Loud big band music played, with a man in a suit singing about the love of his life. The stage was the brightest location in the club, the dance floor almost too dark to see who you were with. Shepard had been left with Miranda while Jacob took Mordin to one of the Cerberus-run hotels.
"Aria spends all of her time in one of the boxes." Miranda said, looking at the theater boxes. The room was modern, but had a slight opera influence to it; the theater boxes the clearest example. The stadium seats for when the visitors got tired (or desired a lap dance) was a less-clear one. "They're for looks, but she had one specially made so it acts as a bulletproof seat for her. It's-"
"The fifth one," Shepard interrupted.
Miranda was silent for a moment, then said "How did you know?"
"I saw the Phantom of the Opera as a child." Shepard said, and stood. Miranda stopped him, however, grabbing the cuff of his suit.
"You can't just go up there! They'll shoot you!" Miranda said.
"If they shoot me, make sure to get my body and see if I truly died. And, if I do die, get me a nice Catholic burial." Shepard said.
"You're Catholic?" Miranda asked.
"No," Shepard said, walking up the stairs. "Ma was."
Shepard quickly found an "Employees Only" entrance and, remembering a similar mission when he was chasing Saren, went through it. He walked along a narrow, gray hallway, when a turian in armor turned a corner and saw him. He drew his pistol, then pointed it at Shepard.
"The sign said Employees Only!" The turian said.
Shepard lunged forward, hitting the turian in the neck. The turian coughed, unable to breath, and Shepard grabbed his pistol and hit him over the head with the butt of the gun, knocking him unconscious.
"It did. I chose not to obey." Shepard said, stepping over the turian and continuing on the path. Eventually, he arrived at the door, and opened it slowly. Aria had a batarian and another turian with her, both holding assault rifles. Shepard grabbed the turian's head fringe and the side of the batarian's head and smashed the two together, knocking both of them out.
"What the hell?" Aria cursed, turning around when she heard the crack of the two heads connecting. Aria wore a black suit with thin white pinstripes, a black skirt with thin white pinstripes, as well as a black fedora. "Commander Shepard?"
"The one and only. I know, 'you're supposed to be dead.' I've heard it too often as of late." Shepard said. Aria began glowing with biotic energy, but Shepard only held up his hands, palms facing Aria. The universal body language for 'don't splatter me with your biotics.'
"Why are you here?" Aria asked.
"I only want to know about Archangel."
"Then why'd you knock out my men?"
"Why did I knock out gun-toting bodyguards, you ask? That's a hard one."
"Hm. Point taken."
"Where's Archangel?" Shepard asked, looking over Aria.
"Trapped in an old apartment building. The big three mercenary companies in Omega want your boy dead." Aria said. "I doubt he's still breathing."
"You also thought that I was dead." Shepard said.
"Doesn't everyone?" Aria asked.
"Not anymore." Shepard said, turning to leave.
"Tell me," Aria said. "What are you planning on doing?"
"Changing the criminal underworld forever." Shepard said, and left.
Somewhere in a old warehouse, two extremely dangerous criminals were talking about Shepard.
"It appears he isn't dead." The Collector General said, ready for what came next.
"What!" The voice on the other end of the line shouted.
"He somehow survived. He's joined with Cerberus." The Collector General said. "He's going to try and take our gang out."
"General, kill Shepard." The voice said. "If you don't, pray Shepard kills you. It'll be quicker and less painful than what I plan."
"Yes, Harbinger."
"Don't say my name! The phone might be tapped."
In a hotel in the middle of Omega, Jacob cussed.
"How'd they know?" Jacob wondered.
"Common sense. Phones always tapped." Mordin said.
"Not always." Jacob said.
"Mine were. STG realized I knew, though." Mordin said.