Time for a couple announcements.

Guest Reviewer: You asked why Cole didn't just heal Benezia. The answer is twofold. First, Benezia admitted that she would never be free of the indoctrination, which was proven when Cole got kicked right out of her mind. If they kept her alive, she would have remained under Saren's control. Second, his ability to heal injuries and cure diseases only works so well. (inFAMOUS spoilers ahead) Cole wasn't able to save Trish when she was dropped off the roof of that building by Kessler. Benezia got hit by the flat side of Alex Mercer's blade. No matter how you look at it, she was doomed. This was quick and merciful compared to the slow rot of indoctrination.

Next, I want to warn you that the beginning of this chapter is very complex. You finally get to see why Cole is always so pissed with Ryan. I just needed a situation with somebody else in the room to warrant an explanation. Since Alex figured out a little of it two chapters ago, he's the lucky winner. It's heavy stuff, and I promise not to do it again for a long while.

Also, I know that Chief isn't getting enough screen time. That changes next chapter, I promise. He'll get serious action moments on Feros too, making up for his absence in the two previous priority missions. Stay strong Halo fans! Master Chief has not been forgotten.

Summary: Things get tense after the debrief, and not just because the Council wants to be antagonistic. Alex, Cole, and Ryan must clear the air before anything gets done. The truths revealed show how morally gray the life of a Supernova truly is. Afterwards, the crew makes a trip to the Century System on an assignment that proves personal to the Splicer King. Can Ryan handle the situation properly? Or was Major Kyle right to call him the "Butcher of Torfan" all along?

Spoilers: Mass Effect, inFAMOUS series, Bioshock series (especially Infinite), Prototype, Halo, Fallout, and KotOR II. I also drop three names, but since they are spoiler-free, you'll have to read to find out who they are.

I REPEAT: THERE ARE MAJOR BIOSHOCK INFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD.

Disclaimer: Again with this? No, I don't own the things you see on this page.

Steps Toward Redemption

SSV Normandy

CIC

Comm. Room

Two hours since departure from Port Hanshan

"What's our next move, Commander?" Ashley wanted to get going. "Head for the Mu Relay?"

Before Ryan could get a word in, Alex provided some insight with his usual tact. "Bad idea. The Mu Relay is deep in the Terminus. And I'd imagine it links to quite a few other systems there as well. So unless we want to go door to door, asking ruthless warlords if they've seen a two-kilometer long cuttlefish, I suggest we find out more first."

Liara added in her two credits. "Alex is correct. Rushing in blind would be foolish. We need to find out more about Saren."

Kaidan leaned back in his seat. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that call go to the Spectres?"

This time, Ryan was interrupted by Cole. "Yeah it does, and I have to agree. Saren probably knows we're onto him by now, which means he'll try to hurry things up. When he does, we'll know about it and then show up to ruin his day."

Master Chief nodded. He had no commentary. He was just there so Cortana could finally learn more about the issues between Cole and Ryan. Also, the Spartan was the only one to have a military career before this job, and he refused to let their grudge bring dishonor to the uniform.

The Splicer King kept calm, likely because he knew he was in for it later. "I'll go with the majority vote on this one." Looking up at the ceiling, he called to their pilot, "Joker, plot a course for the Century System." Turning his gaze back to the squad, he said, "Crew, dismissed."

"Plotting the course now, Commander." Joker called in as the team filed out, leaving the four Supernovas in the room. "The Noveria report's away already. Should I patch you through to the Council? Maybe tell them to call an exterminator?" They knew he was only half joking. Cole took center stage, and gave Joker the go-ahead. This had been primarily his mission, after all.

The familiar holographic images appeared, and Tevos immediately got to the point. "MacGrath, is this report accurate? You found rachni on Noveria?"

Sparatus was furious. "And you released the queen?! Do you have any idea what you've done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?"

Alex rolled his eyes. "I don't hear anyone asking you how many generations it will take for the krogan to go extinct."

Sparatus glared. "Why are you even part of this conversation? You're-"

"The one you should blame for releasing the queen," Alex said with zero worry. "If you'd like to make an issue of this, I'm more than happy to oblige. If I wanted to, I could be a much greater threat to galactic civilization than a few bugs. For now, I suggest focusing on Saren and letting me handle the rachni if they show their faces again."

Sparatus sighed. "You'll forgive me if that doesn't do much to put my mind at ease. Commander, I hope you'll run a tighter ship in the future."

"Just a damn minute!" Cole yelled. "You put me on this mission too. Ryan was there to help with Synthetic Insights, reactivate a VI, and to blow up the Hot Labs. Everything else is on me, and I happen to agree with my associate. Genocide solves nothing." He paused for a moment, forcing the memories of the RFI to the back of his mind. "Besides, if you read that part in the report about Benezia's indoctrination and compare it with the 'yellow note' that sent the rachni to war, there are some remarkable similarities. Alex isn't a damn pet. He's smarter than any of you. Show us some respect, and maybe we'll reciprocate. Until then…" Cole made a cutting motion across his neck, signaling Joker to hang up. The pilot happily obliged.

Ryan sighed. Now that the formalities were done with, it was time to face the music. Confirming with the Chief - and by extension, Cortana - that nobody was listening in, he turned around. "So how did you get them back?"

"I froze to death in a blizzard before bringing a lightning storm down on my own head. Not that you care." There was venom in Cole's voice that Ryan hadn't heard since the conduit first learnt the truth.

Alex hissed. "So it's true, then?" In a deadly calm voice, the virus asked, "Were you on the Columbia job, and somehow you accidentally caused problems for us? Or was the whole damn shitstorm your fault?"

Cole just stood there, his expression hard as ice. "Tell him where you were that day, Ryan. Tell him what you were doing when everything went to hell."

Ryan held his face in his hands. "I… was on Rapture. The bird was there, and I combined what residual power was left from Elizabeth's mega-tear with the energy from Halla that allows us to travel. My actions opened up a timeline that no longer existed." He took a deep breath and said, "I created the Columbia Paradox. It was done on the authority of Uniques Revan, Kessler, Courier Six, and Jack Ryan."

Alex rounded on Cole. "You knew this, and you didn't tell me?" Seeing Cole's shock, Alex growled. "Right now I'm incredibly pissed with both of you! Ryan just admitted that he's the reason three Supernovas are comatose and you lost your powers. You, my best friend in this whole damn organization, never thought I deserved to know the truth? Cole, you know I'll always have your back. I don't handle betrayal like this very well, so I suggest you fill me in real quick."

Cole exploded. "If I told you, what would you have done?" The virus said nothing. The answer was obvious. "Nobody knew that any Supernova who came from a temporally distorted territory would be traumatically cut off."

Alex threw up his hands in frustration. "Then why do you hate him?"

Ryan answered that question. "Because my job was resource acquisition. It technically always has been. That exotic collection I'm rumored to possess caught the Uniques' attention. New Solara's organization doesn't survive on hope alone anymore. It's grown enough to need material assets. Some of our Supernovas, like Dante, Deadpool, and Red X, are in it for the money, and we can't just will that into existence. That's what they send me to do. Through assassination, espionage, political leverage, and other fairly unethical means, I manipulate the circumstances of territories until whatever the Uniques require becomes… available. And I'm damn good at it. Elizabeth left a back door to that flying city in my waters by killing the bird, so I used it to sneak in and strip one version of Columbia clean. Then a proper job to another Columbia in another timeline was ordered to stabilize the multiverse. We never expected so much could go wrong."

The virus snarled at the Splicer King. "I don't give a rat's ass about your little black ops escapades. I just want to know what it has to do with Cole."

Cole sighed. "Constants and variables. A man, a city, and a lighthouse. There's a lighthouse off the coast of New Marais. Because my territory was unlucky enough to have a temporal distortion, it got connected to the rest of Elizabeth's network when Ryan forced open a tear that never existed. Ryan was long finished with his raid by the time we were deployed, so while we were busy on the Columbia Paradox job, he took the liberty of sneaking into my former home and copying the remaining blueprints for Dr. Wolfe's inventions, including ones for the Ray Sphere and the RFI."

Ryan closed his eyes and began to recite a speech that he clearly no longer believed. "I left your home completely untouched. There is no trace of my presence that indicates interference. Its timeline will proceed as normal."

Alex began to put the pieces together. "Ryan, who asked for the blueprints?"

"Unique Kessler did," Ryan answered weakly.

Cole sat back in one of the many chairs that lined the room. "Figure it out yet? Kessler knew he'd have to let me know the truth if he restored my powers. Hell, he wanted me to know, thinking I'd be more willing to act like Ryan. But he wanted insurance to keep me from taking action. So he held the threat of a Ray Sphere blast on an unspecified territory over my head unless I played nice, kept quiet, and remained… open to more extreme methods."

Ryan knew that Alex had pulled the punch before even feeling the impact. If it had been full strength, the Splicer King would have been decapitated.

"You son of a bitch!" Alex yelled. "First you ripped open a hole in the probability universe just to plunder a floating city. Then you left us to clean up your mess at an absurdly high cost. Finally, you put a weakened Cole directly underneath Kessler's thumb!"

Chief couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was just glad that nobody else on the ship could hear it. Cortana, however, was more vocal in her indignation. "Why Ryan? What could Kessler offer you to make you do that to Cole?"

Ryan shook his head to clear the disorientation. "I didn't realize that he was going to blackmail Cole until it was too late. I was told that Cole would likely lose his powers from the backlash of the Columbia Paradox job. Kessler said that the blueprints were the only hope of restoring his abilities. Then I find out later it was a lie."

"Please! You're hardly innocent here." Alex was appalled that Ryan had even tried to plead ignorance.

"And I've known that for quite some time." The self-loathing in his tone was more apparent than usual. "Of course, I planned for this exact discussion ever since you regained your cryokinetic talents earlier today." Ryan got up off the floor slowly. "As of an hour ago, my counterpart in the Uniques forced answers out of Kessler, and my 'sister' is dismantling the Ray Sphere he had created. We know he made another RFI too, but he refuses to give up its location until we finish our current job." The Rapture-spawn gave this a moment to sink in before saying, "You're in the clear, Cole. I can't even begin to describe how much I put in jeopardy by doing this for you. Call it a peace offering."

Alex cleared his throat. "That would be very touching, had you not done it to protect your own ass." He turned to the conduit. "Cole, since you were being coerced, I understand and accept why you didn't tell me anything." He extended his hand, and as Cole shook it, he grinned. "Of course, if you keep something like that from me again, I'll probably kill you." Facing the Splicer King, killer intent shining from beneath the hood, he whispered, "If they call me a monster, what does that make you?" With that, the virus stormed out of the room.

Cole gazed at Ryan with an indecipherable expression. "I appreciate what you did. I really do, but it will take some time to restore the faith we once had in you before Columbia. This job for Unique Shepard is the first, last, and only chance you'll get at redemption. You can count on us to do our parts, but if you want our trust again, then prove you can do the job without ruining the lives of everyone around you. Especially the lives of innocents." Now it was the conduit's turn to leave, but he was much calmer than Alex in his movements. This had been a step in the right direction for sure.

Ryan sighed and turned to the Chief. "That went better than I could have possibly hoped."

Chief remained silent. This kind of thing was beyond him, and frankly, he wanted no part of it.

Cortana was a different story. "And here I thought ONI was bad. What would they need material assets for in Halla?"

Ryan chuckled humorlessly. "One big revelation at a time, Cortana. I'll talk about the rest later." That was the last thing he said before teleporting away, effectively ending all further discussion.

SSV Normandy

Crew Deck

Med Bay back room

En route to Century System

Liara heard the door open, and without turning around, she knew who it was. Ryan would have teleported into the room if he needed to speak to her, and anyone else made noise when they walked. Turning around to face Alex Mercer, she cut off the question she knew he would ask. "If you are here to talk about Benezia's death, you need not bother. She brought it upon herself."

Alex sighed. "The tears on my jacket say otherwise. You're in denial, Liara. It's an early stage of grief. You hadn't spoken to your mother in years. Now you'll never speak to Benezia again because she got mind-jacked by a turian and his oversized starship. That gave me pause, and I'm a sociopath. I'm not even supposed to care."

The asari's gaze softened. "But you do. Why?"

He frowned as Greene's voice echoed inside his mind. "Your mother tried to kill you instead of protecting you, and then we find out it wasn't even of her own will. Tell me what about that situation isn't supposed to bother me."

Liara seemed almost disappointed with this response, and she turned away. "I suppose from that perspective, I can understand your concern."

Alex sighed. He knew where the asari maiden wanted the conversation to go; he wasn't an idiot. He just didn't know if he had the right to make that step. First of all, his last relationship was with a selfish, backstabbing nutcase who sold him out to Blackwatch. The literal pain that her betrayal caused him had obviously discouraged Alex to relationships. Then of course there was the matter of what Alex was. He looked human, and he had human emotions, but that didn't change the fact that he would simply never be human. At the risk of sounding shamelessly cliché, the final reason was complicated. As a Supernova, he was bound to leave this territory when the job was done. He couldn't start something with Liara that had no chance of ending happily. Of course, Alex wouldn't just leave her grieve alone either. Choosing his words carefully, the virus asked, "Seriously, Blue. Are you gonna be okay?"

Liara smiled a little. "I appreciate your concern, Alex, but I am fine, or at least, I will be. If anything, I am even more committed." She hardened her expression again. "My mother was Saren's accomplice, regardless of her intentions. Now I have a personal stake in bringing him down. I am with you until the very end."

Alex chuckled, confusing the asari. "That's good to hear. Benezia ordered me to keep you safe, and it would be awfully hard to do that if you left the Normandy."

Liara gasped. "Alex, I was not thinking of leaving! And you should not feel burdened with…" She noticed that the virus had the same grin as that time he joked about being dissected. "You are joking again, aren't you?"

"Did it help?"

She gave a small chuckle. "A little. Thank you."

Alex nodded. "Anytime." He got up to leave, but as he reached the door, he stopped. "She loved you." Liara turned around to see the hunter's piercing blue eyes staring directly at her, the hood unable to conceal them at this angle. He continued. "That last commando I consumed has memories of Benezia saying that she loved you. She had been keeping tabs on you, and she was impressed and pleased with the woman you've become." He held up his hands in a universal gesture of honesty. "Their words, not mine. I thought you had the right to know." With that, he left the room.

"Thank you, Alex," Liara managed to whisper as the doors shut behind him.

SSV Normandy

CIC

Helm

En route to Century System

Joker smirked as Ryan approached the helm. He had a good rapport with the Commander. Of course, it was likely because they shared something in common: Self loathing. He could tell from the way Ryan carried himself that the best – and craziest – N7 graduate in human history had it in spades. He knew this because the Spectre had that same look on his face as Joker himself every time the pilot looked in a mirror: More pain than anyone can understand carefully hidden behind the façade of a smartass.

Turning back to the haptic interface, Joker decided that a little comic relief was in order. "Boy am I glad to be off of Noveria. I don't know which was worse, the cold or the corporations." Ryan raised an eyebrow, waiting for the punch line. "One will freeze your balls off, and the other will sell 'em out from under you." Adjusting his tone to one of false professionalism, Joker added, "With all due respect, Commander."

Ryan gave a wry smile. "We can sic Cole on more corrupt businessmen and find out?"

Joker didn't even look away from the screens. "That gives a whole new meaning to 'frozen bank account,' Ryan."

The pilot heard a laugh, but before either could say anything more, they were alerted to a transmission coming in from Arcturus. Joker took a look. "It's Admiral Hackett. Looks like he wants to chat before we reach our destination."

Ryan was expecting this. There was no way that Major Kyle's activities would have gone unnoticed by the Alliance. Maybe the Fifth Fleet's prestigious leader could give him some more concrete information. "Patch him through, Joker."

Hackett's voice reverberated throughout the room. "Commander Ryan? This is Admiral Hackett. I have a fairly good idea of why you're in the Hawking Eta Cluster, but the situation is more complicated than you think."

Ryan chuckled. "Isn't it always?"

Where most officers would have gone ballistic, Hackett didn't even blink. He knew Ryan's behavior was a coping mechanism. "Ever since Torfan, Major Kyle hasn't been the same, but that much should be obvious. You already know he's set up a small compound in the Century System with a good number of biotic followers. What you probably don't know is that he's become an outspoken critic of the Alliance, and we believe that he's mentally unstable. It's getting ugly, Commander."

Ryan was now visibly intrigued, and suddenly feeling guilty. Was this what Cole meant by ruining lives? "We had differences of opinion at Torfan, but I didn't see anything like this coming. What's the latest intel?"

There was a pause. "Three days ago, we sent two Alliance representatives to meet with him at his compound. They've disappeared, and we believe Kyle and his followers killed them." Hackett paused again. "That compound is a cult, Ryan. Major Kyle is 'Father Kyle' now. He's set himself up as some sort of religious leader."

Ryan sighed. "What do you want me to do?" He already knew the answer, but he asked out of respect all the same.

The answer was simple enough. "We can't let things proceed as is in that compound, and Kyle needs to answer for the deaths of two Alliance officers. While he and his followers are dangerous, we'd prefer to keep bloodshed to a minimum. Still, you were with him that day on Torfan, so I'll defer to your judgment on the matter. Hackett out."

Ryan closed his eyes. "Damn it. Joker! Alert Kaidan, Tali, and Ashley. Tell them to prepare for a Mako the second we're in position above Pesrop." He didn't wait for a reply before teleporting to the armory.

SSV Normandy

Engineering Deck

Garage

Orbiting Pesrop

As they closed in on their destination, Ryan could only gaze in awe at the catastrophic damage scarring both Klendagon and its small moon. He hadn't seen such devastation since Malachor V…

"Commander," Ryan turned to see Ashley leaning out of the Mako. "I think you should get inside sooner than later."

Smirking, he said, "I'm taking the express route. You don't like my driving, so let's see you do better."

Tali's eyes practically shot out of her mask. "You're going to jump? I thought only Cole and Alex could do that!"

"Approaching the drop zone," Joker announced over the intercom.

"Commander, this is crazy! I know for a fact that you can't survive that fall," Kaidan shouted from inside the tank.

Ryan laughed. "When did I say that I was going to fall?" He donned his combat helmet and vanished into thin air, intending to rematerialize on the surface below.

Jumping into the driver's seat, Ashley swore. "I hate when he does that."

Tali nodded emphatically. "You think you hate it? Wait until he teleports you with him."

Kaidan just chuckled as the Mako began its vertigo-inducing plunge.

Pesrop

Two klicks from the compound

Ryan watched while cloaked as his squad approached in the rover. He had to admit, Ashley drove fairly well, though she was less inclined to take risks behind the wheel than he was. With the grace and coordination provided by countless gene tonics, the Splicer King flipped onto the roof of the Mako as it sped by, turning visible once he landed.

"Damn!" Ashley shrieked. "How about a warning next time?"

"If I did that, you would have slowed down," Ryan chuckled. "We're not on a clock, but I'd rather keep this job short."

Kaidan took it upon himself to address the elephant in the Mako. "Commander, didn't you serve under Major Kyle back at Torfan?"

"I should have known this was coming," Ryan sighed.

Tali gasped. "This 'Father Kyle' used to be your commanding officer? What happened?"

Even though the wounds from his heart-to-heart with Alex and Cole were still fresh, he knew that the squad deserved the truth. He was keeping enough secrets from them as it was. "I served under an Alliance officer named Major Kyle. When I ordered the SSV Boston to drop Cole and Alex onto the pirates' main stronghold, it demolished their forces. The Major was convinced I had committed wholesale slaughter, despite the fact that a conventional attack would have cost us far more lives. Now he sees nothing but evil in the Alliance because they endorsed my actions."

Ashley frowned. "So, why the biotics?"

Ryan sighed again. "He's looking for something – anything – that he can protect. These biotics are fanatical cultists. They want somebody to champion their cause, and 'Father Kyle' is the perfect man for the job."

Tali swallowed before carefully choosing her words. "What exactly are we here to do, Commander?"

The real question was transparent. She wanted to know how quickly Ryan would resort to violence. "Hopefully, we're here to get Major Kyle some help. If he's this far gone because of what I did on Torfan, then I'm the one who has to make it right." The hint of finality in Ryan's voice made it clear this conversation was over. Tali never really got a definitive answer, but she trusted the Commander. He was taking this assignment personally, and she would help him however he needed it.

Pesrop

Compound Exterior

There was a prefab building on Ryan's right, and the entrance to an underground bunker on the left. The bunker was locked down, giving Ryan the suspicion that Kyle was there instead of the prefab. He quickly formulated a plan. "Tali, while I keep them talking, I need you to access that bunker's schematic. Get me a layout of the interior. Kaidan, give her a hand to make sure they don't detect her sniffing around in the system. Ash, get back into the Mako, and prepare to fire if I give the signal."

Everyone took their places as Ryan marched up to the prefab's entrance console. "Pizza delivery. Double pepperoni." Even from this distance, he could hear Ashley cracking up inside the Mako.

An irritated voice responded. "This is a private sanctuary, and outsiders like you are not welcome. Leave now."

Ryan shrugged, unsure if they could even see him. "I'd love to, believe me. I hate cults. Unfortunately I'm not moving an inch that until I've spoken with Major Kyle."

"Father Kyle wants nothing more to do with the Alliance," The cultist inside stated.

Ryan's eyes suddenly had a dangerous gleam. "Not even an old subordinate? Tell him that the 'Torfan Tactician' is here.

"If you were truly the Butcher of Torfan that Father Kyle speaks of then why are we still alive? You would have murdered us all by now." Apparently, they thought he was bluffing.

Ryan looked at the pair of techs, who indicated they needed just a little more time to finish their work. Drawing on his "father's" penchant for grandiose speeches, the Splicer King went to town.

"You want proof that the 'Butcher of Torfan' is standing before you? Alright. My name is Commander Jack Ryan. Call sign: "Rapture". In less than a month, I went from nobody to N7. I can cross great distances with a thought. My hands can burn, freeze, or electrocute anything that gets in my way. I am capable of invisibility without any cloaking technology. I carry platinum hooks that are soaked with the blood of my enemies, and I wear an armored jacket instead of full combat gear. My brute strength can match, or even surpass, that of a krogan, yet I will spend most of a firefight flipping and dodging. I am responsible for destroying the batarians' will to fight at Torfan by dropping the two most dangerous men in the universe on their stronghold from the upper atmosphere, taking hundreds – if not thousands – of lives." Tali and Kaidan had finished, so now was the time to drive it home. "Ask your 'Father Kyle' if he remembers that day. It sounded something like this!"

Ryan signaled for Ashley to fire on the ground outside the bunker's entrance. She obliged, hitting far enough away to avoid damage, but close enough to make a point.

"Wait! Please, wait!" the cultist screamed over the intercom. There was a long period of silence. "Father Kyle will speak with you, Butcher." Before Ryan could begin to smirk, the voice continued. "You are to enter the bunker alone. You will leave your weapons and allies behind. Those are the terms." The line went dead.

"That's nuts!" Ashley cried out in disbelief. "They can't expect us to just stay here while you walk into a compound filled with biotic maniacs led by an even bigger maniac!"

Ryan didn't say a word as he looked at the schematics Tali gave him. Turning to Kaidan, the Gunnery Chief motioned with her eyes for the Lieutenant to talk some sense into their CO. Getting the message, the sentinel tried his luck. "Commander, while we all respect your abilities, even you need to think twice before walking into that place alone and unarmed."

A few moments passed, and their Commander was still just standing there in silence. Tali was about to see if she could make any contribution, but Ryan suddenly snapped out of his trance. He turned to face Ashley and Kaidan and depolarized the reflective visor on his helmet. "First of all, I didn't plan on 'walking' into that compound at all. That's why I needed Tali to get these schematics. Now I have enough knowledge of my destination to make a safe teleportation." He looked to the quarian and grinned. "Good job, by the way." Even though Ryan could read her body language easily, Tali felt a small victory knowing that he couldn't see her blushing at his praise.

Ryan returned his attention to the pair of marines. "Second," he lit his hand on fire. "I am never unarmed." He gazed at all of them, eyes filled with determination. "You've accomplished your parts. Trust me to do the rest. If it makes you feel better, I'll let you see the video feed from my helmet once I return. I'd let you watch it all live, but this place has heavy metals like Agebinium." With that, he pulled out his shotgun and pistol, handing them to Ashley and Kaidan, respectively. Taking his hooks, he held them out in front of Tali. "Take care of these things. They're worth their weight in gold to me."

She nodded, and carefully took them from his grasp. Ryan never ceased to amaze. He trusted a quarian with personal belongings, which was more than could be said for most of the galaxy.

Ryan repolarized the visor. "Get back to the Normandy. If you don't hear from me in half an hour, tell Joker to drop Alex with extreme prejudice." And then their Commander was gone from sight.

Ashley groaned. "I swear, Lieutenant. The Commander's gonna be the death of me at this rate."

Ashley and Kaidan made their way back to the Mako, grumbling all the while. Tali remained behind for a moment, looked at the spot Ryan had vacated, and said quietly, "Keelah se'lai, Captain."

Pesrop

Compound Interior

Father Kyle's chambers

Displacing the air with a shattering sound, Ryan appeared directly in front of his former CO with a flourish. The two cultists standing to either side began to flare their biotics.

"No, children," the mad Major called out, stopping them instantly. His gaze settled on the Splicer King. "You always did love showing off, Ryan. Of all the people the Alliance would send, it just had to be the Butcher of Torfan."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Major. You know I wouldn't be here if the other officers the Alliance sent were still… y'know, alive."

Kyle stared right through the Splicer King. "They wanted to take me away from here. They wanted me to abandon this place. Turn my back on my family. They spoke blasphemy!" His expression softened, but retained its madness. "I did what I could to make their end quick and painless. I had no other choice. It was necessary to protect my children. Only I can keep them safe."

"Damn," Ryan said. "Now I remember exactly why I hate cults. Look, Major. That 'blasphemy' was an attempt to get you the help you need. I'm here for the same reason, only the accommodations won't be nearly as comfy since two good men are dead because of you."

Kyle laughed. It wasn't a nice sound. "This is coming from a mass murderer who claims to be a hero? I respect that you've chosen to exercise diplomacy, but I cannot do as you ask." His voice took on an even more insane tone. "If you take away their father, my children will be helpless."

Those last few words instantly flooded Ryan's mind with memories of all the Big Daddies both he and the original Jack Ryan had killed in Rapture. They died trying to protect the Little Sisters. Those brainwashed girls actually considered the hulking creatures to be their fathers, and the Big Daddies returned the sentiment. Hearing "Father Kyle" speak like this brought it all back. Taking away "Mr. B" most certainly left the green-eyed children utterly helpless.

Forcing the memories away, Ryan found the words to end this whole matter in seconds. "Let me tell you something, Major. I have a ship of my own now. Those two people I dropped from the Boston? They're on it. All I have to do is step outside and give the word. It'll be Torfan all over again."

"No!" Kyle moaned, clutching his head. "You can't do that. Not to my children!"

Ryan spoke with a gentler voice now. "I don't want to do it, Kyle. But unless you come with me, I have no other choice."

This got the message across, but not without a snag. "If my children see you taking me away, they won't understand. They will attack, and you'll be forced to kill them all. Please, give me one hour to explain everything to my children. After that, I will meet the Alliance authorities at the gates of my compound and surrender without violence. I give you my word."

Ryan stared long and hard at the pale shade of the Major Kyle he once knew. He weighed the pros and cons of accepting these terms before nodding. "Don't betray me Major," he warned. "Unlike me, Alex actually enjoys being a butcher." Eager to put all of this behind him, Ryan teleported straight back to the Normandy.

He needed a drink.

SSV Normandy

CIC

Galaxy Map

One hour later

"Message coming in from the SSV Hong Kong. It looks like they've secured Major Kyle," Joker announced. "Patching it through."

"Commander Ryan? This is Captain Wallcroft of the Hong Kong. You've saved a lot of lives today, and we'll be able to get Major Kyle some help. Admiral Hackett said you were good, but I didn't think this assignment could be done without bloodshed."

Ryan smirked. "You could have just asked that N7 engineer you've got serving on your ship, Captain. She'd tell you the same thing as the Admiral, albeit unwillingly. How's Commander Riley doing?"

Wallcroft laughed. "She's doing well. She wanted me to tell you that she likes the helmet, whatever that means."

Ryan laughed, recalling the prototype Death Mask he'd gotten for Commander Lee Riley back at N-School. She had earned it by being the one tech in the entire program to hack security faster than the Splicer King.

"Good to hear, Captain Wallcroft. Ryan out." He turned away from the galaxy map, seeing Cole nod in approval. He was about to say something when another message came in.

"Ryan, this is Hackett. The Hong Kong is staying in position for a little longer. We're not asking the Normandy to assist, but if you could let us borrow the Master Chief's… unique skills, we'd appreciate it."

Ryan frowned. "Where will you be taking him, sir?"

"The Sol System. Luna to be precise. Something's come up that's right up the Chief's alley."

Oh yes. You know what's coming. Read, Review, and Enjoy.