[A/N] and here we are again, friends. This one ended up a few thousand words longer than initially intended, so I hope you've set a bit of time aside for reading, but that's what weekends are for (unless you're reading this later on, in which case never mind) Anyhow, I left things on a bit of a cliff-hanger. (which I promise never to do again) So let's carry right on…
Chapter 11: Citadel
Aria breathed a sigh as she entered her suite, "That should take care of them for now. Liara's going to-"the asari halted in her statement when she felt an icy wave of air hit her in the face –not something she normally associated with her quarters.
Her alert gaze swept the room, realising it to be completely empty. She also realised the wind to be due to a gaping hole in the main window. This was allowing the icy current of Omega's air recirculation system to blast inside. She instantly knew something was seriously wrong and, more importantly, just who had come afoul of whatever it was that had occurred.
Moving on instinct, Aria's hand drew her pistol as she backed up defensively against the elevator. She edged around the room toward the bedroom. It had been left open and unlocked, meaning it was unlikely to be currently in use as a defensive position, Aria dashed to the damaged window, her pistol leveled out to the left and then the right, confirming there was nobody in sight.
She regarded the long, empty slope leading down to Afterlife's entrance. "Fuck!" she snapped, bashing her gun down on the edge of the window in frustration and turning back about. Her eyes flicked about the room. There was no sign of Tisala either, nor was there any sign of a struggle.
Aria's shoulders heaved as she began to seethe with rising fury, dark energy swirling about her frame. Abruptly, she clenched her eyes shut and rammed her emotions back down for now; she could use them later when whomever had obviously broken her number one rule got stupid enough move within arm's reach.
Aria clenched her hands into such tightly balled fists that her knuckles turned pale blue, desperately trying not to take out her indignation on everything around her. She strode over to her desk and flipped the terminal round, pulling up a security readout.
There was no record of anybody leaving the room since Shinji's access code had been used to gain entry, and the glass had obviously been cut from the inside.
She brought up her Omnitool and opened a direct link to Talon headquarters, "It's me. Shinji Ikari has been taken, Tisala's nowhere to be seen either. Get any Talons near Afterlife moving, I want all sections between here and the docking ports swept. We're going into lockdown."
"Lockdown, Aria?" enquired the Turian officer on the other side.
"You heard me. I don't want so much as a fucking rodent getting off this station. Full lockdown. Understood?"
"Understood. I'll have the word put out. "
"Good. And if you find whoever did this, shoot the fucker on sight."
"Noted, ma'am. Does…that include Tisala?"
"If you find her with him, and it was her?" she asked, and was quiet again for a brief instant "No. Have her brought to me…If that does turn out to be the case, I'll handle her personally."
Aria took a few more calming breaths, eyeing the room once more. Obviously the evidence pointed to Spectre involvement, but how that could be bewildered her. According to Aethyta, the Spectre had only come on board in the past few days, and Tisala had been working in Afterlife for far longer than that.
Something wasn't adding up, and Aria needed answers. Her first instinct was to run out on the hunt, but she needed some intel first.
-Ω-
By the time Aria reached the lower Afterlife bar, the Talons were already swarming the club, weapons aimed and not allowing any patrons to enter or leave. They were indeed efficient, she'd hand them that.
"What's the meaning of this, Aria?" demanded Liara, who currently had an assault rifle aimed at her face, her father being covered by a Krogan with a shotgun.
"Yeah, thought we were all past this," said Joker, who was being guarded by another Talon.
Aria ignored them for the moment and focused on the bartender, "Shinji's been taken," she observed shock flash over the matriarchs features and the older asari opened her mouth to comment, but Aria wasn't done talking, "and you two are going to show me where you got that intel about a Spectre coming onto my station." Her eyes flicked between the two asari, "Speak."
Aethyta could see that Aria was threatening to snap like a bolt of lightning ready to leap to the nearest metal object. She glanced at her daughter, "Liara?"
The Shadow Broker entered a few commands on her Omnitool, "I did not look too far into the background of the information, as it had come from one of my most reliable sources."
"Okay," said Aria, "and where did your source get the information from?"
Liara's fingers ran over the display with impressive speed as she backtracked through her information records and feeds. "Something is wrong…" she said, "They have been well disguised, but there are several false data trails…"
"Can you find the original source?" asked the matriarch.
"Of course, father. A moment…"
Aria's zero patience was starting to creep into negative figures, "Well?"
Liara's brow furrowed. She shook her head, "This cannot be correct. The information was passed between several layers to make it appear accidental that it fell into my source's hands, but it is clear that the original seed…" she paused to shake her head, "…was the matriarchs themselves."
Aethyta scowled, "but why would they...?"
"They did it intentionally," cut in Aria, "they gave Liara the information, knowing she would pass it onto you."
"They knew I'd tell you…" breathed the matriarch.
Aria turned from them, "so it was a lie that a Spectre was dispatched to the station; there was already one here," Her fist tightened around the pistol grip in her hand to the point blood was drawn, "Tisala..."
"So, not a dispatch order," said Aethyta, catching on, "but a reactivation order, and Spectre could've hidden it right in plain sight."
Liara nodded, "Nobody would think anything of one of Aria's dancers receiving a personal letter from 'family'."
"So what are you going to do?" asked Jeff, "I mean she probably acted under Spectre authority."
EDI nodded, "Meaning that it was most likely a direct order from the council themselves."
There was silence, all waiting for a response from Aria, who they noticed was standing silently, her expression blank but eyes ablaze.
Suddenly, there was a change in her. Her shoulders relaxed, and she became oddly calm. Then she smiled, and the tension in the air rose dramatically.
She reached for her Omnitool and opened a communications channel, "It's me."
"A-Aria?" came the startled voice of the administrator on the other end, obviously not expecting the call.
"Yes. Tell me, are all shipments paid up?"
"Of course, you know all outbound trades are paid in advance."
Aria cocked her head, "Very good. I want you to send a message to the Citadel public finance authority. I want you to tell them that Omega is suspending all outbound shipments to Citadel space until further notice. Inform them that we will not be issuing refunds at this time either due to…unforeseen circumstances. Tell them that all queries in relation to this matter should be addressed to the Council directly."
"B-but, Aria…"
"Did I break up there? Or did you just not understand me?"
"N-no, ma'am, but are you saying we're to suspend…all trades with Citadel space?"
"No, just the Eezo shipments. Everything else is business as usual."
"Just Eezo shipments?" echoed the administrator incredulously.
"Are you asking me..." breathed Aria down the comm link, her tone terrifyingly calm, "to repeat myself?"
"N-no, ma'am. I'll get the orders sent right away."
"Excellent," she replied, killing the link.
"You can't just suspend Eezo shipments to Citadel space!" snapped Aethyta, losing her calm, "With Thessia's output as it is, you're the primary supplier for most of civilised space. The effects will be devastating."
Aria turned about, still keeping her emotions bottled up, "I can afford it, and it really shouldn't surprise you. After all, I'm just doing what I do to anyone who chooses to fuck with me."
"And what's that?" asked Joker, morbidly curious.
"Choking the life out of them…"
Aria walked to the ramp leading from the bar, "I should thank you, Aethyta for telling me what the other matriarchs fear of me. Now let's see what happens when I make that fear into a reality." She glanced back at the nearest Talon, "Escort them off my station." she paused to look at the matriarch," All of them." She continued walking as she called back, "And find that fucking Vakarian and show his ass the door too!"
They watched in silence as Aria departed, "Interesting…" said Liara thoughtfully, "In my experience it is usually the governments who enact sanctions on the criminals, not the other way around..."
"Anyone else get the feeling that this is going to turn really messy, really quickly?" asked Joker.
"The shit's hit the fan," muttered Aethyta as one of the Talons approached to lead her out, "now we just have to see which side chooses to switch it on."
"Do you need a ride, ma'am?" asked Joker as they were led away.
"Thank you, Mr Moreau," said the matriarch with a sigh, "It would seem that I've outstayed my welcome here."
-Ω-
Aria strode through Omega's streets, heading for the Talon's main HQ when a communication came through on her Omnitool, "What is it?"
"We've locked down all outbound craft like you asked, but there's a problem…"
"Define 'problem'."
She heard the operator on the other end hesitate nervously, "A single shuttle was already in the process of undocking when the lockdown order was given. It also refused orders to turn about and return to the station."
Aria halted, "Whose shuttle was it?"
"It was just a standard personnel shuttle. It was piloted here a few days ago. All fees were paid and, strangely enough, the pilot then left a few days later on another ship."
"I don't care who owned the fucking thing, I only care about who got on board."
"That's the problem: surveillance was hacked around the docking port and all sensors and cameras went down for a period of five minutes. By then the ship had already undocked. Outboard sensors picked up two life signs on board before it jumped to FTL."
"Were they headed toward the relay?" asked Aria.
"Yes, ma'am, direct course."
Aria's gaze narrowed, "Scramble the Elbrus. I want her ready to launch in fifteen minutes."
"Understood, she'll be ready for pursuit by the time you reach the docking area."
"Oh, we're not going into pursuit. I know where the sneaky bitch is going. I'm merely going to grace them with my presence." She killed the link and turned to head for the main docking area. "Nobody steals from Aria T'Loak…"
-Ω-
Shinji opened an eye to a world of motion. His head swam a thousand times worse than it had when he'd woken up in Aria's room.
There was no pain in his head, just severe disorientation. Confusion flooded his thought processes as he tried to work out where he was and why he was there. What he thought to be a distortion in his vision turned out to be a starfield speeding past. The coloured streams of the mass-free corridor around the vessel added decoration to the view.
'W-What happened?' he thought numbly to himself, 'I was on Omega…I was…talking to someone.'
Suddenly his still confused brain managed to click partially in, 'Tisala…'
He didn't know why she'd done whatever it was she did, but the fact she'd incapacitated him obviously meant that she hadn't expected him to come quietly.
'I've been kidnapped…' he realised, his befuddled mind coming to the conclusion that they were obviously moving through space somewhere.
Fear kicked in, fear of the unknown. Where was he being taken, and why?
Then there was another emotion, swelling up and filling his senses:
Betrayal.
He'd been betrayed. Anger began to simmer up to fill the space the painful feeling had occupied. Shinji had been betrayed by so many in his past, most often by people who thought it was for his own good, or for the 'greater good'.
He opened both his eyes, not moving, nor giving any indication he was conscious. He let his gaze sweep out over his surroundings.
He was lying on a rather comfortable chair in what appeared to be the cockpit of a small ship. A large forward viewing port showed the starfield ahead and there were several other chairs in front of the other consoles. Shinji himself was leaning up against one of the side windows. His coat had been draped over him and one of the cushions had been placed under his head as a makeshift pillow.
He thought about what Misato would do in such a situation. Somehow, the answer came to mind with quite unsettling ease:
Work out what you have, and then make the best of it.
'What do I have?' he thought as he tried to assess his assets and hindrances.
He dared to shuffle slightly, just enough to indicate how much movement he had. His captor hadn't bound his hands, nor had he been bound to the seat. Obviously he'd been regarded as no threat even if he were to become uncooperative.
He could feel a weight missing from his back. His pistol had been removed, an obvious precaution. The same was said for his Omnitool.
'So, all I have to defend myself with are my bare hands…' This should've seemed a daunting thing, but Shinji found his brain feeding back a different reaction, and that was the fact that it was not a smart thing to leave a former EVA pilot with the hand-to-hand combat option still intact. Even his father hadn't been stupid enough to leave his hands unbound after the fight with the thirteenth Angel.
Shinji's eyes were drawn sideways and ahead. His vision seemed to tunnel down toward the asari sitting in the pilot's chair.
Tisala had apparently seen fit to change clothes, having switched out of her former dark green commando leathers and into different set. This ensemble was an ominous jet black with red highlights. The only marking on them was a silver v-shaped logo over the left breast.
His eyes were then drawn past her to the console by her side, where he spied his M-77 and Omnitool.
His options were starting to increase.
He considered talking it out, finding out Tisala's justification, only to realise that he didn't want to talk it out. He didn't want to hear her reasons; he didn't want to know how she might have thought that she was doing the right thing.
No, all Shinji Ikari cared about was the fact that he had been betrayed, and that it hurt.
Shinji Ikari was done being hurt. It was time for him to start hurting back.
Tisala was alerted when she heard the quiet ruffling off to the side. She shifted round in her seat to look at the human as he shuffled out from under his coat.
She averted her gaze from him, "you're awake then…"
Despite not looking, Tisala was painfully aware of Shinji's gaze affixing itself in her direction. She rested her palms on her knees and leaned forwards, studying the floor, "I suppose you want an explanation…"
Tisala waited, but silence was her only answer, "How are you feeling?"
There was no response.
Keeping her eyes away from his, she shifted and pushed herself up, "I should…probably get you some water," she said, "I used a sedative that normally doesn't leave you in any kind of pain afterward, but it can make you a little dehydrated."
She turned back with a glass in hand and set it down by him. She stood back. Shinji's eyes flicked to the glass for an instant, but made no move to take it. He just sat, looking at her in silence.
"If I try to explain, will you at least-"
"Stop…" cut in Shinji, his voice like a shard of ice, "…talking. I don't know who you really are, or where you're taking me. You stuck a needle in my body, filled me with drugs and abducted me. At least have the decency to stop pretending to give two fucks."
"You don't have to be cruel…" she whispered, turning to sit down.
"I…don't have to be cruel?" he asked incredulously, gaping openly.
"I had-"
"-no choice?" cut in Shinji, voice dripping with sardonicism, "Oh, I love that one. The line used by cowards to get to sleep at night, to at least make them feel better by the fact they at least felt bad about what they did."
Tisala turned her gaze back forward, "I'm taking you to-"
"-I don't…care." Snapped Shinji, cutting her off again, "You're a kidnapper taking me to a jailer, nothing else matters."
"You're not listening!" she shouted, "Nobody is going to hurt you!"
"Betrayal, assault and kidnapping; you've already hurt me. All you need to answer are two questions. Question one: Will you turn this ship around?"
Tisala kept her gaze dead ahead, "…No."
"Alright. Question two: will you let me go once we get to wherever we're going?"
"No…"
"Then what is there to discuss?"
Tisala took a shuddering breath to calm herself. She had known it was going to be bad, but it was like Shinji was verbally stabbing her in the heart with a blunt object with each word, "So…you would try to understand Aria, but not me?"
"You're both criminals, but only one of you has earned my respect."
"I am a Spectre!" she hissed, trying to keep her emotions in check, "I did what I did because, no: I didn't have a choice. You need to understand: ever since what we call the Saren Incident occurred, there has been zero tolerance toward a spectre disobeying any direct order from the council! Any spectre that does is immediately marked as rogue and eliminated by the others. So tell me…" she said, her voice thickening as her emotions boiled up, "knowing that if you chose to follow an order which you didn't want to follow would most likely get you killed as a backlash, and that disobeying that order would be a death sentence also…what would you do?"
Despite the fact she was obviously on the verge of breaking down, Shinji wasn't in a very sympathetic mood, "So you kidnapped me out of self-preservation?"
Tisala didn't respond to the question and fell silent for a while. "I thought they'd forgotten about me…Thessia was my first assignment. I thought I'd gotten lucky considering the war was on. I mean, how can you get safer than the homeworld?
"They were so desperate for new candidates due to the numbers lost against the reapers. The candidate selection to approval system was rushed through so fast," she paused to laugh humourlessly, "and doesn't that just make me sound so second-rate…
"My father was a Turian, military man right to the end. He died long before I was selected, of course... 'He'd have been so proud', was all I could say to myself. But then the Reapers came to Thessia, and then I nearly got ripped apart by a Banshee, the rest of the squad I'd been sent to support already in pieces around me. I didn't want this. I was done with my stint as a commando, like all girls do when they're young. Should've quit sooner…should've been slightly less effective at what I did."
The Asari took a calm breath and carried on, "My reactivation order came through the day before we met. Simple job: keep an eye on the EVA, ensure it doesn't become a threat. I was so curious since the moment I first saw you; eyes older than a matriarch and yet still so young…"
"So," said Shinji once he was sure she'd finished, "you took me because of the EVA?"
She nodded, "I informed the council that the further away you are from it, the less it works. They asked me to confirm this, and if so…"
"To remove me. To be honest, I'm shocked you didn't just kill me."
She hissed and looked at him with hurt, enraged eyes. She fought for something to say. She turned back when the words failed to come.
Emotionally torn…distracted…
An opportunity.
Though he didn't show it, and certainly wouldn't admit it, the one thing that angered Shinji most, beyond even the kidnapping, was that she'd dared almost make him sympathize with her.
Shinji's mind calculated his odds. If he were to have any chance of breaking free; of not becoming a thing in a cage, then he had to act. The odds would never be better than now. But he needed to be blank, he needed not to think. He needed to hold his compassion at bay.
Tisala turned back about when she saw Shinji struggle to his feet in the viewing port's reflection, "You shouldn't try and get up. The sedative is still in your system, the sudden change in blood pressure from standing alone could-"she stopped talking as she watched him stagger backwards suddenly, his hand going to brace himself against the rear bulkhead.
The world danced about in the Third Child's eyes. He was partially aware of Tisala being on her feet, approaching him out of concern.
Oh, how she underestimated him, how small and fragile she must have thought him.
Just like Misato.
He angrily shoved the comparison aside with a shake of his head, stabilizing his sight with great concentration. His right hand shot up and shoved Tisala back a few steps, "Target…" he stammered, breathing heavily.
"Shinji…" said Tisala, approaching again, "You should-"
"…Target…" he repeated, trying to focus on the words as his eyes lost clarity, "…in the centre…"
"Shinji?" she asked, and watched as his eyes changed. Those dark blue pools seemed to both focus and go vacant at the same time, his pupils contracting and focusing in on her like a crosshair. She froze, sub-consciously registering his shifting centre of gravity.
Shinji then spoke again. His voice was low, empty, and cold,"…pull the switch."
Tisala was stunned at how quickly Shinji moved in his current state, and could do nothing but gape as he charged into her with a full-body tackle, the force of his shoulder momentarily knocking the wind out of her.
The asari was hurled backwards, her hand reflexively going out and propelling herself off the floor, twirling right back into a guarded crouch, "Shinji, please!" she called, holding a hand out as he advanced on her, "I don't want to hurt you!"
In Shinji's head he was numbly stunned at how his movements felt. This was nothing like his younger body. His legs and arms were longer, stronger. The proportions felt so familiar, and it took an instant for him to remember what it felt like.
It felt like the EVA…like having a 100 per cent synch ratio.
Hesitation vanished.
He could fight like this.
The spectre propelled herself out of the way to dodge the kick aimed square at her head. Shinji's movement carried on however. He grabbed hold of the rear of one of the control seats as he passed, using the chair's rotation to carry him back round and into a kick that struck the asari in her lower back.
He released the chair and landed atop her, knees buried in her chest.
There was a blast of dark energy as Tisala's biotic field hurled the human off her, thrusting herself straight up and into a roundhouse kick that struck the still staggering human and hurled him across the length of the cockpit.
Tisala was on him instantly, his hand twisted up behind his back and her knee digging into the pressure point on the back of his leg.
"Please don't make me hurt you!" she snapped as he tried to force himself upward, "I'm telling you now, there's no way you can beat me. I promise nothing will happen to you if you just calm down!"
Tisala felt him strain under her, could see his teeth bared and the way the look in his eyes changed from vacant to almost manic. She could almost feel the tendons in his arm and the back of his leg stretch themselves to tearing point.
"One thing you should know about EVA pilots…" snarled Shinji, bracing his other knee downward, "very high pain threshold!" with a sudden upward thrust that nearly tore his quadriceps right off the bone, Shinji lashed back with his head and struck the asari between the eyes.
The EVA pilot bounced up off one hand and kicked the momentarily stunned spectre away. She was down, but far from out.
Without looking, Tisala lashed up with her leg and kicked him flat in the lower abdomen, sending the Third Child crashing into the pilot's seat.
She was stronger than he was, realised Shinji, much stronger. He watched her outline shimmer as she took the opportunity to put up a biotic barrier about herself.
"That's enough, Shinji…" she said, her voice low and calming as he tried to push himself up from the console.
Shinji's eyes flicked to her, their gazes meeting. Almost at the same time, their eyes were suddenly drawn to the Omnitool and pistol sitting on the stand just off to Shinji's side. Their gazes met again.
Tisala shook her head, "Don't do it, Shinji…"
Shinji moved, and Tisala released the biotic shockwave built up in her right hand. Only, that was where she made her mistake…
The attack struck the butt of the pistol with perfect aim and sent it flying across to the other side of the cockpit. Tisala's mistake, however, was to assume that Shinji had been going for the gun in the first place.
Shinji rolled around the side console and leaped back. He ignored the pain in his right leg and staggered to a safer distance from his opponent, his Omnitool grasped firmly in one hand.
Tisala turned about as Shinji squared his shoulders, "Shinji, I've already disabled the transponder and interfaces on that Omnitool, even if it had communications, you wouldn't be able to send a signal until we left the corridor."
She watched as Shinji's eyes flicked to her. Her brow furrowed as he released the catch on the base of the tool. With a flick of his wrist and with grace that Tisala knew could only come from practiced use of such a weapon, she suddenly found herself facing an opponent with an Omniblade in his hand.
He flourished the orange blade up, his other hand braced against his upper arm to solidify his stance.
Yes, her tactical intuition told her, he had done this many times before.
Tisala looked at him, his eyes vacant again but filled with intent. He saw her only as an enemy now, "Please…" she whispered, a full power singularity building in her palm, "Please don't, Shinji..."
Almost in slow motion, she watched Shinji's head lower, his right foot pressing down in the brief instant before he launched himself forwards.
She had no choice.
She released the wave of biotic power, Shinji numbly saw it hurl towards him. He dove forwards into a roll and felt the tug of the attack's gravitational force on his back as it passed over him, the majority of the force dissipating harmlessly about him, as if an invisible force were holding it back.
Indeed, both were far too preoccupied to notice the shimmering, barely perceptible orange distortion in the air between the singularity and Shinji's back as it effortlessly held the biotic force at bay.
The anaesthetic still mulling his senses and dulling his limitations, Shinji sprang up and into Tisala's chest above her centre of gravity, knocking them both to the deck in a tumble of limbs with the human on top.
Tisala grabbed hold of Shinji's lower arms as she found the tip of the knife descending towards her throat, the human's eyes still scarily vacant.
Her elbows pinned to the floor as they were, Tisala had only the strength of her lower arms to hold her opponent off as he forced down with his entire body weight.
The asari let out a whimper as she felt the searing point of the knife press into her flesh and realised there wasn't nearly enough time to gather herself again to use her biotic abilities.
She was about to die. She hadn't expected it to end like this. Killed by Aria or one of her assassins, maybe. Or perhaps a Spectre, should she have chosen to disobey the Council's orders. That much she expected. But not like this…
Not by him…
Realising there was nothing more she could do, resignation flooded through Tisala's spirit along with an odd sort of calm as her conflict evaporated. She swallowed a gulp, the action scraping the hot tip of the knife as she looked deep into his eyes and barely managed to whisper out, "Will you please forgive me first?"
Shinji froze, his hands tensed around the hilt of the knife as he tried to make himself continue. They held that position for a while, locked in a moment of uncertainty.
She'd dented his resolve, but that dent was enough. He clenched his teeth angrily, the force of his thrust dissipating. Tisala made no move to fight back any further. Shinji glared at her for a long, silent moment, their gazes still locked. Slowly, he peeled himself off her, falling back onto his haunches.
Intentionally or not, she had won; he knew now the only way for him to escape the spectre would be to kill her.
She had him captive by his own morals.
Shinji stood back up. Turning away from her, his hand fell limply back to his side. The knife slipped free and fell to the deck with a clatter, "No, I won't be the one to take your life…"
-Ω-
Paradoxically, the crew of the Elbrus felt far more at ease around Aria T'Loak when she was clearly furious than when she appeared to be in a good mood.
"Ma'am?" asked the Turian comm officer, his eyes focused on the rapidly blinking communications indicator.
Aria didn't respond. She kept her gaze locked on the starfield as it passed by outside the viewing port.
Since Aria always let people know when she didn't want them to speak, he took her silence as a cue to continue, "Councillor Tevos is trying to reach you on Tightbeam…again. Only this time it's not one of her representatives. She's actually on the line."
Aria turned about and approached the projection system, "Is she now?" she asked, sinking down into a chair in front of it, "Well you'd best put her through then."
The Asari councillor shimmered into existence, turning about to see the pirate queen sat calmly before her, "Aria," she began, an urgent but cautious note in her voice, "Just what are you doing?"
Aria steepled her fingers together in her lap and just regarded the Asari councillor with a neutral expression, her voice entirely business "What seems to be the problem, Tevos?"
"The problem? The problem?" she echoed, her usual calm demeanour vanishing for just a brief instant, "Do you have any idea what you've done? This…embargo you've chosen to enact has thrown the markets into chaos! You actually informed the general public on top of it! A sudden Eezo shortage-"
"Eezo shortage?" cut in Aria, "I don't have an Eezo shortage. I've got mountains of the stuff…literally mountains. I think you'll find the Eezo situation in the Terminus systems to be quite stable."
Tevos' hands clenched at her sides. She looked briefly off at something to the side, her voice lowering, "We can discuss this rationally. You have to understand the rationale the other councillors made when they chose to-"
Aria stabbed her finger down on the panel in the arm of her chair, killing the link and cutting off the councillor.
She was silent in thought for a moment. 'Other councilors?', mulled Aria, so there hadn't been full consensus on the abduction, after all. She would have to keep that in mind, "How long until we arrive?" she asked.
The helmsman responded, "A little over an hour, ma'am. Do you want a force from the crew assembled for when we arrive?"
"No," replied Aria, "Just send word to my people on the Citadel. Have them ready to meet me when we get there. A small commando squad will suffice. When we emerge I want you to conceal the Elbrus in one of the nebula clouds. I'll board the Citadel using one of the unmarked shuttles."
"Understood, ma'am, I'll send the instructions ahead immediately."
-Ω-
Shinji hadn't made any further attempt to attack the asari Spectre and so sat in silence, lounging back dejectedly in one of the chairs, his head lolled back against the viewing port, watching the universe fly by. They'd come out of the corridor some time ago and were now cruising through the clouds of the Serpent Nebula.
The choice had been taken out of his hands once more. True, he could've killed Tisala, but then he'd have had the blood of another on his hands, quite literally in this case. Plus, he couldn't help but see things from her perspective. Having always hated piloting EVA but knowing what would've happened to the world if he had chosen not to, Shinji was well versed in the 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' dilemma.
"She'll come for you…you know that, right?" said Shinji suddenly, his gaze narrowing as the ship curved through the nebula and spying a silver point of light in the distance.
Tisala kept her focus on piloting, choosing not to respond to the query, "Am I going to have to keep you restrained as we pass through the Citadel, or are you going to cooperate?"
A mirthless smile pulled at Shinji's mouth, "Are you asking if I'll come quietly or if you'll have to drag me to my jailer in chains?"
Tisala wanted to rebuke, but knew any attempt would be futile, "Will you?"
Shinji's gaze flicked to the asari's back, "Of course, Tisala. I promise to be good." He replied, his tone far too light and Tisala just sighed tiredly in response.
Shinji watched the colossal form of the Citadel come into focus.
His emotions momentarily gave way to awe. To say the station was impressive would be an understatement. The sheer scale of engineering that must've gone into constructing such a structure momentarily staggered him.
His attention was pulled back when he heard Tisala open a comm link. A female voice responded a second later, "This is Citadel control. Please transmit docking credentials."
Tisala manipulated a few controls, "Transmitting docking clearance now."
There was a pause, "Spectre docking clearance confirmed. You have a clear line to bay 36A."
"Confirmed," she replied, switching the shuttle to auto-pilot and letting the Citadel's systems handle the actual docking procedure. She stood up and collected Shinji's sidearm and Omnitool before walking briefly into the rear compartment to collect her own equipment.
Shinji's attention was taken from the gleaming station when he felt Tisala's tight grip on his arm as she pulled him to his feet to bind his hands behind his back, "I'd apologise again, but I don't think you want to hear it…"
-Ω-
Shinji winced as they stepped out onto the docking area, his leg almost giving way underneath him. Tisala hooked her arm quickly around his, steadying him on his feet and taking the weight off the damaged muscle in his right leg, the drug in his system that had been hiding the pain now wearing off.
There were no words exchanged as Tisala led Shinji straight past immigration. He ignored the various stares from the citizens as the spectre escorted him to the Citadel transit stop.
As they cruised over the presidium, Shinji found himself even more awed by the interior of the Citadel than the outside. It was almost the polar opposite of Omega: Both stations were large and impressive, one was bright and open, the other dark and almost oppressive, but only one represented unrestricted freedom despite its appearance; the other was a world of control, rules and politics whose web he'd been forcefully dropped in.
Shinji hated the gleaming heart of Citadel space already.
The automated vehicle landed by the base of the Citadel Tower, "can you please take these off?" grumbled Shinji as Tisala assisted him to his feet, his eyes momentarily drawn to the relay monument nearby, "It's not like I can make a run for it…"
Tisala was still for a second and, without another word, undid the restraints on his hands.
Shinji massaged his wrists as the asari took his arm again, somewhat more tightly than before.
Suddenly, Shinji staggered forward, one hand going round Tisala's back to prevent himself collapsing entirely.
The asari's other hand came round his back, "you alright?"
"F-fine…just really need to get off my feet for a while," he said, Tisala helping him find his balance as she led them onto the elevator up to the council level, "Where are you taking me anyway?"
"To see the council; I'd like to think they might want to explain themselves," she replied, watching as the floor indicator ticked rapidly over.
They emerged a moment later and Tisala paused to frown, looking about, "Something's wrong…" she said, "there should be a representative to meet us," she looked at the numbers mulling about, "it's normally not this busy either."
Shinji wasn't sure why she thought he cared, but he watched as she approached the desk and addressed a very hassled-looking asari, "I'm here to see the council. They're expecting us."
"See the council?" echoed the clerk with an exasperated shake of her head, hurriedly pressing controls on her screen, "You and everyone else. The council has temporarily adjourned due to unforeseen circumstances. Kindly wait until you are called for."
"What circumstances?" asked Tisala with a frown.
The clerk looked up at her, "You mean you haven't heard?"
"That's why I'm asking."
The clerk shook her head again, "The markets are in chaos. Apparently the Terminus Systems have thrown up some kind of trade blackout in the past few hours. They've then gone and pointed their finger at the council for people who want an explanation. And, as you can see, people are wanting explanations."
"Aria…" said Shinji, paying attention now.
"Yeah," sighed the clerk, "people are very upset. So I'm afraid the council isn't taking visitors just now."
"This is spectre business. I think you'll find this takes priority. Where is councillor Tevos?"
The clerk seemed to hesitate, but nodded and checked her screen, "She's currently in her office, but-" Tisala cut her off by turning away and leading Shinji off towards the sealed area, overriding the outer locked door with her Omnitool.
-Ω-
The C-sec officers guarding the councillor's chambers tensed at the sudden entry, but relaxed when they recognised the spectre logo on Tisala's uniform. She didn't wait for admission and unlocked the door to Tevos' office and entered the darkened room.
Tevos looked up from her desk, startled by the entry, but immediately went back to the screen in front of her. There was a red-faced, elderly human male on the display, and Tevos seemed to be in the midst of trying to calm him down, "The council is more than aware of the issues being faced, and believe me: we're working our hardest to resolve the trade dispute with Omega. The setback is only temporary, I assure you."
"The market shift caused by the news alone has cost ExoGeni nearly half a billion credits in loss of share value alone! Will you be reimbursing us that too?"
Tevos sighed, "I assure you, we will do our very best to resolve the situation in a way that I'm sure you will find satisfactory. Thank you for your time, our representatives will keep you informed of any important updates," she said, and Shinji heard the man on the other end draw breath to speak again, only for the councillor to kill the link.
Shinji watched the weariness on the councillor's face vanish behind a mask of calm as she stood up from her desk and approached him, Tisala backing off to stand by the door. The councilor regarded him inquisitively for a moment. "So...you must be Shinji Ikari. I had not expected your arrival so soon. I…imagine you must have many questions."
"Not as many as you'd think," said Shinji, his voice cold, "You seem to be having problems."
Tevos glanced at her terminal and back, "There has been…reaction to our acquisition of you, I will admit. But when dealing with Aria, one should expect the unexpected."
"Your acquisition of me?" echoed Shinji, "Are you talking about my abduction?"
Tevos seemed to deflate slightly, "Yes…" she sighed, "for what it is worth, I voted against the action. I will not say however that I did not also see the logic in their choice."
"I only want to know one thing," said Shinji, "Now that you've got me, what do you want from me?"
Tevos regarded him for a moment, "Nothing."
"Nothing?" echoed Shinji, seeming annoyed by the answer, despite the fact he understood it "So it's less about wanting me, and more about just not letting Aria have me?"
The councillor inclined her head, "When it came to light that the EVA currently in Aria's possession was not completely inactive, we were forced to reclassify it as a very real threat. Aria is, shall we say, a necessary evil, but up until recently her influence has always been within our scope."
"And so, what? I'm just your prisoner?"
"No. You will be free to come and go as you please. Your movements off the Citadel however will be restricted. Until an agreement can be reached with Aria over the Evangelion, we must ensure you remain…separate. So allow me to assure you again: you are not a prisoner, and we will make every effort to make you as comfortable as possible in compensation for this inconvenience. We will also not restrict contact with Aria T'Loak. This is merely an issue of striking balance."
"Striking balance," echoed Shinji with distaste, "with me as a bargaining chip for your use."
"I would not like to put it so coldly. As I said, you are free to contact Aria. In fact, given current circumstances I would encourage it. However, you will not be allowed to leave the citadel in her company."
"You're dodging the fact that you staged an illegal abduction to get me here," Shinji narrowed his eyes at the councillor as something occurred to him. He found himself smiling slightly, "You didn't think this would happen, did you? You genuinely thought swiping me up wouldn't have any kind of backlash."
Tevos turned away, "On the contrary, I fully expected Aria to do something, I have had…dealings with her in the past. The other councillors however, they underestimated the level of reaction that Aria is capable of."
Shinji nodded, "I know you've had dealings with her. Aria's actually mentioned you offhand before."
"Is that so?"
He inclined his head in acknowledgement, "It is if you're the same Tevos who, quote-unquote 'mewls like a kitten when someone nibbles you on the-"
"-Yes, thank you," cut in Tevos briskly, clenching her eyes closed.
"Is my mission complete, councillor?" asked Tisala suddenly.
She nodded in response, "Yes, thank you, Tisala. If you'd please return to-"
"No…" cut in Tisala quietly with a sigh, "I'm done."
"What did you say?"
"Now that my duty has been fulfilled, I feel I must take this opportunity to respectfully tender my resignation."
Tevos seemed momentarily stunned, "Tisala. If you are having issues with your status-"
"No issues, ma'am," cut in Tisala gently, "I'm just done...if you'll excuse me."
And with that she turned to leave, but paused to bow once to Shinji, "Goodbye, Shinji… I don't expect I'll have a chance to see you again, so-"
"I forgive you," cut in Shinji with a tired breath, "Or at the very least…I think I understand you now."
She smiled tiredly and departed, leaving Shinji alone with councillor Tevos.
Tevos turned away to look out her office window. She was quiet for a while as she dwelled on what had just happened, "resignation from Spectre? Never in all my centuries have I seen it…"
She glanced at Shinji over her shoulder as he approached and stopped by her side to look out over the presidium below, "She said she never wanted to be one in the first place…you just forced her into a position she never wanted to be in. I suppose she and I have that in common also…"
"I have told you our position, Shinji Ikari. If I may ask…what is your intention?"
Shinji looked down at the Presidium lake below as he replied, "I intend to take you hostage and have you walk me down to the docking bay where you'll let me depart in a ship back to Omega. Then I'll have lunch and probably a light afternoon nap."
Tevos turned her head to look at him in bewilderment, not sure if that was some kind of human attempt at gallows-humour, "Excuse me?"
"Tisala…" said Shinji.
"What about her?"
"She'd obviously lost her edge. I beat her in a fight to the point that I nearly took her life…" Tevos' eyes went wide as she felt something cold press firmly into the sensitive spot in the small of her back. A smile spread slowly across Shinji's face, "and she completely failed to notice that I stole her gun…"
-Ω-
To be continued…
[A/N] Ahh, quite a long instalment, but thoroughly enjoyable to write now things are picking up. I'll do my best to get the next little piece out as soon as possible, but like I said, longer chapters as things develop tend to mean bigger gaps, but I'll keep things coming at a decent pace.
I'll catch you all in Chapter 12: Standoff