Hello Ladies and Germs. And welcome to the next chapter of Mass Effect: Spade. Sorry for the wait, but with school and this Easter weekend I was a little busy. But, I haven't given up on ya'll, and ya'll haven't given up on me. That and I aim to please ;P. Like I said last chapter, Noveria will span a few chapters. But, I will say this. We are getting closer to the end of Spade. *Gasp!* *Shocked face!* What!? Yep, this fic is getting closer and closer to the end. Now I won't give spoilers, but I will say this: It is not going to be an ending you will expect.
Also: In the gaming community. Bioshock Infinite came out recently, and holy shit. Epic game! Loved it from beginning to end. The story is fantastic, and the twists are mind blowing. No lie. Ending= Epic mind fuck! I won't spoil anything, but I do give it a recommendation to play, or even own. It is THAT good.
Aside from that, I'm happy to say:
Sit back, relax, and enjoy this next chapter of Mass Effect: Spade.
I still hate bugs…
Eden POV
"Reactor core offline. Will Maintenance please report to the…"
"I swear to god, if that thing doesn't shut up anytime soon, I'm going to kill a bitch!" Adrian said. We're on the roof of the Peak 15 complex, and Adrian was repairing the landlines to get Mira, a V.I, to gain full functionality. Well, he was trying to fix it. Aside from the short temper he has, we are also being attacked by bug like creatures. And they didn't appear to like us. So, adding attacking bugs and the fact that Adrian hates bugs with a passion, his stress levels aren't the best. Plus, we are outside and he vocalized how much he hates the cold numerous times. For a hardened assassin, he complains quite a bit.
"Eat a load of this!" That was Wrex. I turned to look at him, and just in time to see him rip a Carnage into one of those bugs, tearing a nice hole into it. Wrex has become extremely more hostile than before. And it has to do with our new found enemy. Rachni. I still couldn't believe that they are still around. I remember reading about the Rachni Wars. It was gruesome from what I read. Planets being overrun by bug like creatures. Then the Krogan were introduced to the galaxy and wiped out the Rachni, ending the war. At least we all thought. I don't know what is going on in this station, but it doesn't sound good.
"Clear!" Wrex shouted. I'm really glad I decided to bring him along. Same with Adrian. He and Wrex have been on fire ever since we entered the complex. I even think they have a competition going on between them on how many kills they are racking up. So far I think it is a tie. Either way, I'm damned glad to have them on board. I normally don't have favorites in my team, but if I did, it would be them. Wrex cause he is a power house, and provides a good amount of cover. And Adrian because of his wide tact with Tech. It would have taken me hours to fix the V.I, but Adrian was able to slap some Omni-Gel and then transfer power to the V.I. Speaking of which.
"Adrian. How's that repair going?" I asked him. He was tapping away on his omnitool. Eventually he nodded and stood up.
"Landlines are fixed, and power is fully restored to that V.I. All that is left is to fix that Reactor, and we should be solid."
I nodded, and gave the order to get out of this area before anymore Rachni showed up. As we entered the elevator, we all reloaded our weapons. Adrian was kind enough to give me his Hurricane. Said that it will help me more than him. Understandable, now that he has more Tech weapons to work with. I looked over my shoulder, and saw him typing away on his omnitool. He has been on it ever since we left the Citadel. I'm not sure why, but I can feel that he is up to something. Like that language he was speaking a few moments ago with Wrex. Wrex seemed to understand, I think, but I didn't.
It was curious, strange even. He is intelligent, more so than one would think. I've seen him work with Tech, and they way he treats it is more like art than anything else. He is skilled, that is for sure, but to know another language that a translator can't pick up? I couldn't wrap my head around it. He did say he would tell me after the mission, but I hate waiting. And he knows that.
Once the elevator opened, Mira announced that the reactor core was still offline. Adrian and Wrex grumbled at the voice. It was funny in a way. Two hardened mercenaries, at the top of their game, can face down hordes of enemies and not break a sweat, are annoyed by a simple voice.
We moved to another elevator that would take us to the core, after the short but slow ride, the elevator opened. As soon as we walked in to the main room, things started to happen. First, our radar was jammed. That only means one thing. Geth. Of course the Geth would be in the reactor core. We all readied our weapons, and I took a quick glance at Liara. She was handling things well so far. When the fighting first started she was on edge, almost terrified to do anything. It was sad in a way. She wasn't a soldier, and didn't have any training in combat. But, after a few battles and experiences, she is shaping up. If she keeps it up, she may actually make an excellent soldier one day.
"I'm picking up some slight electrical signatures. Fast, complicated, and random. Defiantly Geth," Adrian said.
"How can you pick that up when our radar's our jammed?" asked Liara. Adrian's head went up and looked at her. She jumped a little. That visor of his can be intimidating apparently. I was fine with it, although I was kind of there when he got the armor.
"I'm not using my radar, I'm using an electrical scanner." I looked at Liara, and her face was contorted with confusion. I heard what sounded like a sigh from Adrian. "Geth are Synthetic, correct?" Liara nodded. "Alright, well all Synthetic's are is nothing more than wiring and electrical impulses. Using the scanner, I can pick up those pulses."
"Turning the scanner into a makeshift radar. That is brilliant Adrian." Liara said with a smile on her face. First time she has since we first left the port. Adrian chuckled.
"I wouldn't call myself brilliant, but thanks." His omnitool went off, and he checked. "Hold up, picking up another signature… Woa."
"What is it?" Liara asked. Adrian hit a few keys and swiped away.
"Picked up another signature, but it is fast. Almost too fast. Appearing for a few seconds, then disappearing to another location. Could be a Stalker."
"How can you tell that from a simple electrical scan?" I asked this time. Adrian kept his focus on his omnitool.
"Well, from what I and Tali could figure out, different Geth unit's give off different electrical pulses." That's right, Adrian has been helping Tali on her free time. Mainly trying to figure out how the Geth tick, but from what I can tell, they have been pulling up interesting results. "Geth Troopers for instance give off normal frequencies, not too strong but not too weak. Primes on the other hand have very strong pulses, almost triple that of a trooper. From those readings, Tali and I were able to figure out which pulse belongs to a certain Geth unit. Complicated stuff really, lot's of numbers."
"That is something that could be very useful. You have a very handy skill Adrian." Liara was obviously fascinated by it. The whole time spent on this mission has been a learning experience for her. At first she was terrified at the whole idea that her mother was the enemy, and that we will be facing combat. But over time her interests peaked. Especially after Feros and seeing my vision. And after meeting some of the crew, she has voiced what she believes about them. All good of course, however, at one point she said Adrian was something of a mystery to her. Mainly because after Feros he was on a hospital bed for a week, but also because he wouldn't talk to anyone either than myself, Garrus, Tali, and Wrex. Everyone else he simply ignored. That, and she said his burns intimidated her.
"This is all very interesting, but there are some Geth that need to be killed," Wrex said, breaking my train of thought and ending the conversation. We all acknowledged, and ready ourselves. I opened the door, and the minute I picked over a barrage of bullets flew by. Damnit. They have our way in blocked.
"That may be a problem," Liara said.
"And this is why you don't talk Tech before a battle," this time Wrex.
"Say all you want Wrex, but this Tech is going to be our way in." We all looked at me with confused faces. Yeah, he knows Overload, but what good will that do. He sighed at our faces. "I have a shield Tech, powerful enough to hold a barrage of bullets. I'll go in first with my shield, and the rest of you will be behind blasting away any Geth. Ya'll will be fire support, and I'll be living cover. Easy." He said 'easy' with a shrug. I hate it when he shrugs. Normally because he knows his plan will work, but it also means he is right. Hate to see it during arguments.
"Alright Adrian, we'll do that then. Take point and we will follow your lead." He gave a mock, sly, pretty sure sarcastic, salute. The one you see in the vids that all the bad boys do. Adrian called it the "Han Solo" salute, whatever that means.
In less than three seconds, Adrian was out the door and in a quick flash of amber and white, his shield was up. The Cryo was crystallizing any bullets that were hitting the shield, and showed no signs of breaking down anytime soon. Got to love Tech at the hands of an expert. The Omni-Shield gave him just enough cover, and the strength for him to move forward. Seeing that the Geth were focused on him, I and the other two moved in behind him, and started shooting at the Geth. Without trying to catch Adrian with friendly fire.
We slowly moved forward, but we were managing. The Geth were focused at Adrian. I think the fact that a glowing shield that can freeze anything on contact will want people shooting at it, but for right know, I loved it. It gave us the cover to push the Geth back, and to kill any that got to close, or in our line of sights. We made sure not to shoot over Adrian. I'm not saying Wrex and I were bad shots, but the idea of Adrian going back to the medbay, and in all due part of us shooting him in the back, didn't sit well with us. And, I made it a personal mission to make sure he doesn't go to the medbay for once.
When we were about halfway in, the Geth started getting fewer and fewer. Some troops and a few Juggernaut class, but nothing we couldn't handle. It was the Stalkers however, that had us worried. So far we saw, and blasted two. Wrex took the first one out by luck. He fired a Carnage slug towards a weakened Juggernaut, only to be intercepted by a passing by Stalker. He calls it skill, I call it luck. Take your pick. The other however was intended. Liara and I double teamed the Geth. She with a well placed Singularity, and I with a Throw field, adding a nice explosion in the process.
"Oh shit…" That was Adrian. Uh oh.
"Something wrong Adrian?!" I said while taking fire from a trooper.
"Shield almost down! That Juggernaut is packing serious fire power," was all he said. I took down the trooper, and turned to see three more Geth units. Thankfully there were the last three, the only bad thing was that Adrian was in the way. The only downfall from good cover is it gets in the way. Not saying I'm enjoying the view though.
The Juggernaut fired a Carnage slug at Adrian, pushing him back a few steps. He held strong, but I could tell that his shield was starting to go down. We had to act quickly. A Singularity would work on the two Troopers, but the Juggernaut had armor, which will weigh it down. Ah screw it, it was the only way we had to give cover to Adrian.
I quickly channeled my Biotics, and let lose a Singularity at the Geth. The energy flew past Adrian's head and made the target on the Geth. The two Troopers were lifted from the ground, and the Juggernaut stumbled. Liara saw the opportunity giving and fire a Warp field, causing the Biotic Explosion. The Juggernaut was caught in the blast, and I could see its armor crumbling away. Adrian apparantly saw it too, for he quickly charged at the Geth. In a few seconds he deactivated his shield, and fired a Snap Freeze, making the Geth into a Gethsicle. Wrex saw his own opportunity and fired another Carnage. This time, a beautiful Cryo explosion was caused, shattering the Geth unit.
"Clear, I think," said Liara. Wrex grunted in response and I nodded. Adrian pulled up his omnitool. Probably doing a quick scan.
"Scan's are clear, and radar is back on. We're good Eden." I sighed in relief. Any moments rest is always good to have.
We made our way down the reactor core, and Adrian went work on starting it back up. After about a minute he was finished. Anyone can work faster when they aren't getting shot at, or attacked by bugs. After a few swipes and typing on his omnitool, the power was back online with the sweet humming of power.
"Reactor core back online, power is restored."
"Music to my ears," Adrian said.
"Warning: Hot Labs contaminated. Warning: Hot Labs contaminated."
"And I'm back to hating the damned thing…" That earned a giggle from me. Adrian is never satisfied I suppose.
"Come on. We need to head back to Mira, and see if we can figure anything about what is going on. And maybe find where Benezia is," I stated, earning nods from my squad. We headed off, meeting a few Swarmers on the way. Adrian made short work with his Flamer Tech. Also earned a few curses from him as well. Poor guy really hates bugs. Once back to the elevator, we did the same routine. Readied our weapons, made sure shields and barriers were up and functional, and making sure our armor can last another wave of Rachni.
Once back on the main floor, the V.I went off again about some contamination going on in a place called the Hot Labs. Probably where all this started. I had a bad feeling in my gut. Just what was Binary Helix doing here? Was it like ExoGeni with the Thorian? Were they experimenting on the Rachni? I wasn't sure, and a part of me didn't want to know what exactly was going on. I just wanted to get the Matriarch, and get off this ice covered hell hole of a planet.
We walked to Mira, the V.I, and it stated that the elevator to enter the lab area was now operational thanks to power being restored. It then gave its warning that the area was indeed contaminated, and this is the best part, Matriarch Benezia was there as well. After that, and making sure Adrian doesn't destroy the V.I, we head out to the elevator. We had to back track the way we came in.
Upon entering the main room, I had a bad feeling and took out my Crusader.
BANG!
I jumped as grating from the floor was blown off by a trio of attacking Worker Rachni. Scratch that, we all jumped, and started shooting like crazy until each one was down for good. I can see why Adrian hates bugs. They are sneaky little bastards, and are downright creepy too. Luckily, the workers weren't protected by an outer skin of armor like the Warriors. Wrex made sure the three Rachni were dead by shooting off the heads of each one, and then stomping on the corpses. Can't be too careful I guess.
We entered the elevator, and caught our breathes. I was still a little jumpy, but Liara was shaking. I placed my hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright Liara?" I asked. She looked at me and gave me a small smile.
"Yes, just shaken. I can see why Adrian has a deep hatred for bugs." I chuckled at that, and looked at him. He was leaning on the elevator wall, his head slumped down. Probably taking a quick breather. "But, I'm also worried Shepard. What was my mother doing here? Is she a part of all this? Is should doing this for Saren?" I looked at her, trying to find a reassuring way to comfort her. I didn't really have anything.
"I don't know Liara, but we will find out. I promise." She nodded, and looked away. Probably didn't feel like talking, so I gave a quick squeeze of reassurance on her shoulder and went up to Adrian. His head went up and turned towards me.
"How are you holding up Adrian?" I asked, my voice soft this time. I wasn't asking like a soldier would ask their comrades. I was asking as a friend, as a girlfriend, would ask. He hummed.
"Is it safe to say that my dislike for bugs has turned into deep hatred now?" I smiled.
"Yeah, I guess that is fair. I'm starting to hate them too."
"Good. Bugs can't be trusted. And just saying this now, but if I see a cockroach in the Normandy, I'm going to unleash hell until the thing is dead." I laughed lightly.
"Just as long as you don't put bullet holes on my ship."
"Aw, now you are just taking the fun away. Not cool Eden, not cool." I giggled and left him to check on Wrex. The elevator is that slow.
"Wrex. You okay?" I asked. He didn't look at me.
"This isn't right Shepard. The Rachni shouldn't be around anymore. My people made sure of that." He sounded angry, mixed with annoyed. I would be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way. It was the same feeling I had towards ExoGeni and the Thorian. I honestly cried in my quarters. Cried for the people who were forced to live in that test area. For the people turned into those Creepers. And for Fai Dan, who killed himself so that we, I, can stop the Thorian. Feros… was a rough mission to begin with.
"I know this angers you Wrex. It makes me angry all the same. But I need to make sure you won't fly off into some bloodrage because of it. I need you on your A game." Wrex this time looked at me and nodded.
"Don't worry Shepard, I have your back. I won't charge unless you order me too. Or, if you need someone's ass pulled out of the fire. Either way, I'm yours to command." I smiled at him and nodded.
The elevator doors opened and we were greeted by pointing rifles and pistols. Oh damn. Wrex and Adrian quickly reacted and pointed their own weapons. Yeah, still glad I brought to professionals with me. Liara would of froze. Well, actually she did.
"Hold your fire! Hold your fire! They aren't Rachni!" An older bald man with what looked like white Guardian armor, and an Avenger rifle in hand. He looked experienced. Enough to keep his fellow security team from shooting us. I brought my hand up and then lowered it, give the signal for my own team to lower their own weapons. Although they were a little slow to lower their own shotgun and pistols, they did. Being cautious never hurt anyone.
"I'm sorry about that, but we have been on edge ever since these damn bugs showed up," The bald man said. He then saluted and nodded. "Captain Ventralis, Peak 15 security."
I followed up with my own salute. "Commander Eden Shepard, Alliance Navy. Can you give me a stirep on the situation Captain?"
"Well if you made it this far you've noticed the bug problem we are having," he started.
"No kidding…" I heard Adrian mumble. The Captain continued.
"I don't have the slightest clue how they got out of their pens, but they have been wrecking havoc all over the Peak. Can't say how many we lost on the first wave." His eyes dropped a little. He reminded me of an N7 named Daniel. He was a survivor, the only survivor, of Akuze. Thresher Maw's killed everyone on his team, and he survived. He was… never the same after that. He resigned and disappeared.
"My men are tired, running on stims, and morale is low. And we are running low on clips. I'm not sure how long we can survive. Maybe a small wave or two, but if more than one of those Warriors show up, we are all dead. That and-"
"Captain! We are picking up movement below us!" A turian yelled from his cover, looking at his omnitool.
"Damnit! Another wave… Everyone brace yourselves!" Everyone, including my own team went into defensive mode, taking cover behind the make shift barrier Ventralis and his team made. Over all, I counted six officers including Ventralis. And I could see two body bags, zipped up on the side. I'm sure there are more than just two body bags, but I didn't want to think on it.
Wrex and Adrian took post where the barrier was weakest. On the left with only two officers with warn out Avenger rifles. Liara took cover on my right with the other soldiers, and I stood next to the Captain, my Crusader loaded and my biotic's primed.
I could hear the sounds of metal banging, and claws scratching away through the ducts. An occasional screech here and there. Everyone was looking around, trying to spot where the Rachni will show up. It was eerie, almost unsettling. Not knowing where the enemy will show up. I felt blind.
Then one of the duct flew into the air, causing all of us to point our weapons at the hole. Everything and everyone was silent, and seconds turned into minutes. The calm before the storm they say. Then we could all hear a sharp, whistling sound coming from the hole. The hell? I looked over to the Captain, and I could see fear playing on his face. I looked back at the hole. Something is coming. The whistling stopped, and my eyes widened. I knew what it was.
Crashing out of the hole, causing floor plating to explode out, was a large Warrior Rachni.
"Fire!" Yelled the Captian. And we didn't hesitate. Bullets started flying at the Warrior, causing it to stagger a bit however it was still making its advance. I could see the sickle like antenna protruding out of its head, and its pincer like mouth opened as it made a charge.
It headed straight for me and the Captain, only to be stopped by a Carnage round. Wrex, I love you. Wrex and Adrian started a rampage and fired a barage of Carnage and explosive Ballitic Blades into the Rachni. So far it was working on keeping the Warrior at bay, however it was short lived. Three Worker Rachni came out from the hole and started making their own advances. This time, I let lose a fully charged Warp field into a Worker, dropping it for good. I've noticed how the Workers seem to have a weakness to Biotic's.
After I dropped the first worker, a larger Fire explosion blew out. I shielded my eyes from the heat of the blast. Once the smoke cleared I looked at saw the Worker barely standing on two legs. It was on its own rampage, trying to bite anything that came close. Adrian and Wrex did some work that was for sure. Plus, the blast caught the other two Workers, weakening them for everyone else to take them down. Once the Workers were down, everyone unloaded their weapons into the Warrior. The kept trying to take a bite into someone, but only in vain. The Warrior slowly, but surely, died in the floor in a pool of green bug like blood. And good riddance too.
Once everyone was sure that the Rachni was dead, a few engineers quickly moved to patch the hole up. Everything to make sure another wave wouldn't show up so easily. Now that I look at it, I could see all the patch work done to keep the Rachni out. And it looks like in some area's there has been more than one plat of metal bolted into the walls and floor.
"Thanks Commander for the assist. Not sure why you are here, but I don't have room to complain. You are welcome to take some supplies, although we are running short. Anything you can do to help end this would be much appreciated." The Captain then saluted and went back to leading the team fixing up the barrier. My own team went up to the make shift camp. Officers, employees, and scientists were all scrambling trying to keep each other alive. Some of those holding rifles looked like they've never seen battle before.
We moved around and found a corner. We took stoke on what we had and on what we needed. Once we got a list filled out for what we needed, we split up and got everything. Wrex and Adrian handled clips and grenades, and Liara and I handled medical supplies. Listening and observing everyone I could tell that everyone was scared. Even the Elcor was scared with his monotone voice. He was kind enough to sell us some mods for our weapons that could help against the Rachni. And a Volus mentioned something about a Doctor going down to the Hot Labs to try and fix the contamination. Something to look into in.
After we all finished we meet up in our corner. We split up our supplies accordingly, Wrex and Adrian getting a majority of the clips. Mainly cause they were our weapons experts, and focused on using their guns to solve their problems. Well, Tech also for Adrian's case. While exchanging supplies, I noticed Adrian was looking around, as if he noticed something was wrong. It was slightly discouraging.
"Something wrong Adrian?" I asked in a hushed tone. I didn't want anyone else outside the squad to listen in on our conversations. He didn't look at me, and kept his focus on two security officers on the other side of the room, watching us.
"Can't say for sure, but something doesn't feel right."
"What do you mean?" I asked. Liara and Wrex moving closer to hear what we were talking about.
"This room feels… dead. I mean, I know they are fighting an enemy the galaxy hasn't seen in god knows how long. But a majority of the survivors are… almost dull. I'm sure you've noticed how quiet it is here."
I drew my attention to the room. He was right. There was an almost dead silence in the room, as if we were all in a funeral service. That and the faces almost looked dead, as if they knew they weren't going to make it alive. It sent shivers down my spine looking at them.
"I don't know about you," Adrian continued, "but if I was holed up in some room knowing that a few security officers were my only line of survival, I'll be freaking out. But you look at these people, and what do you see? Nothing. What do you hear? Nothing. It is as if these people are already dead."
I looked at the people. I didn't want to admit it, but in a way, he was right. The secruity officers were probably the only ones in the room moving around and doing something. The civilians, the employees, they just sat there. Some staring at filled body bags, and others just leaning against a few crates. Yeah, someone who is probably a medical expert would check in on someone, but that was it. Nothing else. Like they were already dead.
"Observation aside, what is our next move?" Adrian asked, probably to change the subject. I don't blame him.
"Should we move in for Benezia?" asked Liara.
"I don't think this will be the right time, with all the Rachni around," Wrex said. He had a point. Even if we arrest Benezia, we still have to worry about the Rachni. And I'm not so keen on fighting bugs while we have the enemies second in command in tow. It could complicate things.
"Wrex is right. We can't move forward with the Rachni still around. I asked around, and there is a Doctor in the Hot Labs that was going to enact a purge. He hasn't checked in, so that should be our a place to start. What do you all think?" I finished. The three of them looked at each other for a moment, waiting to see if anyone will come up with something better. Wrex I knew wanted to get rid of the Rachni as soon as possible. Liara would want to get to her mother. And as for Adrian. I'm sure he just wanted to get this mission over with and head back to the Normandy.
No one said anything, and so we all headed towards the Hot Labs. Ventralis was kind enough to point us in the right direction. We followed a small hallway, being ambushed by a few Swarmers, Adrian cursing and burning them with his Flamer, and continued to an elevator. A very fun trip. The elevator was actually a slow ride but short ride. The doors opened and we were greeted by a large empty room. The only thing taking up space was a crate, being used a seat by an older man.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" said Wrex. I feel the same way my friend.
"Wrex, Liara. Stay here and cover the elevator. Adrian, you're with me."
"Got it," Adrian said. That accent. Even with all the bugs around, that accent is just so, I don't know, amazing. Anyway, back to work Eden.
Adrian and I, with our weapons at the ready, slowly moved to the man sitting on the crate. He was motionless, and his head was slumped down. Not a good sign. Adrian moved in closer, and with his revolver, he poked at the man. The man's body moved back, and then fell to the floor. Two large stab wounds on his chest.
"Damn… Looks like a Warrior managed to get to him before he could do anything." He holstered his weapons, and knelt next the corpse. He picked up what looked like a datapad, and started reading through this.
"Would you look at that…" he mumbled. I moved closer, and peered over his shoulder to see what he was reading.
"What does it say?"
"These are the codes to use to enact the purge. I just need to punch it into a terminal, and the purge should start."
"Alright, should be a terminal in the next room we could use." He looked up at me.
"Have you ever watched horror movies Eden?" His tone hinted sarcasm.
"Some… Why?"
"Normally, whenever there is an empty room and the only thing that could be used to kill the bad guy just so happens to be in the next room. However, whenever one gets said miracle weapon shit always goes to hell. That and someone always dies. Normally the comic relief."
"And your point is?" I crossed my arms.
"Uhh, I don't want to die. I mean come on. This mission would have been boring if not for me."
"Oh really?"
"Well yeah. You think Liara will be able to through in a joke? No. Unless it has something to do with archaeology, or Protheans, and we all know those are train wrecks."
"I heard that!" Liara's voice came from the elevator, earning Adrian to chuckle. I simply rolled my eyes and headed for the other room, taking the datapad from Adrian. He sighed and quickly caught up to me. We found a terminal, and I started typing away the codes for the purge.
"Please enter code to activate purge," Mira, the V.I, said.
"Not her again…" Adrian said under his breath. I found it mildly amusing how annoyed he got by the V.I. I typed in the code for the purge, and the terminal started to flicker.
"Code is correct. Initiating purge. Warning: Purge will eliminate all organic life within the Hot Labs. Warning: Large quantities of Rachni are converging towards this area. One minute till purge is active."
"Oh for the love of God! It just had to say that part last!" Adrian yelled. Almost instantly after, banning, screeching and gun fire were heard in the other room.
"Let's get out of here!" I yelled. Adrian didn't hesitate and we bolted out of the room, only to be stopped by a horde of Rachni. Wrex and Liara were holding the Rachni back, but they wouldn't be able to give us cover.
"Eden! Get behind me and stay close! Things are about to get hot!" Adrian yelled. He got in front of me and quickly activated his omnitool. Two Workers saw him and began a charge. "Not today you fucking freaks!" A stream of molten omnigel flew out of Adrian omnitool, engulfing the two Workers in fire. He grabbed my hand, and with the Flamer carving a way past the Rachni. We were making progress, but about half way the Flamer Tech ran out of juice. That is when we made a ran for it.
Adrian lead the way, activating his shield and bash away any Rachni that tried to attack us. What made matters worse however was that a Worker busted in the room and made a charge at us. That is when all bets were off and we made a mad dash for the elevator. Wrex was blasting away any Rachnin that got close, and Liara made sure the elevator doors wouldn't close on us. We were almost there, and the time was not helping.
"Jump for it!" I yelled. And Adrian and I leapt for the elevator. Liara use her biotic's and pulled us in. We crashed into the elevator, and Liara slammed the button. The doors closed right before the Warrior made it in.
"Purge activated." There was a low rumble that grew louder. The elevator started to shake, and I could hear the screeching of the Rachni. It lasted for about a few more seconds till the screeching was silent. The rumbling lasted a few more seconds after that, and then finally stopped. Everything was quiet in the elevator except for the panting from Adrian and myself.
"Purge ending. Rachni contamination no longer present in Hot Labs."
I didn't move. I just laid on the floor. Adrian as well. I could hear him breathing heavy.
"You okay Adrian?" I asked, not moving from my position. He was silent for a moment until he took a breath.
"You know. Even after all this, I still hate bugs…" was all he said. Wrex and Liara chuckled at his comment. And I, myself, couldn't help but join in. He was right. He was the comic relief in the mission. And I was glad to not be in a horror movie.
And that's a wrap. Hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter. I made sure to give Eden her time in the limelight, and gave her the POV. A little fun fact: I really do hate bugs. Like with a passion. I may be a guy, but I'm allowed some fears. And Bugs, especially Spiders, freak me out. They are not of this Earth, I swear! And heights is just gods way to scare people. Just throwing that out there.
Next up in Spade: Shepard Vs Benezia. Mother and Daughter throw down. And the end of Noveria, thank god! What will happen? Will the Commander spare the Rachni Queen, or will she burn it for good? Will Liara be able to fight her mother? Will Adrian conquer his fear of bugs? Will Wrex get that message mod for his armor? ... Okay the last may not happen, but I think the old Krogan needs some rewards. Anyway... Stay tuned for the next chapter in Mass Effect: Spade.
Keep reading and stay sexy my friends.
KD