Every move she made caused the cameras to swivel in her direction, the red light flashing angrily at her in warning. She paced the cell, her boots clicking against the cold cement floor. Without her armor she felt naked, vulnerable and exposed. Not only had it served to keep her alive but it had become a security blanket for her, an outer shell she could hide behind. It made her feel bigger—more dangerous and far more important.
The doors opposite her opened with a hydraulic sigh and she spun towards the thick steel bars, watching the men approach her. They were all clad in the same uniform, their weapons raised and their expressions blank. There were four of them. Four men to escort one prisoner from her cell to…to where? She had been in that cell for hours, waiting and pacing.
An eyebrow shot skyward as the steel bars gave way and she stretched her hands towards them obediently with her wrists pressed together. There was no hesitation as the handcuffs circled around her wrists tightly and she bit back a hiss of pain as they bit into her skin. It was unnecessary, but she kept her mouth shut as they marched her down a long corridor. Another door slid open and they shoved her inside. "Ah," she looked at the stainless steel table and the chairs on either side. "And who will be my interrogator?"
Her question was answered immediately as the door opened once more and the man stepped inside, his uniform proudly displaying his rank. He was handsome but his expression was serious and cold.
"And you are…?" She circled the room once before pulling out a chair with the toe of her boot and sitting down, resting her hands on the cool surface of the table. She could see herself reflected in the two-way mirror. Several strands of auburn colored hair had come loose from her tightly woven knot, framing her pale face and giving her a disheveled look. Her cheekbone right below her left eye was turning an ugly shade of purple and she fought the urge to touch the sensitive skin.
"It doesn't matter who I am," his voice was rough, pulling her away from her reflection and causing her to smirk.
"Oh, I think it does. You went through a lot of trouble to catch me and I want to know who you are and why you want me so badly. I'm just a regular mercenary."
He stepped forward and placed his palms flat against the surface of the table, his dark eyes burning into her. "A little birdie told me that you have information that I need," he spoke evenly but even still, she could hear the desperation in his words.
"And what information would that be?"
"I'm not going to sugar coat this. You have information on an Alliance solider, Commander Jane Shepard. I want to know what you know," he pushed away from the table and straightened up and she let out a laugh.
"You think I know anything about the great Commander Shepard? You tracked me through the Terminus System, destroyed my ship and arrested me because you think I have information about Commander Shepard? Do you realize how insane you sound?" She watched his confidence flicker. "You want to know what I know? I know she died two years ago. Does that help you?"
His hand twitched and she sat back, watching him. His jaw tightened and he glanced sideways towards the mirror. No doubt there was a handful of Alliance Brass standing on the other side, whispering and shaking their heads.
"You're a wanted woman. Aria has upped the price on your head. You can't run forever. You help me and I help you," he was trying to bargain with her—strike a deal. It was almost comical and she pitied the poor fool for having to stoop so low as to haul her in. But he made a good point and she had made more enemies around Omega than she could count: Aria T'Loak among them. But the reach of the asari was not as lengthy as she liked both her friends and foes to believe.
"You're also wanted for the murder of an Elcor Diplomat," he added. Her eyes shot to his face as her lips pulled downward into a scowl.
"I was framed for that," she snapped in a low voice. "That asari bitch set me up. She knew it was a trap from the beginning."
"You want me to believe that, you need to tell me what you know and then maybe we can work out a deal," he folded his arms across his chest and she felt the corner of her eye twitch in irritation. He would make no deal, of that she was certain. There was no justice system on that rock and she would likely find herself cradled in Aria's bloody hands. She would become an example for those stupid enough to defy her—a brilliant mind gone rogue. No, she wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't let that happen.
She sat forward, deliberating as he looked towards the mirror again. "Alright, little lamb. I'll tell you what you want to know about your precious Shepard. But not until you help me scratch my back first. Whoever you keep looking at…well, they need to leave. I want these handcuffs off and I want full immunity granted so I can finish some business before I'm thrown in a cell in Purgatory for the rest of my life."
He hesitated: turning fully to face the mirror. After a moment he nodded his head once. There was another pause. "I don't care whether you think this is a waste of time or not. This is the closest we've come in almost two years. Do as she says," he barked the order and she watched the mirror, smirking as their audience left the room.
She waited a moment longer and cleared her throat, lifting her bound hands. He ground his teeth together and moved towards her to remove the cuffs. She sighed in relief and rubbed at her sore wrists, taking her time in pressing forward with her final conditions. She could almost see the anxiety bubbling up beneath his skin and she stood, scraping the legs of chair across the floor with deliberated slowness.
"I need to clean off my slate, so to speak. I admit that I haven't been the best-behaved merc in this galaxy, but there are a few black marks by my name that don't belong there. I want them gone. Wiped clean. But the problem is…Major, that you can't do that with the press of a button. I need to right some wrongs, get a little…pay back," she leaned against the table, folding her arms across her chest as she crossed one ankle over the other. She could see him considering her words—consequences included.
"You want me to help you get revenge?" He asked flatly.
"So to speak. You destroyed my ship. I need a ship and I need a crew. I want to borrow yours for a little while. No one has to know," she smirked wickedly and he frowned. "Pretend we're chasing your ghost around, I don't care. I just need a few favors and then the information that's in here," she tapped an index finger against her temple, "will be all yours. Until then, I will happily pretend I know nothing."
He growled and pressed his lips together. The reluctance to accept her terms was written all over his face, but she could smell the desperation rolling off of him in waves. For whatever reason, the whereabouts of Commander Shepard meant more to him that they did to anyone else. Quite frankly she didn't care what his connection to the woman was as long as she got what she wanted out of the deal.
He dragged a hand through his hair as he paced the room, weighing the pros and the cons and staring helplessly at the ceiling from time to time. She waited patiently and silently, pretending to examine her fingernails and pick dirt from beneath them.
"My ship remains under my command," he said finally, causing her to glance up. "All orders go through me first and I will distribute them accordingly. You'll be under constant surveillance and supervision, no exceptions."
"Fair enough," she agreed with a disinterested shrug of her shoulders.
"And you have to give me something up front. Something to work with so I know I'm not wasting my time on you," he added.
She ran her tongue across her teeth and pushed away from the table, uncrossing her arms and letting them swing at her sides. She moved closer and closer to him, smirking crookedly as he backed himself up against the wall and she extended her hand. He glanced down and reached forward tentatively to grasp her hand firmly.
"Jane Shepard is…alive, in some sense of the word. That's all I can give you for now but you have my word that it's true," she kept her voice low and he exhaled through his nose before giving her hand a single forceful shake and releasing it as though he had just been burned.
"Don't make me regret this," he warned her as she took a step back to give him space. "Sit tight. I'll go arrange your release. The sooner we get this over with the better."
"I look forward to working with you, Major," she offered him a salute and her smirk returned as he rolled his eyes before leaving the room. She returned to hop onto the table, her black boots dangling as she studied her reflection in the mirror once more, cocking her head to the side. Those gray eyes were haunting and she looked away as a shiver tore through her body.