Elysium: Eden Part 4

More writing covered the walls as we advanced. The cypher was going nuts. I eventually had to put my helmet on to avoid getting an information overload. My head felt like it was going to explode. It was errie, like being deaf and blind, with only your nose to guide you. Imagine the worst kind of hellish landscape and that would be like paradise compared to what was in this lower level. Even the ruins of London at the time were more reconizable then this nonsense. Wrex kept his head on a swivle. Even I nearly pulled the trigger a few times at the plants for heaven's sake. As we rounded the last corner we came into the main hall littered with bodies. The bomb was situated in the middle of the room but that wasnt the horrid thing....we could hear it....the blood pounding in the room. Suddenly voices were heard. They spewed forth from the dead like locusts.....

"We see you....ohh yesss.........like moths to a flame...we cultivate.....what a wonderious creature you are....you bathe in blood...destroyed our pets with escasty....the pain formed your cruible...we shall drink from your cup and be enriched by humanity and those who stand with you will be as gods in our comming.....as the collectors bowed to the Reapers they too bowed to us....on your knees...."

They started keening. It didnt matter that Wrex was a 1200 lb badass or I was an elite soildier or even Liara's amazing biotics, we all fell to the floor in pain then the Cypher went insane again and I could feel my body seizing up. The images came fast and brutal. I couldnt stop the words from spilling from my mouth.

"Eyeless...they watch...wait....to be indoctrinated was a blessing....the Reapers....darkspace hid them....the Eyeless beyond the twilight spaces....the first shall be the last....unending. Ascend....Beyond darkspace....its all a lie..."

Liara and Wrex managed to crawl over to me and take turns draging me from the room. Then Liara pulled out a crudely fashioned EMP. It's yellow hued hud blinked slowly. She planted it at the base of the door and then they pulled me further back. I still couldnt control the gibberish comming out of me. It terrified me....what the hell did those protheans discover or rather was it even prothean at all? Did I somehow gain some of Javik's sensory ability? All I knew was if I didnt get away from those voices my brain would burst and there would be no Miranda to pull me back from the dead. There would be nothing left. It was the longest 10 mins of our lives. I could feel Liara's tears hitting my cheek as she pulled me along. By the time we got to the elevator Wrex had just enough streghth to push the access keys to make the metal fucker move and we asended out of the abyss. I finally stopped muttering and screaming...I just curled up in Liara's warm embrace and decided that later we would drink ourselves senseless then sleep for 5 days strait....that would do it.

She was the first one to speak, "Shepard....what was that language you were speaking? It wasnt Prothean....please....why....werent the Reapers enough? Damnit...." Using what sense I had left I managed to make myself sit up. I rested my forehead on hers. She caught on quick enough and the whole world faded away. Two minds blended together then one word formed......"I'shallan"

We looked at one another...."Lovely....good thing your Indiana Jones on crack...which dead world would that be doc?"

She smiled slightly, " I dont know yet but Ill send out an inquiry on the SB net. See what sticks." I just nodded and closed my eyes. Wrex came over and slumped down next to us and he rested his chin on the top of my head. "Well my friend...I have 3 years worth of ranchol in my luggage. We shall get shitfaced then blow whatever monstrosity that was in the brains with shotguns and Kalross." I nodded most agreeablely. "Sounds like a plan....plus the ranchol sounds about right at the moment. My head feels like its gonna split any second."

Liara planted a tender kiss upon my brow. She whispered in my mind, "Plus showers..." I laugh abit at that. Water is most definately my newest favorite element. Amen!

Liara pulled out the transmitter for the EMP just as we got to the top. After the doors opened she fired it off and the bomb signal dissipated from our Omi-readings. It seemed the others had found and deactivated thiers as well. For now one mini crisis was over but what to tell everyone about the class A clusterfuck found below? For once I dreaded giving an afteraction report.

As we exited the building a warning blared over the comms: "DOWN!" None of us hesitated. We all dove for the ground. Liara gasped as I threw myself forward, completely covering her from head to toe, all the while sniper fire rained overhead. She growled in my ear, "Dont break your promise to me Specter." Damn....she was upset to say the least. I recipocated in kind, "I love you Broker. If you die we are all screwed." Her eyes were still hard and unyeilding. Here was the spark of Benezia in her. I could feel her trembling in outrage. She still hated it when I put her safety above my own. Then she grasped my hand, the one that had our bonding braclet on, and she whispered some sort of prayer. I could feel my wedding ring bite into my flesh. Her biotics flared. The ground began to quake and heave and Wrex shouted.

"Shepard! Liara!" The world became a grey wasteland as the building colapsed around us. I opened my eyes slowly. Our biotic barriers were enterwined. Shimmering like waves cresting upon the shore. Time slowed and I realized Liara had formed a bubble of emmense size around all of us. Wrex gasped in wonder. Half the building had caved in on us but Liara had managed through sheer rage and determination to prevent it from crushing us whole. Slowly the rescue crews dug us out. All the while Wrex and I fed our own biotic energies into the field. Never once did she let go of my hand. When we finally were able to exit, she whispered, "No one messes with my Specter and lives...."

Wrex grinned like a shark, barring his teeth at Liara, then said, "So there's steel under all that velvet eh? We might make an Urgnot out of you yet Doctor."

3 Hours Later: Shepard Family Estate, Moave Coastline

Hannah looked at Thomas and her daughter with some concern. She was still dazed from the ordeal. He was rechecking her vitals and feeding more fluids into the IV. Liara and Wrex were finishing in the kitchen with all the foods and drinks everyone would need to recouperate. Her daughter in law still looked haggard but a calculating gleam was in her eyes. It would seem Cerberus had the full attention of the Broker and heads would roll. Hannah smiled at T'soni, "Call me if you find anything dear. I can make things rather interesting for our gallant 3 headed dogs." Her blue eyes glinted with some irony. "Oh I plan to Admiral. You can count on that." She walked over to her bondmate and wiped her brow. The tension left Shepard's body and she releaxed.

Thomas smiled and proclaimed, "Now all she needs is a day or 2 of bed rest. No more adventuring for you for the moment. On a lighter note at least we are all here huh?"

Urgnot Sheppy ran up to Thomas with some childlike trepidation."Uncle Doctor! Is Big Thresher Shep gonna be ok? She said she'd show us how the Mako runs over things!" Garrus nearly choaked on his dextro lemonade. Tali descretely patted his back. Thomas just put his hand on her head and replied, "Sure thing kiddo, in just awhile my girl will show you all the best there is in this universe." His eye's misted over abit. The Shepard family was a sucker for small bite sized packages and it showed in the gentle way Thomas treated all the Normandy children. One of these days Hannah hoped small blue bundles would make thier way into the world but for now watching over the budding Urgnot clan would suffice.

Kaidan and Jack looked across the room at one another and smiled. The day those kids learned how to drive would be an interesting one indeed. Jack walked over to Liara and motioned her away from the common room. Once alone she handed over a data pad. Liara nodded and thanked the biotic. "As promised Jennifer....the rest of the information on your family."

Subject Zero was agitated over showning much weakness or needs but still this was one thing that suprisingly ment alot to her. Ever since Grissom Academy and seeing her kids in action she wanted to know what her full past was. She was still a rebel but now she had things to care about beyond herself and fuck everyone who got in her way of protecting them. She would find TIM, smash that smug burbon drinking ass into dust, drink herself silly and then maybe celebrate with that delicious looking Alliance Brown Eyed babe over there. In all what counted the most that it was now complete open season on Cerberus bastards everywhere and they would know just how deadly and just plain fucked up she truely was. No need to hold back now that the playing feild was so clear again. Liara turned to walk back into the room but a word from Jack stopped her.

"Hey Blue...when Shepard wakes up, take her down to that beach, punch her for being a selfish self serving paragon of virtue and then frack her silly girlscout ass into literal dust. I think this time you'd win best position."