Unseen: Mass Effect FanFiction (ReWritten)

Chapter 39

After speaking with Garrus, Mina sent a secure message to Wrex and Solana letting them know that she was safe. That they needed to be careful. Mina warned them about the Ambassador.

An hour later, Mina received a secure message from Solana.

Solana: "Call me."

Mina leaned against the cool, metallic wall and dialed Solana.

"Mina, I'm glad you're safe," Solana greeted. "It's a good thing that drell warned you before it happened."

"I'm sorry you got involved in all of this," Mina apologized.

"We're friends," Solana replied. "No need to apologize for that."

"How bad was the apartment?" Mina asked.

"The whole apartment looked like a bomb had blown-" Solana's voice, usually a clear, melodic stream through the secure comms, dissolved into a harsh, guttural static. The screen on Mina's omni-tool flickered, displaying a garbled mess of pixels before going entirely blank.

A jolt of unease shot through Mina. "Solana? Hello? What happened?" She tapped frantically at the dormant screen, trying to re-establish the connection. Nothing.

Only the hissing static grew louder, a wall of white noise. She tried redialing, but the screen stubbornly flashed, "CALL FAILED: UNKNOWN ERROR."

"External interference detected, Mina," SAM's voice echoed in her mind. "All external communication channels are down. My attempts to establish a connection with the Citadel network are being actively blocked."

Mina's heart pounded. "Blocked? By what? Is it just a local comms outage?"

"No. The signature of the interference is consistent with a wide-spectrum jamming field, operating at extreme power levels. Furthermore," SAM's voice took on a sharper edge. "My long-range scanners are detecting multiple energy signatures inconsistent with routine Citadel traffic. Explosive ordinance, heavy armament, and large vessel maneuvers."

A cold dread seeped into Mina's bones. "SAM... what are you saying?"

"Mina," SAM's tone carried the weight of impending catastrophe, "the Citadel is under attack."

Before Mina could fully process them, a distant, earth-shattering boom vibrated through the very foundations of the safe house. Dust rained from the ceiling, and the emergency lights flickered, casting long, dancing shadows.

"Damn it," Mina swore. She didn't have any weapons on her.

"SAM, who is attacking?" Mina asked. The Citadel was impenetrable.

"Cerberus," came SAM's reply. "Multiple breaches reported across the Presidium and Wards. Coordinated assault. My analysis indicates a complete takeover attempt."

Mina's blood ran cold. Cerberus? Here? She glanced around the safehouse. "SAM, I don't have any weapons. Not even a stunner."

"Understood. Your current location, the lower levels of the Zakera Ward, is presently secure, but that will not last. Intel indicates a specific Cerberus objective: capture or eliminate key Alliance personnel and those deemed 'threats' to their new order."

A cold knot tightened in Mina's stomach. "Key Alliance... SAM, what are you saying?"

"Udina has betrayed the Alliance. He is coordinating with Cerberus. He has provided them with targeted lists. Your name, Mina, is prominent on one such list. A Cerberus retrieval team is actively searching for your last known location."