Grunt stopped short in front of the group, holding up a fist and turning his armored head to better hear the faint echoes of footsteps moving rapidly in their direction. Behind him, Garrus cast a worried glance toward Shepard as she steadied herself with her good arm against the wall. Her face was pale and covered with a sheen of sweat. The bleeding from the wound in her shoulder had been stopped with medi-gel, but the outside of her hardsuit was still crusted with her dried blood. She was breathing heavily, but trying to quiet herself to better hear the sounds Grunt was straining to hear. Boots on the metal floor coming toward them, but not a large group. Only two or three by the pattern of sound. Scratch's eyes darted around nervously in his bruised and swollen face. He edged himself defensively behind Garrus, waiting for someone to make a move. Grunt grabbed his shotgun so quickly and silently that Shepard would have complimented him, had she not been distracted by her own painful situation.
Grunt's finger twitched near the trigger of his shotgun, but something he heard gave him pause. The footsteps were louder now, but they were becoming irregular – starting and stopping. Grunt's hearing was perfect. Indeed, every part of him was designed for top performance. His sharp ears detected the sound of slightly labored breathing along with the footsteps. His large gray eyes narrowed as he lowered his weapon slightly and motioned for the team to do the same. Garrus looked questioningly at the back of the krogan's head.
"Bloody hell, where are they?" Zaeed's hushed voice drifted from around the corner. Grunt's lip twitched mischievously. He fired a shot at the corner of the wall.
"Holy shit!" this time it was Jack who spoke. She popped her shaved head around the corner, assault rifle in hand. Seeing Grunt, Garrus, Shepard, and the bruised human stranger, her face relaxed for a moment before regaining its normal angry expression.
"You found us," said Grunt, collapsing his shotgun and clipping it to his back.
"When I asked EDI to send backup, I meant ten minutes ago," said Shepard. She smiled grimly, peering at Zaeed and Jack through a curtain of sweat-soaked hair. Jack took in the scene.
"What happened to you?" asked Jack, her eyes darting between Shepard and Scratch.
"Our raid on the Suns base didn't go exactly as planned," said Garrus. "But don't worry, we took care of the mercs who were down there."
"So you're aware of the hostage situation in Afterlife, then?" asked Zaeed. Their expressions told him that no, they were not. "They're after you, Shepard," Zaeed continued.
"Surprise, surprise," added Jack.
"From the top, if you don't mind," said Shepard.
The squad listened to Zaeed's story. He even included the bit where Miranda threatened disciplinary action for insubordination before they left the Normandy without her. There was a larger than normal crowd buzzing around the entrance to Afterlife, so naturally Zaeed and Jack had gone to check it out. The scene they found was bizarre, to say the least. The usually packed club was empty of patrons, filled instead with heavily armed Blue Suns mercenaries. Aria was being held in her private room at the top of the club, guarded by more Suns – there was no sign of her usual guard. An uppity salarian referring to himself as "Alpha" was addressing the crowd, stating that he wanted Commander Shepard alive by the end of the cycle, or there would be violence. Zaeed had noted that there was not much of a reaction from the crowd, most of whom turned silently from the scene once their curiosity was satisfied. That's when they followed Shepard's signal to their location.
"And here we are," said Zaeed.
"He's awfully confident that I'm alive after he tried his hardest to have me killed," said Shepard. Zaeed shrugged. Scratch tapped his foot and hummed nervously.
"So what are we doing?" asked Jack, impatient. Scratch looked at Jack like an antelope might look at a hyena. Cautiously, he explained about the gunship the Suns had: how he had fixed it, its location, and his plan to disable it. He didn't know Alpha's plans, he didn't even know Alpha's real name. Jack looked skeptically at the bruised, awkward mechanic and quizzically at Shepard with a look that asked, "Why are we taking him along?". Shepard shook her head dismissively and pushed her body into an upright position away from the wall.
"Well, we don't want to keep Alpha waiting," said Shepard. "Jack, Garrus and Scratch will head toward the gunship. Keep in radio contact and disable the damn thing, the quieter the better. Zaeed and Grunt, with me."
"Fuck you! I don't want to babysit the tech support," said Jack. Garrus hooked a claw around his pistol.
"Are we going to have a problem? I'd like to know now," he said. Shepard cocked an eyebrow at Jack, who rolled her eyes and slouched, resigned.
"Good, then we'll see you on the other side," said Shepard. Garrus, Scratch and Jack walked ahead, led by Scratch's rambling directions to the center of the station behind Afterlife, where the gunship was kept. Shepard ran various scenarios through her mind, trying to appear confident despite her lack of inspiration.
She led Grunt and Zaeed to a shady ledge from where they could see the comings and goings of Omega's public areas but not be seen. The group stood staring at the front of Afterlife and the steadily dissipating crowd. Five Blue Suns stood in front of the entrance, rather than the usual Elcor bouncer. Shepard's knuckles cracked as she gripped a railing, waiting to hear from the other team.
The center of Omega was not made to be easily maneuverable, for whatever reason. The hallways were cramped, cluttered and circular. Even more nauseating than the rest of Omega, thought Jack. The group had to move single-file down the narrow corridor. Scratch led the way, mumbling to himself, followed by Jack and Garrus. Nothing was labeled. Jack swore to herself that if Scratch did one more double take looking for the right door, she was going to punch him in the back of his head. He was counting something, steps or columns, Jack didn't really care which. She was still baffled as to why she was following the man in the first place.
"It's just a little further, this is all starting to look familiar again," said Scratch. Jack and Garrus said nothing. Scratch tittered nervously. He slowed his pace and stopped at a column distinguished with a small burn mark on its side. Scratch pointed at the mark and gave a thumbs up before making a turn into a yet darker and narrower corridor. The group actually had to turn to their sides now to get through. Sidestepping their way down the dark hall, Jack was glad to detect a slight breeze coming from ahead of their position. The breeze felt cool on her face and smelled less like rotting garbage than the air around them. A dim light shone from ahead, illuminating the squad's path more and more as they neared the end of the hallway. Scratch stopped and listened, hearing nothing he stepped forward into the opening. Jack and Garrus readied their weapons and followed him.
The hallway emptied onto a large, flat ledge at the edge of the center of Omega. The center was empty space surrounded by the cylindrical structure of the station, offering more than enough room in which to pilot a small craft. In the center of the ledge surrounded by an assortment of tools and parts stood the gunship. Scratch hustled over to the ship, limping slightly. He checked it over, opening and looking inside various compartments and doors. Garrus hurried over to try and assist the mechanic. Jack stood sullenly off to the side, her assault rifle slightly brushing her leg as she swung it casually.
"I've weakened it, but I need to get to the mass effect core to do any real damage," said Scratch, pulling up a handful of wires. He banged on a metal plate with the handle of his pliers. "It's stuck. I need to get in there to get to the core. I had wrench that should be able to do it, it's in a toolbox I kept in one of the closets down that hallway," he said, jerking his thumb at the hallway they had come from. He wiped sweat from his brow with a grease stained rag, his eyes on Garrus.
"I'll go with you. You shouldn't be alone out here, it's dangerous," said Garrus. Scratch's face contorted for a moment in a way Garrus didn't really know how to interpret.
"It's not far, I'd feel safer with you here," said Scratch. "I'll be right back, and if someone comes I'll run back this way fast as I can. I'm good at running." Jack looked over the mechanic suspiciously. He flinched away from her look.
"Whatever. Go then," said Jack. Scratch loped away down the hall. Jack rolled her eyes. "We're at the gunship, Shepard," she spoke into her radio. "Your mechanic is working on disabling it. There's no sign of any mercs down here so far."
"Copy that. We're moving in," Shepard's voice issued from her earpiece. Jack found a seat on a crate. Garrus walked around the ship, inspecting. He looked at the plate that Scratch had tapped.
"That's odd," he said. Jack ignored him. "That's not the cover to the mass effect core." Garrus heard the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway, and not just Scratch's. His hand went to his semi-automatic.
"Easy there, Archangel," said a sneering voice from behind him. Garrus turned, pointing his gun toward the sound. Jack was up, her assault rifle trained on the doorway. A salarian stepped out from the shadow of the hall. He wore the Suns colors, but did not carry any weapon that Garrus could see. More Suns followed him, all batarian, and with them they brought Scratch.
"Damn it, seriously? What happened to running, you stupid ass?" yelled Jack when she saw the mechanic escorted by the mercenaries. One of the Suns had his pistol jammed into Scratch's temple. The other five had their weapons pointed at Garrus and Jack, respectively.
"Weapons down, you two. Strange, I thought we'd only be dealing with Archangel here, but no matter," said the salarian.
"Let me guess. Alpha?" said Garrus. He lowered his weapon.
"Correct. Guns on the floor, that's right. Now kick them over," said Alpha. Jack wanted nothing more than to shoot the smug grin off the alien's face, but she didn't like her chances of facing down all six armed men at once. On the other hand, it didn't seem like they knew who she was, so maybe the cards were in her favor after all. She kicked her weapon away from her. One of the mercenaries pointed at the shotgun slung over her shoulder. She sighed and unclipped that as well, and kicked it over.
"I knew I should have shot him when I had the chance," said Jack, exasperatedly throwing her hands in the air. She looked over to Garrus. His face was stonier than usual, which was significant. She expected him to yell, or try and shoot something, but he simply unclipped and slid all his weapons toward the mercs. The merc holding Scratch released him. "Well done, Andre, Scratch, whatever. You can go now."
"Wait, what?" said Jack. No one blinked.
"Where is my daughter?" said Scratch. He sounded far less absent-minded than he had.
"Humans are so tiresome, but at least you're predictable," said Alpha. He circled the ship, closing the various maintenance covers that had been left open. "As soon as I am safely off the ground in this thing, my good men here are instructed to release her. I'm sure she'll be able to find her way home, Omega rat that she is." Scratch looked like he'd been slapped, but he said nothing. Alpha smirked and boarded the craft. It started up, humming. The propulsion systems created a wind in the space that smelled slightly like burning. The salarian's hands moved over the controls, making the craft slightly hover. "Excellent. When I take off, do what you will with these two. I don't want to see it, you know how violence makes my stomach turn."
"You said you only wanted the commander! You said you'd let Archangel go!" said Scratch.
"And so I would, but I don't think the Blue Suns have forgotten the headache he gave them not so long ago. They worked so hard for this, isn't it fair that they should get something in return?" said Alpha, his voice laced with false regret. The mercenaries grunted acknowledgment. Jack edged toward the mercenaries' flank as much as she dared. Slowly, while their attention was on Garrus and their leader.
"I should have known," Garrus said softly, to himself. Scratch hesitated by the doorway, his expression mixed, but mostly regretful. He mouthed "I'm sorry" to the turian, unable put voice behind it, and then he turned and walked down the hallway.
The craft took off vertically in a cloud of dust and fumes. Garrus could hear the salarian laughing to himself over the roar of the engine. Ahead, the mercenaries reformed their line, aiming their weapons. Garrus looked longingly at his guns which lay just out of his reach, but from the corner of his eye he saw Jack. For a split second, her whole body pulsed in bright blue light. One of the Suns looked over at the flash, but it was too late. With a yell, Jack released a biotic surge of energy that lifted all six men off their feet, giving Garrus the time and space he needed to reclaim his weapons and start firing. Jack ducked behind a crate and pulled a knife from her boot. She threw it and it hit one of the mercs square in his eye. With another biotic surge, she lifted the blinded batarian and slammed him hard on the ground. Jack could hear his spine break through his armor. Garrus emptied his thermal clip into the mercs facing him, then found cover behind a tool box and reloaded. None of the men he had shot down were moving to stand up again. Jack got up to inspect them. She found her weapons in the aftermath and equipped them. One of the Suns was mumbling incoherently – she put him out of his misery and turned to Garrus.
"No, I don't want to talk about it," he said.
"I wasn't asking," said Jack.
"Good. We'd better hurry," he replied. "Commander? Shepard? There's been a complication," said Garrus into his radio.
"No shit," came Zaeed's terse reply. In the background noise, Garrus could pick up the sound of the gunship.
A/N: Sorry for being lazy. I hope you like this chapter, delayed as it was. More soon!