Once again, I thank owl208 for being my beta - you've been so helpful!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Mass Effect series nor Bioware, though I highly anticipate ME3 - I still need to pre-order it.

Chapter Four

The music blared, inducing the entire beings of those inside Dark Star Lounge to throb along with it as they heedlessly continued on with their debauchery. Miranda Lawson was not excluded from the reverberating music's effect on the rest of the clients as her body pulsed whilst she navigated along the edges of the gathering, scanning the crowd for a familiar face.

The Illusive Man had directed her to observe and assess Sterling's performance in the field as he went about his mission; it was nothing she was unaccustomed to from her years working under the Cerberus leader. After separating the distinctive dark chocolate-colored hair of her covert squadmate from the rest of the diverse mass in Dark Star, her eyes locked onto a baldheaded man a few feet away from him. Her mind established the stranger as Ron Guilesow, the Vanguard's mark if sufficient evidence was found to incriminate him.

She found that Jason had situated himself at the bar, drinking from a blue liquid-filled glass from time to time, as he inconspicuously eavesdropped on Guilesow's conversation with an unidentified contact. All of a sudden, however, he coolly stood up and began to move himself away from Guilesow and his acquaintance's vicinity, inciting Miranda to trail after him as she internally questioned why he was leaving his target.

As Franco Laski, he passed through the crowd with ease, stopping every now and then under the guise of joining the mindless chatter that the patrons of Dark Star involved themselves in when, in reality, he was surveying the lounge in search of some kind of exit. There's got to be a way out of here. There's always a way out.

He frowned upon noticing two turians positioned near the main exits - he discerned that both were not taking part in the lounge's social gathering from the amount of concealed arms they kept. Nope, not that way. I wonder who got the pleasure of hunting me down…

Out of nowhere, a hand caught his arm, impeding him from continuing his search for an escape. What the- He relaxed once he heard a familiar accented voice speak close to his ear, "What are you doing?"

"I could ask the same thing about you." He replied, expressing his reaction to her unexpected company in the form of a raised brow. The Illusive Man must've sent her to spy on me… "Didn't you say you weren't going to be physically present? What happened to using the comms?" He noted the only alteration on her appearance – the concealment of the Cerberus emblem on her black-and-white catsuit – and scoffed. "That's not even a disguise."

"I know what I'm doing." The lips of the XO pursed slightly from annoyance; still gripping the man's arm, she began to turn as she planned to lead him towards a dimmer, less occupied area of Dark Star.

Jason pulled her back towards him when she started to move, resulting in the XO being pinned against him due to the scarce amount of space in the packed lounge. Inwardly amused with the startled expression that briefly overshadowed Miranda's typically uncompromising mien, he justified his actions with an easy smile, "We can't isolate ourselves from the rest of the party. It'll draw unwanted attention."

She had a strong desire to disagree with his reasoning, but as she took in his argument of staying within the confines of the crowd, she admitted that they were indeed camouflaged – hidden amongst the other various couples partaking in the revelry. She curtly nodded, though not before she placed a gloved hand on his broad chest as a small barrier between them. Her heartbeat marginally escalated as a result of their closeness, much to her disapproval; all she could breathe in was his musk, and though she could not place a name on the scent, she found it pleasing. Setting the untimely thoughts aside, she asked, "Why did you leave Guilesow?"

"The Shadow Broker sent someone after me." He paused as the notion of the Broker's relentless hunt for him resurfaced as one of the prevailing tribulations in his life; his time on the Normandy had caused him to disremember such a significant detail. Spying movement headed towards them from his peripherals, his mind precipitously ran through several means to evade capture. Shit. "We need to get out of here ASAP."

The moment Miranda had composed her thoughts on their predicament and was about to voice a plan, a firm pair of lips pressed against hers. Her eyes widened at what was ensuing before they gradually closed as she acceded to the kiss, her hand fisted a good part of Jason's black v-neck whilst her body automatically pushed itself against his. Any analytical thought was completely lost as her mind instinctively engrossed itself on all things sensory – her rapid heartbeat along with his, their close proximity that permitted the former, the heat that surged throughout her body... The kiss continued to deepen, becoming more and more fervent; his hand placed on the small of her back drew her near while the other cupped the side of her face, holding her tightly to him, as he stole the breath from her lungs. Her privation of air was what brought her back to reality – releasing her grip on his shirt, she gasped as she pushed herself away from him, struggling to catch her breath prior to questioning her sagacity out loud, "What the hell was that?" Her thoughts were muddled as the effects of the kiss lingered, putting her in a state of disorientation. It was rare for her to feel so uncertain about something.

Jason breathed heavily once Miranda broke away from him. Wow. A faint smirk inevitably emerged on his face as he watched her strain to keep up her usual callous façade while she attempted to collect herself; he licked his slightly swollen lips in silent satisfaction. He tried to keep close to her, exploiting the moderate difference in height to conceal her from whoever was coming their way – trusting that they had cemented themselves as one of the sundry couples in the lounge with that heated kiss.

The entire lounge seemed to have fallen abruptly silent other than the sound of lackluster clapping moving toward them. "That was a good show and all, but there's no use hiding, Sterling." An armored asari stated, indolently waving her recently drawn M-23 Katana in the air. Halting once she stood directly in front of them, she took a minute to review her shotgun and reloaded it, alarming those participating in the festivity around them. "Now, be a good boy and come with us. The boss wants you back."

Damn it. "Aela," Jason addressed the asari with familiarity, his body tensed as it insentiently primed itself for a potential fight. "Still working for the Broker, huh?" He didn't like where things were going. Knowing Aela, she's not going down without a fight. There are too many neutrals. I can't fight them here… "The problem though is that I don't want to go back." His mind focused on the woman beside him, inwardly grumbling. How in the hell are we getting out of here?

"It's not about what you want. Orders are orders - you of all people should know that." The indigo-skinned alien glanced at the ebony-haired female alongside Sterling, sneering upon establishing the woman's identity. "Well, well, well – If it isn't the Illusive Man's genetic mutt." The amount of spite was unmistakable as she continued, "I hear your daddy is looking for you."

The XO went rigid, a multitude of thoughts swarmed her mind - fear for her sister's safety overshadowed all the others. The man she had been kissing earlier contended, "Leave her out of this and I'll come with you." Come on, Aela. Let her go. Broker only wants me.

"Wish it was that simple, but I can't do that." Aela gestured for their restraint to which Jason responded with a growl as he resisted against the asari's companions - distinct azure discharged from his body as visible confirmation of his biotics being actuated. "You see Cerberus princess over there… Her father is offering a shit ton of credits for her, and I'm not going to be the idiot who passes on it." She leered at the idea of augmenting her wealth, paying no mind to the struggling humans her turian companions held back.

With another motion from the asari, Jason felt something forcibly stabbed into his arm; he looked to his flank and helplessly witnessed one of the turians holding him back inject a clear ominous fluid into him before he could fight back - the same was done to Miranda. His attention returned to where Aela stood; his senses were already starting to fail him – the edges of his vision came to be blurry and dull, the booming music in the lounge muted into a faint murmur, and any command he held over his body vanished. He barely cognized the asari smirk, "Night, kiddies."

His eyelids turned into lead as the last thing he hazily perceived was everything moving upwards before all went black - a thud resounded once his body made contact with Dark Star's metal floor.

The commander had cut short the crew's shore leave on account of some emergency, though she could care less about whatever it was. Jack had been in the progress of beating the crap out of a hulking krogan who had made the grave mistake of calling her 'weak' when she received the message to return to the Normandy; although, it was in good timing since C-Sec arrived at the dive a few minutes after she left to address the disturbance that had been reported to them. Fuming with irritation from the brevity of her shore leave, the convict stormed into Communications.

"Now that we're all here," Shepard leaned on his arms as his hands were planted on the conference table's surface. He hardened his face – his way to mask his fatigue and convey the urgency of the situation. "EDI has informed me that she has lost contact with Jason and Miranda at five this afternoon. It's been…" He glanced at the time on his omni-tool, a clear scowl appeared on his face from what he saw. "Three hours."

"Maybe they're fucking." The subsequent glare from the stern commander went unnoticed for Jack found her concentration diverted into intently analyzing the krogan beside Shepard as if the alien appeared out of nowhere. "What the hell? When did that get here?"

"This is Grunt - Okeer's legacy." He responded prior to crossing his arms; he took a deep breath to rid himself of the escalating unease which stemmed from the missing two squadmates, "Anyway, we got info from C-Sec that they identified several of the Shadow Broker's agents throughout the Citadel. Something's obviously going on."

"What's the plan, Shepard?" Garrus asked, shifting his weight onto his other leg as he anxiously waited for his friend's reply. Since becoming a member of the human Spectre's crew once more, he had been feeling restless due to his exclusion on recent ground team missions – he pined for some action.

"Not going to be easy. Shadow Broker involved." Mordin added in his prompt speech before continuing to fiddle with his omni-tool, "Suggest split into groups. Divide and conquer."

"Agreed," Jacob grimly pronounced; his arms were crossed as he surveyed his teammates surrounding the conference table. It felt atypical without the predictable attendance of his fellow Cerberus operative – he knew there was more to the situation than what the commander was knowledgeable of, though he remained silent. He'd ask Miranda later once they retrieved her and the blithe Vanguard from whatever trouble they were in.

"All right. Jacob and Mordin, Garrus and Grunt, and Jack, you're with me." Shepard appointed before temporarily pausing for any objections. When none were voiced, he continued, "Look for any leads to their location. We need to hurry – god knows where they are right now. Activate your ear comms, and head out."

Miranda opened her eyes, blinking several times to acclimate to the dim lighting of the space in which she was presently detained; her body complained as a consequence of stiffly lying against the rigid floor for what she presumed was an extended period of time, leading her to prop herself up against the wall. She censured herself for her capture as well as her squadmate's, "All that genetic tailoring, wasted." She should have reacted aptly to the situation rather than becoming preoccupied with the poorly timed kiss that the Vanguard mesmerized her with. Her brows knitted from her frustration, the kiss was continuing to addle her. "Damn it, Sterling."

She froze as realization struck - Sterling was not with her.

His eyes instantly shot wide open, though he all he took in was white with intermittent blue flashes. The agony was palpable as he writhed and thrashed about against his restraints - the steel held, bruising his wrists and ankles as he did so. An anguish-filled roar erupted from his throat as he strained to pull his elevated hands down to confirm that his throbbing head was still there, to hold it as a way to possibly alleviate the burning pressure. Make it stop! MAKE IT STOP! No one heard his mental cry as his skull felt like it was being compacted from the sides; the unrelenting force pressing his brain intensified, affecting his howling as it escalated to be even more deafening. Consciousness began to slip away as swiftly as it had come to him earlier when the torture had started - he welcomed the relief that the darkness presented him.

"How did it go?" The impassive query was followed by the mechanical sealing of the door as proof of its reception of another entity into the observation room.

Aela identified the detached speech as her superior's, Operative Roa't. "The wailing finally stopped." She studied the holo-screen of the technician closest to her, taking in the endless data that paraded on it. "We'll start the 'reboot' in five since we have to let his vitals stabilize before we do anything. The 'reboot' itself will take some time."

"Make no mistakes. We lack the sufficient amount of time to make a new one." Roa't observed through the two-way glass at the lone figure manacled and fettered to the wall. A slight scowl disrupted his ordinarily unreadable appearance – his reflections were on what went amiss in the project to have produced such a tiresome situation. Verifying the time on his omni-tool, he directed, "It is time to correct the anomaly."

"Hmm… Densely populated by humans and batarians, the garden world of Anhur was home to the Anhur Rebellions: a civil war apropos the re-legalization of slavery which endured from 2176 to 2178. In the end, the abolitionists triumphed - the existing Anhur still retains its natural wealth, but apart from its reform industry, its economy is relatively weak as a consequence of the Rebellions. Interesting." Joker stroked his beard pensively at the information he had read aloud about the planet the Normandy's shore party had landed on a moment ago before returning his focus to some newfound asari pornsite, "The wonders of the extranet."

"That volus sure talked fast." The smugness was clearly present in the convict's voice and features – recalling the events on the Citadel – as she ran slightly ahead of the N7 armor-clad commander.

Shepard retorted, "You were holding him up ten feet up in the air with your biotics while you thoroughly explained how you were going to disembowel him. Shit, Jack. I wonder why?"

Jack grinned self-contentedly as she took in the man's sarcasm as grudging admiration. "Fucker deserved it. Don't be jealous that I got results." The tattooed woman teased as she nimbly bounded over a large tree root jutting out from the ground.

He shook his head at their back-and-forth, inwardly pleased with their congruency. Pressing a finger against his ear comm while he kept up with Jack, he spoke to the rest of the team, "According to Barla Von, Miranda and Jason may or may not be at the Blue Suns' base here on Anhur. My guess is that they are." Brushing away the obstructing florae, he moved deeper into the uncultivated forest overrun by its plant life. "The base is at the heart of this forest – the foliage is dense so if we can use it to hide ourselves, they can too. Just so we're clear, Grunt and Garrus will create the distraction outside the base while Mordin and Jacob will join Jack and I inside the compound to search for our AWOL squadmates. Got it?" On the opposite sides of the ear comm, Shepard heard the krogan's acknowledging grunt amongst the other confirmations of understanding the strategy for the retrieval of their squadmates – content with their answers, once he caught sight of the entrance to the Blue Suns' complex, he asserted, "Let's do this."

Overhearing the disorder outside of the small room she was kept in, Miranda Lawson stood up and stared warily at the cell's only exit. Without warning, the door along with some of the wall was destroyed by the strength of explosives – it was by absolute luck that she had managed to step back in time, evading being crushed by the collapsing bomb-detached door.

"Miranda!" Her Cerberus colleague greeted as he stepped over the debris, extending out her favored submachine gun for her to retrieve. The man's relief was explicit as his body eased from its tension, "You're okay."

"Yeah." Miranda concurred as she summarily checked the amount of thermal clips in the M-4 Shuriken. She held her stare at Jacob, wordlessly requesting him to disclose the events that had transpired during her incarceration.

"Still searching for Jason. Need to keep moving. Must explore rest of level." Mordin notified the two Cerberus operatives calmly whilst he held an M-6 Carnifex heavy pistol ready at his side. Noticing movement of blue armor from behind a crate, the scientist fired, effectually reducing the amount of Blue Suns in the compound. "Should tune ear comm to squad's frequency."

"Alright," She respected the salarian professor's advice as she keyed in the desired frequency for her ear comm into her omni-tool. The instant she was linked, she received the commander's clear voice in her ear.

"Nice to have you back, Miranda. Mind explaining to us what happened?" The sound of incessant fire from Shepard's end of the comm was accompanied by Jack threatening to throw their assailants like toys as well as to make them fly.

"Jason and I were captured in Dark Star by an old… colleague of his. When I woke up from the sedation, he was nowhere in sight. I don't know where he's being kept." A hint of guilt was present in her last statement – she wish she did.

"Continue searching. Jack and I are on the upper level so you three should carry on searching down there." Shepard communicated to the teammates outside, "Garrus, Grunt, keep drawing the mercs out of the base."

"Where's Operative Roa't?" Aela questioned the nearest technician, a petite female monitoring the project's vitals as her other coworkers hastily entered data on their holo-screens.

"He left the base, ma'am. Said you can take care of things here."

"Bastard." Slamming her blue fist against the wall, startling a few of the techies, she pulled her shotgun off the back of her armor, where the weapons holder was placed for effortless retrieval. "Left me to do his job." She jogged out the observation room, though not before dictating nearby troopers to defend it. Moving down to the end of the corridor, she was admitted into what would be another hallway – she grinned maliciously once she realized that the area she entered was in the midst of combat, hearing shouts from the other end of it. "Oh, well. More fun for me."

"Jacob!" Miranda alerted her squadmate, provoking him to drop down, as she flung her arms forward, biotically hurling an explosive canister at a horde of looming Blue Suns. Vaulting from her cover, she progressed towards the end of the hallway, dispatching any merc inane enough to cross her path. Recognizing the asari liable for her captivity and Jason's absence, she aimed her gun, shooting one clip after the other, as she deliberately missed the critical points.

Even with the existence of her armor and shields to safeguard her from most of the shots, a number managed to clip through her defense, the force impelled her onto the ground. Aela groaned from her raw injuries as she raised her M-23 Katana at the approaching brunette – the shotgun propelled out of her grasp as the woman's salarian companion fired at her hand, she grimaced, "Fuck!"

"Where is Jason?" The Cerberus operative placed her heel on the asari's sternum, pressing down with every word she uttered for emphasis.

Jacob observed the XO, astonished by her aberrant rashness. "Miranda…"

"Let me ask again. Where is he?" She repeated.

The asari's upper lip curled back into a snarl, "You're too late to save your boy toy. He's gone." Aela relished the aggravation manifesting on the dark-haired woman.

Right as Miranda was about to pull her heavy pistol's trigger, screams erupted from the door at the end of the hall. She pulled her Shuriken away from the asari's head, holding it on standby at her flank; as she proceeded towards the end of the corridor, she heard a single shot fired from behind her. Aela was taken care of.

"Proceed with caution." The salarian counseled once he caught up with them. "Unknown amount of enemies beyond the door."

Where…? He groaned, the sides of his head felt raw as his eyes adjusted to the glaring brightness enhanced by the white everything of the room. The simple act of lifting his head caused his neck to ache and his mind to dizzy; across from him on the opposing side of the room he discerned was a mirror. It usurped the majority of the opposite wall, an image of a restrained man was exhibited on it. Wait… what the-? He struggled to move, but his arms and legs were pinned against the wall – wincing, he distinguished the discoloring on his wrists and ankles where the steel bound him. He glanced at the reflection once more; the man shown had pallid skin amplified by the room's lighting and it contrasted with the black shirt he wore, dull grey eyes that more than implied his fatigue, and flattened hair, damp from cold sweat. How… here?

Beside the mirror, a hidden door hissed as it separated open, admitting a troop of comparably armored individuals with their weapons drawn – fear was perceptible in his eyes at the sight of them – though quickly they undirected it from him. The blue armor-covered entity entered something into the orange hologram that materialized around their arm. Omni-tool, he recalled the term. His restraints released him, his body slumping forward from the sudden reliance on his own legs. Slight faintness temporarily overcame him when he stood up. Too fast. The pressure against his head eased to some extent once he steadied himself, but it was extant nonetheless, filling most of the space in his mind with faded pain and the occasional hammering.

"Agent Sterling, it's best to come willingly." A soldier requested.

Blue Suns, the words came into mind as he eyed the armor's color. The head of the troop pointed an M-8 Avenger assault rifle at him, suddenly unpleasant from the absence of an obliging reply - his unit followed in suit. From his peripherals, cobalt blue radiated off of him; it was on impulse that he rushed at them, head-on. His body proceeded on its own accord - his arms flung forward. Hostiles propelled through the air away from him, some hit the mirror, breaking through it, others hit the wall. All were knocked out by the force.

No longer projecting a biotic glow, he stood there in awe at the destruction that he brought about. Blue Suns mercs were strewn all over the path in front of him, unmoving. The broken two-way glass exposed some type of observation room, abandoned terminals visible from where he stood in the white space.

The sound of the door commencing to unlock from the other half of the one-way mirror obtained his focus as he waited for the door to part and allow identities of his latest visitors to be revealed.

Author's Note:

Don't be shy! Review, please! I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Feel free to PM as well if you have any questions about the story.

Also, due to my lack of knowledge about Anhur, I made it a bit like Pragia in terms of its plant life and what not.