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Echoes of the Past	By : ArcadiaJones Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 6854 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or ideas of Mass Effect. I am not making any money writing this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Ransom
- 2-Ambush
- 3-Hunt
- 4-Memories
- 5-Hunt
- 6-Rescue
- 7-Escape
- 8-Healing
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter Five
Hunt

Shepard bit her tongue to keep from screaming as the whip connected with her bare flesh yet again. Blood filled her mouth, dripped from the dozens of gashes littering her body. She was beginning to feel light headed and wished she could just pass out already. Not that it would matter; the moment she lost consciousness, her batarian torturers would be there with a bucket of cold water or a jolt of electricity to bring her back around.

Behind the batarian with the whip, Anu’ok watched with that damn smug look on his ugly face. Shepard could only see him through one eye—since the other had swollen over—but she made sure that every time she saw him, that eye was filled with all that hate that festered in her soul.

The whip was brought down another three times across the tattered skin of her back before Anu’ok raised his hand for the merc to stop. Brimming with pride and self-worth, he sauntered up to her, surveying his torturer’s work. To Shepard, it seemed his eyes lingered a little too long in certain places.

“So why is it that your lover wasn’t with you? Does he send you out to fight his battles?”

Shepard spat a wad of saliva and blood at him, striking his uppermost left eye. The mercs behind him tensed up and started forward—halting when Anu’ok raised his hand once more. Casually, he wiped the spit from his face, moving to stand behind her dangling form. She tried to turn towards him, but the pain in her arms was too much. She shuddered as his hands came to rest on her hips, partly from the pure revulsion of the feeling and partly from the pain his touch caused her many wounds.

“For a human, you have a beautiful body, Shepard.” His hands moved lower, resting on the torn fabric of her boxers. “I find myself fascinated by human females, actually. Your skin is so smooth, so soft…you all just look so fragile.” His hands continued to move, this time dipping down into the front of her boxers.
Panicking, Shepard let out a low growl and tried to struggle away from him.

“I’ve always wondered if fucking a human would be the same as fucking a batarian. Would you like to help me sate my curiosity, Shepard? I can think of no better candidate.”

Cold fear gripped her. It finally dawned on her that she was completely at his mercy. Physical pain she could handle; could take until her body was nothing but blood and bruise. But if he went through with his idea, Shepard wasn’t sure if she could handle such an intimate invasion.

Anu’ok sensed her fear, and reveled in it. He pulled Shepard’s body close, delving his hands even deeper downwards until his fingers hit a patch of velvety hair. He moved slowly on purpose, wanting to feel the terror build in his hapless captive; wanting to watch as her spirit broke in bitter despair.

Shepard closed her good eye tightly, fighting back a torrent of tears. She couldn’t give this bastard that satisfaction. Instead, she focused her thoughts on one face, letting her heart fill with the love she had found in his strong arms.

“Thane…”

Thane watched from the back of the room as Garrus and Tali explained their predicament to the asari information broker Liara T’Soni. He had met the woman before, but had no interest in talking just now. He trusted Garrus’s word that the asari could help them, but there was really nothing he could add to the conversation that the other two didn’t already know. But he did wish they would hurry up. Liara might be one of the best information brokers alive, but even Thane knew that it would take some time for her to find what they needed.

Thane…

He jolted forward, heartbeat accelerating. Was that…?

Help…

He was sure of it. Somehow, he could hear Shepard, wherever she was. Closing his eyes, Thane concentrated on the lingering murmur of the voice. There was no way to explain why he could feel her, but he got a faint trace of a biotic pathway reaching out many, many miles away. Mentally, Thane grabbed a hold of this link, sending his own thoughts down it, praying that they would reach her.

Siha? Where are you?

…Thane?

Thane nearly fell to his knees, tears flooding from his eyes.

Siha…do you know where you are?

I…I don’t…

Nevermind. Are you safe?

There was a sob from the other side of the link; Thane felt his heart break.

Be strong, siha. I will find you.

Thane…

The link faded a moment later, though Thane could still feel something pulling at his mind. Silent as death, he slipped out of Liara’s office and headed back into Illium’s marketplace. He closed his eyes once more, concentrating on the weakened link. Wherever Shepard was, it was far. But he got the feeling that she was on this world.

He still had a few contacts on Illium, and that was where he would start. Looking back towards Liara’s office, he bowed slightly in farewell. Thane felt a little guilty leaving his partners behind, but there was little time to waste. And so long as he was alone, his battle-sleep might help him to locate his lover. If he died trying to rescue her, then so be it. He would have at least carved the path for Garrus and Tali to follow.

“There are several Black Heart bases in this system alone. But there is little information as to where their main base is located. This could be because they never work directly from it, or because they are too small of a group to make it onto the main mercenary scene.” Liara scanned the multiple screens in front her, soaking up more information than any normal person could dream of comprehending at any one time.

“But what does that mean for us?” Garrus asked edgily, leaning forward as he tried to get a look at one of her monitors.

“It means that I can find a few good places to start searching, but I can’t tell you for sure where Shepard’s being kept. I’m sorry, Garrus. You know I wish I could do more.”

He slammed his fist on her desk. “That’s not good enough! We have no idea where Shepard is or how long these bastards will want to keep her alive! I won’t lose her this way, Liara!”

The asari laid a calming hand on his arm, her teal eyes sharing his pain and anger despite her calm appearance. “I know. Tali, where did you say you traced the letter to?”

“I traced the sender here. I assumed that they would only be using this place as a go-between.”

“Perhaps not,” Liara murmured, pulling up yet another page of scrolling data. “There is definitely a base situated here on Illium. I believe that is your best bet.”

“But who would be so stupid? Sending out a ransom message from the same base they’re centered at?”

Liara looked up at her with a sly grin. “If we overlooked it, then would that not make us stupid? Perhaps they did something so obvious in the hopes that we wouldn’t believe it was true. It wouldn’t be the first time such a stunt was pulled.”

Garrus nodded his consent, though Tali still seemed unsure.

“Give us the coordinates and we’ll head there straightaway,” he said.

“All right, just give me a few moments…”

It was then that Tali happened to turn slightly, finally noticing that Thane was no longer with them. She quickly reached over and shook Garrus’s arm, pointing to the wall where the drell had been leaning.

“What?! Where the hell did he go?!”

“How would I know?” she snapped. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been here with you the whole time!”

Garrus cursed under his breath. He should have known that the assassin would do something stupid like this. Now their team was weaker, and when they did find the mercenary hideout, chances were good that—if he could find the place—he would be late and they would be down one strong sniper.

Whatever. If the stupid man wanted to throw his life away rather than exercise a little more patience, then so be it. Garrus would make sure that Shepard was brought home safely.

It took less than an hour for Thane to find the location of the mercenary base and another two to reach it. Four days had passed since Shepard’s kidnapping, and he knew that time was swiftly running out. But he also knew that he was heading in the right direction, because the further he traveled, the stronger the biotic link seemed to grow. Thane hadn’t heard from her again since the first contact, which made him worry. He had to force himself to suppress his fears; they were only slowing him down.

He had taken a speeder to the seedier edges of Nos Astra, where all the shakedowns and drug deals took place. All around, a tough sort thrived in the unforgiving streets. Thane’s contact had pinpointed the group’s location to a large warehouse complex on the western side of the slums.

He parked his speeder a few blocks away from his destination so as not to draw too much attention. The rest of this mission would rely on his feet, which was for the best anyways as Thane was always stealthier when unencumbered. He checked to make sure that his assault rifle and pistol were safely secured in their rightful holsters (the sniper rifle wouldn’t help him much here; not for what he was planning).

It took just a few minutes to arrive at the complex’s dilapidated entrance. It was obvious that the group wanted their place to look abandoned rather than take the time to fortify its defenses, but that didn’t mean he could drop his guard just yet. There was no telling what they might have hidden here.

The comm link in his ear beeped yet again. Thane sighed; if he continued to ignore them, then chances were good that they would find a way to blow his cover when he started inside. Moving behind a nearby building, he opened the channel.

“What is it?” he whispered into the mic.

“Thane! It’s about damn time you answered!” Garrus was fuming.

“Speak your peace or I will shut you off again.”

“Liara found us the location of their base here on Illium.”

“I am there now.”

“Then wait for us! We’ll be there in five minutes.”

“Then you’ll be five minutes behind me.”

“Thane! Don’t throw your life away for pride! Let us help you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You are not the only one who cares about her, Thane! Shepard is a part of us all, and I’ll be damned if you compromise this mission just because you can’t get your selfish head out of your ass long enough to realize that! Now sit down for another three goddamn minutes and we can do this together!”

Thane grinned despite himself. The turian could be quite convincing when he had a mind to. It was maddening to stand around when he knew that his siha was so close, but Garrus was right. Things would probably go a lot smoother if they worked as a team.

Siha… he whispered down the link. Siha…hold on just a little longer.

Th…Thane…

Gods, but it was good to hear her voice, even if it was distorted and weak.

Thane…I need…to ask…

What is it?

Don’t…don’t kill him…

His eyes widened. She could only be speaking of her captor; why would she wish to spare his life? The question seemed to have transferred down the line, because Shepard answered him:

He’s mine…I will tear his heart out myself…don’t kill him…

The link faded, leaving Thane’s heart even more broken. The tone of her thoughts—her desire—sounded just like he had, all those years ago. Had they managed to break her? Had…they…

Silently, he apologized to his lover, because he wasn’t sure if he could keep that promise. If the worst had come to pass, the bastards who had put her in this position would suffer at his hands. There was no compromise for that.
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Echoes of the Past