Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mass Effect.

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Escaping Hades

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Chapter One

"Shit!" The armored man cursed upon seeing several Cerberus Assault Troopers coming his way, prompting him to turn and slide down behind a metal desk for cover just moments before the Cerberus soldiers opened fire on him. Gritting his teeth within the confines of his helmet, he reached down and grabbed the two M-25 Hornets holstered to the sides of his thighs. He didn't have to worry about loading them or checking to see if they were loaded; he was always ready for a fight. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself, he took an extra moment to listen carefully as bullets continued to ring out against the desk and whiz by over and around him. Suddenly, there was a momentary pause from the enemy; they were reloading.

"..." Wordlessly, he stood up and spun around, training his Hornets on two different soldiers as his inhuman reflexes slowed his perception of time down to a crawl before he squeezed the triggers, firing off short and controlled bursts. Thre shots on the left, one Assault Trooper down. Three shots on the right, another dead, one shot missed. Three shots fired at another Cerberus soldier; dead. Three shots at the fourth armored man, first shot striking his helmet and going through the armored shell; instant kill. Releasing the triggers, he stood still for a few moments, waiting patiently for any others to enter the empty room.

Lowering the submachine guns, he started walking over to another door. Much like the men trying to kill him, he was dressed in a suit of Cerberus Assault Trooper armor, only it was heavily modified. The armor itself was stronger than normal with numerous parts from Guardian armor built into the suit for increased physical strength and stamina, a powerful kinetic barrier that had the durability of four Centurion shields, additional compartments to hold more thermal clips and grenades, and custom mag-lock holsters on his thighs for his second pair of Hornets. Not only that, but the armor had been painted pitch black with dark grey markings instead of the white and yellow of Cerberus, their emblem missing from the armor.

Mounted to the right side of his back was a dark grey M-96 Mattock, a dark grey M-13 Raptor set just beside it on the left side of his back, a single dark grey M-358 Talon holstered to his chest at an angle, a pair of dark grey M-25 Hornets that were normally holstered to the sides of his thighs, and two more dark grey Hornets holstered behind his waist. His suit was equipped with a handful of upgrades that he normally wouldn't have been able to come across, but lucky for him, he had a few connections. Not only that, but being a now-former Cerberus agent, he knew where a few bases were located that held what he still needed.

Calmly walking through the halls of the Cerberus Cruiser Kraken IV after disabling the four frigates with it via the Kraken IV's weapons systems, the man maintained full awareness of his surroundings as he made his way towards the hangar in search of a Kodiak. Eyes narrowing within his helmet as several Cerberus soldiers suddenly blocked off the hall way directly in front of him while a blast door slammed shut behind him, the man raised his Hornets as his reflexes started running at full speed once more. Killing an Assault Trooper with a headshot and the one behind him with the remaining two rounds of the three-shot burst from his left Hornet, he aimed his right Hornet at the lights above them, squeezing the trigger and holding it as he gradually moved it down, shattering the lights with a spray of bullets that drowned the section of the corridor they were in with complete darkness.

"Idiots." He mutter as he ejected the two spent thermal clips and quickly jumped to the side before pressing his back against the wall just as the soldiers started opening fire again, the bullets missing him completely due to them being unable to see him. Reloading the Hornets and holstering them, he pulled out one of the few grenades he had left and primed it, rolling it across the floor. Coming to a stop at the feet of an Assault Trooper in the middle of the group, the man looked down just in time to watch it detonate, killing him and the other four in an instant.

Raising his left forearm as his Omni-tool flared to life, he checked the map of the ship and over-layed the security measures Cerberus had taken to lock down the ship. Scowling upon seeing that they had locked down the hangar, which was only about a hundred meters away, he decided it was about time to stop playing around. As his Omni-tool disappeared, he drew his Mattock and shouldered it while crouching down slightly and moving at a moderately fast-paced walk.

Spotting a pair of Centurions, he quickly holstered his Mattock and drew his Talon with his right hand before charging them, his Omni-blade appearing in a blaze of orange-red light on his left arm. Before they could react, he had thrust the Omni-blade into the chest of the Centurion on the left while pressing the muzzle of his Talon against the throat of the second right under his chin, squeezing the trigger and causing the shotgun-pellets to rip through his neck and up into his skull, shredding his brain and killing him instantly. Letting both bodies fall as he let his Omni-blade deactivate, he switched out his Talon for his Mattock and continued on his way towards the hangar.

Reaching the final stretch to the hangar access doors without much resitance, the ex-Cerberus operative's eyes widened before ducking back behind the wall, having spotted a rather large group of assorted enemies standing guard out in front of the large blast doors at the end of the hallway. Two Combat Engineers with their turrets already deployed, three Guardians, four Centurions, and six Assault Troopers. Bringing the map back up, he checked for any other ways into the hangar; unfortunately, there weren't any.

"God damn it!" He hissed under his breath as he let it deactivate. Grabbing one of his final five frag grenades in comparison to the fifteen he normally carried, he quickly stepped out from around the corner before throwing the grenade and returning to the safety behind the corner just as the Cerberus units opened fire on him. The grenade, having gone unnoticed, went over them and hit the door behind them before bouncing down to the floor near the middle of the group in the back, drawing the attention of those unoccupied with trying to shot the black-armored soldier.

"GRENA-" One of the Combat Engineers tried to call out, but the grenade had detonated before he could finish the word, the explosion-propelled shrapnel ripping through their armor and into their flesh without mercy. Glancing around the corner a few seconds later, he grit his teeth, seeing that three of the Centurions survived, although just barely, along with one of the Guardians, who had been lucky enough and quick enough to put his shield between him and the grenade. He was just glad that the two turrets were disabled; they would have really ruined his day.

"Thank God for armor-piercing ammunition and piercing mods." He muttered with a bit of irritation and gratitude before stepping back out from cover, the stock of his Mattock pressed into his shoulder as he took aim. Firing three quick shots, the Guardian was hit three times in the head before he could bring his shield back around. Another three shots scored direct hits to the chest of the first Centurion, punching through the armor plating and through his ribcage. Squeezing off another four rounds with one striking the center of the second Centurion's helmet and passed right through it while two hit his chest and the fourth missed, the man took aim at the the third Centurion as he continued to advance on them at brisk pace, firing three more shots in rapid succession. Two of the rounds struck his torso, but they missed his organs and only stumbled him slightly while the third was a lucky shot and slid through the gap between the collar of his body armor and his helmet, passing straight through his neck and ricocheting off the collar of his armor in the back while the man numbly clutched at his neck with one hand and fell over.

Lowering his rifle, he stared at the dead bodies for a moment before ejecting the nearly used-up thermal clip, inserting a fresh one a moment later. Glancing down the halls to either side of him, he found both corridors to be barren of enemy occupation. Mounting his rifle to his back once more, he brought up his Omni-tool and linked with the locking mechanism to the door directly in front of him. After a couple moments, he easily hacked the system and unlocked the door, prompting it to slide open to allow him entrance.

"They lock down the hangar and post guards outside the only entrance to it, but don't post any guards inside it?" He wondered out loud, confused and a little disappointed with how...easy...it seemed. Then again, he wasn't exactly a regular Cerberus grunt. Shaking his head with a slight sigh, he made his way over to the nearest UT-47A Kodiak, noticing how there were two others sitting off to the side. He knew he needed to slow them down from pursuing him once he managed to reach the hangar, but how? Cocking an eye brow slightly, he reached behind his waist and pulled his last four grenades free from his belt. "Man, it's going to be a pain in my ass to get more after these. Oh, well. If it keeps them from following me, I'll consider it a miracle."

A few minutes later, he was exiting the hangar via the shuttle just as reinforcements arrived. Before they could open fire on him, the improvised bombs he had placed on the other two Kodiaks finally went off, rendering them useless and killing a few of the soldiers. At the same time, however, he set off the explosives he had planted in the Kraken IV's engine room and bridge, disabling their engines and rendering them unable to do just about anything while he had already disabled the communications array during the beginning stages of his 'escape plan'.

"Okay. Where to now?" He mumbled, checking the screens on the console as he plotted a course for the nearby Mass Relay...

xXx

Taking a drink of his beer as he lounged in a booth on the third floor of the Afterlife Club, the blonde stared down towards the lower levels from his place along the interior edge of the balcony-ring. He stood at about 6'2" with a lean, muscular physique fit for a soldier, mildly tanned skin, golden blonde hair kept in an undershave that reached the base of his neck in the back, and deep blue eyes. He was dressed in a pair of baggy black and grey camouflage pants tucked into knee-high black combat boots, a black skin-tight sleeveless turtleneck top, a black zippered hoodie over it that he kept unzipped with the hood tossed up over his head that hid everything on his face from his nose and up within the shadowy confines, a black elbow-length fingerless glove on his left hand and forearm, and a black fingerless glove on his right hand. Hidden beneath his clothing were black tribal tattoos that covered both of his arms from the back of his hands and around his wrists all the way up to his shoulders, all across his chest, all around his neck, and all over his back.

"Aria wants to see you." A Batarian spoke up from the blonde's left, prompting him to look up at the three gang members curiously, the other two being Turians. Glancing down at the second floor where Aria's private lounge was located, the man grimaced slightly, but sighed with defeat. It wasn't as if he could do anything about it.

"Geez...What did I do this time?" He grumbled under his breath before standing up, beer in hand, and letting the trio escort him down to where Aria was. Finishing his beer, he set it down as they passed by an unoccupied table. "Hey, you think we could make a quick stop at the bar? I want to get another beer."

"No." The Batarian responded sharply, not even bothering to glance back at him. Pouting almost childishly, the blonde decided to find another way of getting his hands on another beer. Passing by a table crowded by some drunk Blue Suns members, the blonde easily snagged one of the bottles from the waiter bringing them another round of drinks. Ignoring the looks he was getting from the two Turians behind him, he took a drink of the newly aquired alchoholic beverage as they neared the lounge. Upon entering, the blonde grinned before taking another sip of his beer.

"Why, if it isn't the 'Pirate Queen' herself..." He spoke up while brushing past the Batarian in front of him. As a sign of respect, however, he bowed slightly at the waist with his arms at his sides before standing up straight again, the Asari's three subordinates leaving as he did. "So, what can I do for you, Aria?"

"First off, you'll uncover your head. You know I don't like people trying to hide things from me." Aria responded sharply, a look of annoyance and disinterest present on her face as she looked away from the Asari dancers and at the blonde Human, who was taking yet another sip from his drink.

"Now that's just rude. You know I wouldn't hide anything from you." The man responded, but did as he was instructed anyways. "I've been here...What? A month, so far? I know for certain that you've been keeping tabs on me since I got here. Not only that, but you most likely already know that I'm trying to get a ride out of here..."

"I do. That's what I wanted to speak to you about." Aria answered, her eyes narrowing. "I don't want you on my space station any more. Whether you still work for them or not, you're associated with Cerberus. Head to the Tuhi District and look for a Salarian named Kovus; he has a ship that'll get you wherever you're going. Take it and get off Omega."

"Oh? I didn't think you hated me so much as to go out of your way to get rid of little ol' me. It's not like I've caused you any trouble." The blonde remarked and smirk before taking another drink of his beer. His smirk only grew when Aria glared at him angrily; it was a blatant lie and they both knew it. It was because of him slaughtering almost half of the Blood Pack, a quarter of the Blue Suns gang, and a third of Eclipse's ranks that Omega wasn't drowning in another gang-war that spanned the entirety of the space station. "Besides, I didn't think you did favors for people..."

"This isn't a favor." Aria spat venomously, her animousity only proving to amuse the blonde. "This is an ultimatum. Leave or die. Your choice."

"Hm...You're not very hospitable, are you?" He replied softly with a slight frown, no longer amused by her temper now that she had openly threatened him. Finishing his beer, he stared at the bottle for a moment before setting it down on the table between them and nodding. "Alright. I'll leave."

"Good." Aria growled as the man tossed his hood back up over his head and turned to leave, only to pause momentarily and turn back around just enough for her to see his eyes as they narrowed angrily, yet coldly.

"However, I suggest you don't threaten my life again." He muttered with frigid seriousness and a calm expression on his face. "I have a tendency to get...violent...when provoked."

"I'll keep that in mind." The Pirate Queen responded quietly, watching as the man faced forward and left without another word. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the empty beer bottle the man had left behind. 'So, that's the infamous Wraith, the man that single-handedly crippled a small Cerberus flotilla two years ago. Interesting.'

xXx

"Get me wherever I'm going? Bullshit! She was probably hoping I'd die before I got anywhere! That fucking bitch!" The blonde ranted angrily, fully armored and loaded down with his weapons as he stood just outside of the busted up one-man long-range fighter. Numerous times in his travels, he was forced to find somewhere to dock to fix something that went wrong with the ship, hindering him. It had taken him a little over a month to travel what would have taken him only days. Almost to his destination, the fighter's engines started dying out for certain, forcing him to make an emergency crash-landing shortly before he made it to his target. He had been on his way to the Prothean Archives, having discovered something while rifling through some files in a Cerberus science facility that caught his attention. Kicking the lightly armored hull of the craft just behind the cockpit's transparent canopy, the Wraith turned around with a disgruntled sigh and leaned against the no longer functioning vehicle, staring up at the reddish sky.

"God damn it..." He muttered quietly with calm irritation before bringing up his Omni-tool, checking his coordinates. "Well, I'm not too far from the Prothean Archives. It's a little after mid-day now and it'll be about a day's travel, but with what limited supplies I have, I'll be cutting it close. Damn it..."

Sighing once more, he pushed off of the craft and checked his bearings real quick before reaching down and grabbing the handle to a metal container, which held a number of spare oxygen tanks, some field rations, two sets of clothing, and a handful of spare thermal clips he couldn't carry on his person. Without another thought, he started walking, the speakers built into his helmet producing some music to help pass the time and keep him from talking to himself like a crazy person throughout the trip. Just as it neared dawn on the red planet, he came to a stop at a ridge, being within sight of the archive facility.

"Oxygen level: 002%; Status: Critical; Refill oxygen supply immedi-"

"Shut up." He grumbled, deactivating the warning. Sighing and knowing he couldn't delay it any longer, he knelt down and opened the metal case he had with him, retrieving an oxygen tank. Connecting the fresh oxygen tank to his suit's built in oxygen system, he idly watched as the oxygen meter built into his suit's HUD started rising back up. After a few moments, it registered as full while the oxygen tank was left empty, apart from a few gasps of air. Placing it upside-down in the case to be refilled at a later time and closing the container, he continued on his trek.

Soldiering on at the same pace as when he started despite having not slept in almost a full fourty-eight hours, the man finally came within a mile of the Prothean Archive around mid-afternoon; or rather, the equivalency of such on the Martian planet. Hearing something in the distance, he let his combat training take over, causing him to duck down behind a large clutch of rocks as a handful of UT-47A Kodiaks flew over-heard in the direction of the facility. Not only that, but a few M-080 APCs hurtled past him in the same direction just seconds behind the Kodiaks. That wasn't all, either; they were all painted in Cerberus colors.

"This couldn't possibly be good." He mumbled quietly before tucking the container under his left arm and sprinting out from behind the rocks, crouching slightly to reduce the visibility of his form from the others. Just as he reached a ridge not far from where the Cerberus troops disembarked, the blonde cursed upon seeing another Kodiak, this one painted in an Alliance color scheme. Taking cover behind some more rocks, he made himself as invisible as he was physically capable, even going so far as to activate his Tactical Cloak just to ensure he wasn't spotted. A few moments later, the Kodiak came to a stop no less than five meters from his position.

'Three soldiers; one male, two females.' He thought to himself before catching sight of the N7 markings on the familiar looking armor, having been painted a dark crimson and grey camouflage color scheme, of the middle figure, a woman. He didn't need to see her face to know who it was. 'Shepard? They let her back in? Damn. I've been out of the loop for too long.'

As they started walking down towards the nearest entrance into the Archives, the man set the container down while deactivating his cloak. Taking a moment to ensure he was fully stocked on thermal clips and grenades, the man left the case behind before drawing his Mattock and running along the ridge, keeping an eye on them. Due to his higher position, he was able to see the Cerberus troops preparing to ambush them. He didn't exactly like Shepard all that much, mostly because of a few run-ins they had while she was trying to stop the Collectors, but that didn't mean he wanted her dead. Not only that, but he now had a hatred of Cerberus and it would give him a good excuse to gun them down.

"God damn it...SHEPARD! LOOK OUT!" He bellowed while jumping from the ridge, opening fire on the Cerberus units below and killing three of the twelve as he slid down the steep slope. At the same time, the newly-reinstated Commander Naomi Shepard was caught by surprise when she heard the unknown figure figure call out to her. Simultaneously staring at the man with shock and suspicioun while already in the act of drawing her Avenger, Naomi focused back on the Cerberus threat while the holographic plates of her Tech Armor flared to life over her torso in various areas. Calmly and steadily advancing on the enemy with James and Ashley flanking her, Naomi fired short and controlled bursts at each enemy in an effort to conserve ammunition.

Flowing into a shoulder-roll upon reaching the base of the slope, the Wraith showed a shocking display of power and flexibility despite the bulk of his armor when he kicked off the ground into a handless front-flip and landed on top of an Assault Trooper, straddling the man's armored chest with his Omni-blade driven into the Cerberus trooper's head while holding his Mattock one-handed and firing a few shots into the back of another trooper that was focusing his attention on Shepard and the other two. Yanking the blade free of the corpse and deactivating it, he quickly jumped back up to his feet and shouldered his rifle, relentlessly unloading on the Cerberus units with singular headshots to each soldier. With the last one dead, Naomi turned to face the mysterious soldier while James and Ashley kept their rifles trained on him.

"Thanks for the heads-up, but...Who are you? Have we met before?" The woman inquired while the Wraith kept his back to them as he reloaded his rifle. Taking a moment to pilfer a thermal clip from a dead Assault Trooper to remain fully stocked, he slowly turned around to face her, craddling his rifle in his arms.

"Indeed, we have." He responded before kneeling down and picking up a medi-gel pack that had been dropped. Looking it over for a moment, he stuffed it into one of the empty supply pouches he had on his belt, figuring it might come in handy later. Standing back up, he continued. "Seeing as we met with us both outside of our armor, I think it's safe to say that you obviously don't recognize me with my armor on."

"Obviously..." Ashley whispered under her breath while Naomi glanced back at her with a slight glare. Shepard noticed how the man glanced at both James and Ashley as well as how he gripped his rifle a little tighter in preparation for a fight.

"James, Ashley. Lower your weapons." The Spectre ordered, getting looks of silent protest from the others before they did as they were told. "This is Lieutenant James Vega and Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams of the Alliance. And you are?"

"Well, that depends. Will you get me off this dust-ball?" He inquired, getting a nod from the Commander after a few moments of silent contemplation. Sighing with relief, he instantly made a 180 degree turn in attitude as he holstered his rifle and snapped to attention with a salute, unconsciously reverting back to his old ways back during his time in the Alliance. "Former Alliance N7 Marine, Corporal Naruto Uzumaki, ma'am."

"Um...At ease." Naomi responded a little awkwardly, cocking an eye brow at how the man, Naruto, reacted. Relaxing his stance, Naruto idly started mentally berating himself for slipping back into his old habits so easily. He wasn't in the Alliance anymore, so he shouldn't be acting like it. "Two questions; What are you doing here and why are you dressed in Cerberbus armor?"

"I'm a former Cerberus operative and I've put too much money into my armor's upgrades to simply replace it." Naruto responded calmly, ignoring the looks of surprise from the three Alliance officers in front of him. "As to why I'm here, I was on my way to the Prothean Archives to see if I could uncover information on something I came across while in Cerberus, but my ship was experiencing engine problems, forcing me to make an emergency landing roughly twenty miles from here. I arrived just minutes before you did, Commander."

"What exactly is it that you are looking for?" Naomi inquired, but that was when Naruto suddenly clammed up, remaining silent. Instead, he grabbed his Mattock while turning and walking towards the facility, cradling the rifle in his hands while the others trailed behind him.

"Shepard, we can't trust this guy. For all we know, he could still be a part of Cerberus and is just trying to-" James was cut short when Naruto moved far quicker than expected and spun around, closing the three meter gap between them in only three broad strides before he smashed the butt of his rifle into James's stomach with a slight running start, doubling him over before swinging the rifle stock back up and catching him under his chin, knocking him on his back. He then shouldered his rifle and aimed it at James's head, ignoring Shepard and Ashley as they aimed their Avengers at him.

"Do NOT associate me with those psychopathic murderers!" Naruto snarled venomously before suddenly turning back around and heading back in the direction of the facility, leaving them behind. Grunting with mild pain as his mid-section ached and his ears still rang a little, James gave Shepard a nod of thanks after being helped up to his feet before glaring at Naruto's back.

"I suggest we all watch what we say around him from now on." Naomi stated softly, yet firmly as she glanced back towards Naruto upon hearing gun shots, watching as he tore into some remaining Cerberus troops with ease. "While I don't trust him, I get the feeling that we don't have to worry about him shooting us in the back."

"How do you figure that one, Commander?" Ashley questioned sharply. "Look at what he just did to James!"

"That was after being accused of still working for Cerberus. Not only that, but look at him; a professional killer wouldn't turn their back on their target, no matter what, and he's far too skilled to be an amateur." Naomi noted, making the two go quiet before they all glanced over at Naruto again once the shooting stopped. They watched as he knelt down and scavenged more thermal clips for his weapons before doing something with his Omni-tool beside one of the corpses, most likely checking their radio frequency to listen in on them. "We'll just have to keep an eye on him for now, okay?"

"Yes, Commander./Got it..." Came the simultaneous responses from Ashley and James, but before they continued on their way, Naomi turned her steely gaze on James.

"And James? Keep your mouth shut around him. I don't want to lose a valuable member of my crew and be proven wrong at the same time because of it." Naomi growled out before turning around and moving on, obviously not wanting to keep talking. Although disgruntled by the comment, James did as he was told and stayed quiet, following behind the two women as they moved to catch up with Naruto, who was already sealed within the large vehicle-bay airlock/elevator. As they waited for it come back down, Ashley finally got her chance to voice her distrust towards Naomi concerning her connection to Cerberus. By time the elevator came back down and allowed them to follow after him, they managed to settle their differences, for the most part, moments before the door opened up just in time for them to watch as Naruto finished off the last handful of Cerberus soldiers, the corpses of almost two dozen others scattered throughout the room.

"What the hell-?" Naomi cut herself short as she and her two companions pulled out their Avengers and took aim to help, only to pause and watch Naruto. Standing on the balcony with four of the remaining five troopers, Naruto holstered his Hornet instead of loading in another clip and charged the four Assault Troopers with an almost 'berserk' fervor.

"Wha-What the hell is this guy?!" One of the soldiers cried out as he and his three squadmates opened fire on him with their own Hornets and Talons, only for their bullets to rebound off of his kinetic barrier as he sprinted towards them without slowing or stumbling. As another shot glanced off his shield on the left side of his helmeted head, Naruto activated both of his Omni-blades and drove the left blade into the head of the first Assault Trooper without even glancing at the man or pausing, swiftly skewering the chest of the second with his right blade while ripping his left free of the first trooper's skull. Spinning to his right while pulling his right Omni-blade free, Naruto beheaded the third trooper while stabbing the fourth in the throat, only to deactivate both Omni-blades while grabbing the fourth corpse and charging torward the railing.

"I could use some help here!" Liara shouted out as she flinched back from another volley of bullets from a Centurion keeping her pinned behind cover down on the ground. No sooner had she said that did Naruto land on top of the Centurion with the dead Assault Trooper sandwhiched between them, the weight of both bodies driving the Centurion to the ground with enough force to disable his shield, only for Naruto to draw his Talon with his right hand and press the barrel against the back of the man's neck in the narrow space between his helmet and his body armor. With a single trigger squeeze, the Centurion was dead.

"Thank you. I wouldn't have survived if you hadn't been here." Liara stated while facing the armored soldier that hadn't said a single word since she ran into him moments before they were attacked by the large group of Cerberus soldiers. Grunting a little as he stood up and holstered his pistol, Naruto started reloading the two Hornets on his thighs along with his Mattock and Talon, having spent the last shot available to the heavy pistol to kill the Centurion. That was when she finally got a good look at him, causing her eyes to widen with recognition.

"Wait. I recognize you now. You're the Wraith." Liara uttered with shock and a touch of awe while the others joined them just in time to hear her. Naruto seemed to pause slightly at the mention of his 'title' before continuing with his chosen task of scavenging for any useful supplies. All he found were a couple more medi-gel packs, a data pad with some rather useless information, and a few credits on a couple of the bodies.

"Wraith? What are you talking about, Liara?" Naomi inquired with some suspiscioun. Naruto, instead of answering for the Asari or keeping her from talking, stayed quiet and simply stood there.

"He was a former Alliance N7 Marine, but he was truly one of a kind. His skill with technology, Biotics, weapons, and combat tactics put him at the top of his class all throughout his training and it made it difficult for them to properly classify his skill-set. After being given the N7 designation, he was promoted to Corporal and put in charge of an Alliance Marine squad almost immediately. Only a year after that, Spectre Nihilus took him under his wing and started to mentor him, having seen great potential in him to not only become the first Human Spectre, but also one of the deadliest ones to date that was highly skilled in all fields of expertise required to become a Spectre. However-" Liara went on to explain, shocking those present with the exception of Naruto himself, only she was cut off when Naruto finished for her.

"However, that was when I left the Alliance and joined Cerberus. Seven months later, Shepard becomes the new candidate and then placed in charge of the SSV Normandy SR-1." Naruto stated, his voice calm, yet sharp and cold. "No one knows the reason as to why I left and I seek to keep it that way, Shadow Broker."

"..." Although Liara didn't react outwardly or say anything, she understood the thinly-veiled threat implied by the emphasis placed upon her own title. Thus, she decided to keep the remaining information she had on him to herself.

"The elevator controls were damaged in the shoot out. We'll have to climb up to the balcony if we are to proceed." Naruto commented, forcefully changing the subject as he pointed over towards the side where a vehicle lift had been raised, creating a make-shift staircase that would allow them to get up onto the balcony. Without another word, Naruto headed over to said 'staircase' and started climbing up while Naomi had James head back to the shuttle and wait for them to contact him once they were ready to leave, expecting the need of a hasty extraction. As he left, the others followed after Naruto.

'He's definitely no normal soldier...' Naomi thought to herself as she glanced up at Naruto as he jumped over to the balcony itself, recalling how had laid waste to the Cerberus soldiers with unnatural skill, exerting such an oppressive dominance over the battlefield that even Naomi wasn't so sure her skills could compare with his. 'And this man was only a Corporal? If what Liara said about him is true, he would have easily made it to Commander ranking by that time like I did, if not that of Major. Something isn't right, but it'll have to wait for now.'

Once the others joined him on the balcony, Naruto took point with his rifle shouldered before leading them to the door, which opened without a problem. Spotting a Cerberus trooper further along that was oblivious to their position, Naruto held his left hand up to wordlessly signal everyone to hold back for a moment while putting his Mattock away, replacing it with a Hornet as he came up behind the man, crouching down slightly.

Without hesitating, he activated his Omni-blade and drove it through the Assault Troopers back, holding him in place with it as he raised his Hornet and used the man like a shield while opening fire on the other troopers in the hallway, killing them all in a single sweep of his gun without having to worry about replacing the thermal clip. Ripping his blade free and deactivating it, he casually ejected the useless clip and grabbed one from the dead trooper at his feet, using it to reload his Hornet before slipping it back into the mag-lock holster on the side of his thigh.

"Come on." Naruto spoke up as he shouldered his Mattock once more, leading them to an intersection with a control room set off to the side. Seeing the tell-tale red-orange holographic panel in front of either door that signified that they were locked, Naomi moved for the control room, hoping to find a way to unlock the doors to continue. As they filed into the room to investigate a little and collect any needed or wanted supplies, Naruto remained near the doorway, keeping an eye out for any more Cerberus troops that might be on the way.

"Commander, are you really going to bring him with us when we leave?" Ashley whispered curiously to her superior, getting a side-long glance from the woman as she continued to search for a way to unlock at least one of the doors. At the same time, Liara was reading a data pad she had found in the back of the room.

"Yes, Ashley, I am." Naomi responded while hacking into the computer systems. "Don't misunderstand; I don't trust him, but we need all the help we can get if we're going to succeed in defeating the Reapers."

"..." Ashley went silent after that, casting another glance at the armored soldier at the door. Finally managing to unlock both of the doors, Naomi stood up from the chair while they exited the control room. Before she could say anything, however, Naruto spoke up first.

"Alright. This is where we split up for the moment." Naruto started as he moved towards the door on the right. "While you go and get what you came for, I'm going to search for what I came for. I've already got your frequency, so I'll let you know when I'm ready to leave."

"Wait, we shouldn't-" Naomi's words were ignored, however, as Naruto passed through the doors and locked them behind him. "-split up...Alright. Let's move."

A minute later, they were outside, traversing the exterior structure of the Prothean Archives...

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