WARNING: This chapter contains some blood and gore. You have been warned.
UPDATE 05/03/15: I'm very sorry, CrystalSeeker. I forgot to mention that one of the characters in this chapter, Brother, is Crystal's own OC. I hope that will suffice. If not, please let me know what more I should do.
"Thought-speak"
Thoughts
Andrew found himself getting bored with all of this waiting. He didn't know how long it would take until he reached his stop, but apparently it was a long time.
Finally he spotted a disturbance in the Slipspace landscape: A spinning dot.
Andrew assumed that it was the exit portal, as his little cable of light connected his bubble and the dot. Slowly, he found out that he was correct; the dot had grown as he got closer and it was identical to the one he had entered the Slipstream(slipspace) in. He also noticed that his protective force field and the towing line were slowly dissolving. He didn't give it any thought, since he was confident his little barrier device would safeguard him.
Soon the two disappeared entirely, and Andrew fell about a foot before landing on an invisible floor with an audible thump.
The teen looked down and was curious to see that wherever his feet touched, the 'ground' glowed. He shrugged and strode to the tear in reality. He held up a hand and slowly stretched it closer...closer...
...Out of nowhere, an immense amount of pain exploded within his skull, causing Andrew to crumple to the ground and clutch his temples, snarling fiercely & vainly trying to ease the pain. Then he felt a massive presence touch his mind. It was awe-inspiring to say the least: It's consciousness was one of undecipherable thoughts and it whirled in every direction. It never stayed still, and it even radiated what felt like emotions, or more like one emotion in particular: Cool, unimaginable calm. In addition to feelings, the being was illuminated by vast intelligence, the likes of which Andrew found mind-boggling.
Suddenly, the presence emitted a loud & high-pitched sound. Andrew redoubled his grip on his head, silently screaming in pain.
All he could hear was the ear-splitting screech, that almighty noise. It sounded like metal being slowly torn apart right next to his ears. Then, through the deafening cacophony, the Peacekeeper heard a booming voice in his head.
The voice was grand and majestic. It boomed through the human's fragile mind like a mountain avalanche.
"So, you are the one..." "The newly-appointed Peacekeeper."
The voice was low and rumbling. It made a sound, almost like a hum of thinking.
"That's strange...I truly did not expect Kaidan to choose such an unlikely candidate, despite his habit for doing so."
Andrew fought back the urge to just break down and sob from the pain, and mustered the will to respond:
"W-Who...who are you?"
"My identity is of no importance to you, nor are my intentions."
Andrew was slightly surprised at the being's tone. It didn't sound threatening, just...flat. Furthermore, he could feel it probing his memories and sifting through them at incredible speeds. Almost as if it was--
"You're a clever Peacekeeper, young one. That is correct, I am examining you."
An involuntary shudder ran down his spine. It was creepy how this thing could read his mind like an open book.
"So, it seems you're also quite an interesting specimen. I sense a great amou--...wait..."
The being paused in whatever it was saying. It sounded like it had noticed something else. Maybe it had discovered Andrew's mission? Maybe it-
"Oh? And what are you doing here, Brother?"
Another presence had invaded Andrew's throbbing head. Its voice sounded a little younger, but its consciousness was terrifying when it made contact.
All he could sense was pure, animalistic evil. It lay at the heart of its being, with veins of sadistic glee and unfathomable hunger snaking everywhere and imprisoning all it touched. But mixed with this black terror was something even scarier:
This being, like its so-called 'brother,' was lit by great wit and intellect, only this one's was infected by the hunger, just like everywhere else in its mind.
Poor Andrew instinctively shrank away, both physically and mentally, in fear of this newcomer.
"Tut tut. I thought you, of all our race, knew better than to establish such meaningless communications with a lower life-form. Shame on you." it said in faux-scolding.
The first one started emitting mild frustration. "And I thought you of all our race knew better than to mess with my personal affairs." it responded.
"Calm down, brother. I am fully aware of that. My curiosity simply got the best of me, that's all."
"If that's true, then why haven't you already left?"
"..."
Andrew sensed the younger of the pair becoming frustrated itself. Abruptly, it swooped in and seized a hold of his mind.
The other one, Brother, was clearly caught off-guard, as it rumbled in surprise and anger.
Theta! What do you think you're doing?!" it demanded.
"This human is the key to saving our race and leading us to a path of redemption!!"
The second, Theta, scoffed. "What am I doing? I'm helping you to open your eyes, you old fool!" "You've gone on preaching about 'redemption' nonsense for long enough."
"Theta, listen to me! That human is--"
"I don't care who he is! He is nothing but a warning to you now:
"Remember your duty to Convergence, or the Brethren will destroy you.
With that, Theta turned its full attention on Andrew. It invaded his mind, forcing its consciousness into every nook and cranny. Then it forced the helpless teenager's body to reach down and deactivate the purple-glowing barrier device.
Once the force field was gone, Andrew immediately started screaming in sheer agony. He could only bear witness as wave after wave of pain racked his body. Without the barrier device on to safeguard him from Slipspace and being unable to move on his own, the eleventh dimension began pounding relentlessly on him.
A white flash of light blinded Andrew, and he found himself in blackness. He was back in control of his limbs somewhat, but he knew this inky darkness was an illusion, as the repeated blows from Slipspace were still very much there.
A glint of silver flashed by the corner of Andrew's vision, and an unseen force carved a gash across his arm. Before he could even cry out, a second laceration appeared on both of his legs. Then another on his chest, on his shoulders, his back, everywhere.
Andrew continued howling into the distance. There was just no way he could do anything to even deter the onslaught, let alone stop it. Blood was cascading down his form in bright-red sheets, and--
"STOP THIS NOW!!!"
Brother's voice sliced through the chaos like a knife through butter.
It was as if time had completely stopped; the cuts and Slipspace beatings had ceased, but the pain still remained. The dark blanket Theta had placed over his eyes faded and he was back in front of the exit portal. Andrew couldn't move, all he could do was lie in his growing pool of blood and struggle to stave off the other blackness that was gathering around the edges of his vision.
He could still sense both of their consciousness pressing on his, but Theta's radiated irritation.
"And why should I?!"
"Because that human is the Peacekeeper." Brother growled. "If you kill him, then you will drive our race to extinction!"
Shock replaced Theta's irritation in an instant. It quickly relinquished control over Andrew's body fully, though its presence remained.
"How can such a lowly life-form be selected as Peacekeeper? That can't be possible."
"The Peacekeeper's symbol burns brightly over him, Gamma. If you weren't so arrogant, maybe you would've seen that before.
Brother scolded Gamma like an older brother would with a guilty sibling.
By now, Theta was filled with guilt and even a tinge of fear. Andrew was confused. "Is the Peacekeeper so powerful that you both know the title?"
"Of course. The Peacekeeper's powers far exceed any of ours." Brother explained.
"Theta here is acting so nervous...
"Am not!"
"...because seven of our brothers made the mistake of forcing the last Peacekeeper to annihilate them all, without mercy."
Andrew's confusion was swapped for awe. The previous Peacekeeper was capable of destroying THESE BEINGS?
"Now...Theta?" Brother's voice had turned menacing, and Theta noticed it.
"Y-Yes?"
"Leave us...NOW." That single command carried so much authority that if Andrew wasn't grievously injured, he would've sprinted right through the portal before him without a second thought. Apparently, it had the same effect on Theta.
"R-Right away!"
And with that, his presence disappeared completely from Andrew's mind. Brother mentally sighed in exasperation. It focused on the limp human. It examined him closely, and emanated a grim note.
I can't fix any of these wounds, but I can slow down the bleeding a bit. it said. The being was silent for a few seconds. Andrew watched in fascination as the lacerations' blood flow slowed from a furious gushing to a steady, gentle stream.
"I can sense two more life-forms beyond this portal that seem willing to help you." Brother continued. "Given your current condition, I doubt you can stand on your own, so I'll send you through myself."
Andrew felt himself get carefully lifted by some unseen force and was eased onto his feet. He wobbled dangerously for a a moment, then just managed to steady his burning legs as he took a step toward the exit. Suddenly, another unseen force swept the barely-conscious human off his portal through the portal.
Instantly, the entire landscape made a dramatic change. He realized right off the bat that he was flying through the air. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, causing Andrew to yell out in panic and flail around pathetically.
He hit the ground roughly, tumbled downwards, and came to rest at the bottom of what he assumed was a grassy hill with his head facing parallel to it. All that jostling had caused his newly-acquired wounds to flare back up angrily. Andrew fought hard to stay awake, but this time he was slowly losing.
He heard noises coming from where he came from, and stopped at his body. His eyesight dimmed and grew watery. Just before it went out altogether a hazy figure stepped into his view. It was some kind of four-legged creature, with a lavender body and purple hair.
It hurried over to his prone figure, and the last thing Andrew heard was a voice, saying "Please don't be dead."
Then unconsciousness overtook him, and he fell back into darkness.