A/N: Thank you Kirabaros, SerenityFalconNormandy, skywalker-hiddleston, Jules Hawk, Impslave, Vorcha Girl and jediserenity82 for your reviews on the last chapter and welcome to my new followers! Special thanks as always to Vorcha Girl for being my beta.
And now ... enjoy!
Chapter 39. Horizon
The past two months had been unbelievable. Shepard would have never imagined finding Garrus turned vigilante on Omega, or recruiting a convict from a high security prison and having to fight her way out, or having a master thief on her crew.
But least of all would she have expected to become friends with Miranda.
She really wasn't sure how that had happened.
Her thoughts still lingered on her unlikely friendship when she opened the galaxy map, pushing past Kelly Chambers without listening to what the yeoman said to her.
She didn't trust Chambers.
Almost immediately Joker interrupted her. "Commander, the Illusive Man is on the comm. He's says it's urgent. I'm patching him to the comm room."
"Isn't it always?" She grumbled, stepping away from the galaxy map again and heading to the comm room instead. She just hoped it was some useful information.
"Shepard, I think we have them," the Illusive Man began. "Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus systems, just went silent. Has Mordin discovered a countermeasure to the seeker swarms?"
"Not yet," she answered.
"Let's hope he works well under pressure. They aren't under attack yet, but they will be soon. There's something else you should know." He took a long drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "One of your former crew is stationed on Horizon."
"Oh?" she wondered. "Who?"
"Kaidan Alenko."
Her breath caught in her throat and she crossed her arms in front of her to mask her nervousness.
"I thought he was still Alliance. What is he doing out in the Terminus systems?" she asked, keeping her voice casual as possible while her heart thudded hard in her chest.
"Officially," the Illusive Man informed her, "it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies."
"And I'm supposed to believe that the Collectors are targeting a colony with one of my former crew by accident?" Shepard scoffed.
"It shouldn't surprise you that the Collectors take interest in you or your … friends. Especially if they are working for the Reapers. They might be going after him to get to you." He watched her reaction like a cat watches a mouse.
Nick shivered at the pause he made before the word 'friends'.
"Send the coordinates. We'll check it out," she replied tonelessly before stepping out of the QEC and walking briskly towards the helm.
"Joker, set a course for Horizon ASAP." She couldn't quite hide the quiver in her voice. "And tell me our ETA."
Her helmsman cast a short glance at her. "Aye, aye," he confirmed, punching in the command. "ETA twenty hours. Any special reason?"
Twenty hours - too long.
"Collector attack," she answered curtly. "Is there any way we can shorten our ETA?"
Joker turned his chair to look at her fully. "What's the real reason, Commander?"
Shepard hesitated. "Kaidan's there," she whispered.
"Commander," EDI interrupted. "It is possible to reach Horizon within sixteen hours, though it isn't advisable."
Biting her lip Shepard nodded. "Noted. Do it." Now she had to go speak with Mordin. Hopefully he'd made progress on finding a countermeasure.
Kaidan rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the output his omnitool showed. Not only was the targeting matrix for the turret was down again, but so was the colony's communications system. It made no sense. No matter how often he calibrated the settings there was always some kind of failure, and he had checked every circuit more than once. He frowned. Every day a new problem came up. The defense towers were useless like this.
Sabotage, a voice whispered in his head.
With a silent curse on his lips he passed one of the mechanics, ignoring the hostile look the man cast after him, and searched for one of the few people that had actually tried to help during the past six weeks.
"Lilith," he called out when he spotted the civilian engineer, "we have a problem."
She fell in step beside him. "Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?"
He let out an annoyed snort, glancing up at the offending turrets. "The towers are absolutely useless without it. We have to figure it out."
Lilith shook her head. "Sorry, Commander, but getting the comm systems online again takes priority."
"Right. Of course." He stopped. "I'm surprised people haven't tried blaming that on me yet."
"It's nothing personal. People out here just don't trust the Alliance," she replied.
A low rumbling sound much like thunder caught their attention. Kaidan looked up, and slowly reached for his assault rifle.
"What is that?" he asked himself quietly, peering through the magnifying scope of his rifle.
Lilith echoed the same question almost at the same time, only louder. A ship of enormous size and unknown build came into view, emitting black clouds of some sort. An ominous feeling sent shivers down his back.
"Get everyone to the safehouse," he ordered, keeping his eyes on the advancing black clouds.
Insects? Were those clouds of insects?
Kaidan turned briefly to see if the colonists were following his order and getting to safety when he felt a sting on his neck. His hand shot up to grab one of the … beetles that had suddenly swarmed around them. Snarling, he tossed it to the ground and helped a fallen colonist before turning his attention back to the unknown ship and the swarm of bugs coming from it.
Suddenly moving became impossible as the venom of the seekers began to work. Paralyzed, Kaidan could only hear shouting that suddenly broke off replaced by the annoying buzzing of the seeker swarms, and even that grew quieter until it died down all together. The ship had disappeared out of his view, but he could still hear its rumbling.
Straining all his muscles he tried to force himself to move again and again as time passed.
Horrified he watched as unknown creatures passed him and began dragging away colonists, wondering when they were going to come for him. He thought he heard the sound of a shuttle in the distance, but the sound faded so quickly again that he was certain it had been his imagination. He was alone. Once more he pushed himself and something stirred within him.
Use your biotics.
Kaidan felt the urge to giggle hysterically. Use the force, Luke, he thought as he let his instincts take over. His biotics seemed to crawl slowly under his skin, feeling sluggish and unfamiliar, as if it had to push barriers away.
Just as suddenly as paralysis had set in, his biotics flared brightly around Kaidan and he stumbled to the ground. His heart pounded in his chest as if he had just run a mile in full armor and adrenaline rushed through his veins. Then he looked around, and his heart plummeted.
The colony looked deserted.
Nervously Nick paced the small space of the shuttle, thinking back to her meeting with Anderson on the Citadel. She couldn't beat the feeling that he had stonewalled her on purpose. The thought alone enraged her. Why didn't he trust her?
Because you came there with two Cerberus operatives, on a Cerberus ship.
Garrus and Miranda watched her silently until the turian stirred.
"I'm sure we'll make it on time, Shepard." he told her just as the shuttle touched down.
She nodded, punched the panel for the hatch harder than necessary, and jumped onto Horizon's surface. Her eyes drifted upwards along the collector ship looming over the colony. It was huge. She swallowed, gripping her rifle so hard her knuckles turned white.
"Mordin," she called over her radio, trying her best to ignore the eerie silence of the colony. There was barely a sound to be heard, just the buzzing of insects. Or seeker swarms. "Are you sure these armor upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?"
"Certainty impossible," the salarian answered. "But in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to swarms." Mordin paused, and then added, "In theory."
Miranda snorted. "In theory?"
"Experimental technology. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if you survive," came the answer.
Shepard shook her head. "Well, if we don't then TIM spent all his credits for nothing," she murmured under her breath, carefully peering around a corner and sweeping the area with a practiced gaze. It looked clear. She rounded the corner and narrowed her eyes as she spotted hostiles approaching. Sprinting towards a half wall she ducked into cover, pulling her sniper rifle.
"Miranda! At one o'clock!" Shepard called, the tango in her crosshairs. Miranda reacted promptly and weakened the collector's barrier with an Overload, so Shepard could take it down. Garrus had done the same with another opponent.
Once the area was clear they moved on cautiously, passing through another clearing on the outskirts of the colony and the first pre-fabs came into sight. More Collectors appeared as Shepard and her ground team approached the housings.
Shepard had switched to her shotgun, as the terrain made it difficult for sniping, and now she fired one powerful shot after the other. Her eyes widened at the sight of husks coming at her.
She hated husks.
Their constant screeching mouths wide open as they stumbled towards her with outstretched hands made her blood freeze. Garrus and Miranda were both busy fighting a pair of Collector Guardians, they couldn't help her. Pulling a grenade from her belt and priming it was one, and she lobbed it at the husks. Quickly she ducked behind a crate to avoid the blast and waited, holding her breath.
The shuffling sound of more husks reached her ears, and she popped out of cover, her shotgun at the ready. Grim satisfaction spread through her as her first shot hit the husk in its face and its head exploded. The second one she caught square in its chest, sending it wheeling backwards before it crumpled to the ground.
"These husks look different than the ones I remember, Shepard," Garrus commented, rolling one of the husks on it's back with a foot.
"We haven't seen any dragon teeth yet either," Shepard replied, frowning down at the dead husk. "And you're right. These look … improved."
Miranda stepped next to her. "Then the Collector's brought the husks along and are taking the colonists alive. The question is, why?"
"Experiments, maybe? It won't be anything good, that's for sure," Shepard said quietly, not liking the thought of the colonists being used as lab rats.
As they continued their way through the colony they engaged in a number of close quarter fights, but there still was no sign of any colonists. A growing doubt gnawed at Nick. She cast a withering look at a swarm of seekers passing overhead. At least Mordin's countermeasure seemed to work. After passing through more deserted pre-fabs with data pads lying casually tossed aside and food and drink on the tables her worries grew ever stronger.
"It's like on Freedom's Progress," Miranda pointed out voicing Shepard's fears. "The entire colony is gone."
No, no, NO.
Anger and fear constricted her throat and Shepard growled, "No. There has to be somebody alive yet here."
A short time later they stumbled across several colonists caught in some kind of stasis field, but at least they were alive. They pressed on, encountering another wave of Collectors.
"Commander Shepard, my attacks will tear you apart," a voice droned, startling them. "We are your genetic destiny!"
"What the hell?" Shepard said, pointing a heavy weapon at one of the Collectors and fired. "Genetic destiny my ass. And how does buggy know my name?" she called to her squad.
"Not a clue!" Garrus answered, sending an Overload at a hostile and then firing a volley. Further banter was cut short by the arrival of more Collectors. Nick swore under her breath as she jumped over a half-wall and ducked in cover as a particle beam passed over her head and burned into the wall she had hidden behind earlier, leaving an acrid stench in its wake.
Another Collector appeared in the doorway of a pre-fab forcing Nick to execute a combat roll in order to get behind cover again before shooting at her target. Eventually the last hostile had been taken care of, and Shepard motioned for her team to move out. They crossed the yard and reached a locked door. She frowned.
Omni-gel would be nice right now.
"Garrus," Shepard called over her shoulder, "can you get this door open?"
"Still don't know how to hack a lock, Shepard?" he asked exasperated.
"Shut up, Vakarian."
Gripping her rifle tightly she watched her friend hack the lock with ease, and they entered the dark, cool building. Descending a flight of steps Shepard heard a shuffling sound at the far end of the room.
"Get out here!" she ordered. "Now!"
A man peeked around what looked like a large cooling system, and then stepped slowly out of cover.
"You're human!" the man exclaimed. "What are you doing?! You'll lead them right here!"
"Lead them here?" Shepard snorted. "You can calm down. The Collectors knew you were here and thanks to us the ones in front of that door are all dead now." She pointed over her shoulder with her thumb.
The man paled. "Collectors? You mean … they're real? I thought they were just made up. Propaganda to keep us in Alliance Space." He shook his head. "No, I saw them take Lilith. And Sten. They took damn near everybody!"
"Tell me about the attack," Shepard interrupted.
"We lost our comm signals a few hours ago. I came down to check on the main grid when I heard the screaming start. I looked outside and there were swarms of bugs and everyone they touched just … froze. I sealed the doors." He paced the floor. "Damn, it's the Alliances fault! They made us a target stationing that Commander Alenko here and building the defense towers."
"Why do you think this is the Alliances fault?" Shepard asked, unconsciously gripping her shotgun tightly. She didn't like the condescending way the man talked about Kaidan. "And what was Commander Alenko's job here?"
The mechanic waved his hand dismissively. "We're just a small colony. Nobody was interested in us before the Alliance came with their outreach program and installed those defense towers. Alenko was supposed to help us get them up and running, but I'm sure he was spying on us."
Shepard asked some more about the defense towers before concluding, "If you have defenses we can use them against the Collector ship."
"You'd have to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right. Leave it to the Alliance to build something that doesn't work and send somebody that can't fix it," Delan snorted.
Shepard glared at him. This guy was asking for a punch in the throat. Kaidan knew his stuff. If he couldn't find the problem it was either very well hidden or sabotage. The thought chilled her.
"Just give us the fucking location," she snapped.
The colonist took a step back and pointed at the door opposite of the one they had passed through. "Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base." He activated his omnitool. "I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door after you. I'm not taking any chances."
"So you can go on hiding in here like the coward you are? I really like how you deprived other colonists of the chance to hide here with you," Shepard snarled. "Just stay out of my fucking way."
Whatever Delan was going to answer one look at Shepard's face was enough to make him change his mind. "Yeah," he said instead. "That's what I was thinking, too. Good luck. I think you'll need it."
They hard barely stepped outside when the door sealed behind them again. Nick snorted dismissively and turned her attention to the inner courtyard they had to cross. And the hostiles in it. She took cover and switched her shotgun for her sniper rifle. The Collectors hadn't noticed them yet. With a satisfied grin Shepard scoped her target, and fired.
Something that looked like a mutated abomination, its head angled strangely to the side with a large lump that reminded Nick briefly of krogan shoulder humps, dropped into the yard along with a number of husks. Nick ordered Garrus and Miranda to keep the husks and Collectors off her back while she zoned in on the scion.
Passing through more deserted pre-fabs they came to another locked gate. Shepard nodded at Miranda and stepped aside while the other woman hacked the lock. The doors slid open, granting them a clear view of the main transmitter. It looked easy to reach. Too easy. Cautiously they entered the large courtyard, leery of any hostile lurking behind the stacks of tires and crates. A number of hostiles appeared at the far end of the yard, and Shepard sprinted to a balcony to her left that granted cover and a good view of her targets.
As soon as all hostiles were terminated Shepard headed for the main transmitter and activated it. She radioed the Normandy, "EDI, bring the defense towers online. Time to show we give as good as we get."
"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time bringing the towers to full power. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output. A defensive posture is recommended," the AI replied.
"Noted. Anything else?" Shepard inquired.
"Enemy forces are closing in. I suggest you ready weapons."
The Collectors seemed hell bent on stopping them from bringing the defense towers online, throwing every possible opponent at them. The battle raged on while EDI updated them on the status of the GARDIAN defense towers. Finally the anti-ship batteries were fully powered and the defense towers began firing at the Collector ship, forcing it to retreat.
Nick ran her hand through her hair, breathing hard.
"No!" The mechanic Delan came running. "You can't just let them get away! Half the colony is on there. Do something!"
Shepard turned around, her eyes cold as ice. "Do something?! What more do you expect me to do, huh? I did my fucking best while you hid in that damned bunker."
"You did indeed, Shepard," Miranda pointed out.
"Shepard? I know that name," Delan said slowly. "Sure, I remember. You're some kind of big Alliance hero."
Before Shepard could reply footsteps approached, and the husky voice she had been aching to hear again ever since waking up on Lazarus station spoke as Kaidan stepped into view, "Commander Shepard. Captain of the Normandy, first human spectre, saviour of the Citadel." Kaidan glanced at the colonist. "You're in the presence of a legend, Delan." He paused, and then added more softly, "and a ghost."
Amber eyes searched her face while the colonist walked away, railing against the Alliance. Her hand moved up on its own accord to touch the angry, red scars on her face, scars he didn't know. Dr. Chakwas had offered more than once to seal them, but she had always denied. Now she wished she hadn't. Biting her lip she walked tentatively towards him.
Kiss him. Kiss him. Kiss him, a voice repeated in her head.
"Kaidan," she whispered as he embraced her. Relief washed over her. He was alive. He smelled of armor polish, sweat and ozone, as if he had just shortly used his biotics; he smelled of combat, and all she wanted to do was bury her nose in the crook of his neck and inhale that familiar scent again and again. "I'm so glad you're alive."
He tensed in her arms and stepped back, a shadow spreading over his face. "Speaking of alive, I thought you were dead." His voice was strained as his gaze flicked over to Garrus and then to Miranda, his eyes narrowing. "We all did."
"It's complicated," Nick began.
"Complicated?" Kaidan scoffed. "You show up after two years, and all you have to say is, it's complicated? How could you me through this? I loved you, Shepard. Why didn't you let me know you were alive?" The pain in his voice made her flinch.
"I wasn't even conscious!" she defended herself, snapping at him more than intended and jabbing a finger at her chest. A cold feeling slowly spread in her gut. "I spent two years on a slab in some kind of coma while Cerberus patched me back together. And Anderson stonewalled me when I asked about you!"
Nick knew instantly that she had made a mistake mentioning Cerberus. She saw how Kaidan clenched his jaw at the name of the terrorist organization. She wasn't even sure if he'd registered what she'd said about Anderson.
"Cerberus?" He took another step backwards, running a hand through his hair. "So the reports were right."
"Reports?" Miranda asked. "So much for security."
Kaidan's eyes darted to Miranda, and then back to Nick. "Alliance intel had information that Cerberus was interested in Horizon, and they suspected it had something to do with the Collector attacks. Then a few weeks ago rumors started that you were alive and working for the enemy." His amber gaze burned into her mind.
"I don't work for Cerberus," Nick blustered, irritation rising. What the hell was happening? Icy dread trickled down her spine. This wasn't how she'd imagined seeing Kaidan again would go! "We happen to want the same thing - to save our colonies!"
"Maybe," Kaidan retorted with a light shrug. "Or maybe that's just what Cerberus wants you to think." He came close again, stopping shortly in front of her. "What if they're trying to manipulate you? You … You're betraying everything you fought for!"
Nick jerked back as if she had been slapped. Then she stepped closer again, her mouth a narrow line. "What?! Say that again, Alenko!" she growled, ignoring the indignant comments from Garrus and Miranda. She pinched the bridge of her nose and drew a deep breath trying to calm herself. "For fucks sake, Kaidan! You know me. You know I'd never do this if there weren't a different option."
Kaidan shook his head, "No. The Commander Shepard I knew would never work for Cerberus."
He didn't believe her.
Bewildered she listened as he went on, "What if you're not even you? For all I know you could be a clone." A numb feeling spread through her as she stared into amber eyes full of doubt and she barely heard him say, "I have to report back."
He thinks you're a clone.
Aghast Nick watched him turn and walk away, her voice caught in her throat. No. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be.
He wouldn't just leave, not Kaidan.
"Don't you dare walk away from me, Kaidan Alenko! I'm talking to you!" Her voice was cold and commanding when she found it again and with a considerable amount of satisfaction she watched him stop.
Kaidan turned halfway around, his gaze troubled as he looked her in the face. "I'm an Alliance soldier, I have to report back." He swallowed. "Good-by Shepard. And be careful."
Helplessly Nick gazed after him, unconsciously wiping away tears of anger that filled her eyes. She was angry at him, angry at Cerberus, angry at the Collectors, angry at herself.
"Joker?" she called over the comm, her voice shaking slightly. "Send the shuttle, I've had enough of this colony."
She had lost the most important person in her life.
She had lost Kaidan.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcome! :)