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Thane was mulling over Shepard's communication, wondering what the human councilor was involved in that had the salarian councilor so concerned, when he heard unusual noises in the hallway. Retrieving his gun from its hiding place, he went to the door, letting it slide open.
Down the hall, the nurses' station was surrounded by men with guns in uniforms he recognized instantly. Cerberus. Well, that explained many things.
There was no time to contact Shepard—the Cerberus troops were going room by room now, making sure the hospital was under control, checking to see if there was anyone valuable in any of the rooms. Thane had a brief window in which to escape, and would have to take it now.
He ducked out of the room, surprised and pleased to find that he moved as lightly and silently as he always had. His skills, honed and ingrained until they were part of him, came back easily despite how long it had been since he'd used them. Now if his lungs would only hold out until he got to a place of some security.
The trickiest part was getting downstairs—the elevators were still running, but Cerberus had control of them. He had never liked being trapped in elevators, anyway; not enough means of egress. Still, in his condition the stairs weren't called for, either, so he resorted to prying open the doors of a service elevator that hadn't been locked down yet and had stopped on the floor below. He stepped lightly onto the top of it. As it reached the first floor, he swung through the access panel, to the evident surprise of the volus maintenance worker who was occupying it. Thane held his finger to his lips. "Cerberus," he said softly. "I would flee, if I were you."
The volus nodded, and Thane slipped out as soon as the doors opened, glad to see that the service corridor was not yet being patrolled.
Outside the hospital, the situation was as bad as he had feared. Cerberus held the entire station, as far as he could see, and C-Sec was in chaos, individual officers running here and there but with very evidently no coordination. He wondered about Bailey, who would no doubt be wherever the fighting was hottest, and then felt a sickening fear for Kolyat.
He needed to get to his son. That should be his first priority.
But Cerberus must have taken C-Sec headquarters. Probably as their first action, to make the rest of the station easier to control. Before he worried about Kolyat, Thane would have to get to C-Sec and lend a hand to anyone who was still alive. If they couldn't coordinate C-Sec, all was lost.
He was relieved that Kaidan Alenko had already been released from the hospital—hopefully the Spectres on the Citadel were having better luck against Cerberus than C-Sec—and that Shepard was on her way. As always, the mere thought of Shepard made him feel better, stronger. He made his way quickly from shadow to shadow.
Hurrying, Thane felt a spasm coming on, and looked hastily around for somewhere he could hide until it passed. A nearby storefront was open, its glass windows smashed. He went inside, ducking behind a counter. This store appeared to have been looted already, to judge from the terminals and a few scattered credit chips littering the floor, so hopefully no one would have reason to look into it until he had recovered his breath.
The comm link in his collar buzzed softly. It could only be one of three people—Bailey, Kolyat, or Shepard, any one of whom he would be relieved to hear from at the moment. When he connected the call, a familiar voice came across.
"Hey, yeah, this is Joker."
Thane felt a moment's fear. "Is Shepard with you?"
"Uh-huh."
"Cerberus has taken the Citadel. She will want to hear this."
"Yeah, no kidding."
There was a brief flash of static, and then he heard Shepard's voice, sharp with concern. "Thane?"
"Siha. The Citadel is under attack. Cerberus troops are everywhere, and they are in control of the docks."
"Well, that explains it," Joker muttered.
"Are you safe?" Shepard asked Thane.
He peeked over the counter. Cerberus troops were nearby; he would have to move on soon. "No. I had to evade their commandos at the hospital. I'm in a Presidium storefront."
"What about Kaidan?" Shepard asked.
"I don't know. I haven't seen him since he was released from the hospital. I'm going to C-Sec headquarters."
"Why C-Sec headquarters?"
"It's been compromised, and C-Sec's response depends on it. As long as Cerberus is holding the headquarters they have the station."
"Commander, I can get us in near the HQ, and then you can deploy in the shuttle," Joker said.
"Good thinking, Joker. Do it. Thane, stay there. I'm coming."
"I will be here." The call disconnected and Thane looked out again. Yes, the troops were getting closer. He would have to hurry. Fortunately, the dizziness had passed. He should be able to make it to C-Sec headquarters now—and if he was very lucky, he would find Bailey there, and possibly Kolyat. If not … well, the station's security was the first priority. Once that was accomplished, he could look for his son.
If only his lungs would last, he thought. "Amonkira, God of Hunters, grant me the strength to reach my destination. Allow me to be of service to Shepard once more, to fight at her side, to help make this place safe for my son and for everyone who lives here. Support me in this, my hour of need, I beseech you." He didn't speak the prayer aloud, wanting to conserve his breath, but it repeated in his head as he ran.