Chapter Ten – Rescue

"OW!"

The sudden exclamation drew Tavia's attention away from her datapad and she looked down to see Shepard wincing uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Shepard repeated irritably, "You've just disabled my biotic implant!"

Tavia cocked her head curiously, "You can tell?"

"Well of course I can tell! Would you be able to tell if I gouged your eyes out?"

Tavia wasn't sure that she understood the comparison but she paid it no mind as she returned to the datapad and continued to record her observations, "Don't worry, it's just part of the test."

"It hurts," Shepard's voice was strained, quiet like she didn't want to admit what she was saying and Tavia looked down again to see she had her teeth gritted. She was breathing heavily and her face was contorted into a grimace.

"Where?"

"My head, where do you think? I can't feel anywhere else!"

Tavia squinted slightly and looked up at the screen to read her vital signs. Everything seemed normal.

"I don't see why it would be causing you any discomfort."

"Are you a biotic, Doctor?"

Tavia looked at her and blinked, "No."

"Didn't think so. Biotics are like an invisible extra limb, a sixth sense you almost forget is there. But when it suddenly gets cut off, it hurts. Turn it back on!"

She was becoming more agitated and Tavia frowned. She had never seen this reaction before in the other biotics she had experimented on, though Shepard's biotic implant was unique and more powerful than most.

"Doctor…" Michael sounded nervous again and Tavia looked over to see him fidgeting, wringing his long fingers together as he blinked at her, "Maybe we should turn it back on. If she's in pain she might not be able to focus on giving us accurate information," as he spoke he was throwing Shepard sideways glances. She was gasping now, her face was scrunched up in agony and each strangled noise seemed to be making Michael even more uncomfortable. Perhaps Shepard wasn't the only one who would struggle to focus.

"Your growing concern for the subject is commendable," she said dryly, "but perhaps you've forgotten why we are here? There's more at stake than her welfare."

"I-" he glanced at Shepard again, "I don't see how her suffering like this is helpful."

"Really? I'm personally finding this reaction fascinating, unless you've seen something like it before?" he fidgeted but didn't reply. Still, as the noises Shepard was making grew more distressed, he became more unsettled, "Oh very well," she finally conceded, "reactivate the implant for now," it wasn't like Shepard's biotics would help her while she was paralysed anyway.

Michael complied so quickly Tavia could almost have thought he was the one in pain and she silently despaired of him, the boy had a lot to learn, she wondered if she would regret indulging him.

Once it was done Shepard gradually seemed to relax, her breathing calmed and they watched as a smile spread slowly across her face.

"Well," she muttered calmly, "that was stupid."

All of a sudden Tavia couldn't breathe. Something invisible seemed to slam into her, knocking the datapad from her hand as she was forced back against the wall. The air was crushed from her chest and she felt the tingle of biotic energy rippling across her body, tightening around her muscles like bonds holding her in place until the pressure became pain and she couldn't move.

There were a few startled screams, a crash and an annoyed yell and suddenly Shepard was in front of her, fist raised and glowing with biotic power that was radiating off her in waves. Tavia saw blood dripping down her arm from where she had ripped out the wires that had held her, "You know," she snarled, a dangerous glint in her turquoise eyes, "I really didn't think a clever girl like you would fall for that."

Tavia felt a glower spread across her face – the only part of her she was still capable of moving – and she demanded: "How?"

Shepard smiled, "All part of the test. You wanted to know about my implants didn't you? One of their functions is to counteract the effects of certain drugs, paralytic ones, for example. Doctor Chakwas always said it was a nightmare operating on me, she had to give me three times the normal dose of everything just to keep me under. I suppose you can add that to your notes now," she glanced down at Tavia's fallen datapad distastefully.

The biotic stasis field closed a little tighter and Tavia found she couldn't even struggle. She glanced over Shepard's shoulder and saw her team all standing motionless. Michael was still holding the device for manipulating Shepard's implants but he seemed to have completely forgotten about it as he stood gaping at what he was seeing.

"M- Michael," she struggled to speak through the force that was pressing against her neck, "s- stop her!"

He didn't seem to understand what she meant as he blinked and frowned, but Shepard must have figured it out as she turned sharply and held out her hand.

"Michael, give me that," she nodded to the device and he looked down at it oddly, like he was wondering how it had got there, "give it to me, Michael," she repeated. Her biotics must still have been weakened by T'Carra's poisoning otherwise she would just have ripped it from him. Tavia saw that her fist was shaking with the effort of maintaining the stasis field, she probably wouldn't be able to hold it for much longer…

"Michael!" Tavia snarled, "You could kill her with the touch of a button, just do it!" she choked as she felt the stasis field spread, moving up her neck to press against her jaw, clamping it shut so that she could do nothing more than squeal in annoyance.

"Listen Michael," Shepard was saying calmly, "I'm going to bet you've never killed anyone before. To be honest it's been a long time since I've killed anyone in close combat but I'm still sure that I won't hesitate as long as you have if you give me reason to. So for your own sake, give me the device," she held out her hand further but Michael still didn't move, "now!"

Michael's reaction was quick, he brought the device up to his other hand but rather than handing it to Shepard he jabbed at the interface and went for one of the controls.

Tavia lost sight of what happened after that. The stasis field suddenly dissipated and she dropped to the floor, gasping as air rushed back to her lungs. She heard a wave of biotics being unleashed and someone yelped as the walls shook. Another attack followed almost instantly and she saw the rest of her team hit the floor as equipment and surgical instruments went flying.

As she struggled to sit up she saw Shepard crouching in the corner, paying no attention to anyone else as she gazed down at Michael's body. The salarian's neck had been snapped by the force of the shockwave and he lay limp and misshapen on the floor, his head twisted unnaturally off his neck as his black eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

"You know," Shepard muttered grimly, "I bet he was a really sweet boy before you got your talons on him," she leaned over and picked the device out from his hand before she stood. Her expression was stoic as she held up the device for Tavia to see, "I suppose I should be impressed," she muttered coldly, "even Miranda didn't have a remote control for my implants. Then again, Miranda had a conscience. You'll understand if I don't really want to give this back to you."

Her hand lit up again and the device hovered above her palm. Slowly she began to clench the hand into a fist and Tavia watched as the biotic energy began to warp and twist the metal before it eventually shattered and fell to the floor in pieces.

She swallowed and looked calmly into Shepard's gleaming eyes, "Are you going to kill me?"

…

The fighting in Tevos' headquarters still raged, but Aria and Tevos had reached the right floor without incident.

"See, I told you a riot was a good distraction," Aria muttered as they edged carefully through the open-plan office towards Tevos' door. Everything was quiet up here and it appeared to be deserted but much of the furniture lay overturned and it was clear they were picking their way through the aftermath of a fight. They just didn't know who had won.

"Don't make light of this, Aria," Tevos said warningly, "I won't forget your part in it all."

"Which part?" she asked innocently, "Saving you from those security guards? Or getting you here without a bullet through your skull? And that was after you attacked and threatened me for something that I hadn't even done. I'm willing to accept your apology whenever you want to offer it, by the way."

"Oh be quiet," Tevos muttered as she stepped gingerly around a smashed desk that was stained with violet blood, "we don't have time for games."

"Couldn't agree more. So, are we going to deal with this lunatic or not?"

They came to a stop outside the office door and faced each other. Tevos eyed the rifle Aria was holding suspiciously, as though she was wondering what the asari was planning.

"Don't do anything unless I tell you to, okay?" she warned carefully.

Aria smirked but said nothing.

Tevos slid the door open silently and they stepped inside. Adarna was sitting in Tevos' chair, gazing calmly at the screen in front of her, most likely showing security footage of the building. She was a picture of elegance as she sat statue-still with her legs neatly crossed and her chin resting delicately between her thumb and forefinger.

She didn't look up as they entered but instead sighed softly and moved to settle back into the chair, "Quite the mess we find ourselves in, isn't it?" she observed. Rather than seeming concerned about it, however, she merely looked a little annoyed.

"I'm guessing this wasn't part of the plan," Tevos mused distastefully, she clasped her hands loosely behind her back as she walked up to the desk and raised her brow expectantly for an answer. Behind her, Aria lingered with her rifle in hand.

A sad smile flickered on Adarna's lips, "I knew I shouldn't have trusted those arms dealers not to screw up their part. And I definitely should have factored Liara in, stupid girl was willing to die for Shepard, wasn't she?"

"Love does that," Aria muttered dryly. When they both looked her, she cleared her throat and shrugged, "or so I've heard."

Tevos turned back to Adarna, "Why did you order the security to attack? It seems a little… irrational, even taking in to account the rest of your actions."

Adarna smiled faintly and looked up to meet her eye, "Because it's the kind of thing people believe you would do."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Tevos folded her arms and exchanged a glance with Aria, who merely shrugged and made a face.

"I'm not sure I follow," Tevos said slowly.

"Hmph," Adarna seemed amused, "I don't know if you've noticed but, you aren't very good at inspiring confidence in people these days, Tevos. You bend to the HTA's every whim and your project is funded by criminals," she cast Aria a glance, "nearly half of your staff put more faith in me than you. When people hear about this do you know what they will think? Tevos has finally snapped like we all knew she would, she must have had another breakdown, just like she did after the war."

A silver glint of anger passed through Tevos' eyes as she placed both hands on the desk and leaned across it, "My 'breakdown' was two hundred years ago and it was nothing like the reports. I am a far cry from the unstable mad woman that the press paints me as and you know it."

"Yes," she allowed, "but the public don't. They want to believe the rumours, it's more exciting if you're secretly insane. So, if I blame you for all of this, and you blame me, who do you think they're more likely to believe?"

"I suppose whoever's still alive," Aria muttered, she raised her rifle casually in one hand and pointed it towards Adarna, who stared down the barrel with little concern. Tevos was quick to intervene, however, placing a hand atop the rifle and pushing it back down.

"No," she said firmly, ignoring the frustrated sigh she got from Aria, "you can't get away with this, Adarna, there's too much evidence against you. You realise every one of those security staff will go to prison after this, do you think they'll all lie for you when a judge asks them who gave the order to attack?"

She shrugged indifferently, "I have their loyalty. I'm doing this for the good of the asari people, to get Thessia back, they'll understand that."

"Ri-ight," Aria drawled impatiently, "and it has nothing to do with you wanting to get your hands on all those juicy eezo deposits? You know, I've seen that look in people's eyes before," she gestured vaguely to Adarna's face with her rifle, "greedy crime lords with their eyes on a prize, that's what you look like right now."

Adarna smiled at her venomously, "And I'm sure your motives for funding this enterprise are entirely innocent."

"Enough," Aria's patience had apparently run out as she raised her gun again and stepped forward, "come on, Tevos, let's end this. Just say the word and I'll put a bullet in her."

…

It was less than twenty seconds after Jules left the operating theatre before an alarm began to sound, probably triggered by the scientists she had so foolishly decided to leave alive.

"You and your soft heart, Jules," she muttered to herself as she glanced around for somewhere to hide from the guards who were probably about to appear.

She was unarmed, barefoot and wearing only the tank top and shorts that she had slept in. Her biotics were recovering but they were still weak and whatever had been injected into her had left her feeling heavy and lethargic. In short, she wasn't really in the mood for a fight.

As the alarm blared she heard the sound of armoured boots behind her and decided her best option for now was to run and hope an idea occurred to her somewhere along the way. She never got that chance, however, as a squad of guards appeared around the corner ahead, stopping her in her tracks. She turned back to see the ones behind had also emerged and found herself trapped between the two.

"We've orders to take you alive, Shepard," someone shouted and she looked sharply back to see a human man leading the first group. Dried blood smattered across his face suggested that he had been in a scrap already today and he was clearly spoiling for more, "unless you put up a fight," his mouth twisted into a cruel smile and Jules scowled.

Behind her, the other group had come to a stop with their weapons raised. She was outnumbered twelve to one.

Fine, she thought irritably, cracking her knuckles together as she eyed both squads, if that's the way you want it, she clenched both hands into fists, channelled all the biotic power she could and charged.

Considering it was the first biotic charge she had attempted in at least a decade – possibly longer – she was actually surprised at how much force she managed to expel as the corridor rushed past her and she slammed straight into the man with the already bloodied face.

She caught a glimpse of his startled expression before he flew backwards from her with a yell, skidding on his back across the floor as Jules found herself in the midst of five armed men. She consolidated her power into a barrier and aimed her elbow at the nearest one's stomach, instantly regretting it as her unarmoured elbow collided with his metal plating and pain shot up through her nerves.

"Fuck!" she hissed before dropping into a crouch to dodge a retaliatory blow. Decades of vanguard training came back to Jules in a heartbeat but it didn't change the fact that she was outnumbered and unarmed. More than anything she needed to get out of there.

She ducked another blow from her left and danced out of reach before breaking into a sprint. She heard someone behind her give the order to fire and strengthened her barrier in the hope it would be enough.

Bullets bounced off the biotic field as she ran, ahead of her the bloodied man was still sprawled across the floor where he had landed but as she neared he was struggling back to his feet. She saw an angry glint in his eye as he lunged for his discarded rifle and without thinking she summoned her biotics and yanked the weapon away from him.

He stumbled forwards as the rifle skidded out of reach before it jumped off the floor and flew neatly into Jules' hands. He lost his balance and fell onto all fours, allowing Jules to leap over him before she ducked around a corner and out of the line of fire.

The gunfire ceased and she could hear the bloodied man screaming orders to his men. From the way he was cursing loudly, she got the impression he was having a bad day.

The corridor was a dead end and she found herself with a choice of three doors to bolt through; one was plain metal and could have led anywhere, another appeared to be a men's bathroom while the third was a large set of double doors, hinged both ways and wide enough for large boxes or crates to be moved through.

Warehouse doors, was the first thing that sprung to her mind when she saw them and she didn't pause to think any further before she charged through them; they clattered shut behind her, muffling the sound of her pursuers as she stopped dead.

She had been right, it was a warehouse, a large one. Concrete walls and floor made the room cold and there wasn't much in the way of light but she could see towering shelves stacked with supplies and arranged so that they formed a labyrinth of shadowy pathways.

Over on the far wall she made out two much larger doors, obviously made with vehicles in mind. This must have been where they brought supplies into the base, which meant it was also a way out.

She heard footsteps in the corridor outside and looked quickly for a hiding place. Luckily they were abundant in here and she was able to slip behind a line of crates that were stacked close to the wall. She ducked down into the shadows and watched as the doors she had come through crashed open again.

The two squads entered, their weapons raised warily as though they expected an ambush. It amused her to think that – despite being half-dressed, drugged and seriously out-of-shape – people still seemed to consider her a threat.

Behind them she saw the bloodied man enter, hands settled on his hips as he surveyed the room, "Spread out!" he ordered sharply, "she can't go anywhere," he turned to gesture to something behind him and a kind of dread settled in Jules' stomach as she watched more of the guards enter.

She didn't bother to count them as she turned away and sank to the floor. She could hear shelves and boxes being overturned as the guards moved methodically through the room. Hidden between the crates and the wall she would go unnoticed for now, but not forever. She let her head fall back against the crates and closed her eyes.

"Wow Shepard, you've got yourself into one hell of a mess this time."

Jules felt a bittersweet stab pass through her heart at the warm, familiar voice and opened her eyes to see Garrus crouched next to her. His blue, turian eyes twinkled brightly in the dark and despite the fact that turian mouths couldn't really smile, she was sure she saw a cocky grin lurking beneath his mandibles.

"Oh, Garrus," she murmured softly as she gazed into his face, "I wish you were really here, I could use the extra firepower."

"Rubbish," he drawled softly, his voice tickling at the back of her neck, "you've got out of worse situations than this."

"Yeah, when I had you and the squad with me, when I could run down a corridor without getting out of breath, or hold a barrier without breaking a sweat," she wiped a hand across her forehead and sighed at the perspiration that came away on her palm. The adrenaline from her escape had made her forget how exhausted she was, but now she was sitting still she realised how much her muscles ached from the exertion, "not as young as I used to be, Garrus."

"Somehow I don't think that's the problem, don't your implants stop you from aging?"

"Only physically," she muttered, she had wondered for a while if these delusional conversations with old friends was actually a result of the implants wearing down. Either that or she was just losing her marbles.

"I wouldn't worry," Garrus commented quietly on her unspoken thoughts, "at least you know you're delusional."

"You can read my mind now, can you?"

"I'm probably just a personification of your subconscious, what do you think?"

Jules would have found a suitable retort but a sudden crash made her jump instead and she looked over the crates to see the bloodied man had kicked over a box of machine parts in frustration.

"What's the point in hiding, Shepard?" he shouted to the room, "You know there's nowhere you can run!"

"Something's pissed him off," Garrus purred softly, "I wonder who broke his nose."

Jules sighed, "Whoever it was, I hope they're in better shape than he is."

…

Egret watched as Liara stepped over the body of the turian guard she had just killed, not giving him so much as a glance as she moved swiftly to the large warehouse doors he had been guarding and began examining the control panel.

The cool, crisp air of Rinoka prickled against Egret's skin, stinging the cut on her forehead as she sighed and looked down at the other three guards who had fallen victim to the older asari's wrath. She was unashamed to admit that Liara, was a little bit scary.

She had barely said two words since they had left the headquarters and her face had remained hardened into a determined glare that sent shivers through Egret's spine and had stopped her from asking any questions.

They had moved inconspicuously through the city and Liara had led them to a half-constructed mech factory, owned by a company that had gone bankrupt nearly a year ago. After the money had run out all building work had stopped and the factory had remained derelict ever since.

The only outward signs that anyone was using it had been the guards. Egret had scanned the building when they arrived and for the most part it was empty, but on the ground floor and the basement levels she had found life signs and power sources, enough to suggest that whoever was down there outnumbered them hugely.

Liara had dismissed her concerns, however, merely stating that she had offered to let her stay behind and Egret honestly didn't have the nerve to argue with her.

It was intimidating enough that she happened to be one of the crew of the Normandy – a woman Egret's mother had used to tell her stories about at bedtime. She remembered an old saying about it never being a good idea to meet your heroes and she was starting to understand why. Liara had turned out to be nothing like Egret had imagined.

The stories all portrayed Liara as the perfect asari – elegant, intelligent, beautiful. Egret had envisioned a tall, maternal figure with a charming smile and a musical laugh who enchanted everyone in the room.

In reality Liara came across as cold, her presence made people uncomfortable and her elegance was marred by her abruptness. Her sapphire eyes seemed to drink in every detail around her as though she were searching for flaws and there was an uncompromising determination about her that was… unsettling. Egret was sure there was no lengths she wouldn't go to in order to reach Shepard.

She sighed and glanced down the backstreet that had led them to the warehouse doors to make sure no one was watching them. They were in the industrial part of the city and the muffled noise of machinery from nearby factories had drowned out any sound of their fight with the guards. Or Liara's fight with the guards, to be more precise. She and Grunt hadn't even got a look in.

She looked over to where Grunt was crouched down by the dead turian guard, examining the shotgun he had been carrying with a critical frown. He apparently sensed Egret's eyes on him as he looked up at her and blinked.

"What's wrong?" he asked bluntly. At first she just shrugged and shook her head but as he stood and moved towards her, she relented.

"I don't think she likes me," she muttered, shooting Liara a glance. The asari wasn't even looking at them as she remained preoccupied with the door panel.

Grunt followed her gaze and chuckled slightly, "She doesn't know you."

"She doesn't want to," Egret retorted, "she didn't want me to come here, you heard her, she thinks I'll be a liability."

"She's just worried about Shepard. You're being paranoid."

She shrugged indifferently. Grunt was probably right, she knew she shouldn't need Liara's approval and she also knew it was ridiculous that she cared so much about getting it, but it wasn't every day you got to fight beside Liara T'Soni.

"I know you want to impress her," Grunt said and she had to steel herself to keep from arguing, Grunt knew her too well for her to be able to lie to him. It just sounded so pathetic when he said it like that.

"She's not too impressed so far. She thinks I'm just an airheaded kid."

He shrugged as he swiftly loaded his new shotgun and then offered it to her, "So prove her wrong."

"Grunt!" they both turned at Liara's voice and saw her gesturing for them to come closer, "I've managed to bypass the lock!"

Grunt looked back at Egret and after a moment's hesitation, she nodded and took the gun from him.

Liara didn't spare them much of a glance as they jogged over to join her, she had her omni-tool open and was frowning at her scans of the building.

"I don't think this base has been here long," she said as they reached her, "it looks like it's just meant to be temporary, they must be using it specifically to keep Jules in."

"Any idea where she is?" Grunt asked.

"No, but it looks like some kind of alert has been triggered."

"What for?"

She shrugged and reached for the door controls, "I suppose we're about to find out."

…

Jules peered cautiously out from her hiding place. Ahead of her, one of the guards had strayed from the others and was crouched by a stack of shelves with his back to her, flashing a torch through the shadows.

He was wide open but quite a distance away from her as she raised her rifle and aimed, "I wish I had a sniper rifle," she muttered absently. Beside her, she heard a soft chuckle.

"Why? You were always a terrible shot."

She frowned slightly as she turned to give Garrus a look. The turian was leaning close over her shoulder with a quirky twinkle in his eye, "So what's the plan? You shoot one of them and alert all the others to where you're hiding?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

He seemed to smile again but didn't answer and Jules turned back to her target. She had a clear shot but for some reason she found herself hesitating.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Nothing," she muttered, "I'm just… trying to remember when the last time was I shot someone."

Her finger tensed on the trigger but then she jumped suddenly as the doors she had come through opened loudly and a voice rang out through the room.

"Dester! Where is she?"

Jules ducked abruptly back into cover as her target suddenly stood up straight and began to move towards the voice. As Jules watched through a crack in the crates, she saw a red-haired woman march into the room with Doctor Aegina following calmly in her wake. The turian's sharp yellow eyes were scanning the room intently as the redhead began conversing with the guards; she was gesturing wildly in a way that suggested she was not happy and Jules caught snippets of things like: 'How could you let this happen?' and 'I'll hold you personally responsible!'.

The guards were all moving away from their search to listen to her and everyone was suddenly preoccupied.

"Now or never," she heard Garrus purr softly in her ear and this time she didn't hesitate as she slung the rifle over her should and vaulted over the crates. She kept her head low as she slipped silently into the shadows and began to navigate the maze of shelves and boxes. Her bare feet and lack of armour allowed her to stay quick and quiet at least as she headed towards the large warehouse doors.

She had no idea what she was going to do once she reached them, she didn't know how she was going to open them or what she would find on the other side but those were problems for later. Right now she just needed to get there.

Her plan was scuppered abruptly by a shout: "There she is!"

It was Aegina's voice, Jules might have guessed she would have annoyingly sharp eyesight. She didn't bother to look back as she broke into a run and darted behind a towering stack of shelves. She could hear Dester shouting orders as Aegina and the redhead argued behind him.

"We need her alive, Erica," the doctor was saying.

"Like hell we do! She should be dead already, I told you not to screw this up! Just bring me her implants Dester, I don't care about the rest of her!"

She heard gunfire open up behind her and instinctively raised her barrier as she dived into cover. She turned and fired at the two figures she saw chasing her, one fell with a yelp while the other darted out of her sights. She couldn't afford to stay still so she left him kept moving.

She proved to be a difficult target for her pursuers as she weaved nimbly through the warehouse but they were closing in on her. She could feel herself being herded into the far corner but she still had the warehouse doors in sight, a group of the guards were moving into position to block her path but there were no more than four or five, if she could just-

A loud screech broke her thoughts and she skidded to a halt as the doors suddenly began to judder and slide open. It distracted the guards in front of her briefly and they turned as daylight began to stream in behind them.

Jules had no idea what was going to come through those doors and she cursed loudly as she heard the heavy boots behind her getting closer. Without thinking she dived to the side and crouched behind cover as she prepared to make a last stand. If they wanted her implants she was at least going to make sure they had to put a few holes in them first.

Cool air flooded into the musty warehouse and the bright sunlight made Jules squint though she didn't have time to see who had joined them as she heard the guards behind her nearing.

She heard the crack of gunfire and bullets ricocheted off the corner of the crate she was ducked behind. She shuffled further into cover and then stood to aim at her attackers through the stacked shelves.

She saw an armoured turian in her sights and aimed for his head, blue blood splattered the shelves behind him as she fired before she moved swiftly around another corner and continued her retreat.

She could hear shouting from across the room, whoever had come through those doors had caused a stir but she couldn't risk a glance as she rapidly backed away from the guards who were still surrounding her. There were at least seven men chasing her now, she caught glimpses of them between the shelves and fired whenever she had a clear shot but she was nearing the wall and was running out of places to go.

She picked off two as they broke cover to run at her and risked a glance towards the open doors, she still couldn't tell what was going on over there but the cool breeze tickled invitingly against her skin and she wondered if it was worth making a run for it.

She doubted her barrier could withstand a barrage from all of her attackers if she broke cover now and she could hear them shouting to each other among the shelves as they closed in. She threw another glance towards the doors and judged the distance to be at least fifty feet, which was a long way to run with her back to the enemy.

She ducked as a hail of bullets passed over her head and decided that any option was better than staying still. She channelled all of her power into one fist and glanced rapidly between the doors and the guards as she waited for her moment.

When it finally came, she thrust her hand forward and expelled the energy into a shockwave that tore across the room like a charging bull. The guards were thrown from their hiding places like rag dolls as shelves and boxes toppled to the floor, equipment went flying and she heard several cries of pain but she didn't stop to admire the carnage as she made a break for it.

She could hear orders being yelled behind her but she focussed only on the daylight as she sprinted for the doors, dodging through shelves until she broke out of the maze and found herself with a clear view of the exit.

With adrenaline pounding through her veins she quickened her pace and ran. A sudden blur of colour appeared briefly in her peripheral vision and she was distracted for a split-second before something slammed into the side of her head with enough force to knock her off-balance.

Pain cracked through her skull and as she stumbled sideways she felt the hard floor hit her, her rifle flew from her hand and the dizzying blow left her disoriented. She twisted onto her back and blinked away the lights that were dancing before her eyes.

As her vision cleared she saw her attacker looming over her. He was turian but he was built like a krogan with huge, hulking shoulders and a snarl set across his features. She saw her own blood glistening on the butt of his rifle as he aimed it at her.

Her head was spinning so furiously she felt sick but she managed to summon what was left of her biotics to hit him with a blast of energy. It was a pathetic attempt really, barely powerful enough to knock him back but somehow she managed to shake the gun from his hand. It was a shot-lived victory as he grabbed a combat knife from his belt and lunged at her.

She raised her arm instinctively against him and tried to summon another attack but her exerted implant burned with the effort and white-hot pain shot through her temples, crippling her attempts to fight back. The turian knew he had won already and she saw the triumph gleam in his eyes as he moved forward. She wondered if his name would go down in history as the man who finally killed Commander Shepard.

A loud crack rang out behind her and she froze as the turian's chest exploded, the triumph in his eyes was wiped away in a heartbeat and a brief look of horror settled on his face before the force knocked him backwards and he toppled out of her view. Before she had time to register the sudden change in events, a pair of large hands grabbed her from behind and hauled her to her feet. She struggled instinctively until she heard a familiar voice by her ear.

"You alright, Shepard?"

"Grunt?" she questioned incredulously as she felt her rifle being shoved back into her hands. Grunt appeared in front of her, casually picking off another guard with his shotgun before he dragged them both down behind cover. Bullets were still raining down across the warehouse and Jules suddenly realised they weren't all being directed towards her.

"I've got her, Liara!" Grunt was yelling into his omni-tool, "She's alright!"

Jules looked across the room and saw Liara crouched behind some boxes near the open doors, she was dressed like a commando, armed like a krogan and glowing with biotic energy as she expelled numerous attacks against the guards.

"Good!" she saw the asari talk into her own omni-tool and simultaneously heard her voice coming through Grunt's, "We need to thin their numbers before we can retreat!"

Grunt chuckled loudly, "I was hoping you'd say that," as he shut off the interface he turned to Jules, "keep your head down, Shepard, pick off the ones you can and we'll handle the rest."

Still dazed and now even more confused than before, Jules just stared at him, "Since when do you give me orders?"

"GRUNT!" Liara's voice cut them off again, loud enough to be heard over the comm and from across the room this time, "They've got Egret surrounded! I can't get to her!"

"You brought Egret here?" Jules demanded as she followed where Liara was looking. She could just see the young asari taking cover in the far corner where she had been herded by a group of the guards, "She's just a kid, Grunt!"

"I'd like to have seen you try to stop her," Grunt retorted.

"They've got her pinned down," Jules said, "she needs-"

An explosion cut her off and the far side of the room shook as the ring of guards were suddenly propelled backwards and Egret emerged, pulsing with biotic power. Jules felt the prickle in the air even from that distance and Egret gave her victims no time to recover as she deployed a singularity above them with enough pull to drag them high into the air.

Jules was just thinking that the girl's powers might even put Liara to shame when a second shockwave was suddenly expelled and the already suspended guards were sent flying. They somersaulted through the air at speed, some smashing off the ceiling while others hit the far wall. There was the crack of bones and shrill screams as they fell to the floor and Jules saw Egret dart nimbly back into cover beside Liara, who was looking at her in mild disbelief.

"Oh…" Jules muttered weakly, "well… I understand why you like her now."

Grunt chuckled.

"Dester!" they heard the red-haired woman, Erica, shouting from somewhere across the warehouse and saw that there were still plenty of guards on their feet, "Lock this place down, we are not letting Shepard get away!"

An alarm sounded and there was a heavy rattling sound as the warehouse doors began to slide shut behind them. They locked in place with a definite clunk, blocking out the sunlight and dimming the room considerably.

"Damn," they heard Liara across the comm again, "they've put up more security protocols, it won't be as easy to bypass this time."

"Leave it to me," they heard Egret reply, "I should be able to do it, just keep me covered."

"She hacks doors as well?" Jules looked at Grunt, "I'm starting to see your bondmate in a whole new light."

"Focus, Shepard! We're not out of this yet!"

Jules threw him another look, "Aye, Sir!" if Grunt picked up on her sarcasm, he didn't show it.

The battle was swift and brutal. Egret's attack had toppled most of the remaining shelves and opened up the room so that there were few places for the guards to hide. Between the three of them, Grunt, Jules and Liara picked them off steadily while Egret was crouched over the door console, her fingers flying furiously across the controls.

Jules kept catching sight of Erica's orange mane and every time the woman broke cover it was always Jules she was aiming at.

"I get the feeling she's got it in for me," Jules grumbled as she ducked down to avoid yet another hail of bullets from Erica's rifle.

Grunt growled in agreement, "She's fast, I'll give her that," he muttered as he aimed three shots at her, all of which missed.

"I wonder how much money I'm actually worth to her."

"Enough to sacrifice all her guards," Grunt said grimly.

Erica seemed to realise that her remaining men were dropping like flies as she suddenly shouted across the room again, "Dester! Pull back, we need more reinforcements!"

Dester emerged from behind some fallen boxes, sporting a few new wounds to go with his broken nose, and the pair of them backed away towards the door. Erica used Dester like a human shield, staying behind him as he unleashed a blind spray of bullets that forced them all to stay in cover.

They heard the door open and the gunfire abruptly ceased before it crashed shut again and the room fell eerily silent. For a moment none of them moved. Then, slowly, they peered out from their cover, weapons raised in case there was anyone left who was still in a fit state to fight.

"I think we're good for now," Grunt muttered quietly and Jules let a heavy sigh escape her.

The room was a scene of chaos, the warehouse stock was smashed and strewn across the floor and in amongst it lay bloodied bodies, torn apart by bullets or biotics. The lingering smells of the battle brought back more memories than Jules could count as she struggled to her feet and surveyed the scene.

"All this just to get her hands on my implants," she cursed silently and raised a hand to her forehead, wincing as she accidently touched the tender spot at her temple where the rifle butt had hit her.

"Jules!" she looked round sharply at Liara's voice and saw the asari moving towards her, she was walking heavily like she had a leg injury but she broke into a jog as she neared and Jules caught her in a hug. She found Liara's mouth with her own and melted into it, tightening her grip and pulling her close.

The battle had been draining and Jules still didn't really know where she was, how she had got there or where Liara had come from but right now she cared about none of it. She was vaguely aware of Grunt clearing his throat and walking past them but aside from that, the world might as well have stopped turning. They broke the kiss but neither of them pulled back and Jules sighed softly, "You would not believe the day I've had."

Liara's eyes twinkled as she smiled, "Try me, I might surprise you," her face fell however as she looked up to Jules' temple and frowned, "you're bleeding."

Jules was equally distracted, however; as she looked down, she saw fresh violet blood was rapidly staining the shirt that was poking out from under Liara's jacket and there was also a damp patch spreading across her thigh, "So are you."

Liara followed her gaze and frowned as she stepped back, "Oh, the bullet wounds must have reopened."

"Bullet wounds?"

"Yes, from this morning. It's… nothing serious," Jules suspected that was debatable but Liara cut in before she could say anything, "it's a long story, we should get out of here first before that woman comes back with more guards," she cast a glance behind her, "Egret?"

The younger asari was still working at the door controls and looked up briefly, "I've almost got it."

As Jules folded her arms and gazed about the room, a nearby noise drew her attention. She looked over to one of the fallen sets of shelves that had been left twisted and warped by Egret's shockwaves, as she peered through the shadows, she saw a figure trapped beneath the wreckage. Her body shape was obviously turian and blue blood was pooling on the floor around her as she struggled uselessly against the weight that held her down.

"Doctor Aegina," Jules muttered quietly and began to move towards her. Liara watched her for a second and then followed.

As Aegina became aware of them, she looked up and a flicker of resignation seemed to pass through her.

"Your implants are more remarkable than I imagined," she croaked softly, struggling briefly to find a more comfortable position before giving up and collapsing back against the bed of metal she was trapped in, "you seem to have recovered far faster than I would have thought possible."

"Something else you can add to your observations," Jules said calmly as she crouched down. The wreckage had the doctor well pinned and there was no way she could get free on her own.

Jules actually thought she saw a trace of humour pass through her face, "I suppose this is poetic justice to you?" she murmured softly.

"Not particularly," Jules shrugged, "after all, you haven't been drugged, paralysed or experimented on."

"There's a shard of metal through her leg," Liara also crouched as she scanned Aegina with her omni-tool, "the bleeding's bad but she'll live."

Jules sighed heavily, "No she won't," she reached behind Liara and grabbed the shotgun that was holstered at the asari's back. She loaded it swiftly as she stood and raised it to Aegina's head. The turian didn't so much as blink as she stared down the barrel before she raised her eyes to meet Jules' gaze.

"What are you doing?" it was Egret who spoke, her voice raised from across the room. Jules didn't bother to look round at her, "You can't shoot her, she's defenceless."

"Yes," Jules agreed, "but she knows how to build a device that can control my implants remotely and if I let her go I'm sure she'd build another one, probably with a few improvements. I should have killed her back in the operating theatre."

"Why didn't you?" Aegina asked calmly, it was a genuine question.

Jules shrugged, "I believe in second chances, you blew yours by coming after me."

"I won't be the only one, Shepard," she warned quietly, "none of today's technology comes close to those implants. Once people realise you're the real thing, there will be a lot more of them coming after you."

"Well, I'll let you serve as an example to them, then."

Jules didn't hesitate this time as she fired. The single shot rang out across the empty room, stifling the gasp from Egret as Aegina's face imploded into a mess of blood and bone. Jules stared at the sight grimly and let the gun drop to her side. She had never been a fan of executions.

Liara stepped up beside her, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Jules replied wearily, "Egret! How's that door coming?"

She turned to see Egret staring at her and she didn't miss the mingled horror and confusion that was dancing in the young asari's eyes as she nodded dumbly, "I'll have it open in a second."

"Good. Let's get out of here."

Sorry it took so long, this chapter was a battle for me as much as it was for Jules :)