Chapter Text
Science lab
“Shit.” Ashley growled as she saw a pair of humans with pale-green skin and what looked like circuitry shambling about in a cell, along with a turian male laying on a slab, obviously the victim of vivisection. “I was afraid we’d find something like this. We need to get Rana here.” Tapping her comm badge, Ashley spoke, “Rana? Are you done there ‘cause I need you to get your blue ass over here pronto.”
“I’ve just finished the last of my patients and their doctor’s up now.” The asari geneticist replied, “What’s wrong?”
Speaking in a glum tone, Ashley remarked, “I think we might have another Virmire on our hands. We’ve got humans from the freighter who have…” choking up, Ashley grimly commanded, “Come here and see for yourself.”
“I’m on my way.” Rana responded, further cautioning, “If they’re locked up…for the goddess’s sake, don’t let them out!”
“Got no intention of doing that.” Ashley replied, “Williams out.”
“Okay…” Salome drawled, “What happened at Virmire.”
“Long story.” Ashley replied with a grimace, “I’ll tell you when we’re at the bar getting shitfaced. For now though…we need to get whatever they’ve got on their computer.”
“Right.” The Terran intelligence officer replied as she activated the console, “On it.”
“I’m gonna set up some turrets and a shield regenerator.” Doris announced, “Just in case.”
“Good idea, Dixie.”
With a big grin on her face, the Alabaman quipped, “I think that’s the first time you used my nickname.”
“Yeah…” Ashley grumbled, “I guess you might be all right. But until I make up my mind, you’re still on probation.”
“Thanks.” Doris replied as she got to work. “I’ll take what I can get.”
“I’m going to see if I can get into their minds.” Twesata said as she pointed at the once-human creatures.
“Be careful.” Ashley cautioned, “I don’t want to explain to Rana why her girl’s now a drooling idiot.”
“I’ll be careful, Mommy.” Twesata quipped as she took a deep breath and concentrated. Moments later, the Betazoid telepath screamed in agony as her hands went to her temples.
“The voices! Crying out in pain!”
“Salome!” Ashley called out in alarm, “Can you do something.”
“Yeah.” The Terran replied as she rushed to the telepath’s side and, taking out a medkit, injected her with a hypospray. Letting out a breath as the Betazoid calmed down, Salome guided her patient to a chair. “Take it easy. I injected you with a cortical analeptic. That should repair any damage done to your cortex, but I’ll feel better once we get you into a proper sickbay.”
Minutes later, Rana appeared accompanied by a burly Belladonna security officer and Nealo, the starship’s security chief who was also an ace sniper. At once spotting the shambling creatures in their cell, the asari scientist uttered a single word, “Shit.” Then, on seeing her Betazoid lover, sitting down holding her head in her hands, she rushed up and gently embraced her, “Are you all right, siha?”
“Just the mother of all headaches, imzadi.” Twesata replied with a shaky grin as she looked up at her girlfriend leaning against her as Rana gently stroked her long luxurious black hair. The Betazoid moaned, “I tried to get through to them, but it was like trying to get into a Ferengi’s head. Then…all of a sudden, I felt this sharp pain—like my head was on fire and voices screaming in agony. And then…dead silence. Thankfully, Salome was able to inject me with a cortical analeptic.”
“Thank you.” Rana said as she looked up at the Terran woman who smiled back in acknowledgement. Turning her attention back to her companion, the asari geneticist asked in a worried tone, “Do you think you might have been indoctrinated.”
“No, imzadi.” Twesata smiled back, “But I’ll have a telepath make sure when we get back.”
“Good.” Rana sighed in relief, “It also might not be a bad idea for you to receive some of that Romulan doctor’s cure.”
“Yes, dear.” The beautiful Betazoid chuckled as she turned her gaze on the transformed humans in their cage. “Those poor people…” she shook her head, “what they went through. I could feel their agony as they lost themselves.”
Still embracing her lover, Rana asked Salome who was currently analyzing the information she had just recovered from the computer, “Have you found anything?”
“Quite a bit.” Salome replied, “Those bastards were trying to combine Borg nanites with this Reaper tech and spores from a being called…”
“It’s a Thorian.” Ashley interrupted with a scowl, “A plant creature we encountered on Feros…”
“Right.” Rana interjected, “It used its spores as a means of controlling the minds of any organic that they infected. Saren thought that it could be used as a means of combatting indoctrination.”
“Was it?” Twesata asked.
“No.” The asari scientist shook her head, “It was a dead end. Indoctrination works on a completely different…far more subtle and complex level. But…No! They couldn’t be doing what I think they’re doing. It’s so dangerous. A million things could happen—all of them bad.”
“What are ya’ll talking about?” Doris asked as she joined the conversation.
“They couldn’t be trying to combine Reaper and Borg tech with the thorian spores. Combine that with augment DNA and who knows what else. Shit! No one could be that stupid!” Speaking to Dixie, Rana worriedly questioned, “Did those files you and Edi downloaded back in the other universe contain anything at all about this?”
“Me and Edi tol’ ya’ll about that ETAP program…right?”
“I read the files, but it might not be a bad idea for you to fill me in as well.” Salome requested, “Often personal insights can fill in holes left in the raw data.”
“All right, Sugar…but it’s gonna take a while.”
“Gonna have to put this on hold!” Ashley exclaimed as a loud crashing sound followed by an angry cry rang out from behind the door.
“I think we found our krogan.” Dixie wryly commented.
“I hope someone’s got a good plan…” Twesata remarked, her joking tone contrasting with the worried look on her face as the door began to give way to the ferocious pummeling, “That door isn't gonna take much more of that pounding.”
“That door!” Ashley commanding point to a door on the other side, “Hopefully it’ll lead us either back to the others or more defensible terrain.”
“Good idea.” Salome affirmed as the door gave way even more, the cries and sound of crashing debris from behind it growing even louder.
“I got a feeling those turrets ain’t gonna stop him.” Dixie declared, “But I think I got an idea...just that it won’t work here.”
The door almost caved in, Ashley nodded, “All right. But first, time to get the hell out! Move it!”