A/N:
One thing I enjoyed most about being an Infiltrator was the ability to pop those annoying mechs in that little slot between their oval eye. That and I hate elevators in each and every game. Kind of my way to hashing at it. Another interesting note, original art actually had the Illusive man in some weird half formed reaper form but was scrapped from the game to make him seem more powerful in words and deception and not physically. I am with Charlie Sheen, I just plain don't trust or like the man... I guess somethings are just meant to be.

Chapter 12

Firestorm

Dust swarmed around the Hammerhead making it difficult to see more than a few meters in either direction. Luckily this vehicle was equipped with radar. Not as efficient as actually using the Normandy's probes and scanners, but it would alert the Illusive Man of their presence. They were just going to have to settle with doing it the old fashion way and Jane was hoping they would find something soon. The heat from the planet and never ending dust storms were making the Hammerhead warm up considerably since they had left the Normandy. Beads of sweat were forming along her hairline and the air was getting a little hard to breath.

A light blip caught the attention of all three passengers. "What is it?" Jane asked anxiously.

Grunt huffed. "Not sure yet." As they flew closer toward the anomaly the blip got louder. "What ever it is, it's massive."

"Good, it might be just what we've been looking for." Garrus glanced out the window out of habit. Jane was sure that he would have enjoyed taking their new vehicle out for a spin if it had been under different circumstances.

"Let's hope so. The weather of the planet should disguise us from any thermal readings. Bring us in as closer." Garrus tapped the consol as he followed her command.

The shape of the anomaly started to form on the screen. It was circular and very large. Just like Miranda described. Jane pointed at a section that would possibly have a docking port.

"Try here."

Garrus nodded and turned the vehicle in the direction she suggested. The shape enlarged on the screen and suddenly they could see metal plating just outside the window. Garrus cursed and struggled with the controls as he fought to keep from running into the object. The Hammerhead jerked to a stop five meters from the bulkhead of the other ship. Jane's heart had sped up a little from the excitement and she was clenching the sides of her chair.

"Look." Grunt pointed bringing her back down to regular speed. He was pointing at what looked like a small alcove in the hull just barely visible from their location.

"Take us in, nice and slow."

Garrus fragilely touched the controls and the vehicle lurched slightly. "Sorry."

As they entered the alcove, a group of mechs came into view through the window all facing the outside toward them. "Well, so much for a stealthy entrance." Jane sighed.

Grunt grinned and Garrus's mandible flared lightly. "At least this won't be a battles-less trip." Grunt's voice rumbled with happiness. Jane rolled her eyes as the two males started up the weapons and laid into the un-expecting mechs. Boys and their toys.

Once the Hammerhead was parked in the midst of a sea of disemboweled mechs, the three of them donned their helmets and exited the vehicle in hopes of finding a door that would lead them to inside the ship. While the alcove provided protection from the dust storm, it was still littered with bits of dirt and tiny rocks. The litter started to bounce and move as the ship came to life and started moving. He must have to constantly move his ship so that it won't get bombarded with the small meteors that plague this planet. Jane thought as they all staggered toward what she hoped was a door.

It was a door. A very badly beaten up door in fact, but the encryptions was still intact and required Garrus's hacking techniques for a few minutes. She could hear Grunt mumbling to himself that it would have been easier if she had let him smash the door in instead as the locking mechanism clicked and the door creaked open.

The inside was dark and much cooler to their relief. Jane clicked on her visors night vision as she checked the calibrations to her Widow and M-6 Carnifex. She heard Grunt and Garrus doing the same as she holstered her pistol.

"We need to find a way to the top of this thing." Jane informed her squad-mates as they trekked quietly through the hallway.

"Perhaps we should just follow the line of mechs." Grunt huffed.

Jane gave a small chuckle. "Just because you want to shoot a few more things doesn't mean we will run into any more."

She could hear Garrus suppress a laugh as Grunt growled. "You humans can be so boring when you aren't going up something that isn't suicidal or dangerous."

"Hey, this is going to be dangerous." She was half joking, half serious with the Krogan.

"Huh." Garrus's voice interrupting their play argument and the two turned their attention toward the opposite side of the room. "What do you know."

Jane ducked behind a crate and set her Widow up to look through the scope. Yeah, what do you know… There was a group of mechs working on a few panels, maintenance drones probably.

"Well," Jane said through the com-link as she adjusted her sighting to get a better shot. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Grunt."

The disruptor round zipped through the air and landed in the middle of one of the eyes of a mech, causing it to franticly spas as the electrical shock raged through its body. She could hear the roar of joy from Grunt's com as he charged out after the mechs and slamming his armor against them, knocking a few to the floor before unloading a whole clip into the nearest mech. Jane continued to scope out the mechs before sending a round into the head of a mech. Garrus was knelt behind another crate doing the same.

Slowly, they pushed through the line of maintenance mechs toward what appeared to be an elevator. Uhg, I get enough of those on my own ship. Jane felt her aim waver with the thought and the round hit the mech in the shoulder. She cursed herself and loaded another round and fired, hitting it in the neck. Jane growled to herself and aimed at another mech, this time hitting it in the chest. Holstering her Widow on her back she pulled out her pistol and fired three good rounds into the mechs shields, giving Garrus the opportune moment to take it down.

Garrus turned his head toward her. Even through the dark helmet, she could feel his eyes on her. "I've always logged in more headshots then you, Jane; but damn." He was not trying to be sarcastic or mean, but she could tell he was worried.

"Yeah, yeah. You've always been the best, but hell… a girl can dream." She shrugged it off.

"All clear." Grunt's voice rang through her headpiece.

They walked over the piles of mechs still sparking from the disruptor rounds. Grunt had already called the elevator and was waiting for them to catch up. Turning on her omni tool, Jane checked the elevator configuration.

"This elevator only goes up halfway. We will have to find another one once it reaches its height." Great, more elevator rides. She could hear Garrus sighing in dismay as they pressed the button and the door slid shut.

If I never had to ride in another elevator in my life, I'd be happy forever. Unfortunately, it was an impossible wish. The second elevator ride was somehow twice as long as the first even though it was relatively the same distance that they both traveled. Maybe the Illusive Man just programmed this one to go extra slow; figures. Jane popped in a new heat sink into her pistol. Hopefully they will not have much further to go or many more mechs to go through. While a few of the mechs had ammo, they were running low on specific types.

The door finally hissed open to reveal a highly raised platform that held the chair that Jane knew very well. She crouched and pounced into the cover of the platform, hearing the light metallic scrapes on the ground as Grunt and Garrus followed her lead. The fresh smell of cigarette stench clung to the air telling them that there was indeed a person sitting in the loan chair.

"I was wondering when you'd join me again, Shepard."

A chuckle and a puff like sound rang clear even through her helmet. It was too hot in her suit now and she yanked it off and set in on the ground, letting her loosely tied hair fall down on her shoulders. Garrus removed his as well and have her a very confused look that said: "What are you doing?" Jane ignored the look and clenched her jaw.

"I will never work for you again." She growled through her grinding teeth.

"Oh?" Jane could hear the cockiness in his voice. "Is that so? Now, I'd think you'd come looking for a little help to get yourself back to normal. Isn't that what you want? To go back to the way you were before?"

Jane could not help but laugh hysterically, which caused Garrus to give her a strange look. "You have some weird thought that I would want that? I may be fucking pissed off that you did this to me, but I can't deny that some part of me is happy for it."

The creaking of metal told her that the Illusive Man had stood up from his chair. Slowly she turned her back away from the small wall and took a defensive stance in case he made any more sudden movements.

"You really are a special one aren't you? Miranda was right." He said to himself. "Then you must see how important it is to let all of humanity be offered my grace."

"Piss off." Jane spat. "You knew you were going to do this to me in the beginning, and you're not doing this to help humanity."

"Oh but I am."

"Like hell you are. You just want Humans to be the only dominate species in the galaxy. You plan on slowly eliminating the rest of the species before they realize it and it's too late to do anything."

The Illusive Man laughed. "Humanity is the only rightful species to rule the galaxy and it is sad that you don't see that. It looks like my first project has failed. That's alright, I have another one in mind that will surpass you in everyway."

Jane had moved around enough to where she could see him. Grunt and Garrus were inching around for better positions themselves. "No, I will stop you."

Another cruel laugh cascaded from the Illusive Man's mouth. "I don't see how. Even if you manage to kill me, there is no way you can find the data now."

"Oh, I beg to differ." A sleek female voice answered.

The Illusive Man swirled around, "Mira…" but he was too late. Biotic shields wrapped around him as Miranda and Jack joined together to hold him in place. Jane could see the death in Jack's eyes all the way across the room. Mordin was even grinning behind the two women like they had just stole a good piece of candy right out from under his nose. Well, technically… they did.

"Did you get it?" Jane asked across the room. Mordin nodded and tapped the arm that held his omni tool. "You see, Illusive Man, I already have retrieved your 'data'. Actually, all of your data to be precise."

The Illusive Man struggled for a moment before murmuring a sound of distain. "No." His body looked like it was shredding something. It shook and withered. She could tell it was become difficult for the two women to hold their shields. Jane shouted an order at them as the Illusive Man's body started making a loud tearing sound. Jack and Miranda lowered their shields holding him and watched with wide eyes as the body before them transformed into… Jane was not sure what exactly, but it looked like some form of synthetic. That son of a bitch. Somehow, the Illusive Man had integrated Reaper technology into his genome, making him transform into some sort of Human synthetic creature.

"Fuck!" Someone yelled.

The Human synthetic threw a shockwave at her group knocking her back a few steps. Her body started to scream with pain. "Jane!" She could hear Garrus calling out at her. The rest of their team did not hesitate. Jack and Miranda threw every biotic power they had at the creature, slowly beating down its barrier and shields.

Jane pulled out the heavy artillery and fired a shot. The electric bolt hit the shields, rendering them useless. This encouraged the rest of the group of lay in with their weapons, emptying them as quickly as possible. Heat sinks clicking as they popped out and clanging metallically on the ground where they were thrown carelessly as they dodged the biotics being thrown at them.

Jane fired another shot and watched as the Illusive Man's body convulsed as the electricity filled his body, shorting out the synthetic material throughout his body. She switched to her pistol again and fired it directly at his heart. The body collapsed where it stood and everyone slowly lowered their weapons and approached with caution. She could almost hear Jack complaining about not getting the last shot as she stood over the Illusive Man's body.

"I always hated the way your eyes looked." She commented at the dead thing beneath her. Firing one last round into the man's head just to make sure he was really dead.

"Burn it, Jack." Jane turned away and headed back toward the elevator with Garrus hot on her heals.

"With pleasure." She could hear the young woman grin through her words.