"Okay," Shepard said, regarding the cannon from the third story of an abandoned, beat to shit building. "Biotics, I want you to rip that thing open. Then Vega and I will fire with heavy weapons." She already had her Collector particle beam cradled in her arms.

Alenko shook his head slowly as he regarded the bug-like Reaper cannon. "They knew we were coming."

"Undoubtedly the Illusive Man has been very informative," Javik answered. Of the team, he seemed the least affected, probably because the ruined city was something familiar to him. "Or, they knew we would come sooner or later, and simply made arrangements. They are most disobliging."

Liara chuckled at this, but wanly. "That sounds like a good guess. After that?"

Everyone looked at EDI, who was handling secure communications in hopes that the Reapers wouldn't be able to monitor her transmissions as they would those of most others. "Anderson confirms a shuttle will be deployed to pick you up. The other teams are to walk in."

"Did you tell him about Cortez?" Shepard asked.

"I did. If Cortez makes it to the Underground, or if he is found by allied troops, he will be brought in." Then, as if realizing the words sounded ominous, "Brought in gently."

"He'll be alright," Vega said robustly, as if trying to convince himself. "He knows how to keep his head down, and he's smart. He'll realize we haven't seen any significant ground forces from our side."

Alenko nodded his agreement. Cortez didn't strike him as the sort to curl up and die just because he got shot down. If anything, Cortez struck him as the type to get himself picked up by allies so he could get another ride and get back to doing what he was good at.

"That thing is ugly," Tali mumbled, shaking her head slowly.

"Fits right in. No offense," Garrus appended.

London did look a mess.

"You ever been to London?" Alenko asked Shepard.

"A few times. Couple reunions, N-program stuff," Shepard answered vaguely. "I don't usually do the tourist thing. If you're hoping for that, you're gonna have to talk to Anderson. He grew up here."

"What? No moonlight walks through a former warzone? And here I thought you were a romantic," Alenko chided.

Shepard turned, grinning wolfishly at him. "I'm flattered, Major, but let's keep our minds on business."

It was almost what she'd said to him the first time he'd slipped up and said something stupidly sentimental to her. Although in that case, it had been with Williams on the Citadel. "Yes ma'am."

"I'll think about it," Shepard allowed before taking a deep breath and checking her particle beam out of habit. "Okay. Let's get this boulder rolling."

-J-

Vega found himself less distressed over the bombed-out city of London than he expected, and put it down to two things: one, he'd never been to London, so seeing this way was sad but not any more so than seeing any other city he'd never been to in such reduced circumstances, and two, he had a tactical nuke launcher and he was going to get to shoot it.

Shepard gave the best presents…although by now she'd told him several billion things to watch for, the most prevalent one being that A) the thing kicked like a geth Prime stomping your skull into the dirt and B) not to worry about squeezing the trigger like a good marksman, because the stupid gun was going to move when fired anyway. One simply had to get close; almost only counted with horseshoes, hand grenades and, apparently, firing the Cain.

It was also reassuring to hear Alenko flirting with Shepard like that, though Vega couldn't say why. Maybe it was just that she could grin and chuckle; apparently, she'd left her tension headaches back in the Horsehead Nebula, just like she predicted she would. Goodness knew he'd had a few, though not having her responsibility he hadn't had the same magnitude of problem.

He followed Shepard down the stairs of what had once been…he wasn't even sure whether this place had been residential or business. It had been pretty well stripped down to nothing, just rubble and rubbish in the corners.

From the ground, the Hades cannon looked even bigger and uglier than it had from the third-floor window.

"How many did Anderson's people take down?" Tali asked nervously.

"Five out of the targeted six," EDI answered. "Alenko, I can confirm that your unit is here. You asked me to keep an eye out for them."

Alenko swallowed, looking relieved. "Thanks, EDI."

"They were difficult to pinpoint as they are not referring to themselves by the unit title you supplied."

"Makes sense. I take it they're helping with these cannons?" Alenko asked.

"Yes. Also, Jack and the students from Grissom. Apparently…" EDI paused. "Apparently, they are AWOL to be here."

"That does sound like Jack," Alenko answered, looking conflicted.

"Anderson knows how to handle assets," Shepard said from further ahead. "They'll probably get a slap on the wrist, and a star, and a red mark on their personnel records."

Which was to say, at the end of the day, the kids would break even, gallant action balancing out the fact that they'd gone AWOL into the biggest, heaviest war zone in the galaxy. It wasn't like they'd tried to run away.

These were the things that made Vega glad he was just a grunt. He didn't have to weigh spirit of law and word of law, or decide how by-the-book things needed to be.

"Alright, biotics, this is your show, your timetable, we'll fall in," Shepard announced.

Alenko, Liara and Javik moved forward, taking a moment for hasty discussion.

"Gotta give those kids credit," Vega observed.

"They've got guts. I don't see Jack dragging the unwilling on an unsanctioned operation," Shepard mused. "Still, if you've gotta be somewhere, better to be here now that things are happening."

Vega nodded, pretending he didn't read something dark and depressing into the statement.