Story Title: A Touch of the Past
Chapter: 7/18
Chapter Summary: Spectre Alenko goes to work…
A/N: From this chapter on, I acquired the assistance of a beta.

Chapter 7: Prisoner

Sometimes Kaidan really hated being right: he was damn sore.

Being awake for a few minutes, Kaidan could confidently say that the drug hadn't left him with any side effects, the grogginess passing quickly. That was a relief as Kaidan was concerned that whatever they used to knock him out would keep him lethargic to keep him under control. His hands were cuffed together, but that was extent of the restraints. He wasn't too surprised, though, as the use of biotics were connected to physiological motions, especially with the hands and arms, and not having full range of motion could really throw a lot of users off enough to not be able to execute abilities.

He wasn't an exception in this, but he could accomplish more than most other human biotics. He'd trained with Asari – the best at biotic manipulation – willing to work with a human biotic to the extent he requested enough to work around it, having picked up some alternate motions to connect to his abilities. He liked finding control wherever he could.

Not that the more complex biotics were even an option to him right now. Taking care of that was a priority or he couldn't ensure an exit strategy.

He had been stripped of his armor unsurprisingly, left in his thermal under suit, though there was a change of clothes folded up next to the door. Did they really expect him to take anything they had to offer like that? Even if his thermal suit had been damaged at all, he would take it over anything they gave him. At least he still had some protection with the material that was meant to keep armor from cutting into him.

He allowed the thought of hoping he would be able to find what they had taken from him on the way out of this place; he liked that armor and had gotten everything set just the way he needed and liked for missions.

But now he was in the midst of going through a quick medical review on himself, making sure that he hadn't gained any concerns since the fall from the window. His shoulder was extremely stiff but he had definitely set it right. His neck felt like it was burning and he couldn't feel the gauze he had placed there so his captors had likely already checked him for an attached amps. They hadn't checked closely enough though – just focusing on the area revealed his amp to still be in place under the skin – and he wondered if the ones who checked him had assumed he'd gone the way of so many other BAaT students and had forsaken biotics, making them not look close enough after not seeing an obvious amp. He also couldn't feel any numbness so they likely hadn't applied any medi-gel. Other than that, he could feel the stiffness of his body from the fall and would bet money that his chest was a wonderful collection of colorful bruises, but that was all he could find.

He was now ready to start taking in his surroundings. He was in a cell, solid walls on three sides except for the door, which was barred and exposed to a narrow hall, another cell across from him. Kaidan walked and looked over the door, smirking when he realized that the door was secured with a low-tech electric panel. He could hack that even without his omnitool no problem when the time came.

Extending his focus to actually look out into the hallway, he saw a long line of cell doors stretching to his right. There were a few more to his left, but he was close to the access door to this area. There was no way of telling if any of the other cells besides the one directly across from him were occupied.

"Hey, anyone there?" he called out, checking the access door for a response from anyone on that side of the equation.

"You the one they just brought in?" a male's voice responded, sounding to be directly next to him.

"Yeah. You know how long I was out?" Kaidan needed to know what time he had left to work with before Shepard would be barging into the compound. He'd likely need that distraction to actually get out of here.

"That stuff they give us lasts about twelve hours. Long enough for them to get us here and inspected."

That wasn't too much time lost then. That was good.

"You make eighteen."

That was more than Hackett had reported to be missing.

"Who are these guys?" Kaidan asked, figuring that as long as the guy didn't bring up identity, he wouldn't either. He knew some of the students didn't like what he had done for a variety of reasons and didn't want to risk finding one of them right off the bat.

"Some organization wanting to put together a human biotic army to strike back for all the discrimination against us."

"And they thought we would be a good place to start?"

"Apparently."

"As if the Reapers weren't enough, they want to start some pointless war between humans and biotics."

"Between humans and human biotics. They want nothing to do with other races."

"How are they trying to convince us of this?"

"So far it's been isolation except for hours of brain-numbing questioning of why I don't hate humans after all they've put me through."

"Seems inefficient," Kaidan muttered before he could catch himself. There had to be more to the process than what he was being told now.

He was about to press the conversation further when the access door opened and four men walked into view with a woman secured between them, obviously another captive, who they threw into the cell across from Kaidan. Three of them left then as the last one turned around and looked at Kaidan.

He dressed rich, the suit he was wearing pristine and irritating in how it screamed that other people did the dirty work for this man. He was slender and tall, standing at least four inches taller than Kaidan. His light brown hair was well-kept and styled carefully, brushing across the man's forehead over dark blue eyes. His features were sharp, giving him an impression of harshness that Kaidan couldn't yet determine if it was something to look out for or just a show.

When he spoke, his voice was smooth and conveyed warmth that was obviously rehearsed, insincere. "It is such a pleasure to meet you, Kaidan Alenko. My name is Vincent Kami and I am the head of the Kami Organization."

Kaidan scoffed as he shifted his weight over to one leg, wanting to cross his arms. "Please tell me you didn't chose that name and are just trying to live up to being 'god'." The man's eye twitched ever so slightly. It wasn't outright anger, more like surprised irritation. So not a button Kaidan could push at.

"You are familiar with Japanese?"

"Hardly, just well-travelled and get bored easily if I don't stay amused. Random knowledge helps."

"I see. I apologize for the harsh living arrangements but they are only temporary. Once you are committed to the cause, you will be allowed better accommodations."

Wow, this man's condescending ego was on par with Javik. Kaidan actually half expected the man to call him a primitive.

"I've got enough going on. I don't need another cause."

"You will see the value in what I offer, especially with your history."

Kaidan's stomach rolled at the cold manner Kami spoke in, knowing that he was talking about what Kaidan had done at BAaT. He might even be making false connections between that and Kaidan becoming a marine. "Cut the crap. What am I doing here? I would've taken a request to meet through message just as easily."

The man smiled, the expression cold and unsettling. And Kaidan had come face-to-face with Reapers, so that was an accomplishment for a human.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it was to locate you?"

"I'd hope it'd be quite difficult considering my position."

"Yes, you have done well for yourself. Aren't you the first biotic to reach the rank of Major in the Alliance?" Kaidan remained silent. "Second human Spectre is quite the accomplishment. With that, the Council says you are the best of the best. And we know that you don't shy away from doing the right thing, killing Udina like you did." Kaidan fought the urge to lower his eyes at that reminder. He knew what he'd done those months ago had been the right thing to do, but that didn't make it any easier to live with having pulled the trigger. "You will be a powerful asset in our movement against the humans."

"What movement? What am I doing here?" Kaidan repeated, stepping closer to the cell door.

"We must take our place above the humans. You will help bring together all of our kind and we will show those undeveloped humans why we are superior."

Now Kami was reminding Kaidan of the Illusive Man, both having their agenda supposedly supporting a single race but not caring how they affected the people they got caught up in it. They cared about control in a completely different way than Kaidan did: Kaidan only worried about controlling the only thing he could – himself – while they tried to control everything else. But unlike the Illusive Man, Kami had it out for humans and seemed to want to make human biotics into something other than humans. It was insane in a stupid way.

"Are you serious?" he asked incredulously after a few silent moments.

"Of course, Kaidan. It's what we are meant for."

The way Kami called his name turned Kaidan's stomach, how he seemed to be trying to bend the Major to his will by just using his name. And Kaidan wasn't used to hearing his name from anybody other than his crew. It was always his rank or last name, as was usual for military. But Kami saying it: it was manipulation, a way to talk down to him.

Control. And that just irritated Kaidan, but he kept hold of his neutral demeanor. He wouldn't give Kami anything.

"Yeah, that isn't happening. I don't know what made you think otherwise, but being a biotic doesn't mean you aren't human."

"They want us to believe that. Why else would you be trained as weapons as you were? Weapons can only be wielded, they cannot say who they strike down. This is the human's delusion of biotics: that you are meant only to be used. If they can keep you deluded as to what you truly are, they will remain in power. But they have none. Biotics are evolution and evolution can only move forward. Humans are now the weak."

Kaidan swore the man was getting more insane as the moments passed. Could this really be the guy calling the shots? It wouldn't be the first time, but crazy past a certain point stopped being effective.

"I really don't care what you believe. I'm a human and I won't help you kill other humans. Maybe the next time you decide to recruit, you should go for those willing to buy into your cause."

Kami gave a cold smile and quickly closed the remaining distance to the cell door and reached out to press his hand against the back of Kaidan's neck where the skin was parted, blood quickly starting to flow anew down Kaidan's neck as any scabbing was torn away. The man then used the grip to pull Kaidan against the bars. Kaidan was able to extend his arms in front of him enough that he kept his head from hitting the metal, but he still gritted his teeth at the sting of his wound being attacked like that.

As he tried to push away, trying to escape the rise of throbbing in his head, his eyes caught glimpse of something he could use. His gaze lifted to look into Kami's eyes.

"Let me go," Kaidan ordered, his voice naturally taking on the tone he used when in command.

"You are used to being in control, aren't you Kaidan? Your rank proves that much. But you won't be in control anymore. You may have no need for your biotics, but I do. And I get what I want."

Kaidan was nearly distracted by his confusion, but pushed it aside for now. He had work to do.

"Not this time."

Kaidan reached out between the bars, adjusting his hands automatically to allow the cuffs to not get caught, and grabbed onto the pristine suit and tie and yanked Kami against the bars. He felt the satisfying slam of the man's face against the bars and was even more satisfied to see the skin over Kami's brow split and start to bleed.

Kami released Kaidan's neck and stumbled back. Kaidan stepped back as well, preparing for the man to call out for guards or someone to come and beat the shit out of his attacker. He didn't though and simply collected himself before focusing on Kaidan again, though fury still clung to his gaze.

"Everyone breaks, Kaidan. You will break. And I will be the one to make you. Then you will beg for vengeance against those humans who put you here."

The man walked away, acting as though he wasn't bleeding profusely from a head wound.

Once the door closed behind Kami, Kaidan let out a heavy sigh and leaned against one of the walls of his cell.

Thirty-six hours might have been too much. Sure, he didn't have many answers, but he had enough to shut the place down and give him trouble sleeping for a few more nights.

Kami was dangerous and for some reason he actually believed he had some sort of claim on Kaidan – and likely anyone else he brought here – just because he was a biotic.

And what was that about Kaidan not having a use for his biotics? He used them pretty much on a daily basis. Did he really not realize that Kaidan's access port was healed over because the lead and amp were subdermal or did he just assume that Kaidan didn't want to use his biotics like so many other BAaT brats?

It was only kind of a moot point though as Kaidan had gotten what he needed to hopefully regain access to his full biotic abilities. He looked down at his hand and opened it to see the tie pin that he had managed to pull off Kami's suit. It would come in handy in hacking the lock but he could put it to use on finding a way to work the separated ends of the lead loose enough to connect his amp back to his implant.

"Kaidan?" a soft voice called from the cell opposite him and Kaidan turned to see who was calling out to him.

Through the bars of his cell and the bars of the other cell, Kaidan's breath caught as he recognized the face of the woman they had thrown in there.

"Rahna?" he whispered.

What was she doing here? The latest reports Hackett had sent a few days ago had said that Rahna was safe, working out of colonies in the Gamma System as a counselor for people affected by the war. She had been reporting to work as usual every day and there wasn't any indication of anything out of the ordinary.

Shit, this was getting out of hand. He didn't think Rahna had been taken specifically for the sake of gaining his compliance, especially since they had parted on less than cordial terms, but it would be an effective tactic.

He was already reevaluating his options just knowing that Rahna was here.

"How long have you been here?" he asked, his voice still breathy with emotion.

"A few days. They came for me as I was heading home. What is going on, Kaidan?"

The man he had first talked to in the next cell over broke back into the conversation. "Wait, you're Alenko? The one who killed Vyrnnus?" the voice was perplexed. He must have been someone who hadn't trained with Kaidan while at BAaT.

He had learned as he was being escorted from Jump Zero that while he didn't know all the people who had trained at BAaT, every single one of them knew his name on their way out.

He let out a sigh and leaned his forehead against the bars, the metal cooling his flaring headache. "Yeah, I did that."

And it had scared him off of really accepting and using his biotics until three years ago. Now he was one of the most recognized and talented biotics in the Alliance, training others unlike he had been.

"Great, one of the strongest trainees we had at brain camp and he pussed out of doing something with his biotics," the man groused.

Kaidan glanced around the cells and halls quickly, looking for any indication that they were being recorded. He caught sight of a few small cameras along the walls of the hallway, but they didn't appear to be ones that had mics. Again with the low tech equipment. Still, he lowered his voice to a volume that wasn't likely to be picked up by anything on those cameras.

"They obviously don't have as much information as they should on me. I still have my amp. I just need time to get it reconnected to my implant."

"How do you still have your amp?" Rahna asked, following his lead and lowering her voice.

"They didn't know where to look, but the lead was severed when I was captured. Give me some time and I'll get us out. Even if I can't get my amp going again, I have our way out."

"How?"

"I'm an officer with the Alliance."

"Like that means jack shit. The Alliance is the reason we were sent off to BAaT in the first place. They don't care about us."

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "What's your name?" he asked.

There was a brief pause, probably because it seemed somewhat random for him to suddenly care about the guy's name. "Trent Hicks."

Kaidan leaned back against the wall and brought his hands behind his head, letting the cuffs press against the back of his skull as his fingers felt out the gash. He suppressed reacting to the wave of pain as he worked blindly to locate the lead from his implant. This was going to suck.

"Hicks, huh? You went back to your hometown. Small place the Alliance has no business in except recruiting whoever's interested." Kaidan's voice was strained from the pain, but he took advantage of the distraction.

"How the hell did you know that?" Trent snapped back.

"Trent…" Rahna said soothingly; the woman apparently hadn't changed much.

"We started tracking locations of BAaT students about two months ago, when we found out they were being targeted. But this Kami has been careful."

He finally found the lose wire and pulled it taut, increasing the pressure that was already building around his implant. He couldn't keep from groaning in discomfort and pain.

He breathed in deeply to regain control and leaned back against the wall, relaxing his arms a little. "I don't need you to trust me or the Alliance. I already have the trust of the people I need. I just need to know what I'm dealing with now with these guys."

Silence carried between the cells until Rahna's voice broke through. "I think they are trying to brainwash us into Kami's way of thinking. Before we go into questioning, we are injected with something. I don't feel obviously different but something is going on. They take us out for questioning twice a day and it lasts for about four hours."

"To top it off, they're putting O-E in the food they give us," Trent added, his voice greatly subdued.

Kaidan shifted to a slightly more upright position. He of course knew about the biotic suppressant omega-enkaphalin because of its connection to Cerberus. It didn't surface often, but when it did, he paid attention. Suppressing biotic abilities wasn't usually what people aimed for so it wasn't all that common, nowhere near as common as dealing with the use of red sand.

"Why give suppressants, especially ones with a high risk of permanent damage like O-E? Isn't the whole point to use our biotics?"

"It's likely they're using it for another manner of control," Rahna responded. "They have also used electric charges to force our biotics to materialize, testing power levels without amps."

Vincent Kami was making less and less sense as Kaidan learned more about him.

"Inspiring…" he muttered absently. "So either you don't eat and don't have the energy to muster up any biotics or you eat and can't activate because of the suppressant. It's not bad for keeping safe from imprisoned biotics, but does nothing for building an army like he's claiming to aim for." The Major reviewed all he had learned so far. "You said I made eighteen. Where are the rest?" He hadn't heard any signs of others nearby and they had been talking for a while now.

"Not everyone is against what they are trying to accomplish. Half a dozen are training to start fighting, killing humans like Kami wants. The rest are probably still in questioning. They stagger bringing us back, keep some of us longer than others."

"Probably work harder on the ones close to breaking. Most people aren't able to handle what you are being put through." Kaidan thought about what Kami had promised him. "Kami isn't wrong: everyone has a breaking point. It's about finding how to get to it faster. Once they figure it out, there's nothing keeping you together."

"Well, at least we know what yours is," Trent said harshly and Kaidan watched as Rahna looked away with a visible wince.

A few years ago, that would have affected the biotic greatly. Now he knew better and any regrets he had were dealt with privately. "You don't know anything about me. Say what you want about me – I guarantee you I've heard worse – but don't pretend like you have some moral high ground because of what happened to Vyrnnus. Now you can keep on whining like the next one to break, or you can pull yourself together and be of some use to yourself, if not me."

Trent remained silent after that, as did Rahna. Not knowing what else he could say, Kaidan decided that he needed to take the opportunity to rest, to try and get the headache to subside or he would be fighting a migraine as well as this Kami Organization.

He lowered his arms, making sure the lead would keep from shifting back under the skin after feeling the ends to make sure it had been a clean cut and the wires weren't frayed at all. He then moved to the rear wall and sat down on the floor, pulling his legs up to rest his arms over his knees and then placed his forehead on his arms. The position pulled on his neck, but he would get used to it.

Hours passed with Kaidan managing to doze off and on, waking up each time another of the captives were brought back to their cells. He counted eight be brought past him, noting that there was still one unaccounted for by the numbers given to him.

He awoke with a startle when the door opened again, his internal clock working out that he had gotten probably around eight hours of sleep since the last prisoner had been returned; that left him about 12 hours before he would be looking for Shepard's arrival. He remained relaxed though until he heard the lock release on the door of his cell and he snapped to a standing position as two men approached him. Apparently they thought it was time to start in on him and he actually grinned at the stupid move. He wasn't nearly vulnerable enough to be taken anywhere he didn't want to go.

He also couldn't risk them closing up the neck wound and sealing his access to the lead and his amp. The pin he had was fine for working on the gash already there, but would be too dangerous to try and create a new cut with since he couldn't see what he was doing. Field medic or not, this was precision work and pain was a hell of a distraction.

Taking in a mental inventory of weapons carried by the guards, assuming any rounds in the pistols they carried would be the same incapacitating drug as before, he ignored using them as an option: too close of a space. But if it came to it, being knocked out for twelve hours would be a good alternative to a brainwashing session. Besides, he didn't really want Shepard coming in while he was unconscious; that would just worry his lover unnecessarily.

The charged batons would be a bitch, though.

"Let's go," the nearer one ordered.

"I'm good here," Kaidan responded, shifting the angle of his body.

"Good thing I wasn't asking."

The thug approached and pulled out the baton. Once it was cleared of its holster, Kaidan moved, not giving an opportunity for it to get charged. He rushed the man, slamming his shoulder into him nice and low to knock him off-balance and into the other guard, who grunted and fell out of the cell.

"Kaidan?" Rahna's voice called out to him, a blend of concern and surprise to her tone.

Didn't matter, he told himself.

He reached out and took the baton from the man's distracted grip, setting it to charge. He used the pause to reach up and remove the helmet covering the guard's head. Once the head was exposed, he swung, the baton only partially charged, but that would still do the job, and struck the man across the jaw. The man stumbled back further, nearly unconscious from the strike, and Kaidan closed the distance and kicked him out of the cell.

He was about to follow the body out when the cell slammed shut in front of him, the other guard activating the lock. Kaidan watched the other man, his gaze daring him to come at him again, charging the baton again and holding it in front of him.

"I said I'm fine here."

The guard remained in place as though figuring out if he could subdue Kaidan now that the prisoner was armed. The other man stumbled to his feet and grabbed his partner's arm. "We need a different approach for this one. We tell Kami what happened, see what orders he has for us."

There was a silent pause before the guard nodded and the pair turned and walked away, both slinging threats and insults back at Kaidan.

"Cerberus scientists are tougher than those guys," Kaidan muttered as he deactivated the charge on the baton, taking in a deep breath to focus himself back in. He could feel his hands and legs begin to shake slightly, signs of going nearly a day without eating on top of already burning through a lot of what he had eaten on their mission.

He looked across the hall to Rahna. Her expression was tight, reminding him of how she had looked at him the last time they had seen each other. "I thought you wanted to know more," she said, her voice neutral of emotion which would reveal her thoughts.

"Can't risk losing my advantage and I would if they took a closer look around my implant."

"And what if they attack the rest of us to get you under control?"

It was a concern, but Kaidan was doubtful. "None of you have fought back, right?" Rahna looked away. "You don't need to answer: those two gave that much away. Kami must have them so scared to hurt us that that they weren't willing to fight back."

"We aren't soldiers like you are," she snapped back.

"You don't need to be a soldier to fight back. You just need to want to live and quit taking the shit they're dealing you." He had told his students the same thing many times, usually when a mission would take a turn for the worse.

The best weapon a soldier can have backing them, one that can't be taken away from them, is the instinct to survive.

"But if we fight back, we'll lose."

"How are you not losing now?" Kaidan shot back, not used to dealing with people finding excuses to stay out of the fight.

He knew there were plenty of people out there who really had no capacity for any manner of combat, but they weren't in this situation, being worn down into biotic bodies for some insane agenda. Yes, being a soldier was affecting his opinion but it was more likely that he was serving on the Normandy with Commander Shepard that had really influenced him on this point. He served with the best in the galaxy and saw nothing but the front lines with comrades who watched his back as he watched theirs, never giving in to an opposing force.

Kaidan took in a breath to calm himself down. These weren't his students and they weren't anybody on the Normandy. They were people who had been traumatized by what had been done to them while being told it was for their own good.

"I'm sorry, Rahna, but I'm not giving in to Kami. I've spent too long fighting with everything I have to stop now. And I have people coming who are going to make sure I'm okay and I won't let them down. I can't let them down. But I'm not going to stand here and let them take out on anyone else what they can't do to me. I won't watch as any of you get hurt to control me."

Rahna scoffed, though the sound seemed conflicted with other emotions. "Kaidan Alenko, always the protector."

"If it's something I can do, why not do it?"

The access door opened again and Kaidan set the baton to charge up but left it hanging from his hands in a relaxed manner. Footfalls of apparently a single person sounded and Kami came into sight shortly afterward, the man peering in at Kaidan with an expression reminiscent of a tolerant parent.

"What are you doing, Kaidan?" he asked in a placating voice.

"What I do best. If you need a frame of reference on that, look at my service record."

"We tried, but your files are surprisingly well classified."

Kaidan shifted his weight, leaning his shoulder against the wall in a show of a lack of concern. "You can get your hands on the BAaT reports without tripping security measures but can't get into my files? You must have some pretty serious limitations to get caught there."

"Limited only by my sources. I assure you once here, I am not bound so. I have complete control here."

"There are still people in cells; your control isn't as complete as you wish it was. And your 'outside source' that got you the reports? Who'd you convince to infiltrate Alliance headquarters on a planet full of Reapers?"

"Someone not afraid of the Reapers."

Well, Kami walked right into that one. Not that Kaidan hadn't already been given pretty much everything he needed on that intel from Trent's reveal of the biotic suppressants. "Like Cerberus?" Kami's eyes narrowed and Kaidan knew he'd hit it on the nose. "I wouldn't get too involved with Cerberus. The Illusive Man has a tendency of cutting unnecessary ties once they aren't of use anymore. And does he know you're running an anti-human agenda here as the endgame? That's not exactly in his best interests."

Not that the Illusive Man seemed to be acting in his own interests anymore.

"I've already parted ways with Cerberus, compensating them well for services rendered."

"And probably getting a notice of a favor owed to the Illusive Man. He will collect and count on it not being something you want to pay up on."

Kaidan realized something belatedly: that meant that Cerberus also didn't have what it took to access his files. For an organization that had seemed to have endless resources and capabilities, it was a relief to think they couldn't get to everything. And while he knew his personal records were well-protected – practically the entirety of his military career as an officer had been spent involved in things the Alliance kept under wraps even without BAaT – he didn't think it was to the point where Cerberus couldn't get through to them.

"You are certainly well informed, Kaidan."

Kaidan felt the urge to let his dark humor show and point out that his partner was Commander Shepard but that would be giving away a lot more than he wanted to. "Been dealing with Cerberus a lot longer than you have. Face it: you don't have what it takes to handle me. Release everyone you have here and give up on this ridiculous idea of starting a war against non-biotics."

He really wished Shepard was here now. He was so much better at convincing people to give up on radical notions.

This was proven as Kami didn't even hesitate to shoot the suggestion down. "You don't have an advantage against us, Kaidan. You may be armed and able to fight now, but how long will that last without food? Your body must have already burned through any sustenance consumed before you were captured and your body will need more soon for you to even remain conscious. What good will a weapon do you then?"

Kami turned and left then, likely feeling he had the upper hand with the threat.

Unfortunately, he was right. Not using his biotics didn't actually slow down his metabolism and he was already feeling the strain his body was starting to go through. Not that he would be able to eat anything they gave him because of the O-E.

He probably wouldn't last even eight hours remaining conscious, let alone the twelve he still had before Shepard would act. And once he passed out from anemia, he would lose every single advantage he'd managed to secure.

Time for a serious change in plans.

He turned off the baton and moved to the back wall of the cell, quickly locating the pin from where he had dropped it when the guards came for him. He set the baton on the floor next to him as he knelt down, preparing himself for the headache he was about to cause himself.

He first checked to make sure the lead he had pulled out earlier was still exposed, finding it at once laying just above C6, giving him plenty to work with. He'd have to expose the wires a little more but it shouldn't be too much of problem once he set to work. He'd done harder in more active situations, i.e. repairing AA guns while people were actively trying to shoot at him. Once he was sure he would be able to make the connections when ready, he started trailing his fingers down to where the cut ended just off center of his spine where his neck met his shoulder. He brought the pin to be grasped between his fingers and pressed the point against his skin, further parting the skin. He needed to get at least one side of his amp exposed or he could damage it pulling it free. The cut, while traveling along the line of the lead, had been made at an angle and had moved away from the amp the further down his neck it went. Not far, but enough to be risky.

"Kaidan?" Rahna called out to him.

"Not now," he gritted out.

He carried out his task carefully, pushing the pin through his skin to bring the wound back toward his amp, regularly running his fingers over the skin of his neck where it was raised slightly from the amp to keep from making a mistake. When the wound at last lined up with the amp, Kaidan dropped the pin and focused everything on working the thin object from its place between his skin and muscles. It didn't take much, as there was nothing on the amp to catch and it pulled free with minimal irritation.

He lowered his arms and took a quick minute to regain his bearings, taking in deep breaths to get his heart rate under control and to focus on what he needed to do instead of the burning around his neck. It helped to know that the painful part was out of the way. Now he needed steady hands and precision.

He held the amp in front of him and checked it for damage; he may not be a specialist in amps, but he was extensively trained as a tech and had been looking at and utilizing amps for most of his life. And he'd been using this model of amp since he'd gotten hooked back up after the beating he took on Mars so he was plenty familiar with it by now, getting it checked nearly every time they made it back to the Citadel because of how much he was using his biotics. He knew what it was supposed to look like.

Sighing in relief as it appeared undamaged, he took a quick moment to grab the shirt his captors had provided and wiped the excess blood from the amp as well as his hands. Blood wasn't necessarily going to harm the amp, but he needed to make sure he had the best mental image of what he was doing and bloody hands tended to get slippery. Once cleaned up a little, he worked the severed wire free from the amp and looked carefully at the connections, memorizing the layout carefully. While he could get the lines connected, they wouldn't be fully secured and he would have to find a way to keep the amp from moving around too much so it wouldn't come free, but he would be able to link them as he'd hoped.

As he'd really counted on.

But he was in unfamiliar territory, pulling from training instead of experience on this one. And failure meant causing to himself what he on some level feared would eventually happen to him as an L2.

Shaking his head slightly to shake off the thought, Kaidan kept from going too far down that line of possibilities. It would only hinder his ability to actually get this done. Nothing killed faster than doubt.

He set the amp aside for now, reaching instead under his shirt for the chain that held his dog tags, pulling it free and holding out the one with the N7 insignia engraved on the front.

He turned it over briefly, looking at Shepard's name for a few moments, allowing the calm that rose in him from knowing that he wasn't really alone in this. John was right behind him, waiting to offer whatever help Kaidan needed.

But that calm wasn't what he needed right now, though it helped greatly. He just hoped Shepard was being as obsessive about watching the signal as he was about any mission details.

Figuring out that there was a tracker in the tag had been a combination of things. Foremost had just been common sense in regards of the N7 program. They were elite soldiers who thought of everything, who were ready for anything. It just made sense to have a way to track them by putting the device into something they never removed. After all, that was why Tali and EDI had made the tracking programs for their omnitools. But people hardly ever put any thought into dog tags, even the ones wearing them. It was perfect in its simplicity and something completely up Anderson's alley.

Which had been his second clue: Anderson would have implemented some way to always know where his operatives could be found. That's just the kind of man he was. It wasn't lack of trust but a way of always looking out for his guys.

But most of all, it had been the static discharge he kept getting because of his biotics. His own tag and the chain were titanium to avoid random discharge, but once the N7 tag had been given to him, he'd been getting tiny irritating shocks at a higher frequency than it should have been by just being a different metal. So a few days after Shepard had pulled his endearingly affectionate switch, Kaidan had taken a closer look at the tag and had immediately noticed the partition between the front and back plates. After a quick scan with his omnitool, he'd found the device concealed within. It was a simple little tracker, but one tough enough to withstand what an N7 would likely put it through.

Most importantly, in his scan of the device, he had learned that the tracker wasn't fried by electrical currents, which made sense considering the probability of the wearer being a biotic or at least facing one in combat. Instead, it would give a small burst of strength on the signal before being discharged through the front panel of the tag, which Kaidan found to be lined for that purpose. He figured that between his body's higher conduction of static and his biotics, the device was simply having to regularly purge the charge and that was what he'd been feeling.

In conclusion, the design was ingenious and exactly what he needed right now.

Placing the tag between his hands, he closed his eyes and focused on his biotics and his hands. He just needed small controlled bursts and he could do that without his amp. It would actually be easier without because he wouldn't get the same spike as he normally would. He wouldn't need to suppress as much.

He again hoped he knew his lover as well as he liked to believe, because otherwise this was a really long shot even with a crew made up mostly of Alliance personnel.

His hands warmed as the biotic energy filled them and he began his message.

A/N: Thank you for reading and see you next chapter.