Disclaimer: Bioware owns pretty much everything.

A/N: I know it's been a long while since my last update, but real life took precedence. I hope to return to weekly updates, so to those still following the story, you have my deepest gratitude. Thank you so much.

Chapter 38

The shadows deepened into night and I settled in to sleep, but still Vale did not return. I drifted in and out of dreams, the silent memories flitting about on the edge of my consciousness. I was at peace in rest, the calm of the deep night curling about me like an attentive lover. It had been beyond memory since last I felt so myself, free from obligation and suspicion, and in my fatigue I clung to that feeling with the remorseless passion of every dreamer.

The door crashed open, violently shredding my safe haven, and I watched Vale stumble to the floor even as the threads of my dreams evaporated. He grunted, his voice muffled by the dingy carpet, but my attention was instantly drawn to the Alliance soldiers pushing through the door. Full armor rang loudly in the confined space, their rifles glinting in the alien moonlight.

On instinct I rolled from out the covers and onto the floor, taking meager shelter behind the bed. The soldiers moved with precision as they entered the room. I grasped desperately for any sort of weapon and failed. I had no knife, no gun, nothing within reach that I could use to defend myself, and it mattered little anyway. With one shout from a soldier and a quick gesture from another, Vale was pushed into the floor and bound. And then they advanced on me.

I was outnumbered and outgunned, and they cornered me easily. Willing away my fatigue and confusion, I raced through the options before me and found none. I watched in frustration as the soldiers moved into position, their polished rifles trained on me with masked indifference. Reluctantly, I raised my hands in surrender, pushing away the uncomfortable memories as they bound my arms behind my back.

I heard Vale grunt once before a sharp pain lanced through my skull. And then all was blackness.

O o O o O o O

Light seeped in, glaringly bright in the tight confines of my cage. An unhealthy groan stung my ears and I made to snap at the individual responsible before realizing I was the culprit. Sitting up cautiously, I worked to recognize any damage done to my body, noting only the agony which still split my head. Vale grunted in the corner, hunched over with green eyes focused intently upon me.

"So you're alive after all?"

My body cooled in anger and I welcomed the rush of it despite the continued pounding behind my eyes. "No thanks to you."

He waved his hand dismissively. "They had us pegged the moment you turned down that officer at dinner."

I snorted in response, ignoring yet another jolt of pain. "Yes, and I'm sure your attempts with the security officer didn't have anything to do with it."

He held my gaze only momentarily before looking away. "It's the bounties."

"Gee, you think?" I blurted, little thought or care given the mood I was in. I rubbed the knot on the back of my skull and channeled my pain into anger. Anger was a useful emotion.

Vale didn't acknowledge my retort, his attention still seemingly focused on the far wall.

"Let me guess, Cerberus has agents among the Alliance."

"Of course."

I snorted again. "So are you going to tell me what happened?"

Vale remained silent for a time, his body appearing relaxed and still, but I had come to recognize that pose. He was frustrated and as furious as I. I could almost smell the tension coiled about his body, taut muscles flexing beneath rough skin. He seethed silently, calculating the odds and options before us. I almost questioned whether I figured into his equations at all.

"They must've been tipped off somehow." His voice was so low I barely heard it. "I was at the bar, like I told you, and then they were on top of me."

I watched as he shrugged almost nonchalantly, noting the forced measure of his movements.

"They searched me and found the motel keycard. That led them to you."

I snorted again, willing the pain behind my eyes to dissipate, but otherwise remained silent. I pulled my knees to my chest in thought, replaying the night's events. It had all happened so fast: Vale's ungainly entrance followed by the press of Alliance soldiers, the dull ache of surrender followed by the sharp pain of a rifle butt. Anger flowed through my veins of ice and I gave into the welcome desire for revenge. Those bastards would pay.

Time stretched between us as silence lingered, but soon I was up and pacing around our cage. Vale watched me with sleepless eyes, the scent of bourbon drifting upon recycled air. I paused in my thoughts, realizing for the first time where we actually were and the stupid mistake our captors had made.

"We're on Franklin – the Alliance base on the moon." I faced Vale and met acknowledgment in his gaze.

"You just figured that out?"

I ignored his jibe and held up my wrist. "And they left me my omni-tool."

A dark eyebrow quirked slightly at the last, and Vale's face lit up with curiosity. "And so they did."

My pacing abandoned, I moved to study the locking mechanism. As I suspected they used standard colonial tech, same as planetside. It was an easy system breach with my 'tool, but the moment of excitement passed swiftly as reality once more settled heavily upon me. "It's a setup."

Vale tweaked the locking mechanism and opened the door, careful to avoid causing a noisy stir. "Of course it is," he hissed. "The Alliance is far from careless."

I sat back down on the room's solitary bench and shook my head, ignoring the odd spots floating in my vision. "What's the point? We're trapped either way."

His eagerness evaporated as his face darkened in contempt. "I'd rather be trapped out here than in this cell. Come on!"

I hated to admit that he was right. Even more, I hated to admit that in my stubbornness I was acting a fool, and so I followed him out the door and into the bowels of the Alliance base. Our flight was uneventful for the most part, dodging and ducking through empty corridors, our hollow footsteps echoing lightly on the air. Rarely did we see another soldier aside from the occasional sentries guarding entry points. Otherwise the base appeared empty. The thought set me on edge and my adrenaline pumped wildly as we continued our haphazard journey.

"Here," Vale whispered as he jerked his head toward another hall. "Terminal."

I nodded in understanding and crept lightly down the corridor. Vale stood watch while I hacked into the systems, sifting through the files for anything of use. With a bit of luck I came across the daily reports, one in particular detailing the new emergency route in case of fire. I smiled, delighted with the information, and downloaded the schematics. Vale hissed a warning at me and I quickly disengaged, diving around the corner just as the echo of boots rang down the far end of the hall.

Vale pulled me against the wall and we froze, sure we had been caught, each holding our breath as if the very sound of our heartbeats could give away our position. Time seemed to slow as the footsteps grew louder. I could feel the pounding of Vale's heart beside my own, the heat of his skin beneath my tunic. I stifled the swell of desire that poured into me, willing the feeling to subside.

We did not move, even when the footsteps passed us by. Vale still held me to him, his heart still raced, and his breath was hot on my neck. I turned my head slightly, intent on informing him that we were in the clear, but the words stuck in my throat as I met his gaze. Reflected in his eyes was the same heat of desire that stirred craving within me.

I couldn't move. I didn't want to. In that moment I wanted nothing more that to feel the weight of his body pressing down upon mine, the movement of his hips, damp skin slick with sweat as I imagined wrapping my legs tightly about his waist.

"I…" His voice was husky, dry, and the strangeness of it broke through my imaginings.

"We should go." I cleared my throat, a harsh sound against the sudden silence, and stepped away from him.

An unfamiliar look crossed his face and he nodded. "Yeah."

Switching on my 'tool I redirected my energies to the task at hand, studying instead our newly discovered escape route. "This way."

We followed the route cautiously, moving swiftly as silence allowed and checking each darkened corner as we progressed. Based on the schematics we were headed to the shuttle bay, and per all functional Alliance bases, an armory was always adjacent to each shuttle bay. Excitement built in my blood at the prospect of our escape, but doubt and desire still nibbled at my ear.

I knew we were walking into a trap and to escape we had no choice but to spring it, and that thought birthed excitement as well as reservation. I knew we had to leave. I had no intention of becoming a victim of Cerberus, but my list of safe havens was nonexistent as I'm sure was Vale's. I pushed the thought aside, concentrating instead on the corridor before us.

Vale paused next to me, scanning our surroundings. We had bypassed only a few more sentries, but none moved to intercept. In fact, the ease of our escape was more than enough to convince me of the existence of a setup. The question was where, exactly, it would take place.

I glanced at Vale, his green eyes alight with excitement as he motioned me forward, signaling the all clear. We continued apace and found the armory with little difficulty. I scanned the room and found no life signs present, but still we entered cautiously.

It was like what I imagine a child in a candy store would experience. I looked in wonder at all the weaponry lining the walls, the boxes of detachable heat sinks, a neat row of pistols – freshly polished – and workbench with a single spare scope attachment. I eyed it, pushing past memories away even as Vale searched the bank of lockers.

"Jin. Here." He tossed an oversized Alliance uniform my way. I balked at the notion, but recognized the look in his eye. Vale was determined to see this play out and we needed every advantage possible. I sighed irritably, but stripped nonetheless, keenly aware of his heated gaze.

I adjusted the fit as best I was able and turned around for his approval. He nodded, stepping into his own pair of Alliance gear and I felt my heartbeat quicken at the sight of his bare chest. Like him, I did not hide my gaze and indulged in the site of his body. After all, turnabout was fair play.

Vale coughed lightly and I shrugged, pulling two pistols from the nearby shelf. He busied himself with preparations while I double checked the sights, adjusting only one before attaching them to my stolen belt.

"You seem to have a morbid fascination with guns, Jin. Something I should know?"

I shrugged, indifferent to memories of vorcha hunts and past assignments. I did not feel the need to explain the attachment to my lost knife or pistols. That knowledge was mine alone. "I lived on Omega, remember? It's a necessity."

He studied me for a time, and I wondered if he was unsure of truth of my almost flippant comment. I made no move to elaborate and he made no further inquiry. We continued on in silence, readying ourselves for the unknown.

Numb - Portishead