Chapter 5

We decided to split up when we got into town. Kroll, or rather Nalar, as I reminded myself, would head over to the spaceport to find us a ship. In the meantime, I headed for an extranet cafe I knew of. The high streets were absolutely packed with people by the time I got there. There were about a dozen different species in the city melting pot and all of them were evident in significant numbers. The going was slow as they all jostled others out of the way, impatient to make progress, but ironically only succeeding in slowing us all down.

In truth I was pleased about the crowds; they reduced the risk that I would be spotted by any Cerberus informants. It's something that every covert operative learns early on: the louder and more active an area is, the more invisible you become. As I moved into the hectic hustle and bustle of city life, I started feeling more secure than I had in a long time. At least until I started paying closer attention to the people around me that is.

On the surface, everything was exactly as I would expect it to be. The same crowds, the same market stalls, the same grifters and pickpockets hovering on the edges, waiting for an opportunity. As always, Tegan V'gat smiled down at me from the campaign posters plastered across virtually every billboard and spare scrap of wall available (the only other advertisements on display were for 'Vertinax', whatever that was, and some new refugee center being set up on Horizon). A farce of course; everyone knew he would win regardless. It was an open secret that the Blue Suns had him in their back pocket.

But there were smaller details that cried out to me that something wasn't quite right. There were fewer market stalls than normal, for one thing, and even as I watched more were preparing to pack up their gear and leave. That was badly out of place for Korlus. Everyone out here is looking to make money, so why lose out on half a day or more of trading? Even the people were wrong; anxious and nervy, their heads kept down further than usual as they hurried towards their destinations as quickly as possible.

About halfway through my journey, my path was blocked by an entire convoy of Suns troops marching through the city towards the spaceport. Even this seemed wrong, despite the fact that grand displays of military power were common for the Suns on Korlus. The parades were their way of demonstrating their power and authority to the populace, not to mention distilling a false sense of pride in their presence.

But today wasn't a rally. The showboating was absent and the mercenaries' faces were grim. They kept the road closed as column after column of their soldiers marched by. It could have been for a job, perhaps to deal with a new offensive by some Terminus Warlord or other, but whatever the cause was, they didn't look happy about it.

In the end, I had to hire a cab to fly me over the obstruction (the extortionate fare wiping out my remaining credits). I carried on on foot, hoping that the crowds would settle down as I moved away from the convoy but I was out of luck. Just as I passed by Old Brook road, we all heard a loud bang coming from behind us. I turned around to see a large plume of black smoke rising in the sky. There were a few screams of surprise initially as people surged away from that area, but it soon settled down again. Attacks like that are common on Korlus and whatever it was, was too far away to affect us. Knowing they could avoid getting involved, the crowd moved on and I followed suit, ashamed but resolute in my decision not to help.

Nevertheless, it was haunting to see how closely the crowd's general apathy matched my own strategy. For me it was one of the most basic rules of espionage: Always simplify the situation. When I was at Cerberus, I was taught that a good operative will avoid any situation that could potentially add unnecessary complications to their mission. I knew I was the only one here acting out of ingrained training for my survival but the similarity between our reactions disturbed me. Were their instinctual reasons really so different from my own?

Eventually, I reached Justaro's, the extranet cafe I had selected a long time ago as a secure drop site. Thanks to Cerberus it was one of the few I still had left in the Terminus. Fortunately, I had chosen not to reveal the location of this one to my employers and the owner, a Volus by the name of Elim Justaro, was a man I felt certain I could trust.

When I got inside, the cafe was unusually crowded, but everyone was gathering around the televisions near the bar so I had the computers to myself for a change. I went to my usual terminal and activated the encryption software I had installed on there to establish a secure connection to the extranet. I accessed my inbox and waited for the program to download and decrypt my messages. I had several agents and automated systems in place to keep Ori safe and this was the only means we used to communicate. As I was waiting for this to complete, some phrases from the TV reached me; not that I was particularly interested at the moment.

"...Alliance News Network update..."

"...still no further news from the Batarian homeworld of Khar'shan..."

"...continuing to move through the Attican Traverse.."

I tuned out the reporting. It might be worth looking at later, but first I needed to catch up on long overdue updates regarding my sister. Except that there weren't any updates coming in. According to my inbox, I hadn't received any new messages since my last check in. I hit the refresh command immediately and waited impatiently for it to process; praying that there had been some kind of malfunction. Again it showed the same result. 0 new messages.

"Hello Maria," a voice from behind me called out. It was Justaro, come to welcome me back like he always did; his voice instantly recognizable through the respirator. Like all Volus, he had to wear a full enviro-suit with breathing equipment in order to survive in our atmosphere.

"Elim, it's good to see you again but would you mind giving me a few minutes before we catch up? I'm kind of busy at the moment."

I was starting to panic. Up until now, my agents had always been completely reliable, sending regular updates every few days. For that to stop so abruptly could only mean that something (or someone) had happened. Worse yet, I'd already allowed the trail to go cold by delaying this visit for so long.

"I'm sorry Maria but I really need to speak to you."

I tried to concentrate on what Elim was saying, but my mind was racing. Was it Cerberus or my father that had taken Ori? No, if it had been Cerberus they would have tried to use that fact against me during the attack. They knew only too well that holding her hostage was the best means they had of controlling me.

But if had been my father then how had he managed it? He was a powerful, influential businessman, but still only a businessman, and I had been very careful in building up the defenses with him in mind. More to the point I had all of his best assets under constant surveillance. I should have been warned well in advance if he was planning something like this.

The final possibility twisted in my gut like a knife. That this was a revenge attack from one of the plethora of enemies I had made during my career. I realized that I had made several for all my good deeds and while they hadn't dared come after me when I was with Cerberus they had far less reason to hold back now. But even that didn't feel right. What's the point of revenge if you don't make your target aware of what you've-

I was jolted back to reality at this moment as the words Elim was saying started to sink in.

"...had to do it for my son. They promised him Sanctuary. I'm so sorry Maria."

It was only as I turned around that I saw he wasn't alone. Kolvar was standing next to him, well disguised in a large black traveling cloak and wearing an ugly expression on his face. He was concealing a shotgun under his coat which was aimed directly at my chest.

"I like the new look, Alex. Dirty rags suit you so much better than your usual outfits," I said calmly.

"You can talk," he sneered.

Well fair enough, the dusty, faded clothes I wore now were a bit of a comedown from the tailor-made outfits I used to wear, but unlike him, I was in no hurry to sport Cerberus colors again.

"What can I say? Black, white, and orange went out of fashion, so I ditched the uniform, and Cerberus."

Kolvar shook his head slowly.

"And it's clearly helped you make such a success of your life since. Squatting in an old warehouse with a bunch of alien scum? I thought you were better than that Miranda," he sighed.

"Well in any case it doesn't matter any more. You're coming with me now to meet some old friends. So get moving."

I didn't bother replying, I was too busy deciding how best to take that gun off of him and shove it down his smug throat.

"I can see you're thinking of attempting something dramatic Lawson, but I wouldn't if I were you," he said before patting his weapon lovingly.

"See this here? I had it specially modified. One shot is all it will take to send a slug right through your barrier and into that pretty little face of yours."

At that moment, someone near the bar turned the TV volume up and the latest news story came through loud and clear.

"...confirmation from Admiral Hackett that the Systems Alliance fleets are currently unable to continue fighting Reaper forces within the Sol system. As far as we are currently aware, all communication with Earth has now been cut off."

We couldn't help ourselves. As soon as we heard the announcement we both turned towards the television, unable to process what we had just been told. While we had wasted time on this petty dispute, the real war had already begun, and Earth was the first casualty.

I recovered from the shock first and used my biotics to send a bar stool flying straight at Kolvar, before running for the exit. Looking back around the room, I could see two more Cerberus operatives present but like Alex, they had been distracted by the news report. The fact that I had moved so quickly had ensured a relatively easy escape but I didn't like what that said about me. Was I more concerned with survival than my own homeworld?

I rushed outside, before forcing myself to slow down and merge with the crowd. I shrugged off my coat and pulled a bright red beret from the inside pocket. After discarding the coat and donning the hat I was ready to go. The new disguise was far from perfect but it didn't be. Most people that try to tail you will focus on a specific item of clothing or the shade of your hair as a visual clue that allows them to keep track of you without getting too close. With just a few simple changes, the woman they were looking for simply disappeared from view.

I walked on calmly, moving away from the pursuit like it had never happened, as I had done a thousand times before. From the Citadel, to Illium, to the streets of New York no one had ever found me once I'd distanced myself from the scene of the incident. I only needed to turn round two more street corners and I'd become an invisible part of the crowd once more.

Or so I had hoped, but as in any operation, bad luck will rear its ugly head at the worst possible moment. This time in the form of a man sitting on a bench off to the side, apparently so he could enjoy the little picnic he'd brought with him. Except that he hadn't eaten anything since I clocked him when I walked into the establishment and now he was scanning the ground where I had just been. Evidently, he had noticed something odd as I discarded my old clothes, but he hadn't worked out what it was yet. I kept going, determined to show no sign of interest in his activity.

Once again I felt an all too familiar twinge of fear at the possibility of discovery, but I wasn't ready to run yet. Sometimes civilians get curious when you openly change your attire in public, I reminded myself. Most of the time they don't do anything about it other than look. That alone would draw unwanted attention to me I knew, but reacting to it would only make it worse. Then I saw it, just as he spotted what he was looking for; that little telltale flicker of recognition that told me I was made. In some ways I was embarrassed. I'd only made it a few dozen feet.

As I rapidly accelerated into a sprint, I saw that he wasn't the only one I had to contend with. Clearly, Alex wasn't taking any chances as I could now spot several more assassins in the crowd, their true intentions becoming obvious as they reacted to my sudden turn of speed. The closest was only a few meters ahead, his pistol coming out even as I ran towards him.

I used a biotic lift on him and ran on while he flailed about, his arms swimming in the air. Without breaking my pace, I snatched the gun from his hand while he was overhead and used it to fire at a sniper climbing over the rooftops. The shot passed through his skull and he fell backwards off the roof.

That was two down already but it scarcely made a difference and now the crowd around me was starting to thin out as terrified civilians fled the scene in every direction. I became aware of another gunman running alongside me down the street. We traded a few shots, our aim spoiled with the effort of trying not to get hit ourselves. In the end, I managed to put one in his leg which put him out of the running (literally) and he scored a hit that grazed my shoulder. The pain reminded me what my outfit really lacked was any kind of armor or personal shielding. One good hit and this would all be over very rapidly.

That issue was highlighted only moments later as a fully geared up Centurion emerged from the next alleyway ahead. With no means of bringing down his shield before he shredded me, I dived through a store window on my right and tried to hide among the shelves. He came in after me, so I retreated deeper into the shop losing a shot at him whenever he came into view before scurrying back further. As his shields weakened, he grew more cautious, wanting to hold back and let them recharge before he and his friends marched in to finish me off.

Obviously, I wasn't going to wait for that to happen and so it was time for a change of tactics to catch him off guard. I jumped up onto the counter and charged straight for him, firing as I ran. As I drew close he drew a shockstaff, a standard Cerberus melee weapon that functions like a cattle prod with the juice dialed up to eleven. Not willing to give him the chance to use it, I somersaulted directly over him, firing constantly into his shields. He spun round, weapon raised and ready to deliver a jolt that would lay me out, but it was too late. His kinetic barrier had finally failed him and my last shot had caught him square in the face.

I could hear several more soldiers heading into the store and I began to wonder if there was any hope of surviving this. I pulled myself behind cover and tried to fire on the intruders, only to hear an all too familiar alarm, warning me that the weapon was overheating. With no other options, I unleashed a biotic shockwave at them.

Shockwave is arguably one of the most difficult biotic techniques to master and certainly one of the most destructive. It generates a series of powerful gravitational pulses that extend outwards in whatever direction you've sent them. The overall effect is often compared with the passage of a fast moving freight train, although that can be putting it mildly.

In the tight confines of the store the results were dramatic as wooden shelves ripped themselves apart, the cakes and pastries on display ceased to exist and several troopers were flung backwards out of the store at speed. Unfortunately, I could spot several more soldiers still standing, protected from the shockwaves because their kinetic barriers were invulnerable to almost every form of biotic attack.

Next order of business was fixing my weapon. The sentinel I had just taken out had two heat sinks on him so I tucked one into my belt and swapped the other for the spent one in my gun. Not for the first time, I found myself grateful for the standardization that had made these things so interchangeable. Next, I switched on my commlink, praying that Nalar had managed to find us a ship.

"Jack, we're in trouble!"

"I noticed," I replied before holding out my communicator so Nalar could hear, as I exchanged fire with the small army outside.

"Shit, so they found you as well?"

"I got caught up in an ambush in the merchant district. Managed to get away but now I'm pinned down under an apartment block on Forvans street."

"If you stay put I should be able to come and pick you up but that's not the only problem we're facing right now."

"What's the situation?"

"Well, the good news is that I managed to find us a way off this trash pile. Ship's an old sand runner but it seemed good enough to get us where we need to go. Bad news is the warehouse was attacked by more Cerberus bastards. Those guys are really gunning for you."

"Cerberus doesn't quit. What happened at the warehouse?"

"Long story short? Our guys had to bug out when they started bringing in heavy mechs. They're making a fighting retreat towards a small hanger bay where we can meet them with the ship. Once everyone's onboard we can make a run for the Relay."

I wasn't sure it was going to be that easy but it was still our best hope so I didn't waste time voicing my doubts.

"Did everyone make it out okay?"

"No, we lost.."

A grenade then landed a couple of feet away and I barely had time to lob it back before it detonated. The explosion gave my attackers pause for a moment but it was definitely time to get out of here.

Focusing all my remaining energy for a moment I directed a massive biotic pull upwards. It was pretty drastic. With a huge crash, the ceiling above my attackers collapsed, with dust and rubble filling the air. The debris formed enough of a ramp that I was able to haul my ass up into the apartment above where I found the owner, a young Asari, gazing at the gaping hole in her floor in horror. As soon as she spotted me she started yelling abuse at the top of her lungs. I tried to warn her that she needed to stay quiet but as I drew close I was met with a spray of blue blood against my face. The soldiers below had gunned her down without hesitation.

I ran to the far window, intending to break through it and jump down to the other side, but when I reached it I found looking out at a view that was fifty stories up. The capitol, Choquo, was built over an undercity, mostly filled with the huge processing centers that handled millions of tons of waste from Korlus' scrap pile every day. Thanks to the haphazard construction above ground, there are several places in the city where you can look straight down and see it, and now I was trapped up against one of them. No chance of using a biotic trick to get down safely. I'd most likely suffer a brain hemorrhage before I made it halfway. So staying low, I took the door out of the ruined flat and raced up the stairwell, determined to survive.

Up and up I went, floor after floor, listening closely to the obvious sounds of pursuit below. Now that the Illusive Man's assassins could sense an opportunity to finish this there would be no stopping them. They followed my pace step for step, ready for every trick I tried to throw them off, relentless in their pursuit. I just hoped they weren't encountering any more innocents on their route to me. I could guess only too well what the result would be.

Just as I was wondering what the hell my next move should be, I heard Nalar again on the comm.

"I think I'm getting close to your location Jack. It's the building getting surrounded by Cerberus gunships, right?

Gunships? Even as I heard the word, the first one floated up into view just beyond the window. I was forced to break through the closest door into another apartment. A very temporary fix at best but at least this one was empty so I crouched behind the strongest wall I could find.

"Affirmative," I confirmed. "I need an exit asap."

"Okay, you'll have to get out through the north window. Don't worry I'll catch you."

I ran to the window but hesitated. It wasn't the first time I'd had to jump out of the window of a skyscraper as part of an extraction but it was a maneuver that required absolute trust in the person catching me. Kroll had been ordered to kill me and despite everything he claimed it was still his safest option. Worse still, I couldn't see anything out there like the ship he'd described; just the usual shuttles and skycars. Lying now was probably the easiest and safest way of getting rid of me that he could think of.

But another gunship was swooping round the corner into view and from the thundering of the soldier's footsteps behind me, I guessed that they were only in the next room now. The ship slowed down and turned to face me directly. Less than ten feet away, separated by a single pane of glass there was no way it could miss.

I destroyed the window with a single shot and jumped.