I LIVE, PEOPLE, I LIVE!

KIND OF.

It's only 2,330 words this time, and kind of lame, really. But I've rewritten this chapter so many times and I decided, screw it, I'm posting this one even if it doesn't deserve it. And here it is. Not much happens, but there is a little clue on how sneaky Misha is. And I'm hoping that Misha has a little character development here-a little.

Enjoy.

- Break -

Misha muttered to herself in frustration as she prowled around Skrell's apartment. The Twins were with her, and Sidonis too. She was on family duty-which meant getting the families to safety, no matter the complaints. Though, it was more like body guard duty in secret, if you asked her. Considering the fact that she was there to more or less make sure they high-tailed it out of Omega before retreating back to base with the others.

If the Twins knew she was there to make sure the pregnant idiots got out safely, then they both would have been stubborn and insisted on staying, ignorantly putting the lives of their unborn children at risk.

Something she and Garrus didn't want to happen.

So they prettied the situation up to them, said they were sending the two with Sidonis to make sure the families stayed safe and no mercs went after them in vengeance or some kind of violence.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the mercs even knew about them or the fact that they had families, but no one could be certain, considering the fact that they were soulless bastards, so it was a precaution they were all taking.

Just in case.

Misha messaged her temples, sighing as the headache only seemed to get worse for her. It was a nightmare, getting everything ready for a soon to be attack and then planning, rushing, running around in secret. And since she was the only one who they hadn't figured out-something she was exasperated at, since it was prettyobvious why-so it was mostly her that was running the errands on the outside.

"Meha?" Misha frowned and looked down, eyes softening at the little batarian. "What's happening little man?"

"Why we leaving?" he questioned, reaching up for her and then clinging to her when she picked him up. "Because of some very bad people, Inza." she replied, frowning and bringing him to the front door where Sidonis was.

"Look, stay here with Uncle Sidhe while I go help your mama, okay?" she gave Inza a weak smile. It was hard to rush them like they were, watching Ilba fret as she tried to get everything together, as Peyton's family made it over and she realized how serious the situation was.

Misha had only gotten a few steps away from the two before Ilba came into the room, the last of the bags packed and baby Skully balanced on her hip.

Seeing the nod, Misha took Inza back from Sidonis and picked up one of the bags, the twins grabbing others and they all took off towards their emergency ride. "Look, I know you're worried as shit, Sidhe, but you can worry later-when you're all safe, okay?" she saw the alarmed look on his face, "You're not coming with us?" he hissed, the turian version of a frown on his face.

"I'm only here to make sure you guys get to Bianca, then I have to report back to Garrus and help them barricade the place. So no, Sidhe, I'm not going."

"But I thought Garrus would-"

"Garrus is more concerned about the safety of the children and mothers, okay? That's why I'm here."

"So the twins were tricked into guard duty?" a hint of humour entered his previously saddened eyes. "You know they wouldn't have come willingly otherwise," Misha gave him a small grin.

Something was still nagging away at her though, she was feeling spooked, watched, like something horrible was about to happen and it wouldn't shake. The feeling stayed with her no matter how many times she scouted the area, or had her Omni-tool run a scan-something she and Pax and come up with, kind of like echolocation.

Nothing had shown on the radar, nor had she seen anything suspicious, yet the feeling of wrong stayed with her. Made her paranoid, wary. Her eyes made a careful sweep of the area before stopping cold on one spot, a frown tugging at her lips.

When Misha felt Sidonis nudge her, drawing her attention away from higher up and towards him.

Sidonis only tilted his head in the direction the twins were heading with the families, though there was a question in his eyes. In return, Misha looked back where she had seen a shadow of someone before looking back at Sidonis as they continued onwards.

"You think someone's following us?" he asked quietly, careful not to draw attention to the two of them.

Misha grunted in affirmative, eyes roaming more discreetly now.

She was suddenly glad she was wearing a mask now, covering her face. If they really were getting followed, then whoever was there would come to the realization that she was with Archangel, so she and Sidonis would be attacked.

But considering the deal…maybe just her.

"Been feeling like prey for a while now, fucking sucks, like I'm a child again and I'm scared, waiting for the big bad monster to come steal me away." she hissed in agitation. It was no secret that Misha was a paranoid person-whether it be from her forgotten memories that made her so or if it was just her, they weren't sure.-and was often wary of everything, it was, however, surprising when she referred to herself as a child, height jokes aside.

Sidonis looked as though he were to say anything but she stopped him with a simple shake of her head, "If they decide to attack, then get away as far as you can. I don't care if any of you have objections, the main concern here is the children." Misha stressed the word children, her body conveying her seriousness.

Any objections he may have had were swayed away when he looked towards the families they were trying to save. Something that she was grateful for.

Because something she remembered from the game, of Sidonis speaking of the teammates…it made her relax a little, giving him an assignment and forcing him to be useful, like he wasn't just abandoning them to their deaths but aiding the ones who couldn't fight. Protecting them.

She took in a deep breath, unease making a shiver travel through her. Easy Misha, you're not the same defenseless girl you were when you got here. Calm down, take deep breaths, you've endured worse then this. You survived because you're strong. Not because of superhuman strength or extraordinary power, but because you've never given up. Never known what it means to try.

The reassuring voice sounded like someone long gone, but someone she loved with all her heart. Someone she never even knew, but no loved her regardless. Her uncle had known her long before even her mother had, had talked to her and left little letters and tapes of his voice before he died of cancer…

She shook her head, a frown on her face. Now was not the time to be losing herself in thoughts, especially if they really were being followed. "Go walk with them, Sidhe," she said quietly. Watching the shadows and ignoring his annoyed sigh as he none the less complied.

She was tense, straining her senses to catch anything coming their way, anything. Mercs couldn't be trusted, nor reliable. They always played dirty, but then, everyone who was 'bad' seemed to play dirty. It didn't matter their name. Thug, heathen, gangster, mercenary, murderer, killer…they all fought dirty.

But then again. So did she.

A shot rang out and the twins up ahead jumped, spinning around to see what had happened only for Misha to wave them away, silently telling them to leave. She knew they wouldn't like it, leaving her behind to face them alone but they had to get out of there-fast.

And she was going to give them the time to do it.

-Break-

Garrus knew it was stupid of him to be angry at Sidonis. He'd told them because he was surrounded, outnumbered, and it was foolish of him to be so angry, especially since he had found Misha and told her not long after. Gave them time to get ready for the attack.

But those were her words, not being angry at Sidonis.

He could see the anger in her eyes none the less, smell the anger in her scent, along with the relief that they hadn't come home to a desecrated home.

It was like there was a silent horror in her eyes, like she was expecting to see them all dead or dying-that they both would be too late to save them. The expression kind of reminded him of learning that Shepard had died, like he didn't want to believe it but accepted it nonetheless.

It was like…her look…

Garrus shook his head, the turian version of a frown on his face.

Her look was a silent wish for them not to have died, to have abandoned her.

Like she knew how it felt like to be alone.

"Hey, Archangel!"

"Well, I never thought the Mercs were this stupid." Garrus was about to turn his head, share the joke with Misha before realizing she wasn't there before looking up at the rest of his squad at their chuckle and giving them all a grin.

The voice was unexpected, and Garrus couldn't help but want to ignore the voice considering the woman who called out sounded cocky as hell. Like she was gloating over something.

But before he could make a solid decision, he heard Ratchet start to growl from his perch over by the window. "That fucking whore." was rumbled as Garrus picked up his helmet and put it on, remembering Misha's displeased looks at Ratchet and Titan for not wearing anything to cover their faces.

His posture was relaxed, confident and his stride was a little lazy but at the sight of Misha in the middle of the group of thirteen, being held at gunpoint and hands cuffed together, his step faltered for the barest second before continuing. "And what do I owe this pleasure?" he asked sarcastically, eyeing the Suns around Misha and trying to figure out a way to get her out of there safely while killing all the Suns insight.

He comforted himself with the fact that she wouldn't just throw herself into things, reasoning that she always had a plan and she had one now. This plan was just simply one he couldn't clue into at the moment.

"What, not concerned with your whore?" the Suns female smirked, gloating right in his face.

Titan lumbered up behind him and Ratchet and Garrus felt his rage at their disadvantage. Pax and Tanar, he knew, were probably already trying to figure out a way to get to the Suns without being noticed-which was looking harder by the minute as six of the thirteen broke from the group and started to fan out. "Well, considering she's not a whore and able to take care of herself…"

-Break-

She rolled her eyes, listening to the woman start to simply taunt Garrus on the many ways she was going to torture her, how much she was going to enjoy it. And hey, maybe she'd give her over to some of her subordinates!

Which was just really, really boring.

Misha almost wanted to just snap her neck, truth be told. Or maybe choke the Suns bitch with the cuffs she had been put in.

She just wanted her to be dead. In anyway.

She tilted her head to look at the man behind her and raised an eyebrow in question. She patiently watched as his eyes roamed the area and accounted for the other Suns before giving the slightest nod.

Misha turned towards the Sun on her other side and quickly punched him in the throat, a shot ringing out and signalling the Suns bitch dying as she snapped the neck of her so called guard.

Running could be heard and then falters, thumps, screams and yells of pain as they were shot at.

The Omni-tool blade sprung forth and she stabbed upwards into the turian who had been coming after her, kicking her leg out and landing a kick into another's stomach and watched in a sort of detachment as his head exploded by a bullet.

"That's disgusting," she grimaced as she looked away. "Like so, so nightmare worthy. And right in front of my face,"

"You okay over there, Istan?" Misha's lips twitched in amusement as she watched Ratchet grab a hold of her partner in crime, a dangerous look on his face as he continued his growling.

"Fantastic!" Istan snarled, glaring at her as she slowly took off her cuffs and adjusted her now torn and bloody clothes before making her way towards the both of them. "You know Ratch, you don't have to pull that act, seeing as everyone here knows you're a big softie anyways." Misha said conversationally.

"Who is he?" Ratchet simply grunted, savagely shaking Istan around and making him groan.

"My inside source from the Suns,"

With that, Ratchet simply let go and grinned down at Istan wickedly when he landed on the ground. "Great fucking friends you got," Istan muttered, picking himself off the ground and giving her an unimpressed look.

"Sorry to break it to you, Hotshot, but that's her Daddy," Garrus informed Istan, an amused look on his face. "Nice to see you actually did have a plan," he turned towards her and ignored Istan's sputtering.

"I wouldn't have just succumbed to them if I hadn't had one," Misha said in return, an amused smile curling her lips. "Good to see you alive," Pax slapped her on the back with what she assumed was a gleeful look on his covered face. "And you're a dweeb, but what else is new?" she retorted, giving him an annoyed look.

"Nice to see you still breathing," Tanar said, clearly mocking her.

"So no love more Misha, is that it? Harsh, bitches, harsh."

Garrus laughed at the three of them.

- Break -

Wishing there isn't any mistakes, but there is, right?

Also, just to inform you guys, the next chapter will be a full week time skip where Shepard makes his appearance and you find out who died and who lived in Garrus' or Misha's thoughts. Maybe their deaths will be detailed, maybe they won't. Depends on who wants to be the focus in the next chapter. And...and...and the reason is because if I pack in the whole week(or split it into two chapters) then everything will be kind of mashed together and kind of nonsense? 'Cause I've tried and it...it doesn't look good-or readable. BUT ANYWAYS.

What did you think?