Miranda

Medi-gel soothing the fire burning through her abdomen, Miranda struggled to pull her hands and knees beneath her, fighting like hell to get back on her feet. Loud barks of gunfire filled the air around her, rivaling Grunt's enraged bellows. A hand slipped under her arm, and she flared, ready to fling biotics at her attacker until she caught sight of the rainbow-hued drell. She licked her lips. "Feron," she said, more for her sake than his as she let him pull her to her feet.

He watched her for a second, probably to make sure she wasn't going to just fall again, before turning his attention back to the battle. She moved to cover and peered around the edge, trying to locate her firearm lost in her last scuffle. Kai Leng avoided Grunt's charge, his light, malicious laughter trailing after him as he cartwheeled away. She spotted her gun … right next to where he came to a stop, gaze locked on her as he twirled his sword.

Growling, Grunt swung around and open fired, giving her the opportunity to put a little more distance between herself and the Cerberus assassin. Pulling biotics into her hand, she flung a Warp at Kai Leng before turning and running. She slid behind a desk, cursing the fact that her weapon was even further out of reach. A moment later, an asari—the same one who helped on Gellix—dropped down next to Miranda, pulling a pistol from her side and passing it over with a nod.

"Thank you." Miranda checked the thermal clip before pressing her back to the desk and peered around the edge. With Kai Leng no longer within her line of sight, she leveled her weapon on the nearest commando and squeezed the trigger.

They'd finally tracked the Illusive Man down again, hidden away on Benning—once again, well within Alliance protected space. So close to the Arcturus Station, it put Miranda in a tough spot. She'd told Councilor Anderson that she would let him know when she found the Illusive Man again, but he'd also told her that the Alliance could be of no more help in her hunt. Uncertain as to whether or not that meant they might stand in her way should her mission find her back in Alliance territory, she decided it would be best to wait until after she killed the Illusive Man to inform Anderson. She prayed it wasn't a mistake.

Unsurprisingly, the Illusive Man had them pegged the moment the Normandy entered the atmosphere. Within seconds of landing, Cerberus commandos and phantoms swarmed the docks, forcing them to fight from the moment they stepped off the ship. Even if they hadn't already known which building the Illusive Man chose for his hideout, the constant wall of Cerberus troops would've led them right to his location. Naturally, the coward sent his guard dog after them when they came too close and locked himself away at the back of the building. EDI kept Miranda updated on his movements, but for the time being, he didn't appear interested in running anymore.

She stood over Kai Leng, blood dripping from a gash above her eyebrow. He coughed and groaned, rolling over to pull himself up, but she kicked him in the ribs, forcing him back to the floor. She raised her pistol, putting him in her sights, but before she could pull the trigger, he spun, kicking out his legs and sweeping her off her feet. She fell, hitting the ground nearly hard enough to knock the air from her lungs.

Up and running before she regained her bearings, he headed for the exit. The staccato fire of every gun on her team followed him, but still, the sonofabitch made his escape.

"Damn it!" Miranda took Jacob's hand when he reached for her and pulled herself up. "Go!" she yelled, waving her hand at the others. "Get him!"

She didn't waste any more time, hightailing it toward the door, gun ready. Bursting through, she found the hall empty. She clenched her jaw, waving Grunt and the other heavy hitters forward. Kai Leng had become a serious thorn in her side, and she wanted him dead almost as much as she did the Illusive Man. Almost.

Blood painted the floor in rainbow-colored splotches, the air so thick with the metallic scent it choked with every breath. Drenched in blood herself, she couldn't even tell how much of it belonged to her. Her thigh and back burned, the right side of her face swollen, making it difficult to see. Between biotics and firing her weapon so much, her hands felt a little numb. The constant gunfire left her deafened, nothing but a high-pitched whine filling her head. They were out of Medi-gel, even what little they scavenged off of dead Cerberus troops.

The asari who'd sacrificed her pistol to Miranda now lay lifeless a meter away. Unfortunately, she wasn't the first and unlikely to be the last of the Shadow Broker's team to fall. Feron sat propped against the crate next to her corpse, blood trailing down his arm, chest heaving. He adjusted his grip on his weapon and turned out of cover. Across the room, Grunt roared, just as bloodied and bruised as the rest of them, and charged toward a piece of machinery at the back of the factory where more troops hid.

Miranda kept firing, following the path a nameless turian—one of Grundan Krul's men—and Jacob helped to clear for her as they tried to push their way toward the Illusive Man's last known location. He'd taken a hit and ran for cover, but Miranda didn't know how badly he'd been hurt. She needed to know he was truly dead before calling a retreat. His life was the only one that mattered, all the rest wearing Cerberus colors would belong to her once he died, even if they didn't yet know.

The far wall exploded, sending twisted, white-hot shards of metal and cinderblock flying through the air. The piece of machinery Grunt fought next to caught fire, blasting apart a moment later, and she lost sight of the krogan. An invisible fist closed around her throat, denying her of oxygen, and it had nothing to do with the billowing, black clouds of smoke swiftly filling the factory.

"Grunt!" she yelled, unable to really even hear her own voice above the chaos.

If he died, if she lost anyone else close to Shepard ….

She slapped her hand to her comm. "Grunt!" she called again, even as another rocket tore through the wall a little further down, giving her view of a gunship just outside before it started firing.

Jacob grabbed her, wrestling her to the ground behind cover. His mouth moved, but she couldn't make out what he said. She slapped at him, trying to wriggle free, but she was no match for his strength, especially in her injured state. When he eventually let her go, she gripped her pistol tight and flared with biotics, peering around the edge of the cooling system. She growled as Kai Leng finally showed himself again, dropping down from the catwalks above where the Illusive Man fell.

Kai Leng pulled the Illusive Man's limp and bleeding body up over his shoulder, fully restored shields brushing off their attacks, and cast one last glance at Miranda before running and jumping out of the last hole blown in the wall. She ran to the opening, glancing down just in time to see the gunship disappear around the building, Kai Leng crouched low on top, the Illusive Man pinned to the roof of the gunship beneath his hands.

"I've been receiving reports of the destruction of a factory on Benning all morning, Ms. Lawson. It seems a whole horde of men and women in Cerberus armor were found inside once the fires were extinguished, along with nearly a dozen members of other races." Anderson stared at her a moment, hands held behind his back, face expressionless. "Am I to assume this was your doing?"

As if the massive damage done to her face didn't speak for itself.

She sighed, pressing her palms to the conference table. "You said the Alliance could no longer assist in my hunt for the Illusive Man. I thought it prudent to discuss Benning with you after the fact."

Lips pressing together, he hummed. "Did you get him?"

Miranda took a deep breath, letting it rush out of her as she tentatively explored the cut above her brow with gentle fingers. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" The councilor tilted his head a hair and raised his brows.

"He was injured. Possibly killed. I wasn't able to verify his state before Kai Leng carried him away from the fight. He looked dead, but he might have only been unconscious." Pushing back from the table, she crossed her arms. "Kai Leng escaped with the Illusive Man on a gunship. There were too many troops still in play, Grunt was buried beneath burning rubble, and we were all injured. We were unable to pursue."

He nodded and lowered his gaze. After a moment, he looked up again and asked, "Did Grunt make it?"

"Yes." She shifted her weight and waved in the general direction of the med bay a deck below. "He's in the med bay raising hell as we speak."

"Good." He nodded again, shoulders hefting with a quiet, deep breath. "Shepard's lost enough, but she's starting to make progress. Another member of her team dying would set her back."

"Agreed," she said.

"If you intend to have Cerberus working with the Alliance when all is said and done, then we can't have another Benning incident, Ms. Lawson." Anderson held her gaze, steely eyes unforgiving in their sincerity. "Are we clear?"

She pursed her lips but gave him a slight nod. "I understand, Councilor."

"I'm happy to hear it. Let me know when you track him down again." Dropping his hands from behind his back, he moved closer to the camera. "I may not be able to get the Alliance to provide troops, but at the least, I can convince them to clear the way for you."

Miranda sat down in the Illusive Man's chair, the Cronos Station eerily quiet, and took a deep breath. It was a dangerous decision without being utterly and completely certain the Illusive Man was, in fact, dead, but she had no choice. The game of cat and mouse needed to end. She needed to seize Cerberus' reins and start implementing plans to prepare for the reaper's arrival.

She swiped her hand over the screen, pulling up the Cerberus Network. EDI already hacked through the firewalls protecting the system, giving her full access. Taking another deep breath, she began typing.

"The Illusive Man no longer controls Cerberus. You now report to Persephone. Full reports of all projects will be submitted within five days. Failure to comply will result in the withdraw of all Cerberus funding of your projects and strike teams will be sent to bring you in to answer for your lack of cooperation. Operative Kai Leng's access has been revoked. He is no longer welcome in any Cerberus facility and is wanted for questioning. Engage at your own risk. The Illusive Man is presumed dead, however, should he resurface, report his whereabouts immediately. A reward will be issued for any information leading to the capture of either the Illusive Man or Kai Leng."