So we left off with Shepard, Garrus, Grunt, and Samara going to the Reds base and taking care of business. Shepard got really up close and personal with someone and had one final talk with Alexander, the now late leader of the Reds and the person who recruited Shepard at the age of eight. Now with Alexander's estate being blown up, and Tali's whereabouts still unknown, Shepard has the cops at his back. Enjoy, hopefully.
The heat hadn't reached him, but Shepard felt a slight gust of air wash over him when the explosion happened. Then he felt something heavy crash into his back and push him to the ground. Then another, and one more after.
"Don't you move asshole! Get those guns off of him!" One of the people, the biggest from the feel of it said.
"Damn, this guy is a walking armory, look at all this!" Another person said.
"Brandon do as the chief says before I try those guns out on you." This was a woman's voice.
Shepard thought he felt something get clasped around his wrists, though he wasn't paying much attention. He watched the growing inferno that was once a beautiful manor burn into the night sky. Shepard was lifted up to his feet and walked to a police cruiser. He still tried his best to stare at the burning wreckage, but his neck could only twist so far the other way.
"Wait, I know his face! This is Commander Shepard!" One of the three cops, sounding like Brandon, exclaimed.
"I don't give a shit if he is your daddy, put him in." The chief said.
Shepard was placed in the back seat of the four man cruiser behind a metal grate, and Brandon and the female cop climbed into the front.
"Take him back to the station and wait for me. No one sees him, no reporters, no friends, no family, no one!" The chief said as the cockpit hatch closed.
Shepard watched the still burning manor from the air and watched it as he flew away, the light somehow not seeming to fade as he got miles away.
"Tali!" Chawkwas said loudly from within her cell.
Tali was escorted by the cell block guard into the vacant cell directly across the room Chawkwa's. She protested slightly, at least at the guard holding her as she walked. She walked in the cell herself and the kinetic barrier came up, locking her in.
"Tali, are you okay?"
"Not really, but I am happy to see that all of you are here and unharmed."
"How did you get captured?"
"I was stupid and went out on my own and some thugs took me by surprise. I was knocked out before I came here."
"Is Shepard and the others okay?"
"I don't know. Shepard has been going after these people he used to run with in his old gang, apparently they had something to do with all this. Shepard, has been very, emotional, as of late. He's been on edge, all these people have a lot of history with him, obviously."
"I think it goes deeper than just some old gang members. Batarian's own this ship and guard us, I think this may be some kind of retribution for what Shepard did to stop the Reapers from arriving."
"Either way, we need to get out of here. The idiots didn't take my omni tool, I should be able to shut down the barriers."
Tali opened her omni tool and hacked the systems controlling the barrier for her cell. In about a minute, she brought it down.
"Okay now I'll do yo..." She was cut off abruptly.
Tali was hoisted into the air by some unknown force. She dangled there for a few seconds, grasping something that was apparently wrapped around her throat. She then floated backwards and was thrown back into her cell. Out of thin air, a tall being clad in fierce looking black and red armor appeared. The same one that nearly strangled Ken to death.
"Leaving so soon?" The Informant asked Tali.
"Where, where did you come from?" Tali asked as she got up cautiously.
"I've been here since I think "Tali are you okay?" He said mimicking Chawkwas's voice.
It was a surprisingly good impression, and would have been comical from anyone else. It came out oddly sinister and intentionally offensive instead.
"If you had just checked the radar on your omni tool, you would have known I was here, cloaking device or not. You're not nearly as clever as you may think Tali, but much more so than any of these other crew members of yours." He gestured to a cell farther down, containing Ken and Gabby.
"I really shouldn't let you keep that omni tool though, so I'll be taking it. I can never tell where those things are though, especially in an enviro suit. Maybe I should just take the whole arm to be sure." The Informant stepped closer to the smaller Quarian.
Tali felt like a cornered animal. She didn't have her friends or Shepard to protect her, and this man seemed to be blurring the line between a cruel joke and seriousness.
"Leave her alone you animal!" Lieutenant Goldstein said from two cells down on the other wall.
The Informant stopped in his tracks and turned slowly towards the other woman. He pointed to the guard, then at Goldstein's cell. The guard deactivated the cell's barrier and pointed his gun at her.
"Don't go anywhere." The Informant said to Tali.
The other guard watching her made sure that she wouldn't. The Informant entered Goldstein's cell and brought her out by the arm. He then viciously slammed her against the metal wall and pinned her there with one arm.
"You don't want me to take her arm off? So, what, I should take yours?"
"What? Get the hell away from me!" Goldstein tried to get away but she was stuck.
"Hold her here." The Informant told the guard and he complied.
"Now, you tell me what to do since you're so into giving orders. Do I take your arm, or Tali's? If you don't make a decision by the time I'm done, I keep going until you say I move on to that pretty girl."
"Done what?" Goldstein asked fearfully.
The Informant lifted her left arm so that it ran straight against the wall. He then extended his own arm, and from the top of his gauntlet, a foot long serrated blade slid out. The black metal blade gleamed in the light, and Goldstein's terrified face reflected narrowly in it. He pressed the blade at the point where the forearm met the elbow and dragged it down, scraping the skin.
"It's your arm or hers."
"Wait! Wait!" Goldstein screamed.
The informant drew the blade upwards, scraping the skin more, then down again with more pressure, cutting the skin this time. Tali stood petrified, wanting to stop it but unable to speak up. Goldstein screamed more as another, deeper cut made blood start to spill out.
"You're only doing this to yourself. If you had kept your mouth shut instead of trying to act courageous you wouldn't need to make this tough choice yourself. Do you want me to move on to Tali?"
Goldstein remained silent through her tears as another cut had blood pouring onto the ground. Suddenly, the Informant increased pressure considerably and cut halfway through her arm, even the bone.
"Stop!" Goldstein screamed.
"What will it be then?" The Informant asked, apparently oblivious to the blood drenching his hand.
"Take, take Tali's arm." She said as she broke down crying.
The Informant did something unexpected, he started laughing. It was a cruel, victorious laugh.
"Pathetic, really pathetic. You had the audacity to try and protect that girl from me, and now you intend to damn her because of your own pain. You are the worst kind of coward, one that doesn't even realize how frail you are. I should kill you outright, but no, just imagine how awkward it will be to look all these people in the eye and call yourself their ally. If I were you, I would apologize. Yes, apologize!"
The Informant grabbed Goldstein by her hair and dragged her over to Tali. He pulled her head up and placed the blade against her throat.
"Tali, your so called cremate just sold you out. How does that make you feel?"
"Please just leave her alone." Tali said quietly. She was suddenly thankful for her suit's helmet.
"But why? Don't you feel angry, betrayed? Don't you want her to apologize?"
Tali couldn't say anything.
"Apologize!" The Informant shouted at Goldstein.
"I'm sorry Tali."
"Sorry for what?" He asked her as if she were a child.
"I'm sorry for betraying you,you,you..." Goldstein was turning pale from blood loss.
"That's nice, everyone made up. Get her cleaned up." The Informant handed Goldstein over to one of the guards and he took her away.
The cell block was eerily silent, save for the few drips of blood splattering against the ground from the wrist blade. The Informant courteously waved his hand for Tali to go back into her cell. Tali didn't have the will to resist after what just happened, and she obediently went in. With a few presses on his omni tool, the Informant made a thick glass door close down instead of a kinetic barrier.
"Unless you have five Krogan on you, I'd say you won't be able to get out of that."
The Informant moved to leave but finally seemed to notice all the blood on his blade. He wiped it off on the glass door of Tali's cell, painting it in gore.
"Thanks, I hate being dirty. And don't worry about getting lonely; you'll have some more company within the next seven hours."
The long, serrated ebony blade slid back into the Informant's gauntlet with a horrible screeching sound.
"Tell Balak that I'll be gone for awhile, I'm going back to Earth." The Informant told the guard.
The Alliance Outpost- four hours later.
"So let me get this straight, you lost him again?" Joker asked Garrus.
"We didn't lose him, he isn't some pet. He pulled ahead of us as we fought and disappeared, probably went off to do something alone again." Garrus hypothesized, irritated.
"Okay, so he's gone. Again." Joker reiterated.
"I think it has something to do with Tali. We scoured ever room in that cesspool of a base and didn't find her anywhere."
"Do we have any leads? Anything at all?" Miranda asked after being oddly quiet.
"Nothing, we have no idea where..." Garrus began.
"Sirs! Sirs!" Yelled an Alliance soldier as he practically fell into the room.
"What is your problem?" Garrus asked.
"It's Commander Shepard! I put out the word that he was missing and one of my friends at the police station said that they had the Commander in custody."
"What!" Joker, Miranda, and Garrus exclaimed in unison.
"Yeah, apparently he is suspected of murder, and arson for blowing up a house in the wealthier area, and it had people in it."
"There must be some kind of mistake, we need to get down there and get him out." Miranda said.
"No can do. I already tried to have him released under Alliance authority, but the chief of police wouldn't have it."
"Thats ridiculous, surely Admiral Hackett can,"
"No he can't. Alliance personnel don't have any jurisdiction in police matters. The only way for the Admiral to be able to forcibly have the Commander released would be if he got permission from the Defense Committee. They have the final word on everything."
"And how long will that take?" Joker asked, though he sounded like he already knew the answer.
"Er, I'd say at least three weeks, just to get the meeting." The soldier said sheepishly.
Garrus sighed heavily, Miranda had a blaze of rage despite her calm exterior, and Joker merely rolled his eyes.
"I don't suppose things could get worse?" Joker asked pessimistically.
"Hey Frank, did you get that raise?" A soldier standing out on the landing zone of the outpost asked his partner.
"With Hackett being the CO here? I have a better chance of getting a Turian to eat my food Bill." Frank replied unhappily.
"Really? But I thought that it was a sure thing since you've put in so many hours on the dock here." Bill told him.
"He fed me some bullshit about working out of duty and responsibility, and that I should be in the front lines putting in 'real work' before I have the audacity to be proud of working overtime here. Grumpy old relic." Frank said.
"Ha, well I guess I can agree with him there. Compared to what some others need to put with, we have it pretty easy here with just checking the ships coming in and out. Speaking of which, here comes two of them now." Bill pointed to two medium sized shuttle craft approaching from the air.
"Shuttle Gamma One, please provide docking clearance." Bill asked through the comm as he looked at his omni tool.
"Come on, don't tell me you actually agree with the Admiral." Frank said.
"Well, he isn't wrong. Shuttle Gamma One, still awaiting docking clearance." Bill said, his omni tool not receiving anything back.
"What do you mean he isn't wrong? Me, you, the others, we deserve fair pay as much as the soldiers fighting offworld!" Frank said to Bill.
"Maybe but, wait a second. Shuttle Gamma One, transfer your docking clearance or you will not be allowed..." Just then Bill's omni tool flashed.
"Finally, what is Tom deaf of something? Shuttle Gamma Two, please provide docking clearance." Bill said, and his omni tool flashed immediately.
"That's more like it. Anyway, yeah we work hard and all, but we aren't really out there fighting the good fight Frank." Bill said as he moved towards the now docked shuttles.
"Hey, we got the same training as those soldiers did, it isn't our fault that we're stationed here." Frank grumbled after Bill.
"If we hadn't been partners for three years now Frank, I might just file for a transfer away from your belly aching. Open up!" Bill knocked on the shuttle door.
"I'm just saying it doesn't seem fair." Frank said as he moved towards the other shuttle to copy his partner.
"I say you should be happy that we are safe here. Hey Tom what was the hold up?" Bill asked as the shuttle door opened.
Inside, ten men wearing black, unmarked armor greeted the surprised and confused Bill.
"Who the hell are..." Bill ate a bullet from the closest man and fell to the ground dead.
"Bill!" Frank yelled as he turned with his pistol drawn.
An arm slid underneath Frank's and bent up to grab the back of his head, throwing off his aim. Another arm went over his shoulder and grabbed his chin. This all happened in less than a second, and with one swift, strong motion, Frank's head was twisted around enough for him to past his shoulder. With the second of life he had left, his eyes saw someone tall yet noticeably slim, and wearing armor that was less bulky than the others but with a prominent left shoulder plate, and colored a dark silver instead of black. He then fell to the ground, dead, his neck not fully twisting back.
Ten men from both shuttles filed off the ships and drew shotguns, assault rifles, and sub machine guns.
"You know the mission. Capture as many of them as you can, kill only those who prove too annoying or troublesome to take down. The Admiral is the priority, he must be taken alive. Shepard's squad members are high value targets, killing them is a last resort. Move." The silver colored man said coolly, emotionless.
The twenty men did as they were ordered, and set out to infiltrate and breach the outpost.
A kinetic barrier, three walls, a ceiling, and a floor.
Not even a damn toilet or sink.
Shepard stood in the cell alone with his thoughts. He paced back and forth in the uncomfortably small space in anxiety. The police suspected him in the explosion and the murder of all the people at Alexander's manor. The thought of Alexander made him stop in his tracks, and stand rigidly. Alexander was gone, taken away in a flash of light and flame, now ashes to be blown away with the smallest breeze. It was a fate that made him seem so, insignificant, in the end than he really was. He was a cunning business man, a ruthless killer when he needed to be, a capable and respected leader, a good friend to those he respected...a father figure to Shepard.
A penniless, malnourished, unwanted orphan was all he was, all he would ever be if he had just let Alexander be killed in that alley. He instead became a criminal. A criminal, was that what he really thought of it, or just his real opinions being changed since leaving to join the Alliance and fighting hundreds of criminals who deal in illegal items and activities and kill innocent people who cross them. How many credits worth of drugs, weapons, and tech had he smuggled, delivered and stolen over those years? How many people died because they they tried to fight back, tried to intervene, or were just at the wrong place at the wrong time?
Too many.
The force field of his cell suddenly deactivated and two policemen entered. They both had pistols at their hips, but Shepard gave them no reason to brandish them. Another cop, burlier than the others, pushed his way past the two and close enough for Shepard to feel his breath. Shepard remembered him as the chief from earlier.
"Alright you scum, lets go."
"Go where exactly? I still haven't been given a chance to explain myself and you haven't given me my one transmission."
"A nice expensive estate gets blown to smithereens along with all the people inside it and we find you, dirty and covered in blood with more guns than a whole squad of my boys just outside the blast zone. You're looking about as guilty as a dog next to a pile shit right now so I wouldn't be worried about any transmission. Now, lets go."
The chief motioned for the two guards to escort Shepard out of the cell. The four of them walked down a hallway passing more cells, most of them either empty or holding a drunken miscreant. It was a stark contrast to the people that were in lower city prisons. Shepard was walked into a room similar to the one that he had interrogated Tyrone in.
"Someone will be by to talk to you shortly."
"I thought you weren't letting people see me?"
"This guy says he has outstanding evidence against you, and that he needs to be sure of who you are. So sit down, shut up, and wait." Said the chief as he left with the others.
Shepard stood alone and examined the room. It was plain, white, had a chair mounted to the wall in front of a transparent mirror. On the other side he could see an identical room. Five minutes had passed until Shepard heard voices on the other side of the door in the room opposite to his. They were hushed voices, but he could make one out to be the chief. Then silence, other than footsteps walking away from the door. A hissing sound came from the door and it parted in the middle, sliding open to the sides. Light escape through the widening crack. The light looked as though it needed to creep around the body of the man standing in it's way. His black armor was a great blot in the middle of the light, and the red lines running all along it gave it a menacing look. He stepped in and the door closed behind him, leaving the dim lighting of the room as the only light source.
"Long time no see." The Informant said to Shepard from the other side of the wall.
Shepard was in full alert. He looked around the room to for any signs of trap placement.
"Calm down, if I wanted to have you killed in here you would have been shot already, or blown to pieces, or burned alive, maybe poisoned, it really depended on my mood and what I happened to have in my pockets at the time." The Informant chuckled at his own humor.
"Well now that we've established you don't want to kill me,"
"Yet." The Informant interrupted abruptly.
Shepard could hear the slight joke in the word, but he doubted that it was just a joke.
"Yet, then why are you meeting me here?"
"I know someone who really wants to talk to you, so I wanted you to be somewhere private. Please, sit."
The Informant sat down in the chair bolted to the wall in front of the see through mirror. Shepard remained standing, uncomfortable with just sitting down with this man. The Informant sat, oddly patient and quiet. Shepard could feel his gaze from beneath that wicked looking helmet.
"You know, when someone sits down to have a conversation with someone else, the polite thing is to sit down so you are at eye level." The Informant gestured with an open palm to the other chair.
Shepard looked at the chair and the Informant, and finally sat down. It was hardly an eye level conversation with the Informant being four inches taller.
"Comfortable?" The Informant asked.
"Not in the least." Shepard replied.
"That's too bad. Now I've got someone who really has worked hard just to have a conversation with you. So it would mean a lot to me if you were respectful in his presence."
Shepard glanced around both of the rooms for others.
"It's hard for me to disrespect someone who isn't here."
The Informant produced a round, flat device. He placed it on the counter and pressed the button, making the top open and a hologram start projecting.
"Hello Shepard." General Zakman said through the hologram.
"I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting." Shepard said with mock politeness.
"And you can thank whatever beings you wish for that. No, we have not met in person, but we've both been witnesses to each others work."
"Really?"
"Indeed. The events on the asteroid are perhaps the most, damaging, to me personally. Wouldn't you agree Balak?"
Another hologram appeared beside Zakman's, and Shepard recognized it instantly.
"I was wondering when I would find you again Balak."
"I've found you Shepard. I've also found some things of yours. Have you shown him the recording yet?" Balak asked the Informant.
"Not yet, I thought it would be better if the two of you were here as well. Pay attention, I'm sure this will look familiar to you." The Informant told Shepard.
He activated his omni tool and a video recording popped up and played. Shepard was chilled to the core, recognizing it instantly.
Two hours ago.
Jacob fired his scimitar at the two militiamen, forcing them behind the wall into cover. Behind him, Legion overloaded the shields of another, making him retreat.
"Operative Taylor, we recommend relocating to a more defensible position or risk being overwhelmed." Legion said calmly despite the words.
"I think you're right Legion, fall back down the corridor!"
The man and geth hurried down the corridor with more hostiles coming down after them. Jacob raised a barrier and Legion boosted his shields. The defense worked well until the militiamen switched to disruptor ammo. Legion's shields were compromised, and Jacob put himself between the bullets and the geth. Jacob's barrier was falling quickly underneath the shots and he struggled to maintain it.
"Back it up!" Zaeed shouted from behind them at the end of the corridor.
The mercenary hurled one of his inferno grenades down the corridor at the five militiamen and it exploded, drenching that part of the hall in flames. One of the enemies was engulfed immediately in fire, and the others were cut off and forced to find a way around.
"Thanks for that Zaeed, you saved our asses." Jacob said as he dropped his barrier.
"Yes." Legion added.
"I've got a feeling you're gonna have a chance to pay me back, come on." The old merc ordered.
The three of them continued down the corridor towards the common room.
"These guys aren't just thugs with guns; these guys have some good training." Garrus said to no one in particular.
"Indeed it likely they are a mercenary group hired by the leaders of those that Shepard has been…" Mordin began.
"Less talking, more fucking shooting!" Jack shouted.
The three of them were holding their own against eight of the attackers. They were in the lobby of the outpost, and cover was scarce. What's worse, the attackers were coming in through the hallway and the entrance both.
"Dammit, we need to regroup with the others, we're too exposed." Garrus as he blew open the head of one enemy with his mattock.
"Agreed. Jack, when I give the signal use your shockwave." Mordin told her.
"What signal?" Jack asked.
Mordin used his cryo blast on the enemies blocking the way back into the outpost. Four of the six men froze in place, the other two fell back as frost began to form on them. Jack realized what the signal was, and she sent a shockwave towards the frozen, and fragile, enemies. The force shattered them to pieces and blasted the two unfrozen men off their feet.
'Down the hall, to the common room!" Garrus ordered them.
The three of them ran past the two downed men and the pieces of the four others towards the rally point. The men blocking the entrance to the outpost followed them in, cutting off their escape.
Samara and Miranda used their shuriken's to pin down the three men on the left. Thane used his viper to shoot down the right hallway, keeping two men there at bay. Grunt fortified his armor and stood directly in the middle of the central hall, firing his claymore at more enemies. The four of them were at a four way intersection of the corridors, with the one leading to the common room being clear.
"Don't let any of them through!" Miranda shouted.
"It's getting hard not to!" Thane said, killing one of the militia.
"Let them come, this great!" Grunt shouted.
"Grunt take cover!" Samara told the krogan.
"I can handle it." Grunt said as he advanced down the hall towards the militia.
Grunt was close to the other end of the hall with the militia when a new enemy, this one wearing dark silver armor, came around the corner with a flame thrower. Grunt was covered in flames and even he couldn't withstand it. His armor was compromised by the fire and he couldn't see through the flames. Suddenly the flames died down and three men were beating Grunt with shock batons. Each hard hit sent an electrical shock through his body. Grunt gritted his teeth and roared against the pain, charging into the attackers. The other two men from around the corner came out with more batons and beat Grunt into submission.
"Increase the electric output, put him to sleep." The silver clad man ordered.
Within seconds, Grunt was shocked into unconsciousness. One of the baton wielding men was shot in the chest from down the hall. The silver clad man turned to see Thane aiming down the hall with his viper. He pulled two tempest sub machine guns from his back and fired them. Thane was forced to take cover again.
"Move up." He told the others.
"Grunt is down." Thane told Miranda.
"We can't help him here, we need to fall back."
"We can't just leave him there!" Samara said.
"We won't be able to help him if we're dead." Miranda retorted.
We need Shepard here. Miranda thought.
The air next to Thane rippled and then Kasumi appeared out of thin air.
"I have an idea." She said.
"Anything would be good right now." Thane commented as he shot down the shields of an advancing enemy.
"You three lure them down there towards the common room and I'll cloak and sneak behind them. Once they are far enough away I'll help Grunt."
"Can you handle it?" Miranda asked.
"We don't have much choice do we?" Kasumi said before cloaking again.
The three of them went along with her plan, and they retreated towards the common room. The militia chased after them, leaving only their leader and Grunt there. Kasumi, still cloaked crept towards the unconscious Grunt. The man in silver armor didn't even stir, he hadn't noticed her. He just continued to bind Grunt's hands together with a reinforced lock. She charged up her stealth attack and prepared to shove her hand into his back.
"One, two, three." He whispered.
He turned and caught Katsumi's hand out of the air. Her cloak disengaged and her surprised face showed perfectly. He turned hand back on it's owner, touching Katsumi's attack to the top of her breast and sending a surge of electricity into her. She slumped into him, unconscious. He laid her down carefully and bound her hands as well. He then activated his commlink.
"Bring in the dropship."
"Stay down Joker!" Hackett told the pilot.
"I am dammit, I am!" Joker replied.
The two of them, four Alliance soldiers, and the rest of Shepard's squad were all in the common room, taking cover behind drink counters and overturned tables.
"Who the hell are these guys?" Joker asked.
"It doesn't matter, just put them down." Hackett said, firing his carnifex.
Twelve of the attackers remained, firing at all of them. Miranda continued to fire at one of them, hating herself. They had all gathered in here, no way out, plenty of ways in. They were surrounded by capable enemies. Shepard would never have let this happen while he was leading.
The thought of Shepard distracted her. If these people were willing to attack an Alliance outpost to get them, what would've stopped them from getting to Shepard in jail? Her thoughts were interrupted by the ceiling being blown wide open. Debris rained down on them, and the cool night air flooded in. In the air, Miranda saw a drop ship hovering above them. Lights shined down upon them from it, painting them brightly. A loading ramp opened up and three men carrying grenade launchers peered out. They fired, not grenades, but canisters full of gas. The gas started to fill the space and they all felt the effects.
"We need to get out of here!" Miranda shouted.
It was already too late. Jack, being the closest to one of the canisters, succumbed the quickest to the knock out gas. Jacob, Samara, and Zaeed fell shortly after. The three Alliance soldiers also choked into unconsciousness. Miranda held her breath and took short breaths. She was forced to fall back towards Garrus, Joker, Hackett, and Legion.
Thane was on the other end of the room, cut off from the others. He had run out of ammo and was fighting hand to hand, taking people by surprise. He had killed two men before he encountered the silver armored man.
"Why do you persist? You've all lost yet." He said, almost sounding bored.
"We're still alive, aren't we." Thane asked rhetorically.
"I'm not here to kill you, just catch you."
"Then come get me." Thane said.
The leader of the militia left his tempests holstered and engaged Thane hand to hand. Thane had never encountered anyone who could challenge like this until now. The leader was just as faster, maybe faster, just as strong, almost stronger, and he had armor, which Thane didn't. Each hit was harder on him, and each hit he landed was softened. Thane used something that the other man didn't have. He laced his fist in biotic power and threw the leader into a wall. He slumped against it, but he just pointed to a spot at Thane's feet. A proximity mine.
Thane turned and ran with as much strength as he could. The explosion still lifted him into the air and back onto the ground, unconscious.
Hackett, Garrus, Miranda, Legion and Joker were all that remained. Everyone else had fallen to the gas.
"Operative Lawson, we have a solution." Legion said.
"What is it Legion?" Miranda asked.
"We detect something on the enemy drop ship that may be useful in our escape. Please hold."
Legion's minds routed to an open system on the drop ship, and took control. This system had two arms, two legs, a head, and a body. Legion walked it off the drop ship, into the air, and it landed onto the ground with a loud thud. The YMIR mech stood to it's full height and activated its weapons and started fighting all the militia.
"Nice work Legion!" Garrus shouted.
"Acknowledged." Legion stated.
"Enough patting ourselves on the back, Legion, aim that thing at this wall here." Hackett ordered.
The YMIR mech turned and shot two rockets at the wall behind them, knocking it down to reveal the outside.
"Everyone out!" Hackett shouted.
Miranda, Legion, and Garrus carrying Joker sprinted out of the opening. Hackett fired his weapon at some militia before trying to back pedal out. He fell to the ground as two bullets flew through each of his knees. Miranda saw him and stopped running.
"Go, go!" Hackett told her.
Reluctantly, Miranda did as she was told and escaped into the darkness. Hackett turned to see a man in silver armor approach him, dual tempests smoking in the night air. He guessed where the shots came from. The YMIR mech finally fell to the shots from the militia in the room and the heavy artillery from the dropship.
Hackett was bound and dragged back into the destroyed common room. He was lined up next to Grunt, Kasumi, Jacob, Zaeed, Thane, Samara, Jack, Mordin, and the three living Alliance soldiers. The silver armored man was talking on his intercom.
"We've captured the majority of them. The pilot, Turian, Geth, and Cerberus woman escaped."
"What about the Admiral?" A voice replied loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Subdued, along with three soldiers."
"There weren't any other soldiers." The raspy voice said back.
He took out one of his tempest and shot all three of the soldiers in the head without a second thought, without a pause.
"You're right. I'll load these ones up and have them shipped to the drop off point."
"My employers will be so happy. Nice work Damien."
End of Recording
The entire scene and the last word made Shepard feel sick. Damien. Damien was involved too. He worried for the safety of his friends.
"Your friends arrived here a short time ago. They've settled in nicely." General Zakman's hologram said.
"You didn't get all of them." Shepard said defiantly.
"In due time Shepard. In due time. No one close to you will escape the punishment you and Hackett have coming to you. The loss the Batarian's have suffered will not go unpunished." The holograms disappeared, leaving Shepard and the Informant alone.
"Why?" Shepard asked.
"Hmm?" The Informant asked.
"Why are you working with them? What is in this for you?"
"Professional reasons, personal reasons. People don't forget things. They may bury them, but they don't forget." The Informant stood and left, leaving Shepard alone again.
The Informant walked to the chief's office and presented the burly man with another five thousand credits.
"Transfer him to the maximum security prison, Z-21." He ordered the chief.
Prison Z-21
"Prepare a cell in the solitary confinement levels. I just got word that someone really dangerous is coming to stay." The warden told the secretary.
"I'll get right on it." She replied.
"And update this prisoner's record. We just stuck fifty more murders on him." The warden handed her a file.
"This has to be a record." She said in bewilderment and disgust.
She put the information into her computer.
Prisoner name: Macarthur, Sean
Prisoner description: Heavily tattooed, 414lbs, 7'9 tall
Crime: Convicted of gang activity and the 573 murders
Sentence: Life imprisonment