Drew Karpyshyn - Retribution

She stepped back and the Illusive Man leaned forward once more. His face was hovering mere inches above Grayson’s own.

“The survival of our race depends on this. And I chose you for this … honor.”

The hint of a smile, cruel and knowing, crept across the Illusive Man’s features. Grayson peeled back his lips and tried to spit through his teeth into his tormentor’s face. But his mouth was too dry, and all that came out was a hiss of air.

The Illusive Man leaned back and the overhead light snapped on again, forcing Grayson to shut his eyes once more.

Stop playing his games. If the light goes off again, keep your damn eyes closed.

He heard the sharp click of a metal case snapping shut, then the unmistakable flick of a lighter followed by a long inhalation of breath as the Illusive Man lit a cigarette.

“I know you hate me, Grayson,” the Illusive Man continued, somehow managing to sound hurt. “But I don’t hate you. That’s why I’m going to explain what we’re doing. At least you’ll be able to appreciate your contribution to the salvation of our species.

“Have you ever heard of the Reapers?”

The question hung in the air. Cigarette smoke curled into Grayson’s nostrils and crept down his throat, causing him to cough once.

The overhead light went off, but Grayson didn’t fall for the bait this time. He braced himself, expecting to feel a hard slap across the face for his defiance, or maybe the tip of the Illusive Man’s cigarette burning into his flesh.

When no punishment came, Grayson realized his enemy had no need of such crude methods. The

Illusive Man had absolute power over him, and they both knew it. Petty tortures would only trivialize the situation, lowering the Illusive Man from the position of omnipotent god to pathetic despot.

“No, of course you haven’t heard of them,” the Illusive Man continued. “Knowledge of the Reapers has been buried for fear of causing a panic. But I know you’re familiar with the Collectors, at least by reputation.”

Grayson had never actually seen a Collector, but he’d heard plenty of stories. A reclusive race of insectlike humanoids, they were said to come from a world somewhere beyond the Terminus Systems’

Omega 4 relay. Spoken of with fear and even reverence by the residents of the Omega space station, the tales told of the Collectors offering extravagant payments in exchange for very specific, and often bizarre, requests.

Their demands always involved the trafficking of live victims, but they were more than just common slavers. They wanted only individuals that matched very precise characteristics: a salarian clan mother with different-colored eyes, or a pureblood asari matron between the ages of two and three hundred.

The residents of Omega had regarded the prospect of striking a deal with the Collectors as akin to winning the lottery: a rare occurrence that would result in untold riches for anyone fortunate enough to cash in. Few of them ever bothered to imagine what it was like for the victims taken away.

Most believed the Collectors used them as subjects for genetic experimentation. But nobody really knew for sure; any non-Collector vessel passing through the Omega 4 relay vanished forever.

A few years ago, or so the rumors claimed, the Collectors had taken a particular interest in humans.

Grayson himself had nearly been sold to them after being betrayed by Pel, his ex-partner. Fortunately, he’d managed to escape before the Collectors arrived, eliminating Pel in the process.

This time you won’t be so lucky. The Illusive Man’s made a deal with the Collectors. They’re giving him some kind of advanced technology in exchange for you.

On the surface it seemed a logical conclusion, but Grayson quickly realized it didn’t make sense. The Illusive Man would never agree to give a mysterious alien species human test subjects so they could learn the vulnerabilities of the entire race. It violated everything Cerberus stood for and believed in.

“The Collectors were agents of the Reapers,” the Illusive Man explained. “A slave species under the total control of their masters. Everything they did, every strange request they made, was to satisfy the orders of the Reapers.

“They are the true enemy. A race of synthetic organisms — machines — that want to destroy or subjugate all organic life. And now they’re targeting humans.”

He paused as if he expected some kind of reaction from Grayson. It was almost as if he’d forgotten this was a one-sided conversation with a bound and silenced listener.

“We need to study the Reapers. Learn more about their strengths and weaknesses so we can strike back at them. You’re going to give us that opportunity.”

“We’re ready to begin.”

The female voice emanated from somewhere off to Grayson’s right. With his eyes still closed he had no way to be sure, but he assumed it was the woman he had seen earlier.

There was a high-pitched whine of a powerful machine revving up, and a few seconds later Grayson’s world exploded as his body was racked with a powerful electrical current. His muscles went into spasm, causing his back to arch and his limbs to strain against his bonds with such force the straps bit into his skin and drew blood.

The current cut off suddenly and Grayson went limp. Every nerve in his body was still on fire; it felt like his skin was peeling away to reveal the muscle and tendons beneath. But despite the agonizing pain his body remained absolutely still; he wasn’t even able to scream — completely paralyzed, yet fully conscious and aware.

“We have to replicate the procedures of the Collectors as closely as possible,” the Illusive Man explained. “I’m afraid this is going to be … unpleasant.”

He felt thumbs on his eyelids, lifting them open. With Grayson unable to control his muscles, they stayed that way, staring up into the excruciating brightness of the operating lamp. The silhouette of the female scientist momentarily blocked it out as she leaned over him to remove the strap from his chin. She opened his jaw and forced a long, flexible tube deep down his throat before stepping away, leaving him to be blinded by the light again.

“The Collectors implanted their victims with cybernetic Reaper technology. This allows the Reapers to communicate with and eventually dominate the organic host, even from across the galaxy.”

The tube in Grayson’s throat began to pulse as some type of viscous fluid was siphoned down into his stomach.

“Their technology is incredible,” the Illusive Man continued. “Are you familiar with quantum entanglement? No, probably not. It’s a complex field of study.

“Basically, there are particles in the universe that share certain complementary properties. If one has a positive charge, the other has a negative charge. Reverse the charge on one particle, and the other also reverses instantly, even if the particles are thousands of light-years apart.

“Humanity explored the phenomenon throughout the twenty-first century, but the cost of identifying and creating the particles was astronomical. In the end, the field was abandoned as impractical.

“But the Reaper technology we recovered from the Collectors is far more advanced. They’ve combined entangled particles with self-replicating nanotechnology, allowing them to infect, transform, and dominate organic hosts even while they’re trapped in dark space.”

Someone peeled the electrodes back from Grayson’s skull; he felt them pulling at the skin as they were removed. Then he felt the sharp prick of a heavy-bore needle against each temple. There was an unbearable pressure as the needles burrowed into the soft tissue, penetrated beneath the skull, and finally buried themselves deep inside his brain.