A world of thanks to my amazing friend and beta, voltagelisa - what would I do without you?
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All the love I have to the members of Team Zaeed & Team Kaidan, including: voltagelisa, lisakodysam, KMN91, SO58, iTestedGarrussReach,
CCBug, WitchWeaver, FalynnAngel, sandradee27, KayraCousland, Constantano, Made Nightwing,
Little Heart, tgail73, Elchi, , Watcher 4, lightan117 and Eriana 10! Happy New Year, everyone!
Shaking slightly, Asset hit the key on his office communication system that would connect him to the Shadow Broker. After a momentary pause, a holographic image appeared before his eyes.
"I hope there is a good reason for this interruption, Asset," the individual hovering before him stated. "I am quite busy at the moment."
"I understand," Asset replied quietly. "I do apologize for bothering you. However, I believe we may have a problem."
The Shadow Broker glared at him, speaking softly but confidently. "I don't have problems," the figure replied. "I hire people like you to ensure that I don't. Now, why don't you tell me exactly what has happened and I will be the judge of whether it is a problem or not."
"I thought you should know that Veronica Winford has gone to Tuchanka to bring Commander Shepard back personally," he said, inwardly groaning at the confession.
"What?" the Shadow Broker raged. "Are you completely insane? Do you have any idea how long I worked on Winford, and now you allow her to come into contact with the one person who could ruin everything I have built?"
"Of course I do," Asset said quickly. "I tried to deter her from going, but you know how insistent she can be. She didn't want to risk Shepard getting away again."
"I want to know the minute she contacts you," the Shadow Broker spat, pointing at the nervous man. "And Asset," the figure added in a cold, murderous tone, "you had better pray this mission goes well, or you will be the one paying for it."
With that, the holographic image vanished, leaving Veronica's handler alone in his office, wishing he could go back to an easier time; before he ever met the Shadow Broker.
o~~~~~~~~o
Although at first stunned by the appearance of her former team mate, Aly was a seasoned soldier and quickly recovered herself; aiming her gun steadily at the woman above her.
"Veronica Winford, I presume," she said confidently, smiling smugly at the look of surprise which fleetingly passed over her opponent's face. "I have been anxious to meet you, as well. I think we have much to discuss, you and I."
Outside the door, Zaeed turned to Garrus, attracting the Turian's attention. The mercenary indicated the Shadow Broker agents surrounding Winford with a silent move of his hand, and Garrus nodded, fixing his sniper rifle on one of the men. Thane quickly followed suit, and in moments, the team had covered most of the individuals whose weapons were currently trained on their Commander.
"Barrier," Garrus whispered and Kaidan moved forward. He was quickly stopped by Jack, who grabbed his arm and shook her head angrily at him.
"I don't think so, pretty boy," she spat quietly. "I will protect Shep. After all, we wouldn't want you getting another migraine, now would we?" Focusing her attention on Aly, Jack slowly covered the Spectre in a glowing blue light.
"You obviously inspire loyalty in your companions, Commander," Winford noted, indicating the field now covering Aly. "I assume that same charisma was used to trick the Council into believing your lies about helping them against the Reapers."
"Lies?" Aly asked, her face mirroring the confusion she now felt stirring within her. "You obviously missed the memo, because my team and I are the only ones who seem to give a damn about the Reapers upcoming attack on the galaxy! The Council claims that Sovereign was simply a tool used by Saren in his attack on the Citadel, and that I am delusional for believing otherwise."
Laughing derisively, Winford shook her head at Aly, her expression one of open disgust. "The Shadow Broker knows all about your true agenda, Shepard, as do I," she said angrily. "You claim to be working for the good of all Council races, yet you ally yourself with Cerberus, a known terrorist organization with a pro-human agenda. We know that you are planning on using the Reapers to destroy the other alien races on the Council, placing humans in power. The Shadow Broker wants you stopped, and I intend to see you delivered to him to receive the justice you deserve."
What have they done to her? Aly wondered, her expression one of shock. From the moment Winford began speaking, Aly knew that the woman standing before her was indeed Ashley Williams. Her voice was permanently etched in the Commander's memory, as the two women had spent much of their free time together while serving on the Normandy.
However, no matter how grateful she was to find her friend alive, Aly knew that something had been done to Ashley by the Shadow Broker to convince her of the nonsense she was spouting. Until she could get her hands on her former companion and determine exactly what had occurred, she knew she would have to tread carefully and treat Winford as just another opponent.
"I have no doubt that the Shadow Broker wants me," Aly said definitively. "He tried hard enough to get my body when I was killed by the Collectors. He failed miserably then, and I can't imagine your luck will be any better."
"We shall see, Commander," Winford said, motioning toward her men. Before a single shot came from the Shadow Broker Heavies, however, half their number fell, and the Normandy crew poured into the room, ducking behind crates and firing at the upper platform. Zaeed grabbed Aly around the waist, pulling her beneath the overhang with him, his back against the wall.
"Take Shepard alive!" Winford yelled from above their heads, and several Vanguards rushed down the ramp on the far side of the room. Suddenly, Aly was pulled from Zaeed's arms, lifted into the air and propelled toward a waiting group of Asari.
Before the furious mercenary had time to yell, a second field appeared around the Spectre and her trajectory changed. Zaeed watched impotently as she was pulled into Kaidan's waiting arms. The biotic pushed Aly behind him, erecting a barrier to cover them both. Grunt yelled savagely, charging the Vanguards, his Eviscerator blazing before him. Jack ran at his side, her shout of "Hello, dead people" ringing out over the gunfire.
Aly turned her attention to the location where Ashley had appeared, seeing her former team mate dash through the door, further into the hospital. "Dammit, she isn't get away from me!" she yelled, racing up the ramp past the dead Asari, Kaidan and Garrus close on her heels. The rest of the team followed suit, Zaeed in the lead.
They entered a hallway, hugging the walls to avoid the biotic attacks coming from the Shadow Broker agents ahead of them. "Aly, slow down!" Kaidan yelled, rushing to stay even with her, his barrier still glowing brightly around them. The hallway ended abruptly, and the Commander came to a stop, turning her gaze to Garrus.
"We have to get her, Garrus," she said quickly, her expression desperate. "You heard what she said, didn't you? They have her convinced that we are working with the Reapers!"
"I know, Aly," he began calmly, "and we will get her, but you can't go running off after her without the rest of us! That's insane, and you know it."
"You're damn right, she can't!" Zaeed said as he reached them, his angry gaze turned on Aly. "Goddamn it, Aly! I can't protect you if you run off half-cocked!"
"Seems that you can't protect her even when you have your hands on her," Kaidan added, glaring at Zaeed.
Before the argument could escalate, Garrus intervened. "Now is not the time for this!" he said irritably, his eyes shifting between the two men. "The room beyond this door is the laboratory where the Weyrloc Clan performed their genophage tests. It is filled with places for the Shadow Broker's people to hide, and Ashley's appearance changes our original game plan. We need to regroup and follow a plan, like reasonable people!"
"Garrus is right," Aly said quickly, glancing at the team. "We need to focus and move forward with caution. That means me, as well," she added, glancing at Zaeed apologetically. "So, I won't be taking off again."
Zaeed glanced at Garrus and a silent acknowledgment passed between them. It didn't go unnoticed by the Spectre. Damn! What is it with these two? Aly wondered, amazed at the relationship which had developed so quickly between the men.
"Ok, we know that there is no way out of this hospital except through us," Aly began. "After hearing her speak, I am now positive that Veronica Winford is Ashley Williams; and we need to take her alive. Whatever the Shadow Broker has done to her, we need to put a stop to it."
Sighing heavily, she continued. "I want you all to concentrate your fire on the agents she brought with her, but I will be handling Ashley," Aly said sternly. "Kaidan, I need you with me," she instructed, ignoring the furious glare Zaeed shot at her. "You were close to Ashley, as well, and I am going to need your help to incapacitate her." The biotic nodded, smiling softly at her.
"Shep," Jack interjected angrily, "I am way stronger than the Alliance asshole. I should be the one with you."
"Jack," Aly replied, "I need you at my back, blowing the hell out of any Shadow Broker agents that try to stop Kaidan and me. I suggest that we hit them in waves, each team falling back to recover as the team behind them steps up. Kaidan and I will stay close to the front, moving steadily forward until we reach Ashley.
Garrus," she continued, "I imagine she is headed toward Maelon's lab, and that is where I will confront her. Miranda and Zaeed, you go first. Kaidan and I will be behind you, followed by Garrus and Kasumi, and then Jack and Grunt. Thane, you stay in the back, picking off whoever you can with your sniper rifle."
Zaeed started to argue, but Garrus spoke first. "Sounds good, Aly," he said, nodding slowly and staring pointedly at the mercenary.
Releasing a frustrated breath, Zaeed turned to Aly, grasping her arm lightly. "Be careful, do you hear me?" he asked quietly.
"I will," she replied, smiling warmly at him. "You, too."
Punching the lock on the door, Zaeed and Miranda moved out, the biotic raising a Barrier before them. Gunfire erupted from both sides of the room. Moving swiftly across the hall, the team ensconced itself in a split-level alcove, below a group of hospital beds.
"Shepard," Winford yelled from the far side of the room, "if you agree to come peacefully, I will make sure your team mates leave here unharmed."
"How generous of you," Aly replied sardonically. "Why don't you surrender, instead, and I'll see what I can do for your men?"
Her reply was met with a fresh hail of gunfire, and Aly moved quickly, slipping onto the upper level of the arched bay, using an old bed as cover. Kaidan followed behind her, keeping them both wrapped in a Barrier. Peering around the wall, Aly could make out a shoulder clad in gray and black Liberator armor.
"Got you," she whispered, aiming her Phalanx silently and pulling the trigger. A loud cry issued from Winford as she was propelled from behind her cover and tossed into the wall. The agent's eyes briefly met Aly's before she was gone once again, running from the room through the door in front of her.
"Dammit!" Aly yelled, rising from her hiding place as the last of the Shadow Broker agents fell to Thane's sniper rifle. With a quick glance at her team, Aly opened the door and hurried into the adjacent hallway, cautiously approaching the large sliding doors that led to the hospital's main atrium.
o~~~~~~~~o
Aly brought the team to a halt outside the entrance, pulling up the schematic on her omnitool. "Maelon's research lab is here," she explained, pointing to a small room on the bottom level of the concourse. "There are rooms on both the top and bottom levels that were not destroyed the last time we were here. Ashley will undoubtedly have some of her men stationed in each of these areas. Jack, Grunt, Miranda and Thane, you will be in charge of cleaning them out. The rest of us will handle the agents stationed around the atrium, then head downstairs and make our way to the lab.
Kasumi," Aly said, glancing at the thief, "I need you to stay cloaked once we reach the room. I think we will be able to use it to our advantage against any guards she has inside with her." Kasumi nodded, laughing quietly as she vanished from sight.
Turning to Garrus, Aly flashed him her most mischievous smile, making his heart race. "Ready to wreck some havoc?" she asked, her eyes shining brightly. The Turian had always been amazed at how beautiful his Commander appeared in the heat of battle, her face flushed with excitement and adrenaline.
"Always," he replied, opening the door and racing out with Aly, using the mezzanine wall as cover against the Shadow Broker Snipers, who fired on them from the opposite side of the room. Kaidan followed the duo, pulling his opponents high into the air and hurling them toward the concrete below.
Jack and Grunt ran out next, heading along the upper level, breaching a locked room and pulling out a pair of Vanguards. Grunt snapped the neck of one, tossing her body to the ground, while Jack used Shockwave to propel the other across the room, slamming her into a wall and breaking her back.
Zaeed joined Garrus at the railing, providing cover for the rest of the team as they raced across the bridge and down the ramp to the ground floor, Aly and Kaidan in the lead. "I can't believe I let that asshole go with her," Zaeed said, rising from his crouched position and tossing an Inferno grenade into a group of Heavies guarding the lab.
"As if you had a choice," Garrus replied, trading sniper shots with a Salarian across the bridge. "Scoped and dropped!" he added as his foe's head exploded.
"Oh, I have a fucking choice," Zaeed retorted as he rose and moved toward the bridge, scanning the area with his gun, looking for stragglers. "And I'll be damned if I let that bastard take my place next to Aly now!"
Miranda and Thane met them at the bottom of the ramp, having cleared the remaining room of three more Vanguards. At the far end of the atrium, Aly, Kaidan and Katsumi approached the door to Maelon's lab. The master thief bypassed the lock and the trio entered. Almost immediately, the door slid shut behind them and locked once again.
"Goddamn it!" Zaeed yelled, reaching the laboratory entrance, slamming his fist into the hard metal frame. "Thane, get this door open now!" he shouted at the Drell, who approached and began crossing circuits in an effort to reach the Spectre.
o~~~~~~~~o
Aly raised her Phalanx as soon as she entered the research laboratory, aiming it at the head of her former crew mate. Sensing movement to her left, she glanced over, motioning for Kaidan to keep his pistol trained on Winford. Her mouth dropped open as she saw Mordin's former associate, Maelon, once again working on his cure for the genophage.
"Dammit, Maelon, haven't we been through this before?" she said irritably, shaking her head at the nervous Salarian. "First the Weyrloc Clan and now the Shadow Broker? I suppose you realize that Mordin will not be so forgiving this time."
"I think my Salarian scientist is the least of your worries, Shepard," Winford said, her assault rifle trained on the duo before her. Kasumi was still concealed, moving stealthily toward the now-shaking Salarian. "You have no team to back you up now, as they will be unable to bypass the locking mechanism I have put in place on that door. My offer still stands, however. Come with me peacefully and your team will be free to go."
"Brave words from a woman with two separate weapons pointed at her head," Aly replied, smiling slyly at her adversary. "There is no exit from this room, so if you are to ever leave, you will have to go through my people. And I cannot see them allowing you to simply stroll out; especially if you have injured me or my companion in any way."
"You don't really think I would allow myself to be trapped here, do you, Commander?" Winford said, reaching behind her and hitting a stone on the wall. Aly's eyes widened as a small passageway opened to Winford's left, seemingly out of nowhere. "The Shadow Broker had this installed when Maelon joined our group and returned here. We didn't want him to have to deal with you or your terrorists again."
"Terrorists?" Aly spat angrily. "I don't know what deluded bullshit your Shadow Broker has been feeding you, but none of my people are terrorists. We are working to stop the Reapers from coming and destroying everything in this galaxy! The individual you work for has been trying to apprehend me since I was dead, probably to pass my body to the very Reapers he claims I am working for!"
"I have heard your rhetoric before, Shepard, and I will not believe any of it," the agent said, shaking her head definitively. "My greatest surprise, however, is finding a trusted Alliance officer at your side in this madness. Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, how could you possibly agree to work with this traitor? I knew Anderson was dirty, but I never imagined you would be, as well."
At the mention of Anderson's name, Aly felt her finger twitch on the trigger of her gun. "You know where he is, don't you?" she asked loudly. "Tell me where I can find him right now and I may allow you to walk out of here alive!" For the first time since she had been 'reunited' with Ashley, she found herself wanting to hurt the woman. Aly had considered Anderson a second father, at least at one time; and she would be damned if she allowed anyone to harm him and get away with it.
"Anderson is no concern of mine," Winford replied calmly. "Whatever has befallen him, I am sure he deserves it. You are my only mission, Shepard, and I intend to see you delivered to the Shadow Broker immediately. I have spent way too long on you, as it is." As if on cue, two Shadow Broker Heavies stepped from the secret passage, their grenade launchers pointed at Aly and Kaidan.
"Now," Winford continued, a smug look crossing her face, "if you would be so kind as to drop your weapons, we will be on our way."
"I don't think so," a disembodied voice spoke from behind one of the agents, just before the man grunted and fell to the floor, dead. Kasumi temporarily shifted into view, and then quickly vanished, resuming her silent hunt.
"What the he…" Winford began, quickly diving behind a fallen Krogan body as Kaidan shot a Warp attack in her direction. Instantly she was on the offensive; shooting at him from her position on the floor, barely missing his leg.
Aly dropped the remaining Heavy with a clean shot to the head from her Phalanx, joining Kaidan behind a broken examination table. "Kasumi, get Maelon!" she yelled as she saw the Salarian heading for the exit tunnel. Using Shadow Strike, the thief quickly incapacitated the scientist, pushing his unconscious body toward the interior door.
Sensing that her mission had failed, Winford used the attack on Maelon to propel herself into the tunnel, grabbing a grenade launcher as she did so. Aly shot at her back, but the blasts were deflected by the shielding on her armor.
"We will meet again, Shepard," she called into the room. "Until then, allow me to leave you with something to remember me by." Reaching into her belt, Winford withdrew a small device, tossing it toward Aly before turning and fleeing down the passageway.
"Ashley, wait!" Shepard yelled, running after the Shadow Broker agent. Before she could get near the exit, however, Kaidan tackled her, pushing them both away from the incendiary device Winford had thrown in their direction. The couple landed on the floor, Kaidan on top, well away from the flash grenade that exploded behind them, filling the room with a blinding light.
"Get off of me!" Aly cried, pushing Kaidan away and scrambling from the floor, making a break for the darkened exit. Once again she found herself incapacitated, this time as the biotic used Pull to being her back to him, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.
"No, Aly!" Kaidan insisted, using every ounce of strength to hold the struggling woman against his chest. "You can't run after her alone! You have no idea what awaits you at the other end of that tunnel, and I will not lose you again, especially not to your own foolishn…."
The rest of his statement was eclipsed by the loud explosion which rocked the building. The passage entrance before them collapsed; Winford having used the grenade launcher to ensure her escape. Kaidan shifted his body, shielding Aly from any debris which flew into the room. Her struggles had ceased; she now stood motionless, her body sagging against him.
"Kasumi?" she called desperately, searching the room and seeing no one nearby.
"I'm here, Shepard," the young woman replied, uncloaking to show she was unharmed.
"Are you alright?" Kaidan asked softly, checking Aly for any injuries she may have sustained during the fight. When she didn't answer, he turned her round to face him; his heart breaking as he watched the silent tears roll down her cheeks.
"I failed, Kaidan," she whispered, laying her head on his chest. "I should have protected her on Virmire and I let them take her. Now I have lost her again."
"We will get her back, Aly," Kaidan replied, wrapping his arms around her and rubbing her back. "I promise you we will."
o~~~~~~~~o
Thane grew ever more desperate as he heard the gunfire erupt behind the locked door. Taking deep breaths to calm himself, he went back to work on the circuit panel before him. Zaeed and Garrus paced furiously behind him, glaring murderously at the frustrated Drell.
"Would you two fucking stand still?" Jack yelled, though she found herself as uneasy as her male companions. "How is he ever supposed to get this done with you both hovering over him?"
As quickly as the noise had begun, the firing stopped and a deathly quiet filled the atrium, the companions glancing nervously at one another.
"Almost there," Thane said, bypassing yet another set of circuits. He had encountered many locking mechanisms in his time as an assassin, and despite his irritation, he had to admit to being impressed with the intricacies of this particular system.
His hands froze as he felt the explosion that shook the building around them. Redoubling his efforts, he quickly made the final attachments and the doors slid open. Garrus was the first through the door, and as the dust settled, he saw Kaidan standing in the center of the room, holding Aly tightly to him.
"Get your filthy hands off of her," the Turian snarled, pulling Kaidan away from Aly and tossing him into a nearby table.
"It's okay, Garrus," Aly said, glancing at the Alliance officer to make sure he was uninjured. "Kaidan was only trying to help."
"I just bet he was," Zaeed spat, leading the rest of the team into the room. Reaching Aly, he pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head. "You and I are going to have a talk later about this habit you have of throwing yourself at opponents without regard to your own safety."
"Good luck with that," Garrus said, smiling at his Commander. Seeing the unconscious Salarian on the floor, the Turian shook his head. "Is that Maelon?" he asked, glancing at Aly.
"Yes," she answered. "Apparently our last conversation didn't deter him from his plans to cure the genophage. He signed up with the Shadow Broker and they moved him back in here, building a tunnel so he could escape, should we ever return. Ashley used the tunnel for her escape, blowing it up behind her. That was the explosion we all felt."
"Mordin is going to be pissed," he commented, gazing down at the body.
"Grunt," Aly called and the Krogan moved to her side, "please bring Maelon along and let's get the hell out of here. Wrex wanted us to bring someone back, and I think he will make a fine choice; providing Mordin doesn't shoot him in the head before we get back to camp."
o~~~~~~~~o
Mordin did indeed wish to shoot Maelon in the head, but agreed that torture at the hands of angry Krogans would be an acceptable alternative.
"What the hell happened in there?" Jacob asked as the team filed out of the building. "The whole damn place was shaking."
"Just another day with Shepard," Jack replied, smiling broadly. "Williams was inside and blew a tunnel up to escape. You didn't happen to see her out here, did you?"
"Shepard Commander," Legion began, walking toward Aly, "I noted a shuttle taking off from an area near the building and contacted Joker. He ran a scan on the vehicle and was able to determine its registration signature. It is registered to an address on Ilium. You may wish to continue your investigation there."
Grasping Legion's head, Aly placed a loud kiss on his optical sensor. "You are the best, Legion!" she said, smiling softly at him. "We need to see Liara, anyway, so we will check the address when we get there."
If she hadn't known better, Aly would have sworn the Geth was flustered by her show of affection. He was silent for several moments, his optical protection plates fluttering, just as they had when she questioned him over the incorporation of her N7 armor into his own body. "Thank you, Shepard Commander," he finally replied quietly, before turning and moving quickly away.
"Hey!" Joker complained through the comm. "I want a kiss, too! After all, I did most of the work."
"Of course, Joker," Aly replied, climbing into the Tomkah. "I will send Legion up to you as soon as we get back on board. I am sure he would be thrilled to kiss you."
Zaeed watched Aly with concern as the Tomkah pulled away, heading back to the Urdnot camp. She was seated at the far side of vehicle, her head resting against the hull and her eyes closed. Though she put on a brave face, he could see the effect this mission was having on her and wondered how much more emotional upheaval she could take before completely falling apart.
o~~~~~~~~o
Veronica Winford emerged from the broken hospital, moving swiftly to the hidden shuttle which awaited her. Climbing inside, she was met by her Salarian partner, a stern expression on his face.
"Where is Commander Shepard?" former STG Commander Rentola asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Don't tell me you took a full contingent of Shadow Broker agents in with you and you weren't able to procure one human woman?"
"She wasn't alone!" Winford retorted angrily. "That damned woman has more luck than any single individual in the entire galaxy! And don't act as though you are completely untouched by this. It was your idea to hire Krint in the first place. His failure caused this entire mess, so just stuff your superior attitude up your ass!"
"Fine," Rentola replied. "We need to contact Asset and let him know what occurred here."
"Not now," Winford replied, moving toward the back of the shuttle. "I need some time to clean up and get my thoughts together before I deal with Asset." Closing the bathroom door behind her, Winford gazed into the mirror, staring at her reflection. Shepard had called her Ashley! Though she knew she bore a resemblance to the dead Alliance officer, her Shadow Broker contacts had assured her that it was a matter of convenience. She had been badly disfigured by the radiation on Virmire, and they had chosen Williams' face because it was structured close to her own. At the time, she had accepted their explanation without question; after all, they had saved her life, hadn't they?
So why did it seem so familiar to her when Alyssa Shepard called her by that name? Something deep inside her stirred, bringing back long buried insecurities about her past. Maybe it was time to look a little deeper into the woman whose face she now possessed….
