As Alex leaves the shocked Ventralis behind, he sees Shepard casually leaning against the wall.
"Nice touch. I could smell the bluff from over here, but I think our dear Captain couldn't," she says with a grin. "You know, that little threat kinda touched me. It's so blatantly out of character, you've got me intrigued. Let's talk about that later. Now let's get going! The others are waiting at the elevator."
Shit…
Rejoining with the others, the group rides the elevator down one floor, leading back to the tram, before walking into the nearby elevator that now grants access to the Hot Labs—previously locked to them.
Down in the Hot Labs, the crew walks a long corridor until they arrive in a large room, one of the many laboratories. Mechanical arms and equipment are scattered about, with tables lining the walls. A single man sits in a chair in the middle of the room.
Almost unable to believe his eyes, he asks, "I am Yaroslev Tartakovsky. Are you here to secure the situation?"
"If by 'secure' you mean 'shoot every monster I see,' sure," Shepard replies.
Alex draws his sword and positions himself behind the man.
"I thought Benezia was here, so Ventralis lied after all. This is probably a trap, still we need to solve the issues here or everyone will sooner or later die," Tali says.
I don't like these people, but this guy is one of the more honest ones. If I can, I'll save as many as I can.
The man, ignoring Alex, speaks directly to Shepard, "You must listen to me. If we do not contain our mistake, they will drop bombs from the battle stations. You understand? We will all die!"
"You let these things out of here?!" Shepard asks, incredulous.
The scientist explains, "Binary Helix found an egg. It was on a derelict ship—thousands of years drifting."
"We already heard this, Commander," Liara notes.
"Get on with it, time is ticking," Shepard presses.
"Binary Helix planned to clone Rachni… mass-produce them. Create an army. But when they got here, they realized the egg wasn't a common Rachni. It was a queen. After she laid eggs, they moved her to Rift Station. They thought that without her, they could raise the babies to be obedient."
"Separating them from their mother didn't work," Shepard notes drily, her face darkening.
"I am thinking that without a queen, Rachni do not develop properly. Her mind shapes theirs. These Rachni are… uncontrollable," Yaroslev explains.
Hindsight is 20/20, though this Situation seems incredibly predictable.
"This is fascinating, but we don't have time. I already told you. What do we have to do to get control of this situation?" Shepard snaps at him.
"These Rachni are beyond saving. It is a sad thing… but they must be euthanized. I am thinking the Neutron Purge must be set off," Yaroslev says.
"You still planned on saving them? Are you stupid? After everything that's happened?" Alex asks, staring coldly while Yaroslev lowers his head, ashamed.
He then speaks in a louder voice, "Look, we need to purge them. We can initiate a Neutron Purge if we enter the backroom of this lab. It's all automated. Arming controls are nearby. All you do is insert the key, then I will give Mira the destruct comman—"
Suddenly, a few Rachni Soldiers burst through the vents.
Alex, reacting immediately, slashes toward the one lunging at Yaroslev, cutting off its tentacle and cleaving through its body.
You have dealt 81 damage to Rachni Soldier
You have crippled Rachni Soldier (Right Tentacle)
Another one jumps at Alex, violently slamming him back and damaging his shields, causing him to take a bit of damage from the impact.
You have received 71 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 5 damage
Shepard immediately reacts, drawing her gun and shooting the Rachni that tackled Alex.
The rest of the crew is a second slower but easily dispatches the other Rachni, while Alex pulls himself up.
"You… you saved me. Thank you!" the panicked Yaroslev says.
"No time! We need to purge them now! Who knows how long until more get in!" Shepard yells.
The crew, followed closely by Yaroslev, rushes into the backroom where the Mira terminal is located.
"Initiate the Neutron Purge!" Shepard commands.
"Containment breach in Laboratory Pod Gamma. The Neutron Purge system is functional but has not been armed," Mira responds.
"Go ahead then, arm and activate it!"
"I'm sorry, I can't. The Neutron Purge is a weapon that combines two fissionable materials to form a critical mass. Most of the energy is released in the form of high-speed neutrons. This radiation is instantly lethal to any known form of life within 500 meters," Mira explains. "I need the proper code authorization."
"We better be very careful," Liara says, worry visible on her face.
Shepard grabs Yaroslev and drags him forward.
He hesitates a little, but then finally relays the code: "Code input: 875-020-079. Code Omega, local execution."
"Verified. Code Omega execution in 120 seconds."
As soon as Mira finishes her sentence, they hear the unmistakable screeching of Rachni Soldiers and Workers pouring into the main lab.
"Fuck!" Alex curses, immediately opening the door and tossing in all of his Annihilation Grenades before slamming it shut again.
I won't need them later on.
Within moments, more than a dozen loud explosions hall through the thick door, his system floods him with messages—his grenades dealing moderate to strong damage. With no shields or durable armor, the Rachni are especially vulnerable to his grenades.
You have dealt 71 damage to Rachni Soldier
You have dealt 5 damage to Rachni Soldier
…
You have dealt 33 x 2 = 66 damage to Rachni Soldier
You have killed Rachni Soldier
This system! Unbelievable. Nothing happens for hours and then, once the countdown begins, a goddamn horde appears.
"Good job, Kerber. But I told you to throw away those junk grenades… you're still carrying them around?" Shepard says with a snort.
"I like them! They're still useful. Anyway, we need to hurry up—I don't want to be purged alongside these fuckers!"
Wrex steps forward and rushes out, followed closely by Alex and the rest.
Inside the massive lab, dozens of struggling Rachni fill the room, with thousands more trying to break free of their holding areas, making their way inside through the various shafts on the top and bottom of the building.
"RUN THROUGH!" Shepard shouts. "Liara! Secure the right with your Singularity! Wrex, Kaidan, you push back anything on the left!"
Wrex yells, "No problem, Shepard!" as he fires his shotgun directly into a Rachni Worker, turning it into meat-paste with a grin stretching across his face.
"Fuck—I'll take the front and cut our way through!" Alex yells, charging ahead.
He activates Ren, channels all of his Aura into his blade, using Ko. With his Aura all concentrated in his blade, he activates Flying Fira Sword and unleashes a massive slash, covering the width of the lab in a wide arc of Azure and Crimson fire.
I'll sacrifice damage for coverage. If they all burn, they'll clear the path for us!
With the speed bonus from his [Nimblus Cloak], Alex charges forward, carving a trail as he slashes wildly at the burning Rachni.
Spinning mid-run, he cleaves multiple Workers apart, killing them instantly. Meanwhile, Wrex, Kaidan, and Liara handle the left and right flanks with brutal efficiency.
The group barely makes it through. Dragging Yaroslev behind them, they charge through the final set of doors and sprint down the corridor toward the elevator. Piling in, they slam the button and ride it up.
A minute later, as they emerge into the massive hall outside the tram, they hear a strange, haunting sound—a high-pitched collective screech that fades all too suddenly into silence.
"Did I just hear all of them dying and letting out a final scream, or am I hallucinating?" Alex asks, breathless.
This is creepy as fuck…
Shepard glances at the shaken Yaroslev, who's trembling uncontrollably.
"What… have we done… They're all dead," he says, eyes wide in terror.
"You'd better stay close to the tram. Hide somewhere in the back," Alex suggests.
"Good idea. He's close to a mental breakdown," Garrus mutters, eyeing him.
After making sure Yaroslev is left with no more ID or weapon, they lie him down on the ground at the edge of the Station, close to the tram.
The group boards the elevator once more, returning to the main level of Rift Station.
Inside the elevator, Shepard warns, "Draw your weapons," glancing at Alex, who already has his [Brawler-Pistol] in one hand and his [Enchanted Runeblade] in the other.
As the doors open, they're met with an eerie silence.
No one is manning the defense station. Ventralis and his guards are gone. The turrets are unmanned. The entire area is deserted.
"Either that guy fled… or—" Alex begins.
"He's waiting further inside and was deceiving us all along," Shepard finishes grimly.
"How could he?!" Liara exclaims, clearly furious.
"Humans working for Benezia, who in turn is working for Saren," Ashley mutters.
"He could be a traitor, blinded by greed, or under Saren's control. Either way, I want him and his people dead. They can't be kept alive," Shepard says, her tone ice-cold. She thinks for a moment, then asks, "How many guards did he have under his command?"
"Around ten or so," Alex replies, adding, "a few drones as well."
"Let's press ahead. It's time we finish this mission," Shepard declares.
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