Chapter 77 - Friendly Fire
"I've got a fix on the Council's position, sending it to your car," Bailey's voice on the comms reaches Shepard as she is busy steering the appropriated C-Sec skycar towards the Presidium. "They are being taken to a shuttle pad on the Presidium. Udina is with them."
"Yeah, we're on our way," Shepard replies, watching several other skycars emerging from the access tunnels to the wards and quickly surrounding them on all sides.
"We have company, Shepard," Garrus warns, and immediately as he has finished speaking, something heavy lands on the front cover of their skycar. It is the easily recognizable black-clad shape of their new assassin friend. "Spirits, not him again!" the turian sighs, reaching for his heavy pistol, Liara doing the same. The assassin pulls out his sword and jumps up on the roof of the skycar, out of their immediate view, and Liara and Garrus immediately start shooting through the metal cover, but the assassin's kinetic barriers keep him safe as he works to sabotage their skycar.
"Say... why don't I just flip this skycar over and shake him off?" Shepard asks.
"You can't just flip over a skycar! Believe me, I've tried!" Garrus protests.
"Oh? Well, let me just show you, nonbeliever," a wicked grin spreads on Shepard's lips. "I hope you have fastened your seatbelts," she adds, sending the skycar into a sharp turn to the left.
"I don't even have a seatb-... argh!" Garrus groans as Shepard banks their car against a pursuing Cerberus vehicle at a precise angle, the impact sending them spinning into a perfect 360 degree roll before straightening out again.
Listening to her turian friend grunting in the back of the car, Shepard watches the black-clad shape falling off their vehicle, unable to hold on, the sword remaining stuck in the roof, the tip less than an inch from Liara's head. "Idiot," Morgan sighs, watching the assassin flail in the air as he falls... only to land heavily on top of a Cerberus skycar, flying below them. "Goddamn fucking lucky idiot, though."
"Where did you learn this move, Shepard?" Liara asks, carefully poking the tip of the assassin's sword further away from her head. "I know for a fact that you did not learn it on Ilium."
"Yes, I haven't seen you actually practicing flying skycars," Garrus adds, crawling back into his seat, rubbing his sore forehead.
"Are you crazy? I wouldn't have practiced a move like this in real conditions, it's bloody dangerous," Shepard chuckles in response. "But I used to play a lot of extranet games as a kid, you see. Who'd have thought those skills would come in handy, eh?"
Garrus and Liara both give exasperated sighs in reply, as the Cerberus troopers from the other skycars try to open fire at them, but after her driving lessons on Nos Astra, Shepard is fairly good at evasion maneuvers. However, as they finally enter the Presidium grounds, she completely misses being fired upon from the ground, spotting the heavy missile released by an Atlas when it is already too late to dodge it, and all she can do is to swivel the skycar so that the missile merely glances them, still ripping off chunks of the frame and setting their vehicle on fire.
The Cerberus skycars assume them to be done for and depart the scene, as Shepard struggles to keep her burning vehicle under control and settle it down somewhere in relative safety. At this very inopportune moment, she is suddenly contacted on the comms by James Vega. "Commander, do you read me?" he shouts, judging by surrounding sounds currently in the middle of heavy gunfire.
"Yeah, James..." she manages through gritted teeth, brow quickly becoming drenched in perspiration from the effort of keeping the skycar from crashing to their fiery deaths below. "Not the best time for chat. Where are you?"
"That's what I wanted to warn you about, Commander," James replies. "Watch out when you get to the Presidium. There's a couple of Atlas mechs hanging around, shooting everything that flies by out of the air."
"No, really?" Morgan rolls her eyes, starting to look for an appropriate place for crash landing, searching for something soft.
"Yeah, shot us out of the sky as we left the Tayseri Ward," James explains helpfully. "I put the shuttle down in one of those pools below, and we're now trying to get to the Council chambers, but it's slow going. Everyone's fine, but EDI got her hair wet so she's now sulking." Morgan doesn't reply, too busy trying to save herself and her friends from horrible death in a skycar accident. "Say... there's another one of those skycar's getting shot by Atlas, right above us. Hope that wasn't you, Commander!" James adds a little later, chuckling, but then growing serious when Shepard doesn't reply. "Uh... Lola, that was you?"
"Err... maybe?" Shepard manages a reply, finally spotting a small grassy patch with soft looking bushes, mentally thanking the human ambassador for his thoughtful designing of the landscape. "Talk to you later, James!" she shouts, quickly terminating the connection as the vehicle crashes into the bushes, shaking them around violently, and clutching their bruised ribs, all three of them quickly depart the burning skycar, despite being in pain readying themselves for an imminent Cerberus attack.
They crawl out from the bushes to find themselves in a Presidium marketplace, one demolished shop next to another, screaming and sobbing civilians hiding inside, corpses of innocents covering the walkways, asari, salarian, human, all possible species, this time Cerberus have not been discriminating. "Let's see if we can get any updates from Bailey," Shepard mutters, tapping into the C-Sec network again. "Bailey, any news on the Council?"
"They are now without their guards, Shepard, but still with Udina," the C-Sec commander replies. "Their responders still broadcast vital signs, I am tracking them on their way to a shuttle pad above Shalmar Plaza."
"Shalmar Plaza? We are quite close, Shepard," Liara says, pointing ahead towards the ruined promenade of shops. "There should be elevators leading up to the shuttle pad at the other side of the marketplace."
"Right, let's move-" but then Shepard's words are interrupted by the arrival of a Cerberus shuttle, dropping reinforcements directly in their path, several troopers, two of the nemesis snipers, and two other lightly armored shapes who immediately cloak and disappear from their view, a tactic not usually associated with Cerberus forces... until today, it seems.
"More of those assassins?" Garrus grumbles, sounding annoyed as he leans out of cover to overload the shields of one of the snipers. "I'm really starting to hate those guys."
"I have a feeling that we have finally discovered what that message on Grissom Academy meant," Liara says, sounding rather worried. "Phantom initiative."
"Figures..." Shepard mutters, managing to take advantage of Garrus softening up one of the nemesis, catching the indoctrinated sniper with a bullet to the head. As Morgan fires the shot, however, one of the phantoms suddenly appear less than ten yards away, releasing some kind of projectile attack from her palm blaster, immediately dropping Shepard's shields and stunning her, stopping Morgan from getting back in cover. Fortunately, Liara and Garrus are quick to cover, the asari's biotics quickly stripping the phantom of its barriers, and Garrus knocking the annoying pest back with concussive rounds from his rifle.
Having finished off one of the phantoms, they quickly start looking around for the second of their stealthy and incredibly dangerous foes, only to see the slender shape of the phantom flying through the air, bouncing against the railing and almost bending in half before falling over and toppling to gruesome death below, falling prey to what can only be a surprise biotic throw attack.
The remaining nemesis turns towards the arriving ambusher, exposing themselves to Garrus' overload, and Shepard again takes advantage, sniping the sniper. Their mysterious benefactor suddenly reveals herself, jumping from the second floor of one of the shops to gracefully land in the middle of the remaining Cerberus troopers, sending them flying with a biotic explosion, then pulling out a wicked looking heavy pistol and finishing the job with several control shots to the head.
"Well, isn't that our old friend?" Shepard cannot conceal a smile as she leads her group out of the cover and towards their newly arrived ally, familiar predatory shape of a graceful asari, standing in front of them and facing them down with a cool, confident smile. "Aria, my dear, this must feel like heaven to you. Cerberus, throwing themselves to die at your feet!"
Aria's grin broadens, showing more teeth and making her look even more dangerous. "I've been killing them for hours, Shepard!" she looks positively delighted. "Slaughtering them has been like a never-ending orgasm. I just wish the Illusive Man himself would have shown his face here!"
"Now there's one disturbing mental image that won't leave in a hurry," Garrus mutters darkly.
"We're heading for the Council, Aria," Shepard says quickly, not wishing to waste time despite being happy to meet Aria. "Would you like to accompany us?"
"I was heading that way myself," Aria agrees with a swift nod.
"I did not expect you to care about the councilors," Liara remarks with some curiosity.
"What? I don't..." The Queen of Omega looks like she is about to snap back in denial, but then she pauses, hesitating. "I simply reasoned that the Cerberus attack was first and foremost to eliminate the Council. Whoever is in charge of this operation would likely be there too, and killing one of the Illusive Man's top lieutenants is an invitation I can't refuse."
"I guess that makes sense," Shepard nods. "We've got a fix on the Council's location, and we're on our way there. Shuttle pad atop the Shalmar Plaza, Liara says we're nearby."
"Lead the way, Shepard," Aria allows magnanimously. "This isn't Omega, I don't know my way around this pisshole."
"I'm just following Liara and Garrus, really," Shepard concedes guiltily, motioning for Garrus to lead on and the turian gladly takes his place at the front of the group.
A screaming civilian runs out of a storefront as they walk past, a pretty young human girl in a beige dress, assault rifle cuts her down mercilessly as she tries to escape, the supposed advocates for the greater good of humanity forgetting to make a distinction between their targets. With Aria T'Loak now on their side, her biotics easily as powerful as Liara's, their opposition suddenly finds themselves at a gross disadvantage, falling swiftly before the vengeful asari, supported by Shepard and her team.
The elevators to the shuttle pad have been sealed, but while Shepard stands around cursing, Garrus is already on the move, urging them to follow through narrow walkways and shafts, circling around the plaza with the others in tow. According to their turian guide, there is another set of elevators, leading up to the shuttle pad on the other side of the plaza and Shepard has no other alternatives than simply trusting Garrus.
"Shepard, I can detect that the councilors have taken an elevator," Bailey tells her through the open channel on her omni-tool. "But they are being pursued by... someone with a... sword?"
"Oh god, not that dweeb again?" Shepard mutters angrily as she rushes after Garrus, almost running into an Atlas mech as they emerge from the passageways onto the other side of the plaza. Luckily, the trooper operating the mech seems more preoccupied with watching for any approaching skycars, not expecting to be ambushed from behind, and for once they manage to destroy an Atlas mech without someone having to face a shot from the missile launcher.
The score of troopers present on the plaza can't provide any meaningful opposition and fall quickly under their combined attacks, the last of the centurions being picked up by Liara's singularity and then shattered into small chunks of meat as Aria's biotic throw rips their flesh apart with heavy detonation. "This is so much fun!" she laughs like a giddy maiden. "I could do this the whole day, Shepard!"
"I'm glad you're having your fun, Aria, but we really need to catch an elevator ride!" Shepard shouts back as the group of four quickly runs to the last operating elevator, Bailey using remote access to open the doors for them. They quickly pile in, Shepard punching the button to take them up to the shuttle pad, finding that the elevator does not respond to her commands, Bailey having taken all access, likely in fear of Cerberus sabotage.
"Hold on tight, Shepard, this will be a fast ride," Bailey speaks on the comms. "The Council have nearly reached the pad, and I don't want to risk Cerberus catching up with them first."
"We don't care about some silly safety concerns, just take us to the top ASAP!" Shepard says hurriedly, trying to ignore Liara's pained wincing, directed at her. "Where's our favorite samurai gone, then?" she asks of Bailey.
"I managed to slow him down by making sure his elevator stops at every floor," Bailey replies with pride in his voice. "I'm going to get you to the Council before him, unless... uh-oh..."
"Goddamnit, Bailey, enough with the dramatic pauses!" Shepard shouts in the comms, frustrated and feeling blind in the tight elevator.
"He's trying to switch elevators, careful now," Bailey warns her, and suddenly they all hear a loud clonking noise as something lands on top of their elevator cabin. Immediately, the sword cuts through the roof and the tip of the blade would have cut deep into Liara's crest, if the asari hadn't quickly dropped into a crouch in anticipation of the attack. As the sword continues to tear open the top of the elevator, they all switch to their pistols, starting to pepper the unwelcome assailant with bullets.
The black-clad assassin appears to be an expert at dodging shots at near point-blank range and what he does not avoid becomes absorbed by his powerful kinetic barriers that seem by far stronger than those of the other phantom agents they have fought previously. However, after he has managed to cut a sizable hole in the roof, enough to see them huddled inside, his eyes fall on the snarling Aria and suddenly the assassin pauses, stopping his attacks. The next moment, he is gone from their sight, jumping off from the elevator and retreating.
"I wish I would have that kind of effect on our enemies!" Shepard gives Aria an envious stare. "Damn it, that was something. I'm starting to think I could really use you on the Normandy, Aria."
Aria turns to Morgan, feral grin on her lips. "Sorry, Shepard, but the whole 'saving the galaxy' thing just isn't my style. Being rich, powerful and staying alive is enough for me." She then pauses as the elevator swiftly reaches the top without any further interruptions. "But I do know that assassin, I have met him before, he is one of the Illusive Man's top lieutenants. We have an old score to settle, and I don't think even he fancied his chances taking on us both at once."
"I am happy to see him gone, but I won't rest until I know that the councilors are safe and sound," Morgan says, as they all emerge from the elevator, starting to charge down the corridor towards the doors leading out to the shuttle pad. "Udina is still there with them, and it only takes one Cerberus assassin and they're done for..."
They step out on the shuttle pad, weapons raised, Garrus sealing the door behind them to make sure no Cerberus troops ambush them from behind. On the pad itself, Shepard sees a burning shuttle that apparently the councilors had counted on as their means of escape. Tevos and Sparatus look confused at seeing their approach, but Udina quickly throws his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, starting to loudly pray for mercy. But more importantly, Shepard finds herself staring down the barrel of a gun, held defiantly by her old friend and Udina's new bodyguard, Spectre Kaidan Alenko.
"Shepard, what the hell is going on?" he asks, giving her a suspicious, almost hostile stare.
"We were chased here by Cerberus, and now she shows up?" Udina pipes up, hiding behind Alenko's broad back, making sure they have difficulties targeting him. "It is as we feared, Kaidan, she is still being controlled by Cerberus!"
"He's been feeding you that all those past weeks, hasn't he, Kaidan?" Shepard stares her old squadmate down. "I can imagine his planted seeds of doubt found a lot of fertile ground."
"You barge in here with guns raised at the councilors... Shepard, is that supposed to reassure me?" Kaidan barks back. "This looks bad, very bad."
"Do not let yourself be swayed by her words, Kaidan," Udina urges him. "I have heard that Cerberus can control people without them even being aware of it! She might not even realize that she is working for Cerberus!"
"This is nonsense, Udina!" Tevos protests. "Spectre Shepard has Aria T'Loak with her. And Aria would never work with Cerberus!"
"Councilor Tevos," Aria turns towards her fellow asari, her nod barely perceptible, before she faces Shepard again. "What are we waiting for? Just kill this idiot so we can all go home!"
"No, I won't let you harm Kaidan!" Shepard replies harshly. "I forbid you to open fire! We can solve this peacefully."
"I agree. We have mistrusted Shepard before in the past and it has not helped us," Sparatus says, surprisingly reasonable. "Spectre Alenko, I order you to stand down."
"We don't have time to debate this," Udina is starting to look exasperated, leaving the cover behind Kaidan's back and approaching the nearby computer terminal. "We can't stay out here in plain sight, and the shuttle is useless, we need to go back. I'm overriding the door lock."
"He wants to let the Cerberus troops in here, Kaidan," Shepard says, keeping her voice low, desperately hoping that Kaidan would believe her. She disables her shield generator, the kinetic barriers surrounding her winking out and leaving her unprotected. "My shields are down, what else can I do to prove that I am not here to harm you or the councilors?"
"If you don't believe Shepard, you can trust me and Garrus, can't you?" Liara pleads, and her earnest stare makes Kaidan pause. "We're not indoctrinated by Cerberus!"
"I know you two," Kaidan shakes his head resolutely. "You would follow her through heaven or hell, no questions asked. She could be leading you astray and you would not realize it!"
"That's bullshit, Alenko, and you know it!" Garrus exclaims angrily.
Udina is about to reach the console and override the security, ignoring repeated warnings to step away from the console. A determined Councilor Tevos bravely steps in his way, clearly mistrusting the intentions of her human colleague, and this interference finally tips Udina's frustrations over the edge. "To hell with this!" he exclaims, drawing a pistol and aiming at Tevos' chest.
Shepard has had enough as well. "Shoot me if you want then, you fool!" she snarls at Kaidan, who is blissfully unaware of what is going on behind his back, Udina brandishing his weapon at Tevos. Morgan's hand moves slightly, and the shot is fired, the blast striking Udina in his unprotected neck, dropping him instantly at Tevos' feet, the asari councilor clasping her palms over the mouth to muffle her scream.
Another shot is fired not more than a second later, and Shepard feels something heavy hitting her chest and she falls, landing with her back on the ground. He shot me. I can't believe he shot me! She thinks frantically, then realizing something important. Wait... it's not actually hurting... what's going on here... Morgan then opens her eyes to witness something that makes her heart stop for a few moments. The weight that has hit her in the chest is Liara's body, slowly growing limp in her arms, indigo blood soaking from a large, ugly wound on her left side, just below the breast.
She gently lowers Liara on the ground, her bondmate's breathing is shallow as she struggles to retain consciousness. Dimly, Morgan hears Garrus swearing in anger and rage, taking a shot and Kaidan slumps on his knees, clutching his perforated shoulder, before being picked off his feet by Aria's biotics and thrown violently against the wall, where he collapses, unmoving.
Morgan frantically applies medi-gel to Liara's wounds, watching color slowly draining from the face of her lover. As if through heavy veil she hears Garrus frantically shouting on the comms, telling Bailey to send a medical team immediately. With a corner of her eye she sees Sparatus bending down to check on Udina before shaking his head, confirming the death of the first ever councilor to represent humanity. Behind him, she sees Tevos quietly sobbing in Aria's shoulder, but she has no time to wonder about Aria's strange behavior, tolerating such displays from the shaken councilor. Morgan does not have time for anyone but Liara, her bondmate in danger of slowly expiring in her arms...