Just a quick heads up, I will be skipping quite a bit of the Noveria content. I find the level tedious to play at the best of times and I just can't bring myself to write most of the Hot Labs because it will be dull and, quite possibly, confusing.

Please read and review. I'd love to hear some feedback on the story so far, especially if you have anything you think should be fixed or changed and any advice to make it better.

Thank you to those who have reviewed and added this story to their favourites and alerts. I appreciate the support and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 14

Jo led the way towards Synthetic Insights and Sid couldn't stop herself from discreetly checking out every guard they happened to cross paths with. It was hard to tell just how many guards were corrupt or which ones were working for Anoleis or possibly Saren. If these guards could be bought so easily, then it was worth staying alert, just in case. She also kept an eye on Liara. The Asari appeared to be handling the alcohol well – not that she actually drank much of it, especially considering how much it cost - and she had also relaxed a bit…until Jo mentioned they might have to shoot a few people…a few well-armed and trained guards. This ought to be interesting, to put it mildly.

It didn't take long for them to reach the Synthetic Insights office and the pass that Qui'in gave Jo unlocked the elevator, just as he said it would. It was refreshing to see that a corporate employee could actually be honest, especially on Noveria. As they squeezed into the glass elevator, Sid brought up her omni-tool again and started to hack her way into the Noveria security systems, specifically any security cameras located in or near the Synthetic Insights office. She wanted to give Jo a heads-up of what they might possibly be fighting inside. There wasn't exactly much time for her to watch and count every guard that entered either so she had to guess.

"It looks like there will be quite a few guards inside," Sid announced, her eyes never leaving the footage she was watching. "And they look ready for a fight. Everyone is armoured and they all have quite a few guns. I don't know if you'll be able to talk your way out of this one, Jo."

"You underestimate me, Sid," Jo replied with a small smile.

Sid was sceptical. In her experience, if people were armed to the teeth while doing something relatively simple and not dangerous – such as searching an office for incriminating evidence - then they would likely be looking for a fight and would not be convinced otherwise. Jo was a smooth talker, that much was true, but that didn't necessarily mean people were going to listen every single time. Not everyone wanted to be persuaded from their current choices, especially if they believed they had the upper hand and were being paid a large amount of credits. It was amazing what money could convince some people to do. Sid decided to keep these thoughts to herself as the elevator doors opened and revealed a large office.

The main floor had a few tables, some large plants in bright orange pots and large rock columns that divided the room into three sections but there wasn't much cover. There was also a staircase located in the centre of the wall to their right which led up a level. Two guards tensed at their approach, a human woman and a Turian. The woman raised her palm in a gesture to make them stop and the Turian drew his assault rifle and pointed it directly at them. Liara unconsciously took a step closer to Sid and Kaidan – whom Sid was now on a first name basis with after their drinks – also tensed, ready to throw up a Barrier between Jo and the guards if this situation escalated quickly. Jo, for her part, remained calm and collected as she came to a stop and watched the guard expectantly.

"Freeze!" the guard ordered threateningly. "Hanshan Security. This office is sealed."

Jo slowly folded her arms in front of her chest. "I have permission to be here. Lorik Qui'in granted me access."

Sid tried to hide a smile as Jo subtly pointed out that of the two groups, hers actually had the correct permission to be in the office and were not doing Anoleis' dirty work.

"Qui'in?" the guard repeated slowly, her confidence slipping slightly. "Are you working for him? He's under investigation."

Her voice grew more authoritative as she argued her case, almost like she was trying to convince herself that she was doing the right thing. Jo must have picked up on the guard's slight hesitation because her posture relaxed even more.

"Anoleis is paying you to search this office," Jo stated bluntly. "I wonder…does Captain Matsuo know you're here? Perhaps we should go and ask her."

The guards visibly stiffened. They had no idea that Jo knew that much about their…questionable actions and loyalties. Sid smirked as the guard slowly paled and then decided it was perhaps in their best interest if they left.

"Hey," the guard argued back angrily. "I'm not the one who wants Qui'in. Anoleis has a varren up his ass about this guy. How about this? You pretend you didn't see us and we'll pretend we didn't see you."

"Agreed."

The guards filed out quickly and disappeared into the elevator.

"Well played," Sid complimented.

"And you doubted me?" Jo teased and then turned serious. "There are still some guards inside so watch yourselves. They had their opportunity to leave and didn't take it. If they open fire first, it will be-"

Whatever Jo was about to say was interrupted by a gunshot from behind. While Kaidan threw up a barrier, Sid drew her pistol and fired at the offending guard to give them time to find cover. Jo and Kaidan ducked behind one of the large stone walls with Liara trailing behind them while Sid hid behind one of the large potted plants close to where they had been standing. Judging from the gunshots coming from Jo's general position, there were more guards than they had originally thought. Sid decided that Jo and Kaidan could look after themselves and Liara so there was no need to worry about what was happening on their side so she focused on her target.

He was hiding behind the other stone wall on the opposite side of the room. For the time being, Sid had reasonable cover from all sides and if someone managed to get closer to her, she would most likely catch the movement. The guard peeked around his cover and Sid had been waiting for him to do so. She opened fire on him with her pistol to wear down his shields and then took the kill shot. There was another orange potted plant up ahead. Sid quickly checked her surroundings to make sure she was in the clear and then, keeping in a crouched position, moved to the next point of cover. Even if there weren't any more guards down this way, she could always circle around and attack from behind. The majority of the guards didn't seem to realise there was a fourth person to Jo's squad.

There was another guard leaning against the other side of the wall that Jo was using as cover and Sid had a clear line of fire. This, of course, meant she was exposed and this guard also had a clear line of sight to her. As long as she took the guard down quickly, then she could move. The guard peered around the side of the wall, trying to find Jo's location and Sid was just about to use this distraction to overwhelm him when he was soon absorbed in blue energy and flung across the room. She continued on her way and made it to the far side of the room – opposite to the elevator – and found only two dead guards. With the rock wall at her back, she ran sideways with her pistol clutched between both hands. This way, she would be ready to open fire at a moment's notice.

Once she reached the edge of the wall, she looked around it and found another guard attempting to change cover while firing his weapon at…Jo, presumably. Sid aimed her pistol and opened fire. The guard stopped and turned to face Sid so he could return fire. Before he could pull the trigger and Sid could duck behind cover, Jo leant around the wall and killed the guard. Jo then used quick hand signals to indicate that they needed to approach the flight of stairs carefully because there would likely be more guards. It took Sid a moment to put the pieces together – her military hand signals were rusty in some areas – and then nodded her head once before closing the gap between herself and Jo, Liara and Kaidan.

Jo, with her assault rifle ready for action, carefully led them upstairs. Kaidan followed close behind and then Liara. Sid brought up the rear and couldn't help but notice Liara's pistol shaking slightly. The second floor was smaller and didn't have any of the rock walls. The plants in big orange pots seemed to be popular though and there were also tall railings made out of solid rock so no one would fall over the side. Jo had turned a table onto its side, Kaidan and Liara stayed behind the barrier near the stairs so they could use their biotics at a safe distance and Sid used a potted plant once again for cover.

A guard opened fire as she attempted to change cover and Kaidan used his biotics to throw the guard against the wall. It wasn't as strong as downstairs so the guard survived. Between Jo and Sid, that wasn't the case much longer. Once the guard was dead, they remained where they were for a few moments to make sure the coast was clear before emerging from cover and looking around. Jo's talk earlier must have persuaded more guards to leave than Sid realised. Qui'in's office was on the other side of the room and was conveniently connected by a thin bridge. Synthetic Insights certainly had style. Not many offices could use bridges so well.

"Do you think this bridge is for convenience or a way to intimidate those walking across it?" Sid abruptly asked as they approached the doors.

Jo looked at her sideways. "Do we care?"

Sid shrugged casually as she appreciated the view of the office from above. "You just don't see many offices with bridges, is all."

"Why is it you find the strangest things fascinating?" Kaidan suddenly asked.

"I'm a curious person, Kaidan."

"You do know what they say about curiosity and cats, right?" Jo pointed out.

"It's a good thing I'm not a cat then," Sid argued and then noticed Liara's confusion. Perhaps Humans did have a few odd expressions...not that she was prepared to explain this particular expression to Liara.

The doors opened at their approach and Sid immediately veered off to make herself comfortable in Qui'in's desk chair. Jo then tossed the OSD to her and she caught it effortlessly. While she inserted the OSD into the computer and waited for the download, Kaidan and Liara kept watch by the door. The earlier fight did seem to be a bit too easy and none of them wanted to be ambushed. Jo hovered behind Sid and watched the computer intently. Sid didn't know if it was because Jo wanted to make sure the OSD executed correctly or to make sure Sid didn't attempt to download anything from the computer that she shouldn't. Maybe it was both.

Once the download had completed, Sid pulled out the OSD and handed it to Jo without needing to be asked. They retraced their steps across the bridge and were surprised to come face to face with more guards…led by none other than Sergeant Stirling. There were a few other guards standing behind her and boy, did she look angry. Her cold eyes drifted over Sid with intense dislike before focusing on Jo with even more anger. Sid really didn't like this woman. It was probably best to let Jo handle the talking.

"I don't think you're supposed to be in here, Shepard," Stirling said icily.

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Sergeant Stirling. Somehow I'm not surprised to see you here."

"Anoleis would throw you off-world for what you did here. I won't," Stirling said menacingly, ignoring Jo's words completely. "You know what we did to cop killers on my world?"

"Please," Sid scoffed.

"You're here on your off duty hours to accept bribe money," Kaidan helpfully translated.

"You're as corrupt as Anoleis," Sid finished.

Jo was apparently still taking the diplomatic route. "They didn't give me a choice, Stirling. They fired first and I defended myself."

Stirling started to glow blue. "Well, I don't need a gun to rip you to pieces."

Jo and Sid exchanged a look the moment her biotics started to glow. This certainly was unexpected. Without another word, Sid pulled out one of her smoke balls and threw it so it landed at Stirling's feet. Jo fired her gun at it and the moment the dark smoke began to fill the room, Sid grabbed Liara by the elbow and pulled her behind another potted plant while Jo and Kaidan found their own cover nearby. A few guards started to fire wildly in the confusion but none of the shots were even close, luckily. By the time the smoke cleared, there was no sign of Jo's squad which just added to their confusion. As they continued to look for their enemies, Sid grabbed her shield disruptor and slid it across the floor.

The guards didn't notice it until it beeped and, as per Tali's work, detonated on time. Quite a few shield generators blew and, at that moment, Jo, Kaidan, Sid and even Liara rolled out of their cover and opened fire. Stirling managed to prepare a biotic attack to throw Sid across the room but Liara was faster and threw up a barrier around them both which protected them. Sid was then able to fire at Stirling before she was able to send another biotic attack their way, keeping her on the defensive while wearing down her shields at the same time. Jo and Kaidan were also making quite a good team. Kaidan would use his biotics to keep the guards off balance while Jo used her assault rifle to kill them, eventually joining Sid in attacking Stirling. It didn't take that long for the guards to be defeated and the offices soon became silent.

"Nice work with the barrier," Sid said to Liara as she went to retrieve the device.

"Thank you," Liara replied quietly and with a small smile.

Sid then looked to Jo. "See?" she whined and pointed at Stirling. "I have instincts too."

Jo smiled in amusement. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"That's better," Sid decided with a nod.

Jo led the amused group back towards the elevator. As far as they could tell, they had killed everyone inside. The ride in the elevator was silent, mostly because Jo was thinking very hard about something and Liara was slowly coming down from the adrenaline rush and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about the part she played in the deaths of the guards. Sid was casually leaning against the glass while she waited and Kaidan was watching Liara closely which made sense considering he was the medic of the team.

"Sid?"

Sid looked to Jo expectantly.

"When we're done on Noveria, can you send an anonymous email to Captain Matsuo?" Jo requested. "I feel bad about her not knowing her guards aren't loyal to her."

"Of course. 'Anonymous' is my middle name, after all," Sid answered.

"And here I thought it was 'Rebecca'."

Sid narrowed her eyes playfully. "Two can play at that game, Camilla."

Jo silently regarded Sid for a moment. "Touché."

Neither of them had actually realised that, once again, they had let their guard down and revealed that they knew each other better than they let on. The elevator slid to a stop and they all exited it. They didn't get very far when they came across Ms Pink Dress herself: Gianna Parasini. Somehow she knew more information about what happened on Noveria than she let on and – possibly – was supposed to know. Jo gave Sid, Liara and Kaidan a look that clearly said 'I'll handle this' and approached Gianna. Personally, Sid thought she should have handled it but it would be entertaining to see how Jo would do it.

"Commander," Gianna greeted politely. "There've been reports of noise coming from the Synthetic Insights office. Would you know anything about it?"

Gianna phrased the question in such a way that provided everyone with a way out, assuming one saw it, and there was no accusation anywhere. Sid already had a perfectly good answer lined up but she kept it to herself and fervently hoped that Jo would follow her advice otherwise they would have some serious explaining to do.

Jo shrugged innocently. "It must be Anoleis' thugs ripping the place apart."

Sid smiled. It was a good answer – a decent attempt from a novice – that didn't incriminate them in the slightest and it didn't suggest that they had entered the office at all. Jo had also…neglected to mention that those "thugs" were dirty cops, information that they would have known only if they had gone inside. Jo certainly was learning.

Gianna was not convinced even though she didn't immediately call Jo on it. "Smartass, hm? That's fine. I can work with that. Meet me at the hotel for a drink before you talk with Qui'in. I'll be waiting."

She then turned around and made her way towards the Hotel Bar while Jo, Sid and Kaidan exchanged mystified glances.

"That was…strangely cryptic of her," Kaidan commented.

"This is just a guess…but I don't think Gianna is just the Administrator's assistant," Sid stated.

Jo shot her look. "You're only realising that now?"

Sid shrugged but otherwise did not comment. Sometimes it was hard to tell when Sid was suspicious of someone for a specific reason or if it was just her paranoia and her trust issues getting the better of her. It was for this reason that Sid didn't voice her earlier suspicions of Gianna, mostly because she didn't know why she was suspicious of the woman and chalked it up to her own paranoia. It didn't matter now. They were about to get some answers when they reached the Bar so there was no use randomly guessing what Gianna's motivations could be. And it also appeared unlikely that Gianna was an enemy. She could have called the Elanus Mall Cops on them, instead of playing dumb and allowing them to walk away unscathed. Obviously, she meant them no harm…or so Sid hoped.

The walk towards the Garage was peaceful and relaxing, compared to some of the other stuff that had gone on lately. Shepard felt particularly good that she was able to persuade Lorik Qui'in to give his evidence over to Noveria Internal Affairs and it was satisfying to watch Gianna arrest Anoleis. She didn't like to hold grudges but Anoleis definitely deserved to go to prison. She also hoped that things would work out for Qui'in and that she hadn't made a bad decision convincing him to testify against the slimy Salarian. Whatever happened next, at least there was one less criminal to deal with.

The guard who stood watch outside the Garage let them pass without incident as Gianna had come through with her end of the bargain and had provided them with a Garage Pass. A sudden feeling of unease settled in Shepard's stomach as they entered the Garage. Things had been a bit too easy, as far as Matriarch Benezia was concerned. Matriarchs were known for their wisdom and Benezia did bring along some Asari Commandos and large, suspicious crates. There was no way that she wouldn't have prepared something for Shepard…or anyone else who might attempt to follow her.

"Commander?" Kaidan asked softly when they didn't move from the door after a few minutes.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Shepard replied and looked uneasily around the room. "Stay on your guard."

Sid gave her a funny look. "Are your Spectre senses tingling?"

Shepard would have laughed, if not for the fact that she still felt really uneasy. Even despite her joke, Sid took the warning seriously and drew her pistol, just in case. Kaidan and Liara hung back, in case their biotics were needed. Shepard readied her assault rifle and she and Sid slowly walked further into the Garage. The building was large and square with a high roof. The wall opposite them had the large door that would lead them into the next section of the Garage and the door that would open up onto the planet's surface. This room seemed to be for storage because a lot of large crates were spread around the room and tools that would be used to maintain the various vehicles lined the walls in neat toolboxes.

They were only a few steps inside when a pair of large Geth entered through the doorway on the opposite side of the room. Shepard and Sid quickly hid behind the closest crate while Kaidan and Liara had to rush forward to hide behind another crate. The Geth hadn't noticed them so surprise was still on their side. Shepard gave the signal to hold their positions and wait. Although these Geth were pretty big and would likely pack quite a punch, they had no way of knowing if these were the only Geth hiding in the Garage. The Geth slowly approached with their weapons drawn and examined the room with every step. If Shepard waited any longer, the Geth might notice them by accident.

She decided to take a chance and ordered Kaidan to biotically throw one of the Geth across the room to buy them time to bring the other one down. Once Kaidan did as he was told, they opened fire on the second Geth. Shepard's gun easily attracted its attention and she found she had to dodge quite a few rockets that were sent her way. She didn't mind because, even though Sid could handle herself, it kept the rockets away from Liara who was trying her hardest to bring the Geth's shields down. Kaidan then sent a Warp and Liara followed it with a singularity. The other Geth soon approached and joined in the fight. This certainly made life more difficult.

Sid and Shepard then both had to duck behind cover as a pair of rockets was fired at them and Shepard looked to Sid, hoping she had a trick up her sleeve. Sid reached into her small pouch and took out her shield disruptor, shaking her head in answer. It must need some time to recharge before it could be used again…quite a lot of time, by the looks of things. Sid then holstered her guns and took out the two small devices she had last used on Feros and then looked to Shepard. Shepard understood what she needed to do immediately: distract the Geth so Sid had a chance to throw the devices.

Shepard caught the attention of Kaidan and Liara and used quick hand signals to tell them that Sid needed suppressing fire. She then leant around the crate and opened fire with her assault rifle, using short bursts at a time. When one Geth was focused on her and the other was focused on Kaidan and Liara, Sid crouched and peered around the crate before sliding her two devices along the floor. One device stopped in front of each Geth. After a few moments, the devices activated and electricity shot up the bodies of the Geth. They were also standing close enough together that the electricity arced between them. As they convulsed involuntarily, Kaidan and Liara opened fire on the Geth closest to them and Shepard and Sid fired at the other Geth. Just as the devices timed out, the Geth were killed. Tali must have cranked up the power of those things.

A subtle movement caught Shepard's eye and she looked up to the ceiling. Two of those creepy Geth stalkers were running along the ceiling towards them. The others had noticed Shepard watching something and followed her line of sight. These things were tricky to take down and they could cause quite a lot of damage. Shepard pointed her assault rifle at the nearest one and was about to pull the trigger when it suddenly jumped away. She really hated these bloody things. Thankfully, she had two biotics with her who could even the playing field. The characteristic hum of the stalker's laser targeting system filled her ears and she looked behind her in time to see Sid dive out of the way. The stalker remained in its place and Shepard opened fire. She hit it a few times before it jumped away again.

When she looked to her side, she found Kaidan and Liara were standing back to back. At first, she was confused with this until each biotic enveloped a stalker in blue energy, holding them in place. Sid opened fire on Kaidan's stalker and Shepard followed Sid's example by shooting the other stalker. Sid managed to kill hers much quicker – it was likely the same one Shepard had shot earlier – and then continued to fire her pistol at Shepard's. When the biotics finally released them, they collapsed to the floor with a loud thump. Once the coast was clear, they gathered together to make sure no one was injured. Just then, the doors opened and Captain Matsuo ran in, her gun at the ready even if she had no idea what was going on.

"What the-? What are these things?" the Captain stuttered before she was able to regain her composure. "Fan out and secure the area! No one gets in and no one leaves."

The guards that had accompanied her followed her orders. They were likewise confused and stared at the Geth or at Shepard. Perhaps Elanus Risk Control Services didn't prepare them for a Geth attack. Then again, what would Geth be doing on a corporate world, if it wasn't for Matriarch Benezia? Once Captain Matsuo realised the Geth were actually dead, she focused on Shepard as if this was all her fault. Maybe it wasn't that far from the truth.

"What did you do here, Commander?" Captain Matsuo demanded. It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

"I defended myself," Shepard answered evenly. "The Geth attacked and we reacted accordingly."

"Geth? You expect me to-?" Captain Matsuo cut herself off and took a moment to consider the situation. "Where did they come from?" she asked instead, with a sigh.

While Shepard could understand that an attack by the Geth was hard to believe, it was harder to ignore the dead Geth behind them. She was a little bit tired of people continuously doubting her when she had no reason to lie. At least the Captain came around quite quickly. It was also clear that the Captain was unsure of how to proceed but she would not hesitate to arrest Shepard if she thought it was the best route to take. This was a delicate situation.

"We believe that Matriarch Benezia brought them, packing them into those large crates that she brought with her," Shepard answered carefully and gave Sid a look that once again said "I will handle this".

"I do not believe that. We did thorough scans of those containers. There were no power sources, no element zero masses…" Captain Matsuo drifted off and then must have decided it was a possibility. "If Benezia-sama's containers are packed with those things, there are many more out there."

That did not bode well. "Do you have any idea how many there could be?" Shepard asked.

"There were dozens at least," Captain Matsuo answered. "They are machines. You could pack them tightly. I must report to the Executive Board. If word gets out about loose Geth, there may be an investor panic."

"Thank you for your help, Captain," Shepard replied. "Good luck."

"I think you may need it more than me but thanks," the Captain answered and then left the Garage.

Shepard certainly didn't envy her. She led her squad towards the adjoining room and found a single Mako was sitting in the centre of the room. Shepard could have sworn she heard Sid groan when they noticed the Mako. It was a tight fit inside the vehicle and it definitely wasn't going to be a comfortable ride. Shepard sat in front behind the steering wheel. Sid and Liara sat in the seat behind Shepard and Kaidan decided to man the turret. Once everyone was in their seat and buckled up, the Garage doors opened and at first, Shepard couldn't see anything because of the blizzard that was raging on. She suppressed a shiver even though she couldn't actually feel the cold and then urged the Mako forward. She went slowly at first until they were out of the Garage. It was easier to see what was going on ahead of them.

She checked the radar once to make sure there weren't any Geth ahead and then put her foot flat on the pedal. Sid grunted and Liara squeaked as the Mako suddenly lurched forward with the sudden acceleration. The first few corners were a little tricky to navigate because she hadn't expected the Mako to slide along the snow and ice. Sid muttered a few words that sounded like curses and Liara continued to squeak as they were flung around the back seat. It was probably a good thing the Mako came with such sturdy seatbelts.

"Do you mind?" Sid asked in a voice of forced calm. "I would like to get there alive."

Shepard snorted. "Relax, Sid. My driving hasn't killed anyone."

"…yet," Kaidan added quietly from the turret.

Shepard would have retorted to that comment or done something to wipe the smirk off of Sid's all too pleased face when the turret cut her off. A few Geth were in the road ahead and Shepard was glad that Kaidan had such good aim. She didn't even need to slow down as they were killed.

"The Alliance doesn't have advanced driving courses, do they?" Sid guessed as Shepard slid across some ice and Kaidan fired a few rockets at a Geth turret.

"…no. Why?" Shepard replied slowly.

"Because your manic driving will get us killed," Sid answered.

Shepard sniffed indignantly. "My driving is not 'manic'. It's evasive driving."

"Uh huh."

They continued to speed along in silence, aside from the occasional explosion when Kaidan destroyed Geth or a turret. Sid's comment offended Shepard and she decided, just to prove a point, to drive a bit less…evasively. It was harder than she first realised and somehow ended up doing a few more power slides and nearly hit the wall on a few occasions too. Luckily, she was able to pretend that she meant to do that – not that she convinced Sid – especially when they managed to dodge a rocket or two because of these near accidents. The blizzard continued, oblivious to the small vehicle making its way along the mountain and the wind often buffeted the vehicle, which didn't make the driving any easier. At least Sid had stopped commenting.

Eventually, the road came to a stop outside a small room. Presumably, it would provide them with access into the Peak 15 Research Station. Shepard slammed on brakes and the Mako drifted forward a bit, coming to a complete stop, just millimetres from the door and beside the leftovers of a burning vehicle. She turned around to check that everyone was all right and was surprised to find Liara was clinging to Sid's arm in terror and Sid was attempting to do something on her omni-tool – either she was trying to ignore Liara or she just didn't notice the young Asari clinging on for dear life. Shepard's driving couldn't be that bad…could it?

"According to the Noveria security cameras," Sid began. "Matriarch Benezia arrived with a squad of Asari Commandos. I count…eight. As for the amount of Geth, I really can't tell." It was at this moment that Liara stiffly released Sid's arm, now that it was clear the Mako wasn't going to move for a while.

Shepard nodded once. "Hopefully, there won't be that many left. Kaidan destroyed quite a few."

As if on cue, Kaidan climbed down from the turret and raised an excellent question. "I think it's safe to assume that the Geth aren't responsible for Peak 15 going offline. Then what is?"

"I have no idea," Shepard answered. "But there's one way we can find out."

Once they all had their helmets on securely, Shepard opened the side door and a strong wind forced a lot of snow inside the Mako. She was suddenly very glad that the hardsuits helped to protect them from the cold. Snow and ice were not her thing; she preferred more tropical planets. She clambered out first, followed by Sid, Liara and finally Kaidan. The doors opened automatically at their approach and led them into Peak 15's Garage, which also just happened to be swarming with Geth. At least there were a lot of crates to hide behind. The Geth spotted them almost immediately and they were forced to seek out cover. It wasn't until a few rockets had been fired that Shepard noticed there was also a few Krogan mercenaries fighting alongside the Geth. This day just got better and better.

The Krogan mercs were content to stay where they were, for the time being, so Shepard focused on defeating the huge Geth Juggernaut in front of her. It was definitely the biggest threat, in her opinion. Kaidan managed to destroy a nearby Geth drone that was hanging around and Liara was using her biotics to wear down the Geth's shields. Shepard threw a grenade at the Juggernaut, which also destroyed a nearby Geth, and then continued to fire at it with her assault rifle. Only when the Juggernaut collapsed to the floor did Shepard realise she had no idea where Sid was. She could only see Kaidan and Liara, which was odd. When they noticed her confusion, they also glanced around and realised Sid was nowhere to be seen.

There was a sudden explosion on the other side of the room, where the Krogan were, and Shepard, Kaidan and Liara's attention immediately focused there. The Krogan had been taken by surprise and their shields were down. This wasn't a moment for confusion, not when they had the upper hand, so Shepard started to shoot at one of the Krogan. Liara and Kaidan followed her lead. They managed to kill one of the mercs but then the other one started to charge at them. Kaidan sent a Warp at him and Liara followed this with a singularity. Shepard continued to fire her assault rifle at the Krogan. It took a few moments for her to notice that there was another pistol being fired. The Krogan was killed just before he reached them and Shepard looked up to find Sid standing nearby as if she had never left.

"Where did you go?" Shepard asked.

"When?" Sid asked in confusion.

"A few moments ago," Shepard answered, equally confused. Did she imagine Sid had disappeared?

Sid smirked, obviously messing with Shepard's mind. "I decided to pay our mercenary friends a visit."

Shepard frowned. "But we would have seen you."

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeve," Sid answered smoothly.

"And the explosion?" Kaidan asked.

"When they were distracted by your attacks, I may have…picked their pockets, so to speak, and armed one of their grenades," she answered.

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "I don't know whether to be impressed or annoyed."

"That happens a lot," Sid replied.

Shepard shook her head. "Let's get a move on. The sooner we find the Matriarch, the better."