So here we are, back on Earth. A little unexpected, but Shepard's got a whole new list of problems on his hands now. Wonder how much of a problem Alex will be? You'll just have to see for yourself!

Chapter 7 – Cat and Mouse

"I've got a really bad feeling about this, Commander," Joker said. "We barely got out last time, now Earth is crawling with Reapers."

"I don't want to do it, either, Joker," Shepard replied, arms crossed. "But nothing good is going to come out of Alex stealing all of the medicine we're using for the Alliance right now."

Miranda came in just a few moments later. "Shepard, we're all set."

"Joker, take us in."

The helmsman rolled his eyes. "Just another day on the job."

The Normandy docked into a small Alliance port just minutes later. The door opened, Shepard stepping out first, followed by Miranda, Garrus, Javik, Kaidan, James, Tali, Liara, EDI, and Jessie picking up the tail end.

"Jessie!" called an older male voice. She turned to see her father, still in crutches.

"Dad, you're not stopping me from going. I'm C-Sec, remember?"

"I know. You're my girl, no daughter of mine would run from a fight," he nodded. "Watch yourself, though. This Alex fellow seems goddamn insane."

She leaned in, kissing the top of his forehead. "I'll be fine."

"Yeah, yeah, get out of here," he looked on, watching his daughter train on with the rest of the team.

"Miranda," Garrus said, caught up to her side now. "You said Alex needs a heavy amount of pharmaceuticals to survive whenever he uses his biotics. What exactly does he need? Drug administrations can carry an unknown amount of supplies."

"It's an antibiotic called achillea millefolium. It naturally boosts the immune systems within humans. Since he has asari DNA bonded to him, he's using biotics unnatural to his system at an unregulated level. This keeps him alive, or at the very least, it keeps him from using his abilities."

"That's a natural antibiotic, though," Kaidan said. "Why would the FDA keep a natural product in its facilities? It's all about synthetic medication, mostly."

"Mostly," she replied.

"Ever get the feeling there's more to the company than meets the eye?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe it's just hard for me to accept we're still deceiving ourselves when this is the time for us to all ban together."

As the team approached the doors to the base sooner, the doors swung open, the marines saluted as Admiral Anderson stepped out.

"Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard. Didn't think you'd be bringing the whole party."

"We like to keep it simple," Garrus replied.

"Clearly. Come on in, I'll brief you all on what's going on now."

X X X

"So he's not there, yet," Shepard confirmed.

"That's right. The best way we've been able to track his movements was by examining current Reaper activity," the admiral pointed to an area southwest of the FDA headquarters. "We've had heavy resistance in this area up until three hours ago. Our scouts have been reporting back…"

"I don't see the problem," Garrus said. "Was it so bad that your scouts wouldn't even come back?"

David nodded. "Yeah. That's the thing; they keep telling us that it's bare. Worse, that Reaper forces keep coming through, but they keep getting wiped out."

Images of the battlefield left a chilling feeling to the others. Marauders, Brutes, even Banshees, disfigured, necks snapped, torn up from bullet wounds; a skilled team could do this, but one person?

"That's Alex's handiwork," Miranda said. "The necks. He snaps them by flicking his wrist. It takes a large amount of his biotic strength to use, but it's a guaranteed kill."

"Yeah, well, this guy isn't bulletproof like you said," James said. "He's gotta be running out of juice given how many he's killed."

"Maybe," Liara said with her hand cupping her chin. "But it doesn't seem likely he would use attacks of that magnitude without having medication with him already. He's probably low, but he's still able to function would be my guess."

"So how do we get him weak?" Tali asked. "Do we just let him throw us around and break our necks until he runs out of energy? There has to be another way."

"There is," Miranda said. "His entire time spent with Cerberus, he's always been known for having low stamina. He tires easily, even without using his abilities. If he's being hunted, he'll run. When he's out of energy, he'll hide."

"Then all we have to do is deal with an insane N7 veteran," Shepard added in with a small frown. "But it's our best bet. We need to cut off his escape and keep him on the run."

"Yes, that sounds like the best course of action," the admiral nodded. "FDA headquarters is about an hour's drive from here. I wish we could do more for you here, Shepard, but we've put all resources that we still have to monitoring Reaper activity. Don't forget they're still out there. Alex is using the Reapers to hide."

"Understood. Let's go, people, double-time!"

X X X

Food and Drug Administration Headquarters

10903 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, Maryland

Alex turned corner, cold, sweating, using a small piece of paper to plug the blood coming from his nose after fighting more Reaper forces than he would have liked.

"There you are," he said to himself; victory was in sight. All that stood in his way were four armed Alliance guards.

He walked to them, waving at them to get their attention. "Hey! I need help, I was attacked!"

"Stay there, sir, we'll get a bus over here," the guard said with his hand forward, signaling him to stop.

"Yeah, you see," Alex replied, faking a limp. "I hear you guys have some GREAT drugs in there that can help me get back on my feet. I'm a freelancer with the Alliance, and, well-"

"I'm sorry, sir," the soldier said. "We cannot allow anyone without authorization into the building. Reapers are every-"

Finally just outright irritated and bored with waiting, Alex waved his left hand, throwing the first soldier head first into a wall, killing him instantly.

"I need backup!" the second soldier yelled, raising his avenger to Alex.

He opened his right hand, throwing the second soldier several dozens of feet away. The third and fourth soldier aimed. The fourth soldier fired first, but Alex stopped the bullets with his right hand from hitting him, instead, re-directing them to the third guard as it ripped through his shields. He was dead before he hit the floor. In the same moment, a flick from his wrist and fingers snapped the neck of the fourth soldier, dropping him and leaving the area cleared.

Alex stepped to the front door, noticing a keypad on the handles now. "Security upgrade. Just what will stop the Reapers!" he sarcastically said out loud.

A few punches in, and the green light opened, allowing him access as the door opened.

"Shepard, I owe ya," he smiled as a thin line of blood fell from his left eye. "Now then… let's shop."

X X X

Taking the shuttle would have been that much easier, and quicker. But since Reapers were within eyesight in the horizon, Shepard and the others dealt with the long drive.

Finally, they stopped. Two Makos. Shepard and the others stepped out respectively as he waved for the drivers to leave them.

"Damn it," Miranda said. "He's here. Look at the guards."

Shepard glanced, actually seeing some of Alex's work was unsettling. One guard was slammed into a wall, his head was completely splattered all over the floor. Two more, one ripped apart by bullets, the last had his neck snapped.

"Commander," Javik said. "A trail of blood. He is injured."

Miranda shook her head. "No, not injured, not likely. He's been using his abilities, a lot of them, if he's leaving blood behind."

"That's a good thing, right?" Jessie asked. "I thought him using his abilities made him weaker?"

"Let's not forget that we're dealing with a person who literally pulled a starship out of the sky and threw it into a turian military base," Garrus said. "Weak or not, this guy is scary, and he's about to have at it with the biggest drug buffet on the planet."

"Garrus is right," Shepard nodded. "We're not new to this. Let's split up. Three teams: front entrance, east, and west. We block his exits and beat him to the achillea supplies."

"Who do you want leading the teams?" Kaidan asked.

"Garrus, I want you to take Tali, EDI, and James. Kaidan, you're going to take Liara and Jessie. Miranda and Javik, you're with me."

Everyone nodded in understanding, taking different routes as instructed.

Javik took point, careful to open the front door, checking his left corner, right corner, then aiming forward. "All clear, commander."

Shepard and Miranda stepped through. It was still fully lit, but a messy collection of papers, chairs, and filing cabinets in the hallways…

And bodies.

"Alex, again?" John asked.

"Unlikely," Javik said. "Look. Scratch marks, bites, unorganized cuts and slashes. Reapers did this."

"Great, now we've got two things to look out for," Miranda sighed. "I shouldn't have gone to him."

"What are you talking about, Miranda?" the commander asked as they slowly paced down the hallway, checking corners and rooms but uncovering nothing.

"Before we met back up on the Citadel, I tracked Alex down. I thought he knew where my sister was. He knows, but he thinks it's cute to dangle information like that in front of me. I keep thinking: Maybe if I didn't track him down, he might not have done this."

"The only thing that would have happened would've been him coming here with no one to stop him," John said, trying to comfort her. "Plus, we wouldn't have met up when we did."

"I suppose that's true; almost being blown up in an apartment complex isn't my idea of a romantic reunion, but I didn't pick it."

John just smiled.

"So. Prothean, I hear?" Miranda asked Javik.

"Yes," he replied. "The very last."

"Any tips on taking down someone like this?"

"Kill him, and do it before he kills you."

"I figured as much," she shrugged.

As they continued, a familiar figure watched on the floor above, hidden in the shadows as he tapped into his comm.

"Leng here," he said quietly. "Shepard and his team are here. Miranda is with them."

The Illusive Man came through. "I see. What about Alex?"

"He's here. I haven't found him yet, but he killed the guards out in front."

"Find him. Kill Shepard and the others. I want Alex alive."

"Understood."

X X X

Garrus was used to leading teams through harsh conditions. But dead silence, he never got used to that. Luckily he had a quarian genius, a marine who could probably move a mountain if he so willed it, and a fully self-aware AI with him.

He leaned into a corner, James taking the opposite. They checked their sides, nodding, and then taking point into the next room. Lights flickering, but electronics functioning; several terminals were still online.

"Looks like we just have a bad lightshow," Garrus said, looking to Tali and EDI. "See if you two can find anything on the antibiotics we're looking for."

Within seconds, EDI found something. "There are several deposits of achillea millefolium located through this facility. However, the highest concentration is on the eastern wing with Major Alenko's team."

"Well, that's just great," James rolled his eyes. "Guess we should- Hey wait!"

James raised his rifle to the dark figure in the doorway.

"Oops, this isn't the bathroom."

Garrus raised his rifle, not hesitating to fire. No doubt that was Alex, and he found them.

Everyone else fired, only stopping seconds after realizing the bullets weren't hitting. In fact, they weren't even coming close to him.

His right hand was open, holding the bullets in suspension. "Lucky for you, I'm a little too tired to play tennis," he said as he dropped his hand, the bullets clicking to the floor. "You'll just have to take a rain check."

"Fuck that!" James yelled as he charged, pulling a combat knife from his side.

Alex just smirked, bringing his hands apart, then bringing them together in a clap as the doors slammed shut before the marine could get to him. He spun his index finger clockwise, twisting the metal, ensuring it wouldn't open no matter how hard they tried.

James rammed the door, causing no damage. He kicked, and kicked, ramming the door again, but nothing. "How the- How did he do that? Is he telekinetic or some shit?"

"It's his biotics," Tali said. "He's locked us in."

"It's nothing personal!" Alex said as he walked over to the window of the room. "You see, I could kill you all right now. Quite easily, actually. But," he pointed to his eyes, now in a better light. They were red. His left one had blood dripping from the side, his ears had dried and crusted blood coming from inside. "As you can see, I'm a little under the weather at the moment. Asari, turian, and human DNA. A gift and a curse!"

"We're fighting the Reapers, and you're here to steal medical drugs that will help your own kind?" Garrus growled. "If you do this, you'll cripple the Alliance! The Reapers will take Earth!"

"Hahah! Please, I've pulled starships from orbit and sent them CRASHING into the earth below! If anyone can destroy the Reapers, it's me. But why should I stop there? There's so much power, so much potential. I want it all, and I'll have it," he smiled, blood dripping from his nose made him only that much more terrifying in appearance.

"Remember me: History will write that Alexander Viers enslaved the Reapers, and ruled the galaxy with immortality and the powers of God himself! I am Alexander the Great, reincarnated!"

They blinked, and Alex was gone. Now, they were trapped. Garrus smashed the window with his rifle, but it barely registered a dent.

"Damn it!" he grunted. "Shepard, you read me?"

X X X

"What's going on, Garrus?" Shepard said as they took cover in a room, as to not be exposed in case they ran into trouble.

"We ran into Alex, he locked us in a room over on the west wing. EDI ran a scan, you're going to want to head east to where Kaidan and the others are. That's where the achillea millefolium is located."

"I'm coming now, we'll get you out of there."

"We're fine, Shepard, but Alex isn't. He's bleeding through his eyes and ears right now. If he can stop bullets like this, you DON'T want him getting his energy back."

Shepard gritted his teeth; he hated leaving people behind. But it didn't sound like they were injured, so he motioned for Javik and Miranda to move and catch up to Kaidan's team.

X X X

Kaidan stepped in, Liara on his left and Jessie on his right. Flashlights on; this entire area was pitch black.

"Cages," Kaidan whispered. "Animal experiments?"

"This is sick," Jessie said. "But not surprising."

"The blood on these cages looks dry. Whatever animals were in here must have escaped when the Reapers first attacked," Liara observed.

"Yeah. No signs of wild animals so far, so I think we're safe," Kaidan replied.

"Actually, outside might be safer."

Their weapons and lights drew to a corner. There stood Alex, though he wasn't even paying any attention to them; he was ruffling through a shelf.

"Hands up, Alex!" Kaidan. "Stop whatever you're doing or I'll drop you."

Alex just shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, man, I'm doing you a favor. My friends are pretty hungry, you know."

Kaidan and the others heard a low, snarling growl behind them. Their rifles turned.

A tiger.

Two tigers. Starved, bloody, filthy, mouths watering as their meals practically walked in for them.

"Ah, who am I kidding, there's no food here. They never feed these things for long! I just wanted to lure you guys in here!" he chuckled. "I would've figured a C-Sec officer, a Spectre, and the god damn Shadow Broker would've seen that you're playing my game."

Kaidan turned back to Alex, firing, but he was gone. He was in front of him, elbow thrusting the rifle out of his hands, then swinging a roundhouse into side, throwing him into a pile of empty cages, rattling and having them collapse on him.

"Sorry, ladies, I'm not their type!" he cheered as he flipped over them, rolling off of one of the tigers, then somersaulting out of the door.

Liara threw a Pull at him. Alex raised his left hand, stopping it in its tracks. He shouted, throwing it back as it threw the asari onto a table top.

"Y'all have fun, now!" he said as he sealed the door with a flick of his wrist.

The tigers, glanced at the door, now to Jessie.

She looked to her left. Kaidan was trapped under the cages, and Liara was out cold from the attack she just took.

"Oh, crap."

End Chapter 7

So now Cerberus is back in the picture! Kind of. Wonder what's going to happen with Jessie and the tigers, Alex, and all that. The anticipation is killing me. Me! And I'm writing the damn thing! I'm stoked for the next chapter, I think you guys will dig it. Keep them reviews coming!