Disclaimer: Bioware owns almost all.

A/N: I noticed that one of my new favorite authors, Amanda Downum, added the soundtrack to her new novel on her webpage, and being unoriginal I decided to add my Omega playlist to my profile page for those interested. I will update it as chapters progress and add the song(s) used at the end of each chapter. Secondly, this chapter is rated M for violence.

Chapter 33

Vale matched my brisk pace, following my lead as we stayed to the shadows. He said nothing and he need not. His shock at our meeting had spoken volumes as I'm sure mine had as well. He had believed me dead, killed in the blast that obliterated two floors of Treia's expensive hotel. I could only surmise the bounty on our heads was quite generous to make up for the destruction of such finery. Surely on Illium the newly deceased was insured against random acts of violence, otherwise the explosion would not have been at all cost effective.

We moved through the throng of Illium's foot traffic, weaving in and out of the colorful crowds. It wasn't until the gaudy lights of Treia's club faded into the maelstrom of color that Vale pulled me aside, a frown on his face. I met his gaze with a neutral expression, ignoring the many emotions threatening to surface.

"What did you do?"

It was a question I had been expecting since we made our hasty escape from the club. I'd little doubt Vale knew full well what I had done and was simply looking for confirmation. I would provide it, of course, as he could just as easily find out on his own.

"I tied up a loose end."

He snorted. "So you killed her."

I watched as his eyes darkened and I nodded. "But not before she informed me of the contract on our heads."

"Contract? What contract?" He took a step back, a look of confusion crossing his face, barely visible against the flashing backdrop of Nos Astra's nightlife. "What are you talking about?"

"You mean you don't know?" I couldn't help but smile at the blatant discomfort in his stance. It seemed he was not as necessary a commodity as he had believed and I found I rather enjoyed informing him of the sudden shift in his status. Vale now needed me for more than just a potential payday. His chances of survival were better with my help. I had a bargaining chip, leverage to be used at my leisure.

"Don't toy with me, Jin. What did Treia say?"

"Interesting." I mused aloud. "You don't seem the least bit dismayed that I killed your fancy asari lover."

He had told me not to toy with him, but I couldn't resist. I had an insatiable urge to provoke him, and although I expected his anger, the control with which he wielded it was a surprise. Vale pulled me into the darkened ally and shoved me up against the cold, hard wall, his hands firmly wrapped around my neck. His hot breath upon my face smelled once again of bourbon and I met his fierce gaze with one of my own, long suppressed fury building in my veins.

"What did Treia say?" I barely heard the words, the tone of his voice so incredibly low. He applied slight pressure to my neck and I could feel the thud of my heartbeat against his palm. Still I met his gaze, defiance and anger writ plain across my face, but he moved not a whit. I was trapped within his rancorous embrace.

I was not fond of gambling, of games of chance. Although I had been known to bet a time or two on the vorcha fights, it was more for purposes of entertainment than actual monetary gain. Win or lose I was still able to watch the spectacle in the pits, but rarely did I take that sort of risk with my life. I gambled on the hunt only when I had exhausted all other options, bluffed only when the opportunity presented itself. As I watched the parade of anger flicker across Vale's face I realized now was such a time. I needed to bet my hand.

"She said you pissed off the wrong people this time around – your employer wants you dead." I licked dry lips and showed my cards. "Cerberus has no more need for you."

I knew my gamble had paid off when he started at the last, the very mention of Cerberus causing a slight shift in his focus, a twitch in his grip. Green eyes searched my own and when he released me suddenly without another word, I knew he found what he sought. I was telling the truth.

I relaxed against the wall where he had shoved me and studied his reaction. The dark frown on his face had returned and he clenched his jaw tightly as he paced up and down the alley. I could not pity the man now stuck in the same position as me, the surety of his familiar world turned upside down and inside out. It was almost irony enough to make me laugh had my fate not been tied to his. Regardless of who had been hunting me before, we now had this new contract to deal with and our combined knowledge would serve to keep us alive for a time. I wasn't about to take bets on how long that would be, however.

"I feel like I should welcome you to the club," I quipped nonchalantly, picking a piece of fuzzy lint from off my tunic. I watched as it floated gently to the ground, glancing up only when it dissolved into the small patch of water at my feet. Vale's gaze met mine, his green eyes filled with exasperation.

"Jin, you've –"

His retort was cut short by a hoarse shout not more than ten yards away. Sharp flecks of shrapnel showered down as mass effect rounds pelted the wall behind me and I grabbed Vale's arms again in a hurried parody of our exit from Treia's club. We dashed madly down the alleyway and I mentally cursed myself for yet another near miss. I should've been killed more times than I cared to count were it not for a superb streak of luck.

The alley was littered with trash from the neighboring apartments, Illium's trademark beauty abandoned in its seedier avenues, and my feet slipped out from under me. Vale lurched left as my grip on his arm faltered, both of us ending up in a pool of unrecognizable filth. He tucked and rolled, coming up behind a dumpster, but I was not as nimble. I twisted, landing face down in a puddle of muck, putrescence filling my mouth and plugging my nostrils. I sputtered and rolled sideways into cover as gunfire surged above me.

Righting myself I crouched behind a pile of debris, the taste of trash lingering amidst the rush of adrenaline. I coughed and spat, hoarse shouts from our mysterious assailants echoing down the alley. I strained my ears to listen, recognizing my mistake as they renewed their assault. I had pulled us into an open alley with no surveillance and only one other exit. If Vale and I didn't move soon, our attackers could easily surround us and cut off our escape route.

Vale grumbled loudly as he pulled a pistol from his waistband, taking aim down the alley, my brief flicker of surprise barely registering beside this sudden threat. He fired, but all too late as more gunfire erupted on our six, two more assailants new to the party. Already covered in grime, I dropped to the ground, finding little cover in which to hide. Vale fared only slightly better, jumping into the dumpster.

While I grew ever more familiar with the alley floor, Vale was able to return fire, holding the attention of our newest attackers. A cold calm settled over my nerves, the heat of the firefight churning my blood and tempering my resolve. With no alternative option I activated my cloak, the air shimmering briefly as the tech activated. More hoarse shouts echoed upon the air, male and female voices thick with warning, and I followed the noise to its origin. One pair of our assailants crouched at the mouth of the alley. A faint blue glow surrounded an asari on my right while her human counterpart crouched opposite her. I pulled my pistol and pressed it to the asari's head, squeezing the trigger with more reflex than conscious thought.

The air shimmered again as my cloak dissipated, eliciting a curse from the human male as his partner's body fell to the ground. He turned his gun on me, but in little more than two strides I was on him. His shot went wide to the right as I stepped inside his guard, my movements fluid and automatic. He gasped and sputtered as the ridge of my hand connected with his neck, his response sluggish. Ducking below his wild swing, I shifted my weight slightly and moved into position at his back. Using his momentum against him, I reached around and gripped his chin, wrenching it violently to the left. I recognized the crack of his neck, the feel of his weight now dead in my hands, and shouted my success to Vale. I spared him only a brief glance to make sure he was following. We were once more on the move, racing down Illium's dazzling walkways, and into the chaos surely awaiting us.

Long Tall Sally - Little Richard

Hey Man, Nice Shot - Filter