Updating something! Yay! Updates! Whoo! (Sorry, I'm deliriously tired and my vocabulary is unfortunately suffering.)

In case anyone could ever DARE forget how awesome my beta is, I will remind you: Greenyoda987 is the most splendiferous human ever.

"Mr. Krios, I'm sure you understand why discretion and secrecy are so important for this contract."

The drell's expression didn't change and Shepard's brow arched behind the visor of her helmet. "Of course," he finally replied, "Though I'm curious as to what would prompt you to seek the elimination of Ms. Lawson so suddenly."

Hm. Very astute, as always. And she liked this assassin, so she decided to indulge him; he was always kind enough to make her contracts a priority on short notice, so she could at least answer his questions. With a distorted chuckle, she replied, "As it stands, Ms. Lawson and her organization have been more and more of a nuisance of late concerning a merger, of sorts. I have declined repeatedly as I find their methods and ideology barbaric and close-minded. Since then, Ms. Lawson has sent her own people undercover into my organization. I want it to stop, and the best way to do so will be to put a stop to Ms. Lawson. That being said, this cannot be traced back to me, am I understood?"

Thane Krios unknotted his hands from behind his back and nodded, blinking placidly. "Of course, Illusive Man. I will let you know when the target is eliminated."

"Fantastic. I will have the credits transferred to your account by tomorrow." She stood and held out a hand, which he shook. "Pleasure, as always. And I believe this makes us even."

"I would respectfully disagree. Your help in identifying my siha's killers is a kindness I cannot repay." He inclined his head respectfully and added, "Until next time."

The drell left and Shepard looked back down at her omnitool. It had been barely two hours since her meeting with Garrus, and yet it already felt like days… Williams had sent her an urgent message demanding her return to deal with a "personnel issue". That personnel issue was, of course, that a Cerberus mole had been discovered masquerading as a new tech agent. The man had been in the middle of splicing a bug into their communications network when Tali caught it and locked the system down and went after him herself. And, of course, she went after him without a suit, which meant it was almost guaranteed she would be sick. If the infection didn't kill her, Shepard would for being so stupid. Granted, the quarian had done a number on the spy before Williams had gotten there. Speaking of which…

Shepard punched the elevator call button and slammed her thumb into the sub-level floors. As the lift dropped, she carefully thought over every horrible unpleasantness she could put on the man waiting for her. Maybe medieval torture could make a comeback…

The doors slid open and she stomped down the corridor toward the pair of guards flanking a lone door at the end. She could see them exchange a nervous glance before standing up straighter as she drew closer. "Has he said anything?" she demanded.

"No, sir."

With a grunt, she signaled them to let her in. The doors slid shut behind her, the locks loudly clicking back into place, and, for a moment, she stood perfectly still in the dim light. The man sat in a chair against the back wall, one arm cradled close to his chest and his head tipped back. Bruises already colored half of his face and blood trickled from his nose and the corner of his mouth. His arms were left unbound, yet his ankles were tied to the legs of the chair.

"I suspect you know why I'm here," Shepard finally said, cutting through the silence. The man jumped slightly and she crossed her arms. "Now, I will say this once and only once, so please listen carefully. You will answer me when I ask you questions, and you will answer honestly. If you lie to me, you will be sorry. If my tech specialist dies because of you, you will be even sorrier. Do we have an understanding?" For a moment, the man was silent and Shepard sighed; four quick strides had her standing in front of him and one hard blow from the back of her hand sent him sprawling, he and the chair clattering to the floor on his side. Shepard grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and set him right-side up. "This will be much easier for you if you just do as I say."

"Miranda said not to tell you anything," he finally muttered, coughing blood and mucus onto the ground between his feet.

"I'm sure she did," Shepard relied casually, cracking her knuckles within her gauntlets, "but I'm also sure you want to live to see another day, hm?" When his jaw tightened, she chuckled. "Oh yes, you've probably got a girlfriend, or a family. A child?" The man's eyes widened and she nodded sagely. "I'm sure your child wouldn't want to grow up without a father… And you want to live to see that child grow up, don't you?"

"Yes…" came the reluctant reply as Shepard paced across the room. His eyes darted toward the door and Shepard didn't miss it, planting herself squarely in front of him.

"Then I will make this easy: tell me what I want to know and you'll live to see your family again. Lie to me, or refuse to answer, and your child will receive your head as a birthday present." After a pause, she continued. "How did you get in?"

"I batted my eyes and smiled a lot."

The man's laugh was raspy and pained, but Shepard didn't join. Instead, she unhooked the pistol from her belt and fired once. The laughter turned to howls of agony and the man gripped the knee she'd shot through, staring up with wide disbelieving eyes.

"Less sass, more talk, agreed?" she sighed, snapping the gun back onto her hip. "Now tell me how you got into my organization."

"Ah, fucking… Damn it…" She could see him force down a few breaths and smiled behind the mirrored faceplate of her armor. "Lawson wanted to know what you were up to, why you wouldn't agree to join us. She said—ah, shit, it hurts—she said that if you were willing to kill the human Spectre, then you might be an enemy."

Hm… Either Lawson was stupid, or there was more to this than was being said. "She's made me an enemy by trying to spy on me. Now answer my damn question: how the hell did you get in with no one knowing who you were?!"

Again, the man laughed and Shepard considered shooting him purely out of spite, but instead clenched her hands into fists behind her back. "Cerberus has tech experts, too, ya know." He subsided into a fit of wet coughs, but pressed on, "They set me up with an alias and an entire searchable background, all you people had to do was scan my omnitool and it would come up. No one suspected a thing. Our inside guy was very specific as to what you all'd look for." He went to laugh again, but grimaced and groaned. "Jeez, I think she cracked a rib…"

"Good. If she hadn't, I'd have to retrain her and then crack a few myself," Shepard retorted acerbically as she turned back toward the door. "As promised, you will be released and free to return to your family." When she continued, her voice had gone flat and cold, "You will, however, be watched and if you return to Cerberus, I will make sure you and your family burn together. And it will be the most painful thing any of you have ever experienced, am I clear?"

She heard the man shudder and a smile broke over her face. "Y-yeah. Clear…"

"Good. Have a pleasant day." The doors opened and she stepped through, allowing them to close behind her before addressing the guards. "Kill him. I don't care how, but make it gruesome. Just be sure they can still identify the body and dump him on Lawson's doorstep. She's just made the worst mistake of her life."

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Get to it," she barked, heading for the elevator. This was not good. For Cerberus, of course, but it also meant that she and her organization were gaining attention from the people she didn't want it from… And it would distract from her current problem that she had a leak within her staff. A leak that was indiscriminately handing out her secrets… Her brow furrowed and she drove her fist into the wall as the elevator began to rise, leaving a sizable dent. Her knuckles ached, and yet it somehow made her feel a bit better, a bit less powerless. She needed to figure out who was behind this, and fast. And just who else would be willing to exploit it…

The doors slid open to the medical wing and Shepard stepped out, eyes scanning the sparsely populated area before settling on the one pocket of activity in the otherwise indolent room. She all but ran over, remaining only a few steps behind the doctors as they checked charts and readings and levels, murmuring amongst themselves and injecting things into the IV. They had gotten Tali into an environmental suit, and it occurred to Shepard how strange it was to see her face covered. Tali's head lolled to one side, her breathing shallow and uneven. Her hands clenched and unclenched sporadically, twitching with every uneven breath.

"How's she doing?" she finally asked, making the doctors whirl in surprise.

"Sir! I—I mean, we—Uh… We weren't expecting you so soon…" the young turian stammered.

"Krescius, see to patient." Shepard turned her head just enough to see the salarian check something on his omnitool before he smiled. "Illusive Man, pleasure as always."

"Doctor Solus, I trust you're taking good care of my tech specialist?" she inquired of the scarred salarian doctor. Even phrased as a question, it sounded like a threat in her modulated voice and she forced herself to relax her stance. She liked the doctor—she liked most of her key staff—and the best way to keep staff she liked was to make herself as nonthreatening as possible; scared people didn't often stay in an environment they felt unsafe in.

Mordin Solus's smile widened and he nodded. "Of course, nothing but the best for Ms. Zorah. Exposure was severe, due to habitation in filtered environment for so long. Normal reaction for quarians. However, exacerbated by exertion when…"

"I made sure I got 'im good, sir," Tali slurred from her place on the bed and Shepard chuckled.

"I saw, Tali, although I should give you a beat down of your own for pulling that stunt," she replied, the gentleness of her tone not matching the threat. Tali waved a hand with a dismissive grunt and Mordin coughed to hide a laugh.

"Yes, well. Exertion from beating intruder increased respiratory rate, caused inhalation of greater density of pollutants. Also, need to be sure contact with blood spatter from… victim does not have adverse effects. Will monitor all reactions. For now, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and fluids. And rest. Will keep you informed, of course."

Shepard nodded. "Thank you, Doctor Solus. I need her healthy, as long as it takes. And Tali, get better, but take it easy. We'll manage without you until then."

"We'll see 'bout that Sh—Sir."

With that, Shepard headed back for the elevator. Mordin would make sure she was alright, Shepard was sure of it. And as much as she hated to admit it, her operations had to continue, with or without Tali. And she had a good idea of where to start. In the silence of the elevator, she opened a comm channel.

"Williams. My office. Now."

"Sir, I apologize. I take full responsibility for the current situation. I should have known that our security was lacking after the discovery of Spectre Alenko." Williams stood in front of Shepard's desk, staring out the window over her head. Tension ran from her jaw down her neck and into the set of her shoulders, betraying just how uncertain she was. For a moment, Shepard said nothing, standing from her chair and leaning forward on both hands, palms flat on her desk.

"Williams, I am more than aware that this is not your fault," she finally said, her voice clipped, "so don't play the martyr. You were put into this position very suddenly, and your acclimation to the role is still in progress. As it stands, we don't have time for this. We need to put an end to this, and I have an idea of how to do that, but I need your cooperation and continuing hard work; am I clear?"

Williams only paused a moment before nodding. "Crystal, sir. What's the plan?"

Shepard smiled behind her helmet and straightened. "Some of this is still in progress, but some things we can do immediately." A quick swipe of her hand called up the holodisplay from within the desk, illuminating a pair of opposite screens between them. "This is a complete list of everyone we have as members of my organization. Unfortunately, I cannot vouch for every single one of them, and that makes me very nervous."

Williams frowned, her brow furrowing. "They've all been vetted, sir. At least, I thought they had been…"

"So had I." Shepard settled back into her hip and crossed her arms. "However, recent events have convinced me otherwise. Or, perhaps they've been poached by an enemy."

"What are you thinking, sir?"

Yes, what was she thinking… She had an idea, but it would take time. And it relied a bit too heavily on her personal ability to read people. Or scare them. Still, someone willing to sell her out had to have a set of titanium testicles… Or they were just that cowardly…

"Bring each of these people up to my office. I want to look each of them in the eye when they tell me about their commitment to the Family." She shifted, setting her hands on her hips. "I know many of them haven't seen me for themselves, and I think many need to be reminded who they're dealing with." After a pause, she chuckled darkly. "Maybe striking fear into them will set them straight."

Williams said nothing to that, but moved on. "What was your long term plan, sir?"

Hm. Williams was proving to be more and more capable. "I am in the process of planting bait for our traitor. Whoever brings in my target is our slippery friend. Of course, I can't guarantee this will be a timely process, but it is almost fool-proof."

"Unless there's more than one traitor."

"True, but for now, it's the best we can do."

"How, exactly, are you planting bait, sir? Or do I not want to know?"

Shepard chuckled and waved the holodisplay away. "Leave it to me, Lieutenant, and I will be sure to make you aware of who to look for as the bait."

"Of course, sir."

"Good. Prioritize higher ranking members and send them to me starting tomorrow. In the meantime, I have some calls to make."

Williams saluted and left, leaving Shepard alone in her office. After a brief pause, Shepard ripped the helmet off her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. Oh, sometimes she hated this job… Her head was already beginning to ache, and she hadn't even started doing damage control yet… Well, she knew one thing that would make her feel better.

After three rings, she picked up, "Miranda Lawson."

"I hope you're ready for what you've unleashed, Lawson, because this means war. I will dismantle your organization brick by brick, and when the time comes I will take you down personally. You have made an enemy of me and my organization, and that is the last mistake you will ever make."

Shepard cut the connection and let her arms fall to her sides, letting her head fall back. She closed her eyes and took a long breath. She needed to get this under control, and fast. Cerberus had classified information on their screening policies. Presumably, whoever had given it to them was also ratting to C-Sec; at least, that was if Shepard was very, very lucky. Who else had information on her organization? There were few people she was afraid of, when it came to an attack from the outside, but there was one person she would never cross…

She opened a vid comm channel from her desk and fell back into her chair, reclining back with an impatient expression on her face. An asari appeared on the screen in front of her and the alien woman smirked, crossing her arms over her leather-clad chest. "Aria," Shepard greeted tightly.

"Shepard. To what do I owe the pleasure of this decidedly personal call?" Aria replied, obviously delighting in the other woman's discomfort.

For a moment, Shepard only scowled at her, wondering if it was too late to add Aria to Krios's hit list. "I've received some troubling information lately, and I'm wondering just how far this problem is going."

"You want to know if I've heard anything threatening to you on Omega. Oh, Shepard, I thought you were finally warming up to me, and now I find out you're just using me for my connections? Such a shame..."

Shepard's patience finally fizzled and she lurched forward, slamming an armored hand onto her desk. "Damn it, Aria, just tell me what I want to fucking know, or so help me I'll make Omega my next stop after I deal with Cerberus," she snapped, glowering at the asari.

Aria, however, only smiled wider. "Temper, temper, Shepard. Do you kiss your little Shadow Broker with that mouth?" When Shepard's expression darkened, she laughed. "Clearly, you aren't in the mood, so I'll save you the trouble. No, I haven't heard anything about you or your organization in the Terminus. As far as I know, you aren't on the radar out here." She paused, mirth draining from her face. "Why?"

Shepard huffed out a breath and bowed her head. It was always a give and take with Aria… She knew Shepard's identity, and they acted as equals. Not quite partners, but not enemies either. It was a fragile friendship, but a friendship nonetheless. A friendship full of mistrust and secrecy that Shepard fully expected to backfire on her in the end. The only person she feared in the galaxy was Aria T'Loak, and it was for that reason that she sought the alien woman's counsel and friendship. "Recently, I've discovered a leak in my organization that has taken it upon itself to spread our secrets to anyone who asks. I haven't found the source yet, but for now, I'm trying to limit the spread."

"And Cerberus?"

A harsh laugh escaped the human woman. "Noticed that, hm? Lawson took advantage of the information she has now found herself gifted with and tried to infiltrate my organization with one of her own. As far as I'm concerned, it's a declaration of war. And I can only afford so many wars at a time."

"And you're still fighting C-Sec. I saw your clip, by the way. Very powerful. The impact shot was a nice touch too. Nothing like the sight of blood to strike fear into the hearts of idealists, hm?"

"Yeah, well. I might have a solution to that problem soon enough," Shepard replied dryly, "If I'm lucky, that problem will solve itself."

"Mm. Well, keep me posted. They have a tendency of overstepping their bounds into my territory, and I wouldn't mind lending a hand."

Hm. Well then. Unexpected was putting it mildly, but Shepard liked the offer. "I'll keep that in mind. But there is one more thing I wanted to ask." This would be the true show of the value of their relationship, and if Shepard's luck hadn't completely run out, Aria would prove her worth as a contact. "I'm looking for a salarian doctor, used to go by Saleon, probably changed his name."

"Another salarian doctor, Shepard? Stealing mine wasn't enough?" Aria replied sarcastically, making Shepard grin.

"If I recall correctly, Doctor Solus left Omega of his own free-will, Aria. I merely extended a job offer when he made it out of your system unscathed. The fact that he accepted was his decision, though right now I'm glad he did. And—no offense—but I will happily fight you for him if he saves my tech specialist."

Aria's expression softened slightly and she waved a hand. "Keep him, he already broke Omega's one rule anyway."

Shepard chuckled and raised a brow. "Literally or figuratively?" That only made the asari smile and Shepard shook her head. "Never mind. So, Saleon: have you heard of him? Or anything about him? He escaped the Citadel with a ship full of civilians, probably his employees that he was experimenting on."

Aria scowled. "What exactly was he up to, Shepard?"

Shepard leaned her elbows forward onto her desk and shrugged. "Organ smuggling, as far as I know. The civilians were living test tubes. And C-Sec got after him bad down in the Wards; a lot more activity than I like around my operations."

"And you want to find him so C-Sec will stop sniffing around."

Good old Aria; thankfully sharp and just as conniving as Shepard liked to think herself to be. "Yup. That, and it might act as a bit of a peace offering. C-Sec will have to take the time to process that case and deal with the public and the media, and I'll have time to circle my wagons."

"Circle your what-now?"

"Never mind. Have you heard anything?"

Aria shifted her weight between her feet, looking thoughtful for a moment. "Not outright… There were reports of a civilian transport idling around on the edge of the Terminus Systems, just outside Citadel Space. Licensed to a Doctor Heart. If he's your guy, he has bad taste in irony. Just how bad is this guy?"

Shepard rubbed her brow and sighed. "He left malformed and duplicate organs inside his employees. Most of them died. As far as I can tell, these people were desperate; why else would they let someone grow organs inside of them. Hell, they might not have even known."

Aria's frown deepened and she hummed her agreement. "I'll see what I can find out and let you know."

"I'm glad there's someone I can count on." Shepard lurched to her feet with a grimace as her muscles protested, but managed a small smile. "And Aria… Thanks."

"Of course… Illusive Man."

As the screen went dark, Shepard sighed, trying to roll a kink out of her neck as she began stripping off the heavy plates of armor. One of these days, she would take a day off from being the Illusive Man and just be Regina Shepard: look over some investments, go to a spa, maybe read a book… She shoved the armor haphazardly back into its hidden locker and shuffled into her adjoining room, falling gratefully onto her bed without turning the lights on. As she lay there, she began to wonder just how far she would have to go to keep her hold on power this time. Murder was part of her pedigree at this point; shooting a man in cold blood wasn't something she shied away from. Hell, she'd shot Kyrik and dropped Alenko off a building. She'd staved her predecessor's head in with a marble statue to prove a point. She'd taken everything with remote value from her family and left without a trace. She donated millions to C-Sec as her ranks mowed down dozens of their loyal officers every week. Yet she'd never had to deal with something like this… Sneaking around C-Sec was one thing, war with Cerberus another, and a traitor on the inside something else entirely. But all three at the same time… The Family existed in a state of delicately balanced perfection, yet how could she maintain that perfect storm when she was fighting a war on three fronts? With a groan, she rolled over and reached for the Hallex she always left beside her bed; her hand slid over the uninterrupted polished surface and a low growl escaped her. Damn, she'd used it all… And with C-Sec crawling around the Wards, their next shipment had been delayed, along with the containers of smuggled art and other rare commodities her black market buyers had been waiting on for almost two months.

Damn C-Sec, damn Cerberus, and damn Saleon.

Resigned to her fate, Shepard hastily cocooned herself in the blankets and buried her face against the pillows. The night was probably going to be rough.