Chapter 25

The Children

Shepard dragged herself up the last couple of steps and into the dark cramped space of the drain.

Mordin's nephew, Yosin, gave her a slight smile before he took off down the pipe with Titus on his heels.

Jane huffed out a short breath before she too joined them.

The salarian led them down a few meters before they reached a heavy metal grate that led up to the floor above.

He shifted it carefully, glancing around for any security before he waved the others to follow.

"Where are we?" Sappho whispered to Yosin whose large black eyes were still scanning around for trouble.

"Machinery room. Not high priority. I mean... it is high priority but not highest. STG believed they had time to secure it so left it last. Believed no one knew about the project except us."

"And some greedy mercs, " Titus huffed. "Can't believe I'm about to say this but thank the spirits the pair that tried to kidnap Tib were morons."

Shepard nodded. "If Gaius hadn't gone with Garrus that day... god! These kids could have been lost to their parents forever."

"Positive thinking. Children fine. Must get them out now. No more delays. I'll go first and make sure the path is clear," Yosin said quickly. "Make your way to the holding cells. I'll get to the release mechanisms."

"What are you doing?" Jack hissed at Kaidan finally.

"Just a few seconds more! There!"

Jack peered out from behind the corner and frowned. "Nothing's happened."

"Oh it has! Let's go!"

Before she could react, Kaidan jumped to his feet, glanced out and spotted the salarians in a rare distracted moment of chatting to each other before he promptly rushed them.

Jack muttered a few curses under her breath as she charged after him.

She reached Kaidan just as he knocked out the last guard.

"What the hell was that!?"

Kaidan shrugged. "Figured out how to set the footage in a loop. Set the turret's cameras to the same. Vakarian showed me how to do that ages ago but I couldn't quite get a grip on it. Kinda proud I remembered as much as I did!"

Jack stared worriedly at the gun turret. "Ehhhh, how safe is this?"

"No idea! Best get moving."

"Wait!" his companion barked. "These muppets? What do we do with 'em?"

The Spectre cast a glance over the unconscious pair on the floor. "Tie 'em, I suppose. We can dump them in the alcove. No one will come looking for them just yet. I figure we've got time to get in and out... hopefully."

Jack stared at him impassively. "Only hopefully? How did you become a Spectre by the way..."

"By being great at what I do."

"Which is?"

Kaidan knew from the look on Jack's face that he was walking into a trap. "Listen, enough small talk! let's move!"

Titus was good.

So good that Shepard felt almost like a clunky heavy footed klutz in comparison.

The turian moved effortlessly from space to space, avoiding detection and yet being so damn aware of everything going on.

Jane could only follow in her footsteps, hoping that whatever happens, it wasn't her that alerts the facility to their presence.

"Shepard... do you read?"

Titus's whispered voice echoed over the secure channel they were using for comm traffic.

"Loud and clear, Titus."

"Got a visual on the area Yosin spoke of. That large open space with double doors at the back."

Shepard peered out from behind a pile of crates and spotted what Titus was seeing from her spot across the room.

"See it. That's our door."

"Spectre, it's going to be very difficult indeed to get those children unnoticed through here and back the way we came."

Shepard frowned. "Alternatives?"

"Thinking. We should get inside and see what the situation is within."

"Let's go then."

The older turian general was the first to the door unnoticed, easily slipping inside as she shadowed a lackadaisical security patrol.

Shepard was never more grateful that the salarians was so confident in their security that they'd let their down their guard.

She soon joined Titus although she'd almost gotten caught twice in the initial attempt before she managed to sneak in.

Just as she got through the door, Titus grabbed her and pulled the Spectre into a dark corner that was full of supply boxes.

"The kids?"

"All here," Titus said quietly before they both peeked out.

Shepard recognized the containment vessels from back during the Reaper war when she visited Sur'Kesh. That time it held far more dangerous creatures than the small children currently within the ones in front of her.

"They look tired. Despondent. We need to get them out," Titius added.

"Yosin?"

"Look up."

Shepard glanced up to what was the upper mezzanine and soon spotted the salarian standing anxiously at the large terminal.

He was surrounded by STG personnel, about eight in total.

"Crap," Jane muttered.

"He hasn't been caught," Titus quickly remarked. "We just need to wait until it's feasible to proceed."

Shepard edged her way further out, using the boxes for cover, so she could get a really good look at the room itself.

"No windows. No emergency doors. Fuck..."

"There's a way, Spectre," Titus said before she motioned with her hand to the floor.

Shepard's eyes followed a long path of thick metal panels that ended in the far corner of the room with a large duct suddenly becoming visible from where it had been concealed behind a table.

"I'm gonna guess those are service panels on the floor that led to a larger one."

"Correct. If I'm right, the duct on the far wall will led to... the machinery room."

Shepard chuckled lowly. "Tell me you've checked that to the map."

"Not on there. Usually this sort of short cut isn't exactly broadcast to the world. I've been in enough STG facilities to know they like it when they can get from A to B rapidly. That duct has to go to the machinery room. Or at least somewhere close."

Jane glanced over the nearest container and the little girl inside who sat on the floor of the cell with only a couple of color building blocks to keep her company.

"Think you can get over there and verify before we make a move?"

"... possibly. I mean, yes."

Shepard sniffed. "Get to it. I doubt those STG guys upstairs are gonna be moving anytime soon. Verify the route and then get back here."

Shortly after Miri had left to settle into bed for the night, Victus was in the middle of shutting down his office terminal before he planned on joining her when he recieved a very late night call.

"Hello Marcus. Unusual for you to call this late. Everything alright?"

Atilius chuckled on the other side. "Just back from the clinic treating Perdie. I'm certain that I'll forgot about this by tomorrow so thanks for the gifts you sent her. She was over the moon about them."

Victus frowned. "Sure..."

"You know this is a vid call and I can see your face, right?"

"Ehhhh..." Adrien stuttered a little before he winced.

Atilius shook his head before replying, "I'll thank Miri tomorrow for it."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did we send gifts?"

"Because Perdie has passed her most recent assessment with flying colours. The doctors think she's improved so much that they're even thinking of day releases for her just to start with."

Victus hummed. "That's... great."

"It is! She's not quite as enthusiastic but we're getting there. Slowly but surely. Actually now that I think of it... have you heard the latest of Senator Droius's containment idea?"

Adrien's mandibles flicked against his face with his anxiety as he replied, "Only that it's still in initial planning."

"It's out of that as of today, Victus. They've asked for it to be included in the schedule for debate."

Victus's heart dropped in his chest. "What? How did this happen so fast?!"

"No idea. I should have my hands on a copy of their final proposal tomorrow. Just... be prepared is all I saying. From what I got from rumour mill, they won't get it up for debate until middle of next week."

"Time to go over what they want. Send me a copy of what you get tomorrow."

"Will do. See you then."

Victus finally slipped into bed beside the sleeping Miranda.

She instinctively rolled close and cuddled into his arms while Adrien's brain refused to acknowledge rest and instead pondered over what Atilius had said.

They needed to prepare, he realized.

Just in case.