"Garrus, you all right?" Ali asked after a few moments of silence.
"Of course, I wasn't in the open for more than a second before you disabled the mech's gun," he answered looking down at her.
"Great, I didn't want you to think that I put you in any danger."
"I figured you had a plan."
"Guardian, is anything waiting on the other side of the doors?" she asked in her head. Nat's eye bobbed and weaved in the corner of the elevator waiting to continue its journey through the compound.
"Accessing internal security channels now. Yes, you have at least five soldiers sitting outside the elevator doors."
"Okay, stop the elevator." The elevator came to a hard halt before Ali started climbing up the walls searching for a door on the ceiling. Thane steadied her legs instinctually searching with his dark eyes as well. With a heave, she managed to move the heavy service door before pulling herself up and out. "Make sure this thing doesn't move. I don't feel like getting crushed."
"Roger, that, ma'am." The eye rose out the door behind her before Thane's head appeared.
"Need me to come with you?" he asked.
"Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks though." He nodded subtly and disappeared from sight.
After a few minutes of maneuvering, Ali managed to get into a position where she was hanging from the bottom of the elevator car. "Okay, lower me to the next floor," she ordered quietly. With a jolt it slowly crept lower until she was level with the doors, she glanced up looking for a way to get closer. Slowing her breathing, she pulled all her biotic energy into her center blowing the two doors off its hinges. Before throwing herself through the now open door, she took another breath hoping they had been caught off guard by her attack. In less than a few minutes, the hall was empty except for Ali as she stood their breathing heavily. "Bring down the elevator, if you please."
Moving down the hall with renewed haste, the group was almost reckless as they flew around corners. "Next room to the left by my scans," Guardian said through the public comm. They positioned themselves around the door waiting for Ali to give the word. She and Thane immediately threw the door inwards pulling up a barrier around themselves while she threw one up around the prisoners. The Krogan protecting the prisoners also came alive with purple biotics and slammed Thane against the wall. The breath left his body when he hit, and he crumpled to the floor. Ali managed to throw herself out of the way before another ball of purple energy came hurtling towards her. Struggling to rein in her own emotions, she collected her remaining energy to move the prisoners roughly out the door to relative safety. Garrus moved behind her shielding himself slightly with her barrier long enough to squeeze off several rounds distracting the krogan while Kolyat made his way to his father. The krogan facing off with them was one of the biggest she had ever seen even bigger that the Urdnot leader who had worked with Shepard. Ali felt that familiar darkness cloud her mind, and she fought it trying to hold back the battle mode. But it was insistent and eventually it broke through her mental barrier. Instantly her whole body felt alive like she had been wrapped in some kind of shield before now. Her eyes flashed with excited determination as she spoke quietly into the comm. "Garrus, help Kolyat get Thane out of here," she ordered.
"You're taking this guy on alone?"
Ali didn't reply but simply took a few steps forward blocking off that entire side of the room letting her team have a clear route to the hall. The door rose off the ground on the far side of the room and rocketed over to her glancing off the krogan in the process before slamming into its original spot. The krogan shook off the blow and immediately charged forcing Ali to let her barrier fall, so she could focus her attention on the assailant. Meeting him head on would be suicide, so she went around his blind charge letting him crash into the wall with a resounding crack.
Garrus impatiently waited for the jammed door to move. He hated not being in the fight, but not more than he hated his friends going off by themselves. He wasn't a turian who sat on the sidelines with grace like his father. It wasn't more than a few minutes before the door fell from the wall causing everyone in the hall to hold their breath. He didn't have any doubt in him that it would be Ali who came out alive, but he did know that she didn't seem to care how badly she was injured in the process. Thane would kill him if she got hurt on his watch. He glanced the drell's way who was still being nursed by his worried husband. His look was murderous to say the least. Swallowing down his anxiety, he peered into the room. It was filled with smoke which seemed to be coming from the fizzling mechanics in the walls which were missing pieces. But he could see the figure of a woman walking toward him through the smoke. His mandibles spread in a smile which was eclipsed by his grin when he saw what she was holding. Ali threw the krogan's head at one of the spectres who looked shocked. "In case anyone wants a momento," she muttered walking straight to Thane. "Are you okay?"
"Yes, unfortunately, my son doesn't believe the same." Kolyat didn't reply simply applying some medigel to the contusion.
"Looked like a pretty good knock."
"Nothing I can't handle."
"Feeling up to getting these spectres out of here?" Finally his son let him stand, and he followed Ali's lead in escorting the spectres to freedom.
"Did you manage to learn anything during your captivity?" Ali asked a turian once they had cleared the entire compound. She had called it into the Council, and they were sending ships to pick up the prisoners.
"No, it was mostly just sitting in that cell day in and day out," he responded. All the prisoners had been cleared by Dr. Rimble with only minor injuries which surprised Ali.
"So they never talked to you about bases or anything?"
"As I said human, no, we were just their prisoners. They didn't even torture us for information."
"Which I find strange, do you have any idea why?"
"I got the feeling that Phoenix all ready knows all it needs to. They don't have any use for redundant information."
"Thanks, Fortus, I hope no more missions will go like this."
"That is my hope as well. My thanks for the assistance." With that, Ali called up her team ushering them back into the shuttle before having Guardian head to the ship. Thane didn't need to speak for her to know he had doubts about this mission. Prisoners not being tortured when they have insight into the inner dealings of the Council. It doesn't make any sense.
"Perhaps, the turian was right, Alpha. Maybe they don't need any information. They did break onto the Citadel. While they were there, all sorts of information might have been found," Guardian spoke up in her head.
"Private thoughts, Guardian."
"My apologies."
"But ma'am why can't we stay here? We'd be closer for support, and you wouldn't have to worry about our safety all the time," Stein complained when she called a meeting a few hours after they had all taken a shower and a slight rest.
"Because I will kill you all if I have to live on the same ship for who knows how long," she explained. "Plus I don't know if being close to me would be too safe. I tend to get us in trouble. Stein, I want you off the ship by tomorrow and on your way to the safe house we talked about a while back." He huffed but finally seemed to accept that she wasn't budging.
"What will you have us do once we are there, ma'am?" Natalie asked from where she was sitting on a crate near the back of the shuttle bay. Since the meeting room wasn't big enough for her entire team, she had decided to have them meet there.
"Honestly, I don't know if you are going to make it there. According to Guardian, EDI and she are almost done with going through the files we took from Foreman's base."
"Then why have us go away?" Stein asked finding more steam. Closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, she tried to keep from punching her second in the face.
"So help me Stein, because I said so."
"Right, of course, mom."
"Good boy, I'll give you a cookie before dinner tonight." He rolled his eyes, but a few of the other men hid smiles. "Any other questions?" There was a collective shaking of heads which caused her to dismiss the team.
"Are you all right, Siha?" Thane asked quietly when most of the team had piled into the elevator. Stein and Jack had remained to talk near the shuttle, and Natalie who hadn't moved from the crate.
"Yeah, I'm just tired and a little sore."
"Why? I didn't see you take any hits."
"Exactly, I wasn't being viewed at the time. That krogan was a little faster than I had anticipated, and I received a few concussive shotgun rounds." His eyebrow ridges fell slightly, and he looked worried. "It's just a few bruises."
"Ali, may I talk to you?" Nat asked from where she was sitting. Thane glanced her way then gave Ali a look.
"I'll meet you in our room. Sure, Nat, what's up?"
"I saw what you did to the krogan."
"I know. I saw your eye hovering in the corner."
"Was that battle mode?" the woman asked.
"Yes, it decided to make sure that the krogan was dead."
"Why?"
"Why do you think?" Ali asked looking at the girl with curiosity.
"I thought maybe your battle mode had developed an affection for Thane." Ali found herself smiling which Nat returned fully.
"I suppose she has." They were silent for a while. "Did something happen while I was away?"
"Besides the coup? No, nothing overly interesting happened."
"I meant with you." Natalie glanced up at her commander and sighed.
"I don't know. I've been dwelling on the Fac since you left." Ali looked away swallowing down her own memories before hardening her own resolve. "It's easier to live in the past than to face the future and change what you were." She didn't respond. Sometimes silence was better than interrupting her people. "Being what they raised me as is far easier than what you taught me to be. And with you gone, I couldn't find it in me to continue changing."
"I'm sorry, Natalie. I wasn't aware that you were struggling so greatly with my absence."
"I want to change again, Ali."
"I'm not the one who changed you in the first place. I was simply the instigator."
"You do enjoy being an instigator," she joked glancing up at her leader with a rare smile.
"I'll let you have that one. I quite enjoy making things happen." They were silent for a while each lost in thought.
"I don't understand."
"What?"
"When you and Thane were together on the Citadel, I thought nothing could separate the two of you. Then you were not there for a long time. It felt like an eternity. Everyone changed. You're our lynchpin, Ali. When Mark was in charge, we didn't even think of you when you left us, but as soon as you took over, you became essential. When you two came back to the Citadel to rescue us, I could see that something had changed in the both of you. But now, I am not so sure. You two depend on each other."
"Thane is the thing that keeps me grounded. Without him, I drift."
"And you keep him," she paused looking for a word, "Alive." Ali shrugged waiting for the woman's conclusion. "I wish I could find someone like that."
"Sometimes you have to become what you need, Nat. He or she may show up at some point but until then you have to make do on your own even if you have to fake it. However, I hope you know that I am here if you need me." Natalie was silent for a time as if thinking about what she had said. Then she squared her shoulders and got to her feet. When she looked at her leader, her eyes were more alive and smiling slightly.
"Of course, ma'am. Thank you for the advice."
"Anytime, Natalie, and good work today."
When Ali got back to their room with another plate of food from the mess hall, Thane raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm still starving. Not a word. If I hear the word pig, I will kill you without mercy." she said sharply.
"I don't know what that is, Siha." With a small smile, he raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.
"Alpha, I fear there may be a fight breaking out in the mess hall," Guardian informed in her head.
"Don't care. Let them figure it out on their own."
"Problems with the soldiers, I take it?" Thane asked sitting down next to her on the couch. She rolled her eyes and nodded instead of speaking because she had a mouth full of food. "Did you want me to deal with it?"
"No, they need to learn how to sort these things out by themselves. Guardian, don't inform me about them again."
"Of course, Alpha." He watched her eat for a few moments before smiling at her.
"Can I have a bite? Now that you're eating, it has made me hungry." She jerked her head at the plate handing him her fork which he took, quickly eating a bite.
"What do you feel about this last mission?" He glanced up at her before handing the fork back. His eyes clouded with slight confusion, but he saw that she wanted his honest opinion.
"You know what I think, Siha. You're too reckless, and I always fear for your safety."
"You terrified me when that Krogan threw you at the wall."
"And when I woke up, you weren't there, and Garrus told me that you were alone in a sealed room with that monster."
"I ended up better than you. Don't think that I don't know you have a headache from that hit. All I have are a few bruises."
"Yes, but he could have killed you," Thane argued. She gave him a look.
"He might have, but he didn't. What would you have me do? Endanger the rest of my team instead of just myself."
"Of course not, I am not asking you to change. I just need you to keep someone with you." Ali laughed despite herself, but she couldn't find it in her to fight with him.
"I'll take it under advisement."
"Thank you."
"Alpha, we found the file about the Phoenix base from Dr. Foreman's terminal," Guardian said over the intercom. Ali sighed in exasperation.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I will be down in the briefing room in fifteen minutes. Have the rest of the team down there in thirty minutes."
"Of course." Ali kissed Thane's chest before getting up and pulling on loose pants and his navy blue shirt. She looked in the mirror combing through her hair trying to tame the inevitable rat's nest since she had sex before it was dry. Sighing when she couldn't get it to cooperate, she rinsed her hair quickly drying it with her fingers then wrestling it into a messy bun since it was so short. Thane looked up when she walked into the main room. He already had on his clothes, but he was sitting on the edge of the bed. She walked over and stood between his legs wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him deeply loving how he ran his hands up her back.
"I'll see you down there," she murmured putting her forehead against his before going to the door.
Author's Note: I had to go through my Mass Effect playlist to get the inspiration, but I finally finished this last chapter. I am posting the last five chapters. Then tomorrow I will post the epilogue.