This started as an idea for a multi-part fanfic that I buried long ago, but am resurrecting now thanks to the following writing prompt…"You made a deal with the devil and sold your soul some years back. Today, he gives it back and says, 'I need a favor.'"

Disclaimer: This scene is pulled from Mass Effect 3's Sanctuary plot line. Bioware owns all the rights to the Mass Effect franchise. Commander Alexis Shepard is all mine though. For the purpose of potential and likely future fics, know that Shepard is the middle sister of Miranda and Oriana Lawson. She was stolen from Henry Lawson's lab and raised by Hannah Shepard, her rescuer's sister.

oooOOOooo

Miranda Lawson lay crumpled on her side along the wall of the observation room. Her white jumpsuit stood out starkly against the cold, gunmetal tiling on the floor. A whooshing sound behind her alerted her to more players in what should have been a simple snatch-and-grab rescue, but she'd learned long ago, nothing was ever simple in her family. Long dark hair threatened to cover her eyes as she snuck a glance back to see the new arrivals. She exhaled a quiet sigh of relief as familiar faces came into focus. Through the door entered three warriors decked out in blue armor, a human female whose armor bore the infamous N7 insignia flanked by both a human and Turian male. They moved seamlessly, in a way that could only be achieved by insurmountable trust between the three, before stopping right beside where Miranda had crashed to the floor moments earlier. Her chocolate eyes pleaded silently as she groaned. Muscles screamed from being thrown to her current position. "Shepard…" Her eyes flicked warily from the woman beside her to where her father, Henry Lawson, held her youngest sister, Oriana, against his chest like a human shield with a gun aimed at her side. The man's features were twisted into a smug grin as recognition filled his eyes.

"Commander Shepard…or should I say Commander Lawson?…Excellent timing, my child."

Commander Alexis Shepard gritted her teeth and fought off the urge to roll her two-toned eyes. Her left shone blue like the Caribbean waters, but her right mimicked the deep brown of shared by her sisters. Both flared angrily at her creator's choice in words. My child? You can shove that sentiment right up your ass, buddy. Her voice remained calm when she spoke, hiding her inner rumblings in its wake. "Put the gun down."

He scoffed at the suggestion. "No. Oriana tried to shoot me; Miranda's poisonous influence no doubt."

And mine, old man. Lexi tilted her head slightly to the right as she sized up her eldest sibling lying on the ground. "Well, I'm sorry she missed." Ever watchful, her eyes flitted about the shadows at the corners of the room. "Where's Kai Leng?"

Lawson scowled as he shook his head slightly, perturbed that The Illusive Man had betrayed him. "I don't know. Gone. He took my research and left us here to die."

A soft groan emanated from the floor to her right. Without lowering her sidearm, Shepard nodded toward Miranda, signaling her team to help her elder sister stand. Garrus nodded once and took a step back to allow him to better cover the room. Kaidan quickly dropped out of formation and tucked Miranda's lithe frame under his arm protectively as he helped her rise. Shepard spoke clearly, not knowing the extent of her injuries. "Miri, can you hear me?" Miranda nodded slightly and took a step forward away from Kaidan and toward her father.

Henry removed the pistol from Oriana's side and aimed it at his eldest daughter. "That's close enough, both of you. Kai Leng didn't finish the job, but I will."

Lexi took a small step forward while her father's eyes remained on Miranda. "Oriana, are you hurt?"

His arm swung until the pistol was aimed at Alexis. "That's far enough, Commander. She's fine."

She couldn't rush this, not with her sister's life in the balance. There was no way any of the four of them could get to her father before he had time to put a bullet in Oriana. She had to stall him while she thought of something. It looked like words were her only option for now. "This ends here, Lawson."

"On the contrary, now that the Reapers are taken care of, we have a way out." Henry took a cautionary step back toward the door behind him.

"I said…let her go."

Miranda looked back over her shoulder slightly as she spoke. "Shepard, don't let him take her."

Oriana's eyes locked on Lexi's. It was the only part of her that even seemed remotely afraid. She gripped her father's forearm tightly in an effort to pull it away from her neck. "Shepard, please."

"Don't struggle, child." Henry tightened his hold around Oriana's neck. "And stop this 'Shepard nonsense'. She's a Lawson; she's one of us."

Miranda stilled where she stood to the right and in front of Shepard's team. Lexi could feel the fury radiating off of her. Easy, Miri. He's toying with us. She flicked her wrist slightly, gesturing to the room around them without lowering her weapon. "What exactly do you think you've created here?"

"Hope, child. Few people have the stomach to do what it takes to survive. What we learned here will save countless lives. I will be seen as the savior of the human race."

A hysterical cough sprung from Miranda's lips. "I doubt that. You're a pigheaded, egotistical maniac who would rather build a dynasty then be a father."

"I cannot help it that two of my daughters are wasting their potential. They could direct the galaxies, but no. They're content to play house or lapdog at someone else's feet."

Miranda's words hissed through her teeth as she spoke. "How dare you…"

"They want to live their lives, just like I have. I lucked out that my eyes not being the same color was such a deal breaker for you or else I'd have been stuck under your thumb, too."

"Do you even understand what you're capable of…the greatness that courses through your veins? That's all thanks to me. You and I should be working together, not standing here pointing guns at each other."

Lexi scoffed at the man's words, knowing that the woman she'd become was due to her adopted mother, Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard. "Who we are is not solely dependent on our DNA. We are molded and shaped by life and those we care about."

Henry nodded in agreement. "But I do care. You're my daughter. Together we could…"

A scowl filled her pale features. If this scumbag had really cared, he wouldn't have told my aunt to dispose of me because my eyes are two different colors. Screw you, asshole. You're nothing more than a parasite…a plague on human kind. Her eyebrows flattened. If she was truly honest with herself, she wanted nothing more than to put a round through the man's head. It wasn't her call though. This was Miranda's mission; she was only the cavalry. "Together we could nothing…You are not my father. You are nothing more than some douchebag who wanted to play god." Lexi's eyes flitted to her little sister, whose complexion was paling by the second. I have to get her out of here. "You still have a choice here, Henry. You can still walk away from this."

Henry's eyes quickly flicked around the room nervously, eying each of his middle child's companions before he met Lexi's mixed gaze. "That's hardly believable coming from someone directing multiple weapons my way."

Lexi gave a slight shake of her head before she nodded to the human shield between them, her little sister. "I just want Oriana and the research data."

"You want a lot for someone who owes me her very life."

Ignoring the scowl on the man's face, Lexi gave one of her own, and hers was infinitely fiercer. She owed this man nothing; if it were up to him, she wouldn't exist. "Correction. You owe me yours. You hand over my sister and the data, and you'll get your life in return. How much is that worth to you?"

Henry's eyes flitted back and forth between Shepard and the door. In one smooth motion he released Oriana with his left arm and shoved her to the floor. "Alright. Take her, but I want out alive. Deal?" His left arm continued to hold his pistol at Shepard while he waited for a response.

Unfortunately for him, he mistakenly assumed his middle child was in control of the situation. The air crackled as Miranda's biotics engulfed her in a blue flame. She threw out her right arm as though to punch her father from across the room and released a heavy biotic throw. Henry's body was shot through the glass wall behind him and off the platform to the floor several meters below. His body hit the floor with a sickeningly, wet thunk that reverberated through the now open room. "No deal." She inhaled deeply as her biotics dissipated. Now that she was finally able to move without fear of her youngest sister being hurt, she rushed to Oriana's side. "Did he hurt you? Are you alright?" Oriana shook her head softly and allowed Miranda to pull her to her feet and into a tight embrace. "It's ok, Ori. You're safe now."

"I'm fine. I just…I want to get out of here." She smiled softly at Alexis over Miranda's shoulder.

"We will." Miranda pulled back until she was holding only her hands. "Give me a minute, ok?" Oriana nodded and stepped over toward Kaidan and Garrus to be closer toward the door. Miranda's features relaxed as she walked over toward Alexis. "Lexi, fancy meeting you here."

She winked her brown eye knowingly. "We caught a break. Are you alright?"

She exhaled slowly before casting a glance toward where Oriana stood next to Kaidan. Worrying never really ended for the family's matriarch. Unfortunately neither did her need for a poker face. "I'll be fine, really." She folded her arms across her chest and smiled for the first time in days. "I don't know how you managed it, but I'm grateful you're here."

Alexis smiled back and gestured to the room with her right hand. "How did you do all this?"

"Finding our father didn't take long once I confirmed he worked for the Illusive Man. I just had to follow the lies. Once I saw what this place really was…I couldn't just walk away."

Lexi gave a small smile. "Always knew you were a softy. Couldn't just leave the giant death trap alone, could you?"

Miranda threw her head back with a laugh. If this had been a little over a year prior, she would have never walked into such a death trap and tested her odds like she had there today. It looked like being reunited with her sister had changed her for the better in some aspects. "Ha! I learned that from you. Albeit, things got really complicated when Reapers showed up…and Kai Leng."

They both stilled at the name of the Cerberus assassin, knowing that the former N7 would have to be dealt with at some point. "True, but you survived. Not many people could do that."

"When you mentioned he was involved with Sanctuary, I took a few precautions." She swallowed, letting what she wasn't saying ring louder than her words. They both knew exactly what Kai Leng was capable of. "You probably saved my life."

Alexis narrowed her eyes before speaking. She hadn't even known she had sisters the last few years, and she intended to keep them alive as long as possible…Reapers or no Reapers. Hell hath no fury like a Shepard. "Miri, this whole thing was a huge risk. You should have told me."

"You have a war to win, Shepard. This was my fight. It's been a long time coming."

"Our fight," she corrected, "but you did it. It's over. He's gone. No more hiding."

"Yes. I just wish Oriana didn't have to see all this," Miranda lamented. "She's not used to bullets and nightmares like we are."

"True, but she's tough. Give her time." Taking a step forward, she pulled her older sister into a tight embrace. "Look…about Henry…Are you ok?"

Miranda pulled back slightly and looked her in the eye. "I'm glad he's gone, Shepard. I'm sorry if that sounds cold."

"No. I definitely understand."

She looked at her feet momentarily before speaking. "It's finally over…for all of us. We can stop running." It was then that she finally allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

Alexis smiled back, feeling better about her family than she had in ages. "Yeah…We can." She looked over her shoulder to see Garrus, Kaidan, and Oriana gathered around a terminal across the room. My boys…always digging into something. "What's our status? Any intel we can use from this place?"

Kaidan clicked furiously away at the terminal. "The research data is gone. We've got some basic facility information. Shuttle arrivals and departures, Cerberus included. No direct links, but it's a start."

"It's better than nothing. Grab anything you can off the computer. We'll take it back to EDI to be analyzed. "

"I can do better than that," chimed Miranda from another workstation. Alexis spun on her heels to face her.

"What?"

Miranda finished what appeared to be an upload to a small data pad before making her way over. "Before Kai Leng took off, I planted a tracer on him." She held out the data pad to her sister. "If you act fast, you'll track him right to the illusive man."

Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she held the device up to inspect it. "A tracer? Sounds like you thought of everything."

"Not quite, but nobody's perfect," she smirked.

Alexis tucked the data pad safely into her armor. "Thanks, Miri. This is…exactly what we need."

Leaning back on her right foot, she placed her hand on her hip and cocked her head slightly to the side. "I thought you might need some good news."

A broad smile lit up her face. "Damn right I did." She glanced at her baby sister. "So what's next for you two?"

Miranda's gaze followed her sister's. "Get her someplace safe." She paused, taking in a physical inventory from the previous skirmish. "Get this scratch cleaned up."

"Just keep me posted, ok? I need to know you two are safe…I'm not fighting this war for nothing." She smiled slightly as she received a rarity; an affectionate smile was something Miranda wasn't known for letting others see. "I've got to follow all this up." Alexis strode past her sister to join Garrus. He appeared to be hovering over the compound's communications array.

Her sister's words made her pause briefly. "I'll be in touch, Lexi, soon."

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled soberly. With how the war against the Reapers was going, times to see her family were becoming few and far in-between. "I hope so..."

Oriana stretched out her arms as Miranda approached her. She buried her head briefly into her sister's shoulder before allowing her to walk her toward the door. "Come on, Ori. We've had enough of Father's hospitality."

Alexis approached the communication's hub and gave it a quick once-over. "Let's make sure everyone knows about this place."

After a few quick tweaks, the VI's voice filled the room. "Communication's scrambler disabled." Immediately after, a recorded message began playing on a loop. Alexis smiled as her sister's voice filled the room. "Listen to me. This is not a refugee camp. This is a Cerberus facility run by my father, Henry Lawson…"

They're safe and no one else will be tricked into thinking Sanctuary is a safe haven from the Reapers. I really wish we could stop and enjoy this, but I won't let Kai Leng slip through my fingers again. That son of a bitch has a meeting with God, and I fully intend to arrange it. Alexis tapped her communicator at her left ear to contact her shuttle pilot. "Cortez, we need a pick up at the tower."

A calm Latin accent filled the room from her communicator. "Roger that."

Her eyes looked through the now destroyed glass wall in front of her. She swallowed harshly, knowing that if she leaned forward, her father's lifeless and broken body would come into view. Her nostrils flared briefly as she took note of the years of chaos he had caused her family and the pure evil he had subjected frightened refugees to within these walls. She swallowed again, trying to keep the bile from rising. "I've had enough of this place."