Swanwick wasn't as used to handling guns as one might expect of a C-Sec officer. He knew how to use it and make sure it was safe. But firing it was an experience he lacked. And one that he was not eager to gain.

But it wasn't his decision to make. That decision lied solely in the hands of Dr. Saleon. Whichever way the doctor chose to respond to the C-Sec officers about to march through his door would decide whether Swanwick would finally have to fire.

"How do you feel Swanwick?"

There was a pause before the answer. Mostly because Swanwick was hanging on as Garrus drove through the Citadel skyline like a madman. He wanted to get to Dr. Saleon as soon as possible.

"Tense."

"Well try not to get too wound. That's how we get rookies misfiring their guns," Garrus advised as he made a turn that couldn't possibly be legal. A hard swerve at a stop in front of other moving cars had to be hazardous.

"Not sure how I can be. First arrest with C-Sec, and your driving..."

"Exciting, isn't it?" Garrus chuckled. "You see Swanwick, it's times like this that make the job feel worth it."

"What do you mean?"

"You saw how Pallin is, too much of a stickler to rules. Most of the other officers aren't much better. They let regulations get in the way of justice."

"Isn't there a reason we have rules? We don't exactly want vigilantes running the show," Swanwick argued.

"But what happens when the ones who do run the show are so ineffective? What happens when the ones in charge let the filth get dirtier?"

Swanwick blinked.

"This isn't just about one organ case, is it?"

Garrus wasn't smiling anymore. His driving was just as frenetic, but his face was steadier.

"Let's close this case. We can talk more later."

Swanwick nodded. He had a feeling the conversation would be a tough one anyway.

The two of them remained quiet throughout the rest of the ride. Both of them had their own internal methods of preparation. Garrus was loosening some things while winding up others. His trigger finger kept practicing twitching. And he stretched some muscles to keep them ready while making sure his reflexes were as tight as they needed to be. He didn't expect Saleon himself to be much of a fighter, but it was better to be prepared.

Swanwick, on the other hand, prepared himself by holding back.

They reached the lab within minutes. Garrus parked at a nearby lot, making sure not to stand out too much.

"He doesn't know we're here?"

"No. And we'll keep it that way until he's in handcuffs," Garrus said as he loaded his pistol and hid it in his back holster. "Let's go."

Both of their guns still hidden, Garrus and Swanwick made their way towards the lab. There were no guards, so all they had to do was walk through the door. Once they did, they had to-

Swanwick felt it long before Garrus did.

The sudden increase in heat. The wind suddenly shifting towards them. The roaring sounds from within the lab that only Swanwick could hear.

"Garrus! Look out!"

Without thinking, Swanwick jumped in front of Garrus and tackled him back. Just as the laboratory exploded. Both officers were blasted back as the fires overtook the building.

Garrus was the first to recompose himself.

"Shit! He must have known. Come on Swanwick! We need to go after him."

"It burns..."

"Swanwick?"

Pushing his partner off of himself, Garrus saw the problem. A small amount of fire had struck Swanwick in the back, leaving a hole in his shirt and a burn mark on his skin. An open one.

"Swanwick..."

After patting his back to take out the fire, Garrus was conflicted in this situation. Leaving Swanwick behind would mean leaving his partner behind, and doing that would make hunting Saleon even harder. On the other hand, waiting for the human to recover might waste even more time. And let the Salarian psychopath the Turian couldn't allow that.

"The medics are on their way Swanwick. I'm sorry but I have to go and stop him. You'll be fine though. I know it."

"G-Go," Swanwick said with a strained voice. "Get him."

Nodding, Garrus ran in the direction of the ship docks. If Dr. Saleon wanted to escape the citadel, taking a ship was his only option off-world.

Once Garrus was gone, Swanwick's tight grip on the present moment loosened. His eyes saw the flames that consumed the lab, and his mind was then consumed by memories.

Emptied screams from hanging mouths. Silent corpses. Flickering embers that forced his mind to remember that day. The day that should have bought him joy and pride. The day that took from him everything he ever knew and loved.

He knew that the fire couldn't hurt him. It hadn't harmed him. Not physically, at least. But with the heated gas came the memories of how he failed. How he should have come home earlier. He would have lost the tile, but no title could ever be worth the cost of his family. Let alone his entire people. He would happily throw it away if it meant that his race would be spared. And it would spare him the shame. The shame of being the last one left.

And when his eyes gazed on the flickering embers consuming the Salarian lab, he saw elongated green bodies. Neighbors. Coworkers. His family. All of them were being ravaged by the careless flames.

"K'hym. M'yri'ah."

"...Sir. Sir! Can you hear me?"

His eyes tearing away from the fires, Swanwick saw a human woman standing over him. A few Turians and Salarians were there as well. All of them were wearing white medical uniforms.

"His back is burned. And he might be in shock from the explosion. We need to-"

The woman's voice cut off when Swanwick grabbed a hold of her arms. And when she looked at him, she saw his eyes glowing red.

"What...?"

"Please be silent. I need to recollect myself."

That same order was extended to every present medic. Swanwick hated having to do this, to intrude on other sentient beings like this, but he could not risk his secret being exposed. So while they were frozen in place and unaware of the world around them, Swanwick stood back up and instantly healed the wound on his back. With the fires behind him, he was able to bring himself back to reality. Away from past nightmares.

"Dr. Saleon intends to escape, and I will not grant him the opportunity, Swanwick promised. "I will go and stop him. The rest of you remain here and search for survivors. Once I am finished, I will return so you may examine my injuries."

Blank nods from blank minds were Swanwick's response. He was disappointed in himself for having to do this, taking control of their minds and making them comply, but the situation required it. He could not be discovered for what he was, and he could not afford to waste time in a hospital bed.

"Go."

Just as the medics went to look for survivors, Swanwick simultaneously assumed his true form and became invisible. As long as no one could see him, J'onn J'onzz would prevent Dr. Saleon from escaping justice.

Garrus did not expect this day to turn out this way. It started off well. The rookie he had been assigned turned out to be useful. He was smart enough to help Garrus find the missing piece needed to bring the illegal organ case closer to completion. The little incident in interrogation only bought the closer to the end.

But then the explosion happened. He didn't expect Swanwick to have such a problem with fire, but he figured it was something he could ask about later. Right, Dr. Saleon was the thing they needed to focus on. He couldn't let the doctor get away with what he did.

Which was why he wasted no time jumping out of his car once he had reached the ship docks.

Thankfully, it seemed he would be able to make his getaway. He also didn't waste any time cutting through the lines to the Salarian in charge of the docks.

"A doctor just passed through here. A Salarian geneticist. Where is he?"

"Sir, you can't just-"

"I'm a C-Sec officer, and the Salarian you just let pass is a criminal on the run. Tell me where he is so I can catch him."

Realization dawning on the manager, he quickly pulled up the record they had just made.

"He's at port 11-32. He's just about to take off."

"Thank you."

Garrus quickly ran off to try and catch the ship. His gun had already been pulled out.

"11-32. 11-32. He's..."

Garrus saw him. A Salarian was moving a bunch of different aliens into a personal shuttle. And while most people couldn't see it, Garrus noticed the pistol he kept in his hands.

"Get in! Hurry!"

Garrus picked up his pace to reach the ship. He had to get there in time to stop the doctor from making a getaway.

"Stop right there!"

Garrus fired a warning shot. A single bullet fired and hit the edge of the bay doors. A bullet that made Saleon duck. An when the doctor saw who was running after him, he picked up his pace.

"Get in there! Now!"

Saleon forced his employees inside the ship before closing it down. Garrus wasn't quick enough to get inside. And he could hear the engines firing up. But he wasn't about to lose today.

So he got the Citadel Military on the line.

"This is C-Sec officer Garrus Vakarian. I am requesting that a shuttle exiting port 11-32 be shot down. There is a criminal attempting escape."

"Negative. Ignore that order."

Garrus recognized that voice.

"Pallin? What are you doing? Saleon will get away if we shoot him down!"

"He has hostages on his shuttle. We cannot harm them. Furthermore, shooting down a shuttle over the civilian populace will potentially lead to more deaths. We cannot risk that."

"But sir, letting him get away will only allow him to continue experimenting. He'll just find more victims!"

"My order is final Vakarian. Stand down."

Pallin hung up before Garrus could continue arguing. All he could do now was watch as the shuttle flew away.

Dr. Saleon was not a very happy Salarian. His business had been going just fine until the C-Sec officers had shown up on his front door. The moment he had seen them, he knew he was in trouble. He never should have allowed Adjudicas to take the day off. He had to blow up his lab as a distraction to get away from the law.

Still, it seemed that these events would only be a setback. The officer who had come chasing him was locked out of the ship, and there was no way he could get inside. And thanks to the employees he had stored in the cargo hold, the military would not risk shooting him down. They wouldn't want to kill any innocents. And besides, shooting him down might endanger the lives of those people beneath them. They wouldn't want to risk that.

Which meant that the Doctor was free to fly out of the citadel. As he intended to.

His employees were securely stuck in the storage section of the ship, so he wouldn't have to worry about any escape attempts. Especially once they exited the Citadel atmosphere. All he had to do now was-

*THUMP*

Saleon tripped slightly when he felt something lurch the ship. It became unsteady for a moment before destabilizing. The doctor was unsure how to respond.

"What was that? I had this ship inspected two weeks ago."

"Are you certain your inspections were up to par?"

Saleon immediately drew his pistol. He aimed around himself, but he could see nothing. The room was empty, and there was nothing on the main screen.

"What's going on? What was that?"

"Someone who does not find your work savory. You must pay for what you have done, doctor."

"Who are you? What are you? Show yourself!"

No response came. Saleon was left tense from the ordeal.

"I just imagined that. There was no voice. Just a little leftover stress from escaping. Yes, that's all."

Saleon unarmed his pistol and placed it back in his holster. He was fine. He had escaped. He could establish himself elsewhere and continue his work. Taking a deep breath, Saleon was able to relax again.

Then the ship lurched again.

"Error. Error."

The left engine. It was malfunctioning.

"No! What is this?!"

"Left Engine Compromised. Error."

Outside the hull, the entire left side of Saleon's cruiser was being torn apart. Inside the left engine, wires were being crossed, screws were bring untightened, and entire circuits were being dragged out of sockets. Because of the damage being made, the entire ship was now leaning on its rights side. Away from Saleon's preferred destination.

Down on the ground, one disappointed Turian felt defeated. He came so close, only for the bastard to get away from facing justice. Slipping right through his fingers.

Garrus was about to give up hope for an end to the case when he heard a small explosion. Looking up, he saw Saleon's ship leaning towards its right. Something was wrong with it.

But maybe for once, something going wrong might just work out in his favor.

Hopeful once again, Garrus followed after the ship. He might be able to catch the Salarian after all.

"Come on. Come on! Work dammit!"

Saleon tried moving every control, pressing every button, even pulling levers he had never given a second glance to. Anything to try and get the ship back on track. But nothing was working. Every single thing he did accomplish nothing.

"How can this be happening? Everything was going so well!"

"For you, perhaps. Do you care nothing for those you have eviscerated?"

Once again, Saleon tried to find a target to fire at with his pistol. But once again, he saw nothing. He only heard a voice.

"I'm a geneticist. My job, my purpose, is to discover the secrets of biology. I need funding to complete my research, and I will receive that funding by any means necessary."

"Is that all you have to say? Your only excuse?"

"I don't make excuses. I paid them for the organs and gave them new ones. What have I truly done wrong?"

"If you cannot answer that, then our conversation is over."

The voice was gone again, leaving Saleon with nothing to do except watch from the hull as the ship veered away from space simply flew across the Citadel. Not away from it, but above the buildings. Where was it going? Where had this deranged ship decided to...?

Saleon saw his answer soon enough.

Just like before, a vehicle was driving like the spirit of a madman had possessed it.

Garrus had to commandeer some poor human's vehicle in order to keep up with Saleon's shuttle. He said he would take it back though. and right, catching the geneticist was the only thing that mattered. The left engine was out, but the ship was somehow still airborne. It wasn't going to get out of citadel space, but it was heading somewhere.

And based on the direction it was headed, along with the major sites that were there, Garrus had a pretty good guess where the ship was going to land.

The lakes of the presidium were a calming sight. A serene presence within one of the busiest sections of the Citadel. A place one could stop at and relax, staring at the waters while the day passed. Saleon would know, he had stopped by a few times a week before going to work at night.

The lake was also a place people were running from due to the shuttle about to crash into it.

Saleon buckled himself into his seat as he prepared for impact. The hull of the ship was pointed downward now, directly en route to the shining waters below. And with everyone already evacuated, there would be no one hurt from the crash.

*SPLASH*

Though the sides and structure of the lake itself did receive some damage from the impact. Not as much as the inside, however.

The hostage employees locked in the storage section were dragged around and flung like ragdolls the entire time the ship was moving. Especially when it veered off course. Most were injured, but there were no casualties.

Saleon, similarly, was shaken but unhurt by the ride. If anything, he was infuriated more than anything else.

"Dammit! I need to find a new way off the citadel. And my clothes are going to get wet now."

"You have bigger problems to deal with doctor. I cannot allow you to escape."

Angered, Saleon's grip on his pistol tightened.

"I have had it. Show yourself to me!"

"As you wish."

The voice wasn't in his head this time. This time, the door to the pilot's section opened. Allowing Saleon to see exactly who had ruined his plans.

More specifically, what had ruined his plans.

Saleon's eyes widened further than should even be possible for a Salarian. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. It had to be an alien. But it was like no creature he had ever seen before.

It was a tall and lanky figure with green skin. It had four pointed fingers and two toes. A pointed head and piercing red, glowing eyes. And it was levitating off of the ground like a Hanar. But Saleon could tell from one glance that the creature in front of him was far more dangerous than one of those bipedal squids.

"Who- what are you?"

The creature did not answer. It only began to levitate towards Saleon.

"No! Stay back!"

The doctor began to fire at the green creature. But it did him no good. Every bullet went right through it. Literally.

Without an ounce of damage, the green being enveloped both Saleon's gun and his hand in its own. It then lightly applied pressure to its grip.

*CRUNCH*

"AHHH!"

The weapon was crushed to pieces, as were many of the bones in Saleon's hand. Letting go, the creature allowed the doctor to fall back and hold his injured hand.

"You son of bitch!"

Saleon tried to fight physically, using his uninjured hand to land a blow. But just like the bullets, Saleon literally went through the alien. He also tripped on the sealed door, falling to his knees in the hallway.

"You- You won't get away with this!" Saleon tried to sound intimidating to the alien. He knew he was failing, but he was trying to stop himself from falling to fear. "They will never convict me. And I'll tell them about you. They'll come after you too!"

The creature turned around to face Saleon.

"No," it said as its red eyes glowed with intensity. "You will not remember me."

"What makes you- HPH!"

Saleon's face lit up just as his mind was accessed. Everything from the moment the door behind him opened would be locked from his memories.

"You will face the consequences of your crimes. Now sleep."

The Salarians body fell limp as his head dropped back. The doctor was unconscious in the hall outside his pilot's chair. Easy pickings for the C-Sec agent about to pick him up.

Ensuring that he would not be seen, the alien became invisible and intangible. Just moments after he disappeared through the ceiling of the ship, someone came through another door.

"Stop! C-Sec! You have the right to remain... silent?"

Garrus Vakarian expected many things when he swam towards and entered Saleon's ship. A meeting with traumatized hostages. A struggle to find the right door towards the Salarian. And a firefight with a doctor who did not want to be captured.

Instead, he found an unconscious Salarian just outside the ship's control center, laying on the floor. And from a distance, Garrus could see what looked like a broken pistol.

Someone else had been there. That was why he was cautious as he approached Saleon's body. He checked around, but he didn't see anyone else in the hull with them. That meant that whoever had been in the ship had escaped. That would have to be a problem for another time because right now he looked alone. So he put his weapon away and kneeled down over Saleon.

First, he checked the doctor's pulse to make sure he was alive. Then he took a moment to bask in the satisfaction that the doctor wouldn't escape, Garrus then turned the Turian around and cuffed him. He then lifted the Salarian up and carried him over his shoulders. The amphibian wasn't too heavy, but there was certainly some weight. But Garrus powered through it.

"Umph. Come on you crazy slashing bastard. Time to get you into a cell."

Floating above the crashed ship and invisible to the eyes of any species, J'onn watched as the hostages walked outside the ship to be greeted by the medical professionals. They would get the help they needed. many of them would need more than just physical health. The scars on their psyche would remain, J'onn could tell that. But at least they were safe from Saleon now.

Speaking of the deranged Salarian...

Garrus turned over Dr. Saleon to the officers who had arrived. He was shouting and screaming over a misunderstanding of some sort, but none of the officers paid him mind. They simply locked him inside a transport car and sent him away. The Salarian would be serving his time for the horrendous crime he had committed.

So not it was time for J'onn to get moving. He had spent enough time bringing this criminal down. It was time to get in his hospital bed before anyone got suspicious. He flew away from the scene, hoping to find some compliant medics at the scene of a destroyed lab.

And now the people of the Citadel have their own mystery to solve. How exactly did a perfectly functioning ship end up malfunctioning and crashing into the nearest body of water? Coincidence? Unlikely.

As for J'onn, the next chapter will focus on his reaction to these events just as much as everyone else's. His secret hasn't been revealed, but there are questions about to be asked. And those questions might point to Swanwick eventually.

While on the subject of J'onn, I took some time to think about how to implement his weakness against fire. Because unlike superman's weakness to kryptonite, J'onn's has never been all that consistent. Sometimes fire is something that can physically destroy him. Other times it's an artificial hindrance implemented by the Guardians of the Universe. And other times it's a physiological fear born from J'onn's PTSD.

I decided to go with the third option, just because it seemed the most interesting to me. And unlike the other two options, this is something that J'onn can learn to overcome.

I feel like I should have pointed this out earlier, but when writing J'onn, the voice I imagine in my head is Carl Lumbly. It's impossible not to since he basically defined the character in the old Justice League cartoon. He's basically the Kevin Conroy of Martian Manhunter. Whenever he does return to the character, his voice always fits like a glove. I especially have a soft spot for his performances in Justice League Doom.

One last thing I want to mention. Recently, someone sent me a PM explaining that both Liara and Tali would be fine sharing J'onn. They even cited in-game evidence to support their claim. Mostly dialogue bits and personality details. Now don't get your hopes up, I don't intend to do a poly-relationship since I don't think it fits J'onn's character, and I'm pretty sure Martians are monogamous. But I am amused that someone did the equivalent of journalistic research to try and convince me that I should. It's a little funny to me.

Anyway, please leave reviews, tell me what you think, and I will see you all next time.

Bye!