With the Geth routed, the survivors of Zhu's Hope could breathe a little easier. But with the threat of the synthetics making another attempt, Shepard and her team weren't willing to take any chances.
While the Commander spoke with Fai Dan, the others had spread out to survey the colony while at the same time keeping an eye out for any threats. It didn't take long for the crew to notice that something odd was going on.
Despite the fact that the Geth had been hitting the colony repeatedly, the people defending it were too calm. Tired and worn, but they didn't seem to be too worried about what had been happening to their home, almost as if something was easing their thoughts.
Near one of the makeshift barricades, Flynn stood with his super shotgun at the ready. His eyes flickering to the handful of colonists that wandered past where he was, their eyes slightly glazed and muttering to themselves.
Unlike the others who were just piecing things together, the slayer already knew what was up and the cause. The issue was trying to take care of it without too much collateral damage.
And by that, meaning the innocent brainwashed colonists that would get in the way.
Flynn knew he couldn't use his guns, or even his fists without killing someone accidentally with his strength. So if he wanted to free the colonists and kill the thing responsible, he'd have to think outside the box.
Bringing up his omni-tool, he began to go through the applications he had for it. The device having the usual selections common for an omni-tool, with the addition of a few more combat oriented add ons as well such as overload, incinerate and an omni-blade.
Scrolling down the list until something caught his attention and smirked just as Shepard called all of them to meet her in the center of Zhu's Hope. The slayer closed his omni-tool down and rolled his shoulders before regrouping with the others.
"Alright, here's the situation." Jane said once everyone was gathered together. "The Geth are holed up in the building ExoGeni claimed as their operation center a few clicks down the skyway. If we can stop these things at the source, the colony will have nothing to worry about."
"So what are we waiting around for?" asked Wrex.
"We can't leave this place unprotected. Fai Dan told me about a transmitter the Geth have set up in the sewer system that will allow them to call in reinforcements." explained the Commander. "We take that out, we release the stranglehold the Geth have over the colony."
"A couple of colonists also mentioned food, water and power trouble, both of which coming from the same area. Might be a good idea to help get them back on their feet." added Kaidan.
"So we're splitting up." Garrus summarized.
Jane surveyed the group a moment before coming to a decision. "Wrex, Ash, Tali and I will go handle the Geth at the ExoGeni building. The rest of you will remain here and assist Zhu's Hope. Make sure they're protected incase of another incursion."
An array of acknowledgements pass through the team before they split up. Shepard and her team to the nearby garage that would lead to the skyway, while Flynn and the others made their way to the entrance to the sewer network beneath the colony.
X
On a small bridge connecting to the tunnel network under the colony, two Geth platforms stood on guard for anyone that would try to pass. The two synthetics stayed motionless, small clicks coming from them as their optics searched for anyone to wander into their range.
A noise to their right making the Geth aim their weapons at the disturbance. One of the platforms moving forward and scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary. The platform that was still in its original spot looked left just before a grappling hook suddenly grabbed it by the middle and yanked it forward, a powerful blast followed as chunks of metal and white fluid painted the floor.
The first Geth looked back at its counterpart. Its optic exploded in a shower of sparks as a sniper round blew out the back of its head.
As the body fell over the railing and into the water below, Flynn, Garrus, Kaidan and Liara came out of the archway that led back to the stairs. The slayer reloading his super shotgun while the C-Sec detective vented the heatsink in his sniper rifle.
The Lieutenant brought up his omni-tool and started going through the list he'd been given for Zhu's Hope. "There are three valves connecting the main water system to the colony. They need to be reactivated to get the water running again." He pointed to a small panel on the wall just inside the next archway ahead of them, "That should be one of them there."
Garrus brought out his own omni-tool and reactivated the valve system before they moved on down the tunnel. "What do you think the Geth are after here?" asked the Turian while switching to his assault rifle.
"Whatever it is, it's something that Saren wants. And that alone could mean something about the Conduit or the Reapers." said Liara as she activated the second water system valve at the end of the tunnel.
"Either way, we need to shut them down and find out what he's after." said Kaidan as he opened a doorway leading into a large room with a slope leading up to a roadway that had caved in long ago. At the top of the slope was a Grizzly that looked like it hadn't run for some time. "That might have the power cells that the colony could use." said Garrus.
They stepped into the room when loud growls began to echo all around them. From under various piles of rubble came over a dozen Varren. All of them about the size of an average dog with sharp teeth and claws. Their ember colored eyes leering at the team as they closed in on them from all sides, boxing them in.
From the back of the pack, a Varren easily twice the size of the others stalked forward. It's hide a dark orange color with black along the spine making it look much more different than the silver and black colored Varren around it.
"That's the Alpha. The colonist supervising the food said that he's been causing the hunting parties problems." said Kaidan, aiming at the lead Varren.
The Alpha growled menacingly as the pack began to close in around them. "Do we have a plan?" asked Liara quietly while keeping her pistol leveled on a Varren that had started getting closer to her.
Flynn decided to be the one to answer as he stepped forward. The Varren pack all growled at him in response and prepared to lunge when his equipment launcher came to life, flame belch unleashing a jet of napalm that lit up the alien-canines like a dry forest.
The Varren that had been ignited howled and screeched in pain, attempting to flee the slayer's flamethrower while others tried to attack the armored human. He grabbed the first creature by the neck and broke it as easily as snapping his fingers. Another attempted to chomp on his leg, and got a skull-caving kick for its trouble.
Growling at seeing its pack being dispatched, the Alpha charged headlong at the slayer. Leaping with the intent of biting into his neck.
Flynn crushed another Varren beneath his boot, he saw the Alpha making its move and greeted it with a punch to the side of the head, sending it sprawling to the dirt where it scrambled to get back upright. A blast from the slayer's super shotgun blowing a ragged hole in its side.
Ejecting the spent rounds and inserting new ones, Flynn approached the wounded Alpha. Storing his double-barrel just as the lead Varren tried to lunge for him. Grabbing the upper and lower jaws in both hands, the slayer applied a little power to his grip and tore the animal almost completely in half like a wishbone.
The rest of the team mopped up the few remaining Varren as he tossed the two halves of the Alpha away. "Mind clueing us in the next time you go on a killing spree?" asked Garrus.
The slayer shrugged, taking out his heavy cannon as Kaidan went up to the Grizzly and came back a minute with a power core strapped to his back. "Got a functioning power core Zhu's Hope can use, and with the Varren dead they shouldn't have trouble hunting for food now."
"All that leaves is the last water valve and the transmitter." said Liara.
Leaving the room, the team found the last water valve by another bridge. Once the water system was back online, Kaidan attempted to get on the radio with the Commander and her team and only received static in response.
"Joker, you reading me back on the Normandy?" the Lieutenant asked when he couldn't reach Shepard.
"Reading you guys loud and clear. Can't reach the Commander though. Something must be blocking the transmissions." replied the pilot.
"The Geth probably have a jammer set up near the ExoGeni building." said Garrus.
"Let's hope we hear from them soon then." Liara said with concern for the rest of the team.
Flynn saw movement out of the corner of his eye and aimed his heavy cannon down a walkway near them. The others saw this and prepared as well before they saw a lone man stumbling toward them.
"You...You shouldn't be down here." he said before grabbing his head in pain.
"Who are you? Why aren't you with the other colonists?" asked Kaidan suspiciously.
"NO!" he shouted, making the squad tense. The man shook his head as though he was trying to clear his mind.
"What is wrong? Do you need medical attention?" asked Liara, keeping her weapon lowered and wondering about the strange colonist's health.
"Just invoking the master's whip. Helps remind me I'm still alive." said the colonist with a glazed look in his eyes. "You're here for the Geth, aren't you? You're not the only ones interested in those things."
The squad looked at one another a moment, "Who else is looking for the Geth?" asked Garrus, unsure of the strange man.
"Not looking for. Looking to get rid of. They're a thorn in the side of the...ahhhhhhhhhh!" the man screamed holding his head as though it were going to burst. "Trying to get to the...AH ha hahahahaha!" he suddenly began to cackle madly.
"Something's really not right with this guy." Garrus said, getting more tense by the second as the crazed colonist fell to his knees.
"Is there any way for us to help you?" asked Liara.
"Help me? No...No one can help me now. I would rather die fighting...unlike the others." he said weakly.
"Fighting what? What is happening to the colony?"Kaidan questioned.
"It's...not that kind of fight. More like running through a thorn bush, the more you struggle...the more...ah!" the colonist gripped his head again. "Can't...can't take it...ask Fai Dan. Ask him about the...ARGH!" he collapsed to the ground hard and fell unconscious.
Garrus was quickly kneeling at his side, checking for a pulse. "He's alive. What in the Spirits was that?"
"I don't know. But whatever it is might have something to do with why the colonists were acting so strange." said Kaidan.
"It sounded like something was trying to control him. And whenever he tried to tell us it attacked his mind." offered Liara. "Whatever could be doing this, has to be powerful."
Flynn stared at the unconscious man for a few more seconds before turning and heading farther into the tunnels. "Flynn?" asked Garrus.
We still have a transmitter to find. Until we can be sure the Geth won't be a problem, the colonists acting weird won't matter. He signed.
"He's right. We'll deal with one issue at a time." agreed Kaidan. After making sure the lone colonist was safely out of harm's way, the team continued their path to where their last objective was located.
Pinpointing its location to a room across the bridge they had passed. "Get ready." said the Lieutenant as they stacked up by the door. He hit the switch allowing it to open causing two rockets to fly through the opening and explode against the far wall.
"Rocket Drones up high!" Garrus called out. Flynn stepped into the doorway and brought up his heavy cannon, firing two procision shots that destroyed both drones quickly.
Two Geth Shock Troopers came out of cover and started firing on the squad and met the same fate when their heads were blown off their shoulders.
When the path was clear the team began to move in fast to hit the remaining resistance hard before they could regroup. A Geth came around the corner only for Kaidan to grab it with his biotics and slam it into the floor, two shots from Garrus ensuring it was down as they rounded the same corner.
Two Krogan standing guard by the transmitter in the far corner turned at their arrival and opened fire. Liara flared her biotics and caught one of them in stasis while the slayer activated the micro-missile move on his large rifle and emptied it into it. The multitude of explosions reducing the large alien to pulp splattered across the walls and floor.
With the death of his comrade, the other Krogan roared in bloodrage and charged the group head on. Flynn met the charge as the Krogan threw a hard punch, only for it to be caught in the slayer's open palm. Squeezing the alien's fist and twisting to the side, the sound of bones creaking as the battle of strength was steadily lost.
The Krogan grit his teeth and slowly dropped to his knees as Flynn cocked his other fist back and delivered a blood punch that broke the Krogan's head plate off and snapped his neck, his body being flung to the floor where it lay unmoving with orange blood oozing from his head.
With the guards down, the team approached the transmitter. "Kinda makes me wish we brought Tali. This looks beyond the usual terminals I can hack." said Garrus as he brought up his omni-tool. "I might be able to inject a program that'll fry its main components, might stop them from trying to repair-"
A powerful fist suddenly punched through the Geth device, the slayer ripping out a large cluster of wires and causing the transmitter to sputter and smoke before blue and purple flames began to flicker out of the new opening.
"...or, we could do that." The Turian said, casting a questioning glance at Flynn. "Not a patient one, are you?" he asked rhetorically.
Nope. Was the response as they began to head back to the colony. Kaidan kept trying to hail Jane and her team and still couldn't get through.
"Joker, anything from the Commander yet?" asked the Lieutenant.
"Still silent, LT. But there's something weird happening up here. Some of those colonists are grouping outside the airlock and are just staring at the ship." replied the pilot.
The squad looked at one another before Kaidan responded. "Keep the airlock sealed tight until we get back. Whatever's going on around here, we'll get to the bottom of it."
"Aye, aye."
"Things just keep getting weirder and weirder." Garrus said as they crossed the bridge near the stairwell they came down earlier.
Flynn came to a full stop, causing the others to do the same and look at him oddly. "Flynn? What's-" Liara was cut off when something came stumbling out of the doorway the steps were through. At first they thought it was a colonist...until it stepped into the light.
It looked Humanoid in shape with dark green skin and black, sunken eyes. It had long black claws on each hand and shuffled like it had two broken knees. And what was worse was that there were four more behind it, all of them seeing the team and drawing closer.
"What the hell are those things?" Garrus said, keeping his rifle steady.
Flynn opened fire, the slugs tearing through the weak, zombie-like bodies instantly as he approached at a steady pace. One of the 'Creepers' attempted to slash at his flank, but the slayer's Doom blade sliced it clean in half from shoulder to hip with one pass.
More of the creatures began to flood out of the stairwell and the others didn't hesitate to pour their own rounds into them. Liara and Kaidan using their biotics to fling the Creepers into the walls, splattering green blood in their wake.
The slayer had stored his heavy cannon and just used his fists, not bothering to waste anymore ammo on such weak opponents. Breaking the neck of one, then tearing the head off another before moving onto the rest. A third Creeper attempted to spew acid at him, but he side-stepped the projectile and slammed his fist onto the green zombie's head, knocking its skull into its chest cavity.
When the last of the new enemies fell, the team got a better look at what they were dealing with.
"It's like the Husks the Geth have been making. Only organic." said Kaidan poking one of the bodies with the tip of his boot. A bit of green slime dripped from the corpse's mouth onto the stone ground where it started to fizzle and burn.
"Acid. Highly corrosive." said Liara, also examining it. "We need to be careful, I have a feeling we're going to be encountering a lot more of these things when we reach the colony."
Weapons armed, the team of four began making their way back up the stairwell. Keeping their eyes and ears open for anything even remotely hostile as they moved farther up.
They didn't make it too far when they encountered more of the Creepers that had been waiting for them. Their weapons tore through the weak flesh of the zombified-creatures quickly, but more kept coming to replace the fallen.
Flynn in the lead using his fists and wrist blade making a path for the others as they ascended the steps. With bodies still piling up they managed to reach the top of the stairs where the colony was located when two colonists jumped up from cover with pistols in their hands and fired, forcing them into cover.
"What the hell!" shouted Kaidan.
"Looks like whatever's controlling them took charge." said Garrus as he looked over the fallen pillar he was behind. He loaded a concussion round into his rifle and fired it between the colonists, the concussion blast sending the brainwashed people into the wall and knocking them out cold.
"If they attacked us, then we can be sure the rest of the colonists are the same way right now." Kaidan said after ensuring the two Garrus knocked out were still breathing.
"How do we handle them?" asked Liara. "Shepard and the others could be back anytime and will walk into an ambush."
"Non-lethal. Subdue them anyway you can without causing serious injury." said the Lieutenant, casting a look at Flynn who nodded seriously
They entered the colony slowly, Creepers came stalking out of the shadows to greet them. Emitting low moans as they approached the squad. Brainwashed colonists walked among them holding various tools and firearms in their hands with glazed looks in their eyes.
Kaidan and Liara fired up their biotics, Garrus loaded fresh concussion rounds into his weapon and the slayer cracked his knuckles. I got the freaks. He signed before charging ahead, grabbing two Creepers by the face and slamming them into the side of a building and popping their skulls like ripe grapes.
A colonist swung a shovel at him which broke when it bounced off his shoulder armor. Snapping his head to look at the brainwashed man, Flynn fired up his omni-tool and activated the program he found earlier. Sending a small zap of electricity into the man who convulsed for a moment before collapsing. The taser application working like a charm.
Non-lethal may not have been his thing, but in this instance he'd make an exception.
He could hear the others subduing the colonists, and a majority of the Creepers were focused on him. Perfect. The slayer became the likeness of a living weed-wacker as he crushed and sliced through every plant-zombie that came his way. Within seconds, a large pile of mutilated bodies began to pile around him as more kept coming.
By this point, the rest creatures had shifted their attention to the large human. Like a command telling them he was the bigger threat and were sent to outnumber and overpower him. The rest of the team noticed this as they finished knocking out the last colonist and watched as they crowded around their team mate.
Flynn was grinning behind his visor as he pulled the head off another Creeper. They weren't demons or possessed corpses, but they were close enough as he did what he did best.
Rip and Tear!
Limbs and bodies were torn apart, green blood sprayed everywhere, and the pile of bodies continued to grow in height. The slayer was in his element, and he intended for nothing to survive his wrath. His Praetor suit by this point covered in a thick sheen of Creeper blood.
Some had attempted to scratch through the powerful armor and only managed to break their claws before meeting a swift end by his hands and blade. Minutes passed, and Fynn showed no sign of slowing down as he killed each and everyone ruthlessly.
By the time the Creeper horde had stopped coming, the amount of corpses that had piled up were as tall as the buildings in the settlement. The slayer stood on top of the pile, breathing heavily with adrenaline still coursing through his veins, his blood singing for more.
The others approached the pile looking no worse for wear as he jumped down from the perch he made. "You couldn't save any for us?" Garrus joked.
First come, first serve. Flynn signed with a smirk behind his helmet.
"Where'd all these things come from." wondered Kaidan, looking at all the bodies. "How did we miss them when we came in?"
Liara noticed something, a piece of freighter that had been lifted via crane near the farthest end of Zhu's Hope. A large opening could be seen with stairs leading underground. "Over there." she said pointing to the opening that had been made.
The team approached the freighter and saw lines of green slime and scuff marks along the ground coming up the steps. "This is how we missed them." said Garrus. "They were hidden beneath our feet."
"Then whatever made them and controlled the colonists must be down there as well." summarized Liara.
They heard shuffling and prepared for another fight, when they saw the colony leader Fai Dan step out from between two buildings. Struggling with each step as though he were fighting an unseen force.
"You...You can't fight it..." he forced out through gritted teeth. "Not...not forever...it gets inside...takes control...can't fight it." he continued moving forward. "It...wants me to stop you..." he drew a pistol from his belt and aimed at them. "But...I won't!" he fought, forcing the pistol's aim away from them and toward his own head.
"WAIT!" Liara screamed, raising her arm to stop him.
"I...WON'T!" Fai Dan shouted in defiance, the barrel to his temple before he pulled the trigger. Blood and brain matter spraying into the air a split second later before his body collapsed.
The team stood frozen, looking at the body. Flynn turned and began to make his way to the steps. "Flynn! We should wait for the Commander. There's no telling what could be down there." Kaidan said, overcoming his shock first.
The slayer paused and looked at the Lieutenant a second before continuing downward. The others hesitated a moment longer before Liara followed after him, Garrus and Kaidan behind her. Descending below ground with weapons ready just incase something was laying in wait.
Reaching the bottom, the team entered through an archway that lead into a large atrium, "Whatever is responsible for what has happened to Zhu's Hope has to be close." said Liara, "We just have to find what is controlling the colonists and make sure it...it..." the team looked up at the center of the large room where a massive, the bulbous form hung over a pit in the center.
It resembled a plant, but at the same time not. Similar to a tentacle creature with large roots branching out and anchoring it to the walls around it.
"...Goddess..." said the Asari in equal parts shock and disgust.
"That...I've got nothing." said Garrus as they drew closer.
As if triggered by their approach, the plant-thing began to convulse. The 'mouth' surrounded by long tentacles making loud gurgling noises before it opened wide. Spewing out a stream of slime and a naked, green skinned Asari on to the ground before it.
The Asari stood and glared at them before speaking, "Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!" .
"What do you know about Saren? What did you give him?" demanded Kaidan, gripping his rifle a little tighter.
"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made." said the clone. "The cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"
"Release your control on the colonists!" shouted Garrus, "We won't stand by while you use them like puppets!"
"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long." said the clone, biotics starting to flare around her-
BOOM!
The green Asari's head exploded in a splash of dark-green blood, her body pitching over and falling into the pit.
Flynn lowered his super-shotgun and glared at the Thorian, doing a quick survey of the room while the others prepared to fight.
"We need to kill this thing. Whatever it is, we can't allow it to keep the people of the colony under its control." said Kaidan.
"How do we take it down?" asked Liara before the slayer stored his super-shotgun and drew out a weapon he knew would do the job.
The rest of the team saw the weapon and immediately remembered what it was from the footage he showed all of them. "Uh...we should…" Garrus trailed off before turning and running back up the steps, Kaidan and Liara following with the Asari sending one last look at Flynn before disappearing up the stairs.
Eyes locked on the ancient plant, the slayer grinned as a bright green glow shined all around him…
X
Jane and her team ran into Zhu's Hope from the garage. After dealing with the Geth ship that was attached to the ExoGeni building, and handling the surviving employees and the supervisor that knew what was going on with the colony before and after the synthetics arrived, they got contacted by Joker who told them the colonists had gone crazy.
Worrying about the others since they may not know what was happening, the Commander floored it to get back before something happened.
Upon arrival, they found all of the colonists unconscious and a mountain of Creeper bodies in the middle of the settlement. "That's definitely Taggart's work." said Wrex, his red eyes surveying all the corpses.
"They must have figured out the colonists were being controlled and used non-lethal methods to knock them out." said Shepard as she and Ashley checked on the people. "But, where are they now."
Tali perked up when she heard running footsteps and saw Garrus, Liara and Kaidan come running up from an opening in the ground beneath a suspended freighter. "Over there!" she said as the trio ran to them.
"Alenko, everyone alright?" asked the Commander, then she noticed someone missing. "Where's Flynn?"
Before any of them could say anything, a bright flash of green light came out of the opening they had just come from. Swiftly followed by an explosion that shook the ground beneath them.
When the shaking stopped, the crew all stood baffled at what had happened. "What the hell was that?" asked Ashley.
"That would be our slayer friend firing his big fucking gun." said Garrus, "Pretty sure we don't have to worry about that freaky plant thing that was controling everybody."
Jane sent the detective a look before loud footsteps could be heard coming up the steps. Flynn appeared with his BFG-9000 in his right hand, while his left supported an unconscious Asari in a black bodysuit slung over his shoulder.
Problem solved. He signed after stashing the powerful Argent weapon and carefully laying the Asari on the ground.
The Commander shook her head, "I'm going to need a full debrief about what happened here...the sooner the better."
A/N: And just like that, the Thorian was wiped from the face of the universe in the blink of an eye.
And Shepard will soon learn that when the slayer's involved, things will only become more bloody and chaotic. And Noveria is just around the next corner...
I've started slowing down a bit, but I'm going to maintain a steady update pace to the best of my ability. But I refuse to sacrifice quality for quantity, so sit tight and I'll have the next chapter ready before you know it.