They found a platform with an active console, though they were still on edge with how 'clean' it has been of hostiles. "EDI? I'm setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the databanks."

"Data-mine in progress, Shepard."

There was a major static spike across the comms as Dot blared, "Warning: Invasive program detected. Warning: Invasive program detected. Failsafe initiated. Terminating data uplink."

Unfortunately Dot wasn't fast enough as the comms cut dead for a few moments before the platform suddenly exploded with lights, the area around them shook and whatever was inside the pipes moved into position.

"Uh…guys…" Kasumi seemed a bit worried, "We've got a bit of a problem out here…"

"I think that's an understatement."

Six pulled away, "Jorge, sitrep."

"The path you went down just sealed up and two passages opened on the flanks."

"Just hold your position," Shepard turned, "Everyone's all right, Joker. What just happened?"

"Major power surge. Everything went dark, but we're back up now."

"I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical system."

Six, Cortez and Vaht were looking for the enemy, "Ma'am, we need to leave now!" Before they had time to leave the platform they were on started to rise and spin.

Some managed to grab hold of the panel as Shepard called in for help, "We need a little help here, EDI…"

"I am having trouble maintaining connection. There is someone else in the system and Dot is continuing her attempts at terminating the link."

Six got in on the comm, "Dot, override command: Alpha Breach."

"Command acknowledged."

Theirs just as suddenly came to a halt as the abrupt jerk caught them a bit uneasy, Vaht hitting against Miranda and knocking her down. Cortez helped Miranda to her feet as Mordin looked down. "Too high to jump. Nowhere to go."

Without Dot's interference EDI managed to recover, "Connection reestablished. I need to finish the download before I can override any systems."

Shepard spotted another platform flying from behind a rock-like formation and heading right for them, "Then you'd better get it done fast, EDI."

Six set up her new sniper rifle, waiting for the platform to lower and give her a target. She was already leading into her target when the first Collector was visible in her scope. Firing the gun was no joke, not only did it take the Collectors head and send the body flying, it nearly pushed Six off the cover she was using. If she hadn't braced for the kickback it might have even thrown the Spartan onto her ass. And as expected from something this powerful, the shot already overheated the thermal clip inside.

She was going to have to modify the gun to allow those modded heat sinks, but for now she focused on the enemy trying to attack them. A second platform started to rise up from below while the first platform docked and the three Collectors pressed their attack.

Vaht jumped onto the platform, drawing his Energy Sword and skewering one while Tali and Shepard killed the others. Miranda and Mordin used a combination of tech and biotics to destroy the Collectors before the next platform arrived. A third platform came a bit late, however this one was carrying one of the amalgamous tank-like husk they first encountered on Horizon.

Vaht took the first hit, his shield holding, though not recharging as quickly as they should. The team took cover as the platform moved around, trying to give the creature better angles on their cover. Six had reloaded the heavy sniper rifle, waiting for the perfect shot. When she fired again the shot traveled through the husk's head and exited through the pulsing blue sac on its back.

With that threat neutralized another group of platforms started to rise from their left flank along with another of those husks. "Forty-one percent complete."

"Come on, EDI. Speed it up."

Six gave a sharp whistle, tossing a grenade over to Vaht. Vaht could see the rising platform and the Collectors on it giving him the perfect angle to toss the grenade down and cause the most damage. Even with his helmet they could see that using such a different grenade type was strange for him. Yet despite that he managed to tossed down and take most of the Collectors out before they became a real threat. The few that made it were quickly picked off before the next amalgamous husk appeared to try and slow them down.

Six was ready for another kill, waiting for the others to soften up the target just a bit before putting it down as hard as the first. A group of Collectors started flying down from above them, something that Thane noticed first and used the Viper sniper rifle to systematically target their wings. Cortez joined Thane in picking the hostiles off as everyone moved away from the falling bodies.

"Eighty-four percent complete."

"EDI! Get us out of here!"

"I am simultaneously fighting Collector firewalls in over 8,000 nodes. I am tasked to capacity."

Cortez kicked one of the dead Collectors off, "And Dot can't hack or defend the Normandy's system. So we just need to hold out until EDI can do something." Six was already waiting for the next group of Collectors to try and attack them.

Jorge was holding one of the doors with Samara, Jack and Grunt with the others locking down the opposite door. The Collectors had been sending the explosive husks and plenty of their own against them. O'Brien was waiting with his sniper rifle, taking a group of Collectors by detonating the sparking husk, "They really want to get to the shuttle."

"Well that ain't happenin'!" With the new system Jorge didn't have to let up on the trigger other than to let the barrel of the M247 cool.

Jack unleashed her fury, launching a devastating shockwave of biotic energy, "These things aren't as fun to kill like the Blue Suns! They don't seem to panic or try to get out of the way!"

Jacob was reloading his shotgun, though he looked back down the hall with all the bodies, "We can't keep this up forever. We've only got so many rounds."

"Speak for yourself!" O'Brien fired his sniper, getting two Collector heads in the same shot, "That's why those modded sinks Six had Dot make are better than thermals. The quick reload of a thermal clip with the cooldown function of a heat sink. I've been alternating between about five of these and they're still good."

Garrus tossed a tech mine out to the corner to see when the next group arrive. "Good for these outstretched battles. Maybe we could use them when we find their base. But first we've got to survive this."

When the final Collector and husk fell EDI managed to regain her connection and control over the original platform they were on, moving them away and down to ground level. EDI found what they were after however she had some concerns, "…I have also found the turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual."

Shepard didn't like that, "What are you getting at?"

"Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is present, but corrupted in the message. It is not possible that the Illusive Man would have believed the distress call was genuine."

"Why are you so sure?"

"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them."

"He knew it was a trap? Why would he send us into a trap?"

Shepard kicked the console, "That son of a bitch sent us right into Collector hands!"

Tali wasn't surprised at all, "We should have known this would have happened. Cerberus can't be trusted."

Miranda obviously couldn't believe this, "There has to be some other explanation! The Illusive Man wouldn't do this to us. He…he just wouldn't!"

Mordin and Thane however disagreed with her. "Behavior within norms for Cerberus. Not unexpected."

"Cerberus is not known for keeping faith."

Vaht however had other opinions, "A traitor is like a cancer. If it is not removed it will only fester and disease the rest."

Six was already leaving the group behind, with Cortez reminding them, "Enough chatter, we've got a shuttle to get back to."

"Uh…Commander," and things got worse, "We've got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up. You need to get out before their weapons come online. I'm not losing another Normandy!"

They could feel as the ship started to light up and hundreds of clicking noises echoed in the chamber above. "I do not have full control of their systems. We will do what we can."

Dot's grids appeared on their HUDs, "Sending coordinates and route for shuttle extraction."

"Come on, no time to waste."

The reason Six moved ahead was she could force the Collectors into attacking. The more target Six can bring down, the faster they could advance without slowing down. Six brought two incoming Collectors flying into the room down with a pistol as she received covering fire from Thane and Shepard on Collectors behind her, not even giving Harbinger the chance to possess a Collector.

Tali turned to Cortez, "Has she always been this aggressive?"

"Aggressive?" Cortez wasn't slowing down, not that they could afford to if they wanted to keep up with Six, "This is just a Spartan in action. We're just slow compared to them. The only thing I can think will stop her would be a small army, but not for long."

Following the path Six was already engaging another wave of Collectors and explosive husks, drawing their attention to her and away from their hallway. Six made sure the Collector that tried to use an elevated platform was one of the first killed.

The Collectors were getting more aggressive as several Collectors flew in and Harbinger was fighting in hand-to-hand with Six. Though it was more like a one-sided beat down when Six ripped the arm off of the Collector and proceeded to use it like a club until it disintegrated. Six then placed a bullet through the head of Harbinger controlled Collector and continued to fire at Collectors behind it.

Cortez dropped the last Collector, smashing the back of his SMG against its back before crushing the head under foot. "You keeping up doc?"

"No complaints. STG training. Lots of running. Good cardio."

Six moved to a ledge where she jumped down first. While the others climbed down EDI returned, "I am opening a door on the far side of the room." And just as the AI stated the doors were opening the only problem wasn't the Collectors coming through the door, rather the flying tank Cerberus scientists have dubbed a Praetorian.

With the power this new sniper rifle possessed, Six took aim at the Praetorian and managed to brake off one of its legs at the base with the single shot. The abomination staggered for a moment from the sudden hit it received but it quickly slammed the ground to create the biotic barrier.

Six took cover behind the railing she used for support before it or the Collectors started firing on her. Six turned to Cortez and flashed a messaged to him using her side camera's flashlight. Cortez tapped Vaht's shoulder, "We'll cover you. Get in close for your 'flare' to finish that thing."

Vaht turned invisible as Cortez started firing on Collectors. When the Praetorian stopped firing its particle beams Six quickly appeared firing her pistol at it to weaken its barrier. The others also joined to bring down Collectors or help bring down the Praetorian's barrier. The Praetorian continued its assault on their position again, completely unaware of Vaht's presence where it attached to the side.

The Praetorian stopped its assault and turned to Vaht as he roared at it to distract it. It's eyes started to glow, charging its beam though the plasma grenade detonated first, blowing a large chunk away as the rest of it slowly started to disintegrate into particles. The Praetorian was the only thing keeping them in the room so they quickly rushed to the door.

Vaht was busy finishing a few husks that had just ran into the room while the others moved to the door. The door however closed shut as Six tried to use her strength to force it back open. "If you can't open it, it's not budging." Cortez tapped his helmet, "Dot, we've got a minor hiccup in the plan."

"A temporary setback on Firewall 3217. Rerouting commands through Firewall 7164."

There was a pause before EDI added, "I have successfully opened a door on the opposite wall. I will keep it open as long as I can."

The door opened just as EDI promised and they quickly moved through. Miranda was the first to notice what was below, "Down there. That's where we came in!"

Vaht looked down, "We could jump down from here."

Thane could understand the reasoning, "We may survive the decent, but will EDI or Dot be capable of rerouting and opening the path back?"

Shepard agreed, "Let's not tempt fate to find out. Six you've still got point."

Tali managed to find some really good tech salvage along the way before they encountered another wave of Collectors trying to slow them down. This time they were even throwing out the explosive red husks down the hill they were going to have to climb.

Cortez dived behind a pod in the room, "This is crap cover out here!"

Shepard threw a fiery tech attack at one of the husks, "Focus on the husks first! Six, Thane, watch for Harbinger controlling any of the Collectors."

Cortez filled the first husk with holes until it detonated itself. Vaht knocked one of the red husks down before crushing its head with his hoof. Unlike any of the other husks it didn't detonate after Vaht removed the husk's head.

Mordin quickly assessed the undetonated husk, "Damage to cranial extremity impedes posthumous detonation. Curious. Will investigate on Normandy."

Tali activated her drone behind one of the Collectors, "Go for the optics, Chatika! Go for the optics!"

The Collectors obviously responded to the closest threat first, leaving them open to Thane and Six shooting their heads. With the area relatively clear they pushed on again only to be stopped as more Collectors rushed into the next chamber with another of those massive artillery husks.

Miranda and Thane combined their biotic attacks to destroy two Collectors however one of the Collectors started to glow, "You cannot escape!"

Six shot at it with the sniper, though the barrier significantly reduced the shot's impact. The burning Collector threw a burning orb at Six, not paying any heed to Shepard as she tossed a Cryo Blast to slow it down. More than enough time for Mordin to combine the attack with his Incinerate and creating a frosty explosion to finish it.

Cortez rushed at the cobbled husk as he fired with his SMG, drawing it away from an approaching Vaht who quickly cut it down with his energy sword.

Vaht and Cortez moved on ahead of the team as Joker called them, "Uh, Commander? Hate to rush you, but those weapons are about to come online. Might want to double-time it. You know, so we can leave before they blow the Normandy in half."

Cortez and Vaht were fighting a horde of husks that were rushing at them. Even if the two could have handle it a charging krogan and a minigun quickly cut through their back ranks. "What are we waiting for round two?"

Six quickly ran ahead now, pushing past and jumping into the shuttle first to get everything online. "Pack it in! Now!"

Before they could all enter the shuttle the main doors opened as a new wave of Collectors and husks tried to rush them. Jorge was mowing them all down, "I've got this! Everyone get aboard!'

Shepard, Zaeed, Samara, Grunt and Jack were helping the giant Spartan hold the line while the others squeezed into the shuttle. "We're out of time, Commander! We have to go!"

"You heard the man—everybody onto the Normandy! Move!" Jorge was the last one in, just barely able to get inside with his gun before Six quickly pulled out of the Collector ship and barely slowed down to land inside of the Normandy's hangar.

"Strap in people—gonna make them work for it this time." Jorge kicked the door open though it wasn't much of an improvement as Joker put the Normandy through her paces to dodge the Collector's attacks. "I can't dodge this guy forever, EDI. Get us the hell out of here!"

"Specify a destination, Mr. Moreau."

Six had enough, "Dot, engage Cole Protocol!"

"Affirmative. activating drive core." With that the Normandy quickly jumped out of system with no traceable means for the Collectors to follow them.

Cortez leaned against one of the turbines, "Nice use of the old protocol. Looks like we've got saved thanks to a Covenant countermeasure."

Jacob looked to Six as she examined her new acquisition, "So mind elaborating on this protocol?"

Six looked to Vaht, though it was Jorge who explained. "Cole Protocol dictates actions to prevent Covenant forces from finding Earth or any other colony they hadn't sacked. During a retreat we're to jump randomly away from any of our systems. Covies were good at tracking ships through slipspace. There are a few other measures to follow too, but nothing that Dot should be enacting now that we've gotten away from the Collectors."

Jack however had a bone to pick with a particular cheerleader, "Come here, bitch!" Jack flared grabbing Miranda's collar, "Your boss tried to get us killed! Now I want to know who I can kill to take responsibility!"

Kasumi quickly got out of the area, standing in the elevator, "I don't know about anyone else, but I'd rather watch from a safe distance, two decks away."

Shepard separated the two, "I'll get this sorted out, with the Illusive Man. So don't go killing each other before this mission is over."

Six was putting her weapons away, "Jorge, I'll be up in the armory to modify this," left with just the Widow in hand.

A/N: Another thing that bothered me, we get trapped inside the Collector ship, they send wave after wave of enemies to kill us and they don't send any of their forces to go and destroy our only means of transportation off their ship. All they would have had to do was destroy the shuttle and delay us long enough that the Normandy was either destroyed or abandoned us. Though that's assuming there was any real thoughts going through Harbinger's obsessed mind to capturing Shepard.