A/N: Soooo I'm not sure about this chapter but... yeah. I hope it still sounds okay... Nervous. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, guys! I really appreciate it!

Chapter length: 5243

Onward!


Chapter 2 – One More Mission [Kiyo's POV]

There's a buzz at the door to his 'cell', though C-Sec has some of the finest cells he's ever seen. It's incredibly easy to forget you're even incarcerated. He looks up from where he's sitting in an uncomfortable chair to find two C-Sec officers looking at him.

"You're free to go," they say.

He gets to his feet. He wants to ask why, but can't look a gift horse in the mouth, so the saying goes. He follows them from the cell and finds an unfamiliar set of faces waiting for him. His fingers twitch, ready to reach for his gun, but C-Sec confiscated everything. So he instead smiles at his 'visitors'.

"Are you Kiyo Montoya?" the only human in the group asks. The others are turian and salarian, respectively. It's been a while since he's seen alien races working together. It's a little strange, especially when the human is wearing Cerberus stripes on his uniform.

Cerberus.

A part of him is immediately untrusting, but this must be different because there are aliens with this human. Aliens working for Cerberus. Plus, it appears they got him out of lock-up, so he will at least hear them out.

"Yes," the turian says. "That's Kiyo Montoya. We've… crossed paths a few times. Deep cover operative for C-Sec."

And now he knows why the turian seems familiar, and he can't stop the smirk from crossing his face. "Ah, Garrus Vakarian. They told me you left, found yourself something 'high and mighty' to do with your time. What brings you here?"

His gaze then slips back toward the human.

"Yep, I'm Kiyo," he says, eying the human and the scars. The scars are… intriguing. He has never seen anything like them before. It is rude to stare, but he's never cared about being rude, so why start now? "Who are you?"

"Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy," the human says, blue eyes narrowing somewhat at the scrutiny. Vakarian, meanwhile, just stands behind him like he's used to this whole act. Must have happened before.

Commander Shepard.

The name sounds familiar, as does the ship name, but Kiyo's never been very good with names. He eyes the scars on the commander's face a little longer, the redness to them. As though sensing what he's doing, the commander's eyes narrow further into thin slits. It takes a second for him to even realize why he knows the ship's name at all. Something to do with Saren and the attack on the Citadel, but he was in deep cover away from the Citadel at the time of the attack. He doesn't 'come up for air' very often.

"I've come to ask you to join the Normandy."

"Join a ship?" he asks, mostly to clarify. He's not a spacer, after all. He's caught a lift on a few, and he can understand their necessity, but he'll keep his feet on solid ground, thanks very much.

"Yes," Shepard says. "Or you can return to your cell. What'll it be?"

"Well," Kiyo drawls, tossing out a faint smirk and the delightful ultimatum, "given those options… lead the way, Commander."

Shepard nods, bright blue eyes shifting toward the doorway as he inclines his chin in that direction. Kiyo was never really in the military, so to speak, but he knows how to follow orders. C-Sec at least taught him something. He nods and moves in that direction, aware of the eyes watching his back. He's used to that, though, since he does have a history of being… untrustworthy, most would say. He's gotten in trouble one too many times, even with his C-Sec authorization for deep cover operations.

Ends don't always justify the means, apparently.

The walk to the docking bay is a short one, and soon he's on the Normandy. Now he remembers the ship completely, upon seeing it. It was there at the Citadel when it was attacked. Kiyo himself was nowhere near the Citadel when this occurred, but he heard stories. The stories about the Normandy, and Commander Shepard. The ship is larger than he thought it would be, but he's not complaining. He's never been fond of tight spaces, anyway. Everything about this ship is shiny and new, recently put together, no wear and tear in sight. He can appreciate new technology.

He tries to think of why Shepard would want him on the Normandy. To his knowledge he hasn't pissed anyone off recently. Well, other than C-Sec. He was only in C-Sec confinement because he got caught having a disagreement with his informant. It's okay to punch people, just not when certain people are looking, apparently. His 'lock-up' wasn't really bad, just inconvenient while he went through processing. One too many moments of 'aggression', they said. Throwing him out seems the easiest option for them, so if this is a chance for a new job…

And now he's on a ship. He tries to think of why, but comes up empty. He's worked almost exclusively in the Citadel's underbelly. Everyone thought it was perfect and safe; it has gangs and dangers just like anywhere else, people have just gotten better at hiding it. He rarely has to travel in a ship.

"Have you been briefed?" Shepard asks as they are in the mess ten minutes later. They've just walked through the security checkpoint, tossed what little possessions Kiyo has in the shuttle area for the time being, and entered the elevator to get out on deck three. The commander has just dropped off some supplies to the cook, who seems happy about it.

"Nope," he says, looking around the area he now finds himself in, before dragging his gaze back toward the commander. "Why am I here?"

Shepard runs a hand through his spiky, dark brown – nearly black – hair. "I don't know. Was hoping you'd tell me."

"Um…"

He doesn't often find himself speechless, but at the moment he's not entirely sure what to do or say. He knows nothing about what's happening right now. Two days ago he was thrown in a cell because they thought him a 'flight risk' during his processing; now he's on a ship with the 'famous' – or infamous, depending on who you ask – Commander Shepard on the SSV Normandy, and he has no idea why.

"I'm building a team," Shepard says simply, shaking his head at whatever look must be on Kiyo's face. "Have you heard of the human colonies going missing?"

It's something he's familiar with, so he nods. Of course he's heard of it; he wasn't completely under a rock in C-Sec. "Yeah, but it's not anyone's concern. Or, at least, the Council isn't concerned."

Then again, the Council isn't concerned with much these days. They think everything is perfectly fine. Why should they believe otherwise?

Shepard scowls, looking down at the table they are sitting at. There's a flicker of something in his eyes but by the time he looks back at Kiyo, it's gone. "The Collectors are behind it."

Kiyo is familiar with them only by name. He's heard it a few times. "Why would they want humans?"

"We think they are working with the Reapers."

"Reapers…"

"Sovereign," Shepard clarifies. "It was a Reaper. There are more coming. The Collectors are working with them."

"Okay," he sighs, shrugging, attempting to comprehend all of this. "I don't know much about any of that, but I can believe it."

He's heard the title of 'Reapers' before, and he knows Sovereign was something massive, highly advanced. He can see it being a Reaper, and he can see there being more than one of them. If the Collectors are taking humans and are working for the Reapers…

It can't be good.

"Why are you with Cerberus?" he asks.

"They… They helped me when I was in a tight spot," Shepard says, shrugging even as he looks away. "And they have intel I don't. What's it matter who I'm with, as long as we save the colonies?"

Kiyo shrugs again. "Point," he says. "Alright, why am I here, then?"

"The Illusive Man seems to think you have… the potential to be on our team."

"Uh huh," he says slowly. "I've heard of this guy. Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

He hasn't personally met the Illusive Man, but he's heard of him. A lot of people don't agree with him; the Alliance certainly hates him. Kiyo's no fan of the Alliance, even though he's been with C-Sec, but he's definitely not willing to work with them. They were never there for him when he needed it; why side with them? Cerberus, of course, is no better.

Cerberus cost him a lot in the past. Remembering this leaves him closing his eyes, though, as an image of his mother and father slip through his mind. His dad with his dark brown hair, starting to gray in some spots, and bright blue eyes. Shepard's eyes remind him of this, a little. His mother was pretty in her own way. A lot of the kids used to tease him relentlessly that she was a 'butter-face', as in her body looked good, but her face lacked a little something.

Dad always found her beautiful, though. That's what mattered.

She died when he was ten. Brain aneurism. Quick, sudden. After that, his dad was away at work all the time.

Remembering them hurts, mainly because of how it ended.

Thankfully Shepard snaps him out of his thoughts before he can remember this.

"I don't like working with Cerberus either," Shepard says, "but right now they are the best hope for saving the colonies. I can't in good conscience walk away and do nothing about this. I know you can't either."

"Oh?" Kiyo snorts. "And how do you know that?"

"I read up on you," Shepard says. "Born on a remote colony in the Terminus Systems. It was a difficult birth, according to the files. You lived there until you were fifteen, when you left the colony and moved to Earth. You were born with the unique ability to not feel pain. I believe it's called-"

"Congenital analgesia." Kiyo stares at the commander for a long moment, something tightening marginally in his chest. "You… What… You looked me up?"

"Can't be too careful these days. Sorry, Montoya."

"Ugh, please, it's just Kiyo," he mutters, shaking his head. Montoya got old in C-Sec.

"I'm not going to force you," Shepard says, pushing to his feet. "If you don't want to help, you're free to get off the ship."

"And go back to jail?" he asks, shooting the commander a quick look.

"I can talk to Bailey, see about getting you released if you don't want to come. I'm going to be honest – this is probably a one-way trip. A suicide mission. We are going after the Collectors through the Omega 4 Relay."

Uncharted territory.

A thrill runs through his spine. He's always liked a challenge. It speaks to him on a more primitive level. Perhaps it's his… handicap, but he's always liked high-risk, adrenaline-fueled situations. This made him good for C-Sec operations.

No pain, no gain.

No pain, indeed.

"I won't force you to stay," Shepard says, dragging him from his thoughts again. "But I could use your help. Humanity could use your help."

Kiyo shakes his head, closing his eyes. "Humanity always needs help."

Humanity has done little for him; why should he do something just because he's human?

"Like I said," Shepard says, "if you don't want to help, you can leave. I won't force you to join a suicide mission."

"Let me think about it," he sighs, though a part of him immediately stops. Why is he even thinking about this? He doesn't want to be a part of Cerberus, and he certainly doesn't want to go on a suicide mission, even if it is to destroy the Collectors in a high-risk situation.

Even if C-Sec is kicking him out.

Not being able to feel pain almost makes him feel less human. The adrenaline of high-risk activities and fights always leaves him feeling… satisfied. Like he's human after all.

Not being able to feel pain is a silly thing to complain about. A lot of people would kill for such a disease, but it's truthfully not all it's cracked up to be.

"Okay," Shepard says. "We can't stay at the Citadel for more than a few hours. If you need more time, you're free to join us on our next mission and test the waters, I guess."

"Sounds good," he says, looking down at the table. "I'll think about it."

"I'll be in engineering if you need me."

"Okay, thanks."


Kiyo's tinkering in the shuttle area when Shepard returns from the Citadel a few hours later. It looks as though someone has put weights on the guy's shoulders; they hang low and his head is bowed, spiky hair all too visible from this angle. Kiyo's always liked guys with spiky hair, and while those scars are a little off-putting, those eyes make up for it. Being in C-Sec has taught him to appreciate a lot of races and genders; in fact, sometimes it's required to 'get' with someone in order to get the appropriate information. C-Sec likes to say they don't have strategies like this, but they do. It's all C-Sec sanctioned.

No job like that here, though. Not right now. Just artist appreciation, mostly.

Shepard stands there as the doors close, closing tired blue eyes as he hangs his head further, chin nearly touching his chest, hands clenching into fists at his sides. After several deep breaths, they unclench before clenching again.

He looks… upset. Angry. Tired. A mixture of a multitude of emotions Kiyo can't help but watch. Shepard doesn't know he's here. This works in his favor; he's always liked watching. Watching people in their day-to-day lives. Watching them fight. Watching them love and live and fall apart. The different kinds of pain have always intrigued him. It's been a while since he's really felt anything.

He thinks there was pain when he was younger. When his mother died, when his father died. But ever since moving to Earth when he was fifteen… he's felt very little. Perhaps his disease mutated, allowing him to be free of emotional pain too, but that means he can't feel other emotions either. Just like he can't feel other sensations across his skin. In some way it's all pain – it's just pressure applied differently, but pain is nothing but pressure, too, just to a different degree.

He couldn't feel his mom's hugs.

In some way he recognized the attempt, felt heaviness pushing down on his body as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead goodnight, but other than that…

He hasn't really felt in a long time.

Unlike Shepard, who seems to be feeling too much all at once. Whatever he is going through is a mystery to Kiyo, and he knows he is intruding on a private moment. Quietly, he slips back into his area behind the shuttle, and waits for Shepard's feet to start moving again.

He doesn't step away until Shepard's footsteps have long since left.


He finds Vakarian in the main battery on deck three. He honestly stumbles across him by accident, simply exploring every nook and cranny on the ship as they fly through space, their next mission underway. He doesn't know what this mission is, but he's used to being on a need-to-know basis at this point.

Vakarian looks up as the doors swish open.

"Montoya," Vakarian says.

"Kiyo."

"Then call me Garrus."

"Alright, point taken. What's going on here, Garrus?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Just saving the galaxy again," Garrus says, mandibles shifting into what Kiyo thinks is a smile. It's hard to tell with turians and their face mandibles and everything.

"Uh huh… so you trust Cerberus?"

"No," Garrus says. "I don't trust Cerberus, but I trust Shepard. He's never steered me wrong before, and he's right. If we don't do this, no one will."

"So… Shepard's on the up-and-up?"

"Yes."

"…Didn't I hear about the Normandy crashing?"

"Yes, you did. We were attacked and the ship ultimately crashed on Alchera."

"So… Shepard's… himself, right? Working with Cerberus and all," Kiyo says, because one can never be too careful. He's trying to get a sense of the situation. It's hard to imagine the 'Savior of the Citadel' working with Cerberus and the Illusive Man.

When a turian glares, it looks odd. Their eyes get half-lidded, if you can call it that, and their mandibles flex a little more. It's mostly the slight darkening of the eyes that tells you it's a glare, more than anything else.

"Shepard is Shepard," Garrus says with absolute certainty. "You're free to leave whenever you want, if you don't like it."

And then he looks back at his little console.

"If you have no further questions, Montoya, I have things to calibrate."

Kiyo sighs – he didn't mean to upset the turian. He just wants answers. He turns on his heel and leaves.

As he's leaving the main battery he nearly collides with Shepard – literally. The commander steps back quickly, blinking at him with shocked blue eyes, before his expression cools.

"Kiyo," Shepard says.

He sounds like Kiyo's old CO during his training for deep cover operations. This leaves him scowling. "You don't have to sound like a tight-ass, you know." After a pause he adds, "Sir."

Shepard quirks a thick brow at him. "How should I sound?"

"I dunno," he says truthfully. "Sorry. Out of line. C-Sec… well, I'm out of practice. Sir. Won't happen again."

He might throw you out the nearest airlock.

Nah, Shepard won't do anything like that. Still, though, why risk it?

"Stop it with the 'sir' nonsense," Shepard says, eyes narrowing and lips pulling into a scowl. "Unless you want me to call you 'Montoya'."

"Nope," Kiyo says. "Kiyo is perfectly fine."

"Alright then." Shepard nods toward the battery door behind Kiyo. "I just need to speak with Garrus. We're almost at our destination, if you want to join the ground crew."

"Sounds good, Shepard."

Shepard rolls his eyes, then. "If we're going to be on a first name basis, at least call me Malcolm."

"Malcolm," Kiyo repeats, and finds that it flows off his tongue quite nicely. "Got it. I'll wait for you in the shuttle bay."

"Sounds good, Kiyo," Shepard echoes.

Kiyo nods and steps around the commander, mindful of those blue eyes watching him.

He's been given a spot in the crew quarters to stay for the time being. His belongings were brought up while he and Shepard were speaking in the mess. Now he returns to those quarters to get ready for this ground mission, whatever it entails. He has armor, but not much. That's okay, though; he's learned to adapt to that. Deep cover operations don't allow for armor; it's too conspicuous.

After putting on what little, dark green armor he has, he catches sight of himself in the crew mirror places along the far wall, between two rows of beds. Even in this mirror he looks short, standing at only 5'6". Most guys these days are 6'. He holds his helmet at his side, looking for the stubble on his jawline. He really needs to shave; being kept in C-Sec for days doesn't help him keep 'groomed'. He prefers to be clean-shaven, when the job allows for it. For more rough gigs, the ragged looks are needed.

His eyes have always been dark, but in this lighting, the green of his irises look even darker, almost to the point of having no color. It contrasts with the pallor of his face.

With a sigh he pulls on his helmet, flattening his shaggy, dark blonde hair, and then steps out of the crew quarters to join the ground team in the shuttle bay.

Garrus and Shepard are there, waiting for him when he arrives. They have their combat gear on, Garrus in his light gray/blue armor and Shepard in his dark crimson red armor with the brighter red strip and typical N7 stamp across it. Overall they look tired, Kiyo thinks.

"Where are we going?" he asks as they climb into the shuttle.

"Prison ship called Purgatory," Shepard says as the shuttle departs from the Normandy.

"Okay…" he says slowly, frowning. "Why are we here, exactly?"

"Picking up a convict named Jack," Shepard says in that same bland tone. It's flat and dull but there's a hidden cadence somewhere in it Kiyo can't quite decipher. He's used to watching people, listening to every waver of their voice to get an edge in a conversation, but with Shepard, he finds this increasingly difficult to do.

"Okay," he says, shrugging.


Purgatory is a prison. It's not the best and it's not the worst. He sees violence through the halls, guards beating up a helpless prisoner in a cell. Shepard asks what they are doing, and if it's fair to do that to someone who can't defend themselves, but in the end steps away and lets the guards keep doing what they are doing. A part of Kiyo wants to argue, but a much larger part agrees with Shepard. This prisoner is not why they are here, and if the 'activities' presented at this prison were technically 'illegal', certainly the prison would be shut down. To each their own, after all.

So they keep going, and are told to wait while they bring Jack out of cryo stasis. As the seconds turn into minutes and tick by slowly, he can't help but have a bad feeling about all of this. He's turning to face Shepard and at least let his bad feeling be known, when a voice comes over the intercom.

"My apologies, Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than a customer."

That's bullshit.

Kiyo reaches for his gun, looking around for a threat he knows is coming. Shepard, meanwhile, thinks it is a good idea to talk to this crazy warden via the intercom systems.

So was this just a trap for the commander?

"Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed," the warden continues, and Kiyo eyes the cell behind them, Shepard's back to it as the commander faces the interior of the larger room. Just behind him, closer to the cell, stands Garrus, ready for action at a moment's notice.

Well, I'm sure as hell not getting stuck here.

"You talked up your 'noble intentions' with this prison," Shepard says, shaking his head. "But it turns our you're a criminal like the rest."

Kiyo silently agrees.

"Activate systems!" the warden demands.

Yep. Finally, time for some action.

And here he thought this would be a boring trip to pick up someone.

Already he can feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through his system at the thought of a good, real fight.

Guards enter the room, then, firing at them from the only way out of here. Shepard seeks cover behind a desk and Kiyo does the same next to him, while Garrus moves forward a little like the tough bastard he is, and takes cover behind a different desk.

Shepard summons a combat drone, directing it briefly with his omni-tool. Kiyo almost forgot he was an engineer, and one of the best from what he's heard, though he's personally never seen the guy in action. Now, the way he easily guides the drone across the battlefield with air of ease circling about him, a half-smirk toying on his lips, he can see why people look up to this man, as either an idol or an enemy.

"Shepard is loose!" the warden says as they finish off the guys in the room and head through the now unguarded doorway. Varren enter the area, then, leaving Kiyo staring because why the hell would a prison have varren? It makes no sense, but he's too busy shooting them to ask about it rightnow.

They move out of the room and down a small hallway.

"We need to get Jack out of cryo," Garrus says.

"Obviously," Kiyo mutters under his breath. Not out of disrespect, because he knows Garrus is a good guy and a tough SOB, but because he's too caught up in the fight to think his words through at the moment.

Shepard tosses him a quick smirk, one of the first real expressions he's seen on the man, before he continues moving down the hallway, and they follow after him.

He moves with ease and a careful speed, obviously aware of his own limitations. That's what a lot of commanders and captains forget – they have limitations just like everyone else, but when you get high up on the chain of command, you sometimes forget this. He's seen a lot of people who thought themselves 'superior' go down in a true firefight, or even a fistfight. Shepard, though, clearly has a bit of muscle to his physique and with the way he holds his gun deftly in the palm of his right hand, it's easy to see he knows exactly what kind of kickback his assault rifle has, and exactly how to compensate for it.

A second later he's ducked through a doorway and is taking cover, dragging Kiyo back to the present. A smile spreads across his face as he, too, takes cover and begins firing at the enemy.

"If we hack that control," Garrus says after they are finished killing their opponents and step toward a console in the center of a room, "every door in the cellblock opens."

"Don't really have a choice," Kiyo says.

"Agreed," Shepard says.

"It's the only way to get Jack out of cryo," Garrus sighs in resignation. "Do it, Shepard."

Shepard nods, though Kiyo knows he most likely wasn't waiting for Garrus' permission, and then waves his hand over the console, hacking the controls.

They watch from up top, through a window, as a cryo pod is raised, a woman inside, trapped by metal bands.

"That's Jack?" Garrus asks.

'Jack' wakes, then, easily snapping her metal bonds and jumping out of the pod. Mechs approach her but she doesn't seem concerned, easily charging at them, biotics flaring to life around her. A small rumbling alerts them to the way she's charged through a wall.

"We have to get down there," Shepard all but curses as he turns and hurries through a side door.

They quickly maneuver out of the room and down to the main floor, slipping through the hole Jack made.

"Lethal force authorized," the warden says over the systems, "but leave Jack alive! Lockdown, lockdown!"

"We're killing this guy, right?" Kiyo can't help but ask, his irritation at the guy growing with every word he says.

Shepard snorts, this half-shocked, half-amused sound. "I'll think about it."

"Yeah, well, think faster."

They press on.

"All prisoners return to your cells immediately or I'll open every airlock on this ship!" the warden snarls.

"Killing him, right?"

"Guy's an asshole," Shepard agrees, "but again, I'll think about it."

Kiyo sighs, nodding as they again press on, killing guards and mechs, anything that gets in their way.

He'll say one thing about the man – Shepard sure is focused. When he's working on something, he's working on it. His eyes are narrowed at the task at hand, his hands don't shake in the slightest even when his barriers are nearly gone from taking heavy fire from a mech, and he barely utilizes cover when calling out his combat drone.

He's focused.

Kiyo certainly hopes to never get on his bad side. The man's like a freight train, all full speed ahead and no brakes.

They continue moving through the dying facility. They moved through here recently and everything was fine; now it is in chaos, fires everywhere, the floor lined with dead mechs and dead bodies. They are the reason for this, he knows. They caused this because they wouldn't get in the cell provided for them, but he can't fault their decision to fight back instead. He's certainly not getting put in a cell again.

He backs Shepard's choice to instead fight this warden and hunt for Jack.

They press on.

"You're valuable, Shepard. I could have sold you and lived like a king," the warden says as they finally make it to him, through all the mechs and all the chaos. They find him when he's murdering prisoners with a rifle. Kiyo glares at the turian warden. "But you're too much trouble! At least I can recapture Jack."

A shot nearly takes off Shepard's head, but the commander easily ducks back into cover. "Not happening," Shepard says firmly. "You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for it!"

Kiyo agrees. "Kill him now?"

Shepard settles his eyes on him. There's something dark in them. "Yes."

His voice is cold, calculating.

Kiyo smiles.

The fight begins.


Jack is… odd. She's pretty violent and has quite a temper to match her mouth. He's not sure he's seen someone curse so much.

He leaves them in the shuttle bay, heading back to the crew quarters. Once there he takes off his armor, tossing it aside on his designated bunk. It's been a long day, and sleeps sounds great, but somehow he knows he won't be able to sleep yet.

His suspicions are confirmed when, ten minutes later, the doors to the crew quarters opens and Shepard steps through, gaze seeking him out. Kiyo is currently sitting on his bed and looks up as the commander approaches him.

"You did well out there today," Shepard says.

"Ah, I bet you say that to all the newbies," Kiyo says, smirking. It's been a while since he really felt like joking around like this. That he is doing so now is confusing to him, but not unwanted. Definitely not unwanted.

"Only the good ones," Shepard says, smirking back.

It looks good on him.

"Have you thought about staying or leaving?" Shepard asks, leaning against the wall next to Kiyo's bed, arms folding over his chest as he does so.

"Not really," he admits. There's been little time to really do so today. "I'll stay a little longer," he says, shrugging. "One more mission. Then I'll… decide."

Shepard shrugs, dropping his arms back to his sides. "Let me know what you decide, Kiyo."

Kiyo smiles at the use of his name. While he tells people to call him that, a lot of people ignore his request and instead still call him Montoya. He doesn't want to just be a last name. "I'll let you know, Malcolm."

Shepard smiles. It's this open, true smile, and it's contagious as hell.

Kiyo smiles back.

One more mission…


A/N: And there's that chapter... hope it sounds okay! Worried about it... Anyway, thanks for reading, please review!

~Muffy the Dough Slayer~