***Author's Note***
Three chapters in the space of one week!
Thank you Gamer072196 for all the reading you do :P
Warning! There some graphic descriptions later in the chapter. If you don't want to read it I guess just scroll past because there's some story after it too :)
Enjoy and review and the such!
Chapter 23 - Suicide
It's dark...again.
She had spent so long in the dark. The endless, all-consuming black abyss. For years. Before, the dark had been foggy, as she slept in that pod floating endlessly amongst the stars. The gentle current of the pull of space pulling her nearer and nearer to her new life. This dark was different. Melancholy and sick, fear incarnate and depressing.
The stench she was surrounded with was terrible and, even in her half-conscious state, she knew the smell of death. The iron tang of fresh blood. Her feet were saturated with it.
Her slight awareness could hear the screams of those being processed, could hear the low murmurs of those being held around her. The crew of the Normandy, the crew that had become her friends, her family, over these trying months.
She could feel the hard surface behind her. The bumps in the tubing that would eventually suck her up and feed her to the Reaper. Her fingers twitched to feel the condensation on the glass in front of her.
She could not see. Could not speak. But she took solace in the fact that she knew she was still alive, still had a chance at salvation. And if not? Well, it would be just another kind of dark for her to embrace.
I don't want to die...not like this.
In her head, she began to pray. Recited prayers to all the different gods and goddesses she knew from her old life. God, the Holy ghost, Jesus, Hashem, Allah, and Buddha. And her new life. The Spirits of Palaven, Athame, Arashu, Amonkira, and Kalahira.
She heard Thane in her mind, speaking his own, quiet prayers. Prayers of protection, salvation, courage.
Maybe I'll meet him across the sea...
"Shepard. I wish I had more information for you. I don't like you heading through that relay blind, but we don't have much choice."
The Illusive Man watched as humanity's greatest hope plaited his hair and flicked it over his shoulder.
"I'm not going alone; I've got some of the best working with me. If we stick together, we'll make it."
He shrugged and took a drag from his cigarette before exhaling it through his nose. "I knew we brought you back for a reason. I've never seen a better leader." Shepard rolled his eyes. "Despite the danger, it's a great opportunity. The first human to take a ship through...and survive."
"I'm going to destroy the Collectors. To stop their attacks on humanity."
"Understood. It's still impressive. I just wanted you to know I appreciate the risk you're taking. Regardless of you opinion of Cerberus. Of me. You are...a valuable asset. To all of humanity. Be careful, Shepard." Shepard bobbed his head and gave a flimsy salute. He turned to exit the holo-projector. "Oh, and Shepard?" Inwardly groaning he turned back to face the greying man before him. "When this is all over...I would appreciate finally getting to meet the human woman you picked up."
"What...how did you-" The projection dimmed and Shepard was left standing in the room alone. "Pfft, not going to happen."
He made his way to the cockpit to observe the approach of the relay.
The red relay flickered and pulsed at their approach. Its central gyros began to spin rapidly as Joker pinged their signal to it.
"The Omega Four Relay. Everyone stand by." His hands danced over the controls as the ship prepped itself for the power spike that came with travelling via relay.
"Let's make it happen, Joker." Shepard placed his hand on the shoulder of the pilot's seat.
"Reaper IFF activated. Signal acknowledged." EDI announced.
Over the comm, Jacob's voice sounded. "Commander? The drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree!"
"Drive core electrical charge at critical levels."
"Rerouting!"
Joker flicked some switches as the ship passed by the center of the relay. Its red energy danced over the hull of the Normandy as it provided them with the boost they required to fling themselves into oblivion. Shepard took a deep breath and hoped there was a way home. Space flew by them in a cold blue blur, moving faster and faster until...
"Brace for deceleration."
They emerged into a mess of floating debris. Joker cursed and swerved the ship whilst he had the massive momentum from the relay's power. The ship climbed high, massive hunks of broken machinery barely missing the belly of the Normandy.
And then, clear space. They were above a graveyard of the dead. Orbiting the field of dying suns in the distance.
Joker heaved a sigh. "Too close." The looked out into the unknown. "These must be all the ships that tried to make it through the Omega Four Relay. Some look...ancient."
"I have detected an energy signature near the edge of the accretion disc."
A massive ship sat among the dead. Its silhouette clearly of Collector design.
"Has to be the Collector base. Take us in for a closer look. Nice and Easy."
They proceeded forward and alarms began to ring. "Careful, Jeff. We have company." A red beam of light shot past them.
"Taking evasive maneuvers." The ship swerved heavily, flinging those stood up to one side. "They're just pissing me off!" More beams shot alongside them, narrowly missing the hull. "EDI! Take these bastards out!" They responded with their own blue lights of death, taking out two of the enemies.
A rattle rocked the ship, an alarm signaled the damage done to his ship and Shepard growled. Behind him, Miranda crossed her arms with a worried frown. "As long as the new plating holds." And he couldn't help but agree with her.
"They want another round? Come on, girl, let's give it to them." The ship rocked again as they hit one of the thrusters. One of the Occulus turned and flew right for the Normandy, its laser powered and shot, the red light flew below them and the ship shook once more.
"Alert. Hull breach on the engineering deck."
"It's in the cargo hold!"
Shepard shook his head angrily, cursing the Collectors to hell and back just so he could send them back again. No one fucks with my ship! "I'll take a team and deal with the intruder. You get the rest of them off our trail."
"Aye, aye. Commander."
Nursing a gash to his brow and paining for his ship he headed back for the cockpit. As he walked through the CIC he realised all of his squad had gathered. He nodded to each in turn and smiled a small smile at Jacob as he helped Garrus back to his feet.
The ship cleared the debris field and the blinding orange light filled the cockpit. His crew shielded their eyes until joker tinted the window slightly...and there it was. The great hulking ship that was the Collector base, turning ever so slowly in its orbit.
Miranda stood quietly beside him and almost whispered. "There it is...the Collector base."
He nodded at her before turning to joker. "See if you can find a place to land without drawing attention."
Joker sighed and grimaced. "Too late. Looks like they're sending out an old friend to greet us."
From a small port in the Collector base's side, a smaller version of it began to emerge. It's all too familiar shape smacking Shepard in the face. The front end of it began to light up as it powered up its weapon, Joker was already turning to one side to avoid it.
Shepard growled. First, this thing blows up my ship! Then, it fucking kills me! Then, it takes my fucking crew! No! This bitch is going down.
"Time to show our new teeth! Blow it to hell!"
Behind him, Garrus chuckled. The blue light of the main gun flew away from them, hitting the Collector ship in its central laser.
"How do you like that, you sons-of-bitches!?" Joker shouted.
"Get in close and tear it apart, Joker."
"Everybody hold on! It's gonna be a wild ride!"
Shepard grinned as the ship flew toward the ship that had killed him two years ago. "Give 'em hell, girl." Joker punched the button. The main gun fired once more and the ship blew apart, its shrapnel flying in every direction, propelled by fire.
"Look out!" Miranda nearly screamed.
The ship exploded outwards, its shock waves hitting the Normandy with the force of a battering ram. The ship rocked and recovered before it was hit by a second explosion, the blast of orange ghosting over the window.
"Mass effect field generators are offline! EDI - give me something!"
"Generators unresponsive. All hands brace for impact."
Simultaneously, the crew held on to each other and any part of the ship they could find. The ship collided with a ring of the Collector base, descending too quickly. The hull of the base came up quickly beneath them and the collided with it suddenly. A plume of fire erupted from the side of the Normandy, its belly scraping horribly along its landing zone. Shepard tried to steady joker as he fell to one side in his chair, a nasty crack coming from the pilot. They bounced along, its hull became dented and burnt, windows cracked, and the thrusters bent. If we do make it out, we'll be limping home...
Mercifully and with a quaking shudder they came to a halt. "Joker! Are you okay!?" Shepard rushed to the pilots side and helped him sit straight.
"Ungh...I think I broke a rib." He paused in his pain. "Or all of them.."
"Multiple core systems overloaded during the crash. Restoring operation will take time." Shepard was simply relieved that the AI sounded like it was fixable. He sighed with relief.
Miranda seemed to have other ideas as she hugged herself around the waist. "We all knew this was likely a one way trip."
"Our primary objective is to destroy the station and stop the Collectors. At any cost."
"Well then, we're off to a good start. What's next?"
The crew had gathered and were debating over the scan of the Collector base. Thane was growing tired of the endless talks over the different levels of this damned base.
This is why I normally work alone.
He appreciated the fact that they really did have to plan their course of action. But, his irritation was fueled by the empty seats in the Mess, the absent whirrs and clicks that came from the Med-bay, the empty bed in his room.
"You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control center here." A pinpoint appeared on the hologram.
Jacob opened up his Omni-tool and Thane shifted on his feet with his impatience. "That means going through the heart of the station. Right past this massive energy signature." A new pin-point and Shepard nodded.
"That's the central chamber. If our crew or any of the colonists are still alive, the Collectors are probably holding them in there." Thane glared at his 'still alive' comment. She's still alive...
"Looks like there are two main routes. Might be a good idea to split up to keep the Collectors off-balance, then regroup in the central chamber."
Miranda shook her head and Thane grit his teeth. "No good. Both routes are blocked. See these doors? The only way past is to get someone to open them from the other side."
Shepard rubbed at his temples as he looked over the map and frowned. "It's not a fortress; there's got to be something..." He squinted and chewed at his lower lip. "Here, maybe we can send someone in through this ventilation shaft..."
"Practically a suicide mission." The crew looked to Jacob who shifted and crossed his arms with a smug look on his face. "I volunteer." Thane knew that Jacob thought he was being noble but he knew he would not be able to accomplish the task. He was a weapon jockey, not a tech expert.
Garrus had the same idea as he shook his head at Shepard. Shepard simply turned to Tali instantly.
"Tali, you'll take the shaft and hack the security systems. You good with that?"
The quarian nodded. "On it, Shepard..." She clasped her hand behind her back. "I won't let you down." He grinned at her.
"The rest of us will break into two teams and fight down each passage. That should draw the Collectors' attention away from what you're doing."
Miranda waltzed over to the Commander. "I'll lead the second team, Shepard. We'll meet up with you on the other side of the doors."
Jack, who had remained quiet and alone since the crew had been taken, stood straight and narrowed her eyes at the operative. "Not so fast, Cheerleader. Nobody wants to take orders from you." Beside her, Garrus shook his head in agreement.
"This isn't a popularity contest! Lives are at stake. Shepard-"
"Shut up!" The commander had thrown his head back and shouted. "I really don't have time for your petty rivalry!" Miranda choked whilst Jack huffed. "I know who will lead the second team. Garrus, if you will."
Garrus stepped forward and nodded. "Of course, Shepard."
Shepard nodded. "Thane, Kasumi, you two are with me. I think we'll need some stealth. The rest of you are with Garrus."
Thane was surprised he had been chosen to accompany Shepard, but he couldn't deny the point he had made. It was probably best if they could take on a certain amount of subtlety.
Zaeeed, Mordin, Samara, Legion, Jack, Miranda, Grunt, and Jacob all fell into order behind Garrus and the mission slowly began.
The last valve was opened and Tali emerged from the shaft sputtering. Samara ran to her and helped her to her feet, deftly patting out a smouldering segment of the quarian's hood. Grunt and Mordin covered the women as they ducked behind cover and made for the heavy blast doors before them.
The opened for them automatically, and Tali got to work closing them. Garrus tilted his head as he heard Thane banging on the others through the comm "Come on! Garrus!"
He tapped Tali on her shoulder. "Go! We'll cover you!" She nodded and ran to the door Shepard was behind. He could hear the barrage of fire his commander and lover was taking. He almost broke the line and ran to the door with Tali, but he was shaken from his thoughts as Jack ran past him roaring her battle cry. He turned his rifle back to the fight and trusted Tali to her job.
"Somethings wrong! The doors stuck!"
A large explosion sounded on the other side of the door and the comms turned to static. Garrus' blood ran cold. Elliot...
And then the doors opened. Kasumi ran through, closely followed by Thane as Shepard ushered them through first. And then the commander him self ran through and Garrus could breath once more. The three of them turned to cover the tech expert as she worked furiously to shut the doors.
He called his team back to join the fight and together they held of the barrage from the Collectors. The doors shut.
"Nice work, Tali. I knew you wouldn't let me down." He bent and panted heavily.
From behind them, Miranda called out. "Shepard! You need to see this!"
Shepard frowned and followed Miranda to an open space beyond their little haven. He used the term lightly...
So many humans...Thane said a prayer for their souls as Shepard took in the massive scope of the central chamber. Row up row, column upon column, endless faces sleeping behind the dirty glass. And the crew was in there somewhere.
Giant tubes stemmed from smaller ones that originated in the pods filled with humans. What are they doing to them? When Shepard pointed this out, a sudden sense of urgency seemed to descend on the squad. Whatever those tubes were, they were not good.
Shepard looked to his side and walked toward a pod. Miranda stood by him. "Looks like one of the missing colonists..."
Shepard placed his hand upon the glass and leant on it as he got a better look at the dark-haired woman within. Her brow furrowed and she began to stir in her sleep. Was she sleeping? Thane thought as her eyes fluttered open and she began looking around wildly. Her frightened gaze landed on Shepard and she brought up her fists and began pounding at the substance between them.
"Help me!"
Her words were muffled as she battered against the glass. Shepard nodded and began looking for a seam along the line of the glass. A hissing came from the base of the pod, then she began screaming. The commander looked up at her in surprise and fear before battering at the glass with his gun. The squad rushed forward in an attempt to help. The woman's skin began to mottle as she fought for her life. Her hands against the glass became blood stained and skeletal as her fingers melted away. Her screams grew more frantic, her mouth opening too wide as the sinew and tendons holding her jaw together began to degrade. Her hair fell out in clumps and her eyes began to roll in their sockets. Then she was quiet as she fell forward and dragged against the glass as she died. Her blood spattering against the sides of the pod.
Shepard sighed and looked at the ground.
"Shepard-Commander. Additional humans."
Instantly, the commander was running toward Legion and barking orders at his team. "Get them out of there!"
The squad realised who was behind the glass and began battering at it with their guns. Shattering the substance and forcing the pods to open. Grunt head butted a pod and caught the crew member as he fell out. Shepard ran to Chakwas and forced the thing open to save her. "Chakwas! Are you alright?" His frantic voice spread among them and they worked faster. Jack poured her biotics into her strength and tore a door away and gently placed the crew member on the ground before moving on to the next.
Thane only had one person on his mind and he searched quickly and efficiently. The sounds of the squad tearing of the doors and breaking open the pods spurred him on. And then he found her. Her pale face drawn with worry as she stood in her pod. Fingers twitching and breath erratic. Her eyes opened when he touched the glass with his fused fingers, the lighting making her irises seem green. Her mouth opened but no words came out. Miranda joined him as she found the yeoman in the pod beside Marie. And then the hissing began.
He began to panic as he watched her face begin to mottle. Her and Kelly began screaming at their saviours. They battered at the glass as the colonist had before them, the skin on their arms staining the glass that held them there. He beat at the door angrily, ignoring the strain in his chest, he welcomed the pain if it meant he could save her. Miranda grit her teeth and used her biotics to begin to force the door open and Thane followed her example.
The screams got louder and the smell of her blood filled his nose when he finally opened the door and she tumbled out into his arms. She and Kelly gripped tightly at their saviours. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her over to the rest of the squad and crew that were waiting. As they drew nearer, the squad looked at his bundle and collectively drew sighs of relief.
"Thank god you got here in time. A few more seconds and...I don't even want to think about it." Kelly muttered as she wrung her damaged hands in front of her.
Chakwas nodded in agreement and took some medi-gel from the commander and quietly began making her way around the crew and doing what she could for them in the short time frame they had. She hovered over Kelly and Marie and attempted to heal what she could on their arms and faces. "I'll have to wait to get back to the ship for the rest." She turned to Shepard then with a sad, haunted look in her grey eyes. "The colonists were...processed. Those swarms of little robots, they-melted their bodies into grey liquid and pumped it through these tubes." A small gesture with her hand that Thane didn't care about as he felt Marie's blood stained fingers grip at his chest.
"Why are they doing this? What are they doing with our genetic material?" Shepard pondered over his thoughts for a second.
"I don't know...I'm just glad you got here before it happened to us." The crew nodded and seemed to huddle together and lean against one another. Whatever those pods were doing to them, it had left them weak. Even Chakwas seemed to sway on her feet.
Miranda smiled a small smile at Chakwas. "So are we. But we still have a job to do. We've done well so far. Let's hope we can finish the job."
Shepard tapped into his comm. "Joker? Can you get a fix on our position?"
"Roger that, Commander. All those tubes lead into the main control room right above you. The route is blocked by a security door, but there's another chamber that runs parallel to the one you're in."
"I cannot recommend that." EDI's artificial voice sounded. "Thermal emissions suggest the chamber is overrun with seeker swarms. Mordin's countermeasure cannot protect you against so many at once."
"Could we use biotics?" He directed the question to Mordin who cupped his chin with his finger as he thought.
"Hmmm. Possible. Biotic field to prevent swarms getting close. Yes, yes. Any biotic should be able to do it. Recommend one with experience."
Shepard nodded. "Excellent. Samara, you're up. Mordin, you'll come with me. If the field fails, maybe you can do something with your countermeasure. Grunt, you'll come and keep us covered." Grunt smiled and thumped his fists together. "Everyone else will follow Garrus. With any luck, we'll be back on the ship by tea time."
The squad nodded and Thane began to think of ways he could keep Marie safe whilst he fought the enemy.
"What about me and the rest of the crew, Shepard? We're in no shape to fight." Chakwas asked with wide eyes. Shepard nodded and tapped into his comm again as Joker came up with an answer.
"Commander? We have enough systems back online to do a pickup, but we'd need to land back from your position."
"We can't afford to go back, Shepard. Not now." Miranda argued but Garrus silenced her with a glare.
The commander sighed and looked about the weak crew, eyes coming to rest on Marie as she watched him with wide eyes. "You'll never make it without help. I'll send someone with you." He began to look over his squad but Thane shook his head and stepped forward.
"I volunteer." All eyes landed on him but he simply stared at Shepard.
Shepard though for a moment as he hastily weighed the pros and cons of having Thane defend the entire crew. He nodded once and it was decided.
Thane's Omni-tool pinged as Joker sent him the location of the ship and a possible path he could take the crew through to get there.
"We've all got out assignments. Let's move out." The group split down the middle. One half, the squad, joining Shepard. The other, the crew, moving to stand behind Thane. "Oh and Thane?" The drell looked up at his commander and friend. "Be safe." They nodded once to each other and went their separate ways. Jack and Tali looked back once as Thane set Marie down and supported her below her shoulder.
I hope you enjoyed it :)
Next chapter could go a couple different ways and I haven't fully decided on it just yet. So it could take a little longer for me to update :/
Sorry in advance :P