Chapter Twenty-Six: The Overlord of Hate
Zane sat in his room on his bed with his face planted firmly in his hands. Tears had stained his cheeks for so long that he was dry for the day. For the past two weeks, it had been like this.
Wake up, try to not think about it, try and help around the Normandy, then remember and watch as the tears flowed.
With each day, there was no progress in either direction. She wasn't dead but she wasn't any better yet. Her body was fighting so many infections at once that it didn't know what to fight first.
"Zane?" Shepard stood in the doorway knocking Zane from his thoughts.
"Oh, Shepard? Yes sorry. What can I do for you?" Zane asked and lazily stood up.
"No need to apologize. I can come..."
"No. Please, I need something to occupy myself with what do you need?" Zane asked and something in the back of his mind switched on.
As he looked into Shepard's kind eyes he began to hate the Commander. Hate him for bringing Tali with him to fight the Reaper. Hated him for not bringing Zane with him. Zane could've saved her! Then this wouldn't happen.
"It is his fault! If she dies then it his fault!" He didn't know where the thoughts came from but they made sense to him.
"If he had just taken me she would alright. None of this would've happened! Her blood is on his hands!" He didn't want to think it but he couldn't stop himself.
"He needs to feel pain, hurt, rage, anger, all the things I feel he must feel hundred times over! I should take away his love! Take away his hope! Take away his dream! I should shatter it all!"
"Are you listening to me, Zane?" Shepard asked gently.
"Er... no sorry, I zone out. Please one more time." Zane asked. That voice in his head kept whispering to him but Zane ignored it.
"I need you to take a team and look at a Cerberus situation." Zane quirked a brow.
"A Cerberus situation?"
"Yea a project. Project Overlord they call it. I need you to investigate." Shepard asked and Zane angled his head in confusion.
"Me? But why?"
"Alliance brass needs me to investigate something else in a solo mission. I decided that given your prior experience in this. And the ability to lead you showed at the Collector Base you could handle this."
"I... I don't know what to say. I will see to it at once." Zane said and Shepard gave a nod.
"I will give Joker the coordinates to Aite and once I am dropped off then it's your ship. You have command until I return. Good luck." Shepard smiled and put a hand on Zane's shoulder. "She will be fine Zane and be strong for her. She will get through this." Zane gave a small smiled and a nod before Shepard left.
"I need to kill something." Zane whispered as he clenched his fists.
…
"Good luck Zane." Shepard said as he exited the airlock.
"You too Shepard." Zane said with a smile. He suppressed the anger he felt and was looking forward to ripping Geth apart as a way to alleviate the anger and pain he felt.
"Alright, Zane you ready?' Joker asked.
"Let's get out of here and get to Aite. We have a timetable we need to fulfill or else it will be for naught."
"Aye aye." Joker said and began to input the coordinates.
"Any idea who you are bringing with you?" Miranda asked.
"Garrus, Legion, and you." He said instantly as he walked towards the elevator.
"Understood. I will be in my quarters should you need me."
"Understood." Zane said distantly. He was already thinking about the mission to come. He tried to remember all he could about the mission but he was fuzzy on the details. He hadn't played the DLC often but he had a good memory.
Doctor Gavin Archer was told to make contact with the Geth and then learn how to control them. To do this, he would use his savant brother David as an organic translator. When that wasn't enough, Gavin decided to physically connect David to the Geth network. But no one -not even a savant- can experience that kind of raw unfiltered data and keep their fucking sanity. David then took control of the Geth and used them as his personal protection force and began to rid the facility of the Cerberus inhabitants.
"Gavin and I are going to have a really long talk once I find David." Zane said with a wicked smile. He wasn't going to just immediately attack Gavin because the Doctor had his uses for the moment. And furthermore, he would just deny it anyway. But once Zane found the pitifully pathetic David then all hell would be let loose.
Zane walked into the med-bay and took his seat beside Tali and watched her chest rise and fall erratically. Chakwas had said it was because of how hard it was for Tali to breathe that she had to breathe more often and harder.
Zane cautiously grabbed her hand and gently caressed it. Her hand felt limp but a finger twitched when he rubbed it. A spurt of hope coursed through his veins and he hoped Tali would wake up but after several moments the hope turned to disappointment.
"Get better for me Tali. Please, I need you." He whispered and kissed the top of her hand before gently placing it by her side once more. He gave a sad look to her sleeping body and then he left for the cockpit.
Zane watched intently as the stars zoomed passed the cockpit but the beauty of it was lost on him. All he saw was a galaxy that was slightly darker and emptier. He knew he was being melodramatic but he couldn't shake it off of him. And his thoughts didn't help.
The only thing his mind told him was who to blame. A part of him blamed himself but the other part, the growing part, the convincing part, told him Shepard was to blame.
After all, it was his job to protect his crew. It was his job to make sure everyone made it out safely. That wasn't on Zane he did his job and made sure his team got out just fine. But Shepard couldn't do that? He had to watch over two people and how many did Zane have to watch?
Was Shepard incompetent? A fool? Or both? That Zane, a man who has never served in the military and only worked beside them, had never led a fireteam but only an organization of people up until the mission. Was able to make sure his entire team survive without so much as a scratch but Shepard's team? The one person that couldn't be hurt was hurt! And worse yet, maybe mortally wounded! Where was the justice in that? Where was the fairness in it?
"Zane!" Joker yelled.
"What the fuck do you want!" Zane snapped back. Joker backed up in his chair upon looking at him. There was a look of horror in Joker's eyes as Zane looked at him. Zane could feel his jaw clenched and his fists tightening. The thought of strangling the cripple passed through his mind but he banished it immediately.
Zane took a deep breath and could feel his nerves calm down. "Yes, Joker, what do you want?" He said calmly and the look of horror left but a look of apprehension remained.
"Just wanted to know what you were doing up here? The trip will be several hours." Joker explained cautiously.
"I am aware. I wish to see it firsthand. At least for now." Zane said and put his attention back on the stars that zoomed passed the Normandy faster than his eyes could fathom. But once again, the inherent beauty of it was lost on him.
…
Garrus sat beside Legion and Miranda and behind Zane. The Hammerhead was quiet, almost uncomfortably so. Zane had told them what to expect and what their objective was.
"Doctor Gavin Archer is the last member of the Cerberus team looking over Project Overlord. Now the Geth have overrun the entirety of the facility's area and it is up to us to find out why and deal with it." Zane had said with a deadly glare the entire time. Garrus saw the hate in his blue eyes and the barely contained rage within them. The way he looked was unsettling and Garrus was reminded of how…berserk Zane could become and how he showed that during the search for Saren. Garrus just hoped Tali got better soon because if she didn't or -spirits forbid- if she died it would not turn out well.
"Get your shit Vakarian!" Zane barked as he dismounted the shuttle. Garrus quickly grabbed his rifle and nearly ran out of the Hammerhead. The planet of Aite was calm and Garrus felt the pleasant air and breeze blow past his skin and carapace.
But on that breeze, was the smell of fire and ash and smoke. The smell of battle, a smell he was all too familiar with. "One day…retirement. It will happen." He thought to himself as he followed Zane and the rest of the team into a ruined building.
"Are you Commander Shepard?" A worried voice whispered over the comms.
"No. You must be Gavin Archer. Shepard sent us, he is preoccupied. You can call me Reaper. What is the situation." Zane said in a low tone. Garrus was surprised by Zane using his old alias but then again, very few knew he was the Harbinger but besides that, why did Zane even use his alias?
"Well…Reaper. We are experiencing a possible virtual intelligence breakout. I need you and your team's help." Gavin said and a clicking sound could be heard in the background.
"Stay where you are Gavin. Your death would be most unfortunate." Zane said nonchalantly but with little mirth before he grabbed his rifle and cocked it. "Get set everyone. Time to clear out a Cerberus facility."
"Just like old times eh Zane?" Garrus said with a smile.
"Hmph." Was all Zane said before he charged into the facility with his weapon lighting up blue with disruptor ammo.
The team of Geth looked towards them and immediately Garrus saw something very wrong. Their lights were glowing a bright green.
"Miranda and Garrus, overload." The two did as ordered and two of the Geth began to shake from the program. Zane opened fire and destroyed one Geth Trooper as Garrus shot another. The other Geth soon took cover as the team moved up. Garrus aimed and fired his Vindicator, however, the Geth had reached cover too quickly.
"The Geth look strange. Don't they?" Garrus asked.
"You're right." Miranda agreed.
"It's Da…I mean the VI it is controlling them. Legion flank them and hack one of them." Zane ordered and ran in the middle of the room where there was no cover. The Geth began to open fire as Legion took the opportunity to go around the room and get a nice flanking position.
In a few moments, Zane's shields disappeared but he reached a pillar just in time and soon one Geth shot at the other. The hacked Geth was soon demolished by its brother only for Legion to snipe the last remaining Geth.
"Let's continue." Zane said and marched forward. Garrus saw a small tear on the sleeve of the jacket where a bullet had barely missed its mark.
The team made their way through the war-torn building and the mystery of what happened only strengthened with each step taken and each room cleared. The screens from vids, computers, and anything else with a screen would occasionally blink to a pair of green eyes and scream at them. Zane usually answered the scream with a gunshot to the screen.
Along the halls on the walls and windows, the scratches of nails and the splatter of blood caked the facility showing the massacre that took place. Garrus knew the VI had to be destroyed or else the whole system would have an issue.
"Archer!" Zane yelled as they entered the final room. A man came out from under a table only for Zane to grab him and throw him into a chair. Gavin sat down in the chair with a look of fear in his eyes. "Here is what is going to happen. You will tell me how to contain this virus here and then how it is I can disconnect the VI. Understand?" Zane stated in a low tone again.
"Yes."
"Good, now start telling me." Zane ordered as he peered around the room in a paranoid manner.
…
Gavin told the team everything they needed to know. First, they had to destroy the antenna to keep the VI here on Aite. And then they had to get to where the VI was stored. The VI was stored in a Geth dreadnaught where it was directly connected to the Geth network. But to do so they needed two codes. A code to disable the dreadnaught's shields and another code to open the doors to the ship.
"Is it any surprise the VI rebelled? They connected it to the network directly! The Geth probably are controlling it." Miranda pointed out as soon as the team left for the antenna.
"Incorrect, the Geth are being controlled. They are not in control. We cannot feel them." Legion said in a tone itching to morose.
"What Legion said. Now let's get this done we don't have much time." Zane said as they jumped down onto the dish. Below them was a steep drop and Garrus saw Zane hesitate for a moment before he continued down the small and thin railway towards the center of the dish.
"Contact!" Garrus yelled when he saw Geth come out to meet them.
"Garrus, Legion. Snipe the fuckers. Miranda slam any that get within range." Zane ordered and he took a knee and began to open fire. The Geth began to open fire back but it seemed that with the VI's control the Geth had a hard time making good on their shots.
Zane crept forward before kneeling again and firing. However, only more and more Geth came to meet them.
"How many did that VI stack up here?" Garrus asked as he shot another Geth.
"Rargh! Fuck it!" Zane shouted and sprinted forward with his omni-blades out. The Geth soon focused on the raging man but he was faster than Garrus thought possible. He collided with a Trooper and decapitated it with one swing and then he slashed, stabbed, punctured, and mutilated every plate on the Geth squad's armor. Soon, no more Geth remained and Zane was there surrounded by Geth husks and covered in their white blood. He panted for several moments before he marched forward again.
"Well? The fuck you guys waiting for? Move your asses!" Zane ordered. "Plant charges at the designated points and then clear out of here. We won't have much time before this thing blows us up with it."
It didn't take long for all the charges to be planted and then the team began to sprint off of the antenna's dish. A rumbling was felt behind Garrus and he made the mistake of looking behind him. He saw fire, explosions, and these things were chasing after him. He looked forward and saw a railing and quickly jumped over it with Zane directly behind him.
"Good, now let's keep going. The VI won't wait for us." Zane said after a moment of catching his breath and then he went to the facility's landing pad where the Hammerhead was.
"Should we help Archer with his co-workers?' Miranda asked.
"Fuck'em. They knew what they were getting into. And with horrors inflicted here, I don't pity them. Cerberus' hubris has always been its undoing." Zane said coldly.
"Wait, you know what happened here don't you?" Garrus asked.
"And what if I do? That doesn't matter. All that does matter is that atrocities were committed here and we will find those responsible and take care of them. Now, if there is nothing else can we please move a little bit faster!" He shouted and his voice echoed off of the facility's walls and the surrounding valleys and mountains.
"Spirits, Tali…get better soon." Garrus prayed as he saw the tears welling in Zane's eyes that the man quickly wiped away as he turned. Zane was in more pain then he was letting on and it was showing in his anger and malice towards this place.
…
"Shit Zane did you learn to drive before you were transported to our universe?" Garrus asked. He thought Shepard had bad driving but Zane had raised that bar.
"Nope." He replied nonchalantly as they took another big drop onto a floating rock on molten lava. The only way Garrus had to express his pent-up fear for riding with Zane was the fact he got to control the gun. But even that was lackluster when considering the Hammerhead's paper-thin armor that made Zane do fancy jumps and strafes. At least the rockets were guided, or else Garrus would be unable to hit the broad side of a building. Nevermind the Geth, mechs, and turrets in their way.
"Oh, please tell me we are almost there." Miranda asked as soon as the Hammerhead halted.
"We are here." The team quickly dismounted the vehicle and was prepared for battle only for silence to meet them.
"Where are the Geth and mechs?"
"No Geth just mechs and they are deeper in the facility. The VI allowed us to get this far." Zane said in a chilling tone as the moved pass the team. Garrus checked his ammo count before following his friend.
…
The facility went about as Zane had predicted. There was little in the way of resistance and only the occasional jump scare reminded Garrus of the rogue VI on the luna base two years ago. Blood stained the walls and glass telling of the massacre that had occurred not so long ago leaving an eerie feeling in his spine.
Zane walked passed the bodies, the blood, the massacre without a care or a thought and he said very few words. Other than to provide exposition on what he thought happened in a few key areas. The exposition that was provided wasn't necessarily important but it did show that the Zane Garrus knew was there…somewhere. He tried to get the Zane he knew to come out more but was only replied by a near growl or a dismissive wave of the hand or a deadly glare.
Garrus was reminded of what Achilles had told him, Shepard, and Tali over a month ago. About how Zane dealt with stress, pressure, and most of all, the unknown.
"He prefers to just ignore the unknown rather than deal with it. If he can't deal with the unknown then he gets angry… almost deadly so." Now Garrus saw that anger in play. And chances were high that Zane taking this mission was him trying to ignore the unknown of Tali's health. And it didn't look like it was working.
"Vakarian, behind you!" Zane shouted before firing his rifle. Time seemed to slow for Garrus and he watched the bullet pass his head and miss it by mere inches. He followed the round until it embedded itself into the head of a LOKI mech. The mech stalled for a moment before falling to the floor, disabled.
"Thanks." Garrus said and as Zane shoved passed him. Zane's omni-tool still activated from downloading the code for the shield of the Geth dreadnaught.
"Next time, stop daydreaming and get your shit together Vakarian." Zane spat and led the way back to the Hammerhead. But Garrus saw something in his eyes. A dim glow of blue in Zane's icy eyes that Garrus remembered seeing on Vitkin. He just hoped Zane could withstand the Reaper's control this time. Because Tali wasn't here to save them this time.
…
The next area was similar to the last and was easy to take care of. More of the story of what had happened to the project. Gavin had employed the help and expertise of his sibling to help and communicate with the Geth. The sibling seemingly helped and great strides were made but then something went wrong. But the facility didn't have the answers to what had gone wrong. And Zane only grew more infuriated with Aite as they remained on its surface.
Now, all that remained was the Geth ship where this VI was stashed. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy.
"Brace!" Zane shouted as they crashed into the ground from dodging a beam of energy. Courtesy of the Geth dreadnaught's weapons. "Vakarian, you still shooting up there?" Zane asked.
"On it!" He replied and began to fire more missiles at the Geth turret.
The missiles collided with the metal plating of the turret revealing the interior of the turret. In a mixture of pride, annoyance, and sheer will to be done with the cat and mouse game they were playing Garrus kept firing. The missiles crashed into the exposed wiring of the turret causing a great explosion that blew the turret from its hinges.
"Watch out!" Garrus shouted and the Hammerhead strafed to the right just as the piece of debris landed at their previous location.
"Well, that was close." Miranda panted.
"Let's just be done with this mission." Zane sighed as he steered the Hammerhead near the entrance. "Legion, input the code for the door." He ordered.
"Affirmative." Legion said and the entrance to the dreadnaught was cleared.
The ship was unnerving, foreboding, tense, even unwelcoming. The walls seemed to press down on Garrus to the point he felt the urge to duck for no reason. It was like being in a Reaper, only… different and without the fear of being indoctrinated. The slopes, curves, angles, and patterns of synthetic ships seemed to have an unnatural feeling to them. One that organic ships never had.
The first room they entered was covered in Geth units but they were hunched over and were still. "They're disabled?" Garrus wondered.
"Again, the VI wants us to continue." Zane said as he eyed the Geth.
"But why shoot at us?" Miranda asked.
"Two sides are fighting for dominance. The one calling for help and the one trying to protect itself from more harm. What we are experiencing is a cry for help. But when we get too close or progress too far it reverts to protection." Zane explained as he stomped over the bodies of several more Cerberus researchers.
"Zane-Reaper-Harbinger, we have located an audio recording." Legion said as the Geth made his way to a nearby terminal.
"Play it." Zane hesitated before putting his weapon on his back looking around the room. After a few button presses, three figures were shown. A young girl wearing a civilian t-shirt no more than eighteen years old, Gavin Archer, and a Geth on a table.
"405.335 multiplied by 155.35 is 62,968.79225." The girl said in a hushed tone.
Zane snapped his head over to the recording and watched with surprise in his eyes and still movements.
"This is going nowhere." Gavin said in defeat. The Geth chirped in its voice.
"50…" The girl stopped in her whisperings before she too mimicked the speech. The Geth replied followed by the girl continuing in conversation.
"Wait… Diane, what are you doing?" Gavin asked.
"Dia… Diane?" Zane asked and a tear formed in his eye.
"Talking." Diane said before chirping.
"There is hope for this project yet." Gavin said with excitement.
A groan could be heard and it came from Zane's gloves as they were so tightly fisted. The glowing in his eyes had sparked but was still dim in comparison to the ice in his eyes. Something had clearly angered him to a level unseen by Garrus ever.
Zane said nothing and marched out of the room. As he passed lights Garrus saw the light distort only slightly. "What is going on?" He wondered. Zane entered another room. The mechs beginning to rise from their standby mode. Zane didn't grab his rifle he instead activated his omni-blades and sliced through the mechs and Geth with ease. Roaring in anger as he did so.
After deactivating his blades, Zane walked to another terminal and began another recording. He seemed excieted and anxious to hear what the recording had to say.
"My sister's condition was once a liability and now it is an asset! She can communicate directly with the Geth in a way never thought possible by organics. She understands the speech. She says it is based on mathematics that each chirp is less of a word or letter and more of a number. I don't care if it is in damn colors! I may be able to make something out of this yet. The Illusive Man is becoming anxious and impatient. I have an idea. All I need is to come to terms with the morals of situation." Gavin's voice said in excitement.
Zane simply growled before continuing out of the room and into a dome-shaped area. In the center was a bubble of energy and above it was a face made of green. The same face that had shown itself on the vidscreens. Only now did it look feminine and Garrus could see the structure looked similar to Diane from the recording. Around the room was a dim blue shield blocking their approach.
"Legion, find me a power source for that shield."
"Roger… negative on a power source. The shield is being powered by a program. There is a killswitch fragmented in three code fragments. We have one." Legion said quickly.
"How do you know they are fragmented into three parts?' Miranda asked.
"Diane told me." Legion said and before anyone could question it, they were stopped by a voice.
"Help me, brother!" A feminine voice boomed followed by the chirping of Geth speech. Zane only ran faster towards another room. He activated another terminal and another recording sounded.
"7,894.655 multiplied by 458.203 is 3,617,354.604965. I don't want to do this!" Diane shouted as she backed away from her brother. The tear in Zane's eye finally came loose and fell behind his mask.
"I know Diane but think of what came from this. The possibilities!" Gavin pressed.
"44.65 multiplied by 67… ah! There must be a new way…no a better way." Diane said and corrected herself.
"Diane, if there is, I do not see it. There isn't a way that gets what I need as fast as you can. I will be right here if you need me. You need only call me." Then the recording ended.
"Another fragment. One more remaining." Legion updated the team. Zane ran out of the room and checked each room for another working terminal. Only for Geth and mechs to be waiting for them. Garrus felt useless when enemies appeared and Zane soon destroyed them. But not without paying a blood price. Wounds were beginning to mount on his body and more tears and rips appeared on his jacket.
"There! Hold on Diane, I am on the way." Garrus heard Zane whisper and run to the terminal. He pressed several buttons and the recording began.
"It hurts Gavy! Help me…help… help! 789.99 mult…ah! It hurts, help us, brother!"
"Almost done Diane. You are doing great." Gavin said. His voice held little remorse or guilt in it. Only a lust for more information.
"I want to stop! Make it stop!" Diane screamed. The pain she felt made Garrus hurt just hearing her.
"Almost…" Gavin began.
"No!" The booming voice they had heard earlier sounded.
"Diane…what are you doing? Dia, tell the Geth to stand down." Gavin pleaded.
"Make it stop!" She pleaded again and then gunfire was heard. Followed by the screaming of researchers and scientists. And the recorded ended.
"That is the third fragment. We need to input it in a nearby console. Giving you the location now." Legion stated. Zane nodded and Garrus saw the streaks where tears had been dropping. There was more to this then Zane was letting on, it was hitting him harder then it should've especially if he knew about it beforehand. So, something was different but what was it? Garrus didn't know and he wasn't sure if he wanted to and he sure as hell wasn't going to ask.
…
They stood next to the console and Zane hesitated. Garrus saw his hands shake and the tears in his eyes still. But behind the tears was a rage untapped. Zane blinked the tears back and input the code fragments into the console. A wave of green energy cascaded throughout the ship and collided into Zane.
"AH!" He screamed and then a pulse of blue crashed against the green. The two energies fought in that room around Garrus and the team until the energies converged on Zane.
His eyes were closed for several moments and when they opened they were different colors. His left eye was bright green and his right eye was a bright blue. The air in the room chilled to Noveria levels of cold in only a few moments. The marching of Geth outside the door could be heard.
"Get ready for trouble." Garrus said and got his weapon ready. A light laughter could be heard that slowly grew. Garrus followed the sound and heard it coming from Zane. The doors opened to reveal a horde of Geth and mechs.
Garrus aimed and was about to pull the trigger of his rifle when the horde was smashed into the adjacent wall by a large biotic blast. A blast, not even Miranda could do and Samra and Jack would have trouble doing. Garrus followed the blast and saw Zane's hand shimmering with biotic energy.
"Spirts…" He whispered and watched as Zane's smile stretched into one of malice and rage.
"Rarrgh!" He roared and ran out the room. The team shortly followed and by the time they had turned the corner to follow Zane down the hallway he had already cleared the way of Geth. With them being ripped limb from limb.
They followed the carnage and could hear the sound of gunfire and blasts of biotic power echo off the walls. "This shouldn't be possible. Not for someone with no amp!" Miranda said.
In the distance, they saw Zane use his power to lift a Geth Prime with one hand and then he swung his other hand like he was punching the Prime. The resulting explosion coated the walls in white. Zane then picked up a squad of Geth and then slam them into a wall several times until they were smashed into bits.
"Help me!" Diane's voice pleaded.
"We are trying!" Zane's own voice echoed off the bulkheads with Vitkin's voice following close behind. Zane did a swirling motion with his arm when a squad of Geth focused fire on him. The biotic energy turned into a shield and absorbed and deflected much of the gunfire. After several moments, he unleashed the shield and turned it into a giant shockwave that ripped the Geth to pieces.
The team couldn't keep up with the tidal wave that was Zane in his rage. And when they got close enough to hear him he was seemingly…insane.
"Cannot fail, will not fail, not again. I will not lose her I will not lose you. Don't leave please don't leave. I failed once, will not fail again." Garrus didn't know what he was talking about but from the distance streams of tears could be seen dropping from eyes.
Zane tore a hole through a door with his biotic-glowing fist and then blasted it open with more energy. He walked casually into a large room. This room was the same one where Diane was seemingly being held only there was no Diane. Only a large contraption at the center of the room.
Then Garrus looked closer at the large contraption and saw movement. He saw pale skin and fingers and feet, arms, and legs. Diane was the contraption!
"Spirits…" He began. Zane ran to the horror of nature and ripped the mechanical parts to pieces. Careful to not harm Diane even in his rage-filled stupor he was careful in his movements and actions.
Zane caught the girl before she fell and carried her away from her prison. The light in Zane's eyes dimmed and he blinked several times like he had just awakened from a nap. The girl cried in his arms and he simply held onto the naked girl hugging her tightly as she did the same to him.
"It is okay now. You are safe." He whispered. The team surrounded them and Zane looked up at Garrus.
"Gavin has a lot of answer for." Garrus said.
"He will do more than answer." Zane growled.
"What have you done?!" They heard someone shout. Garrus looked and saw Gavin approaching. He stared at the destroyed contraption that had kept Diane prisoner. Zane's eyes sparked blue and he gently put Diane down. Miranda quickly began to address her wounds. She was scarred both physically and mentally and cuts coated her naked body.
Zane turned and marched towards Gavin. "You must pay for what you did to her!" He shouted and a biotic field surrounded Gavin and lifted him high into the air. Zane made no movements with his hands to achieve this feat it seemed to just happen.
"Ah…Reaper? What is going on? What are you doing?" Gavin asked.
"Your demise will not be quick, it will not be painless, and it will not last as long as I would prefer."
"Wait, demise?!" Garrus thought and ran to Zane. He saw the field of biotic energy close in on Gavin causing him to get smaller.
"Zane! What are you doing? We can take him in. Make him answer for what he has done. There is no need to kill him." Garrus pleaded. Zane turned his head to Garrus slowly and his eyes seemed to go through Garrus.
"I also have no need for him." Zane said in a deathly low tone. The echo of Vitkin's voice following Zane's made fear shoot up Garrus' spine.
"Would Tali want you to do this? Are you a murderer?" Garrus pleaded for the piss-stain that was Gavin. Garrus knew he could get through to Zane. He just had to make his friend realize that Tali wouldn't want this. That he was too lost in his grief to be rational.
"Without her I don't know anymore. After all what is another death when thousands die every second?" Zane said with a morose voice and then a sickening scream followed by a *crunch* was heard. Garrus looked and saw the broken body of Gavin fall to the floor. Bones poked through his skin at several points and blood seeped from every orifice of his body. And Zane casually walked away.
Garrus looked back and saw the deformed corpse of Gavin and suppressed the urge to vomit.
"This isn't Zane…it is so much worse." He thought and soon followed behind Zane and the rest of the team as they quietly returned to the Normandy.