Location: Rosetta Nebula / Enoch System / In Orbit above Joab / Normandy SR-2

"Well, it was worth a shot," Garrus said. "I mean, yeah, it would've been nice to know all that two years ago, but what's done is done."

Shepard frowned irritably. "Yeah."

"Maybe the Alliance can do something with it," Jacob pointed out optimistically.

At that, Tali shook her head. "I doubt it. Shepard could only understand what the Prothean Beacon was conveying because of the Cipher he got from Shiala. With her new 'medical condition', it's not likely she can pass the information to others now."

"Well, we still have the artifact. Maybe Liara or some other Prothean expert can do something with it, so the trip wasn't a total loss at least," Garrus said. "Now, what's all this about 'Admiral Anderson'?"

Shepard looked at the glowing sphere in the middle of the table. "EDI?"

"Admiral Anderson had stepped down from his position as Councilor to pursue a dangerous task. It concerns the Reapers and Cerberus," EDI briefed.

At that, everyone was attentive. "What was it? What happened?" A chorus of similar questions was all asked at the same time.

Shepard whistled loudly to silence the chatter. Once everyone settled down, he turned back to the ship AI. "Okay, from the beginning."

"The earliest records I could retrieve that were only moderately classified state that not long after he stepped down as Councilor, he provided knowledge of several Cerberus operations given to him by an anonymous source to the Turian Hierarchy," she said.

"Why us?" Garrus asked curiously.

EDI took a moment to process his question before she finally answered. "In the interest of secrecy, Admiral Anderson felt it best that the turians should spearhead the operation since it is clear Cerberus maintains numerous agents within the Alliance. It is far less likely that any such high-level agents have penetrated the Turian Hierarchy's military and would allow a multitude of simultaneous surprise attacks to be executed."

Garrus nodded approvingly. "Makes sense."

"So what were the results?" Shepard prompted.

"The turians ambushed several key locations, crippling many Cerberus operations and seizing or eliminating a great number of Cerberus personnel in addition to acquiring valuable evidence. After subsequent fallout, Admiral Anderson presented evidence of Reaper technology to the Council. From what I can determine, it was a husk, but from all indications, it was a husk that was answering directly to the Reapers, much like how the Collectors were directly controlled by Harbinger," EDI said. "Unlike the husks you encountered, it was still somewhat human, though it remained heavily modified with Reaper technology. Artificially, I might add. Reports indicate that the subject was exposed to Reaper nanotechnology by Cerberus."

Shepard frowned. "Cerberus dabbling with Reaper tech? What a shock."

Tali shook her head. "I'm guessing it went badly for them?"

"Indeed. I should point out that the body was recovered after a manhunt was issued to stop and kill it. It had escaped a Cerberus facility, killing anything in its way, including the turian military force that had attacked that particular laboratory. The subject traveled to Omega before it proceeded to Grissom Academy. Casualties were reported among the faculty and one of the students. Its intentions remain unknown and under investigation."

Knowing what any Collector was capable of when Harbinger possessed it, Shepard's countenance was grim. "But Anderson is okay, right?"

"He is."

"Does the Council believe in the Reapers, then?"

EDI was silent for a moment, presumably processing his question as fast as she could get the information. Finally, she said, "No. The Council merely believes it was a Cerberus rogue experiment gone wrong, much like the events surrounding Project Overlord."

There was a collective groan or grumblings around the table.

"If we die because of politics, I wanna live just to say 'I told you so' to those self-serving jerks," Garrus complained.

"However, the body is being examined under the strictest of security protocols," EDI added before pausing once more. After a minute, she spoke again. "The man that Cerberus had been experimenting on was Paul Grayson, a former Cerberus operative."

"They were experimenting on their own?" Miranda asked with a deep frown.

"What a fucking surprise," Jack snorted out in contempt.

"Yes," EDI succinctly answered. "I have no further details about former Operative Grayson."

"Anything more you can tell us about all this?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing extremely pertinent. I will forward a report of my findings to your terminal to peruse at your leisure," EDI said. "All other information regarding this event has been heavily classified and it will take time to uncover without detection."

"Instead of hacking your way into restricted Alliance and Council databases, I'll just ask Anderson if that's alright with you," Shepard wryly suggested.

"Or you could ask Liara," Garrus suggested.

"Those choices would be a logical course of action."

Shepard stood up. "Okay everyone. Dismissed. Take a break. Miranda, set our course. Citadel, please."

"Understood. We'll make for the Citadel immediately," she said.

~o~O~o~

Location: Normandy SR-2 / En Route to Serpent Nebula / Widow System / Citadel

"I'll be blunt: I would like you to work with me."

"As an agent for you?"

"No, I said work with me, not for me. As a partner."

"As the Shadow Broker?"

"You okay?"

Miranda blinked back to awareness and turned to the source of the question. "Hmm?"

"I asked if you were okay," Shepard said. Worry colored his visage. "I've noticed that you've been a bit preoccupied recently."

"Have I?" she asked, keeping her voice as nonchalant as possible to ease his fears.

"You've been standing in your bra for the last minute and staring into space since I walked in," he pointed out dryly. "I've been out of my armor and changed at least 10 minutes ago, not counting the time it takes to get from my cabin to your office."

At his statement, Miranda looked down and saw she was indeed standing in her bra. She was standing next to her closet in her own room, holding her chosen top, and still wearing her armored greaves and boots.

"You were standing like that when I came in," Shepard add.

Sighing, she slipped into her blouse before doffing the rest of her armor and putting on a set of civilian clothes. She inwardly approved of Shepard's tact to not make any crass comments or innuendo during the process as well as overtly staring at her near-naked form. He was sitting on the edge of her desk waiting for her to finish patiently.

Once dressed and her armor stored, she heaved another sigh and sat down on the couch, leaving space for Shepard to sit down next to her. He silently took the invitation.

"I was just thinking about what EDI told us." It wasn't exactly a lie. Miranda always thought about her sister at some point or another.

"What about?" he asked.

"If the turian attack truly hurt Cerberus, the information we recovered from Agent Rawlings might not have any value anymore," she answered.

"You're worried about Oriana," he said.

"I'm considering alternate revenues," she hedged. It was hard to put her tumultuous thoughts to words. "Can I ask you something?"

Shepard nodded.

"How important am I here?" she asked. "Aboard the Normandy, I mean. And let's leave Oriana out of this, please. I have that particular issue under control for the time being."

He raised an eyebrow, clearly not expecting such a question and having no idea why she would ask it. "Are we talking personal or professional?"

"Professional."

Once again, she approved the fact that he took the question seriously when he turned to face her as the CO of the Normandy and not as a lover.

"I need an XO to help manage this ship and the crew. Someone has to help the day-to-day, ensure the crew has their wages, and handles everything whenever I'm off-duty. I also need a secondary team leader and a competent fighter watching my back whenever we go groundside. Finally, with Mordin gone, I'll need a chief science officer," he stated. "Now, there are probably others that can do those jobs, but none that I trust to do it better than you. You said you only accept the best. Well, so do I. All things considered, you're my jack-of-all-trades. I know if I have a problem, I can trust you to help me solve it."

She nodded, having expected those answers. "That works in the short-term, but what about the long-term?"

"Right now, I'm completely focused on the short-term. I need hard, concrete, and irrefutable evidence of the Reapers," he replied. "Something to make everyone believe me, not just the Council. The galactic state of affairs is fine, but the status quo only works because we're dealing with internal problems; things we have an idea of, things we know about. The Reapers are nothing like that. They're an unknown. I don't need just the Council races to act on this. I need everything, and I do mean everything. A galactic armada, just to even stand a chance."

There was nothing to say to argue against his points, so she simply nodded.

"Why are you asking?"

"I was just thinking about the immediate future… and what happens beyond that," she hedged.

"Anything in particular?" he asked.

Before she could answer, EDI chimed in. "Shepard? Admiral Hackett wishes to speak with you. He says it is of the utmost importance."

The news was so sudden that the both of them turned to the avatar in surprise.

"Admiral Hackett? Really?" Miranda asked, wondering if EDI was attempting her hand at humor again.

"It is Admiral Hackett. He wishes to speak to Shepard and that the meeting be kept private," she replied.

"You should take it," Miranda said when Shepard hesitated between listening to her or speaking with Hackett. "We can talk after. It's important, but not pressing."

Her words didn't have the desired effect. He still looked conflicted about whom to give his attention to. Eventually, though, he nodded and stood up. "After this call, then?"

"Of course," she assured.

"Alright, EDI. I'll take it in the Comm Room," Shepard said before standing up and walking to the door. Before he opened it, he turned back to face her. "Everything okay?"

She gave him a genuine smile. "You and I are. That's enough for now."

~o~O~o~

"Shepard, thank you for your time."

"Admiral Hackett. It's good to see you again. How's Admiral Anderson?"

"Assimilating well to his new duties," Hackett answered shortly.

"I'm guessing this isn't a social call," Shepard said.

"I'm afraid it isn't, Shepard. I'll keep this brief," Hackett said. "The Alliance has a deep cover operative out in batarian space. Name's Doctor Amanda Kenson. Dr. Kenson recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion."

Shepard paid rapt attention now. "Why are you calling me with this?"

"Just this morning I received word that the batarians arrested her. They're holding her in a secret prison outpost on terrorism charges," Hackett said before pausing for just a heartbeat. "I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out of there. As a favor to me, I'm asking you to go in alone."

At his request, Shepard frowned. He had done all manner of black ops and even a few had been solo, but this was something of a first for him. "Alone into a batarian prison camp?"

"This has to be kept quiet. From the Council, the Alliance… even Anderson doesn't know about this," Hackett said. "I know I'm putting pressure on you, but this is the way it has to be. We can't afford to antagonize the batarians any more than we already have. Political tensions between our races are already strained. It's covert actions like this that can push us into war. I'm calling you because you're one of the best I've ever worked with and the only man I could trust to get this done."

"Tell me about this operative."

"Amanda—" Shepard took note that Admiral Hackett addressed the operative by name. "—is a top scientist and Alliance agent working in batarian space. It's a deadly assignment and she's one of the few up to the challenge."

"Terrorism is a serious accusation. What's Dr. Kenson actually doing out there?" Shepard inquired intently. "I thought the Alliance denies the Reaper threat along with the rest of the Council races. That must be some proof she found."

"She's a deep-cover operative, Shepard. We talk only when we have to," Hackett answered before his frown deepened. "As for the Alliance, this was strictly black ops. I made the call to send her out there and I was right. She was investigating a rumor of a Reaper artifact in the system. Her last report said she and her team found it. She believes it's a Reaper device, physical proof that the Reapers are indeed planning to invade. I've known her a long time. If she says she has proof, it's worth checking out."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You read my report on the Collectors and Reapers." It wasn't a question.

"I took it seriously, even if others didn't. That's why I sent Amanda: to find solid evidence, so others would take it seriously as well," Hackett affirmed. "You're not alone in this, Shepard."

"You sound like you know Dr. Kenson personally," Shepard pointed out.

"She and I go back pretty far, Shepard. I won't let her rot away in a batarian torture camp."

"The batarians won't take kindly to the Alliance breaking into a secret prison," Shepard grimly reminded.

"That's why it's not an Alliance, Council, or any official government-sanctioned operation – it's one man going in to save a friend. I'm doing everything I can to avoid outright war with the batarians," Hackett said. "You keep this quiet, Shepard, and there's nothing to worry about."

"I got a hell of a team," Shepard said. "If this involves the Reapers, they'd definitely help out."

Hackett shook his head. "No. Am—Kenson is my friend. A team would draw attention. If the batarians see a squad of armed soldiers, they'll kill her. Even if you succeeded, they would wonder who Kenson is; why she would be worth sending a team in for. The sort of questions we don't want them asking. If a lone operative goes, then wonder is all they'll do. Underestimate her importance." He gave Shepard a penetrating stare to reinforce the gravity of his request; how important it really was for him. "This is serious, Shepard. You go with discretion, or you don't go at all."

"For you, Admiral… I'll do it," Shepard answered.

Hackett nodded his thanks. "The prison is hidden underground at a batarian outpost on Aratoht. I'm uploading set of coordinates and instructions for you to rendezvous with a shuttle that will take you there. The pilot will fly you in undetected. From there, you're on your own."

"Understood, sir," Shepard acknowledged.

"Once she's secure, confirm her discovery. I'll debrief you both when you get back."

"Understood, sir," he repeated. He had to resist the urge to habitually salute. "If possible, I'd like a copy of her reports. Everything she did in batarian space. Any information might help."

"I'll forward everything I have. Hackett out."

Once the call was terminated, Shepard sighed and looked over to EDI's avatar when it appeared. "EDI? Assemble the team and have them meet me here, right now."

~o~O~o~

Location: Normandy SR-2 / En Route to Viper Nebula / Bahak System / Rendezvous Coordinates

"Covert mission, huh?" Jacob said thoughtfully. "Well, we got the Normandy. Should be a cinch to get in, get Dr. Kenson, and get out."

The squad was all present, and for once, stayed silent while Shepard reiterated what Admiral Hackett had requested of him: Kenson's search for a Reaper artifact, evidence of an imminent invasion, the batarians and Kenson's capture and imprisonment on a secret prison on Aratoht.

"Well, if it's covert, then we should keep the infiltration team small. Who's going with you?" Garrus asked.

"No one," Shepard answered shortly.

A small chorus of protests broke out immediately after his proclamation. Like before, he silenced everyone with a shrill whistle.

"That's how it is. A team is too cumbersome and would raise too many questions about Dr. Kenson. The batarians think she's just a scientist, so that's what we're going to let them believe. Now, out of all of us: Miranda, Jacob, and I have experience in solo black ops, and Kasumi knows how to break into places she's not supposed to be in, but Hackett trusted me with this," Shepard said.

"What about the rest of us, then?" Miranda asked.

"I'm assigning you to something else," he replied. "Kenson found something on the Reapers. Right now, I have no clue if she's alive or in any fit state to tell me what she found. I need you to take the team and the ship and retrace her steps. Find out what she found out and do it quietly. I'm already rescuing Kenson. Not sure if I can rescue all of you as well if the batarians get wind of our presence in their territory."

"Funny, Shepard," Garrus muttered. "Assuming that we're going to be okay, what about you? What if you get caught?"

"I won't," Shepard replied.

"Comforting."

"Look, this is how it is. I'm meeting my ride. While I'm off, you have to find out what's going on and avoid getting caught as well." He took a breath and looked into each and every eye in the room. "Where we're going, we're not welcome. We're completely alone, so exercise your best judgment and be as discreet as possible. I don't want to spend any more time than we have to on this."

There were some disquieted murmuring around the table, but no one spoke against him. Satisfied that everyone understood their roles, he dismissed them all. He caught Miranda's eye before she left, though, and remembered that she had something important on her mind that she was about to tell him before the current mission had fallen into his lap.

Standing up, he left the Briefing Room and strode to her office.

~o~O~o~

Miranda looked up from her terminal when the door opened and acknowledged Shepard's presence when he entered.

"Busy?" he asked.

"Just looking over Kenson's notes. Admiral Hackett forwarded everything she had reported to him when she conducted her mission," Miranda answered. "I'm also taking a look at the woman herself, both the public and the classified information, and compiling it into a dossier. It should help me trace her movements."

"Classified?" Shepard repeated.

"Liara," Miranda simply said.

He nodded in understanding. "It's nice to have friends in high, shadowy, and powerful places. What did you find out so far?"

"Top graduate at the University of Arcturus, participated in several military-funded think-tanks, a few notes about her and Admiral Hackett's relationship –nothing saucy, I assure you– and her field scores in military and covert operations training; her talents in those particular fields are nothing extraordinary, but she can take care of herself, it seems."

"In other words, she's a distant shadow of you," Shepard wryly said.

"A pale comparison, but I find myself respecting the woman all the same," Miranda replied without a hint of humor.

Shepard took the hint and grew serious as well. "Anything else that stands out?"

"Her recent publication. You might've missed it since it was released while you were still undergoing reconstruction during the Lazarus Project. I knew I heard her name before," Miranda said.

"What did she publish?"

"Her recent findings on the mass relays. Very controversial… at the time anyway. However, people began to believe her as her research turned up more evidence. The University of Serrice, in particular, had debunked Dr. Kenson's theories, before taking them seriously," Miranda answered.

"What was it about?"

"The actual age of most of the relays. Kenson dated some of the cosmic dust trapped around the gravity well of a mass relay and ran a comparison of similar particles in the same system," she said. "By doing so, she revealed that many of the mass relays are far older than the Prothean civilization."

"Which means if the relays predate the Protheans, then it begs to the question: who made them, if not the Protheans?" Shepard said. "That's good news."

"It wasn't widely accepted at first, since the Reapers and millennia of time removed all traces of previous civilizations before the Protheans. Without evidence of their existence, it was argued that there had to be something that created the relays, and the only alien race that was proven to exist was the Protheans."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "So people don't believe her? I can relate."

Miranda could only offer him a sympathetic shrug.

"You said people started to believe her?" he prompted.

"Kenson stated that it wasn't her job to find out who made the relays, merely date them. With that said, she and her team studied dozens of mass relays, and each conclusion was the same. The majority of the relays are far older than 50,000 years," Miranda said.

Shepard tilted his head. "Hasn't anyone else tried to date the relays before Kenson?"

"Of course, but it's not an easy task. The relays are protected by powerful shields. In addition, they often undergo self-cleaning cycles, which remove potential evidence. Kenson may be the first to accurately measure the relative age of the mass relays."

"Does any of this explain why Kenson is in batarian space?"

She nodded. "Remember, the relays are Reaper constructions to set our technology along predetermined paths… technology the Reapers can anticipate and fight or even counter. Kenson is studying what may be the oldest relay in the galaxy: the Alpha Relay. Its exact creation date wasn't known because we didn't have Kenson's dating methods and the batarians aren't the most welcoming race. It might explain why Hackett gave her leave to study it. It's possible she found something there."

"That's as good a theory as any," Shepard said.

Miranda nodded and then leaned back in her chair. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Our conversation before all this fell in our laps. You wanted to say something?" Shepard asked.

Taking a deep breath, she was about to tell him, but lost her nerve at the last moment. "After the mission. What you're doing is a little more dangerous than most of the other missions you've undertaken since we've met. I'd rather you keep your focus there. Talk after?"

Inwardly, Miranda wondered when she became the type to shy away from challenging and difficult problems.

Because you're emotionally invested in this.

Shepard looked like he was about to press the issue further, but Miranda preempted him by standing up and placing her hand on his arm. "I'm fine, I really am. Just working through a few personal issues. When I'm ready to share, I know I can with you. I do trust you."

Her words had the desired effect. Shepard nodded and tilted his head. "Any chance you can give me a proper sendoff?"

Smirking, she placed a hand on his cheek and drew him in for a brief kiss. The action carried all the emotion and passion she could convey, which was far more than she ever gave to anyone before. As tempting as it was to pull him back until they tumbled onto her bed, she resisted and broke off. "Good luck."

"Good luck?" he repeated.

"Save your energy. We'll both need it," she lightly chastised, though it was hard to deny the ardor in the air. "Get back safely and I'll definitely have a proper 'job well-done' for you."

"Looking forward to that. But be careful. They captured Kenson. However that happened, don't make her mistake," he warned. His eyes drifted to the bed in the back of the room. Still, he steeled his resolve as well and stepped away. "Guess I should prep."

"Me, too. I mean it, John: Good luck."

"Thanks."

After he left, Miranda exhaled nosily and ran her hand through her hair. Taking a moment to regain control of herself, she sat back at her table and continued working on Kenson's dossier. Still, without Shepard to distract her, her thoughts went back to Liara's offer.

In truth, there was nothing that should stop her from taking the job. It was literally a position of a lifetime. It would put her on the galactic stage, courting with the highest echelons of the political, military, and intelligence agencies of every known spacefaring species out in the galaxy. She would be on equal position of Cerberus and the Illusive Man.

The Illusive Man… when she thought about him, she frowned. She stopped typing at her terminal to rub her head in agitation.

She would be a force to reckon with… powers to rival the Illusive Man, yes, but would that be it?

A part of her always wondered who the Illusive Man was –is– before he had taken the reins of Cerberus. She knew that his passion for uplifting humanity was genuine, but at some point, that passion became perverted, warped, and twisted. Was that cold, nearly uncaring persona always who he had been, or was it the pressures of manning an organization such as his that forged him into a new man?

With the power of the Shadow Broker's empire, so much would change for her. Having seen the Illusive Man for what he truly was, would she change like him? Maybe even change to become 'like' him?

The Illusive Woman? Ha.

The joke tugged at the corners of her lips, but the thought was sobering. Perhaps his intentions were pure at first, but his actions condemned everything Cerberus could've stood for.

Pushing those thoughts away, she looked around her office and sat back in her chair.

Becoming the Shadow Broker would also mean that she would have to leave the Normandy. It was selfish and irrational, she knew, but she had no desire to leave the ship. Or her captain.

Sighing again, but this time in frustration, she wondered if her change in behavior was good or bad. She had fancied herself as a woman of ambition. Always pushing harder, doing more, and getting results that were above and beyond what was expected. What Liara offered was an incredible opportunity. A once-in-a-human-lifetime event. But right now, Miranda was in a steady relationship that she and Shepard never talked about. She wondered if she was diminishing herself because of him or because of some foolish bout of emotions that would probably make her regret her decisions… whichever decision she made.

I can't believe I'm hesitating.

However, she couldn't shake the feeling that, no matter how much she wanted it, leaving the Normandy felt like it would leave a hole in her chest.

Bastard.

Miranda knew she should talk to Shepard about the nature of their relationship. They were comfortable around each other, knew when to treat each other privately or professionally. He knew more about her than anyone else in the galaxy, including Oriana. Even their sexual escapades held something special, which were more than she ever felt than with any of her previous partners. But in all their time together, they never spoke of their boundaries, or even what label to call their relationship outside of the word 'relationship'. Nothing so tawdry as 'boyfriend/girlfriend', but were they exclusive to each other now? In the months they spent together, they hardly did anything remotely normal like dating or any other similar activities. Granted, they spent a lot of time together and it wasn't always about sex. He'd proven himself to be a stimulating conversationalist, and while he wasn't able to match intelligence with her, wits was something he could do. There was an attraction and passion to be sure and she was certainly not dismissing the feelings they had for each other, but she had to wonder if there was ever going to be anything more. Maybe it was time to cut her losses and embrace something new?

His earlier words did echo in her head. "Right now, I'm completely focused on the short-term."

Short-term, hmm…?

Rubbing her eyes, she put aside her tumultuous feelings with practiced ease, though some troublesome emotions lingered. For now, she had a mission to coordinate. Once over, she'd sit down with him and discuss their future and long-term plans like rational –Or hell, even irrational– adults and whatever happen will happen.

Now, what were you up to, Dr. Kenson?

~o~O~o~

"We have arrived at the rendezvous, Shepard," EDI announced.

Shepard nodded absently. Alone in the Armory, he did one last check of his gear. The N7 insignia he proudly wore was removed. Any identifying programs in his omni-tool were backed-up on his personal terminal before being purged. Even his weapons were of the stock variety. His HMW Spectre weaponry remained tucked away in his secured locker. There was nothing on his person that could give away his affiliation with either the Alliance or the Council.

As far as the batarians would be concerned, he would only be an armored individual donned in black, breaking in and getting one prisoner out. While they would probably know who Kenson is since she was on the news some time ago, there was nothing in her public record that would suggest any background in Alliance special operations. She was just a scientist; nothing more, nothing less. As far as his role was concerned, they could assume it was an Alliance operative just as much as he was a mercenary that was paid to get her out. If he did his job right, the batarians would be pissed, but would have no idea who to be pissed at.

Which is probably normal for them.

"Anyone out here?" he asked the AI.

"Matthews has detected a shuttle nearby, though it has not detected us yet. Profile indicates it is a UT-47A Kodiak Drop Shuttle," she answered.

Leaving the Armory and into the CIC, he walked up to his command post and said, "Viking, this is Normandy SR-2. Do you read?"

"Viking here. Pleasure to meet you, Normandy… if my sensors can pick you up, that is."

"Transmit our location, Hadley," Shepard ordered.

"Transmitting, aye," the crewman said.

"Got us yet, Viking?"

"Got your location, Captain Shepard," the shuttle pilot said after a minute.

"Hawthorne, transmit vectors for the pilot to fly alongside. I'm going for a walk," Shepard said. He turned around when the elevator doors opened. Miranda entered the CIC and patiently waited at her station.

"Transmitting vectors," Hawthorne said.

"Miranda, the Normandy is all yours," he said.

"Aye, aye, Shepard," she replied with a nod, looking every bit as professional as he knew her to be. "I'll make she comes back to you in the same condition as you left her."

"Appreciate that," he said. Stepping down from the command post, he marched up the aisle in the bridge.

"Vectors received," the shuttle pilot said. "I have you in visual range. Flying alongside now. Should be able to receive you in two minutes."

"Understood, Viking," Joker said.

Stopping behind Joker's chair, Shepard silently watched the monitors as the shuttle cruised up to the frigate. As estimated, within a couple of minutes, it stopped just outside the portside airlock.

"Getting a little stuffy in here. I'm gonna open a door," Shepard humorously said. "Don't wait up for me."

"Y'know, I hear it's cold out there," Joker countered. "Forecasts say that space is empty, black, with no atmosphere, and zero-gravity, all topped off with a chance of explosive decompression. Bundle up."

"You missed your calling as a weatherman, Joker," Shepard said over his shoulder as he waited for the airlock procedures to complete. Within seconds, the inner door opened, allowing him to step through the threshold.

"The captain is disembarking. XO Lawson has command," EDI announced.

"Good luck, Shepard," Joker called out.

Shepard called back his thanks before the inner door sealed shut. When the chamber depressurized, the outer door opened and he leapt out. Floating the short distance, he entered the open door of the shuttle neatly. The door closed behind him, and soon, hissing could be heard as the cabin was filled with atmosphere again. When the lights turned green, Shepard took off his helmet.

The door to the cockpit opened and a man in with a dark tan and sandy hair poked his head out. He looked to be in his early to mid-thirties. Like most humans, he was of mixed ethnicity; probably descended from the Midwest in the United North American States and western European Union. The pilot smiled in greeting and extended his right arm. "Captain Shepard? I'm Lieutenant William Willis. I'll be your driver for the rest of the trip."

Shepard shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you. Try to catch some rack. It'll be five hours till we get near the AO. If you're still sleeping, I'll wake you."

~o~O~o~

Location: Viper Nebula / Bahak System / UT-47A Kodiak Drop Shuttle / En Route to Aratoht

Shepard woke up long before the appointed time. It was just as well, though. It allowed him to mentally prep for the task at hand. He had set his weapons on the floor of the cabin, arranged neatly side-by-side. An M-8 Avenger assault rifle with a suppressor, M-27 Scimitar shotgun for close-quarters engagement, M-97 Viper sniper rifle, and an M-3 Predator also equipped with a suppressor. He had already checked over all the weapons on the Normandy, but inspecting them one more time quieted his mind since he had nothing better to do.

After an hour, he finished his prep again and decided to check in with the pilot.

Opening the door and poking his head into the cockpit, he asked, "Are we there yet?" with a grin.

"We'll get there when we get there!" Lieutenant Willis barked back jokingly. "You get some rack?"

"Some."

"I was gonna wake you in an hour," he said.

"I'm fine," Shepard assured.

"Well, as long as you're awake, Captain, I was instructed to give you a couple of presents," Willis said. "Just something to make your life easier wherever you're going."

"What is it?" Shepard asked and stepped inside the cockpit properly.

"Little something from Admiral Hackett. Alliance R&D made them not too long ago. Standard issue for the latest grads of N-School, but not widely known, so the batarians won't know where the hardware came from. It should still be covert," Willis explained. He tapped a few extra buttons on his console without even looking away from his instruments. "Sending the first gift to your omni-tool now."

Activating his omni-tool, Shepard glanced at the readouts and noticed the contents were encrypted, but the decryption key was already sent and decoding the program he received now.

"Careful where you point that thing," his pilot said. "More specifically, point it away from me. Don't wanna crash, do we?"

Raising an eyebrow at the vague warning, Shepard moved his hand away.

The moment the program was ready, he saw a new set of commands. For all intents and purposes, all he had to do was clench his fist, making sure his fingers crossed through the new buttons first.

"Whoa," was all Shepard could say, followed by a whistle when he tried out his new program.

A long blade had almost instantly retracted from the top, extending to a length of at least ten inches from his hand, and about four inches at the base, all tapering off to a very fine point at the tip.

"Nice, huh?" Willis said when he spared a glance at the razor-sharp weapon. "Techs call it the omni-blade. Hackett thought you might need it if suppressors are still too loud and you need to do a bit of quiet wet work. Solo missions are always tricky, so it helps having the right tools on hand. Or at the very least, having all sorts of tools ready for whatever happens."

"I'll say," Shepard concurred as he looked over the blade. He had no doubts about the sharpness, either, given its artificial construction.

Willis picked up a box off the co-pilot's chair and handed it to him. "This is the second."

Taking the box, Shepard opened it and gazed at the pistol inside. "I haven't seen a weapon like this."

"Yeah, most haven't yet. The M-5 Phalanx. Packs a wallop and sounds sexy to boot. However, since subtly is the name of the game, there's a suppressor outfitted on it. Sad, since it sounds like a cannon when you let it off the chain," Willis wistfully said. "Make sure you set the bullet speed to sub-sonic."

"Appreciate this," Shepard gratefully said. "And pass my thanks on to Admiral Hackett when you get the chance."

"Will do. Still, you're gonna be alright in there by yourself? Neck-deep in hostile territory and against batarians at that. They're not known for rolling out welcome mats and offering coffee," Willis said. "Why are we going to a batarian prison camp anyway?"

"Classified."

Willis didn't seem bothered by the short, uninformative rebuff. He just scoffed and said, "Isn't it always?"

"Surprised you even bothered to ask," Shepard said. It was clear Willis was used to flying black ops missions from the get-go, especially since Admiral Hackett sent him on this run.

"Normally, I wouldn't, but my orders were to fly you in. What was different about this? Nothing about extraction; just a one-way trip for you," Willis replied. "So chalk it up to me being a bit worried about sending you on a suicide mission and leaving you to die."

"I just survived one of those, Lieutenant. I'll find a way out," Shepard said confidently. "Hackett doesn't want the Alliance implicated in any way. You get me in and get out. I'll figure out the exfil on my own. If I can get out quietly, advantage to me. I'll hitch a ride with a merc ship or something. If not, I'm gonna raise a lot of hell on the exit strategy."

"That explains why you don't have the N7 insignia on."

Shepard shrugged, but didn't offer any further details. To graduate with the highest honors from the Interplanetary Combative Training Program, or ICT for short, allowed him to wear the N7 insignia with pride on his armor or other article of clothing he chose. Obviously, due to the sensitive nature of the mission, he made sure to remove all ties and clues that he was affiliated with the Alliance or the Citadel from his armor and purged any data within his omni-tool in the event that the worst happened.

"Think any batarians will recognize you, though?" Willis asked. "ETA: two hours, by the way."

"I'm still dead to most of the galaxy outside of Citadel space," Shepard assured. He sat down in the co-pilot's chair. "Doubtful anyone would believe it's me. Besides, I'm going in full armor with helmet. I'm not letting them see my face if I can help it."

"I doubt you'll have a choice in the matter."

"I'll figure something out."

~o~O~o~

Location: Viper Nebula / Bahak System / Aratoht / Batarian Detention Facility

"Dropping us to the deck and below sensors," Willis quietly reported. "ETA to LZ: two minutes."

Shepard slipped his helmet on and readjusted his weapons harness. He stood by the cabin door and waited impatiently.

"Touching down. Prepare to disembark."

The Kodiak landed quickly with barely a noticeable lurch. Shepard opened the door and leapt out, Avenger up and panning side-to-side searching for threats. The clearing within the forest was empty. The only source of movement was from a few alien birds that took off when the Kodiak landed. Aside from their flapping, the pitter-patter of rain muted the sounds of the shuttle's thrusters. "LZ is clear, LT. Take off."

"Roger that, Captain. Taking off. Target area is five miles away. Good hunting," Willis said. He took off and within seconds, was out of sight.

Shepard exhaled once before breaking into a fast jog to cover the rest of the distance to the objective.

Should probably get there in an hour.

Forty-five minutes later, Shepard was only lightly breathing when he crouched down behind a fallen tree and observed the prison he was about to break into.

As expected, the front entrance was heavily guarded, but the entire structure was meant to be a secret, which is why it was situated in the middle of a forest and why the buildings themselves were surrounded by plant growth, instead of having wide, empty clearings. In addition, having its location kept hidden probably meant there wasn't likely to be a strong presence within. More automated security, less physical guard presence.

Front door is out, naturally. Time to see if this place has a back.

He hedged his bets and hunted for a sewer entrance as well. It was less likely that there would be any guards in the bowels of the prison, but the presence of mechanical security was probable.

He skulked through the bushes and trees, navigating around the structure and scoping out anything that caught his attention: number of guards, points of entry, number of men going in and out, communications array and satellite dishes. And, of course, the main prison cell building. The storm provided ample cover for him to move while he conducted his reconnaissance; the clouds blocked out the moonlight while the rain and thunder masked his footfalls. In combination with his infiltrator training, he was nothing but a ghost.

He cursed his sudden turn of bad luck when there was no rear entrance, not that he expected one in a detention facility, though. Only one way in from the ground –the front entrance– and one way in from the air –a landing pad for shuttles– that connected to a small hangar.

Sewers it is. Great.

Brushing off the mental images of how long and thorough his shower would probably be, he moved closer to the perimeter of the prison, keeping an eye out and counting the number of cameras stationed along the outside walls and buildings.

It took a bit of effort and climbing, but he finally found a grate large enough for him to get into. He smiled to himself as he accessed a 'gift' from Kasumi on his omni-tool. Taking care to remain out of their line of sight, he waved his hand at the cameras nearby. Checking the hacked feeds, he saw that they were suitably looped, which would effectively mask his approach.

Dashing in, he used his omni-tool to create a torch to cut through the metal bars until he could fit through. The moment he took his first step inside the sewage pipe, his right foot found itself nearly ankle-deep into something soft and squishy.

Don't look down. Don't even imagine what it might be. Don't even think about what the goddamned smell must be like down here.

Instead, his imagination conjured images of a decontamination room in addition to his shower.

Maybe I should've just assaulted the front door instead. A dozen pissed-off batarians sounds a hell of a lot better than the shit I just stepped in. If it even was shit I just stepped in…

Despite his thoughts, he pushed forward, idly shaking his boot of whatever it was that he walked into to regain traction since it made his movement a little slippery.

He kept his pace even and steady, taking care not to rush. His footsteps were light and off to the sides of the pipe to avoid splashing in the 'water'. He had to use the night vision function in his Kestrel Helmet to see past the gloom, but at least his ears didn't pick up anyone or anything down with him.

It was that last point that was some cause for concern.

Where the hell are the scavengers? The rats? Or some sort of vermin down here?

He saw only a few alien cockroaches, or some Earth equivalent, scurrying along the walls, but nothing larger than that. More than likely, there was something down in the sewers that did some sort of sweep for the small animals, never mind intruders like him.

He kept his M-5 Phalanx ready as he approached the end of the tube. Not far ahead, he heard more water moving. Peering out slightly, he found he was in some sort of derelict maintenance/sewer corridor. It was a rectangular hallway instead of a cylinder, so he was able to get more even footing. Water ran down the middle irrigation channel, though it was shallow.

Following the direction of the water flow, it went into a small vent that led elsewhere. Stuck in the bars of the grate were the skeletal remains of something that was most definitely humanoid at one point.

A small growl caught his attention from the right. Raising his weapon higher, he stalked forward until the animal sounds grew louder. He crouched in the darkness and waited.

A varren wandered into view, popping out of a smaller sewer tube. It was noisily crunching on a small animal snack, presumably an alien sewer rat.

Shepard leveled his M-5 and fired two shots into the oblivious guard dog, bringing it down instantly. The shots barely sounded like puffs of air.

Varren. That explains why there were no rats down here. The batarians must dump the bodies down here, too… or send their prisoners to die. I definitely have to find Dr. Kenson now.

Roaming the dark tunnels quickly, but cautiously, he managed to get the jump on a few more varren, each dispatched as quietly as the last. The hallways were trending upwards now. It wasn't long until he happened across a rusted door. It took some effort, but he managed to cut his way open with his torch before going in.

It led to a neglected or even abandoned maintenance passageway. Instead of stone, he was tiptoeing atop of steel walkways; stairs instead of ramps. However, it was still as pitch black as the sewer he just left.

This is place is run down… even for a prison. Might have to reevaluate my opinion of the automated security. This place might not even be up to modern specs.

Pushing forward, he navigated the hallways, occasionally forced to double back and find alternate paths when he ran into dead ends or sealed doors too thick to cut through.

Wish I had a damn map.

It was the nature of the beast, though. Without any intelligence on the layout of the prison facility, he had to stumble around and hope he wouldn't do something stupid until he could get his bearings. Worst-case scenario, he would walk headlong into the guard barracks and get himself captured. Pushing those thoughts aside, he started marking the walls with a special paint, a mild isotope that could only be seen with a special filter that he had in his helmet, to better track his progress. The HUD highlighted his markers brightly to ensure he wouldn't stay lost.

There were a couple of patrolling varren in the area, and while both had detected his presence, neither was quick enough to bark out in alarm before they were silenced.

It took more time than he'd have liked, but he finally felt he was making progress when the walls and floors looked far less grimy and home to flesh-eating animals to some cleaner facilities that probably housed the guards. The darkness was banished by overhead lights, prompting him to deactivate his night vision. Ahead was a door.

He tiptoed closer till he was close enough to put his head against it. Voices were heard on the other side.

"They wanted to slam an asteroid into the mass relay."

"Can they even do that?"

"What difference does it make? We caught'em."

Might be talking about Kenson and her team. Slamming an asteroid into the relay… What were you up to, Kenson?

He put his thoughts aside as he mentally judged their distance from the door. The first speaker sounded further away than the second. He engaged his omni-tool and started a bypass on the locked door. It was unlocked in a matter of seconds. Without wasting time, he opened it and sprang into action.

The guard closest to him was only feet away. He closed distance and sucker punched him with a left hook before seizing him to use as a shield. The other guard was shocked into inaction. Shepard raised his M-5 and pumped five rapid shots into him. The first three impacted against shields before they failed, allowing the last two shots to enter cleanly into the torso. The man fell backward, dropping his rifle and gasping. Shepard fired twice more to end him.

Turning swiftly on the batarian in his arms, Shepard slammed the butt of his pistol into the man's collar bone to bring him to his knees with a shout of pain before putting a boot on his head to drop him to the ground face first with a grunt. Planting his knee into the guard's back, Shepard put the barrel of his weapon on the back of his prisoner's head. The guard stilled.

"How many guards?" Shepard asked harshly.

"You human? You just made the biggest mist—"

Shepard turned the man around and clamped his left hand around his neck. With the batarian's voice cut off, he pressed the M-5 into the left shoulder of the guard and shot once. The batarian could only gurgle out a scream.

"How many guards?" Shepard growled out.

"Th-th-thirty…"

"You have a human prisoner here: Kenson. Where is she?"

"W-when the o-others f-find you—"

Shepard clenched his left hand, squeezing the guard's neck before he fired another round into the wound he made seconds ago.

The man flailed uselessly as he tried to draw breath to scream, but Shepard gave him no quarter. He simply pressed down harder on the guard's neck till the flailing subsided.

"Where is she?"

"B-b-being… i-i-interrog-g-gated…"

Nodding, Shepard pressed the barrel of his gun against the guard's head and fired twice.

Keeping low, he checked the room for anything of value. A datapad containing a personal log was on the table. He uploaded the contents of the datapad into his omni-tool and had the log play out in his radio to maintain silence.

"I hear humans are scurrying like vermin out in the asteroid belt. Is anywhere safe from them? We should arm a mission and flush them all out."

He frowned but resisted the urge to pick up the pace. It was clear this prison would not be kind to human inmates, but until he had confirmation of Kenson's condition, rushing blindly would serve no one.

He slowly crept to the windows and peeked around. No one was in the immediate vicinity. He stood up and went to the door. It led back outside, but it was clear he was inside the compound now. The tiny building he just exited was just a guardhouse.

He slowly moved forward, keeping his eyes and ears open for anyone else around. He ducked down when he picked up snippets of a conversation and crouch-walked to hide behind a partition to hone in on the source of the voices.

"They've still got her down in the prison," a guard said conversationally.

To his left, his co-worker grunted in annoyance. "I'd just kill her. Interrogating a human is a waste of time."

The rain was still coming down which, would serve to mask the sounds of his movement, but not so much that it would limit visibility. What the rain would definitely do would be to ruin his optic camouflage, making his tactical cloak completely useless outside.

I doubt even Kasumi's tech overcame this problem.

He stuck to the shadows and relied on traditional, tried-and-true methods of stealth. Creeping along solid ground, he measured his footsteps carefully to the splatters of the rain while avoiding anything that would give his position away; crunching leaves, stray branches, and the like.

The two guards had their backs to him, so he quietly left the immediate area and toward the building at the end of the path.

Thankfully, the door was unlocked. Climbing up the short stairs, he opened it and peered inside before quickly darting in. He was in a short hallway that turned to the left. Further in, the wall to his right was a partition lined with glass windows. Staying low, he crawled to the partition and pressed his back to it to remain out of sight underneath the windows.

Two more guards were inside talking.

"No way it would've worked. Relays can't be damaged, much less destroyed."

"Those humans will do anything to destroy us, I swear."

"We have to make them an example to the others. We don't respond kindly to terrorists."

Shepard sidled along, staying below the glass and hidden from view. Rounding the corner, he clenched his teeth when he saw an open door that led into the room where the two guards were talking.

He stopped at the edge and risked a tiny peek, making sure his pistol was ready. The two chattering guards were facing away from him.

His ears picked up on the sounds of footsteps, but they were coming from down the hall. Quickly, he activated his tactical cloak and hoped that the dripping water on his armor wouldn't give him away.

A guard rounded the corner at the far end of the corridor. He nodded to his fellow guardsmen when he passed by the open door and just within inches of Shepard's near invisible form.

Even though he knew the guard wouldn't hear him with his helmet on, Shepard involuntarily held his breath.

The guard passed by without breaking stride.

Just when he thought he could sneak on using his tactical cloak, Shepard tensed up when the batarian stopped just a couple of meters away all of a sudden.

The man crouched down to study something on the floor.

Shit! My footprints from the rain!

Wasting no time, Shepard lunged at the guard. The rapid movement caused his cloak to deactivate. The batarian turned toward him, shock coloring his face.

Clenching his fist and activating the new commands, his omni-blade extended instantly just before Shepard drove the tip into the man's chest. It entered cleanly and without resistance, right through the armor and out the other side. Only a strangled gurgle and the thump of the guard's fallen body was heard.

"What was that?"

"I heard it, too."

Moving away from the corpse, Shepard clenched his left hand again and created another omni-blade. Just as the first guard appeared past the threshold of the door, he pulled his arm in a wide arc, slicing away at the neck. The guard went down with a muted cry.

The second guard stumbled backward in shock from the sudden attack, allowing Shepard to raise his M-5 and pumped four rounds into him. The batarian dropped dead as well.

Quickly checking if anyone else was in the vicinity and seeing no one else, Shepard quickly left the cafeteria before anyone came. The bodies were left where they lay since the blood stains would be more than enough to let any passerby know that there was an intruder inside the compound.

Damn. Won't be long till they find those three. Time to pick up the pace.

Checking around the cafeteria for any useful intel, Shepard only came across another personal log, which he listened to via radio while he hunted for something more useful, such as a map of the facility.

"I've worked forty-seven days without time off and now there's humans in the prison below. I can't get a break. There's three hundred thousand people in this colony. You'd think someone could cover for me for one night."

You'd think someone would have a map of this damn place. Sounds like automated security won't be much of a problem after all. Just the 30 guards or so.

The omni-tools of the three guards he dispatched held no data of value. Without wasting any more precious time, he quickly jogged to the side door, peered around to ensure the coast was clear before darting out and ducking behind a railing.

He was on the second floor of the hangar bay. Recalling his visual layout from his reconnaissance, he judged that he was two buildings away from the main prisoner cells. Keeping low, he moved to the far door, but when lights shined above him, he stilled and readied his M-5.

"Shuttle incoming! Clear the hangar bay!"

Following the announcement, the doors opened. Shepard could hear some rust bucket chugging its way in. He pressed forward, making sure to stay out of sight and made sure his tactical cloak was ready to be used at a moment's notice.

If things get loud, shuttle might be the way out.

Satisfied that he had a workable Escape Plan B, or a rough idea of one, he opened the exit door, and like before, checked around before scurrying in before anyone spotted him.

The next room was a maintenance bay for any broken shuttles or vehicles. At the current moment, only a flatbed truck was sitting inside and no one else. Currently, Shepard was on the second floor catwalk with a door at the other end. He tiptoed toward the exit slowly with his Phalanx up and ready when he caught more snippets of a conversation from the other side of the door.

"I heard an artifact was found in that asteroid belt. Think the humans got it?"

Shepard rushed to the door, taking care to keep his footfalls as light as possible. When he reached it, he put his back at the side, keeping ready as the voices got louder.

"If they did, they'd have swarmed in and put flags all over it."

Two more batarians came in and walked right by him. Shepard sprang into action. He grasped the right arm of the closer guard and twisted it until it was leveraged upward toward the ceiling. Keeping the limb trapped by hyperextending and holding its position in place with his arm and his torso, Shepard stepped forward. He used the momentum to move his hand to the batarian's shoulder and pushed to force his captive to bend over at the waist, turning him into part hostage, part gun platform, part shield. The maneuver took only half a second.

The other guard turned around with a shocked look on his face, only to take two shots to the face at point-blank.

Using his pistol as a bludgeon, Shepard cracked the grip of his weapon into the back of the batarian's head before releasing him and putting two more rounds into the guard as well before he even hit the ground.

Racking up a body count here…

It wasn't a clean incursion, but with batarians crawling all over the place, he knew crossing paths with them was inevitable without a clear direction or idea where Kenson was being held. At this point, he was more surprised that an alarm hadn't sounded yet.

Exiting the building, he stayed in the shadows. A few patrols were outside. This time, he avoided engagement altogether. He stayed out of sight, falling back to low-tech methods of stealth, rather than relying on his optic camo since the rainfall grew heavier.

This should be the building.

This time, the door locked, but he worked a bypass and slipped inside unseen.

"Siz? That you?"

Shepard had stepped into a hallway. An open door leading to a security office was on the left. Some other doors were on the right. He darted to the open door on the left and waited.

A guard walked out, clearly expecting someone else. Shepard grabbed the man from behind, pulled him away from the doorway, and put him a chokehold. The man tried to cry out for help, but could only emit a weak gurgle.

Tensing up, Shepard stared at the office door for only a few seconds, but heard and saw no one else come to check the disturbance. Satisfied it was only the one guard that he held in his arms, Shepard tightened his grip and fiercely whispered, "There are two ways this can go. One way involves you dying horribly. I know your first instinct is to scream. Don't. Just nod if you understand me."

The guard stilled at the threat and nodded.

Growling softly, Shepard jerked the man once to show that breaking his neck would be only too easy. "Kenson. Is she inside this building?"

Nod.

"Alive?"

Another nod.

"Are you planning to cause trouble for me?"

He shook his head.

"That office controls the cameras?"

Third nod.

"Are you expecting anyone else to walk in the door?"

This time, the guard hesitated before he shook his head. Shepard could feel the man's head slightly twitch in his arms toward the door that led back outside.

"Lying? Big mistake."

"Wai—!" the guard tried to protest before Shepard twisted his arms violently. A meaty crack followed after and the batarian went limp.

Shepard dragged the body into the office and stuffed him under the table and out of sight. Sitting down in the vacant seat, he placed his M-5 on top of the table next to the terminal and within easy reach. Using his omni-tool, he started to hack his way into the security mainframe to get control.

It didn't take as long as he expected since the software the batarians used were somewhat out of date. However, his control was limited to the main prison area, not the entire prison itself. Cameras, alarms, and most importantly, lockdown procedures were all disabled for the building he was in. In addition, he finally managed to get a map of the facility, so there was little chance he'd blunder blindly around now.

Looks like the actual mainframe is in the basement and the warden's office…

According to the map he downloaded, the warden's office was on the other side of the compound, so that idea was out. If he wanted to wreak havoc in the prison, the underground mainframe was the only way to go. Checking the camera feeds, he looked for any sign of Amanda Kenson to get an idea of her physical condition. Finally, he spotted movement on one of the screens and put it up on the main monitor above him.

"Get the human into questioning," a guard barked out.

"Get your hands off me!" a cultured and female voice demanded. Her back was to the camera, but she had the right height, build, and hair color.

Might be Dr. Kenson…

A quick check of the prison records showed that the other prisoners –members of Kenson's team– were dead, causing him to growl angrily. They had tried to escape and were gunned down.

Movement out of the corner of his eye put his reflexes into autopilot.

"Hey! Who ar—!"

Four shots and the guard Shepard was expecting to walk in fell dead. Putting the pistol back on top the table, he accessed any other relevant information he could find before any more guards came in. A security log caught his attention and he sent it into this radio to have a listen while he scoured the networks.

"Our comm buoy intercepts paid off. We picked up a message to the Alliance coming from somewhere in the asteroid belt. We listened to the feed until we discovered an operation run by a human named Kenson – smuggling engine parts and guidance systems into the system from Omega. We intercepted Kenson's vessel and took her and her people into custody. Interrogation has produced nothing but frenzied rambling so far."

Probably anti-interrogation techniques.

Shepard knew of similar techniques taught to him during ICT, though it was used to resist or counter truth serum or similar chemical agents, not physical torture. For that, misdirection was usually the way to go.

Whatever works, I guess.

The log continued. "Even after using some of our more invasive interrogation techniques, the humans still won't tell us where their base is. No way we'll find it even if we scanned every asteroid out there. I wonder if the humans actually found something. No torture is too great if it gets that information out of them."

As a bonus, he managed to crack into the prison's communications, allowing him to eavesdrop on their chatter. Checking the camera feeds one last time to get an idea of the guards' positions relative to his approach to the interrogation rooms, he shut down the system before taking the second guard's body and hiding him in the office. Sealing the door behind him, Shepard stalked the hallways toward his destination.

He managed to avoid the patrols now, making liberal use of his tactical cloak. Several minutes later, he reached the interrogation rooms. It got easier since all he had to do was follow dried blood trails.

Bastards.

The door to the observation room was open, so Shepard didn't take any chances. He went invisible and peered into the room to get a sense of the opposition within.

Two guards were casually observing the action inside through a one-way mirror. An interrogator was on the other side, along with Dr. Kenson.

Jackpot.

"This one's apparently the mastermind."

"What if she doesn't talk like the others?"

"We'll just kill her."

Moving away from the door, Shepard checked the hallways around the interrogation room for any hostiles before his armor's camouflage system overheated and needed to cool down. The immediate area was devoid of any other batarians. He sidled up to the open door again just before he became visible.

He softly whistled.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Is someone there?"

This time, Shepard took one loud step away from the door.

"You had to hear that."

"I heard it. Who's out there? Zaz? Puck? If you're playing games with us, I'm gonna be pissed."

Quietly stepping back closer to the doorway, Shepard tensed up and waited for the two men to walk out. Just as he anticipated, the first barely crossed the threshold when the Spectre brought the butt of his pistol into the guard's face. The man uttered a short scream and clutched his injury. With the first guard distracted, Shepard darted in and pushed him back into his comrade to knock both opponents off balance.

The second guard stumbled backward, but managed to stay on his feet. He had to use both hands to shove his friend out of the way before trying to draw his weapons. Capitalizing on the distraction, Shepard reached out, grabbed the man by the back of his head, and rammed the barrel of his M-5 into the batarian's throat three times, crushing the windpipe and killing him.

The first guard was on the ground, struggling to get back on his feet. Shepard simply shot him twice in the back of the head before looking through the observation window. As expected, it was soundproofed to prevent any prisoners from hearing what was on the other side.

Shepard activated the speakers and listened in.

"I'll ask you again: Where is your base?" the interrogator demanded impatiently.

"You're wasting time. The Reapers are coming!" Kenson shouted.

The batarian scoffed. "The Reapers are coming here. To this system."

"Every moment you keep me here brings them closer."

"So I should let you go destroy the relay, then? Cut this system off from the rest of the galaxy?"

"It would do far worse than that," Kenson answered. She sounded sympathetic and defiant at the same time. "Do what you want to me, batarian. Torturing me won't save you."

The interrogator laughed. "No, but it'll amuse me."

Shepard tapped the window.

The batarian turned to the mirror and crossed his arms. "What?"

Shepard tapped the window more insistently.

The man stomped up to the glass and tried to glare through his reflection. "What do you idiots want? I'm busy here!"

Knowing that using his biotics to break the window would put Kenson in danger, Shepard reared back his right fist and activated his omni-blade. He punched through the window, sending shards of splintered glass into the interrogator/torturer. Reaching over the partition, Shepard pulled the shocked batarian over to the observation room and bodily threw him into the ground. Unsheathing his omni-blade again, he stabbed down and swiftly killed him.

Leaping over the low railing, Shepard tromped over the broken glass to his objective.

Amanda Kenson was an older woman, probably sixties or so. Short gray hair, but no wrinkles marred her face yet. Her face looked severe, as if she took everything too seriously. At the moment, Shepard couldn't blame her, though. She was shackled to a metal bed that was inclined vertically, with heavy clamps on her wrists, ankles, and neck.

"Who are you?" Kenson asked.

"I'm here to get you out," Shepard whispered. "A mutual friend sent me."

"Stev—Ah, of course. He would send you," Kenson said. "I'd heard the rumors about your current status… so my message was received?"

Unlocking the restraints, Shepard merely nodded. "We're not safe here. Can you walk?"

Once freed, Kenson took a deep breath while she rubbed her neck and wrists. "I'm fine. Just give me a moment—"

"We don't have that kind of time. It won't be long before we're discovered. We have to go. Now," Shepard stressed. "Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Fight?"

"If I have to."

Shepard handed his M-5 to the scientist.

She checked the weapon briefly, showing that she had some experience with weaponry. "Do you have an escape plan?"

"According the maps I downloaded, the main security console is below us. We get there, disable everything, and try to sneak out the way I came in. If the alarms go off, we steal a shuttle and fly out instead," Shepard said.

Like a bad omen, alarms went off just as he finished speaking.

"Shuttle it is, then," said Kenson.

Resisting the urge to curse, Shepard leapt back over the partition and out the door to check the halls. "We're clear, but it won't stay that way!"

"I'll follow your lead. After you," she replied.

~o~O~o~

Drawing his Avenger now, Shepard led Kenson deeper into the prison bowels. There were other prisoners inside some cells they passed by, but he didn't have time to free them or even assess if they were worth freeing. He already ascertained the condition of the rest of Kenson's captured team, so his only objective now was the woman herself. As tempting as a prison riot would be to distract the guards, he couldn't take the risk that the prisoners would attack Kenson and himself as well. As least until we get to the shuttle anyway…

"What about the others?" Kenson urgently asked.

"Dead. You're the last," Shepard said bluntly. There wasn't enough time to offer any sympathy or respect for the deceased.

Kenson appeared to have known, though. She cursed and said, "So that batarian bastard wasn't lying. I was hoping it was just misdirection to make me talk. Damn them."

"There! The ringleader! Get your asses down here and kill her!"

Hearing the transmission, Shepard whirled around and started firing at the patrol down a hallway to his right. All three guards jumped to the sides and took cover.

"Run, Kenson!"

They sprinted through the cell blocks, occasionally trading gunfire with the batarians giving chase. Shepard did what he could to avoid gunplay since all Kenson was wearing was some ragged clothing. Without shields, she was vulnerable to enemy fire, making her an easy target.

Still, it was only a matter of time before they would be overrun by the sheer number of batarians inside the prison.

"Lockdown! Initiate lockdown!"

"It's not working!"

"What do you mean it's not working?!"

"We're locked out! The system is all screwed up!"

Ducking down behind a column, Shepard checked his map to locate the server room with the main security console. "We're not too far. One more floor below us. We need to hurry. It won't be long before the warden uses his master commands to initiate lockdown. If we're not down below, we're dead."

"Look out!" Kenson shouted.

Four guards appeared at the door ahead of them to cut off their forward progress.

Kenson dove for cover while Shepard manifested a singularity. The moment the batarians were distracted, both humans opened fire. Between the biotic attack and the bullets, they were cut down.

"Gotta hurry," Shepard urged.

"How much further?"

"Not far."

Just farther than I'd like.

Hearing the footfalls of more pursuers coming from behind, he grabbed Kenson by the upper arm and pulled her to her feet. "Run!"

Staying behind, he pulled out a grenade and tossed it as far as he could before following.

"Take a right!" Shepard barked at Kenson.

She didn't question him. She turned right at the next intersection and started running down an incline that took them below the cell block. Traversing the corridors was easy since there weren't any more turns, but once they reached the level the console was at, the open door at the end of the hallway had seven more batarians that were lying in wait for them.

Kenson fired first and was able to kill one before ducking behind the doorway. "I saw the console!"

Shepard popped out and managed to gun down another guard, which discouraged the rest from trying to approach the door and overwhelm them with numbers. "We can't stay here. The other guards are right behind us."

"Suggestions?" Kenson asked before blind-firing around the corner. It was more for show than actual suppression, mainly to say that they were still armed and not about to surrender.

"Don't miss," Shepard grimly replied. He manifested a biotic barrier around himself to supplement his shields before using charge to appear in the midst of their attackers. The explosion of dark energy upon impact scattered them from cover.

Kenson didn't even blink. She rounded the corner with her borrowed M-5 and picked off the easiest targets in her sights.

Shepard whirled around and fired off his Avenger before sprinting for cover before the guards could regain their bearings. It was a high-risk maneuver, but now they had the guards surrounded, which worked to their advantage. The fight was over within a minute.

"I can hack the console and begin sealing doors. Create our own lockdown. It should keep them off of us," Kenson said.

"Be sure to unlock the hangar doors when you're done. I'll cover you," Shepard quickly said. He ran back to the door they entered from. He could hear the footfalls of many armed batarians coming their way. "Initiate lockdown! They're about to reach us!"

"I need a few minutes!"

Why not ask for an hour?

Shepard plucked a grenade from his belt and tossed it deep inside. The explosion would either tag their pursuers or stop them in their tracks, forcing them to think he had more explosive tricks up his sleeves.

Shepard grimaced when the guards tossed a few grenades of their own. One he had to biotically push away, but the others fell short. "They're gonna be here soon!"

"Almost there!" she shouted back.

Trading gunfire now, it was difficult to determine how many were shooting at him. Shepard had tried to get a quick headcount and nearly saw his shields drain from the torrent of bullets that struck him.

My guess: a lot.

He resorted to blind-firing around the door's threshold, but it was a cheap stall tactic. His opponents return fire simply increased in frequency. Either they were looking to suppress him to cover their approach or knew that they eventually get a lucky shot in.

The door finally beeped twice before the metal plates began sliding closed. Red lights and klaxons at the door were flashing and blaring in addition to the prison-wide alarm.

"The doors are closing! Stop the lockdown! Stop the lockdown now!"

"I got it!" Kenson shouted.

"Not a moment too soon," Shepard muttered under his breath. He lobbed another grenade through the portal before the doors finally sealed shut. "We need to get to the hangar!"

"There's a bridge here. I need to move it into position. It should be a straight shot to the hangar from here," Kenson replied. "Let's see here…"

Shepard moved around the perimeter, keeping one eye on Kenson and the other for any signs of trouble.

The underground room they were in was cylindrical, with several more floors below. In the middle was an empty chasm with railings, presumably for the bridge that can move from floor to floor. That way, in the event of escape, the guards had the advantage of rapid response while prisoners had to make do with more cumbersome ways like stairs and other assorted choke points. It was just unfortunate for the guards that Shepard and Kenson had broken through those defenses and arrived at the central hub before they could get to their positions.

"I'm unlocking the doors to the hangar," Kenson announced.

"Be sure to disable their orbital tracking network before they decide to blow us out of the sky," Shepard reminded.

"Already on it," she replied. "Damn, I'm reading more batarians coming."

"Where?" he asked tensely. His eyes roamed the level they were on, but with the only door shut and the chasm in the middle, he couldn't see any obvious entryways.

"Below us. They're taking cargo lifts," she answered hurriedly. "I can disable them, but we have guests coming to meet us right now. Stop them!"

Running up to the railing, Shepard looked down before jerking back at the bullets fired at him from below. Having seen the elevators positions, he noted the tracks on the walls and moved to the first. Smirking to himself, he plucked a grenade from his belt and dropped it. The subsequent explosion and screams informed him that he hit his mark.

One elevator destroyed.

"Well… that would work, too…" Kenson muttered when he ran past her to the next set of tracks. "There are four lifts overall! Destroying them will mean they have no way to reach us here! The hangar might be a different story!"

"One problem at a time!" Shepard shot back. After destroying elevators two and three, he cursed when he noticed he was out of grenades. One of the dead guards had a supply, though. Inferior to what he was used to, but he wasn't about to complain. However, it was unnecessary when the fourth elevator wasn't being used.

Guess they wizened up.

Still not satisfied with leaving Kenson's safety to chance, he lobbed the grenade such that it blew up against the tracks, ensuring that if the batarians were to try to follow, the lift would never reach the right floor.

"I got it!" Kenson shouted. "I'm initiating a full lockdown of the prison. That should keep the guards away from us. I'll unlock all the prison cells as well. I have no idea if the prisoners here are in any condition to fight, but it's something to distract them with."

"Will there be any prisoners in our way to the hangar?" Shepard asked as he rejoined her.

"No. I'm moving the bridge. We can cross it and get the hell out of here," Kenson replied. Her fingers were typing rapidly on the terminal before she stepped away. "And done. Let's get out of here."

"The hangar doors?" Shepard asked. He watched as the bridge came down, allowing them to proceed.

"Hard-locked," she answered shortly. "We'll have to get those open the old-fashioned way."

"Leave that to me," he assured. He set the pace to their destination. Briefly consulting the map in his omni-tool, he double-checked that they were on the right path to the hangar, and hopefully, the shuttle within.

The intercom crackled to life. "There's a breakout in progress. All guards: suit up for riot suppression. All prisoners will stand down and return to your cells or we will use lethal force!"

"That'll keep them busy," Shepard commented.

"Let's hope so. Are we almost there?" Kenson asked.

"Yes. There should be a shuttle there now. I saw it dock when I was making my way to you," he answered.

Together, they ran through the bowels of the prison. As expected, the new route they took led them to the ground level of the hangar. Shepard slowed his pace and put up his right arm up to signal Kenson to do the same. When they reached the door that led into the hangar proper, Shepard peered through the dark gloom and looked around. He didn't see anyone in the immediate vicinity, but he could hear voices on the second floor.

Probably found the three bodies in the cafeteria.

"How many?" Kenson quietly asked from behind him.

"Maybe two on the second floor," he whispered back. "I—back up."

He pushed Kenson and jerked his head back from the doorway. Holding his breath, he strained his ears and caught the footfalls of a guard roaming the same level as them. After a minute, the movement within stopped. Gripping his Avenger, he chanced another peek around the corner and saw the guard standing nearby. Thankfully, he was facing away from them. He was checking over his weapon and idly glancing up at the catwalks above to eavesdrop on his compatriots above.

Even with a suppressor, he knew his weapons would be too loud in the empty room. He gestured for Kenson to remain hidden before using his tactical cloak to vanish from sight and approach the guard unseen. Once he got behind within striking range, Shepard utilized his omni-blade and swiftly took down the guard. There was only a muted grunt followed by a death rattle before silence. Taking the body, Shepard dragged it into the corner and out of sight.

Looking at the doorway, he reappeared and gestured to Kenson to follow.

"Prep the shuttle, I'll get the doors," he whispered.

She nodded and made a beeline for their ride out, keeping low to avoid detection.

"Are you idiots still there? We have confirmation that there are prisoners going to the hangar! Get the shuttle out of here!"

Shepard gritted his teeth and looked around. Company hadn't arrived, but the two guards appeared at the catwalks above. He plucked a grenade from his belt.

"We're stationed at the hangar. Nothing so far—SHIT!"

Both guards stumbled back from the grenade moments before the explosion launched them off their feet. One went flying over the railing and to the ground floor nearby. The other went right through the cafeteria window.

Shepard sprinted to the main door, Avenger up and ready for any angry batarians. Thankfully, there were none at the moment, but the radio chatter he was hearing suggested that would change soon.

Both halves of the door had their own consoles to interact with to open them. He quickly hacked each one, and soon, their way out was clear. Better still, the rickety shuttle hummed to life nearby.

Kenson appeared at the cabin door. "Time to go!"

Shepard ran up to the shuttle, only to duck down when the sounds of gunfire echoed in the massive room.

"Damn it!" Kenson shouted. She retreated inside the cabin for cover, before firing back with her M-5.

Shepard had found refuge behind some crates. He briefly popped out to trade gunfire as well and to assess enemy strength. They were coming in from the back of the room, adjacent from the way the humans had entered. The opening was far bigger, allowing their numbers to pour in unhindered.

Shepard created a singularity to stem the tide. Several batarians screamed as they were pulled off their feet and drawn into the gravity well. Either they were floating in mid-air, helpless to fight back effectively, or were crushed at the core.

Shockwave flushed others out of their cover and closer to the singularity before Shepard used warp to detonate his biotic creation.

"That's as clear as we're gonna get!" Shepard shouted. "Go!"

Kenson quickly jumped into the cockpit while Shepard dashed from his defilade and clambered into the cabin. He sealed the doors just as Kenson lifted off, eager to be far, far away from her captors and tormentors.

~o~O~o~

Author's Notes:

I had a section of this chapter written a while ago, way back with my first fic. With that said, I want to dedicate it to my first beta that helped my story Fight for the Lost.

To you Wyl. Told you I'd get it done.