Drew Karpyshyn - Retribution

“Why are you even working with a pro-human group?” Kahlee wanted to know.

“We share an interest in Grayson,” Aria admitted. “He betrayed both our organizations.”

“You’re going to kill him!” Kahlee exclaimed.

“That’s the plan,” Sanak replied with a grin.

“You’re crazy if you think I’ll help you!”

“You’d really sacrifice your life — both your lives — to protect Grayson?”

Anderson jumped in before Kahlee had a chance to answer.

“How do we know you won’t just kill us in the end anyway?”

“That’s a chance you’ll have to take,” Aria said with a sly smile.

“I’ll help you on one condition,” Kahlee offered. “I’ll try to bring Grayson in if you promise not to kill him.”

“You don’t get to make conditions,” Aria pointed out.

“Grayson’s smart. You need my cooperation if you want this to work.”

“You’ll cooperate eventually,” Sanak said, and the other batarians laughed knowingly.

“I don’t know what Cerberus told you,” Kahlee continued, ignoring Sanak and speaking directly to

Aria. “But I know they didn’t tell you the whole story. Whatever deal they offered, you’re getting the wrong end of it.”

“Maybe so. But I doubt you can match their offer.”

“You’re right about that,” Kahlee admitted, though Anderson could tell she wasn’t backing down.

“And I don’t know what happened between you and Grayson.

“But all I’m asking is for you to let Grayson tell his side of the story before you make up your mind.

You might be very surprised by what you find out.”

“I’ll think on what you said,” Aria promised. “I suggest you do the same. I’ll send someone for you in one hour to record your message for Grayson.

“Regardless of my decision, it would be in your best interest to cooperate,” she added, her voice so cold it actually sent a shiver down Anderson’s spine.

The Pirate Queen turned on her heel and left the room, her followers trailing along in her wake. The door to the hall slid shut and the familiar red Locked display lit up on the wall panel.

Once they were alone in the room, Kahlee turned to Anderson.

“Just so you know,” she told him, “that was all a bluff. I’m not going to let them hurt you. When Aria comes back, I’m going to do whatever she wants.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Anderson assured her.

“The batarian was right,” Kahlee said with a shake of her head. “In the end I’ll do whatever they want. I might as well cooperate up front and save us both a lot of pain and suffering.”

Anderson knew what kind of person she was. If she was alone, she would have resisted to the bitter end. The fact that he was with her — that he could suffer for her decision — forced her to compromise. But he also knew she wasn’t the type to give up on someone. She was still holding out hope for Grayson.

“You’re still hoping she’ll agree not to kill him,” he said. “You hope Aria will see what Cerberus did and then let you try to help him.”

“I know it sounds crazy. But if you’ve got a better plan, I’m all ears.”

“Why didn’t you tell her everything?” Anderson wondered. “About how Cerberus implanted Grayson with Reaper technology?”

“Do you really think she’d believe me? I saw the research files and I barely believe it myself.

“Besides,” she added. “I figured I better keep a couple of our cards hidden.”

Anderson knew that Kahlee needed him to stay positive. But he couldn’t shake the feeling this wouldn’t end well.

“Even if she says she won’t hurt him,” he warned, “there’s no way to know if she’s telling the truth.”

“I know. But it’s better than nothing. At least I planted the seed. Now I just have to wait and see if it grows.”

There wasn’t much else to say, so they simply sat down on the couch and waited in silence for Aria’s people to return.

As promised, they arrived promptly one hour later to get Kahlee. Anderson had thought Aria might send Sanak; the batarian was obviously one of the alpha dogs in her pack. Instead, she sent the massive krogan and one of the asari twins.

“What did Aria say about Grayson?” Kahlee asked as they came in. “Is she going to take him alive?”

“She’s still considering the offer,” the asari replied. “Have you considered hers? Are you ready to cooperate?”

Kahlee nodded.

“Smart girl,” the krogan growled as he led her out the door.

The half hour it took for them to return were the longest thirty minutes of Anderson’s life. In his head he knew Kahlee was in the same amount of danger whether he was with her or not, but emotionally he felt like he could keep her safe just by staying near her.

When the door finally opened and Kahlee stepped through, she was alone. He jumped up from the couch and rushed over to her.

“What happened? Did they hurt you?”

Physically she seemed unharmed, but he could tell by her face that she was upset.

“I did what they wanted,” she said quietly. “I sent Grayson a message.”

“You had no choice,” Anderson whispered, wrapping his arms around her in a reassuring hug. “You did the right thing.”

“For us,” she whispered. “But what about for him?”

Grayson kept slipping in and out of consciousness as the shuttle drifted aimlessly through space. Every few hours he would suddenly become very tired and the world would slip away. When he awoke, he could never tell how long he had been out. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected the Reapers were behind the blackouts.

Each time his senses returned he quickly checked the shuttle’s navigational equipment to make sure the Reapers hadn’t programmed a new destination into the ship while he was out. Each time he found the vessel’s course unaltered.

It was almost as if they were waiting for something, harboring their strength until the moment was right.

What that moment might be, however, he couldn’t even begin to guess.

The sixth or seventh time he woke up, he saw a blinking light on the shuttle communications console, indicating an incoming message waiting to be heard. But that was impossible. He’d disabled all hailing frequencies; there was no way for someone to contact the shuttle directly. The only way there could be a waiting message was if he had logged in to the comm network … or someone had done it for him.

Suddenly the blackouts made sense — the Reapers were temporarily putting him out so they could use the communications equipment. He briefly wondered why they didn’t simply keep him unconscious.

Based on all the other times they had used him, he suspected they needed him to be awake and alert to function properly. By taking control of his body, they became bound by the limitations of his physical form. If his mind was pushed into an unconscious state, Grayson suspected, his reactions would be slow and clumsy, like a sleepwalker stumbling around in a stupor.

It could also be more taxing on the Reapers themselves. Taking control of his body while he slept could have drained their reserves, which might explain why recently he hadn’t felt them try and reestablish their dominance while he was awake.

If his speculations were true, then he’d learned something new about the alien parasites feeding off him. It might not amount to anything, but the more he understood what was happening to him, the better his chances of fighting it.

The message light was still blinking. His first instinct was to delete it unheard, perhaps thwarting the Reapers’ plans in the process.

It could be important. A tool to use against the enemy.

As he was reaching up to delete it, a new thought popped into his head. Knowledge was his only weapon against the Reapers. If he listened to the message, it might reveal something useful. If he knew what the Reapers were after, they might be easier to stop.