//------------------------------// // Berkenstein - Snag // Story: Mass Effect: Element of Kindness // by CommanderApplejack //------------------------------// Dark warnig Chapter 54 Berkenstein - Snag Stick it out 50% 'I'll manage it, get into the vault.' Garrus wasn’t exactly reassured by the message. For one, the previous one had hints of desperation in it. Secondly, the way Fluttershy’s eyes were darting about were a good indication that she was staving off panic. The worst thing about it was that he couldn’t even say anything to comfort her without alerting the bodyguards around him. “Got it, I’ve just found a way into Hock’s private quarters. I’ll quickly get some DNA from the usual places and get back to the party. Just give us some more time, Fluttershy. You’re doing great,” Kasumi reported over the radio, something that surprised him very much as the human had just been among the other guests. How the hell did she get in there without me noticing that she’d left?! Knowing that asking would be pointless as Kasumi would probably reply with some vague bullshit answer, he turned his attention back to Fluttershy. The longer Garrus looked at all the guests that were studying Fluttershy the angrier he got. They were studying his girl as if she were nothing more than something to be bought and sold. His mandibles were grinding against the carapace of his face in anger as he tried to keep his decorum. “I’ve got a sufficient sample. Now we just have to find the password and the power switch for the barrier.” Fluttershy, meanwhile, only seemed to become paler as one of the guests came awfully close to the bubble and lit her omni-tool, allowing her hand to pass through the stasis field undisturbed and stroked the pegasus’ wing. This was the final straw for the pegasus as she finally fell into the panic that had been building ever since she’d been put on display. “Crap,” Garrus simply said as he brought up his omni-tool. This was going to snowball out of hand incredibly quickly. More of the bodyguards walked up to the balcony to see what the commotion downstairs was about, to see if their charges were in danger, and finding that the source of the ruckus was the pegasus trying to escape from the stasis bubble. The moment Garrus’ call connected to the network it was picked up by the person the turian was trying to reach. “Garrus? Where the hell are you and Fluttershy? I’ve been looking for the two of you for a while now!” Shepard said, sounding severely annoyed. Garrus, yet to be detected, thought up a way to talk to Shepard without attracting too much attention to himself. “Ah yes, sorry dear, there was a last minute job my new employer needed me for. Though there seems to be a snag that’s going to make it so that I probably won’t be home any time soon,” Garrus told the commander who immediately picked up on the fact the turian was in a sticky situation. “Where are you, and how bad is the situation?” Shepard asked. Garrus immediately sent the planetary coordinates through to him. “You know that person our mutual friend met just before our last trip? She had a job I couldn’t refuse. Oh, before I forget, can you gather the kids? I was supposed to go do some exercises with them, and I don’t want them to skip while I’m gone.” “Alright, I’m calling back the crew of the Normandy, and we’ll be right on our way to your location. What kind of resistance will we face and how long do you have?” “They can take the regular obstacles and make sure they don’t start skipping them after something like five to ten minutes,” Garrus replied as Fluttershy was making progress in her attempt at getting out of the bubble. Half her body was already out of it by this point. A couple of Hock’s guards were charging to her before she got out completely. “Ok, last question. Can you avoid capture?” Shepard asked with grave concern. “Maybe, but the chances right now seem to be against us,” Garrus admitted. “I’ll call you in how long, dear?” “We’ll be there in about three hours. Berkenstein is relatively close to the Citadel after all. Good luck, Garrus.” “Same to you. Bye,” Garrus cut the connection and returned his focus to Fluttershy. His mate had escaped from the bubble and was now being held down by a group of guards. Judging by the lack of flying humans Fluttershy had yet to figure out how to use her biotics without the amp. “Miss Gunn, we have a situation up here,” “I’ve seen it. The security office was empty so I got the password for the vault from there as well,” Kasumi replied, putting Garrus on edge again with her warped priorities. “Ma’am, I’m not going to take any risks with a forming situation,” Garrus nearly growled back. The turian turned and wanted to walk to the stairs leading to the ground floor but stopped as he came face to face with a human he had not expected to see there. “Harkin?” The bald human looked surprised for a moment as well, but that expression changed to one of disdain very quickly. “Vakarian.” The former C-Sec officer immediately recognized his former colleague, and was not pleased to see the turian. “GET HIM! HE’S C-SEC!” Garrus wasn’t even given the time to react as the two nearest bodyguards slammed into him and pinned him down. Within seconds the turian was completely immobilized and held at gunpoint by Harkin. “What’s going on here?” a new voice asked. Everyone turned to look at the source of the authoritative voice. Donovan Hock stood at the top of the stairs, looking like he was about to blow a gasket. “You have a C-Sec infiltrator here, Garrus Vakarian. He’s an old colleague of mine,” Harkin said as he looked back at Garrus, his finger putting more and more pressure on the trigger. “Mister Harkin, if you kill this infiltrator here, you’ll take his place on the interrogation chair,” Hock threatened. Harkin went slightly pale and immediately backed off. “Good choice. Now could the two of you please knock him out?” The last thing Garrus saw before blacking out was a fist impacting his face. The world was entirely dark as Garrus came around again with a blindfold tightly bound over his eyes. Moving his arms or legs was also not possible as they seemed to be chained to the chair that he was seated on. “I see you’re finally awake. I was almost afraid I would have to spend the entire day having fun with that pegasus,” a voice snarled, one that Garrus immediately recognized as belonging to Hock. He didn’t dignify the crime boss’ stab with a response. The blindfold was ripped off of Garrus’ head, a blinding light then shining into his eyes. As his eyes adjusted he found Hock standing in front of him with one of Fluttershy’s large primary feathers in his hands. “She’s quite resilient you know, it took me almost an hour before she finally admitted that she could talk as well.” “Fuck you,” Almost an hour, Shepard is at worst two hours out. “Oh, that’s just rude. Although if you want to, it can be arranged for that bitch of a pony. Also, don’t worry about her. She’s still alive. I want her to be in top condition before I stuff her. Can’t have a bruised and battered pony on display to add to my collection, can I?” Hock said darkly as he grabbed a metal pin and twirled it around his fingers. “You know, at first I was just going to question you and miss Gunn, but when I found out my vault had been broken into and a particular grey box was stolen, my plans changed.” Hock slowly circled the bound turian and let the large primary brush over Garrus’ outer carapace. “There’s this interesting thing when considering torture, all the different species around the galaxy, all having certain weaknesses. Salarians, for example, abhor hot irons. Their skin is terribly suited for hot metal objects.” Garrus felt a shiver go up his spine as Hock continued giving his monologue,”Krogans are the most fun since they’re so durable that you can experiment with them for a while before they expire.” Hock stood still in front of Garrus and looked him straight in the eyes, a scowl etched on his face. “Do you want to know what turians can’t stand?” the crime boss asked with a dangerous undertone to his voice. “Electricity.” In a single smooth swing, Hock buried the metal pin into Garrus’ thigh. The turian let out a scream of anguish as the pin pierced his muscle and stayed stuck in there. “That lovely carapace of yours conducts the flow of electricity all throughout your body, making it much more painful for you than it would be for any other species.” Hock, in another smooth motion, picked up a second pin and rammed it into the other thigh. Another scream. “Had you not aided Kasumi Goto in her endeavor to steal from me I might have considered in giving you a merciful death,” Hock attached two clamps to the pins stuck in Garrus’ legs, wires running from them to a port in the wall. The crime boss turned a dial and put his hand on a switch and jammed it down. The buzz of electricity went through the room as Garrus’ entire body seized up, agonizing pain shooting through him. Yet the sweet embrace of unconsciousness would elude him. Fluttershy cried as she tried moving her legs and wings for the hundredth time. The ropes that held her still not budging as they were simply too well bound. The crime boss had just left after hearing Garrus had woken up. She was laying on her back on Hock’s bed, her forelegs bound in front of her while her back legs were tied to the corners of the bed. Her wings were spread out to the side, also firmly tied to the bed. And lastly was the collar that was attached to the top of the bed that prevented her from sliding down to slacken the ropes on her wings and legs. The pegasus tried keeping those wings as still as possible, the horrible human had left needles sticking out of them around the joints, making any movement extremely painful. Something Hock had made effective use of when he was giving her ‘special attention’. The sound of someone moving made Fluttershy jump in fear, and a black and grey clothed female appeared from nowhere. A jot of pain from her wing joints went through her body as the little movement had already been enough to grind them against the bones. “Hey, lay still,” she said as she put down her hood. Kasumi carefully pulled out all the needles, undid the rope, and unbuckled the collar. Tears rolled from Fluttershy’s eyes as she slowly folded her mangled wings, feathers lay strewn around the bed from being pulled out one by one.  Looking up at the Japanese lady gave her mixed feelings, on one hoof she had returned for her. On the other, she was the reason that she’d gone through all this pain. 1. Do you know where Garrus is? 2. Go away. I’ll find Garrus myself. 3. [Attack Kasumi. She’s to blame for this.] [Vote link]