Screeching

Title: Her Screech
Fandom: Mass Effect
Characters: Dexter Aksamit, Keira Shepard, Artemis Shepard, Samara
Pairing: N/A
Ratings: T+
Warnings: Spooks and Banshees
Author Notes: Just a test for something I'm working on. Want to see if I can write suspense or not.

Dexter looked at the holopad in his hand as the shuttle jostled into the atmosphere. Reading up on the mission brief as they neared the Asari monastery. Hours before, he was debriefed by Anderson and Admiral Hackett about missing Asari commandos. Liara walked in moments later to inform them that the commandos were sent into an Asari monastery while investigating a weird signal. Liara tried her best to inform them of what she knew but seemed strange. He looked over at his cousin, Artemis, who was also reading a holopad. Liara seemed insistent on Artemis reading it and, going by the grim look on her face, it probably wasn't anything he wanted to hear.

"So what's that say?" He asked, setting his holopad down next to him. Artemis didn't respond at first but then looked up at him.

"So Liara wasn't wrong about the Asari High Command holding back information. This says the monastery the commandos went to is for Ardat-Yakshi." She said, looking forlorn.

"Ardat-Yakshi… those are the super powerful Asari you ran into with Cerberus, yeah?" Keira, Dexter's other cousin, asked as she stood between them.

"Kind of." Dexter murmured. "Samara said Mornith was obsessed with death and said her other daughters weren't like that. I think she mentioned there was a place like rehabilitation centers for them."

"Yeah, Liara says that here too." Artemis chimed. "She says that the ones here just want to live peaceful lives and purposely sought to isolate themselves."

"Probably to make sure they don't end up like Mornith." Dexter continued.

"How many of them are there?" Keira asked.

"I think Samara said there were two – both are her daughters too." He replied. Both his cousins stared at him for a moment. Artemis looked down at the holopad and Keira sighed.

"That's rough." She frowned.

"You're telling me." He muttered.

The shuttle jostled once more as the roar of engines could be heard. Dexter knew it was the shuttle landing. Cortez's voice could be heard a moment later, confirming that they had landed at the monastery. Looking over their equipment once more, the three left the vehicle. As soon as their feet hit the ground, Cortez had left. The large arches of the Asari architecture looked over them. Quiet settled between them uneasily. All that could be heard was the wind as it blew past them making whistling noises.

With a once over, and making sure nothing was around them, the three moved into the building. They all had their guns drawn ahead of them. Keeping their sights clear as they walked through the unlocked door. On the other side was a disabled elevator.

"Looks like someone wants to keep something in." Keira commented.

"Or out…?" Artemis added.

Without saying anything, Dexter leapt across to the platform and climbed down the ladder beneath it. His cousins followed as they made their way down the elevator shaft. When Dexter got down the first ladder, he flicked on his flashlight. He moved towards the next ladder as he heard Keira following him. He peered down to see what was below them when there was a strange scream in the distance. All three froze. Dexter faced his fair deal of bizarre things but this just made his blood run cold. He tried not to show it, more so when he saw the perturbed expressions his cousins had.

"Come on, it's probably the wind again." He said. "Creepy winds in the mountains and all that crap."

"Oh I knew Liara should've joined us." Artemis grumbled as she followed Dexter and Keira.

"Come on, maybe someone can fill us in on whatever's going on." Keira said.

They slid down the ladder and onto another platform. Like before, both his cousins followed him as Dexter leapt through the open elevator door. Once in the hallway he looked around, waiting for his cousins to catch up.

The darkness made it hard to see and the brightness of their flashlights did so much. Three beams of light looking around seeing thrown benches and ruined foliage. The hallway turned out to be more of an atrium. Dexter could see some natural light on the other side of what looked like a window. There was broken glass and objects scattered around. As the three moved in, there was a sound of something being kicked.

"What was that?" Artemis asked, sounding spooked.

"Come on, Missy, you can't be spooked that easily." Dexter said as he looked around carefully. "You did break into the Shadow Broker's ship and see horrific shit there."

"Sure but this is different!" She whispered back. "You didn't read about what these Ardat-Yakshi can do."

"I did help kill one." He retorted. "Think of it like one of those games you play. Whatever we find probably won't kill us.*

"No but something might try to…" She mumbled.

"Just stay close to us and you'll be fine." Keira said. "If it's something bad, Dex'll headbutt it again."

Dexter heard Artemis giggle a little as they continued to move across the room. Faint glows of light could be seen from thrown monitors and holopads strewn across the room. Glass reflecting off the flashlights the three had. There was a loud crack behind him and he swerved to point his gun at Keira. She nearly yelped from the response.

"It's me, you idiot!" She said, thankful he just spun to stare at her. Albeit with his gun drawn towards her, but grateful he didn't fire it. She had stepped on the loose shards of glass nearby and, after seeing it on the ground, Dexter turned back around.

"Be careful where you step." He grumbled.

He heard Keira mumble something but paid little attention as he went into the next room. The room looked trashed like the atrium they had been in. Seeing that there wasn't anything of mention in the office space, he turned around to continue looking around the atrium once more. He looked at his cousins.

"We'll cover more ground if we split up." He said. "Try to mind where you walk."

"Or you'll shoot me." Keira huffed.

"I'd be more worried about Artemis shooting you." He said. "I've seen her play those FPS games. She's gonna shoot before she thinks."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Artemis sighed.

"Keep within eyesight." He continued. "Whistle if you find something."

The two nodded and did as he asked. Their flashlights flickered up to the ceiling and the second floor balcony as he continued his way through the room. He found a couple locked doors as he made his way towards a corner. Finding nothing, he made his way towards the other corner and found spatters of blood on the floor. A pair of dead Asari laying in a shallow pool of their own blood. He whistled and as his cousins joined them, leaned down to swipe over them with his omni-tool.

"They haven't been dead for long." He said. "Looks like rigor mortis hasn't set in either." He dabbed his fingers into the blood and rubbed two of them between his thumb. "Blood hasn't dried either, this is fresh."

Artemis was hunched over the second body and came to the same conclusion. She pushed the dead Asari onto her back so Artemis could see her face and aimed her flashlight at the one Dexter was looking at.

"I think that's the captain of this squad." She said. "This place is out of the way, why would the Reapers come here?"

"Probably think they can turn them to their side? Your guess is as good as mine." He said as he got to his feet. Keira had picked up the holopad next to the Asari captain and was reading it.

"This has a map with a bomb." She said before Dexter could ask.

"High Command did want this place to be destroyed." Artemis said. "Maybe that's what the commandos were up to before they were killed."

"According to the map, it's in a place called the Great Hall." Keira continued.

"Not an enviable call to make but I get it. Risk the few to save the many." Dexter said as he walked past the bodies. "Let's get going to the Great Hall then."

"Uploaded the map to your omni-tools." Keira said as she walked towards him, Artemis trailing after her. Artemis looked back at the Asari for a moment before following after her cousins.

They made their way through the adjacent hallway. Then entered another one. Their flashlights seemed redundant in the natural light from the moon outside. Windows greeted them and helped to light their way as the three continued on their way. Keira paused to see what was outside and rejoined the others. It looked like an eccentrically built courtyard with arches in the middle of it. Artemis bypassed the lock on the door.

Dexter gritted his teeth as he waited for Artemis. It was too quiet and that was unnerving. The dead bodies and that scream from earlier made him wonder if there were any survivors. They hadn't come across a dead body – aside from the commandos.

"All right, let's go." The young woman said as the door opened.

There was a warped sound that reverberated through the walls. Dexter peered over the balcony in front of him to see a familiar face standing over a Husk. He felt a relief to the tension he had been holding onto moments before as he looked at Samara.

"I almost didn't hear you." She said greeting him.

"I told you before, it's the boots. Soldiers wanna be heard when they're rushing to their enemies." He chuckled, lowering his weapon. He turned to his cousins and nodded at the Asari Justiciar.

"It's been some time, Commander." Samara said as warmly as she could. "You're a most welcome sight." Dexter nodded back at her and heard Artemis coughing next to him.

"Artemis, Keira, this is Samara." He said, introducing them. "Samara, these are my cousins I told you about."

"An Asari Justiciar, huh?" Artemis chuckled mischievously. "Talk about badass."

"Are you here to deal with the Ardat-Yakshi?" Keira asked bluntly.

"I came here to see if my daughters were all right." Samara replied. She looked at the ground for a moment. "Unfortunately, the Reapers had already infested this place by the time I arrived."

"Let's search together. Maybe your daughters can clue us in on why the Reapers are here." Dexter asked.

"I suspect they will have much to tell us." Samara said, turning to look out the window behind her. "It has been centuries since I last saw them." Before either could reply, another scream could be heard somewhere nearby. Whatever it was, was close.

"Samara, I know you work better alone but humor me and let one of us go with you." Dexter said. "Keira and Artemis can handle themselves as well as the both of us."

"I'll go!" Artemis blurted before the Justiciar could reply. Dexter looked at her for a moment and nodded. He looked over at the Asari below them. They shared a look before she nodded as well and Dexter looked back at Artemis.

"Be careful, Missy." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If anything happens, let us know and we'll come right over."

"Okay, dad." Artemis chuckled. Dexter looked at her for a moment before taking his hand back.

"Same goes for you, Samara." He said, turning to her. "I'm more than well aware that you can handle yourself but if things go south…"

"You'll be the first to know." Samara said. She watched as Artemis swung herself over the balcony and onto the floor below. She jogged towards the Justiciar with a beaming smile.

"Lead the way." She said as she looked at Samara.

"We'll meet up at the Great Hall." Dexter said. "Artemis can lead you there if needed."

Artemis watched as Dexter and Keira walked off. She felt a pang of regret at deciding to go with the Asari but maybe this wouldn't be as bad as she imagined. She heard a low hum and looked over at Samara glowing blue.

"We'll distract them while your cousins search for survivors." Samara explained. "Let me take their attention and you try to pick them off."

"Y-yes ma'am." Artemis nodded as she followed after her.

She felt her heart racing. The screams echoed louder and louder. Artemis couldn't help but think of a banshee from some old stories she used to read. Sorrowful women who were rejected by their own love and just haunted men by wailing. She gripped her rifle tightly in her hands. Her mind racing with whatever they might face.

"Dexter talked a lot about you and your other cousin." Samara said. "He missed you both quite a lot."

"We missed him too." Artemis replied. "The world wasn't the same without his grumpy ass around." She paused for a moment. "He's a lot different than he used to be, however. Before he died, he was grumpy with everyone. Now he seems more… mellowed out."

"Going to the center of the galaxy and back does put this in perspective." Samara said.

There was another loud scream and the sound of gunfire. Artemis stopped in her tracks for a moment as she looked over to where the noise came from. She felt that panic and uncertainty draw over her again and attempted to push it away. She knew better than to doubt Dexter or Keira. They could both kick ass for one. She looked over to see where Samara was and was greeted by her cold expression. Dex knew how to find the friendliest people.

"Sorry, let's get going." She said to Samara. "I know I shouldn't be worried but…"

"It's something to hold onto." Samara replied. "Worry keeps you alive and will help you reunite with your cousins. Let's get going."

Artemis stared at her for a second and followed after her. The way Liara talked about Samara was one thing but getting to meet her was another. Liara made her sound so cold, standoffish, and very hard lines by her Justiciar Code. Dexter described Samara as someone that didn't seem too different from himself, honestly. But getting to interact with her herself, Artemis wondered if Liara had described Samara that way because of how Justicars are viewed to her people… Another scream tore through the air.

"They're up ahead." Samara said and she turned to look at Artemis. "Let me take their attention." She reiterated.

Artemis simply nodded and let Samara take the lead. They stopped at a door, Artemis leaned against the side next to it. She held her rifle close, pointing it towards the ground as she looked at the Asari. Without saying anything, Samara walked through the doorway. She glowed a blue hue as she readied herself for the fight. Artemis counted to three, hearing screeches and banging noises. She turned to face the room only to see that Samara had beaten the Husks with little effort.

"Show off." Artemis frowned as Samara looked at her.

The Justicar opened her mouth to reply when another screech sounded nearby. They both grasped at their ears, trying to muffle to piercing noise. Artemis saw a blue burst of energy flying towards them then a monstrous creature formed in its place. She felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at the bizarre husk. It looked lanky, its jaw opened as if it was unable to close it itself. Her brain told her it was an Asari. Its feminine form and tendrils on its head made the suggestion. Pale skin, tubes coming out of its neck, legs, and arms, and the pale lights around its body and piercing eyes.

Artemis couldn't move. She could hear a voice screaming at her to run. Run back to Dexter and Keira. There was a clatter next to her but it didn't register. She started to back up as the monster stalked towards her. Another voice rang through the muffled silence. Artemis felt her pulse quicken as she backed away. Her breathing had stopped. Maybe in a poor attempt to hide herself from the monster. She heard her name a few more times but she couldn't pull her eyes away from the monster. She finally heard the voice in her head telling her to run though. She spun around and sprinted away, letting her feet lead her to wherever they were taking her.

Artemis could hear its haunting screeches behind her. Adrenaline was doing all the work at the moment. She turned her head around to find a place to go and ran into the first doorway she could see. Bursts of energy whizzed past her as she turned. There was another screech. This one shook the walls. Artemis found a desk in the room she was in and his underneath it. Praising any and all gods for having a panel on the front so she couldn't be seen. The only downside is that she could only see what little was in front of her. She heard her sporadic breathing and tried to control it but froze after hearing the monster walk into the room.

The creature's raspy and low breathing could be heard and Artemis's blood ran cold again. She covered her mouth and closed her eyes. She pulled her legs as close to her as she could in the small space she sat in. Wishing it would go away.

Its footsteps were loud and sloppy. It moved like a zombie in some of the FPS games she played. She thought it might act like one but with how it traveled in the blue of light, she didn't want to test it. The thumps of its feet slowly drew near. Where was Samara? Surely it hadn't killed her? Dexter said she was insanely strong… What if he was wrong?

There was a loud noise of something falling over. She jumped a little and realized it might've been one of the objects in the room. What it could be, she didn't know but it sounded heavy. Her pulse quickened again as she heard its footsteps once more. Slowly thumping against the floor. Its raspy breath sounded like a haunted chant. There was a clatter which made Artemis jump. She hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath but didn’t dare exhale for fear of being found by it.

She saw its shadow loomed over the desk she was hiding under. The sharp teeth and grotesque silhouette sent shivers down her spine. She tightened her grip around her legs and hid her face between her knees. She shook quietly as she waited for it to find her. This was it. This was how she was going to die. Not with Liara, her cousins, or friends. None of their warmth either. Instead she was going to die in this cold, ruined monastery. She could feel tears well up in the corners of her eyes. She felt truly hopeless and terrified. She wanted Liara with her just one last time.

Liara always knew what to do – and this wouldn’t be an exception. She’s always faced death and the unknown since Dexter’s death. She just looked at that moment as a way to do more and all Artemis did was run away. Sure she supported Liara but… she wasn’t nearly as brave or confident as her. She wiped away the tears streaming down her face. All the while being able to hear Liara telling her to come home. Home… That’s right! Artemis promised Liara that she’d come back to her – no matter where this war took them.

Feeling a slight newfound sense of strength, Artemis peeked back at the monster’s shadow. It still loomed over the desk but seemed interested in something else. Carefully, she took the pistol from her leg holster. She realized that she must’ve dropped her rifle in the room she and Samara found the monster in. Cautiously, she moved out from under the desk – far enough to peek over it to see what the monster was up to. It was looking at some books. She hadn’t realized she was in the library. She caught a glimpse of a knocked over shelf and some scattered holopads on the floor. Before it looked towards her, she ducked back under the desk.

She had to do something. Maybe she could take the chance to blitz it. To give her enough of a chance to run away and find Samara or her cousins. Or maybe the Asari commandos if they were still around too. She inhaled and exhaled quietly, trying to calm her nerves. In a swift motion, she stood up and aimed her pistol at the monster and started shooting at it. All the bullets sped past its head as it turned to look at her. An ear piercing screech bellowed past her. She winced, not daring to drop her gun but she closed her eyes. A mistake.

The monster, in a blurred motion, jumped towards her and grabbed her. Slamming her against the wall behind her. Artemis dropped her pistol as she exclaimed from the sharp pain against her back. Luckily her armor took most of the force. Her hands were around the forearm of the monster as it helped her against the wall. Its cold claws grasped around her neck as it attempted to drain the life from her. It wasn’t trying to choke her, it was instead just toying with her. She kicked at it to no avail, as if unfazed by the action. It gnashed its teeth as Artemis fought and struggled to free herself.

The monster slowly started to bring Artemis close to its face. She felt another wave of panic and furiously kicked more at it. Even if it was pointless, she struggled for as long as she could. This might be the end but she wasn’t going to sit by and accept her death! No! She was going to fight instead. Even if it was pointless.

Just then a bright blast of energy broke the monster’s grasp on Artemis. When she fell, she simply took the chance to run. There was a screech behind her and another boom. She didn’t question it at all and didn’t look back. She hid behind a shelf. Covering her head with her arms in a poor attempt to hide herself as she curled into another ball. Her breathing was ragged and sporadic. She was shaking and sounded like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Faced down death and got away from it.

The noises behind her died down and her heart began to race. She tightened her grasp and shook once more. This was it. She wasn’t going to die fighting like she thought. She was gonna die like a coward. Huddled in a ball and ready to give up. There were footsteps behind her but they sounded like a countdown to the inevitable. Tears started to well up once more and she just thought about how sorry she was to Liara. To have given up so easily and not being able to return to her. Maybe Dexter would give Liara her dog tags. Something to remember her by at least.

She felt a hand touch her. She jumped away from it, sliding against the floor and looked at the hand’s owner to see Samara. A wave of relief washed over her. Without thinking, Artemis wrapped her arms around the Asari and just cried. Thankful that a familiar face was there instead of that monster. She wasn’t sure how long they had been there but Samara didn’t move, aside from embracing her back and trying to calm her down. Artemis calmed down eventually and leaned back to clean up her face. Samara handed her both her pistol and rifle.

“Try not to drop these next time.” She said. “I’m sure Dexter will have something to say if he finds out.”

“What happened?” Artemis asked as she holstered her pistol and gripped her rifle.

“Well the husk took an interest in you when it appeared.” She started to explain. “I tried to take its attention but it seemed intent on chasing you down. It got a good punch but that’s all it had. When it had you, I attacked it with everything I had. Your cousins would be upset if something happened to you.”

“Thanks for saving me.” Artemis smiled at her. “I thought…”

“Well it’s not.” Samara interrupted. She stood up and offered a hand for Artemis. “Now, shall we try to find your cousins?”

Some time passed and more screeches echoed around the monastery. Dexter and Keira found one of Samara’s daughters and were on the way to save her sister. They fought too many of the husks to even catch their breath. The whole place was full of them and it was starting to feel like something from a bad movie. Regardless, they pushed on and found the Great Hall. Neither heard anything from Samara or Artemis and were worried. However, those worries were allayed when the pair entered the Great Hall to see Samara and Artemis fighting through the husks. Without skipping a beat, Dexter and Keira jumped in to help and, before long, had beaten back the husks.

Both of Samara’s daughters had an exchange and the gang had started to escape the building. Dexter had Falere over his shoulder as they ran out of the Great Hall and towards a nearby elevator. Even when they entered, he didn’t let go of her. He looked over at Artemis, looking very pleased with herself and humming. Despite how upsetting the situation was for Falere to leave her sister behind, Dexter couldn’t find it in himself to look away from his younger cousin.

There was a rumble in the elevator and the blast from the bomb propelled the box upwards. Samara and Keira used their biotics to stabilize it so they could get off. Cortez showed up with the shuttle as if on cue. They all ran inside it and didn’t look back. Dexter looked over to see Samara comforting Falere, her daughter. Her only daughter – that was still alive. He looked away and towards Artemis – who still looked like she was the cat that ate the canary.

“So, why are you all bubbly?” He asked.

“Well, I got to bond with Samara a bit and I can see why you like her a lot.” She beamed. Dexter was only more curious from the response but didn’t press it. Keira nudged Artemis’s arm and gave her a knowing look.

“Okay, so I had a scare and Samara saved me.” She whispered to her cousin. “But I don’t want him to worry so just tell him that. Besides, I’m looking forward to hugging the life out of Liara when we get back.”

“Okay.” Keira chuckled as she shook her head and leaned away.