Shepard's eyes opened slowly, his body screaming in pain. Michael and Haku were near him and, as soon as he awoke, they rushed to his sides.
Shepard remembered the last night with much more clarity than he had wished. After making a deal with Isabella, they had talked for an hour. It was strictly business, and ended when Shepard had said that, in order to make his crew think he was a prisoner as well, she would have to have her men beat him.
Shepard felt his black eye, busted lip, and dozens of other bruises burn, and wished that he had asked for less-experienced men beat him.
"Shep, are you okay?" Haku asked.
"Of course he isn't! He was the only one still awake when that crazy bitch attacked us!" Michael said. "Shep, are you okay?"
"Michael, think about what you just said. You insulted Haku for saying exactly what you said immediately after." Shepard said.
"Oh, wow. You sound like my teacher." Michael sighed. "And to think I worried about you for an hour."
'Hm.' Shepard thought. 'Everyone is asleep for the same amount of time, regardless of metabolism, age, or any other physical trait.'
Shepard closed his eyes, feeling drowsy. Then, he forced himself to stand, to stubborn to allow his feeling to slow him down.
"Shep, they're going to hurt you. Bad." Michael said. "They patched up your bullet wounds just so that they could hurt you more."
"I believe your grammar is incorrect." Shepard said, reaching into his pocket.
"Here." Haku said, giving Shepard a wooden cross. It was definitely old, and had rosary beads. "You dropped it. I didn't know you were Catholic."
"I'm not. It was my mother's," Shepard said. "We had different beliefs, but it doesn't matter anymore. She's dead and I don't believe in anything."
That wasn't strictly true, however. Shepard felt some hope beginning again, and had even once wondered if he should pray for himself and others. He didn't act upon this, but it was much more religious than anything else he had done in years.
"What are we going to do?" Michael asked.
"Wait a few moments." Shepard said, taking his shoes off. He popped the heel off, taking a small, flat circle with glowing blue lights out of his shoe.
Haku watched on, worried. "Shep, that's a-"
"I know." Shepard said. "This is a high-risk mission. Leave no one alive."
"We don't have guns, and we're in an old-style jail." Michael said. Isabella preferred bars to electronic shields, worrying that an EMP would let loose whatever prisoner she had.
Shepard carefully grabbed Haku's ankle, taking the heel off of her shoe. He took a black rectangle from the middle, then put the heel back on her shoe.
"Why didn't you just ask?" Haku asked, blushing.
Shepard ignored her, opening the box and taking out a lock picking set and a switchblade. Shepard put the switchblade in his pocket and quickly picked the lock on the cell door.
"How did you know how to do that?" Michael asked.
"I am a man of many talents." Shepard said.
"You know, hidden weapons, suits...Are you sure you're not James Bond?" Haku smiled.
Shepard crouched, took the switchblade out and, once behind a guard, he popped up, clicking the switchblade out and shoving it in the guard's neck, putting a hand over the guards mouth. Once the life was gone from the guard's face, Shepard gave the pistol to Michael and the Assault Rifle to Haku.
"I'll take care of Isabella alone." Shepard said sternly, then "There's guards out here. Wait until I give the signal. Look away until I give the signal, then run in and shoot everything."
"What's the signal?" Michael began, but Shepard ignored him, walking out into the large square room filled with guards. For a single moment, the guards didn't recognize Shepard. Then, they all voiced their surprise.
"Shepard?"
"The prisoner?"
"How'd he get out?"
Shepard looked at all of them, and said "Signal." The circle in his hand exploded, the flashbang blinding the guards. The guards fired randomly, some killing the other guards that had been near them.
Michael and Haku charged, firing at where the guard's voiced had came from. Minutes later, the vents cleared the room, and only one man other than Haku and Michael stood.
Shepard was exactly where he had been, his hand severely burnt.
"Damn it, Shepard!" Haku said. "Why didn't you tell us you were going to do something so suicidal?"
"You would've kept me from doing it." Shepard said, ripping cloth from a dead guard's suit.
"What's with these guards and suits?" Michael asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
"Go to the ship, and, if more of Isabella's men come to get you, leave." Shepard said, tying the cloth onto his hand. He made sure he was holding the flashbang so that he wouldn't hurt his main hand and be unable to use a pistol. Shepard calmly walked over to the guard's locker's, finding his pistol in one of them. Shepard took the pistol, and looked at his squad. "Go."
They both nodded, and left as quickly as possible.
'If I died right now, would I be happy with my life?' Shepard wondered, walking to the door Isabella was surely behind. 'Would I regret anything? Would I have done anything differently?'
Shepard took in a deep breath, then kicked the door open, leaving his questions unanswered.