Mass Effect
Infection

Chapter Twenty Two

This story is not dead! I want to make that abundantly clear that I have no plans to abandon this story at all. My life as of right now has never been busier. I recently got a promotion at work, my hours nearly quadrupling overnight. I'm actually getting an apartment, moving out of my house for the second time. My basketball team just made the playoffs for the second year and it looks like we might go the distance. Not mention I'm also going to college so free time has been scarce. But I've not forgotten this nor have I forgotten any of you.

That being said, I promised that this chapter was going to be a big one. Well, due to the aforementioned reasons, this will cut down some from its original length. Quite considerably actually. But I felt that I needed to get a chapter up sooner rather than later.

So enjoy, you beautiful bastards, enjoy.

Earth
San Francisco, CA
October 20, 2022
Unknown Location

Two Creatures stood atop the highest point in the city. The building's name had been lost for nearly a decade and in the grand scheme of things it didn't really matter. They held the visage of walking shadows, possessing no solid structure. They did not have eyes or ears or mouths or noses, for they required none. They both faced in the general direction of Shepard's home. Despite the great distance they could see with the utmost clarity as Liara and Shepard intertwined.

Down below, a group of ferals tore at the carcass of a dying deer. The rabid humanoids must have found the animal's lair and chased the poor creature down.

"Everything is going according to plan," said the First.

"Yes, it is as you predicted," replied the Second, turning her attention away from the primal fest below her.

The two lapsed into silence for a moment before the First turned to the Second.

"Something is bothering you sister?" asked the First in the form of a statement.

The other lowered what could be perceived as its head, "yes."

"Care to share?"

The Second took a moment before replying, "There are just too many variables. So many things can happen that would upset our agenda."

"True," the First agreed, "but then look at what has happened already. The asari could have died in the crash or died along with the rest of those when the children assaulted their camp. But she didn't. Shepard could have left her for dead but he didn't. Whether it is chance or fate or our own intervention, I cannot say. But know that we will see this through regardless."

"But… what if she gets involved?"

The First let out a laugh that would cause even celestial bodies to shudder with fear, "believe me sister, she already has. Her first mistake was choosing an avatar that so closely resembles our target's late wife. Her own arrogance will be her downfall."

"As… as you say brother," the Second answered with a nod.

"Besides, you worry too much. Humanity will survive because it must survive."

The Second, this time more bolstered by its brother's words, nodded once more and turned back to the direction of Shepard's home.

"It will be as you say. Humanity will survive and our plans will succeed."

The First placed a comforting hand upon its sister's shoulder.

"Come, there is much to do."

With that, both creatures stepped back further into the shadows as disappeared. The planet and its inhabitants meanwhile continued on as if they never existed in the first place.

Earth
San Francisco, CA
October 21, 2022
Shepard Residence

As the sun rose over the dead city the next morning, John Shepard couldn't help but feel slightly more at peace. For some reason the sun's rays felt just a little bit warmer and with that, more than a little comforting. For the first time in ten years Shepard did not feel alone and that was more than enough to bring a smile to his face.

Nearby, laying on the ground and covered in a small blanket, Liara's nude form stirred as the asari maiden slowly came back to consciousness. She slowly moved into a sitting position and locked eyes with Shepard. She can see within him that the wall he had put up was almost completely gone. It was still there and Liara doubted that it would ever permanently go away but the fact that it had deteriorated so much was a victory in of itself.

"Good morning," Shepard greeted jovially.

"Good morning Shepard," Liara replied with a smile.

With that both entered into silence, neither finding something to talk about besides what had transpired the night before. Eventually Shepard sighed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"So… I guess we should talk."

Liara stood, holding the blanket over herself to keep back the cold morning breeze.

"It is not necessary Shepard. What I believe happened was simply an effect from the meld."

Shepard's smile faded but only slightly, "Oh? That's it?"

Her grin growing in size, Liara walked forward and planted a small kiss upon Shepard's lips.

"No. The meld only increases the emotions the two that shared it already feel. It would not be fair to blame everything on the meld alone."

Shepard's smile returned full fold, "I see then. But the question is; now what are we going to do about it?"

Another kiss and Liara turned to grab her clothes, "We'll have to wait and see."

"Liara," Shepard's voice caused her to stop at the door and turn back to him.

"Yes?"

"I'd… like to take this slow. It's been ten years since I've met anyone that wasn't trying to kill me in one shape or form. I want to do this right. Rushing this seems like a mistake."

Liara smiled at him, "I understand completely Shepard."

Shepard smiled back, "Good. I need to check on Jack. After that I'll make us all breakfast."

The two quickly got changed and headed in their own directions. Shepard's first stop was his own master bedroom. Jack was still asleep but her rapid eye movement suggested that whatever dream she was having was not pleasant in the least. Like a doctor checking over a critical patient, Shepard checked and rechecked all her vitals. Satisfied, he turned to leave the room when the young girl suddenly bolted upright, inhaling a great gust of oxygen, as if the ability to breathe had suddenly fled her, before crashing back onto the bed, her EKG monitor going ballistic.

Without warning, Jack began to convulse, her movements were so violent that one of her hands became free and knocked the EKG over onto the floor. Acting quickly, Shepard ran to her side and untied her bonds, holding her tightly until her movements stopped. Suddenly Jack's eyes opened as she unwillingly vomited over both of them.

Ignoring the human regurgitation all over his shirt, Shepard picked her up in his arms, carried her into the bathroom and sat her next to the toilet. She retched up three more times until finally she had nothing left. The next five minutes were filled with grotesque hacks and dry heaving. Eventually Jack broke into a cold sweat. Shepard quickly retrieved a blanket from the other room and wrapped her up in it, using his arms to rub her own as he tried to warm her up. The two sat there in a pool of vomit, sweat, and tears for several long minutes.

"I'm scared…" she choked out.

"I know," Shepard replied softly as she leaned closer to him.

"I'm really scared…"

"I know," he repeated, "it's going to be okay."

Jack suddenly began to sob into his shoulder. Like the caretaker he is, he began to wash her face and freed it of the nasty substance trickling down the side of her mouth.

"Everything is going to be fine," he stated, eyes locked in the middle distance of the bathroom, not really staring at anything, and not sure who he was exactly talking to.

XxxxxX

It wasn't long before Shepard managed to get Jack to her feet. For the first conscious time she was led down the T hallway and into the kitchen. Jack walked slowly over to the kitchen table and sat down, holding the blanket tight around herself.

Ten minutes later and a bowel of oatmeal and a cup of tea were placed before her. Shepard took a seat at the opposite end, a similar entrée assembled before him.

"Liara, breakfast is ready," Shepard called out.

Jack was about to ask who he was talking to when she caught sight of Liara entering the room room. Fear took hold of her heart as she stared directly at the woman before her.

"Its okay, she's a friend," he said with conviction.

"Is she a reaper?" Jack asked with concern.

"No, she something else entirely."

Jack had no choice but to believe him. After all, why would he lie now? With an understanding amount of caution, Jack placed the knife she had grabbed once she saw Liara and placed it back on the table.

The woman approached her, her hand stretched out in greeting, "Hello, my name is Liara."

Jack simply stared at the offering with disbelief. Her own eyes rose to meet Liara's as she slowly backed her own seat up a few spaces.

"What are you?"

"I am an asari."

"What is that?"

"To you I would be considered an extraterrestrial."

Jack's right eyebrow went up in confusion, "a what?"

"She's an alien," Shepard said bluntly, "same goes for her friend lying unconscious in the living room."

Jack looked at Shepard, then at Liara, then at Shepard once more before she broke out laughing. Her amusement slowly subsided once she realized that she was the only one who found anything humorous in Shepard's words. One look at her host told her that Shepard wasn't kidding.

"My god, you're serious aren't you?"

"As serious as a heart attack," he replied before turning to Liara, "your own meal is sitting on the stove. I didn't know if you wanted tea or not so I made a cup for you anyway."

"Thank you," Liara said softly as she retrieved her meal. Without another word she exited the kitchen and walked into the living room.

Jack's eyes followed Liara's every step until finally the maiden exited the room. When she turned back to Shepard she saw that he had already begun eating.

"How long has it been here?"

"She has been here for the past few days. Her science vessel was exploring the planet when it crashed. She didn't tell me how, just that it did."

"Was she alone?"

Shepard set his spoon down as he answered, "One of them is unconscious in the living room like I said. She mentioned that others were with her but they got attacked by the ferals. Up until we ran into each other she thought she was alone. She found her friend inside the ship that crashed in Golden Gate Park."

"Wait a second. You're telling me that that hulking ruin in the middle of Golden Gate Park is an alien space ship?!"

Shepard nodded.

"Unbelievable…" Jack muttered as she fought her own disbelief.

With nothing more to say on the matter Shepard resumed eating. Jack, so lost in thought with these new revelations, had yet to even touch her own meal.

"You should eat, it'll help with the nausea," Shepard informed her.

Jack nodded, taking small spoonfuls of oatmeal and short sips from her now lukewarm tea. The two ate in silence until finally Jack decided to break it.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Almost fifteen years. This was… is… my home."

"I assumed that you found it. Took it over when… it… happened. But why did you stay? Everyone knew to get out of the cities. They took them over."

"My home," Shepard replied with the same tone he used when Liara had questioned them during their first meal, "they can't take that away from me."

Jack nodded, looking at the defenses he had set up inside, "you… fixed it up real nice. I feel safe here."

Shepard sort of nodded in thanks.

"Don't you get lonely?" The question surprised Shepard, looking at her for the first time during the barrage of questions.

"There's a lot to do. I keep busy."

"Answer the question," Jack urged.

"Of course, how could I not. Until Liara and you I thought I was pretty much it."

Jack nodded in understanding. But she wanted to know more, that insatiable human curiosity growing like a pit in her stomach.

"I've heard things about you."

Shepard audibly sighed as his meal was once again interrupted, "Like what?"

"That you've killed hundreds of them… thousands."

"And?"

"And that you like it," she probed.

Shepard didn't reply, he just continued to gaze at her.

"They say that you chop off their heads and stick them on poles. That you cut out their hearts and eat them raw. That you rape the woman and chop off the men's cocks before stuffing them in their mouths."

Despite the ridiculous accusations, Shepard replied evenly, "where'd you hear this?"

Jack paused for a split second, "Up in sanctuary. Those guys…"

"Right…"

Another minute of silence passed by until Jack spoke again.

"Do you?"

Meal once again interrupted Shepard answered, "Do I what?"

"Do you do those things?"

Shepard stared at her with an expression of annoyance across his face, "what do you think?"

With his meal now cold and his desire to eat gone, Shepard pushed the bowel away and stood.

"I've got some work I need to do around the house. If you feel up to it, you can help."

Jack nodded as she followed Shepard back into the master bedroom. With a pang of guilt she noticed that the sheets on the bed were now absolutely ruined from her vomit. But she didn't say anything, knowing that the owner's patience was already wearing thin.

Wordlessly he handed her, her leather jacket, a fresh pair of jeans, and some undergarments. The jeans and bra were one size too large and in the end she decided to do away with the bra and wrap her waist up with two belts. When she was finally ready to go, Shepard returned and quickly threw on a fresh shirt. When he did Jack was about to divert her eyes in the name of decency but found herself drawn to the vast array of scarring that covered the man's body.

"Seems to me you get hurt a lot," Jack said trying to lighten the mood.

It had the desired effect, "Ha, you should the other guys."

With the both of the dressed, Jack followed Shepard out into the compound. The two silently patrolled the fences, looking for any sort of wear of weaknesses. Occasionally they would stop and fix some part up. Jack, forced to carry a spool of wire, followed Shepard's every step, adhering to his words when he informed her that most of the area was covered in mines.

With her curiosity getting the better of her, Jack decided to ask yet another question.

"Why stay? Why not take off? Who knows what you might find out there?"

"Exactly," was the response.

"What? Are you afraid?" Jack asked, expecting the usual prideful retort she would normally get when questioning the courage of a man. What she got instead made at least some sense.

"I know what's here. Out there I have nothing, here I have everything. You said it yourself. Here I am safe."

Jack shook her head, "I said I felt safe. That doesn't mean I am safe."

Shepard didn't answer as he climbed down from the ladder he was using to repair a piece of the outer fence.

"I think that's going to do it for today. Want to help me tend the garden?"

Jack would never expect in a million years that the man before her had one hell of a green thumb. Here was a man who had fought twisted abominations for nearly ten years and had survived. Here was a man who had witnessed the downfall of man, and survived. He was supposed to be a tough as nails, cigarette in the mouth, burly bearded man that just emanated testosterone.

And yet he was tending a tomato plant so delicately that it was mind boggling. Jack herself was picking any strawberries she saw only to plop them right into her mouth.

"I mean, there could be more like you," Jack said as she picked up their conversation up where it had been left off at, "like me even. Immune… surviving… aren't you the least bit curious? There's a whole country out there, a whole continent."

"How old are you?' Shepard asked rising to his feet, brushing his dirt covered hands on his pants.

"Twenty four."

"I'm forty two. When you're forty two you like staying put."

Shepard turned from his garden and led Jack into the garage. Shepard spent the next forty minutes checking the cars, the generator, and filling up whatever needed the gas.

"Are you going to rape me?" Jack asked still eating strawberries.

Shepard scoffed as he gave her a disbelieving look, "I hadn't planned on it, no."

"Those guys at Sanctuary… that's what they had in mind."

"I figured as much."

"Why are they like that?" Jack asked somberly.

"Who?"

"Men. Most men are like that."

"Well not me. So you don't have to worry."

"Yeah but you're… weird… you're not normal," Jack replied honestly.

"I'm not normal?" Shepard asked but noticed that she was eating at an alarming rate, "Not too many of those or you'll get sick."

XxxxxX

Pain…

Fear…

Paranoia…

Those emotions were what Tali Zora felt as she slowly climbed back into the land of the living. As usual the first thing that greeted her was the holo-displays of her inner faceplate. Each reading was giving her a similar report. Her suit was badly damaged but risk of infection was negligible. Her immune system had slowly and successfully neutralized the infection that claimed her during the siege of the crash site. As a matter of fact… it was gone completely.

"Keelah…" she groaned as a wave of pain circled her head.

Confused, Tali glossed over the last thing that she remembered. She remembered that she was trying to get some rest inside the Albatross' cockpit, seeking both shelter from the unknown creatures and a good place to allow her meds to kick in. She remembered being startled when she heard a noise coming the rear compartment of the transport. Utilizing the same strategy she'd use when avoiding a crew member of a ship she was stowing away on, Tali climbed into the nearest air duct, her small size allowing her to squeeze along until she came to a vent opening right above her intruder.

She had dropped down, ready to blast the creature away with her Scimitar, but stopped when the creature turned out to be Liara. Tali remembered the feeling of relief at seeing the kind hearted asari before her.

In fact, the last thing she saw was Liara's blue concerned face. Ironically it was the first thing she saw upon waking as well.

"Liara?" Tali weakly choked out.

"I'm here Tali," Liara said concerned as she rushed to her friend's side, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm… fine…"

"That's good," Liara said with a smile but was surprised to see Tali shaking her head.

"No Liara. That's the problem. I shouldn't be alright. My infection was fatal… I shouldn't be alive."

To Tali's amazement, Liara nodded in agreement, "Normally I would be forced to agree with you. Quarians are known mainly for their weakened immune systems and their technical prowess. But certain… events happened while you were asleep."

Right on cue, both females heard the sound of the back door opening and the muffled voices of Shepard and Jack as they conversed. From what Liara could hear Jack was quizzing Shepard on everything and the elder man was as usual, answering with yes or no answers.

"Who are they?" Tali asked reaching for a weapon that wasn't there.

Liara saw this and placed a comforting hand upon Tali's shoulder, "You needn't worry, they are friends… or at least one of them is."

The two human's conversation grew louder and clearer as they drew nearer.

"…is all I'm trying to say. Just how long do you think you'll last on your own?" Liara heard Jack say, her voice almost pleading.

"I'm not leaving Jack," was the strict reply, "end of story. This is my home. I live here. They have no right to dictate otherwise and until I'm dead and cold in the ground, it's going to stay that way."

The two rounded the corner to find and upright Tali and a relieved looking Liara. Shepard continued on his original path through the living room, barely glancing at Tali but sharing a warm smile with Liara, and coming to a stop before a desk. Then he opened the drawer and began to rummage around inside of it.

Jack on the other hand had stopped in her tracks at the sight of the non-humans. She kept her distance to the maximum, as far as the enclosed spaces of the living room allowed. To Liara it felt as if the human woman saw her and Tali as carrier of some infectious disease and that they needed to be quarantined right away.

Liara laughed inwardly. That last part was actually true.

Tali's eyes, however, were frantic, darting back and froth between Liara, Shepard and Jack.

"Liara what are these things?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"They're called humans. The one over there," pointing to her host, "is Shepard. He saved my life. The other one is Jack, I think, and I have no idea who she is. But once again, Shepard saved her life."

"They look just like the creatures in the vid from the CRC meeting," Tali said, not really paying much attention to Liara's answers.

"They are one in the same yes."

"But…" Tali stammered for her words, unsure of how to proceed.

"Liara?" Shepard's voice made her turn, "have you seen my screwdriver?"

Jack scoffed, "why would it know where it would be. Hell the thing probably doesn't even know what a screwdriver is."

Shepard, continuing to pillage through his desk, replied, "Because she was with me the last time I used it. And she isn't an it. You best remember that."

"You left it in the garage Shepard, in your car."

Shepard's movements stopped abruptly at Liara's answer as he filed through his short term memory. Sure enough he remembered correctly.

"Of course it is. Thank you," he said in gratitude before marching off, Jack in tow.

Liara's gaze switched back to Tali, the quarian's head slightly cocked to the side before she leaned forward.

"Liara, what is going on?"

Liara smiled and placed an affectionate hand upon Tali's.

"I'll answer whatever questions you have Tali, and trust me when I say I understand that you have a lot. But you have to tell me: did any one else make it?"

Tali's head hung low and for a moment Liara feared the worst.

"After the assault, it was just me, Garrus, Shiala, Mordin, Saren and Nihlus. We managed to seal off the back of the transport and barricade ourselves inside. When morning came, the creatures were gone so we nabbed everything left over, rations, weapons, the works, and strengthened our defenses."

Tali stopped speaking for a moment and the anticipation became too mush.

"And then what happened?"

From the moment Liara met Tali, the asari knew that Tali was not naturally violent Like Liara, Tali would most likely defend herself if pushed but would never go out of her way to injure or kill another sentient being. She could assume that, as a quarian she would have a natural hatred for the geth, but Liara could see that Tali was a decent person at heart.

So when Tali spoke again, her voice filled with hate and venom, Liara did her best not to visibly shudder.

"Saren happened Liara. That bosh'tet betrayed us."

A/N:
Yes I left a cliffhanger. Why? Because they're bloody genius and I love to use them. Conversely I hate it when other authors use them in their stories so I guess I get what I deserve. I'll do my best to update soon. When, I can not say, but like I said before I will finish this story. That is a promise and one I will not break.
Little fun fact: this story has been going on for more than a year now so… yay!