A/N: oh, was this story due for an update? I'm sorry, it slipped my mind… ;p In all seriousness, thanks for staying tuned. I am genuinely sorry for the delay – it has not been intentional. I was not going to update this month because of manic RL commitments, but some cajoling from the ladies below (surprise!) persuaded me to do so. If you like this story (!), then you have them to thank for the update. The next one will be in early-mid August.

Also, for those of you who played tayg's little game… six right guesses, five wrong. Tsk… this could have been out sooner, you know. As for Forever As One… well… there's a certain enigmatic someone y'all need T.A. badger for that. She's got talent which I lack, and is hiding in the Blackness of a dank well somewhere ;)

Tali tucked herself into a roll, shielding her head with her arms as she dove for cover. Keelah, I hope these walls hold. Whatever had made that commotion, it was definitely something more sinister than those… spiders. She avoided bugs as much as possible, but even she knew insects did not just hurl grenades. Tali was actually silently grateful to be facing a bipedal foe – she had far fewer issues with them than with insects. They had fought too many of those things for the quarian's liking.

On the Fleet, there were always people around to take care of unwanted visitors for her. Thorough as the ships' filtration systems were, arachnids were fastidious little boshtet, and every so often, there would be one just waiting to make her jump out of her suit. Her inevitable shriek would attract the tearful laughter of Kal'Reegar and Nala'Raan, but at least they almost always acquiesced and dealt with the threat for her. Her favourite "Reegar versus the Spider" episode had to be when Kal calmly aimed his shotgun at the offending bug, nonchalantly pulling the trigger while saluting a photo of Rael'Zorah. Tali's mattress had been ruined, and having to sleep on the floor for a week was a stern reminder that Nala's help should always be sought first in the future. Keelah, after all that, Reegar had not even managed to kill the insect; she had woken a few days later to the sight of its hairy underbelly festooning her face mask. Some protector he turned out to be!

Despite his ineptitude with dealing with creatures hundredths his size, Tali could not help but wish he was here as she reflexively scrunched her eyes shut, awaiting the coming explosion. 18… 19… 20… Keelah, no one would set a grenade to detonate after more than 20 seconds… would they?

Slowly, the quarian opened one eye, then the other, as she cautiously lowered her arms from her head. Pressing herself into the wall, shotgun gripped tightly in her hands, she inched towards the doorway. Her eyes widened in alarm as the tell-tale hissing of a discharging, pressurised aerosol hit her ears. Instinctively, she activated her omni-tool, her fingers flying across the holographic keyboard as she quickly input commands to seal off all individual suit compartments. All her filtration systems were active, but she had no idea what she was dealing with or if there were any micro tears in her suit. Plus, as far as she was concerned, it was far better to be paranoid than deal with a stupid infection. Those herbal supplements tasted awful – there was no way she was going to chance having to take them again.

Satisfied that she was fully insulated against the external environment – quarian suits had, after all, been engineered to resist virtually every known pathogen – she once again raised her weapon, training it at the open doorway. The hissing was fizzling out now, although there were no visible or olfactory signs of whatever chemical or biological agent had been released wafting through the doorway. Quickly, she mentally ran through the list of major biochemical weapons which were both odourless and colourless, reflexively glancing up at her own airflow metrics as she did so. As far as she could recall, her suit should adequately protect her against the majority of the most dangerous ones.

Taking care to ensure she exposed as little of herself to enemy fire as possible, Tali peeked out, swiftly scanning the room. The canister lay innocently just inside the doorway, but aside from the metallic cylinder, there was no sign that anyone aside from her had been in the room. The quarian withdrew her head, letting the back of it fall softly against the wall as she pondered her options, shotgun still clutched tightly in her hands. Whoever threw the canister could not have disappeared into thin air. They did not exit from the doorway; she would have seen them. Then, the only other access point…

Tali smiled thinly as she realised her attacker must have been holed up inside the ventilatory system. Oh you have a nice surprise party waiting, you cowardly boshtet.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped to her HUD, widening in alarm as her suit's hazard indicators began flashing, the tell-tale warning beeps sounding with ever-increasing urgency. Her air exchange filter was blinking, its outline highlighted in red. Reflexively, Tali sealed off the filter, switching to her small oxygen reserve while activating her omni-tool at the same time. The message caused her heart to skip a beat.

'Foreign genetic material detected. Sequence unrecognised.'

Quickly, she started a suit-wide scan, somewhat relieved when the on-board sensors only seemed to have detected the foreign material in the isolated filters. But… if the life-form had gotten through her filters… there was no way for her to know if her seals would hold. Plus, her oxygen reserves would not last long, and there was no telling how many more people might be at risk.

Tali closed her eyes as she raced through her options. She was potentially already exposed. What fate befell her, she could not guess, but at least she might be able to warn the others. Setting her jaw, she lifted herself away from the wall, entering the room and scanning the spent canister with her omni-tool. Extrapolating from the discharge interval and the dimensions of the cylinder, she calculated the number of particles contained within. From then on, it was simple to model random particle movements and diffusive capacity, allowing her to work out a contamination radius.

Satisfied that said radius was well within the deserted maintenance area, she sealed the door, locking it and hacking the override such that it would only respond to a command from her omni-tool. Hurriedly bringing up a map of the area, she headed for the nearest decontamination room, careful to take a route almost certain to be deserted and sealing doors behind her as she went.

Kai Leng towelled himself off angrily, his skin red and raw from the heat and force of the shower he had just subjected himself to. His mouth twisted into a snarl as the rough cotton fibres dragged unkindly across his acid-scarred skin, but he refused to slow in his towelling motion. The pain would remind him never to be so disregarding of his surroundings again. He had managed to elude the rachni, but not without first sacrificing his dignity. Thank fuck there were no surveillance cameras in the ventilation shafts.

He ran a finger over the gaping wound piercing the firm flesh of his bottom, wincing as he defined the injury through tactile feedback. Fortunately, major blood vessels and nerves had been avoided, but Kai Leng was more worried about the consequences of the injury. The rachni's claw had buried itself disturbingly close to the midline; if any support structures had been disturbed, controlling when he needed to take a dump could be… problematic. He grit his teeth tightly in anger as he considered his options. Lawson and Wilson were arrogant tools who would delight in his plight; there was no way he could seek treatment within Cerberus and keep his dignity intact. If he left the wound unattended, it would probably heal eventually, but there was not a snowflake's chance in hell he was condemning himself to wearing a diaper. Assassinating marks and engaging in all acts of subterfuge under his remit would be damn near impossible if people could hear him waddling from a mile away. He could have surgery to repair any damaged sphincters, but the thought of some stranger sewing up his ass crack…

Goddamnit, Leng. You don't even know it's been compromised! Focus. Mission first. Growling, he snatched a first aid kit off the wall, snapping open the tube of medigel within with practiced ease. Glancing around to make sure he was well out of the field of view of the security cams, he reached around, squirting the contents of the entire tube into his injured pride. Times like this, he hated that pressure had to be applied to medigel packings for the best outcome. He had too much to do, and too little time; by his estimations, Naxos should have long encountered the alien scum.

Again looking around while chiding himself for his sudden self-consciousness, he bent over, pressing his bottom firmly into the wall, clenching as tightly as possible, as he fired up his omni-tool. The tracer they had planted on Naxos was still blinking, and with a few taps, all her vitals were displayed for him to see. Judging by the ferocity with which her marker was moving around the map, and her spiking vitals, she was in the middle of quite the battle. He smiled thinly; the blue bitch had no idea what she was dealing with. He would have to head over to check out the situation anyway, but at least now he knew he could afford himself an extra minute to suit up properly and prepare.

Satisfied that the wound had been adequately tended to, he got dressed, silently regarding the little device that Lawson had created and The Illusive Man had given him. He begrudgingly admitted to himself that the cheerleader's plan was ingenious; adapting Banes' theory to implant a virtually unlimited supply of excitatory neurotransmitters within the motor cortex, released in specific sub-areas at will through radio-frequency activation, was as close a thing to mind control as humanity could hope to achieve with current technology. Of course, the subject's thoughts would still be their own, but they would not have the power to act of their own volition. Even if they wanted to articulate their thoughts or emotions, they could not – speech is, after all, ultimately a product of finely-tuned muscle movements.

He smiled thinly as he considered the ease with which he could act the puppet master. Naxos was his to control, and Shepard would be none the wiser when her little blue slag lay dead in her estranged lover's arms.

Liara was distantly aware of how shocked she was at her own fury. Never in her 106 years had she lashed out with such vehemence. Yes, she had defended herself when the situation dictated violence necessary, but never had she actually wanted to kill, to maim, anyone till a few moments ago. She had always prided herself on restraint, on her calm, rigorous logic. To have such feral, base emotions take hold of her like that…

Even as she looked uncertainly back and forth between the two humans on either side of her, she struggled to come to terms with understanding her own actions. Her mind instinctively searched for a motivation, a reason why her sub-conscious would react to Ariadne the way it did. Was it because she had been attacked? No… that had happened plenty of times before; archaeological excavation sites might not be war zones, but plunderers were never in short supply, and they tended to shoot first, dig later. Could Shepard's emotions have been so powerful that they imprinted themselves on her during the meld? Unlikely… while Liara could empathise with what both women were going through, she herself felt no love or hatred for Ariadne. They were talking now, but Liara was only half-registering what they were saying, too caught up in her thoughts. Her omni-tool would record what was said, anyway, if she missed something important.

Why would you ruin something so beautiful? She trusted you!

The words she herself had spoken mere minutes ago forced themselves into her reckoning. The question was the first following her outburst; the sentiment must have had something to do with it. The rage… it was almost as if Ariadne had betrayed her trust, her love, not that of a friend she was just getting to know. It seemed almost inexplicable that she should feel so strongly about Shepard's experiences. Granted, there was the meld, but… it had been a purely perfunctory exchange of information, with an… unpalatable look at the atrocities poor Shepard had had to endure. Although harrowing, it had certainly not been on the emotional level of a joining. She should be empathetic rather than…

Goddess.

Liara was barely able to hide her surprise, a slight widening of her eyes the only clue as to the realisation which had just struck her. This… fascination with Shepard, her yearning for the Commander's approval, her desperation to be let in, to help the Spectre when she was at her most vulnerable… it could not just be a desire for friendship… could it? Her mind flickered to the other crew members of the Normandy. To Tali, Chakwas, Kaidan… even Ashley. Yes, she enjoyed their company, even considered them friends – or, more than mere acquaintances, at the very least. Yet… she did not think about them as much as she did Shepard, did not find her heart fluttering at every platonic touch, and she certainly would not lose control of herself on their behalf.

These feelings were entirely alien to her. Was this a blossoming attraction? She could not deny she found the Commander physically alluring, but then again, she knew many other individuals did, and so she had mentally filed that away as a part of normal social interaction. Her normal reaction to formulated hypotheses would be to apply the scientific method with rigour – test and demonstrate repeatability. But… how to design an experiment to assess if what she was feeling was mere friendship or something deeper? Maybe analysis of her heart rate when in proximity to Shepard compared with Tali or Chakwas. Or… perhaps respiratory rate? No… too many variables for both. Was there an "I like you" hormone? Her medical know-how did not extend that far… she would have to consult the Extran–

Listen to yourself, Liara T'Soni! Even when you're talking to yourself, you're babbling!

Imperceptibly, she shook her head, rousing herself from her reflections and focusing on Shepard's emerald green eyes. Perhaps, since so much had already changed in her life, it was time to approach things differently. Blasphemous as it may seem, maybe the scientific method could not be applied to all problems. It could be that, just this once, she would have to take the plunge, and just see where things went. Either way, for better or for worse, she would at least have an answer.

"Ari?"

Shepard could not remember a time when she had actually lost hold of her weapon in shock. Of all the people she could have encountered on such a mission… what the fuck was Ari doing here? The Commander was so stunned she barely had time to insulate herself against the emotional barrage which soon followed. Ari was the gaping wound which festered and refused to heal. Neglected, untreated, infected… it was just waiting to be stabbed, to wreak havoc on the feelings she kept so closely guarded from everyone around her.

Shepard had never been afforded the luxury of closure. Her enduring memory of Ari was that of devastation, betrayal and grief for a love so cruelly wrenched from her soul. She had never gotten to explain herself to Ari, to apologise, and then to demand the same from her former lover. All those unrequited reservations; they now came flooding back, careening into her like an out-of-control racer. She wanted to scream them at Ari now; and yet… suddenly, bizarrely, they seemed immaterial. Ari had attacked Liara, a member of her crew, a… friend, who she had more concern for than she cared to admit.

"J-Jess…"

Shepard felt her eyes stinging, even as she clenched her fists so tightly she swore her nails would rent through her gloves. She was struggling to keep the emotion out of her voice, to keep it steady, blasé, indifferent.

"What. The. Fuck. Are you doing here?"

Ari's eyes were at once pleading, terrified, melancholy. Her eyes glistened under the slight glare radiating from Liara's omni-tool, and a lone tear trickled down her cheek, as if attempting to soothe her trembling lips. When she spoke, her voice was choked, the words fractured and broken.

"Jess… I… Liara… Oh God, Jess… I –"

Shepard seemed to have lost whatever fine shred of control she had over herself. In an instant, she was pinning Ari back up against the wall, oblivious to the other woman's anguish and the gentle, alarmed fingers lightly touching her free wrist. Her own eyes welled with tears as she snarled, her face threateningly close to Ari's.

"Goddamn, FUCK, Ari! You do not get to waltz into my life again and fuck around with it on a whim! Now. Answer my fucking question. What the fuck are you doing here? Why did you try to kill Liara?"

"Shepard –"

"Monday, stay out of this!"

The fingers recoiled suddenly, before tentatively returning, encircling her wrist. Shepard almost felt like she was being shielded against the buffeting winds. She felt the tenseness ebb slightly, although she made no move to retreat from Ari. She took a deep breath, glancing over at Liara's worried blue eyes before closing her own and nodding once. She fixed her smouldering eyes on Ari, her expectancy evident without more words needing to be said. The other woman took a trembling breath, setting her jaw as if resolving to finally tell the truth. Shepard could almost feel the relief washing over her at the sight.

"Jess… I… I owe you an explanation. The… the warehouse all those years ago… Liara… I –"

Suddenly, Ari's biotics flared, her eyes widening in horror as they did so. Shepard instinctively flung the other woman to the side, hurling herself at Liara as she did so. She barely had time to erect a barrier against an incoming projectile, before the ground shook with the force of energy radiating from Ari. Human and asari were flung into the air with ferocious force, Liara's skull saved from a bone-shattering impact only through her own reflexive counter-throw directed at the wall. As they fell to the ground, Shepard spun in mid-air, assuring that she would take the brunt of the collision when they hit the ground. Protecting Liara's head with one arm, she reached around her back with the other, unshipping her shotgun.

With a grunt, they landed on the ground, Shepard immediately hurling a throw in Ari's general direction, before roughly shoving Liara behind cover and rolling in the opposite direction. Her eyes widened in alarm as the set of crates Liara was crouched behind were viciously yanked away, before Ari sent them hurtling towards the stunned asari.

"Ari! What the fuck?" Shepard yelled, even as she and Liara simultaneously erected barriers against the flying crates. The Commander was surprised at the force with which the crates were striking their combined barrier; she was starting to sweat just from the effort of maintaining it under the relentless barrage. Ari was a talented biotic, for sure, but this level of power… Shepard never knew she had it in her. Glancing across at Liara, she jerked her head backwards. The asari's thumb flicker was the only indication of her assent – like Shepard, she was too focused on maintaining her barrier to do much more. The signal was clear: get behind me.

Immediately after the next crate struck the barrier, Shepard let out a roar, sending her energy swarming outwards in Ari's direction. Liara wasted no time in diving behind Shepard. For her part, the Commander was already in motion, materialising beside her former lover in an instant. Ari spun, but Shepard was already ducking, sweeping her leg firmly into the back of Ari's knees as she dropped. The human's legs buckled, but for some inexplicable reason, instead of countering her attacker, she sent yet another throw in Liara's direction as she fell.

Shepard saw Liara countering with a projectile of her own out of the corner of her eye. That's my girl. Her mouth twisted into a snarl as she drove her elbow into Ari's midsection. The bark of pain which emanated from Ari gave her no satisfaction – indeed, although she would never admit it, she felt a twang of sorrow. Angrily pushing her feelings to one side, she threw herself onto Ari, straddling her hips and immobilising her legs with her thighs. In one fluid motion, she had her shotgun trained on Ari's face.

"Don't you fucking move a muscle, Ari."

Shepard blinked when she finally registered the look on Ari's face. Where only moments ago, Ari's face had been a sea of conflicting emotions, now it was completely blank. Her eyes seemed to belie her actions, however; Shepard could swear she could feel the guilt and sorrow in them. And now… there was… horror?

"Talk to me, Ari. What the fuck is going on?"

No answer. Ari's eyes seemed to plead with Shepard, but she made no sound. Suddenly, her upper lip twitched, then the tell-tale signs Shepard knew all too well of the start of a biotic channel started again. Shepard shoved the barrel of the shotgun into Ari's chin.

"Don't you fucking dare, Ari. Don't you fucking dare."

Ari's entire body started to shimmer. Shepard grit her teeth, closing her eyes as she tightened her finger on the trigger.