Turning around a corner, her escape route came into view: A set of doors opened at the end of the hallway and revealed a small compartment. An elevator? It had to be... Even if it wasn't, there was no other path.
So Tali bolted inside, slamming roughly at the back of the contraption, turning around and looking for something to set the machine into motion: There at the side hovered a holographic panel. Tali flailed her hands over it, cursing as she failed to make it work: Was there something else needed to interact with the systems of the ship? If only she had time, maybe she could have hacked some permits for her own use... Wistful thinking.
Her eyes shifted to the darkened hallway in front and she waited... And waited, her entire body shivering as the sounds of the monsters nearing her position increased in magnitude... And waited, as she felt on her backside and pushed herself into the wall as much as possible... And waited...
And then it appeared, the thing which had chased after her: A humanoid abomination barely visible through the flickering lights and shifting shadows. Even through the darkness, Tali could feel its gaze on her: It regarded her with malice for a few moments and then...
The doors of the elevator closed, the machine coming to life and beginning its descent.
The ride didn't last for long and soon enough, the doors opened and gave way to some sort of workshop... Yet Tali did not move: She remained there, seated at the floor, her mind still trapped at the floor above as the... Thing looked at her.
Slowly, she brought her legs to her chest, closed her arms around her knees, and began to sob in hopelessness.
Tali wanted to go home.