Chapter 33 – It Never Rains, But it Pours
"Sixth geth cruiser down, Admiral. Its assigned frigates are pulling back. Geth cruiser from Bravo designation moving in," informed Hackett's crewman.
"Good," answered Hackett. "Have Bravo engage."
They were making an impact - the yahg too inexperienced with both space-flight and battling in it to be able to withstand his onslaught. But they were learning fast, adapting. Their latest ploy was to attempt to break through to take out the dreadnoughts. In response, Hackett had launched interceptors, flanked by fighters with Pulse Protection enabled. They'd lost some people as a result, but it had thwarted the yahg.
Wondering what they'd try next, Hackett then checked himself. That wasn't the way he worked. He didn't react, he acted.
Returning to the screens that displayed various camera angles transmitted from several of his ships, Hackett studied them intently.
There was a pattern... in the formations of the yahg ships. No matter if one of their number was obliterated, they would restructure, but always around a central ship which never changed. Like they were protecting it.
Without hesitation, Hackett headed to the external comms to give their new targets: those central ships. He was certain they were the ones carrying the artifacts.
Armed with this new knowledge, Hackett was confident the battle over Parnack would soon be over. He hoped the same could be said for the one on its soil.
oOo
They timed their entries into the buildings as one, weapons armed as they stormed in.
Kaidan and his team of Knox and Edi were immediately met by the salarian guards from Sur'Kesh, but Terra had made sure they were prepared with grenades of neural gas. The guards fell unconscious before they could get off a shot and were quickly secured with cuffs to the sturdy pipes that ran down the walls. From the muted bangs that echoed from the next building, he assumed Terra had encountered more guards, and it was likely that James, over in the last building would find the rest. They would need to destroy the artifacts quickly to stop the Leviathans regaining the salarians.
The effect of the gas against the yahg was unknown, so it hadn't been a viable option. Kaidan suspected that with enough gas, even something the size and bulk of a yahg would be unable to resist, but given that a krogan was difficult to take down, the amount required for a single yahg would be more than they could carry.
The ground floor was one bare open space, and it soon became clear as they went from one level to the next, all lit by a sickly yellow artificial light, that the building was completely empty.
"What the hell's going on?" muttered Knox, circling the space that was the top and fourth floor.
"It appears the answer is: nothing," responded Edi.
"It's just a shell."
Kaidan could hear the confusion and frustration in Terra's voice. "It's the same here," he returned.
"Ditto that," said James. "Salarian soldiers but other than that, absolutely nada."
"Edi? Do you detect any artifacts nearby?" Kaidan looked dubiously at the walls which appeared to be solid stone.
"I do not."
"Why the hell would they have the guards here if it wasn't to protect what was inside?" questioned Terra. "We have to be missing something."
"Uuh…missing what?" asked James. "I don't know what you're seeing, Lola, but I'm looking at bare walls and floors."
That gave Kaidan an idea. "Check the floors on the ground level. We already know they like to go underground." He started down the stairs and began searching the area.
"There are depressions along the edge of this slab," pointed out Edi, assessing it far quicker.
Crouching beside it, Kaidan pulled off his glove and held his hand out over the groove. "There's a draft." Replacing his glove, Kaidan stuck his hands into the gap and pushed to no effect. Knox and Edi knelt either side of him and helped. It began to move ever so slightly, the heavy stone slab appearing to vanish beneath the rear wall. With a great deal of effort they revealed the staircase below.
"Shepard, we've got an entrance."
They all aimed torches down into the gloom, the light reflecting off smoothed walls and floor at the bottom of the steps.
"A tunnel." Kaidan shone his light as far it would go. "Looks like it heads northeast."
"Same here. This one goes north. Vega?"
"Hold on…. Hell, this thing's heavy. How the heck did you, Jack and the bushed salarian manage it?"
"Because biotics are superior to all that muscle," ribbed Jack.
Kaidan cleared his throat when Knox chuffed beside him for not using his.
"Okay, now I know the prothean dude doesn't like me," muttered James. "… This tunnel heads northwest. So they must meet, no?"
"Is that a statement or a question?" Garrus commented. "Either way, I'm going with 'it's likely'.'
"Only one way to find out." His gun back in hand, Kaidan led the way down, surprised when lighting came on automatically, casting them in a blue hue as he stepped onto the tunnel floor. Sensors? He checked around but there were no sign of cameras.
"Edi?"
"I am only detecting a rudimentary lighting system activated by a pressure plate in the flooring, and another that I believe would close the slab above us." She pointed to a small square pressure plate cut into the wall.
"I vote we keep that open," Knox said as they moved forward, unsettled at the thought of being entombed.
"Kaidan, I am beginning to experience severe interference," informed Edi. After a few more steps she provided an update. "I have now lost my connection with Normandy."
"We're underground, surrounded by a lot of stone," suggested Knox.
"Negative. It is some kind of scrambler."
Kaidan tried to contact Terra, but all he got was static. He picked up his pace, keeping alert for any movement. The blue light strained his eyes, creating a niggling ache in his forehead, and he silently cursed his L2. Finally, the tunnel began to open out to form a small cavern. Terra was waiting at its centre, talking with Bau as she linked her omnitool with his, while Jack kept watch like someone just waiting to be attacked at any second. Coming towards them from the opposite direction was an uncomfortable-looking James, with Garrus and Javik.
"You guys having comm problems too?" asked Garrus as he joined them.
"It seems it's intentional," Kaidan answered.
"Well, it looks like there are only two tunnels from here." Shepard gestured towards the far edge of the space they were in, where it forked again in opposite directions as far as the eye could see. "We'll need to split again."
"We need to be wary," murmured Kaidan. "There's no telling how far they'll take us, or what we'll find there."
"Gotta be salarian scientists," remarked Knox. "That means labs, right?"
James fidgeted with his collar. "Man, did I mention I hate tunnels?"
Shepard patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, James. You won't be following me down them. You'll go with Kaidan, Edi and Javik. Jack, Garrus, Knox, you're with me. We'll take the left. Bau?"
The salarian sighed wearily from where he'd propped himself against a wall. "Maybe I should stay put. I can keep watch. Give you a warning if we get company."
She merely nodded and handed him another ration, along with a gas grenade. "Just in case any of the indoctrinated get by us. I'd give you more but I expect we'll need them."
"In an enclosed space like those tunnels, a single grenade will be very effective," assured Bau.
"Exactly. Then let's move out." Exchanging a brief, silent, but meaningful look with her husband, Shepard began to head left.
"Be careful," Kaidan called out before turning to the right tunnel, replacing his helmet in preparation for dispensing more grenades in the confined space, and uneasy at the knowledge he would be heading away from her.
James hesitated, quickly pulling Jack aside. "Look after yourself, Bella."
Jack grabbed the collar of his armour and tugged him face to face with her. "Listen to me, you Big Lug, you come back in one piece. Because when we get this done, I'm not waiting any longer, you hear me? The second we get back to the ship, I'm dragging you off to a quiet corner and I'm going to celebrate so hard you won't be able to walk."
James swallowed, his eyes wide. "You talking about drinking-?"
"No, I'm not, shit for brains. Do you want me to spell it out? No clothes, no talking, just you and me and a whole lot of mind-blowing sex."
"Let's move out you two," urged Shepard from the tunnel. "We need to get this done."
Before James could pull away Jack tugged him the rest of the way, kissing him with a desperate hunger that promised 'there's a lot more of that so you'd better come back', her tongue tasting him while she had the chance, completely uninhibited by the place and the people around them. For his part, James was unable to do anything but respond, his desire for her over-ruling everything else. It was over too soon, but they were in a hot-zone, and it was dangerous to take their eyes off the ball any longer.
As their lips parted, James grasped her face between his hands, his nose abutting hers as he spoke. "You know I want you, but there's something I'll need to tell you first." Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead and let her go.
Jack stared after him as he joined his team, and she jumped when Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Looks like you'll have to get back to the ship to find out what that is."
"What the hell could it be?" worried Jack.
"Trust him, Jack. He's a good man." Shepard started off down the tunnel, a small smile on her face.
"I know," Jack whispered to herself, watching his back receding. Then his head craned over his shoulder, and that smouldering smile affected her all the way over here, making her horny as hell, so she stuck her middle finger up at him. The dolt just laughed and then he was gone. Unable to stop the stupid grin that spread across her face, she jogged to catch up with Shepard, giving her a little shove. "Stop smirking, bitch."
Bau just stood in the silent space they'd left behind, bewildered.
oOo
Fallen krogan littered the ground in front of Wrex. There were far fewer yahg amongst those bodies than he'd have liked, but that was rapidly changing as the rachni brought them down, swarming over the yahg, sheer numbers outweighing their enemies strength.
The sight of the rachni's success worked to fuel the other krogan: this was their kill. Now they had something to vie with.
Grunt was leading a group towards a couple of isolated yahg. Working together…. It was where the krogan as a whole tended to fail. Though they fought for their clans, once they were on the battlefield they usually fought as individuals, blundering into each battle with no other focus but the one enemy they'd fixed on. Wrex knew that wasn't the way to win a war. The krogan weren't as numerous as they were when they fought the rachni, so that was no longer an advantage. He knew from fighting beside Shepard that being part of a team was the best chance they had of being victorious. He needed to re-group his people. Grunt was one step ahead of him, and Wrex knew of all people, he, Urdnot Wrex, chief of clan Urdnot, should have organised and trained the krogan that way. He wasn't as visionary as he thought he was, and it had cost them today.
Bellowing in frustrated rage, Wrex dug his heels into his beast, sending it thundering over another vehicle. This time the yahg inside bailed, ready to fire at the animal's sides and softer underbelly with guns and even vicious-looking spears. By the time the kakliosaur had crushed its way across the metal vehicle's length and back onto land, the animal had nothing left, keeling over as its life bled away. Wrex jumped, landed and immediately rolled to avoid the large fist that rushed through the air towards him. A jagged rock cut into his chin, but he paid it no mind, momentum carrying him back to his feet, weapon in hand. He fired his shotgun into one yahg's face, but a second yahg had come up behind him, wrapping arms around him in a bear hug that clamped Wrex's arms to his sides. He was being crushed, his armour creaking as it strained with the pressure. Wrex pulled the trigger of his shotgun, the shot hitting the attacker's foot. The embrace loosened ever so slightly, but it was all Wrex needed. The blood was pumping fast and loud in his head, fuelling his muscles, a red-tinged haze coming over him, and he roared as he put all his strength into his arms, breaking the hold, spinning in place and slamming his fist into the yahg's gaping mouth and ramming it down his throat. The yahg convulsed, trying to rear back, but Wrex had grabbed hold of the tongue. With no air, the yahg couldn't co-ordinate his limbs as his brain shut down, and he collapsed to his knees, falling lifelessly backwards once Wrex released his hold.
Breathing heavily, the blood rage receding a little, Wrex realised he was surrounded by four yahg. They knew how to work as a team. That age-old survival instinct kicked in again. He'd die fighting….
Then all four yahg began jerking violently where they stood, gunfire and acid relentlessly striking them until they fell.
Wrex grinned back approvingly at the group of krogan and rachni, Grunt at their lead. He checked the battle around him. It was a good fight.
But something changed. The rachni froze, craning up to the sky as though listening to it. As one, their heads shook like they were irritated by something, and then they emitted an almost deafening screech.
Wrex had a very bad feeling, proven right as the rachni suddenly turned away from the yahg and attacked the krogan. He rushed forward, snapping the neck of one rachni, blowing the head off another. Grunt yelled as acid struck his chest-piece, burning through, but he brought the assaulting rachni down with a pummelling fist. Wrex punched at his comm. "Coats! The rachni have betrayed us!"
"We're already on our way."
Wrex looked behind him to see the other races moving to join the fight, disappointment running through him that they'd been needed after all. There would be a high casualty rate, but they had to keep going – to buy Shepard time.
O
"Shit, shit shit!"
Joker couldn't believe what he was seeing below him, and Altair fidgeted uneasily beside him.
"They're all going to die, aren't they?" she murmured.
Frowning, Joker glanced at her only briefly. "No. It just means Shepard needs to really hurry." He pressed the comm. "Shepard, we've got a huge bug problem." He didn't like the lack of response. "Edi?" Again nothing. He checked the systems, but the AI Core was functioning normally; it was just the conscious part of Edi that wasn't here to answer. "They're out of contact. Something must be blocking communication."
"How do you know that's it? What if they're…" Altair left the rest unsaid, her face pale.
"They're fine," Joker insisted. "It's communications. Edi would be able to respond in any other circumstance. She's always connected to the ship, even when she's not on it. Trust me."
"I do," Altair said with conviction. "So, what do we do about it? The Admiral has no idea what's happening with the rachni."
"I guess it doesn't make any real difference," Joker shrugged. "I mean, either way, Shepard's not chilling out down there. She knows the longer it takes them to shoot the crap out of those artifacts, the more people are dying in that fight. She'll already be going as fast as she can." He brought the ship around, having spotted a group of yahg he could lay waste to without endangering their allies. "We just have to do what we can to help."
"Yes, Sir." Altair hunkered down, eyeing the screens for other opportunities.
"One thing's for certain," muttered Joker. "Shepard's gonna have some serious questions for the rachni queen."
oOo
Shepard's tunnel had ended at a large lab which was far more like something they'd find on their own planets, and felt rather out of place after the basic surroundings they'd walked through to get here. It was also filled with busy but silent salarian scientists. They posed no real threat, but Shepard was worried they could be brain-damaged by the Leviathans, so the last of their gas grenades had dealt with them.
They were now looking at the data on the terminals.
If there was anything Shepard knew about her countless updates from Narin Solus, it was that the image she was looking at, spinning in holo-form on one of the counters, was the magnified structure of a thorian spore. More precisely, the mutated spore only found in her daughter. This lab was here to study them, with the aim of rendering it obsolete somehow. Had the Leviathans given up on getting hold of Aurora? Shepard doubted it. It was just another avenue for them.
What she needed to know was how close they'd gotten, but conscious of the battle waging she knew it would have to wait. "Comb every inch of this place for artifacts. Check behind every wall panel, the ceilings, floor, anything you can think of."
"I'm always up for a little destruction," Jack said, but her face was completely serious.
"Yes, Ma'am," saluted Knox, immediately heading to the back of the room to rip off the walls, while Jack began tearing open every cabinet.
"The spores?" questioned Garrus, looking at the holo.
Shepard nodded. "I'll get the data, then I want every single shred of information destroyed. They probably have a back-up system but if there's the slightest chance it will put them back to square one, I'll take it."
Garrus gripped her shoulder, then wordlessly set to work.
oOo
Bau paced the tunnel junction, not because he was restless or impatient, but because he needed to do something to keep himself awake. If he settled anywhere he was most certainly going to be dragged under by a brain that was desperately in need of a break. When it came to days without sleep, he was at his limit.
He found himself looking for imperfections in the smoothed stone, inanely wondering how long it had taken the yahg to construct all this. Then he caught sight of a thin line in the rear wall, barely noticeable in the dim blue light. Getting closer he realised it formed a door – a third entrance. He went to reach for his comm in order to notify Shepard, then remembered the scrambler.
Searching the perimeter of the door, he discovered the outline of a small square cut into the wall. Pressing it, the slab of thick, heavy stone slid aside with a grating noise. Bau could see a well-lit room at the end of a short corridor. There was a strong possibility that this was where the artifacts were. Why else hide it? His adrenaline now kicking in and chasing away the weariness, Bau entered.
Pistol ready, his single gas grenade now felt woefully inadequate should he encounter a large number of indoctrinated. Nevertheless, he walked steadily down the corridor to find himself in a high-ceilinged room and instantly froze at the sight that met him.
There was only one thing that occupied this room: a reaper. At least, it looked like one, only far smaller than any he'd seen before, and not complete. Cables and wires ran from it, connecting it to a bank of terminals, their screens scrolling rapidly with indecipherable data streams. The reaper itself was curled in on itself, limbs intertwined to create an impenetrable mass.
Bau remembered Shepard's report on what she'd seen at the Collector base; the tubes of liquefied organic material that had been required to make the reaper. There was no sign of anything organic here. He looked up and saw that the ceiling was capable of opening for when 'it' was required to leave. It had to be a Reaper. He was unsure what purpose a smaller version could serve….
Remembering his fellow Spectres mission, Bau quickly started a download from the first terminal while he started to search the area around him for artifacts, every step uneasy as the metallic creature dominating the space, loomed over him. It didn't appear to be active, but he knew better than to assume anything, so he continued his work, tension keeping his senses alert.
oOo
The many eyes the First had been watching through were all dark now, their connections lost, stoking the resentment inside him as the last images resonated in his mind. Shepard and her mate had found the labs. The battle was merely a distraction.
His brethren's thoughts were whispers he couldn't discern as they refrained from 'voicing' them, but he knew what they were, regardless: underestimated, clever, dangerous. Each word described a galaxy of those who were inferior, and each word was shredded into pieces by the First. His superiority refused to acknowledge them. The lesser races were tools to be used and discarded as he saw fit. Only the Leviathans were worthy of such terms.
Now for their second lesson.
oOo
Wrex was in his element. He'd forgotten what it felt like to fight alongside worthy allies. The humans, turians and asari were some of the finest fighters he'd seen. Hell, he'd even admit the salarians knew how to handle themselves in a sneaky sort of way.
He was dealing with two rachni, tearing limbs from their bodies, when the hit came from behind. At first Wrex thought he'd been struck by a vehicle, the impact had been so hard, but then logic told him he was still upright.
Experiencing a surreal moment where everything seemed to slow down and the sounds of battle appeared distant, Wrex looked down to see a yahg's spear protruding through his chest, the tip severely jagged with spikes of metal that protruded from its base to cause as much damage as possible. Then it disappeared as it was yanked from his body with a sickening wet sound. He felt disjointed from the pain, something important failing inside him, and then his secondary organ was kicking in, reviving his stunned body and mind. Wrex's senses were swamped, motion and sound returning to normal in one loud and shocking rush. Seconds were all it had taken, and he staggered around to face the yahg who was already making another strike.
In another blur, the yahg was sent flying by the force of a Mako. The Alliance soldiers piled out to finish the yahg off, and Wrex was met with Shepard's friend, Coats.
"You need medical assistance."
"I'll live without it," Wrex said, biting back the pain that now thumped a fiery beat in his chest. Turning back to the battle, he was seriously irritated that he'd been crept up on, injured, and required a rescue.
It was then he caught sight of a sole yahg, standing defiantly in the midst of chaos. This one, incredibly, looked stronger than the rest, merely watching those around him with a cold distance. This was the leader, Wrex decided. The one the Leviathans prized.
"General." He jerked his chin towards the yahg when Coats moved beside him. "I'd bet my quad that's the Sur'Kesh mutation."
"Not taking that one - partly because I'm not interested in your quad, but mostly because you're right." Coats began calling his men together.
Wrex noticed the yahg leader had something in his hand: a device, which he then activated.
All the omnitools within a small radius of the device instantly announced: 'Warning: LDF failure'.
"No!" shouted Coats, in alarm.
At that exact moment Wrex saw the yahg leader look straight in their direction.
Raising his weapon, Coats suddenly turned, face expressionless, and began gunning down his own men.
Wrex was about to knock him out, but three rachni swarmed up from below, separating him from Coats. Reeling back, Wrex could only focus on those in front of him. "Grunt!" he yelled, throwing himself at the closest rock for cover, the acid sprays splattering ineffectually against the impervious stone. Swinging his shotgun around the rock, Wrex fired at the closest rachni, bringing it down. A second rachni then exploded from another shotgun blast, Grunt charging at the remaining rachni and crushing it against Wrex's cover.
"You called?" Grunt said, casually.
His attention elsewhere, Wrex searched where he'd last seen Coats, but only the dead human soldiers remained. The base. Turning in that direction, Wrex saw the human general striding beside the yahg leader, others falling in behind them, returning to the base. He tried contacting Shepard, but there was no connection, so he tried the Normandy. "Joker!"
"Wrex. What do you need?"
"Trouble's heading Shepard's way. Advise Hackett. The yahg have a way to bring down the LDF's. They own Coats."
"Shit! You mean the Leviathans."
"You're nit-picking now?"
"Sorry. It's just... Shit! Shepard!"
"Yeah. The Sur'Kesh yahg and others are heading to her position with Coats. You able to warn her?"
"No! We've lost contact!"
"Do what you can to stop them from getting there. I'll try to make my way to them."
"Got it."
Wrex closed the link. "Grunt. You know what we need to do."
Grunt lifted his shotgun in answer.
As they moved out towards the base, gathering others as they went, regardless of race, they found themselves facing a wall of yahg and rachni.
No surprise: it wasn't going to be easy.
O
While Altair nervously relayed Wrex's update on the situation to Hackett, Joker turned the ship, anxiously assessing the ground below with one thing on his mind: how the hell was he supposed to stop them from getting to those buildings without killing Coats in the process?
He picked out a gas tank that would come in handy, large pieces of towering machinery conveniently nearby, and lined up his shot. Firing, the tank exploded in a huge ball of flame, the shockwave sending the machinery either hurtling or keeling into other constructions and vehicles. Those erupted too, all in front of the encroaching force, shards of stone adding to the shrapnel flying through the air, and as the dust settled he could see the mess he'd created. It wasn't possible to cross that on foot, and going around would take time. He quickly manoeuvred the ship and fired again, determined to cut a sizeable swath of destruction between them and his friends.
Joker wasn't surprised when the yahg began gathering their remaining vehicles, and could only watch as Coats got in with the yahg. The well-designed machine traversed the mess with relative ease, but he couldn't fire on Coats. However, there was no way anything else was getting across, so he hovered like a sentinel over the site, waiting for the next vehicle to try, and hoping the others would be able to deal with what was heading their way. The whole while he worried about Shepard...
oOo
Despite the steady progress they were making, Hackett felt ill with concern.
"Still nothing, Sir," confirmed his comm specialist. "Normandy's pilot confirmed that they're out of contact with Admiral Shepard and her ground team, including the AI."
He paced. His daughter didn't know the danger she was in, and he couldn't do a thing about it. What was his victory up here worth if he lost Terra to the Leviathans? Was it already too late?
A distraction came when a yahg's central ship exploded under fire, leaving those around it suddenly disoriented as the yahg inside returned to their minds. There would be no salvation for them, though. The ships were a danger that had to be removed, and the frigates dispatched them easily.
"Admiral, we have several targets pulling away and heading back to the planet."
"Like hell," Hackett muttered, teeth gritted, slamming his hand down on the external comm. "All vessels: do not let those ships regain entry."
He knew any ships that succeeded in getting through would end up either attacking Normandy or indiscriminately firing on those below. The Leviathans had already proven that they were prepared to sacrifice their 'tools' when required. Things were bad enough down there with the rachni's about-turn to add heavy-fire from above.
Leaving the logistics to the captains of the pursuing ships responding to his order, Hackett kept his eyes and mind on finishing the fight around him.
oOo
The Leviathans followed the tunnels via their thralls, Chu'Tak and Coats. The view through each was very different. The human eyes registered a dim blue light, while the yahg's eyes could see every little detail of their surroundings clearly defined.
At the junction, they hesitated. It wasn't just the labs that had been discovered. The door ahead was open. This would need to be dealt with.
Sending Coats left as planned, the Leviathans had Chu'Tak enter the room ahead. This was the most vital room. Peering around the edge of the wall revealed only one intruder. A salarian. Retreating to the door, the room was sealed shut before Chu'Tak was turned back. Dealing with one inferior being would not be a problem...
O
"There's nothing here," James puffed out in frustration, throwing aside the piece of panelling that had revealed nothing but cables.
Kaidan looked around. They'd well and truly trashed the place, and he was fairly certain there was nowhere else here to find an artifact. A beeping had him returning his attention to a terminal. Another download completed. He looked over at the unconscious salarian scientists, worried just how long they'd stay under for - they'd used the last of the grenades.
"Start destroying the terminals," he ordered James and Javik, as Edi moved on to the last one.
The gunfire echoed loudly around the large room which had been some kind of tech lab. So far Edi had confirmed that the yahg had gained knowledge of technology level with their own. The ships they'd seen earlier had been proof of that. What he wanted to know was how close the Leviathans were to breaching their defensive fields. That was yet unanswered. Surely, it had to be in that last terminal.
"Kaidan!" exclaimed Edi, breaking her connection to the terminal, and Kaidan braced himself at the concern in her voice. "They have succeeded in overcoming the Defence Field! They have a prototype device!"
Horrified, Kaidan launched himself to the exit, the others close behind him. He had to warn Terra. He had to get her off this planet.
O
Once the last bank of terminals was destroyed, they were done. Shepard could only hope that Kaidan had found an artifact. Their own search had been fruitless, and this had gone on long enough.
Movement at the corner of her eye had her swinging her rifle up towards the entrance. She wasn't expecting Coats. Leaving her team at the far end of the room to finish off, she crossed over to him. "Matt? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?"
His hand clutching at her elbow, he pulled her over to the far corner and closer as though to tell her something in confidence. "The yahg are prevailing. Your krogan are falling, and the rachni no longer fight for you."
Shepard was stunned. "What!?" The rachni... "My God, we haven't found any artifacts yet!" She ran her hand over her head, feeling the pressure as she imagined the lives being wasted above them for every second they failed in their search to break the Leviathans hold.
"You cannot win," stated Coats. "How many lives will you sacrifice until you accept that? How many will die to protect one child? Let them have her and this will all be over."
Appalled at words she would never have expected to hear from a man her daughter called Uncle, Shepard went to wrench away from his hold, but he gripped both her arms tighter and painfully, lowering his face within millimetres of hers.
"We are the apex race, and you are ours."
Dismayed as the voice of her oldest friend turned into the deep resonance of the Leviathans, Shepard could only stare back.
"Only killing this shell will bring you a reprieve, but you are too weak with affection for the one we control. Your Coats will do everything he's bid because we demand it. We will not be denied." He let her go and reached for something.
"No…. Matt." Shepard pulled her pistol, aiming, but she couldn't fire. "Garrus!" she begged, hoping that any moment Kaidan would find and destroy any artifacts, wishing she hadn't given that grenade to Bau.
On the far side of the room, neither Garrus, Jack nor Knox had heard the conversation, but they all reacted to seeing her gun pointed at Coats. Jack's biotics surged as Garrus snatched up his sniper rifle and put the man in his crosshairs with one smooth move, Knox rushing forward and into cover.
"Don't move, Coats," warned Garrus, seeing the man's hand on some kind of device that hung at his side. Garrus knew Shepard would never aim at someone so close to her without reason, an act that was clearly tearing at her, and that was enough for him to know what part he might have to play.
Then Coats pressed a button on the device with a horrible glint of victory in his eyes. Garrus instantly understood the meaning of that look as soon as his omnitool declared the LDF malfunction.
Shepard stared back at the cold gaze of Coats- no, the Leviathans - in unreserved fear. Already she could feel the chill descending upon her, and her heart raced with dread. Kaidan ran in, his handsome face filled with distress as his own omnitool wailed its warning. "Kaidan!" she screamed out, before she was blinded by darkness, and overwhelmed by the cold, her conscious-self unable to fight back the oblivion.
oOo