The Firefly (Mass Effect Andromeda)

Chapter 61

"What's going on?" Olivia asked, wandering into the hall. She was losing track of the days, spent pointlessly living here. The dining hall was full, but no one was eating, wandering around aimlessly.

"No food." Raleigh said to her.

"Supply problem?" Olivia said wryly. She knew Cora and Scott's crew would have things under control. The Kett would be gone, as would the mercenaries.

Raleigh raised an eyebrow at her, "We used surface supplies for a time but then Ryder got the food processors activated. Kendra knew where they were. They've gone down though. I don't know how it works, though no doubt I'll get call in for the fix."

Amira came to them, pushing her way through the crowds of hungry people to reach Raleigh and Olivia. "I'm glad I found you both. You know what's happened?"

"Food processors down?" Raleigh sighed.

"Yes." She looked tense, her hands twisting in anxiety. "This is catastrophic. We don't have any backup stores. Why would we need them, when this place produced food somehow?"

"Specialist Ryder switched them on in the first place." Raleigh pointed out.

"Specialist Ryder isn't capable of this." Amira said. "She's on bed rest at the moment." Olivia was alarmed at this news of Sara but said nothing. Amira would deny any wrong done to her friend. "We were wondering if you would take a look, Olivia. And you too, of course Dr Raleigh."

"Why not?" Olivia sighed. "I'd rather not starve."

She waved to Scott as Amira led her away. He was sitting with his new guard friends, pretending to smile and laugh at a story. He'd been out a couple of times now, fighting Creepers. The mercenaries trusted him, especially as he handed over the weaponry without fail every time. It could come in handy eventually.

Amira led them to a spacious room with pipes leading in all directions and a single console in the middle. The pipes were translucent and clearly empty.

"This is what Ryder activated the first time." Amira said. "The pipes flowed and we managed to create food from what came from the different hatches in the hall that was at least edible, as you've seen."

"What if there's a blockage somewhere?" Raleigh suggested.

"Possible." Olivia said, laying her hand on the console. There was the familiar tug in the back of her brain, feeling the console beneath her hand writhe and dance, the blue light sweeping under her closed eyelids. Before her she saw the pipes sweeping down below to several levels beneath her and black tendrils sweeping around them, choking them. There was a crack in one where a pod had been pushed through.

"Nothing's happened." Amira sounded disappointed.

"One of the pipes has cracked." Olivia said, feeling tired. "The Creepers have spread further. They're nesting in the lower levels. The tendrils have wrapped around the pipe and cracked it, which has caused the whole system to shut down."

That wasn't all she'd seen. There were pipes too for water and oxygen and other supplies, all of which were formed from whatever mysterious substance flowed from the centre of the base. They were controlled from different terminals around the compound.

"So what?" Amira looked alarmed. "We'll have to take out a Creeper nest before we can eat again?"

That really was catastrophic.

"No." Olivia mused, "I think I can get one of the other pipes to activate alone. It's not a proper fix and the system will be slow, but you'll be able to produce food until the nest is cleared."

"Thank goodness for that." Raleigh murmured.

Olivia sighed, touching the console. The pain this time was prolonged but she tried to block it out, focusing on the sets of pipes, concentrating on the one furthest from the nest and activating it, feeling the flow of liquid surging through the pipe and back to the compound.

She broke away. Her head was thumping, her vision filled with dots. Her ears were ringing, nausea welling in her stomach. "I think...I think that'll work now..." her voice was small, strained. There was blood on her nose again.

"Olivia?" Raleigh looked concerned, striding towards her. His face as he lunged to catch her was the last thing she saw before she fainted.

She came around, lying in the infirmary. Her head ached, but she could be worse. "Don't move." Amira's voice said, worried. "You're supposed to lie still. The doctor will be back soon."

"How are you feeling?" Raleigh asked, crouching beside her.

"Achy." Olivia groaned, sitting up regardless. "Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've knocked myself out doing this. Stupid implant."

"We were really worried." Amira said.

Olivia gazed around. She knew this room well, having been in it a number of times with Evra. She was right near the cryo chambers where her sister and friends would be. There was a side chamber off this room, and she saw movement within it.

Startling the others, she rose from the bed, heading for it, peering through the panel.

Inside was Sara.