Oh hello there again! Little warning – this chapter contains a bit more rough language than usual. Don't think it's enough to warrant a M, but better safe than sorry, right? Enjoy, and as usual, reviews are very welcome!

"Barrett."

"What?" The tall figure shifted and leaned against the wall.

"The boss wants you in his office."

Silence.

"Now."

Barrett let out a harsh laugh, a smug smirk spreading across his face. "Like I give a damn." He lit his cigarette and stuffed the lighter back into his pocket, blowing out smoke.

"We tend to follow orders here, Barrett-"

"Then shut up. That's an order."

The man sighed. "Why are you making this so difficult?"

"Because if there's something I can't stand, it's cretins like you wasting my time. I've been sent here for a damn reason, you know." He hadn't expected the guards to be this dense.

His comm crackled to life.

"Stand by, Operative. I'll be there shortly."

He glared at the man, who was still standing nearby and likely couldn't have heard it.

"Your boss is coming. Thanks for your input." His words dripped with poison. "Dismissed."

"You can't just-" The guard was interrupted by a swift kick in the stomach. He howled in pain and fell to his knees.

"Dismissed," Barrett growled angrily. "Try again." He could have sworn he'd heard him mutter "asshole" as the grunt limped away, but he didn't care. This whole theft ordeal was taking too long. He reminded himself to ask Santiago why he was stuck cleaning up Omega Cell's shit and not someone else.

He could hear quick footsteps. Good. It'd been getting really boring.

"Welcome, Operative." The man was almost as tall and muscular as him. Impressive.

"You in charge here?" he asked, still leaning against the wall.

"Afraid so. Any trouble?"

"Had to neutralize one of these insubordinate pricks you call men. Couldn't have gone far if you wanna have a chat with him." He grinned, though the guy certainly didn't share his amusement.

"Our numbers are already low. You aren't helping it."

"I overcome my obstacles." He paused and offered his hand. "Operative Greg Barrett. Commander Santiago sent me."

The man eyed Barrett's hand suspiciously as if it were about to burst into flames. Then he reluctantly shook it. "Brian Wallace, supervisor of Outpost Gamma."

Finally, things were moving forward.

"I've been told that you would have more information for me," Barrett said, folding his arms. "Give me the short version."

"We've captured the presumed thief and relocated her here. You're to interrogate her, find out where the object is and reclaim it."

He frowned. That was it? That was why Santiago made him bust his ass trying to get here as fast as possible? "Sounds too simple to be true."

"It's critical."

He'd seen so much of this "critical" shit in all of his years as a merc that he had to fight the urge to just leave. However, it was already too late.

"Where?"

"Cargo room three, I'll show you." They began to walk.

"So you keep prisoners in cargo storage rooms?" He could barely believe how stupid the idea was. "You're kidding."

"I'm not," Wallace replied. "The rooms are safe enough. Signal jamming, blast doors and all. They're being sedated regularly to prevent problems."

Amateurs, Barrett thought. They'll see soon enough.

"We're here. I'll open it, rest's up to you." Wallace's fingers tapped the door controls furiously.

"Anything I should watch out for?"

"She's not alone in there." He sounded nervous.

"I figured so. Let's stop fucking around." Barrett cracked his knuckles, as the large door opened with a loud hiss, and stepped out confidently.

"Don't hurt her, or anyone for that matter," the man's annoying voice chimed.

"That's my choice."

Kirah swore under her breath. Her omnitool let out a beep when another one of her many attempts to access the extranet failed. Nevertheless, it was the first step to contacting Kenn and she was determined to make it work. She frowned. The picture in her mind seemed so distant, so unreal. When was the last time she'd seen her loved one? It felt like an eternity.

She looked up only to see Natasha standing near a pillar of crates, watching her with a hint of interest in her eyes.

"Why are you staring at me?" Kirah asked, suddenly smiling. The sight of someone friendly had a calming effect on her.

"Not you," the woman said somewhat amusedly. "Your arm."

"Is there something wrong with it?"

"You barely ever move it and you went completely nuts when you hit the wall with it. Just curious."

"It's been burned," Kirah informed her.

"Oh." By the looks of it, she felt guilty. "I see. I'm sorry for that."

"It's nothing," the quarian responded absentmindedly, focused on her omnitool again.

"How'd you get burned like that?" Natasha spoke, breaking the silence. "Your suit looks intact."

"No clue." She skimmed through the new data, then ran another scan. "Quarian skin is rather delicate. At least more than a human's. Our suits, however, can sustain a lot of damage from things like heat or cold. Really, it could have been anything."

"Well, it was obviously no accident, seeing as you're here with me. But don't worry – not for long."

"I wish I had your optimism."

She could feel Natasha's arm wrap around her shoulders as the human sat down next to her. She welcomed the distraction, though it gave her little comfort.

"What are you doing, anyway?" the sweet voice asked.

"I'm trying to gain access to the extranet. So I can send a message out." She breathed out a sad sigh. "So I can speak to Kenn."

"Who's that?"

Something snapped inside of her. Of course, the woman couldn't have known about the empty hole in her soul. The breakdown she had suffered earlier offered no explanation besides making her look overly sensitive. And weak. She felt a prick of guilt. But was the struggle to control herself even worth it?

"He saved my life on more than one occasion. He cares for me. I love him, Natasha, and I don't even know if he's alive and alright. It's the most depressing feeling I've ever experienced." Kirah hung her head down. "He's probably stuck on the Citadel, worried sick and completely helpless. Just like me."

She quickly checked the newest scan data and noticed a pattern repeating throughout the file.

"Got it!" she exclaimed in surprise. "I found something."

"Say what?"

She had always been ecstatic about even the most insignificant of discoveries.

"Apparently, all outside communications and extranet access are being actively blocked in this room only. The jammer is in here, too."

Natasha shook her head. "I don't believe it. It can't be that easy. These mercs are crazy, not stupid."

"We have to try," Kirah insisted. Why not? Wasn't it simple enough?

"If you find it and need it in pieces, let me know. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you much other than that."

"I..." She was interrupted by a loud hissing noise. Its source was nearby, right behind the corner.

The door!

She heard a number of footsteps and another sound, presumably of the door closing. Someone had just walked in. Natasha sprung up and darted out, heading right towards the exit, before Kirah had a chance to protest. The quarian scrambled up slowly, made a quick attempt to clear out her thoughts and followed her. She could easily hear the woman's angry voice grow sharp.

"Barrett!"

A couple more steps and she'd be there.

"You asshole!"

Breathing heavily from the sudden stress, she turned the corner only to be greeted with a dangerous sight. A tall human male was standing in front of the door, aiming his pistol at Natasha, who in turn had her biotics flaring in short, rapid bursts.

"Oh, hi there, Tasha," Kirah heard him say, shivering. He was armed and wearing a Blue Suns uniform. That meant trouble. "Sorry, I have no time to deal with you right now. I'm just here for your friend."

"You're not putting your filthy hand on her!" the Russian woman seethed, blocking his way to where Kirah was hiding.

"I'm not asking for your damn permission. Out of my way. I'm doing you a favor here."

"Screw you."

Kirah watched in horror as Natasha shot out a powerful looking throw while somehow managing to sustain a biotic barrier around herself. It couldn't last long.

The merc's shields absorbed most of the force. He barely even flinched. Natasha was about to attack again, yet he didn't seem to mind. He tossed his pistol away carelessly.

"Is that how you fight nowadays? Have a little dignity," he said in a mocking tone, putting up his large fists. Natasha looked almost puny next to him in her defensive stance.

"You're going down, you bastard." Her biotics flared again, but this time the little blue tendrils didn't disappear. The light emanating from her body became more and more intense until she was completely covered in it and shone like a star.

Then she jumped. High. Or at least much higher than Kirah thought possible.

She descended quickly and literally pounced onto the mountain of a man. Caught by surprise, he lost his footing and tripped. A loud noise echoed throughout the room as they hit the ground simultaneously, with Natasha on top. Kirah was still frozen. Her legs refused to obey as if they had an intelligence of their own.

The woman was in trouble. There was no way she could win, despite her undeniable strength.

Do something, the voice in Kirah's head echoed. Anything! She scoured through her pockets in panic. Nothing. If only she had Zero with her...

Natasha growled. Her fist lit up with biotic energy. Barrett managed to block the punch in the last moment, immediately retaliating. He gave no signs of being even slightly worn out while Natasha visibly struggled to maintain her position advantage, and she had already taken a number of blows.

"You're pathetic," he spat out, closely dodging another hit.

"And you... are... dead," she retorted, panting heavily. She managed to get past his defenses, landing a strong blow on his jaw. A satisfied grin appeared on her face when she heard the cracking sound.

He wasted no more breath on insults and concentrated on blocking Natasha's numerous attacks. She shifted, trying to get into a better position, and that was all he needed. He pulled his knees up below her and kicked her off. She landed nearby and cried out in pain, motionless. Kirah's heart skipped a beat. Keelah, no!

Barrett got up first, scrambling towards the stunned woman. His arm shot out, grabbing hold of her neck and pulling her up forcefully. Her face was covered in bruises and she was bleeding from the corner of her mouth. She looked as if she were about to faint. Her eyelids were shut tight and her breathing was ragged.

"This didn't have to happen," he said calmly. Then he shoved her towards the wall. She collapsed onto the floor, passing out immediately.

Barrett stepped out, heading straight after Kirah into the maze of cargo containers. She was still shocked. Whatever Natasha had done to him in the past, she couldn't have deserved anything like that. He was brutal, relentless.

And she did it to protect me.

Kirah mentally chastised herself for not intervening, but nothing would satisfy her conscience now with the feeling of guilt rapidly growing in intensity. She knew how to fight, yet she had stayed behind like a coward, watching her ally lose the struggle without moving a finger. A single tech overload could have tipped the scales enough to give Natasha a chance.

What if the brave human was going to die? For nothing? The mere thought was horrifying. She couldn't live with something like that forever haunting her.

She had to make up for her failure. Her omnitool had barely lit up as her fingers already glided over the buttons in an amazing show of muscle memory.

She was programming her omnitool to track the source of the jamming signal she'd discovered earlier. It wasn't going to help Natasha but she had to do it. She had to.

With a quiet beep only heard inside her helmet to prevent detection, the omnitool begun projecting a small arrow onto the corner of her visor, leading in the approximate direction of the signal source. She could clearly hear Barrett's heavy footsteps nearby. There was no time to loiter around.

I'm sorry, Nat. I'm so sorry. Please don't hold this against me... even though that's exactly what I deserve.

She ran as quietly as she could, following the arrow. Suddenly she was glad she'd scouted the room before. It was getting progressively darker and darker as she strayed farther from the lit up areas. However eerie it had felt back there, the sheer size of the room was impressive. Was she even alone with Natasha?

She continued running despite her legs pulsing with pain from having to absorb the force from her footsteps like a pair of springs. She couldn't fail again.

The signal source was very near. It took her eyes some time to adjust to the darkness, and by the time she could see everything somewhat clearly, she was standing in front of the central wall supporting the ceiling, only on the opposite side from their hideout. On the wall was a metallic box with wires and electronic parts inside. The navigation arrow was gone. This must have been it.

Barrett's footsteps were still clearly audible. She had no idea where he was, only that he was close. It reminded her of that one time on Omega where she'd escaped the Suns after finding Kenn's heatsink unit. She shuddered. Her first kill. The wound was still there. More guilt flooded her mind.

She had to do something, now.

This one's for you, Kenn.

The guy would definitely hear the noise, still stalking her with an amazing persistence. It wouldn't matter. All she wanted was to let someone out there know. She took a deep breath and counted.

Three... two... one. Keelah se'lai.

The jamming device exploded in a shower of blue sparks at the push of the button. She could hear the footsteps suddenly become faster and louder, just like her heartbeat. Work, you bosh'tet!

Finally, the awaited little icon popped up on her omnitool's status bar. She immediately proceeded to open the communications program, typing in Kenn's address. The sentences didn't end up the way she wanted them to, but this was no time to be picky. Her fingers moved swiftly all over the holographic keyboard.

Kenn,

This is me, Kirah. Can't drag this out. I'm alive and stuck in a Blue Suns outpost. They ambushed me at Dark Star. Please stay strong for me and be safe. I'm not alone here. I'll find a way to get out. One dangerous merc is after me now. I have to go.

I love you. Keelah se'lai, Kenn.

She shed a single tear and smiled. She still had someone. It was a beautiful feeling. And for once, she embraced it. Even as she hit send, it didn't wane.

Then she heard the footsteps again. He wasn't walking in circles anymore - he was running. And he knew her location now. End of the line. She braced herself for the worst, knowing that it would hardly help.

He turned the last corner and found himself staring right into her shining eyes.

"There you are," he growled. "I couldn't wait."

"I'm afraid that's onesided," Kirah retorted angrily. She might have been trapped but she wasn't going down without a fight.

"I just beat the shit out of your feisty friend. Surely you wouldn't make the same mistake." He pulled out his pistol, checking the thermal clip lazily. "Or would you?"