Lazarus Project: Mass Effect 2 (Shenko)

Chapter 85

Milky Way/Viper Nebula/Bahak System/Aratoht

Earth year: 2186 CE --- January

Jacob dropped her off outside the batarian prison on the surface of Aratoht. No alarms sounded, so Callie relaxed slightly as she stepped out into a drenching downpour of rain.

Cursing under her breath she accessed the door's power source and overloaded it to gain access to the lower level of the facility. Inside, she was met with dirty, broken floors, bent grates and a low ceiling. Growling sounds echoed through the cramped passageway as she ventured deeper inside. Varren, she thought, readying her pistol. Must be where they dumped their prisoners.

After taking out the three varren she encountered, the sound of voices reached her ears. One was clearly female, and the guttural angry sounds of a batarian could be heard whenever the female stopped talking.

After disabling and re-directing an ignited fuel pipe, Callie stepped back outside. Using her surroundings for cover, she slipped past two batarians who were standing in the rain, arguing about Kenson. Back inside an adjacent building, she left the area and slipped past three more batarians undetected.

So far, so good, she muttered as she entered the basement of another building. By the look of her surroundings, she'd found the interrogation ward. Pressing her back into a tall crate, she peered around it taking note of two more batarians who were watching something through a glass window. Following their gaze, she spotted a gray-haired woman who was strapped into some kind of torture device, held in place by her arms, legs and neck. With her was a lone batarian who Callie assumed had been the voice she'd heard earlier.

Cursing under her breath, she moved forward. The lone batarian wouldn't be much trouble, but the other two... Shaking herself, she slipped passed them and headed for Kenson's cell. From what she'd overheard, she had to act now. They were going to kill Kenson in the next few minutes if she didn't start talking.

Heaving a weary sigh, Callie burst into the room, clocked the batarian with the butt of her weapon and knocked him out cold.

"Dr. Kenson?" She asked, setting about disengaging the woman's restraints.

"Yes." Kenson replied. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Commander Shepard. I'm here to rescue you."

"Commander Shepard? Hackett mentioned you were back." She said, taking the prone batarian's weapon.

"Yes, but we have to get you out of here fast. If the batarians find out I was involved, we're looking at a major diplomatic incident."

"Of course Commander." She nodded, slamming her foot down on the unconscious batarian's neck, snapping it. "I know a shortcut out of here. I'm ready when you are."

Shocked by Kenson's display of violence, she chose not to comment on it. Now wasn't the time.

"Got it." She said, peeking around the door frame into the hall she'd entered from.

"Shit." She swore as a batarian caught sight of her and yelled into his comm.

"Prisoner escape!" He cried, backing away. "Contain the lower levels!"

"Dammit!" Callie cursed, hitting him with Warp. "If they didn't know I was here before, they do now."

"Follow me Shepard." Kenson barked. "I know a shortcut down the other way to the landing pad. Keep them off me and I'll hack the elevator controls."

"Right." She said, not liking Kenson's tone as they fought their way to the access terminal.

"They're coming through on the left side!" Kenson yelled as she typed furiously into the terminal. "Use the control at the door to close it and I'll lock it down from here! Go!"