Chapter 36: Games of love and war, part VIII
-Heavens, Halls of Obsidian
"I don't believe this is happening."
The powerful demon-god was pacing back and forth through her halls, furious at the turn of events. This was not how this was supposed to happen. The mechanic was supposed to be captured and dragged off to some remote corner of the galaxy, leaving Palladium's Champion free to be directed back toward Thessia. She was NOT supposed to have been captured as well, and she was NOT supposed to now be in danger of death, or worse.
"I blame you for this as well, you know," she said, looking to her Well of Souls and glaring at one in particular, who previously inhabited the body of a quiet poet. "Don't think I haven't noticed your whisperings in her mind. You should not be meddling in these affairs, even if she is your daughter. You just sit there and quietly contemplate your life until I put you back into a body, thank you very much."
The soul didn't respond, and instead buried itself among the others who were waiting for their contemplation period to be over, clearly disinterested in the demon-god's comments. Athame absently sent a stream of violet electricity across the room, arcing through the courtyard and splitting the Sea of Ages.
"This is ridiculous. All of this meddling has caused me more grief in the past few months than I have suffered in the last few millenia. I cannot let any harm come to his Champion, or I will have yet another war on my hands."
She shuddered at the thought. The last time she and Palladium had fought, it was during the emergence of the Protheans nearly one hundred thousand years prior. One of her souls had 'accidentally' absorbed one of his during their development, a creature he was prepping for the Silver Hand. The two of them shook the heavens with violet and platinum streaks of lightning back and forth between their lairs for seven thousand years, while the rest of the Pantheon went into hiding. They didn't speak again until the machine-gods returned, and only then it was because they were given no choice.
"It was a foolish quarrel, anyway. Perhaps if we had been a little more mature about the whole thing, we wouldn't be facing the machine-gods yet again. Perhaps we would have been doing what we are now, and we could have saved them..."
She stopped walking and looked around her halls. All was deathly silent, her children all in hiding. No doubt they sensed her mood, and did not wish to invoke her wrath. She was alone with her thoughts.
"I cannot let this happen a second time."
Enough time had passed that she and Palladium had become friends once more, but all that was in jeopardy now that his Champion was caught up in her little scheme. If that child died in this debacle, he might never forgive her, and they will have lost what small chance they had to win against the machine-gods this time around. They wouldn't have time to cycle the soul into another vessel, and there wasn't enough time to put a new one through his trials. None of his other souls were ready, and none of hers could pass his tests. They couldn't count on the other gods for help either. None of them were as ancient, or as powerful, as her and Palladium.
"It looks like I might have to directly intervene this time. Maybe I will get lucky and no one will notice."
She closed her eyes and crossed all six of her arms, picturing her destination in her mind and disappearing into the night.
-Pitony III, Infiltration point
"According to this map, our best chance to get in undetected is at this point." Tali indicated an area on her Omni-tool. "If we drop on the starboard side, and then make our way to this hatch, we should come through in the compactor room."
"Perfect, Tali. Are we all geared up?"
"All set, Chief Williams." Liara hefted her small pistol, and adjusted her amp. Her skin glowed blue with her biotics, and Williams knew that the asari would go to the ends of the earth to save Jane. She was ready.
"What about you Tali?"
"I am all set, Chief Williams." The quarian closed her Omni-tool and grasped her own pistol.
Ashley nodded, hefted her assault rifle, and tapped the side of her helmet. "All ready down here, Joker. Bring us in nice and quiet."
"You got it, Chief." The skilled pilot engaged the stealth devices, and brought them in just above the freight carrier. "Perfect drop point, as usual. It's all yours."
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams nodded, and hit the switch that would drop them onto the pirate ship's hull. She and Liara followed Tali as the quarian led them to a nearby hatch, and set to work on the encryption.
"How long?" Williams asked.
"Five minutes, no more," Tali replied.
"Keep your eyes open, T'Soni."
Liara nodded, and stood in front of them, ready to call upon her biotic powers. This time, she didn't feel scared or nervous as she had so many times before. She couldn't explain it, but ever since she had gone to see the Consort and had felt the anger and hurt that consumed her as she thought Jane was with another, she was somehow more in control of her powers. Somehow, she owned them now; she wasn't just borrowing them and using them every now and again. Now, she could command them and it felt really, really good.
"Come on, you little bosh'tet! Oh, this is ridiculous. Where is Danger when you need her?" Tali poked at her Omni-tool a few times, and then poked back at the encryption on the wall.
"She's on this ship, waiting to be rescued, Tali. Get that door hacked!"
"Ugh… I'm trying Chief. Just a few more seconds… There we go, that's better. Got it." Tali stepped back as the airlock opened, and Chief Williams jumped in first.
"Clear. Get in here ladies, we don't have all night."
Liara and Tali followed her into the airlock and the three exited the small room and crept along the hallway. "Ok, Tali, any idea where they are?"
"Not really, Chief. There are two bays used to transport cargo, one at the bow and one at the stern. It's impossible to say which one they are in."
"Damn, well we will have to check them both then. Keep moving."
The three crept along the hallway, watching for any patrols. Tali pointed to a door on their left, and Williams looked through the small window near the top. She shook her head, and the quarian took the lead, heading down an adjacent walkway.
"Keep it tight, ladies." The chief ordered, as she fell back and brought up the rear.
"These should be the two main cargo holding areas on this end of the ship." Tali indicated twin doors, on either side of the hallway.
"There are no guards outside, so I'm guessing this isn't the place." Ashley looked in the port windows anyway, but as she suspected, there was nothing in the rooms but some cargo crates. There was no sign of the commander or the mercenary.
"Where now, Tali?"
"Back this way." The quarian started walking again, and led them back the way they had come, looking at her Omni-tool. "They must be in the cells on the other side of the ship."
"All right, keep it quiet and keep it tight."
The three made their way back through the walkways without incident, but Williams reached across Liara and grabbed the quarian's arm before she could round the next corner. The hairs on the back of the gunnery chief's neck were standing up and she sensed a threat just ahead.
"Get back, get back," she whispered as loud as she dared, before grabbing her team and dragging them into the waste disposal room they had entered from. They took cover behind some crates at the back, and Ashley cursed under her breath.
"Well, so much for the stealthy approach," she commented as the patrol she spotted came into the room firing. "Return fire!"
The three leveled their weapons and started shooting back at the four guards, but after a few rounds Ashley looked at her assault rifle in horror. Her aim was perfect, but the rounds weren't doing any damage to her targets. From somewhere in the past, a voice cut through her fear…
A properly maintained weapon is the difference between life and death, Ashley. No matter what else you do when you are on a mission, always keep your equipment maintained…
"Who loaded these weapons?"
"Um, Garrus did, Chief." Tali was looking at her own quizzically. "Garrus and I got new rounds at the Citadel and he loaded them especially for this mission. The merchant we bought them from had just gotten them in, and they come highly recommended."
"You have to be kidding me. These rounds are duds. Shit! This can't be happening. T'Soni – get a shield up! Now!"
Liara threw her pistol down, and channeled her biotics into a shield in front of them. She looked down at her hands, a little surprised at the power. It felt different than before, somehow it was being... enhanced. Something was lending her strength...
"How many of them can you take out before needing to rest?"
"Not enough, Chief Williams. I can hold the shield for some time, but I will not be able to take them down unless we find some weapons."
The gunnery chief looked around the room. There wasn't much in there other than random garbage, and there was only one exit, not counting the exit into deep space. They seemed to be reasonably safe at the moment, as the patrol wasn't advancing, but she could see one of them radioing for backup and alerting the rest of the crew there were intruders. It was only a matter of time before they realized the weapons were duds and the only thing that stood between them and victory was a single asari biotic.
"There is only one way out. We're stuck here until either a miracle happens, or T'Soni gets too tired to hold up the field."
"Actually Chief, there may be another way out. Help me with this."
Tali had grabbed hold of a mesh covering on the wall and was trying to pull it off, but she couldn't get a good enough grip on it to get it loose. Chief Williams turned around, slid her human fingers easily through the mesh, and pulled the grating out of its fasteners.
"There's no way we will fit through there, Tali."
"I can fit in there. I will go look for some weapons or help and come back. Maybe I can come up behind them and surprise them, then you and Liara can overpower them."
"Are you sure? How are you going to get through it?"
"Trust me, I can get through it." Tali pressed some buttons on her suit, and squeezed herself through the opening. "I will be back soon."
"Damn, that's… that's kind of gross," Williams commented, as she watched the quarian contort and bend her limbs in what seemed to be impossible angles. "How are you holding up, T'Soni?"
"You know, you can call me Liara. I am stable for now. I cannot explain it, but it feels like something is helping me keep this field up. I hope she hurries, though. There is no way for me to know for sure how long this will last. You should keep firing at them. Maybe they will just think you are a lousy shot."
The gunnery chief smiled at the asari. "You've been hanging around the commander and her friend too much. You're starting to pick up their sense of humor." She leveled her assault rifle over the crate and started returning fire, hoping beyond hope that Tali could find something useful in time.
-Pitony III, Ventilation system
Commander Jane Shepard looked to her left, and then her right as she sat in the center of the first intersection. There were no identifying markers in the ventilation ducts, and it would be easy to get lost in them. There were six ducts in all intersecting here, and she didn't have a compass with her to keep her facing the right direction.
How can I make a mark so I know where I have been? I could be lost in the bowels of this ridiculous ship forever… And who knows what could be happening to Danger while I'm trying to find my way.
She scratched at the back of her neck, and her hand slipped on something greasy.
Oh wow, I forgot about that. Danger, remind me to throw you a massive party and buy you a fleet of asari strippers when we get out of here.
She took the greasy pouch out of her pocket, squeezed some of the liquid onto her hand, and drew a big X on the wall of the shaft she had come through.
There. X marks the spot where Danger is. Now I can move on.
She put the pouch back in her pocket, and chose a shaft on her right. She crawled along it, listening for any passing patrols beneath or above her, but heard nothing. Eventually she got to the end of the tunnel, and she peered through the mesh at what looked like some sort of communications room. She didn't see any weaponry though, and so she twisted and turned herself around.
Nothing in there. Let's try left.
She took out the pouch again and marked the shaft she had just exited with a big N, and continued across the main line. This tunnel was a lot smaller and longer, and curved a little ways downward as she crawled. It stayed the same width throughout though, and Jane easily slipped through to the end. She stared through the mesh, and a smile crept across her face. She had hit the jackpot. There was an array of weaponry lying across a counter, and only one guard, sitting with his back to her, doing something on a terminal.
She wasn't going to be able to turn around in this shaft, so she backed out to the main intersection again. Sliding herself along feet first, she moved as quickly as she could back to the end of the duct, doing her best to not make any noise. She wouldn't be able to see whether the guard was ready for her, so she said a small prayer to any god or goddess listening that the man was still focused on his terminal.
She reached the end of the line, and bent her knees against the mesh. Pushing her hands against the top of the duct for leverage, she gave one mighty kick and the screws snapped, the mesh covering falling to the floor. The guard whipped around, but Jane had already vaulted herself out of the ventilation system, grabbed his head on either side, and twisted hard. The guard's limp body fell to the floor.
I'm sorry, but there was no other way.
And Jane was sorry, but she couldn't spend too much time dwelling on it. She grabbed the guard's uniform jacket from the back of the chair and tossed it open on the floor. She picked out three assault rifles, four pistols and a variety of rounds and tossed them all into the jacket. She folded it up and tied it off with a cord she found lying near the weaponry, most likely used in some sort of cleaning, and looked at the door.
Doesn't sound like anyone noticed my little entrance. Should I try to make my way through the halls? Hmm… No I better just get back to Danger. We can fight our way back out together.
She grabbed the chair the guard had been sitting on and moved it over to the air duct. She tossed her bundle into the shaft as far as it would go, and then tried to pull herself up.
Damn this grease. Where is that tall idiot when you need her? Forget the strippers, Danger. You're not getting a damn thing.
She looked around for anything that would help her get high enough to enter the duct, but there wasn't much in the room. Just some chairs, a console, and the table-like structure the weapons were on.
The table… I wonder if that thing is nailed down. Well, one way to find out.
Jane got down off the chair and walked to the large slab. She kicked at it once, just out of frustration, before putting her back to it and pushing with her legs. The table was nailed down, and she was going to need a lot of leverage to move it.
Damn it. Why did that idiot have to grow to be such a freakish giant? All these are jobs that I need her for and she couldn't fit through the damn shaft. That's it Danger, no party for you either, now. No strippers and no party. Fuck it. I'm just going to kick your blonde ass instead. What the fuck is wrong with you anyway, getting me caught in the middle of your stupid feuds?
Jane closed her eyes and reached for the platinum. She focused on punching Danger's lights out as she pushed against the table, filling the room with crystalline shards and the sound of grinding metals. She pushed, and pushed, and slowly, surely, the bolts connecting it to the floor started to creak.
Come on... Let it go... Just let it go...
"Ugh, will you just break already? Stupid table. Even inanimate objects are out to ruin my night."
She tensed her muscles and gave one last mighty heave, hearing the bolts snap. The table fell noisily to the ground, and Jane cursed under her breath.
That's going to get some attention... I need to get out of here.
She picked the table back up and moved it underneath the entrance to the duct. Then she grabbed a chair and put it on top of the table, and this time she was able to hoist herself into the chute and shimmy through, despite the grease. She closed her eyes, and let go of the lightning.
This is a nightmare. I don't understand how she can spend half her life crawling through these things. Well, no matter, I need to get these weapons back to Danger.
Jane grabbed the bundle and started crawling back through the shaft, silently fuming at Danger's inability to help with the scavenging and the ridiculous grease everywhere and her perfect night with Liara being ruined.
"This is the stupidest thing yet to happen to me. I finally get everything just in my grasp, and there's always something stupid to happen to me, and ninety nine percent of the time, Darla is involved. What a pain in my ass. No wonder that matriarch got a commando. If Danger gets her into half as many scrapes as she gets me into, it's no wonder she got herself a new… whoa… What the hell?"
"COMMANDER!" Tali fairly threw herself at the human, as best she could in a ventilation shaft, anyway. "Where is Danger? Are you ok? It's so good to see you!"
"Tali, is that you?"
"Yes Commander! Keelah, you are alive! You are alive!"
"Tali! What are you doing here?" I must be hallucinating. What the hell did they drug us with, anyway?
"We're rescuing you, of course. Where is Danger?"
"She couldn't fit up here. I came through looking for weapons." She gestured to the bundle. "Is anyone else here?"
"Yes, yes, Chief Williams and Liara are here, but they are in trouble. All of our weapons have failed. Something about getting bad ammo, I don't really know."
"Ok, I will go to them. Which way leads to them?"
"That shaft," Tali pointed to one directly behind her. "I came from there."
"Here, take two of these pistols." Jane reached into the bundle and took out two of the small weapons. "Go to Danger and stay with her until we get there. Do you understand? Do not let her talk you into doing anything crazy. You just stay put."
Tali nodded emphatically and accepted the weapons. "Yes, yes, I understand. Where is she?"
"Look for the greasy X. It's one of those shafts." Jane pointed to the right. "It's good to see you Tali. I'll catch up with you and Danger as soon as I get Ash and Liara."
Jane squeezed the quarian's shoulder, bent down slightly to tie the bundle to her leg, and then headed in the direction Tali had indicated. Tali watched her leave, and then fastened the pistols to her environment suit.
"I'm coming, Danger. Hold on."
The quarian pushed a few more buttons on her suit and returned her limbs back to their normal state before continuing her crawl towards the tunnel Jane had pointed to. Finding the one with the X easily, she slid along the now greasy metal, and slowly lowered her head into the room to see what was happening.
-Pitony III, Infiltration point
Commander Jane Shepard propelled herself through the air duct and nearly knocked over the gunnery chief. She immediately pulled her shirt out of the back of her pants and threw it on.
"Report, soldier."
"We're defending, Commander. All weapons are offline. Somehow we managed to get sold duds; none of the thermal clips are working."
Jane nodded. This must have been Danger's plan – the supposed upgrades sold to Tali and Garrus were actually preparation for the war game. It was too bad this wasn't a game. She bent down and untied a thin rope from her ankle, and then yanked on it. The bundle of weapons followed her through the opening, and settled at her feet.
"Take your pick, Chief," the commander said as she untied the jacket and exposed the weaponry she'd collected.
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams looked down at the pile of weapons, and thought she had never seen a more beautiful sight in her life. "Jane, I love you." She picked up an assault rifle and hefted it. "This'll do."
Jane grinned at her friend and picked up a rifle herself. "Let's kick some ass, Gunny."
"You got it, Skipper!"
They turned to the patrol and something in their faces must have scared the men. They stopped firing, and one of them tried to turn around and run, but was stopped by his comrades. Almost as if they had choreographed the scene beforehand, Jane and Ashley simultaneously started shooting the small squad, and the men immediately fell to the focus fire.
"Hell yea, Gunny, that's what I'm talking about!" Jane hi-fived her officer and grinned at Liara. The asari dropped her biotic field and threw herself into the commander's arms.
"Jane, don't ever go that far away from me again," she whispered. The room seemed to darken and the air grew thick for a few moments, and then dissipated once again.
"Hey, hey it's ok. I'm here. I didn't want to go, believe me. And we need to get back and collect Danger before something happens to her. That Jacob Red character has it bad for her."
Liara pulled out of the embrace and nodded. She knelt down and selected a pistol from the weapons cache, called upon the power of her biotics, and signaled her readiness.
"Commander, where is Tali?"
"I sent her through to Danger's cell. She should be there by now. We are going to have to cut our way through the rest of the crew, but I don't think that's going to be much of a problem now, do you Gunny?"
"Hell no, Skipper. I'm in the ass kicking mood tonight!"
Commander Jane Shepard grinned, and led them out of the room, heading for the aft of the ship. They made short work of the patrols, and Jane was more than a little impressed with Liara's sudden mastery of her biotic talents. She used the force of her will to lift the patrols into the air, where Jane and Ash could make quick work of them with their guns.
I don't even have to channel the platinum. She's... amazing...
"Hey Liara, when did you get so good at that?" she asked.
"I do not know, Jane. Something just feels… right… now I guess. I am more confident." She gestured lightly with her right hand and another guard went sailing gracefully through the air, hitting the wall with a resounding thud.
Jane nodded and glanced at Williams.
I'll bet she learned that from her time working with the chief. Damn am I glad we got Ash reassigned to the Normandy. She is truly one of the best soldiers I have ever known. I need to put in a full length report about her abilities. She is nearly ready for her own command.
"Well it's damn impressive. I still can't believe you guys are even here."
"It wasn't easy, Commander, but who would keep us in line if we just left you out here to rot?"
"Ash, I told you once that you were an excellent soldier and a good friend, and I meant it. You are the best I've ever had the pleasure to serve with."
The gunnery chief beamed at the compliment, but she didn't have time to respond because just then Commander Shepard threw out a protective arm, unconsciously channeling a translucent silver barrier, to stop the team behind her as they watched what looked like a pitch black electrical torpedo shoot through the wall in front of them.
"Did you see that, Ash?"
"I saw it Jane. What the hell was it?"
"No idea… Liara?"
"It was… It could not possibly be… That is something that has not been seen in millennia… It is just… not possible…"
-Pitony III, Empty spaces
"Yes, that's it, my child. You aren't supposed to be here, but perhaps it's just as well. I wouldn't be able to help the others like I can help you. Accept the power and let it maintain your barrier. His Champion is on the way. She will get you both out of here, and safely back onto your own ship. I will have to come up with some other plan to get rid of the mechanic."
She hovered over the small team and channeled a portion of her strength into the last of her demon line. The child showed remarkable resilience, and she was more than a little impressed. Maintaining the barrier was almost effortless, and she could feel the child accepting who she was and who she must become. Perhaps this wouldn't be so hard, after all. She may still be young, but she was the offspring of the most powerful and ancient of Athame's creations. She would have the feral instinct and strength of her demonic heritage tempered by the iron will of her mother's mental prowess. She was a magnificent creature, and soon, the demon-god would select a mate for her.
Athame ceased her channeling as she watched Palladium's Champion vault through the ventilation shaft and take her place alongside her soldier comrade.
"He is right. You are strong and powerful, and it is not surprising that you have finished his trials already. You are everything I could have wanted for my eldest. Now I just need to get you away from this child and into the arms of the one you are meant for..."
Her thoughts were cut short as the young asari threw herself into the human's embrace. Athame's wrath filled the room and darkened it, and she nearly lost control of her fury. She raised a hand to force violet lightning between them, but just as she grasped for the electricity, she felt something nip weakly at her Eternal Well of Souls.
She looked down at her child, but the girl wasn't channeling biotics. She was just holding onto Palladium's Champion, seemingly oblivious to all that was going on around them. None of the others on this ship exhibited any biotic talents... None of the others... save one.
She turned quickly and just as suddenly as the light in the room had darkened with her anger, it was gone again, along with the demon-god.
-Pitony III, Prisoner Holding Cell
Danger returned to the chair she had previously been chained to, and tried to make the shackles look like they were still restraining her. She was tall enough that anyone casually looking in probably wouldn't notice Jane was gone, but she was worried that if someone took too much of an interest, they would notice something amiss with the restraints and come inside to investigate.
She prayed to any god or goddess that might have been listening that Jane would find her way through the ventilation system to an armory room and come back with lots and lots of firepower. The whole situation seemed hopeless, and Danger wasn't used to being in hopeless situations, without weapons, without armor, and without biotics. What was worse was that she got Jane mixed up in it, when the commander had a massively important mission to deal with. Jane didn't need to be breaking out of slaver ships with Danger, not now.
This should have never happened. Before Terriana, this never would have happened. I would have been alert and ready for anything. Red was right. I would have never made a novice mistake like that and gotten us captured. That asari is the worst thing that ever happened to me.
Jane had only been gone for a few minutes, but to the mercenary, it felt like hours. Her hand was throbbing, and she had a headache from the poison. It was shaping up to be a really lousy day, and it was about to get worse. She heard the sound she had been dreading since she managed to pick the locks on her shackles. The door was opening, and someone was slipping inside, or rather, trying to slip inside. The man was too large and brutish to really be able to quietly slip anywhere, and Danger inwardly groaned.
This is going to get really ugly, really fast.
"Well, look at what we have here," he said, as he shut the door behind him. "All chained up and nowhere to go."
"Yea well, I'm a bit of a homebody anyway."
"Oh, and you're funny to boot. I like that." He walked over to her, and noticed that she was alone. "I thought there were two prisoners in here?"
Danger did her best to look innocent. "It's just me."
He grinned. "Good. We have some privacy, then."
Danger closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She was strong, and she was fast, but this man had at least a hundred pounds and six inches on her. It was going to take a miracle to get out of this one, and she prayed that Jane hurried with those weapons.
"You'll regret this, I promise you that."
"Maybe I will, and maybe I won't. For now, I think I'll just collect the payment Jake promised me and worry about it later." He reached out, intending to grope her a bit, and she brought her knee up into his jaw. In a flash, she spun out of the seat and dropped back into what she hoped looked like a fighting stance.
"Oh, a feisty one I see." He rubbed his jaw and grinned at her. "I like the fighters. Go ahead. Make me take it from you." He rushed her and grabbed her around the neck, forcing her against the wall.
Danger tried to get out of his chokehold, but he was too big and too strong.
"Yea, that's it," she could feel his beard grating against the soft skin of her cheek. "Fight me, I like the struggle." He started biting on her neck, and used his free hand to loosen her clothes.
Damn it, this can't be happening. Where the fuck is Jane?
Danger closed her eyes and ignored the hand that was painfully gripping her neck, and ignored him ripping at her clothing. Her skin crackled, faintly, with the beginnings of a biotic charge, but without her amp, there wasn't going to be much she could do. It only seemed to excite him more anyway, and she could feel him pressing against her, trying to get her exposed enough so he could take her.
She didn't have her amp, but she had to try. She couldn't let it happen like this.
She closed her eyes and focused her thoughts into a single point on her body, directing all of her spare energy to it. The bluish field circled her skin, and swirled toward the area she indicated with her mind. At first it was very light, but as she concentrated, the electricity grew darker, and the energy began to feed upon itself. She felt like there was something far away she could pull from, and she reached for it with all of her remaining strength. As it swirled around her arm into her right hand, it started to emit a low humming sound, and Danger focused her breathing to match the cadence. The room started to darken, and she heard the air crackling with electricity.
Her attacker was no longer trying to remove her clothing. He must have noticed the sudden change as well…
Danger opened her eyes, and he took several steps back, unsure of what he was looking at. She was actually unsure of what she was looking through. The room had taken on a dark hue, and it was almost as if she was looking through an obsidian lens. She advanced on him, raising her right hand and placing it on his chest. She felt her biotic power increase and she channeled it through her hand to surround him. The look of fear in his eyes was intoxicating. She took another step toward him and drank it in, reveling in his terror. She felt a fury stirring in her that had never been there before, and she heard a whisper in her mind…
You are not one of mine. You should not be able to draw from my wells. Where did you come from?
She didn't know who was speaking to her, but she didn't really care, either. All she cared about was getting off this ship, getting Jane back to Liara, and getting herself back to Terriana.
You are a stubborn one, I see. I have tried to keep you away from her, yet you persist. I have to wonder why... What is it that grounds you to her, that shackles you to that planet? Will I never know? Very well then. Let us see how strong you really are. Feel the fury. Embrace the rage and channel it, allow it to consume you. Can you feel it? It is exquisite, is it not? It is sexual, is it not? It is everything. Embrace it. I give it to you.
She dropped her right hand back to her side, palm facing out, but she did not dismiss the field. Something about it felt… right. She couldn't dismiss it; she needed it. She turned her broken left hand so that its palm faced out as well, and joined her field to it. She bent her knees slightly, threw back her shoulders, and lowered her head, so that her body took on the form of a chalice, and she funneled all the power into a sphere in front of her, spinning the unfortunate human male with her fury.
Perhaps I was wrong about you. You are pure and untouched, and so very just. You wield the power so righteously. Perhaps you should have been one of mine from the start. Are you one of his souls? Or are you one of the anomalies, born out of the ashes of the Consumed? Feel it fill you. I give all of this to you, it is yours to command, whoever you are.
Danger didn't know who was whispering in her mind, but she knew that whoever it was, the voice was giving her power. Her muscles tensed, and she felt the force of the biotics starting to burn her flesh. She didn't care though. The voice was right, it was almost a sexual feeling, and Danger felt her body responding to and enhancing the power of the biotics with its own natural electricity. Her hair flowed wildly with the charge, and her lower jaw dipped forward, in an almost feral way, exposing the bottom row of her teeth and dripping saliva.
Take all of it, I will give you as much as you can handle. Can you handle more? Feel it flow through you. It is yours. It is all yours. I want to see you take it, and smite your enemies with it. Let us see what you can handle.
Danger accepted it, and reached out with her mind to claim more. She couldn't explain it, but it felt like it belonged to her and she was merely accepting what was already hers, and dormant for all her life. The field grew bigger, and Danger felt herself start to lift off the ground.
Your passion has no equal. Never before has another been able to accept all of me, and live to tell the tale. It belongs in you. Now you understand. Now you have it all, and you understand. Release it. Release all the rage and the fury and let it consume your enemies. Release it.
Danger did. She threw her head back and let out a piercing howl, and pushed her hands forward, forcing the man, caught in the massive biotic field, straight through the wall of her cell, the wall of the next cell, and against a third one before he crumpled to the ground, bones shattered and skin melted away.
Danger fell back to the floor, but managed to keep her feet. She wobbled a few seconds, before giving up and dropping to her knees.
Your eyes are still open, are they? Your strength is remarkable. You must sleep now, though. Authority is not given to me to bestow these gifts upon you yet, but perhaps, I will go and barter for your soul and the next time you are born, it will be as one of mine and not one of his. Then, you will stand by my side and together we will usher in a new age. I will grant you all the gifts you deserve and wield so righteously and we will watch as my lesser daughters blossom with new power and strength, and our greater daughters conquer the far reaches of the universe. For now, I must be content to give you to her. Perhaps I was mistaken in trying to keep you away. Perhaps her eyes are not as tainted as my own, and she already has seen the fury and power in you. Your line will bring much strength and honor to her brood. You must return to her, mechanic. But first, sleep, and forget. Sleep now, and forget. Soon enough… you will be mine.
Danger felt the voice recede from her mind, and she fell forward onto the floor, exhausted. Consciousness lingered for a moment more, and then her eyes returned to their normal emerald color and her vision cleared. The massive biotic charge dissipated, and was replaced with the low pulse she was used to. Danger closed her eyes, and allowed sleep to claim her.
A few minutes later, a very frightened and confused Tali dropped out of the ventilation shaft Jane had sent her through, and she rushed to Danger's side, pulling the human against her and examining her wounds. The quarian wasn't sure exactly what she had seen, but Danger needed medical treatment and it was only a matter of time before her little biotic display got the attention of the rest of the mercs. She could dissect what she saw later. Tali turned the mercenary over, and dragged her to a corner of the room to try to medigel her wounds and wake her up.
Commander Jane Shepard threw out a protective arm to stop the team behind her as they saw what looked like a torpedo shoot through the wall in front of them.
She looked back at Liara, who just shrugged and shook her head. Cautiously, Jane peered around the corner, expecting to see a war breaking out, but all she saw was Tali leaning up against a wall with Danger wrapped in her arms.
"What happened in here, Tali?"
Tali looked up at the commander, terrified. "Shepard, I… I don't know. There was an asari in here, but, she wasn't like anything I have ever seen."
"What do you mean? Is there another prisoner? Where did she go?"
"No, I don't think that she was a prisoner."
"Well Liara was with us the whole time, so it wasn't her."
"Shepard, this was different. She was, so beautiful and terrible. Danger was… channeling… something. I'm not quite sure what it was. She stood behind Danger, and embraced the air surrounding her. She was, at least three feet taller than Danger is. She nearly touched the ceiling. Her skin was so blue it was like the night, and she had six massive arms and black wings that filled the room. I couldn't move. It seemed like she was whispering to Danger, and then, Danger let go of something and fell to her knees. The asari knelt beside her, and waved one hand over her head, and then was gone. I have never seen anything like it."
"She was gone? Just like that? Which way did she run?"
"No, Shepard, she was just… gone as if she was never there."
"Jane," Liara put a hand on the commander's arm.
"What, Liara?"
"That sounds a lot like Athame… but there has not be a sighting in over seven hundred years, and even then no one really took it seriously. We have not actively worshipped the Goddess in thousands upon thousands of years."
"Athame? So that's some deity of yours?"
Liara looked at the unconscious human and nodded. "Yes, it is." She addressed Tali. "Can you remember anything else?"
Tali thought about it for a few minutes. "Danger was channeling something. It looked similar to biotics, but it was darker. It was black, it wasn't blue. And then, she… howled… and pushed it through the walls."
"That does not make any sense, Tali. Danger is a human." Liara commented.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Shepard asked.
"We have legends, of Athame selecting individuals among our people and bestowing gifts upon them. Sometimes it was a strength of biotics, like Tali just described. Sometimes it was great beauty or knowledge of tactical warfare. Some even tell tales of her mating with some of our kind and creating unique bloodlines with special powers. But never has there been a legend of her visiting anyone of another race. It is always asari."
"Well, that makes sense. We have legends too," Jane replied, "and none of them involve our gods visiting other races. But we don't have any that look like what Tali described."
"No, no it was Athame. That I am sure of. There is no other who could have created such a powerful field as to do that." She indicated the still smoldering hole in the wall.
Jane looked at it again. "I suppose not. Those walls are meant to hold people in, and they are ten solid inches of the most powerful and strongest metal alloys humankind has developed."
"The question is… why did she show herself to help Danger?" Liara looked at the human, still lying in the quarian's arms. "What could she possibly want with Danger? It is a miracle the human could even survive Athame's wrath, much less channel it."
Chief Williams cut into the conversation. "I learned long ago not to question gods. You'll just give yourself a headache and be even more confused at the end. We have to get out of here and get back to the Normandy before Alenko has to do something he regrets, or someone notices we are gone."
Jane looked at her quizzically and opened her mouth to speak, but Ashley held up a hand.
"Commander, you really don't want to know. Just don't ask. Plausible deniability, and all that."
Jane closed her mouth again and nodded. "All right, let's get off this tin can. We can send the Alliance to to clean this mess up when we get back to the Citadel. Ash, come help me carry Danger."
The two soldiers picked up the unconscious human, carried her through the still smoldering hole in the wall, and headed for the shuttle bay.