Greetings Good Readers. I know I should be working on my other ME fic; but dealing with confrontations over there so I'm hiding out by working on Just Another Saturday Night. I hope you're enjoying this tale. No Reaper angst…yet. Just other drama. As always I appreciate everyone who has faved this or is following it or who takes time to review or comment. If you find anything wrong let me know.

Wrong Time

Shepard

Unfortunately with his long legs, Betts was able to stay far enough ahead that she couldn't get to him unless she ran. And you didn't run in a place like this – too easy to be misinterpreted and get you shot.

They didn't get on another elevator; but they were now following a curved hallway around the outside of the area. It was cleaner and also quieter than the area around the DMZ. At the back of her mind she realized that meant less people and somehow that concerned her.

Then as they came around the turn of a curve she saw a large sign on the wall that about made her trip. TuFTAC. She knew that word; most Alliance veterans of the First Contact knew that word; dreaded it and revered it at the same time. She glanced at the others, only Timmons looked as awed as she did, though for different reasons.

Up ahead was a small door, the lock green. Eager to see this slice of history, she ignored the little warning jolt that green lock gave her.

"Betts," That was Luce. "What the hell is this place? Why are we here?"

Betts threw open the doors and the lights clicked on in waves across a large cargo hold. A cargo hold filled with the mother of all obstacle courses. This was TuFTAC or Turian Field Training Assault Course and it had been used to train Alliance soldiers to take on the Hierarchy's best. Long Wall's TuFTAC was a legend among Alliance personnel. The longest, most difficult course in military history – set up that way because no one knew much about the Turians except that they came from a militaristic culture; and soldiers needed to be prepared.

Well nothing could have prepared the humans for the reality of the Turians; but Long Wall's course tried, and in some cases succeeded. A modified version of it was now used in N7 training. Sissified she'd heard some First Contact veterans call it.

A Turian general, visiting after the peace treaty, had been visibly impressed by it.

As they came in the door, Shepard stopped in awe. Even half cannibalized for materials the old abandoned obstacle course was amazing. In fact the torn up jumps and combat environments actually lent themselves to her favorite form of exercise.

Cameron took one look and groaned. "Ah hell, Red's gonna be doing the Pyjak polka thing."

"It's parkour you idiot." Shepard growled. "And if you compare me to an alien space monkey one more time your pack of War Varren is about to become a wheezing mob of hyper caffeinated Chihuahuas."

"NO, not my War Varren." Cameron exclaimed in true horror. The others laughed. Sometimes Cameron seemed more vested in his gaming universes than in reality.

Timmons looked around in amazement. "I knew it was big, but..." He trailed off.

"About the biggest one ever." Shepard stepped over to pull on a rope net strung up the side of the hold leading to a boarded over duct. Shepard knew that it took up all of one cargo hold with arms that snaked into the levels above and below it.

"Yeah I get it big. But why the hell are we here, Betts?" That was Cameron, he was the least physical of their group. Shepard was certain that there was a transfer to a tech research group somewhere in his future.

"I was told a bunch of Asari Commandos likes to use this place to practice." Betts grinned. Damn but the boy was horny, Shepard scowled and then had a closer look around the place.

"Betts, who told you that?" She was getting a squirmy cold feeling in her stomach.

"Guy I ran into at the bar." Betts told her, confused by her tone.

"Damn." Shepard and Timmons ran for the door at the same time. They pulled it open just in time to see the lights in the hallway go off. Wasting no time they pulled the door shut, manually locking it as best they could.

"Cameron, hack that lock so no one can get it open." Shepard ordered. When the game geek hesitated. "NOW!" Cameron moved as the others looked puzzled.

"Red, what's your problem?" That was Betts looking bewildered as did Luce, but a look of realization was dawning on Huston's face.

"It's a trap." She hissed.

That cold squirmy feeling in Shepard's stomach solidified into a block of ice and for a second it was hard to catch her breath then she snapped out of it.

"Yeah and Captain Horny here led us right into it." Timmons snarled as he was studying the room. He looked to Shepard and jerked his head towards a couple of boarded up ducts. "Ducts?"

"Only chance but some lead up and some lead down."

"Done!" Cameron stepped back from the door. The lock now red.

"Quick, pull open as many duct covers as you can." Shepard swarmed up the rope net and yanked on the old plywood covering the duct. It pulled free with a screech and crashed to the ground nearly hitting Betts. In a way she was sorry that she missed.

"Camouflage." Timmons explained at the others odd looks, wrestling open a duct at ground level.

Without further commands the others all ran for a duct or ducts and got as many of them open as they could.

About then the door lock gave out a whine and the red light wavered then went steady again.

"Times up." Shepard headed for the far side of the room and the still closed ducts.

"Pick one, get it open and close it after you." She ordered. Stopping in front of one at waist level she carefully wiggled it open. When she looked around, Timmons, who'd run past her, had gotten one at floor level open and was shooing Luce, Huston and Betts in ahead of him.

He crawled in but then couldn't get the plywood closed again.

Shepard shot a quick look at the still red lock and raced over to his duct. She slammed her body against the plywood and Timmons was finally able to secure it.

When she looked around Cameron was still outside of her duct, caught out by everything. She'd meant for them to follow Timmons and the others; but now had to run and grab Cameron by the collar and literally drag him to the duct she'd opened and throw him in. She jumped in after him and pulled the plywood shut, anchoring it with a chunk of rope net hanging from the outside.

Cameron had gotten over his shock and managed to move down the duct. It was dim and dusty but it was a hell of a lot safer than being outside.

Shepard wanted to clamber after him but just then the door gave with an audible pop and banged open; and she knew that she needed to go quiet.

She could just see Cameron at the bend of the duct and she motioned him to be quiet as she heard people storm into the room.

She picked up human and Turian voices and, she shivered afraid she'd hear a Batarian.

"Where in Spirits name are they?" That was a Turian. Shepard wondered if it might be the Blue Suns they'd seen earlier.

"I sent 'em down here." Came a weasely little voice that she would have bet belonged to Betts's 'source'.

"They're not here now."

"They have been." One of the humans said. "Look at the ducts."

"I am." That was the Turian and he was furious. "Little pyjaks have gone into one of them.

"Looks like we've lost them." That was weasel again.

"No, someone's going to find them." The Turian snarled and a minute later she heard a commotion and a pained cry as, if she had to guess, the Turian had picked up the scrawny human and hurtled him into the first open duct he found.

"You skull faced bastard." Came the echoing cry.

"Find them." The Turian ignored the racist comment. "Or I'll lock you in there."

There was a lot more echoing swearing that got fainter.

"You want us to check the other ducts?" That was one of the other Turians.

"No. I want you to go station yourself where these ducts end up." Came the heavily flanged answer.

"Some of 'em go up, boss, into the Alliance levels."

"Then cover the ones you can." Came the snarl. "No one challenges me."

Shepard sighed. It was the Blue Suns merc they'd seen earlier and he had taken Betts stare as a challenge. If/when they got out of this she was going to take this out of Betts's hide.

She heard what she thought was most of the mercs leaving; but knew better than to stick her head out or even consider going back into the room. They'd have someone keeping an eye on the place, waiting for just that.

Just then her omni-tool vibrated. Wary, she looked at the sender's ID before she opened it. It was from Timmons. He'd sent a silent text message to her.

'You guys okay?'

'Yes', She typed back, also sending her message in silent text. 'Can't go back out, waiting.'

'Go through ducts?'

'Only up ones. Mercs by down.'

'Roger. Alliance levels only.'

'Roger. Find Morton, get help.'

There was a pause then. 'Latrines, here we come.'

She gave a faint snort then. 'Tell Betts he's dead when next we meet.'

'Get in line. Be safe, be cautious.'

'Roger.'

They needed to find an arm that led to the upper levels so she and Cameron moved deeper into the ducts/tunnels, searching for the tunnels to the upper levels; but to her dismay they kept on going down.