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Chapter 34: Those Screams are Mine

Minos Wasteland, Fortis System, Orbiting Aequitas, Normandy SR-2, Comm Room.
March 26th, 2185. 12:07 pm. EST

Well i was encouraged to try by a friend so at 3 in the morning i did this links in description link to comic for the game.

'…distress beacon from the mining facility.' Shepard finished explaining to his crew, 'We don't know what's down there, but we won't just abandon the people down there.' He looked around for a moment before settling his gaze upon Jordan and Tali. He knew the two of them didn't see eye to eye, but seeing as this could be a rather simple mission, maybe the two could earn respect from one another by working together.

'I want Tali, Jordan, and Jack.' Shepard announced, quickly noticing the disdain in the first two squadmates' eyes, before they both hid it, 'Jordan and Tali's expertise with machinery and software will be invaluable in the mechanized mine, and Jack will be support in the event of biotics being necessary.' Everyone else seemed to accept this arrangement, and did not object.

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Pausing for a moment, Shepard continued, 'Miranda is CO while I'm down there. I want someone watching the feeds at all times. We have little-to-no intel on the situation down there, and may require back-up or extraction. We shouldn't, but we should be prepared just in case.'

Zaeed spoke up in his deep, gravely, 'We'll keep an eye out, Shepard.'

'You can count on us, Commander.' Miranda added, nodding.

'Great. We'll be heading down in five. You three, meet me down there. Everyone else, dismissed.'

The room fell silent as Shepard led his three teammates out of the comm room, while the rest of the crew stayed put for a moment. The moment the door closed behind them, talking resumed in the room.

'I have twenty credits that one of them shoots the other. 'Accidentally', of course.' Zaeed started, a smirk on his face.

Tela smirked and jumped in, 'Fifty credits that Shepard punches at least one of them.'

Grunt grunted, 'My Battlemaster wouldn't punch either of them.' He insisted, 'Sixty for him headbutting both.'

Garrus shook his head, 'I doubt Shepard'll resort to head-butting. But I'll take that bet, Vasir.'

Miranda narrowed her eyes at the unprofessionalism, 'I sincerely doubt that the Commander would approve of these wagers.'

Ashley snorted, 'I'll match and double you, Vasir. Shepard will punch both of them.'

'C'mon, Miranda.' Jacob cut in, 'Those two being put together in a team? They're a bomb ready to go off at any time.'

Mordin concurred, 'Yes. Extreme hostility between Sower and Zorah. Will be interesting to observe.'

Miranda focused on Mordin, 'You're doing this too, Doctor Solus?'

'Betting? No. Don't wager. Not betting man. Simply observe.' He responded quickly, before whispering discreetly to Zaeed once Miranda looked away, 'Ten for Jordan sabotaging Tali.'

Miranda's attention turned to Brian, 'Hundred credits for Jordan taking a shotgun hit from Tali. Accidentally, of course...' He wagered, throwing a credit chit down onto the table for effect.

'Ha! Now we're talking!' Grunt said.

Thane remained silent, simply observing everything, while Samara decided to return to her meditations, seeing no reason to participate in such things. If she were needed, they'd notify her. Kasumi, still invisible to everyone, discreetly took Brian's chit.

Suddenly, Joker's voice came over the intercom within the room, 'You guys making bets on the next mission? I got thirty on a resolution to their sexual tension.'

'In your dreams, Joker!' Ashley responded playfully with a smirk.

Miranda sighed, giving up with any sort of attempt to end the bidding and wagers. Rather than indulge, herself, she resolved to return to her office, work on paperwork, and keep track of the mission from the quiet comfort of her room. This was going to be a long day.

Minos Wasteland, Fortis System, Aequitas, Abandoned Mine entrance.
March 26th, 2185. 1:02 pm. EST

Tali'Zorah was not happy, to say the least.

She'd been working, as any other day, in engineering, expecting to be doing so all day long, until Shepard found the distress call. Now, not only was she away from something enjoyable, but she was now stuck with someone she couldn't stand whatsoever. Jordan Sower, representative of the Geth…

She understood what Shepard was trying to do here. She and Jordan had not been getting along in the slightest. They avoided each other at every opportunity, and when they were unable to do so, they'd do one of two things. Silently glare at one another, or argue and interrupt the other constantly. Well, most of the time, it was a combination of the two.

To be fair, she could have tried harder to work with Jordan, even if only for Shepard's and the mission's sake… but Jordan hasn't exactly made it easy for her. Not to mention that he stood for and aligned with everything her people stood against. The only redeemable similarity between them was their common goal with Shepard against the Reapers. Beyond that? She'd rather not say.

Regardless, here she was now, stuck on a mission with the Geth-loving bosh'tet.

She'd just try to ignore him, finish this mission quickly, and get back to her station on the ship.

Walking in sync behind Shepard, Tali watched their left as they approached the entrance to the mine. Jordan was to her right, watching the other side, while Jack walked in the back as support. Following Shepard, they soon reached the doorway/ entrance of the mine, and Shepard stopped for a moment.

'We don't know what's in there. Keep your wits about you, but keep your eyes out for civilians.'

Beside her, Jordan nodded, 'Yes, sir.'

Behind Tali, Jack grunted in acknowledgment. Tali finally answered, 'You got it, Shepard.'

Nodding to the three of them, Shepard led them forward into the mine, only for a husk to run by in the distance, further into the mine. On instinct, Shepard fired a few rounds at it, only for it to vanish from sight. 'Dammit.' He muttered under his breath.

'That's not a good sign…' Jordan said. Tali sent a quick glare to her side. 'It was pretty obvious, wasn't it?' she thought.

Shepard shook his head, not noticing Tali's glare nor hearing her thoughts, 'This mission just got a lot more interesting.' He said aloud, both to his squadmates and those likely watching from the Normandy. After a moment, he led them forward once more. Jordan seemed confused, as if he were expecting more husks, but none appeared as they continued.

Soon enough, they reached a data pad laying on a table. Shepard read it, before handing it to Jordan as he stood next to him. Taking a few steps forward, Tali reached out and snatched the pad from Jordan's offering hand when he was finished. She ignored his silent glare toward her as her translator software went to work, quickly translating the human English language into a more understandable form.

If you are reading this… get the hell outta this place! Now!

That wasn't ominous.

Shepard turned back to them, 'Eyes open. There's probably more of them in there.'

Nodding, Tali followed behind Shepard, ignoring the other two for a moment as they entered the actual mine, descending down a light slope and rounding a corner, before encountering their first enemies.

Laying down were four husks and two abominations, who all seemed to spring to life the moment the living beings entered their room. Without an order, they opened fire upon the husks, cutting them down quickly, as well as the abomination, which was glowing.

The burning red husk hit the ground near one of the walls, exploding after only a moment, causing a few small rocks and some patches of dust to rain from the ceiling. Shepard held up a hand to signal everyone freeze. Tali suddenly recalled the mining drill incident on Therum, unable to stop herself from silently comparing the two scenarios.

Once it stopped, Shepard spoke again, 'The mine's not in good shape. I want everyone to focus on any other abominations first. A few more explosions could cause a cave-in.'

'Are these the miners?' Tali asked.

'I don't know, but it certainly looks that way.' Shepard responded. 'Alright, let's continue.'

As they continued further, Tali could almost sense Jordan's unease beside her, though she couldn't care less. There weren't any other enemies, so what was there to worry about? What she didn't know, was that was exactly what was bothering Jordan. After all, there haven't been any husks falling from the ceiling, yet, which was odd.

Up a ramp and around a corner before descending deeper, they continued onward into the mine. Up ahead appeared to be some sort of mess hall or gathering place, with an obvious medical station against a concrete wall. That's when the husks appeared again, out of nowhere.

Their moans echoed across the vast mineshaft, sending chills down their spines as they fell from the ceiling, immediately running towards them. The closest one to Tali soon received a shotgun blast to the head, blowing the former human to bits. Shepard and Jordan opened fire, as Jack threw several of them into the far wall, intercepting them midair with her biotics.

Running forward toward her next victim, Tali summoned her beloved drone. 'Go get 'em, Chatika! Good girl!' She called out as her construct sprung to life, zapping several husks.

Looking down the scope of his weapon, Jordan let out a quick burst of fire at one of the abominations, who was not currently burning, and thus didn't explode when he put it down. After a few moments, the yelling and gunfire died down.

'Hostiles down. Advance.' Shepard called out, leading them into the next room. Upon entering a few thermal clips were spotted, which caused Shepard to nod toward them, 'Fill up if you need them.' He began walking around the room, investigating the carnage and taking some spare medigel from the medical stations if needed.

As Jordan reloaded his weapons, Tali called back her drone and Shepard began reading some nearby logs. Watching Jordan carefully, she observed him approach Shepard and say something to him. After a moment, they walked a few feet and finished whatever they were doing.

Her curiosity peaked about the logs, though, she approached the console and took a look at them. Her eyes skimming the information as fast as it was translated.

Alien Machine Discovered

Smithson's men dug out some king of alien machine today. Like nothing I ever saw. Called up some of my contacts and found there's a market for this kind of thing. Looks like some squints over at Elanus Risk Control are willing to part with a ton of credits to get their hands on one of these things. Far be it from me to deny them a chance to pay me. Even decided to send a team out to verify the worth. Fine by me as long as they don't get in our way. Who knows how much else is down here.

A Strange Glow

Cooper and Joregenzen say they saw that damned alien thing glowing and hell if I'm going near it to prove them wrong. I don't get paid enough to expose myself to weird alien artifacts. I have to admit, though… that's and awful pretty sound coming from that back room. That team from Elanus Risk Control finally arrived a few days ago, too. Said it's worth millions to them, but I don't know how much I trust those asari reps of theirs. Something's off about them.

Something's Different

Cooper, Jorgenzen, and them ain't doing so well. That team from Elanus… they'd grown quiet too. Gotta admit, not feeling so good myself, either. Stay near the machine, feel better. Not sure I want them Elanus folk take it. Seems they agree. Think it should stay right here with us.

Tali didn't like the sound of that. These people… it sounds like they were indoctrinated… by some sort of Reaper artifact they'd dug up and turned on. She turned to see that Shepard and him both seemed that they'd reached a similar conclusion.

Shepard spoke up, 'Alright, the mission's changed. These people are likely all gone. We're going to find that artifact, and render it inert. There's likely people on their way now for the artifact. We can't let it get out.'

'Loud and clear, Commander.' Jordan said.

'Let's blow this shit up.' 'Ready when you are.' Tali responded.

Shepard, smiling lightly, turned and began leading the team deeper into the mine. That's when a horrific sound echoed out across the mineshaft, sending chills of terror and dread down everyone's spines. Especially one individual's spine among them…

Minos Wasteland, Fortis System, orbiting Aequitas, Normandy SR-2.
March 26th, 2185. 1:24 pm. EST

Everyone within the Comm room was watching the mission unfold before them from the perspectives of both Jordan and Shepard, thanks to the helmet cameras they both had. Tali didn't trust Cerberus enough to give them that type of access to her suit, and Jack simply wasn't wearing enough for them to put a camera anywhere.

Despite the change in mission parameters and circumstances, those excluded from the mission continued to make bets and watch the mission occur together in the Comm room.

Or, at least, most of them were. Brian Miller, however, was searching the entire room for his lost credit chit. He'd only let it out of his sight for a split second, before it vanished from view entirely. Either it'd be lost (unlikely), or it'd been taken by someone else in the room. He'd asked a few people about it, but they'd either brushed him off or ignored him entirely.

After a while, he soon figured the truth out. It was probably Kasumi, who was hiding somewhere in the room, invisible from view and indefinitely pleased at Brian's sorry state. At least, that's what he thought, if the occasional giggle from the petite thief was anything to go by. He wasn't getting anywhere, he thought, if he was being honest with himself.

On the screens, he heard Shepard say something, to which everyone on the ground responded in the affirmative. He couldn't care less, though. 'The mission was going by pretty normally so far.', he thought. Besides, what could possibly be different about a mission like this? Less husks? More of them? Maybe even a Marauder? Whoop-dee-freaking-do.

He finally gave up, sighing in defeat when he froze, the color draining from his face as a particular noise played out over the speakers. It was a scream.

'AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhhhhhHHHHhhHHHHHHhhHHHhhhhhhhh...' A feminine-like voice screamed out, though easily discernable as both unnatural and almost synthetic in nature.

While everyone else felt shivers down their spine at the unknown scream, Brian began to realize how utterly fucked this whole situation was now. No one seemed to be paying attention to him, except an invisible thief who seemed to see his distress.

Unknowingly, Brian breathed out a single word, whispering it as he silently prayed he was wrong. Only a single other occupant of the room heard his voice. The very same invisible thief who'd stolen his chit and was currently watching his reaction to the situation.

'Banshee…'

Minos Wasteland, Fortis System, Aequitas, Abandoned Mine.
March 26th, 2185. 1:26 pm. EST

After hearing that horrible scream, Tali quickly shook it off, though remained silently troubled by it. Whatever that was, it certainly wasn't quarian… or any other creature she'd encountered or heard of before. Shaking her head, she regripped her shotgun as she continued following Shepard.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jordan, discreetly watching the suspicious man carefully. He seemed incredibly distressed, nervous even, if his body language meant anything. Though, to be fair, she was rather good at reading body language. If the feeling she had in her 'gut', as Shepard occasionally called it, was right, Jordan's response was abnormal and strange. He was hiding something again, no doubt about it. And when it come to light, oh… she'd make him wish he never stepped foot on the Normandy.

Soon enough, they approached a large central chamber which led to what appeared to be another room. From that room came an unnatural blue glow, reminding Tali of her previous encounters with Reaper technology. Shepard soon halted their group, raising a fist as she slowly crouched down.

'I don't like this. An operation like this? There should be dozens, maybe even a hundred people or, now, husks. Where'd they go?' Shepard spoke softly into his mic, communicating silently with his comm.

'Deeper into the mine?' Jordan's voice came out in response over their comms. 'It certainly seems to go deeper beyond this area…'

'It's possible, but unlikely.' Shepard responded. 'Reaper tech is a beacon to these things. Even their logs said they were attracted to it.'

'Perhaps they are in hiding?' Tali pointed out, 'Waiting for something to happen.'

'That's exactly what I was thinking, Tali.' Shepard responded, subconsciously making Tali beam at the praise, 'Husks aren't smart enough to form plans, but remaining quiet and attacking when other people get nearby? That's simple enough for them. We've seen them do it before.'

'So, what's the plan?' Jack asked, impatient.

Shepard shot her a quick look, but didn't respond negatively. He knew they had to act quickly. 'They've likely used explosives for part of the mine. When I say go, we're going to charge forward and gather some explosives, bring it to whatever damned artifact they've dug up, and blow it to pieces.'

'And if the Reaper thing is too strong to blow up?' Jordan asked.

'Then the explosives will collapse the mine. If the collapse of several tons of rock won't break that thing, it'll at least make it hard or near impossible to find again.' Shepard responded, 'My sensors are indicating there's explosives in the next room. Definitely enough for us.' The Commander revealed, 'Tali, I want you to wire them together. Jordan, I want you helping her. Find the best placement of the bombs to accomplish our objective. Jack, you'll be running biotic support. If those husks pop up along the way, I want our two techies to remain unimpeded. Understood?'

'Hell yeah.'

'I'm ready.'

'Ready when you are.'

'Alright… go!'

And they were off. Moving forward together, they were only a few meters from the entrance to the artifact room before they encountered their next group of Husks. At least a dozen flooded out of the next room, while a few dozen dropped down from rafters, support beams, and other areas above them, effectively boxing their targets in the moment they were seen. It wasn't a clean, perfect trap, though, thanks to their lack of IQ.

A shockwave from Jack scattered the group blocking them from the Reaper artifact, allowing the four of them quick access to the room and giving them their first look at the huge monstrosity of a machine. Only slightly intimidated by the scale for a split second, Jordan and Tali immediately got to work, yet did their best to not bother or interact with the other. Tali deployed her drone as additional coverage against the husks, while she gathered several explosives together and wire them to each other.

Jordan focused on the structure analyzing the device as much as he could, while taking readings from the device. This was one of the few, if not only times he or the Geth have found an active Reaper Artifact that rapidly indoctrinated and transformed organics. If the effects and data could be obtained and sent to them, it would make some of their projects that much easier. For instance, this might be the final piece of the puzzle to finally unlocking the Prothean's secrets to Indoctrinated Detection, which their VIs always seemed to have.

Jack and Shepard protected the duo at they worked, firing upon the husks and occasional abominations with a combination of firepower and biotics. So far, not a single abomination had successfully gone off. If one of them blew, it might partially collapse the cave, trapping the four of them inside with an active Reaper artifacts.

As they continued their work uninterrupted, Tali was momentarily distracted by a bump on her shoulder. Turning to look, she saw Jordan there with a neutral gaze turned toward her. He nodded to the side, 'Over there, that back leg of the artifact has a hole in its plating. Must've been damaged in the excavation. It's the weakest point of the structure.'

Tali glared at the human for interrupting her work, but eventually had to admit that even she was being ridiculous now. He was just doing what Shepard told him to do… Nodding in understanding was the only response she gave to the distasteful teammate, before she returned her attention to the situation at her feet. The bombs.

That's when the scream echoed out across the caves one more time.

She watched Jordan's reaction, only to see him jump slightly in fright, becoming increasingly agitated at the sound. How interesting, why was it getting such a reaction out of the man? Ignoring the sound, herself, she finished setting up the bombs, before rising and moving the device to the specified point of the structure. Lo and behold, there really was damage on the leg in the form of a chip in the armor plating. She could make out some sort of cable system beyond the surface.

Hooking the device up as quickly as possible, Tali nodded at her handiwork. Shortly thereafter, 'It's done, Shepard. I can detonate it remotely from the entrance, possibly even in the air from the shuttle.' She informed him.

'Perfect, regroup before we push to the exit. Their number just keep growing!'

Together, Jordan and Tali exited the chamber, only to see Shepard and Jack struggling with the overwhelming numbers of husks and abominations, flooding out from other chambers and pathways into the mine. As they fired their weapons, they soon met back up with their other two teammates, aiding them with the husk army.

That's when the scream came a third time, much closer now. In fact, it was so loud and close by, Tali had shivers go down her spine as her suit automatically filtered the sounds and attempted to quiet the noise to a more manageable volume. That's when an unimaginable beast appeared from a side tunnel.

It… whatever the thing was, it looked almost like an asari, if its blue skin, formerly feminine-like body, and odd head-shape was anything to go by. It bent forward slightly, its grotesque jaw hung open as the bloodcurdling scream came from its metallic lips; dull, lifeless grey eyes stared with hatred at the intruders. It was… an asari husk?! Does that mean…?!

All four of them were staring at the terrifying, screaming beast, as it hurled a ball of corrupted, unstable biotic energy at the four of them.

'Scatter!' Shepard called out, rolling forward and to the left as he opened fire on the beast. The other three jumped away as well, allowing the energy to impact the ground where they once stood, tearing it apart. 'Open fire on the beast, but take out any abominations first. We need to leave!'

Jordan fired off an overload, Tali redeployed Chatika, and Jack sent another shockwave at the beast, only causing it to stumble slightly. That's when the thing vanished, before reappearing in a biotic haze several feet closer to them.

'It can fucking teleport?!' Jack yelled out as the thing focused on her after the shockwave hit it. It began shambling forward toward her, hurling another biotic orb at the psychotic biotic. This one hit her, shattering her barriers as it sent the human woman stumbling backwards, before diving into cover. Shepard and Tali fired upon the approaching horde of husks and abominations, which soon gained the creature's interest.

Jordan, also firing at the husks, saw this and seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, if his body language was anything to go by. Tali had a feeling that Jordan knew something about this creature that they didn't, which means… 'That bosh'tet lied during Shepard's briefing, and knew about whatever this thing was!'

Tearing her from her thoughts, she watched Jordan throw a rock at the asari-looking husk, gaining its attention, 'Hey ugly!' The thing turned to look at him, before teleporting at him. Anticipating this, Jordan attempted to roll out of the way. That's when the unthinkable happened.

It all happened suddenly. So suddenly, that Tali wasn't sure what the exact order of events was.

The former asari reached out and caught Jordan's leg, grabbing it quickly as its sharp claws sunk through his armor and shields immediately, piercing his leg. Jordan screamed out in intense pain.

Shepard yelled out as he shoved Tali, a burst of red flames and energy exploded nearby, sending her and Shepard in separate directions. A piece of debris pierced Tali's suit, hitting her right arm and sinking into her skin before embedding itself.

The cave shook as the mine began to collapse in several places, likely in part to the explosion.

Jack fired several rounds from her weapon, glowing blue as warp ammunition, at the asari lookalike. Combined with a pull, it set off a minor biotic detonation. Jordan flew from the husk's grasp as it actually stumbled back several feet with a broken barrier. Jordan then proceeded to impact head-first into a wall, crumpling into a heap.

Rocks rained from the ceiling, crushing the asari husk now that it had no barriers or opportunity to teleport. The rocks falling, combined with a collapsing ceiling, caused the mineshaft to collapse at various different points.

That's when a rock hit the back of Tali's helmet, causing her now-airborne body to be rendered unconscious. The young quarian woman sunk into darkness as she was unknowingly cut off from everyone else.

Minos Wasteland, Fortis System, Aequitas, Abandoned Mine, Unknown location.
March 26th, 2185. 3:22 pm. EST

Tali awoke with a headache, and a terrible pain in her right arm as she slowly sat up.

It took a moment for everything to come flooding back to her, as she did her best to remain calm and look around her. She could see the path they'd taken to get to where she was. Unfortunately, she could also see that the path was now blocked by a couple tons to rock. She continued to look around, before wincing at the movement of her arm.

Stopped herself for a moment, she looked at her suit's internal clock, eye bulging beneath her mask at the current time. She'd been asleep for more than two hours?!

The next thing she examined was the current state of her suit. The puncture in her right arm had been self-patched thanks to the advanced nano-patching technology she'd gotten thanks to Shepard. Unfortunately, whatever it was that punctured her suit was not only still inside, but it was still lodged in her arm. To make matters worse, her medi-gel dispenser was cracked in the explosion. It normally wouldn't be too terrible during a mission, since it was simply cracked, not busted open. The thing is, if it is cracked and remains so for over an hour, it gives the medi-gel ample time to leak out and become useless.

So now, she was injured, had a foreign substance lodged in her arm, and had no medi-gel to attempt to quell any sort of infection that has already likely gotten far into her system. This was not good.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a purple and green object. Turning her head slowly, so as not to cause any jostling and pain for her arm, she could now see it was Jordan Sower, unmoving on his stomach. She frowned beneath her mask. If her memory was accurate, as jumbled as it was, he'd taken not only several wounds to his leg, but a harsh hit to the head. Using her mask's zoom feature, she could make out what appeared to be a crack in his helmet.

She felt her stomach drop at the thought of the man being dead. They might not have seen eye-to-eye… hell, she hated everything the man stood for, but he was a teammate, and one of the only friendlies in this cave. If he was dead… she didn't want to finish that thought.

Speaking of teammates and friendlies, where was Jack and Shepard. According to her malfunctioning hud and peripheral vision, they were nowhere in sight. Were they dead? Did they manage to escape the cave? What about back-up? Was she going to die in here? From an infection, no less…

She stopped her train of thought and took a deep breath, whispering aloud to herself, 'Calm down, Tali… take a deep breath… good… what would Shepard do?' She asked herself, 'He'd probably try to see if that bosh't- if Jordan was alive…' She corrected herself.

She tried to stand, only for her arm to shift and send crippling pain up her spine, freezing her on the floor. She did, however, shift her position slightly, as she now leaned against her shotgun, which remained miraculously undamaged.

Tali sighed and activated her omni-tool, which seemed intact as well. The remote detonation of the bomb was still active, which meant that both the bomb and the relic were still intact. She also noted that her connection to the Normandy was cut off, which made everything worse. Was her short-range comm working, still?

'Shepard? Commander Shepard, can you hear me?' She asked over the comm, 'Jack? Can anyone hear me?' She got nothing in response. Maybe it was like the vids? Where they could hear her but she couldn't hear them? 'This is Tali'Zorah, I'm injured, likely have an infection. I can see Sower. Sower is down, I repeat, Sower is down.' She waited a moment, and received nothing in response. 'We're trapped in the mine, and the bomb is still active. I repeat, the bomb and the Reaper artifact are still down here.'

She sighed and took a moment to collect herself. Now what?

Turning on her external speakers, she called out to Jordan Sower in the hope that he was still alive and might wake up. As much as she disliked the man, he might be her only hope right now. That is, if he's still alive.

'Jordan.' She tried, 'Jordan Sower.' What exactly was she supposed to say? Are you still alive? Are you ok? That didn't exactly sound right. 'Are you still alive, you geth-loving bosh'tet?!' She finally called out, internally cringing at her word choice.

'Smooth, Zorah. Father would be so proud… Well, actually, considering who I'm talking to, he probably would be proud…'

As luck would have it, the strange man began moving, groaning aloud in response to her question. So he wasn't dead… or maybe he was, and was just a husk, now… After all, how long did it take the miners here to transform? Plus, how much machine was in the Avatar already, making the process that much easier?

Carefully, Tali reached over and grabbed her shotgun in her left hand, holding it aimed toward Jordan. Sure, it may blow her shoulder out of its socket when fired one-handed, but it would still save her life from a husk if need be. She was ready, the moment Jordan showed his face wasn't human or he moaned out like a husk, she'd blow his unprotected head clean off his shoulders.

Slowly but surely, the possible husk lifted himself up, groaning in pain as he turned over, falling back down onto the ground, now facing Tali. After a moment, a hand reached up and pushed the broken helmet off his head, revealing a bloody and bruised face, glowing an unnatural green and riddled with scars. It wasn't pretty, but it also wasn't the face of a husk. Tali let out a sigh of relief as she relaxed slightly.

Jordan was alive and not a husk.

Said person's eyes opened and focused on Tali's making her feel slightly uncomfortable despite the fact that she knew he could only see her glowing eyes beneath the tinted facemask. He didn't speak a word, rather, he just stared at her. Honestly, it kinda creeped her out.

'Jordan?' She asked slowly.

'Huh… what?' He asked her, his brows furrowing in confusion. 'What happened?' He asked, looking around, 'Where are we?'

She shook her head, wincing and stopping immediately from the pain in her arm, which shifted slightly from the movement, 'We're still in the mine. I think there was some sort of cave-in when one of those abominations exploded.'

Jordan furrowed his brow deeper, seemingly deep in thought about what she'd just said, before shrugging as if it weren't a big deal, 'Alright, cool.'

'Alright, cool?!' She asked, her voice rising in frustration, 'You stupid bosh'tet, don't you get it? We're both trapped under a ton of rocks, with no idea if Shepard's alive or if we'll be rescued! And all you can say is 'cool'? It is certainly NOT cool. If anything, it's hot and terrible!' She yelled at him.

He just stared neutrally at her, taking the verbal abuse as if it were nothing, before laying back down and rolling himself over toward her, confusing and angering her even further. He stopped a few feet from her, looking up into her eyes, 'So, we're in a mine?' He asked, looking around, 'Makes sense, I guess… it is pretty warm in here…'

Tali groaned, 'And you're being a complete idiot. Bosh'tet…' She muttered out at the end.

Jordan tilted his head, 'Bosh'tet? What exactly does that mean?' He asked, 'The lore never specified its exact translation.'

She narrowed her eyes, 'It means nothing!' She yelled out at him, 'All you need to know is that you are one, and it's not a good thing! Now, what are we gonna do?'

Jordan seemed to ponder this for a moment, before shrugging AGAIN. 'Meh, I dunno. If this is what I think it is, it wasn't supposed to cave in. It doesn't do that till the bombs go off in the games. Weird…'

'Will you shut up?!' She yelled at him, 'You think this is just some kind of game? We're going to die in here unless we're rescued or do something!' She continued berating him, before the room began spinning around her, causing her to groan and fall entirely against some nearby rocks, leaning against the with all her weight. 'And now, I'm suffering from a terrrible infection, my antibiotics are ruined, and any medi-gel I might have had to stave of the infection or slow it down has leaked onto the stupid ground.' She continued ranting as the room slowly stopped its movement.

Jordan seemed to analyze her for a moment, before attempting to stand, only to quickly collapse thanks to the injury to his leg. He gritted his teeth and crawled toward her, leaning against the rocks to her right, and began fiddling with his suit, 'Help me find the medi-whatever on my suit.' He said.

'What?' She asked, confused.

Jordan nodded, 'Yeah, my suit looks kinda like yours. I should have some. I'm pretty sure I haven't used any.'

'What are you talking about? I thought you designed the suit?!' She asked, thoroughly confused.

'I did? I mean… did I?' He asked, 'Gosh, it's kinda hard to remember… And my head is killing me…'

She tilted her head slightly, remembering something that Shepard had mentioned before, back on the SR-1. Something happened on one of the missions, and Kaiden had landed on his head. Hard. Shepard said something about a concussion, and how it might cause him confusion and memory loss. Did Jordan have one of those?

'Jordan, I think you have a concussion…'

'A concuss… concush… concussion? Yeah, that kinda makes sense, I guess.' He replied, 'Now help me find the medi-gelatin.'

She shook her head lightly, careful to not move her entire body in the movement like she's used to. Stupid extra reliance on body language… 'Shepard said that concussions can be dangerous if they aren't treated.' She said, trying to remember exactly what he said, 'You probably need it more than I do…' She said after a moment. Deep down, she wanted to be selfish and take it from the confused man. He stood against what her people stood for. He was her enemy, even if they were temporary allies.

But she couldn't, as much as a part of her wanted to.

Her enemy looked at her, confused, 'But, you have an inflection… infection, sorry…' He apologized at his misspeak, 'That's worse than a headache, no matter how annoying. Aha!' He said, finally clicking something on his suit and causing a capsule of white liquid to pop out of his suit, with a red plus painted onto it. 'Is this it, the medical stuff?'

It certainly was, and it was completely intact. Taking a quick glance at the Avatar's suit revealed a damaged medi-gel dispenser, yet the capsule was intact. She quietly realized that he likely injured it in the impact with the wall, meaning this was his one and only capsule… and he hadn't taken any medi-gel, himself. 'Yeah, that's it, but…' She didn't get to finish her thought before he interrupted her, putting the capsule into her hands.

He smiled gently at her, grabbing her three fingers in her left hand, and closing it, 'Take it.' he said after a moment, releasing his grasp as he fell away from her so that she couldn't return it. She froze in shock, however, at the contact. He just touched her… She wanted to be mad, and she was, but she was also shocked. He was giving her the medication she needed?!

'No, no, no, no, no!' She said, shaking her head quickly, 'I can't take this, you need it!' She said in a rush, 'Shepard said you could fall asleep and not wake up with a concussion. A coma.'

Jordan shrugged, leaning against another pile of rocks, 'It's fine. I'm not important anyway…' He finally said.

Tali bit her tongue at her automatic response toward the man, almost wanting to agree with him. But then, she remembered two things. One, he was important to the Geth. And, if he was found dead in a cave with her as the lone survivor, when she could have saved him, the Geth would blame her. Second of all, he wasn't exactly in the best state of mind at the moment, he was talking occasional nonsense, and was obviously not in great shape. She couldn't just dismiss him like that.

'You're important…' She admitted quietly, whispering it so that he could not hear her.

'What?' He asked, 'I couldn't hear you…'

'I said you're important.' She said, a little louder this time. She made herself say if a bit louder now, 'You're important. I'm just an admiral's daughter. You're the freakin' savior of the Geth, right?' She asked rhetorically, 'You need the medi-gel more than me. I'm just a single quarian…'

Jordan had the audacity to laugh, cutting her off from anything else she was going to say that might have devalued her even further. 'Are you kidding me?' He asked, shaking his head in amusement. 'You're Tali'Zorah vas Normandy!' He said, causing her to flinch at the name. Not that it sounded bad, but the fact that it both wasn't her name and even if it was, it would mean things weren't good for her. He didn't notice, however, and continued, 'You are THE most important quarian in the entire galaxy. Without you, the peace between quarians and geth is impossible. You're important for the future of the galaxy! A main character!' He said with a huge smile on his face in a grandiose fashion. After a moment, his smile fell and his head sunk, 'I'm just a loser with no future. Doomed to die, never to see my family again…' He admitted in a depressed voice.

She'd never heard Jordan speak in that tone, which honestly tore her heart a bit. He seemed so sure of what he just said, even in his current state of mind. 'What are you talking about?' She couldn't help but ask, her curiosity peaked. What could make Jordan think something like that.

Jordan shrugged again, sighing, 'I always wanted to be famous… to be well known… to be responsible for something great…' He admitted, 'And now, I'm a terrorist. I'm a threat. I'm a nobody who shouldn't exist.' He took a deep breath, looking up and into Tali's curious gaze, 'I'm stuck in a fucking video game, where permadeath is enabled, the difficulty is ramped up to eleven, and all the endings are spoiled; and spoiler alert, and the fucking endings end in tragedy and death.' Jordan said in absolute seriousness, confusing Tali even further. Was this some sort of metaphor, like those that humans are well known for?

'And, to top it all off, look at me!' He yelled out in frustration, gesturing to his face, 'I'm a monster, made of more metal than flesh. Am I even fucking human anymore? How much of me is me? What am I? Who am I?' He asked in increasing volume, before stopping himself and taking a deep, shuddering breath, clearly upset. After a moment, he returned to maintaining eye contact with Tali, 'I'm not important, Tali… I've done my part. Brian can do the rest without me… hell, it'd probably be better if I was gone anyway…'

'Shut up!' She yelled back at him, causing the man to freeze, 'You stupid bosh'tet, I don't think you understand how important you are. Do you honestly think anything would be better if you were gone?!' Tali asked.

Shrugging once more, to no one's surprise, Jordan dropped eye contact, looking down as he responded, 'Sorry…' He let out as a whisper. 'it's just… take it, please. A minor headache isn't as important as an infection, especially when you're a quarian…'

'And just what is THAT supposed to mean?' She asked, an invisible eyebrow raised are her voice began to lower dangerously.

Jordan chuckled, shaking his head, 'No, not like that. I mean, you're a quarian. An infection is almost certain death for you with your immune system…'

She maintained her harsh gaze for a moment before softening it, nodding in agreement. 'Still… I can't just take it from you. You need this medi-gel, too…' Jordan's eyes narrowed, 'I promise you, I'll throw the medi-gel into the wall if you hand it back.' He told her, 'Use it, Tali. You need it.'

Tali wanted to keep arguing, but knew he wasn't going to budge on this issue. Honestly, this was one of those things Shepard had said once, about an immovable object and an unstoppable force… Maybe? After a moment, she relented and sighed, plugging the medi-gel capsule into her suit before forcing a manual override, injecting the life-saving serum into her body despite the damage to the dispersion system.

It was only seconds before she felt her muscles relaxing, the pain in her body lowering quickly as she took the first deep, relief-filled breath since waking up. She knew the infection was still there, but her head felt a bit clearer, and could feel the timer extend before she reached the point of no return with her infection. This small capsule just bought her a few more hours, for whatever it was worth. They still needed to be rescued, after all.

Her eyes fluttered back open beneath her mask as she turned to look at Jordan, who was smiling at her. She didn't get to ask what his smile was about before he spoke.

'See? Told you that you needed it.' Jordan said with that stupid smile. 'Now it's just a waiting game, eh?'

Tali sighed, 'I guess…'

They fell into a companionable silence for a few moments, before Tali saw Jordan beginning to tip forward slightly, his eyes fluttering as they fought to remain open. Didn't Shepard and Dr. Chakwas say sleeping with a concussion was bad. Coma, right?

Despite his moment of kindness and his lack of hostility, she could still tell he wasn't fully at ease with her. And vice-versa, she wasn't really a big fan of him. However, if he was willing to make peace and give up his only medi-gel, then she should at least be willing to return the favor and try to keep him awake.

Tali fought for the words to say, trying to figure out how best to engage this odd man. She didn't really want to argue about the Geth or AI with him. It'd only lead to at least one of them getting mad, and she might do something she might regret later in that case. She decided to focus on something he said earlier. He might still be out of it and speaking nonsense, but maybe she'd learn something… maybe even some dirt on him…

'Hey, Jordan.' She said, making his eyes shoot back open as he looked up at her.

'Huh? What?' he asked, shaking his head as he tried to focus. 'S-sorry, I'm just kinda exhausted…'

'So, Jordan…' She began, trailing off as she tried to word this correctly, 'You were saying something about a game?' She asked, flinching internally at the more direct approach.

However, she must have said something right, because his face immediately lit up, as if he had a ton to say about that subject. 'O-oh, the game! Yeah, that's right, I was talking abut a game. Do you like video games, Tali?'

Tali thought about the random question for a moment before shrugged, 'I never really had any time to play any video games. You don't exactly get them out at the flotilla. And with everything else, there was never any free time for such things.'

Jordan frowned, 'What a shame. But yeah, my favorite game series has to be Mass Effect.' He said with a huge grin.

Tali furrowed her brows beneath her mask. Mass Effect? Like the term used for the abilities of element zero and biotics? She'd never heard of such a game, but then again, she'd only really heard of a few of the biggest names.

'What's Mass Effect?' She finally asked.

'Oh, it's this great series of games, with three main games and this sort-of spinoff called Andromeda.' He said, 'But the best are the main three. You play as Commander Shepard, fighting the Reapers and saving the galaxy!'

Tali sighed, shaking her head lightly. More nonsense, it seems. She knew there wasn't anything like that. Guess she really wasn't going to get anything productive out of this conversation. But hey, at least Jordan was still wide awake. She decided to continue humoring him.

'A game series about Shepard? Am I in it?' She asked.

Jordan nodded immediately and vigorously, 'Yes, yes, you're a main character. The great Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, a young quarian on a pilgrimage, who ends up saving the Galaxy with Shepard from Sovereign.' He told her, 'Then in the second game, you'd finished your pilgrimage and worked with other quarians for the Migrant fleet, before meeting up with Shepard on Haestrom. Then, after the suicide mission, you return to the Migrant fleet for the first part of the final game, with the other admirals launching a war on the Geth.' He explained happily, 'You're pretty important Tali.'

She shook her head, 'I can't be that important, really.' She said, not really expecting this kind of praise, 'What next, I'm an admiral?'

Jordan nodded again, 'Yeah, after your father died while experimenting on the Geth, you step up and become an admiral in his place.' He said nonchalantly, causing Tali to freeze in place. All her joking and humoring ceased at once as Jordan's words, which she thought meant nothing moments ago, suddenly made a small tremor of terror rush down her spine. Her father experimenting on the Geth… but… she was warned about him doing that by the Shadow Broker, aka Liara. Did he know about that? She knew her father was in danger doing what he was doing, and was assured that Shadow Broker agents were watching him, but still…

'What…?' She finally breathed out, praying that he'd just start laughing at her expression, making fun of her for even spending a moment considering his words. He looked like he truly meant that as well.

Frowning and lowering his head, he sighed, 'Yeah, he was experimenting on Geth, reactivating them to find better ways to kill and defeat them. He ignores safety and activates too many, leading the Geth to break free and kill everyone aboard the Alari. Then, you get accused of treason for sending him the technology, and Shepard takes you there to stand trial. Of course, then you have to storm the Alari and figure out the truth. After that, he has three choices to finish your loyalty. He could present evidence that your father did everything independent of you, he'd be post-humorously exiled and all record of him would be stricken from the Migrant Fleet, which would lose your loyalty. Or, he could say no evidence was found, you'd be convicted for treason but become loyal to Shepard. Finally, he could insight the crowd with enough charisma and show the truth behind the trial: That it's all a farce designed to figure out the future of the quarians and their war with the Geth. In this option, you'd be loyal AND your father's name remains with the fleet.' Jordan explained, taking a deep breath after speaking for so long.

Tali remained frozen, not liking what she was hearing at all. She wanted to write off everything he'd just said as complete and utter nonsense, but he'd stated several things that prevented this. He correctly named the Alari, described the warning about her father and the Geth perfectly, and honestly, with the way the politics was about the Geth among the admirals was concerned, she could easily see them taking such a tragedy and spinning it in such a way.

Seemingly ignorant of her current state, Jordan continued, 'Anyway, you only become an admiral if you're not exiled, but who wants to see Tali'Zorah vas Normandy exiled?' He said with a shrug, 'But yeah, I could go on and on about Mass Effect. It's probably one of the coolest game series ever. Hell, I'm living through it right now! Even with how fucked so many things are, it's still pretty freaking awesome. Plus, if the Catalyst wasn't lying, then I get to go home after all of this…' He said with a huge smile, 'I just really wanna go home…' He finally admitted quietly, his joy quickly evaporating as his eyes began to droop once more.

Tali wasn't sure what to say at this point. She'd never really had to maintain a conversation quite like this before, but she noticed his current state. She needed to keep him engaged.

'Tell me about your home.' She said, 'Before you met the Geth. On your homeworld.'

'It wasn't much, but it was home, ya know…' He said, 'Was just a nobody, before all this happened. I almost wish none of this ever happened, but now? Now I got all of these new friends and family. I don't just want to leave them behind when I go home…' He told her, 'I don't want to lose everything I've gained…'

'You can still call them over the extranet. I'm sure the Geth would visit Earth if they were allowed to. Tela seems fairly fond of you, she'd visit.' She tried, though she almost had to force out any sort of positive wording with the Geth. It wasn't too terribly hard to speak to the man, even if she was having an internal war with herself about all of this. One part of her wanted to disregard Jordan completely, while the other side wanted to try to better understand him...

Jordan, however, shook his head, 'They won't be able to when I go back. I'm from another freaking dimen-…'

Jordan was cut off by the slightly muffled sound of a scream in the far recesses of the mine. It was nearly identical to the screams of the previous asari husk they'd encountered. Tali and Jordan both froze at the sound, the latter now seemingly fully awake now. Turning to Jordan, she watched fear fill his eyes despite his claims that he didn't remember the fight against the previous one. When the scream died down, Tali spoke softly.

'There's two of them?' She asked.

Jordan, who didn't seem to hear her, let out a soft horror-filled whisper of his own, 'Banshee…'

Tali's head spun quickly toward Jordan as her eyes narrowed, any sense of friendliness gone from her demeanor as she heard him utter that single word… the name of the unnamed beast. He knew about this creature?! During the debriefing, he'd said he'd told them about everything he knew… He lied?!

'Banshee…' She said slowly as her voice became more menacing, 'You know what those things are?!' She asked, finishing in an uproar, enraged.

Jordan turned to her and, for the first time since they awoke, seemed to have realized he'd said something he probably shouldn't have said. 'I… Well, I don't…' He began, flinching as she cut him off in rage.

'You… you fucking bosh'tet…' She began, catching Jordan completely off-guard with her curse. He'd never heard her say anything worse than bosh'tet or damn. The Avatar of Synthesis simply sat down in shock as she continued, 'You lied to us! To Shepard! You knew about those things?! They nearly killed us a few hours ago!' She ranted, pointing a finger at him as she stood up, no longer feeling the pain in her arm thanks to the fast-acting medi-gel.

Jordan tried to scramble back in shock, but winced in pain at the sudden movement of his still-damaged leg.

'What do you have to say for yourself!?' She demanded.

'I… It's not what you think!' He said, some form of clarity seemingly returning.

'Not what I think?' She asked incredulously, 'It seems pretty clear to me, what's going on! You're a traitor-'

She was cut off by Jordan yelling back, 'I'm doing the best I can, ok?!' He took a deep breath and visibly deflated, 'You don't think I know that I've been hiding things? I can't just tell you guys everything… you wouldn't understand…'

'Oh, I understand alright.' She shot back with zero sympathy, 'You're a selfish bosh'tet, who cares for nothing more than himself and the Geth. You would turn to the Reapers if they gave you a better offer!'

'I would not!' He yelled back, raising his volume. 'I'm trying to stop the Reapers!'

Their argument was momentarily interrupted by another blood-curdling scream in the distance of the mine, this time sounding a bit closer to their position. This second banshee… it was getting closer.

Seemingly ignoring the unnatural scream, Tali responded to Jordan eagerly, 'And how can any of us possibly trust you?' She asked, gesturing to his entire body, 'You're more than half machine!'

'And what about Shepard?!' He shot back, enraged.

'That's not the same!'

'Isn't it?! He died for two years, and was put back together with the best of technology. How much of him is 'natural', now? Huh?!'

'It's not the same!' She maintained, 'Commander Shepard did not choose to have that happen to him! And he certainly hasn't gone insane!'

'Look at his scars! And you think I wanted this?! These scars and changes? I never wanted any of this!'

'And how can I believe that when you just admitted to lying?'

'I'm not lying! Yes, I haven't shared everything, but no one on board the Normandy has! Where's your criticism of Brian? Or Miranda? Even your issues with Cerberus pale in comparison to me!'

'That's because-'

'No, I'll tell you why! You hate the Geth, you hate AI, and most importantly: You. Hate. Me!'

The cavern sunk into silence as they both stared at one another, neither daring to speak and break the uncomfortable silence. Jordan's harsh glare was met by Tali's own glare in response. A few moments later, Jordan spoke again.

'What could I possibly do to change your opinion on me? We're stuck alone together in this caved-in mine, you've got an infection, I've probably got a concussion and a fantastic injury to my leg, and I gave you the last of the pedi-gel because you need it more than I do.' Jordan listed off. Shaking his head, he leaned back against some rocks as Tali remained standing, ignoring his slight mispeak. 'What do you want from me, Zorah?'

The man before her fell silent after asking that question, catching her slightly off-guard. She took a moment to ponder his words. She wanted to start by telling him that she didn't hate him, just what he stood for… but that'd be a lie. She knew, deep down, she hated the man AND what he stood for. As for what she wanted from him, she had no idea.

'Well?' Jordan Sower asked, interrupting her thoughts.

Finally, she let out a soft whisper, 'I don't know…' She finally said.

'I don't want to be your enemy, Tali.' He told her honestly, 'I want peace, both between us and the people we represent.' She wanted to interrupt, be he saw it coming and continued, 'And yes, they are people! …Tali, please… can't we just be civil? At least try to get along?' He asked her.

She shook her head after just a moment, 'I don't…'

'Please.' He said simply, 'We're stuck in this cave, and if we get out of here, we'll be stuck with each other for the rest of the mission. This is a unique opportunity for us… can't we at least try?' He asked.

She sighed, slowly sitting down in front of the man. She knew why she hated what he stood for and the Geth, but why exactly did that hate translate over the man, himself. Could she simply not differentiate the two things? Perhaps she simply, deep down, wanted to hate the man. It'd be simpler that way.

'I… perhaps I could try.'

'That's all I ask, Tali…' He replied, smiling lightly.

She ended up souring the mood after only a moment, 'Despite this, I'm still talking with Shepard about this. Everything you've said, and how you lied about this.'

To her surprise, Jordan simply shrugged, 'Sure, whatever.' Tali sighed, watching Jordan carefully. Even if he seemed more clear-headed, it seemed he was still kinda out of it. That concussion wasn't going away by itself… They sunk back into relative silence, until…

'AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhhhhhHHHHhhHHHHHHhhHHHhhhhhhhh...'

That scream was much closer now, having seemingly locked onto their position. Likely due to their earlier arguments and yelling, the Banshee was approaching from one of the side tunnels. Tali's and Jordan's eyes widened in fear as they realized what was happening. Remembering what happened earlier, Tali had great doubt that they'd be able to take one of those things down. After all, the only reason the other one died was a combination of the efforts of four people AND the roof collapsing on top of it.

Tali reached down to grab her shotgun, only for Jordan to grab it first. Furious, she turned to Jordan, ready to take her weapon back AND teach him a lesson, only for him to return her glare and speak.

'Listen, Tali. That pedi-gel might have helped with the infection and pain, but I know the truth. If you fire your shotgun once, you'll fully break your arm. We don't have any more medi-gel, so it would be suicide.' He reached over to his hip and grabbed his pistol, holding it by the barrel as he held it out to her. 'Use this. It can be fired one handed. Yeah, it might sprain your wrist a bit, but that's better than a broken arm.'

Tali's glare faded, knowing that both Jordan was right and that the enemy was likely only minutes away. She didn't like it, but there wasn't much of a choice, here. Finally, she reached out and grasped the man's hand cannon, holding it firmly in her left hand. She stood back up and tried to find some cover for the imminent arrival of the 'Banshee', as Jordan called it.

Jordan, himself, crawled and attempted to limp over to another set of rocks, which had collapsed from the cave-in and created a form of cover. With different locations, they hoped to surprise the Banshee when it arrived. Or, possibly, hide from it. Tali frowned beneath her mask at Jordan's pitiful movements. If he were any more injured, he wouldn't be able to move at all, really. Yet, here he was, still ready to fight.

She watched him collapse her shotgun partially, putting the now smaller weapon on his hip as he grabbed his still intact rifle for use against the Reaper beast. Now, ready for it, it was simply a waiting game.

Neither dared to speak as they awaited the Banshee.

Finally…

'AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhhhhhHHHHhhHHHHHHhhHHHhhhhhhhh…' The Banshee cried out, entering the chamber slowly as its screams echoed across their central chamber. The horrid, husk-turned former asari turned its dead eyes across the chamber, looking for living prey. The undead eyes sent shivers up the quarian's and human's spines, causing the two of them to grip their weapons tightly in iron grips.

Neither dared to fire a shot, as the Banshee seemed unaware of their presence. Perhaps it would simply assume their yelling came from elsewhere, or that'd they'd traveled further away, and would leave them alone either way. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as it appeared to have some semblance of intelligence from its previous life as an asari.

Its eyes shot down to where they previously laid, seeing the scuffle marks of previous, recent movement. It tracked the marks with its eyes, stopping and resting upon Jordan's hiding place. That's when it screamed again, focusing its noise in Jordan's direction.

'AAAAAAAAaaaaaaaAAhhhhhhHHHHhhHHHHHHhhHHHhhhhhhhh…'

Jordan tensed up at the sound of the Banshee, likely feeling the monster's gaze fix on his location. With its back toward Tali, she peered out of cover to see what the beast was doing, only to barely hold back a gasp at what she was seeing. Jordan was moments away from the Banshee reaching him. With his injured leg, there'd be no way to even attempt to get away from it.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself as she made her choice, she closed her eyes for just a moment. When they opened, she did something stupid.

'Hey, over here!' She shouted at the husk-ified asari, firing several rounds into its back. One, two, three, four, each shot bouncing her arms slightly as she did her best to fire one-handedly.

As predicted, the Banshee stopped in its tracks and turned around to face the new threat, bending over and screeching at her with another scream as its biotic barriers withstood the damage. It then took a menacing step forward as it fired a ball of biotic energy at her.

Diving to the side and back into cover, she landed on her injured arm, sending ripples of pain up her body from the impact. Doing her best to ignore it, Tali reached over and activated her omni-tool, deploying Chatika, which immediately flew out from cover to harass the Banshee.

Taking a moment to breath, Tali forced herself back up and peered over cover, firing the rest of the clip into the Banshee as it focused on her drone, which was soon obliterated. She went to reload, only to discover a lack of thermal clips. She must have dropped them, which she immediately discovered was, indeed, the case.

The monster warped itself, teleporting rapidly in order to approach the lone quarian, before it stumbled slightly, stopping halfway there as electricity arched across its body. The Banshee turned quickly and menacingly, to see Jordan outside of cover now, his arm extended due to the launch of his overload. It didn't do much, but it DID piss it off.

Turning around and teleporting again, Tali watched it get within a few meters of Jordan, who proceeded to unload her shotgun's thermal clip into the husk. Tali managed to scrounge up a single thermal clip, quickly reloading her weapon, only to find the Banshee nearly on top of Jordan. Any shots fired from this distance one-handed may hit Jordan.

Her arm trembled as she tried to figure out what to do. Should she open fire? Should she do something else? She wasn't sure, as many of her abilities with her omni-tool were either useless against this thing, or were busy recharging.

The Banshee got closer as Jordan fired the final shot of the clip into it, switching quickly back to his rifle as he opened fired with that.

'Come and get me, asshole! You know you want me! I'm the Avatar you want!' He yelled at it, only for the creature to grab the Geth Pulse Rifle from his hands, crushing it in its supernatural grip before reaching forward and grabbing Jordan around his torso.

Tali, mind decided now that it was now or never, opened fire on the Banshee, each shot but two hitting her mark. One hit a nearby rock, while another shot Jordan in his good leg, making him cry out in pain. The Banshee, in response, fired another pulse of biotics, sending Tali flying into a nearby wall.

Stunned momentarily by the impact, she was at the Banshee's mercy as it prepared to throw another ball of chaotic dark energy. Seeing this, Jordan extended his omni-blade, arcing with electricity, and shoved it into the Banshee's shoulder-blade, causing it to scream out in pain, rather than as as show of fear. It flinched just enough to shatter the hard light construct, forcing his omni-tool to reboot and momentarily shutdown while her biotic barriers failed, too.

Ignoring the quartan entirely now, it turned back and opened it jaw at Jordan, pulling an arm back as if it were going to extend an omni-blade of its own. Tali, now recovering but with no ammo, watched in horror as it seemed ready to stab Jordan through the torso with its sharp claws and entire forearm.

That's when the unexpected happened for a second time that day.

In a matter of moments, a great blast occurred near the caved-in entrance to their chamber, causing rocks encased in blue energy to sail through the air, opening a huge hole in the wall while sending rocks, debris, and dust into the air, distracting the Banshee momentarily.

Tali looked towards the new hole, only to hear the sounds of a sniper rifle going off and a trail of smoke to appear instantaneously through the dust. Looking back to the Banshee, she watched as its head was blown clean off, causing its torso to drop Jordan, before melting and disintegrating into nothingness.

The hole, itself, was coated in blue biotic energy as someone was likely holding the place together after such an explosion, which should have rightfully caused another cave-in. The dust soon settled and Tali could see what was beyond. Laying down in the back was Garrus Vakarian, who'd indefinitely fired the life-saving shot through the smoke with the aid of his visor.

Also on the other side stood Jack and Samara, overexerting their bionics to hold the place together. Rushing through quickly was Tela Vasir, Commander Shepard, and Grunt. Tali could see the relief on Shepard's face as he took in the sight of the two of them, still alive. He directed Grunt toward Jordan, while forcing Tela to help him with Tali.

Jordan, completely exhausted, didn't even try to resist as the young tank-bred picked him up bridal-style. Tali, who managed to stand back up, had her arms thrown over Vasir's and Shepard's shoulders as they led them back out of the mine. The two biotics stayed close by and silent as they kept the mine together as best as they could, before letting go of the new doorway. Now, the mine began to collapse once more.

Running out of the mine as fast as they could, the seven of them stayed together, moving in one group as they stepped over countless husk bodies, which had likely been killed during their rescue. As the cave began to collapse, Shepard turned to Tali, 'Can you still blow the artifact?'

She nodded, 'Now?'

'Now. No use in waiting, especially if we lose connection.'

Tali nodded again, reaching over as her arms were loosened, allowing her to detonate the bombs on the artifact, causing another large explosion back further in the mine, causing an entire collapse of the caves.

Luckily, the seven of them escaped the mines just in time, as the final doorway collapsed right behind them, but they didn't stop to rest there. Rather, they continued to the shuttle as quickly as they could. Tali couldn't help the relieved laugh she let out as the shuttle door shut behind them and she felt it lift off.

They got out alive… Exhausted, she felt darkness willingly overtake her as she slipped into sleep.

Minos Wasteland, Fortis System, Normandy SR-2, Med Bay.
March 26th, 2185. 10:08 pm. EST

Tali sat down on one of the med bay's beds, allowing Doctor Chakwas to oversee her and check out the extent of her injuries. She was anxious to get back to engineering, but knew that Shepard would not allow her to return to work so quickly after such an experience. That didn't even take into account whatever prognosis the doctor would give her.

Looking to her right, she saw Jordan sleeping soundly on a second bed in the medical bay. Though covered entirely aside from his arms and head by the sheets, she knew there were bandages around his legs where he was injured. What was visible, however, were the bandages wrapped around his head, with an IV with some sort of odd liquid flowing into one of his arms. She was told he'd be out for at least the rest of the day. It made her feel a bit bad, to be honest, despite their relatively rocky relationship. Of course, it didn't help that she felt slightly guilty for both shooting him accidentally and taking the last of the medi-gel from him in the mine.

Shaking her head, she turned her gaze to the entrance, which just slid open and allowed Commander Shepard into the room. He remained respectfully silent as he let the doctor continue working. When she appeared done, he finally spoke up.

'So, what's the news, doc?' He asked, raising an eyebrow at Doctor Chakwas.

'Well, Miss Zorah defiantly has an infection, and a rough puncture wound to her right arm.' She began, 'The wound is beginning to heal, and her infection is not as severe as expected, likely due in part to the application of medi-gel during the crisis.' She explained, 'Aside from the wound, Miss Zorah simply needs to take antibiotics for the next week. As for the injury to her arm, I'll need to proceed with a minor surgery to remove the foreign material.'

Tali shuddered at the thought of surgery. Not only the procedure, but the fact she'd be out of both missions and likely work for a while. Sensing her unease, Shepard spoke on her behalf.

'When's the surgery, and what are her restrictions?'

Karen Chakwas sighed, 'Unfortunately, I cannot chance any future complications with the procedure, so it must be soon, preferably tonight. I have the necessary equipment for a quarian surgery, but will need to confiscate an entire room for the procedure, with no one else inside for the duration.'

'With Mister Sower confined to the med bay, my AI Core remains void of contamination. In addition, sanitation of the AI Core can begin momentarily, and will only take a few minutes.' EDI spoke over the intercom, not lowering the young quarian's unease in the slightest.

Shepard nodded, turning to Chakwas, 'Your decision, doc.'

The Doctor, thought about the offer for a moment, before nodding, 'I would appreciate that very much. Thank you, EDI.'

'You are very welcome, Doctor.' She replied with a hint of fondness in her inflections, creeping Tali out even more, before she tried to write it off as nerves.

'What about engineering?' She tried asking, 'I can't just abandon them down there.'

Shepard chuckled, 'They've been fine while you were in the mine. I don't know if you've noticed, but we still have a space-worthy ship.'

Doctor Chakwas nodded, 'The Commander is right. And, as long as there are no complications… AND you take your prescribed medication, then you should be able to return to work in the morning.' She assured her.

Tali nodded, letting out her held breath as she calmed down. At ease, she nodded, 'Then let's get this done as soon as possible.'

'Once the decontamination of the AI Core is finished, we'll begin.'

'Actually, doc, could I have a moment with your patient?' Shepard asked.

The doctor nodded, 'Alright, as long as you do not stress my patient, it will be fine. I'll take a moment to collect some dinner before the procedure.' And with that, Chakwas walked out of the medical bay, leaving only Shepard, Tali, and an unconscious Jordan in the room.

'Are you alright, Tali?' Shepard finally asked after a moment.

She nodded, 'I'm fine, Shepard. I've gotten worse infections.'

Shepard frowned and straightened his posture, 'I'm sorry, Tali. If I'd acted more quickly when I saw that abomination, or against that asari husk, none of this would have happened.'

'It's fine, Shepard. You can't do everything.' She tried to assure him, 'The Banshee caught us all off-guard.'

'Yes… the 'Banshee'…' He said, frowning as he turned his attention toward the slumbering avatar, 'I get the distinct feeling that Jordan wasn't quite as open with us as I hoped he'd been.'

Tali slowly nodded, 'Yes…' She trailed off, recalling the events of the mine silently. 'What do the rest of the crew think?'

Shepard sighed, 'I'm not sure. After the explosion and partial cave-in, we lost footage from Jordan's camera, and connection with both of your comms.'

Tali chuckled, 'Yeah, the impact with the wall kind of shattered his helmet.'

'I noticed. Have to get him another one.' He said with a shake of his head, 'I have not idea what happened down there, Tali. Everything after the cave-in is lost to us. Hell, even the recovered bits of his helmet contain no record of the events. The entirety of its memory banks are shot.' He informed her, 'What happened down there?'

Tali struggled to find the answer to Shepard's question. There was a lot that happened without him. A lot was said between the two of them. A lot of harsh things were said, and a few, more personal confessions were made. Likewise, there were several things she should probably share with Shepard, despite how she felt about owing Jordan. Finally, she began to speak.

'I woke up first, and found Jordan unconscious. He had a concussion and woke up. He… he gave me his medi-gel for my infection and arm, rather than his own injuries. Then, we… we argued, and yelled at each other. He claimed to not remember the entire mission in the mine, but named the asari monster as a 'Banshee'.' She admitted, which Shepard silently filed away for later. 'Another Banshee showed up, and we worked together until you arrived.'

Shepard nodded, 'Anything else you can remember? Anything at all that could be useful?'

Various snippets from the mine echoed in her head.

'I'm a monster, made of more metal than flesh!'

'Then, you get accused of treason for sending him the technology, and Shepard takes you there to stand trial.'

'Who wants to see Tali'Zorah vas Normandy exiled?'

'I just really wanna go home…'

'You don't think I know that I've been hiding things? I can't just tell you guys everything…'

'Come and get me, asshole! You know you want me! I'm the Avatar you want!'

Sighing, Tali shook her head, 'I'm not sure. A lot of things were said, and I don't know if any of it was important. He's hiding things, that's for certain, but…'

Shepard nodded, 'I understand.' He put a hand on her shoulder before smiling lightly, 'You know, I was half certain I'd find only one of you alive down there, one having killed the other.' He joked, 'But now, you seem friendly enough…'

'What faith you have in me, Shepard.' She said, shaking her head, 'And what do you mean, friendly? I can work with him just fine…' She admitted, 'Though I'm not exactly comfortable with him.'

'So… what are your thoughts on the Avatar, then?'

Tali sighed, 'I still hate everything he stands for. He's an enemy of my people, Shepard!'

'But…?'

She sighed in resignation, 'But, even if I may still hate him, I can kind of understand where he's coming from, and I COULD try to give him the benefit of the doubt…'

'So you'll stop arguing with him and trying to kill him?'

'No promises, but I can try to be more civil.'

Shepard sighed, 'I guess that's the best I can get…' He shook his head, 'Well, I'll go inform Chakwas that we're good. Talk to you later, Tali.'

'See you later.'

Shepard proceeded out of the medical bay, turning to look toward the mess hall, spotting the kind doctor quickly. Making eye contact immediately, he nodded in affirmation that he was done, to which she nodded in response. Smiling, John continued on his journey to the elevator, stepping inside and allowing the doors to close.

'Take me the loft, EDI.'

'Of course, Shepard.'

'And EDI, could you send out a message to all members of the ground team?'

'Yes. What would you like to tell them?'

Slightly Damned Fanfiction

'Tell them we'll be holding a briefing about the mission and the upcoming one tomorrow morning at 1100 hours.'

'Anything else?'

'Yes, could you add something to the message. Tell them: Gambling on the mission without my consent was unexceptionably unprofessional, and I'll be confiscating fifty percent of all credits used in the wagers. Next time, you may want to ask permission.'

Slightly Damned Webcomic

'Certainly, Shepard, sending the message now.' She replied immediately, a small amount of humor heard in her voice. Shepard didn't know what kind of upgrades Jordan had done to her programing, but he appreciated how much more lively EDI's been acting recently.

As the elevator continued to climb the shaft, Shepard could have sworn he'd heard several instances groaning and cursing from across the entirety of the ship. Chuckling, knowing full well why he'd heard that, Shepard shook his head.

Despite everything that could have and did go wrong today, it still ended up working out. After all, Jordan and Tali's hostility toward one another seems to have diminished. Even if only slightly.

A/N:

I will be completely honest…

I had a blast writing this chapter, and have been looking forward to writing this for a while now. I hope you enjoyed this unique twist to the side mission from ME2, which has some implications for the future. The butterfly effect has caused the insertion of asari and banshees to the mine, and the relationship between Jordan and Tali has evolved, somewhat.

This chapter is also unique in the fact that I've tried my best to not tell it from Jordan's perspective, instead focusing on Tali and a bit of Brian. In the future, I may toy with this idea with a few other chapters told from another's perspective. Who knows?

This is also the single longest chapter and/or document I'd ever written, period. I could have split this into two chapters, but I don't feel like it would have been necessarily better in that case. After all, I wouldn't want to cut it off in the middle of a section. Therefore, if I did cut off where I would, right before they wake up in the mine, the first part would only reach about 4k words, which is far less than half of this chapter.

If there are some questions about this chapter, they will likely be answered next time with the upcoming chapter.

Also, I have two more things to say.

1: I apologize for the delay in the upload. My summer class finals were last week, and I had to prepare for them, plus this was a long chapter that took a bit of time.

2: This story has officially received over 100k views. I thank everyone who's checked it out and kept up with it for your support! You guys are awesome!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to what comes next. It'll be a little quieter next chapter, for obvious reasons. (cough, med bay time, cough.) Thanks for sticking around, and I'll see you within a week, hopefully…