Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

A/N: This chapter is rated M for violence.

Chapter 39

"Here, take a look at this."

I followed the sound of suspicion in Vale's voice and looked over the terminal's display. "A transport leaving in ten minutes? Convenient."

He snorted. "I say we give them what they expect if they're going to make it easy for us."

I frowned at his tone, a suffocating mixture of anticipation and caution flooding my body. I was uncomfortable springing the trap, but at this point we had no other option. I plucked a well-balanced knife from the storage shelf and stuffed it in my boot. "They're going to be ready for us. Grab what gear you can use and let's head out."

Vale nodded in agreement and reached for a few more clips. I wasn't sure if we would need the extra ammo, but it never hurt to be overly prepared, especially when so many unknowns figured into the equation.

Moving to the hanger door I switched on my 'tool and attempted to scan for life signs in the bay. The readings came back inconclusive and I could only assume hostiles were within. I nodded to Vale and he activated the console. The door slid open soundlessly and I slipped inside in the span of a heartbeat. No one was in sight, but that did nothing to diminish my caution. Someone somewhere was expecting us.

I moved further in, crouching down behind a crate and Vale quickly followed suit. I decided again my cloak for the time being. I had no intention of ending up surrounded when it dissipated, and given my recent run-in with authorities, I wasn't sure it even worked properly. Refocusing, I resumed my visual scan I saw nothing, but still I waited, cautious despite Vale's impatient hiss. The echo of a playful shout resounded throughout the empty shuttle bay and we both froze. I watched in disbelief as a trio of alliance soldiers came into view, shoving each other playfully as they made their way across the hanger.

Vale muttered something unintelligible under his breath, his countenance darkening, but my eyes remained fixed ahead. We could likely take them, but any confrontation now would severely hinder our chances at escape, and I wanted on that damn transport. And so we waited in silence for the boisterous group to pass by while tension coiled around my gut.

"About damn time," Vale whispered, straightening tentatively. "We need to move and fast."

I nodded in agreement and moved forward, leaving him to watch our six. We skittered across the bay, keeping to the shadows lest more obnoxious soldiers were present beyond our sight, but our caution was not needed. The bay was empty and that knowledge set my nerves aflame.

"This is the one," Vale hissed again. "Get the door. I'll keep an eye out."

I bristled at his tone, but did as he ordered nevertheless. Now was not the time to be sensitive. I synced up my 'tool to the locking mechanism, studying the readouts as they scrolled down the display. It was not the same colonial security we had so easily cracked before, but standard Alliance protocol. Fortunately, I had enough experience with marines on leave at Omega that such tech was familiar enough. The lock was hacked and the door slid open with barely enough time to spare. We piled inside just as the thrusters powered up, the rumble of the engines thundering through the airlock.

Vale heaved a sigh of relief and shot me a crooked grin, but I had no intention of relaxing yet. I pulled out a stolen pistol and double checked the ammo count, shifting only slightly as the inertial dampeners compensated for the sudden lift. We had made it off-planet and it only remained to be seen how long our journey would last this go around.

"Still expecting trouble, I see."

I frowned at Vale. "Yes."

He nodded almost absently as he scanned the airlock. "We should get out of here – secure the cargo hold at least."

I stifled a groan. I was getting more than tired of traveling in the cargo hold. "No. We need to clear the ship. Like it or not, they'll be waiting for us."

Vale nodded again and eyed the door as I activated my omni-tool. "Anyone on the other side?"

"Doesn't look like it." I shook my head, frown still creasing my brow. "But that doesn't really mean dick right now."

Vale snorted as I activated my cloak, testing its effectiveness. My vision shifted as the air seemed to crackle around me, and then the familiar sensation took hold. I waved my hand in front of Vale for good measure and he shot me an annoyed glance.

"You're right in front of me, Jin. It's not like I don't know you're there."

I sighed as I activated the door's console, slipping into the cargo bay without a hint of sound. Vale moved in behind me, staying as low and wary as I. Again we were met with emptiness, but the sounds of activity from the forward compartments were impossible to mask. I gestured to Vale and he nodded, moving into cover on my ten o'clock. I couldn't help but wonder at his movements, and again was struck by the practiced ease with which he covered the field of engagement.

Pushing idle thoughts aside, I scanned our perimeter, searching for signs of life and finding none. Once satisfied, and my cloak long since expired, we shifted our full attention to the transport's hub of activity.

"Limited cargo stores," I whispered. "Nothing perishable, minimal food stores."

Vale nodded in agreement. "Nothing large enough to spring an ambush with, either. This transport wasn't going far."

I frowned, but he was right. As much as I loathed jumping into an ambush, we would be sitting ducks in the cargo hold. One sadistic soldier or one happy trigger finger and the hold would be locked and vented leaving us floating to our freedom. I had no illusions about our predicament. After all, faced with a potential threat it's what I would do.

Sensing Vale's impatience I activated my 'tool, scanning for life signs once again. "The readings are inconclusive – some sort of interference."

"No difference. We need to move." He shifted, moving forward low and against the wall, gesturing to me to do the same.

I watched as he moved with a fluid grace, sure in his movements, eyes open and posture screaming caution. I covered his right flank, the compliment to his well practiced maneuvers. Together we skittered up the main hall, only pausing to clear the rooms on either side. We had no need to advance for long. It was as we thought. A small contingent of Alliance soldiers were waiting for us in the crew quarters and, by the sound of it, a second group on the transport's meager bridge.

"Looky here, boys."

I tensed as a deep voice rumbled down the hallway, but ignored the sudden swell of fear in my gut, wrapping my body in cold control. The voices in the crew quarters grew silent, followed swiftly by muffled movement, and I heard the anonymous voice move directly behind me. Despite our stealth and desperation, we had always been at a disadvantage. The soldiers knew the ship. They knew the trap. And we had walked right into it.

Just as we had planned.

Vale's green eyes met mine and a knowing look passed between us. He nodded, imperceptible to all but me, and I sprang into action. An expression of pure surprise crossed his face as I turned on the anonymous voice, and while the soldier was quick, he was not quick enough for me. His head snapped back with a burst of violence as I bolted upward, palm meeting nose with potent force. I wrenched his side arm from its holster in his stupor, grasping hold of an ear and maneuvering him into position in front of me. I always did enjoy a good human shield.

All turned to chaos as a cacophony of shouts rang throughout the narrow hall. Gunfire echoed in my ears mixed with calls for order and surrender, but it was too late. Vale had moved into cover inside the now-empty room, while the soldiers spouted off orders and commands across the way. The anonymous voice sputtered, bleeding and cursing profusely. I pulled him along with me, moving into cover beside Vale.

"You'll never get away with this," the anonymous soldier bleated. "You've got nowhere to go."

I increased the pressure of the gun to his head for good measure.

"Oh I don't know," Vale hissed. "We've got a ship full of hostages. I think we can negotiate."

The soldier snorted with contempt. "Give up now and you won't be hurt. You're worth more alive anyway."

The pulse of rage pounded behind my eyes. I shouldn't have been surprised that they were crooked. After all, it seemed to be the status quo in the Terminus. Even the great and glorious Alliance could be bought. Again I increased the pressure of the gun, my blood boiling wildly in my veins; honor and order my ass.

He stiffened as I cocked the hammer, chambering the mass effect round likely to split his skull before rendering his head nonexistent. The very thought both disgusted and intrigued me, but at the moment his living presence was still useful. Halting my macabre musings I turned an ear to Vale.

"…and at least two on the bridge. That's what, a total of seven? And if at least four of you die, well I guess that just ups the ante, doesn't it. A three-way split - how nice."

A shout rang out down the hall as one of the bridge crew joined the fray, plastering his body against the far wall and just out of view. I would have to step out of cover to take him, but Vale wasn't concerned with such technicalities. He opened fire immediately, the wild round ricocheting off the wall and grazing him. A howl of pain was the soldier's response, followed by another round of cacophony, an Alliance chorus of outrage.

The soldier in my grip stiffened and I recognized what would come next. He attempted to hook his foot around mine, turning awkwardly and slightly off balance. Given his size and training I would have bet he'd have won in a fair fight. But with an instructor like mine, I could have hardly been expecting to fight fair. I pulled the trigger and watched with a surreal calm the effects of a point blank shot.

Gunfire again filled the narrow space and Vale and I were forced back into cover. We shared another glance filled with the sort of desperate familiarity that bound us, and once again he nodded. I activated my cloak and dove to the floor, moving under the chaos and hoping like hell my reckless endeavor was worthwhile. I heard him return fire as I slid down the hall, but I daren't look back. My focus was solely on gaining the bridge.

I moved quickly, the anticipation of my cloak's lapse in the forefront of my mind and spurring me onward. Veering to the right I beat past the grazed soldier, the pilot from the look of him, and rolled in cover behind the nearest console. My cloak still active, I took a moment to survey my cramped surroundings, noting with disappointment that Vale had been wrong – the small bridge held three soldiers, not two. Fortunately for me their attention was trained on the hallway, and not on their six. Not yet anyway, although I had no designs to change that.

The air crackled around me as my cloak dissipated and I breathed deep, fighting the heat in my blood, and took a brief measure of my opponent's positions. The first was bunkered down by the pilot's panel, controls alight with his commands, while the second was not five feet from him. He was young, an ensign by his insignia, and crouched impotently behind the pilot. I almost felt pity for him – as inept at soldiery as he was at usefulness. The pilot, however, appeared capable and determined. Two qualities I respected in a target, but only when I had the upper hand.

I steadied my breath, cold control returning once more and reactivated my cloak. Abandoning any pretense of hope I made my way to the nearest soldier. His neck snapped with an exquisite ease, the slight shudder of his spine muffled by the discordant chaos. He never knew what happened, never recognized his death. I could not say the same for the ensign.

His eyes widened in surprise, then horror, as my cloak dissipated. He opened his mouth to shout a warning to the pilot before his expression turned to confusion. The knife, while oversized, was well balanced, and I looked on in mild fascination as it stuck out from the young ensign's neck. It took mere moments for the blood to spill, pouring quickly onto his uniform, so neat and polished and new. I noted idly as I slid into cover beside him, that the ensign still fought for life, his breathing haggard and wet. The poor boy had tried to warn his shipmate in his last moments only to fail utterly. Again I almost felt pity for him. Almost.

In the span of those few moments was when I believe the pilot realized something was different. The noise of the bridge had ceased to surround him and I watched with detachment as he reached toward the ensign, empty hand searching for another clip. In failing to find his goal, he turned his attention from the hall toward where the ensign now lay, crumpled and sputtering in a growing pool of red. Like the ensign, the pilot's face turned from surprise, and then to horror when the reality of his situation finally dawned on him. He tried to bring his pistol to bear, but it was too late. The pilot was already in my sites. At such close range, I only needed to fire once.

Shouts of confusion filled the hallway. The lack of fire from the bridge had not gone unnoticed and they renewed their assault on Vale with enraged vigor. For the moment, I was out of the fight as my position did not lend itself to the best firing angle. Of course that also meant the soldiers were unable fire directly on me. I could not, however, sit idle and so I racked my brain for a way to breach the crew quarters.

I took a moment to scan my surroundings again, more thoroughly than before as I no longer had hostile company. The tiny bridge contained little, the bare necessities for such a basic transport. Two control stations lined the viewport, included the pilot's, opposite a sensor bank against the back wall. The red flashing light of an emergency alert gave me a wicked idea and I made for the pilot's console, ignoring the crumpled body to my right.

Accessing the controls I punched in the first command that came to mind and smiled humorlessly as the lights went out. Emergency lighting kicked on instantly, bathing the transport's innards in an unhealthy crimson glow. Shouts of frustration rang anew as the tempo of fire changed yet again. I ducked down as poorly aimed shots rang down the hall toward the bridge. I knew it was unlikely I'd be hit in my current position, but I'd no need to chance it. I activated my cloak and dove to the floor, repeating another reckless venture.

I pushed memories away of Omega's grimy floors as I slithered down the hallway, so very opposite the cool, smooth metal paneling that I now crossed. It seemed like another life, so very far away, and yet still I found myself wrapped in violence.

The lighting flickered slightly and I saw my opening, using the distortion to hide my cloak. I was happy to see Vale had been wrong again, that there were only four soldiers in the crew quarters instead of five. However, that still left me little room to maneuver, and so dissolved into the shadows of an upper bunk just as my cloak faded.

I daren't move, watching the soldiers beneath me fire aimlessly into the next room. By their positioning, they intended to close on Vale, forcing him deeper into the next room or out of cover completely. If that were to happen, we'd both be screwed, although we did have one advantage. They wanted us alive.

I swiftly surveyed the area from my perch, careful to remain in the flickering shadows. Sparks lit up the room, bursts of gunfire punctuating the shadows, the thrill in my blood pounding in time. And then it happened: I watched in building horror as the nameless soldiers gestured to one another and moved in concert, moved with purpose. I flicked on my cloak and hopped down.

My presence went unnoticed for mere moments as I advanced on the nearest soldier. He struggled at the last, tensing and resisting my grip before his neck snapped under my apathetic hands. His death was noted by the soldier on his flank who instantly trained her weapon on me and shouted a warning to her companions. It was the only signal Vale needed.

I could see him move from cover and into the hall from the corner of my eye, but my attention was focused on the three soldiers in front of me and their attention now squarely trained on me. I ducked down and rolled to the next soldier, using her body as cover when her shot went wide. I trusted not to my vision as the air crackled around me, shimmering as my cloak started to fade. It was of little use in such close quarters and my only saving grace seemed to be the flickering shadows of the emergency lighting. If not for darkness, I'd be dead.

This soldier was not as compliant as my first human shield and she fought me for control, her companions regrouping accordingly. They fired in short, controlled burst, and my nerves screamed to duck in cover, but my training told me otherwise. I held my ground, difficult given the struggling soldier in my arms. And then a sudden searing pain erupted in my side and the ground rushed up to meet me. Hand to hand combat had never been my specialty and I felt an odd twinge of regret at that fact as she pointed her pistol at my head.

Blood sprayed my face as the left side of my assailant's head exploded, the unfortunate consequence of flesh meeting with a bullet. She crumpled on top of me and I watched beneath her cooling body as Vale dispatched the remaining soldiers with the dispassionate fluidity of a machine. The shadows danced upon his face as he fired again for good measure, securing our location before kneeling beside me. His eyes were hooded and dark, and yet I saw a spark of concern even so.

"That was stupid, Jin."

I shrugged, suddenly regretting the movement as another jolt of pain rocked me. I sucked in a breath, but otherwise remained silent.

"You've been hit."

I nodded, clenching my teeth and gritting out a foul curse. "So glad you noticed."

A single eyebrow shot up as he considered me. "Come on. Let's get you into that pathetic excuse for a med bay."

I winced as he pushed the dead soldier off me, the absence of her weight sending renewed spasms of pain up my spine. Vale was uncharacteristically gentle with me as he helped me up, taking my weight on his shoulders as I hobbled awkwardly across bloody floor. Together, we made our way down the hall and out of the trap. It had been quite an interesting start to our day.

Into the Void, Happiness in Slavery - Nine Inch Nails