A/N: As a sign of good faith to a couple of my readers, I decided to post another chapter very quickly. And it proves to be a good thing since I want to get as much of my ideas onto the site before they slip away completely. And after this one, if you weren't anxious for more before now you will after.

I own nothing

Alexander 'Maveick' Drake

Alex and Reena's Apartment - Lower Wards

November 22, 2180 - 01:32 hours

Alex sat at the kitchen table in jeans and a t-shirt, having stored his nano suit and weapons back in their compartment in his closet a few minutes ago. Though given the current situation there wasn't really a point anymore.

Reena sat across from him, eyes locked on his own unblinking as she waited for an explanation...explination, how the fuck was he going to explain this to her? His closest friend and he'd kept something like this from her since the day they met.

He wouldn't take any of this well if he was in her position.

"What do you want from me Reena?" he asked with a sigh.

The Quarian's eyes narrowed to slits, "I want an explination Alex!" she demanded. "I want to know why my friend is out running around in a suit of armor and weapons waging war against the Blue Suns and has half of Citadel Security hunting for him!"

She slammed her hands on the table and stood up, Alex didn't flinch deciding to let her get it all out. "I want to know...why you kept this from me. From Chellick. From everyone close to you."

Alex rubbed his eyes, "That's exactly why I kept it from you all." he looked her in the eye. "If people found out that 'Maverick' has friends and allies what do you think they would do? They'd come after you in force just to get at me."

He stood up and walked into the living room facing the large window overlooking the ward outside. "And as for Chellick? He's C-Sec. I wouldn't put him on the spot like that, forcing him to choose between his job and his friend."

Reena walked up behind him, "Why are you doing this anyway?" she asked quietly.

"The thugs that attacked you not long after I joined at the shop. They were hired by the Blue Suns to convince Zen to sell out. I tracked them down and took out one of their operations, only to find out that there is something a lot more going on." explained Alex.

"What's going on?" asked his friend. Alex looked over his shoulder at her, "Not sure yet. But they're planning something with the service tunnels around the Upper Wards leading to the Embassies and the Presidium. And their gathering a lot of equipment and man power to make it all happen."

"They used the Red Sand dealers to get the intel on the tunnels. That's why we've been hearing about all the dealers dropping off lately, the mercs are cleaning house so no one gets wise about what their up too. Thankfully I managed to get ahold of one of the remaining dealers they didn't kill and get the information." said the soldier looking back out the window.

"We should tell this to Chellick. Maybe C-Sec could do something." said Reena.

"And tell them what Reena? They'd backtrack all the information and discover who I am, and by association, you." said Alex sternly. "At every operation site I purposely left pockets of information around to give C-Sec a heads up of what's happening. Though I think their more focused on me being 'above the law' instead of the real threat."

The apartment was quiet for a little while. Reena walked up next to him, "Is there anything else your hiding from everyone?"

Alex blew a breath out his nose, "Yes. But I'm not ready to explain that yet. Maybe someday...but not right now."

Reena nodded, "I...I understand. Just please, no more secrets. We've known each other a while Alex. I want you to trust me as much as I trust you." Alex nodded in understanding as they went back to looking out the window.

"So...I'm a friend and roommate to the most wanted vigilante in the Citadel. Lucky me." she said with a light chuckle. Alex smiled, "I'm sorry I kept this from you Reena, but I'm just putting your safety and the safety of others first. Your the only ones I can trust in the galaxy, I don't want to lose any of you." he said honestly.

"You won't lose us." said Reena putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you also need to trust us. We can help you too, you shouldn't have to be alone through all of this." Alex nodded and felt happy that his friend would still stand by him.

"Reena...about Chellick-" "I won't tell him." said Reena, even though he could hear the hesitance in her voice.

Alex smirked, "So, have you finally admitted that you two are an item?" he joked changing the subject,

The Quarian crossed her arms and tilted her head, "Yes Alex, Chellick is my boyfriend."

"Well that's too bad...wait, WHAT?" Alex said in shock. Reena giggled, "You win Alex, me and Chellick have been dating the last few weeks. We just thought we'd keep it to ourselves for the time being before telling everyone."

Alex smiled and hugged his friend, "I'm happy for you guys. He's perfect for you." Reena hugged him back, "Thank you Alex. He really makes me happy." she said with a smile in her voice.

The soldier stepped back and shook his head, "And you get on me about keeping secrets." Reena narrowed her eyes, "I think whether or not me and Chellick are dating and you being a wanted vigilante are two completely different things."

"Fair enough." said Alex yawning and heading to his room. "Now, I'm tired after the little fiasco tonight so I'm going to sleep."

"What fiasco?" asked Reena now concerned. "Don't worry Reena, you'll probably hear it on the news later this morning." said Alex entering his room.

"Wait! Alex!" Reena called after him. "Night Reena." he said closing his bedroom door. The Quarian shook he head, what had she gotten herself into?

X

Garrus rubbed his eyes before looking back at all of the destruction around him.

Ten dead mercs, over 700,000 creds in property damage, and a hostage victim that was asking way too many questions. It was way too early for this shit.

"What do we got?" asked Chellick with a yawn. "Ten DOA, all Blue Suns. One victim, Emily Wong, taken hostage by the leader of the group but was rescued."

Chellick looked at his friend, "And by rescued, you mean by Maverick." Garrus nodded, "Yeah, and being the investigative journalist that she is she's been asking a shit ton of questions. But from what we could gather she spoke to him."

The other Turian looked at him shocked, "She actually spoke to Maverick?"

"After he killed the merc holding her hostage, he checked on her to make sure she was alright before disappearing like he usually does." Garrus sighed, "Pallin's gonna be pissed. Wong's known for finding the truth and making sure the public knows about it. And everyone knows you can't keep the press quiet about anything."

A little ways away, Emily Wong was being looked over by an EMT to make sure that she didn't have any injuries. "For the last time I'm fine." she said sick of the medic checking her over. "Sorry ma'am. Procedure when it comes to hostage victims." said the EMT.

When the medic was a safe distance away, Emily brought up her omni-tool and went into the recording feature she had on it. It was a really good thing she turned it on at the right moment.

"Are you alright ma'am?"Maverick's voice floated from the device.

"I...I'm fine...thanks for that." She said with a slight quiver in her voice. "Your him...your Maverick."

"I am. What are you doing here?" He asked, the suspicion clear in his filtered voice.

"I just got off of work when I heard the commotion over here." Emily said. "And I saw you take down those mercs...I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now."

"I don't do interviews. The least people know, the better. I will not risk the lives of others."he said with conviction in his tone. "It's my job to report the news, Maverick. The people on the Citadel deserve to know the truth about you. Many see you as a hero, but others see you as a monster." Emily explained.

"I'm not a monster...but I'm no hero either." he said which caused the journalist to wonder what he meant like she did the first time he said it.

Sirens echoed out in the background. "C-Secs coming you better-" the recording ended after that.

Saving the recording, Emily shut down her omni-tool as two C-Sec detectives approached her. "Ms. Wong. Detective Vakarian, what can you tell me about what happened." asked Garrus.

"I just got out of work when I heard the gunfire over here. I came to check it out, that's when I saw Maverick taking down the mercs, but one of them caught me and held a gun to my head." Emily let out a breath, "He saved my life detective. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't killed that merc."

The Turian marked it all down on his omni-tool. "You also said to the first officer you spoke with Maverick. Can you tell me what he said?"

Being the journalist that she was, Emily knew when someone was digging for answers. The detective was looking for any and all evidence to use against the vigilante. "He just checked to make sure I was safe before leaving. Only a few words." she said with a straight face.

Garrus took down her statement, "Ma'am, I'm hoping you realize we need to keep this incident as quiet as possible."

Emily glared at him, "And why is that? From what I've seen C-Sec has painted a very ugly image on a man who risked is life to save my own. You all made him out to be the villain when all he's done is make the streets safer from the Blue Suns, who I might add were operating right under your noses this whole time."

She pointed her finger at him, "Understand this detective. After what happened here tonight the public is going to know that Maverick is not to be feared. And I'll be damned if I let anyone speak ill of him again."

Without another word she spun on her heel and left leaving Garrus to rub his temples from the headache that was forming.

The Executor was going to be pissed.

X

The weapons shop was closed the next day giving Alex and Reena the day off. They spent a good portion of the morning talking about Alex's 'other' activities and what he had done up to this point.

She'd had a bit of a freak out moment meeting Prophet. But he explained that Prophet was just a VI that helped him in the field. Telling a Quarian about a sentient AI living under the same roof as them would have made things very awkward for everyone involved.

The two friends now found themselves sitting on the couch watching the news. And like Alex had predicted the incident that happened late last night was first on the agenda.

"A fierce gun battle had taken place in the docks close to the Upper Wards late last night. According to Citadel Security, the Blue Suns armed with a gunship attempted to attack the vigilante known as Maverick, only for said vigilante to bring down the mercs with only minimal damage to the surrounding warehouses." said the anchor.

"We have also received word that one of our own, Emily Wong, was there to witness the event first hand." Alex sat up straighter as the camera panned revealing the investigative journalist sitting at the desk. "Thanks for having me. And yes I was there, but I went from being a witness to being a hostage very quickly." said Emily.

The anchor looked shocked, "You were a hostage? What happened?"

"I had just left the building last night when I heard the firefight occurring at the docks. Going to investigate, I saw Maverick in the flesh taking down Blue Sun mercs trying to kill him with a gunship. He took it down with one shot." explained Emily.

Reena looked at Alex from her spot on the couch before looking at the screen again. "What caused you to become a hostage?" asked the anchor.

"After Maverick took down the gunship, the leader of the mercs grabbed me from behind. Using me as a shield and ordered him to drop his weapons." said the journalist.

"And then what?" asked the anchor now with rapt attention. Emily took a moment, "It happened so fast...he dropped almost all his weapons at first. The next thing I know there's a gunshot and the merc holding me fell to the ground bleeding." she smiled, "He saved my life. Then he checked on me before vanishing as C-Sec came to investigate."

Alex was rubbing his face. This could go one of two ways. Either really good or really bad.

"You spoke to Maverick?" asked the anchor in shock. Emily nodded, "Yes. He spoke only a few words. But it was enough for me to know that he doesn't want people to get hurt. He's selfless, yet doesn't see himself as a hero. But where ever he is," she looked at the camera, "I just want to tell him, thank you."

"This could come back to bite me in the ass." Alex muttered getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Reena followed him, "Well, after everything you've told me in was only a matter of time for someone to make it public. Guess that's the price you pay for doing what's right."

Alex sighed, "I know. The only thing I can do is hope that things won't get any worse."

X

Council Chambers - Citadel Tower

November 22, 2180 - 13:00 hours

Executor Pallin looked at the three of the most influential people on the Citadel and all of council space. Keeping his face as passive as possible despite his growing anxiety at being in the councilors' presence and knowing full well what the meeting was about.

"Executor Pallin, you've been called here today to explain the situation that has presented itself." said Tevos as she brought up a screen showing video footage of Maverick's fight at the docks the previous night.

"This vigilante has eluded C-Sec for months now. What is the status of his capture?" asked Valern.

Pallin cleared his throat, "It's a difficult situation. His technology is nothing like any of us have seen before. His cloaking ability has proven to be untraceable, and his skills rival that of well trained commando units. He's killed more mercs in the last few months than ever recorded in the Citadel's history."

Sparatus growled, "Having an individual such as him running around our station with power like this cannot go unchecked. He could pose a threat to anyone and we cannot allow that to happen."

"We're doing all we can, but there is only so much manpower we can put into trying to locate him and handle our other cases." said Pallin.

"Speaking of which, has C-Sec discovered what the Blue Suns are doing on the Citadel?" asked Valern. "Even though our feelings on the vigilante are known, he has been able to shut down several of their operations right under C-Sec's jurisdiction."

Pallin straightened his shoulders, "Our labs are working on data collected from each site. But we still haven't figured out their main goal for being here."

The councilors all looked at one another, "Thank you for your time Executor. Continue with your search into the mercenaries plans and keep us updated regularly." said Valern.

"What about Maverick?" asked Pallin.

"It would seem that C-Sec has it's hands full at the moment. Therefore, we are assigning someone to handle the vigilante personally." said Tevos pressing a few buttons on the terminal before her.

Pallin looked to the side as an Asari in full armor baring the sign of the Spectres on her shoulder guard stepped out into the light. "You called for me councilors?" she asked smoothly.

"Spectre Tela Vasir, your being assigned to track down the vigilante known as Maverick and have him brought before this council. You are to use whatever means necessary to apprehend him." said Tevos.

Vasir smirked, "Yes ma'am."

"Is a Spectre really necessary for this type of job?" asked Pallin. "What of the Alliance? This is obviously a Human we're dealing with, shouldn't this fall into their hands?"

"Ambassador Udina has checked with the Alliance and informed us that they have no knowledge of this kind of technology or anyone fitting Maverick's description." said Sparatus. "We can assume that this individual is a rogue and working alone."

"This situation cannot escalate farther." said Valern. "The public are in an uproar about this man with all of the news reports that are in circulation. We need to find him quickly, Spectre Vasir is more than capable for the task and has a reputation for finding what she's looking for."

Vasir bowed slightly, "Thank you, councilor. And rest assured, I will find this man."

"If there is nothing else, than this meeting of the council is adjourned." said Tevos as the councilors began to leave. Pallin ran a hand over his fringe before heading back to C-Sec.

After leaving the chambers and finding a quiet place, Vasir brought up her omni-tool. "Yes?" asked someone on the other end of the call. "I need anything and everything the Shadow Broker's got on someone." the Asari Spectre asked with a wicked grin.

X

Cerberus Headquarters - Cronos Station

Anadius Cluster - Horsehead Nebula

November 22, 2180 - 13:50 hours

The Illusive Man sat in his usual seat, cigarette in hand as he observed the many view screens before him in front of the large window that over looked the star that centered the Anadius Cluster.

Flicking his cigarette into the ashtray, he froze the image playing before him to get a better look at the black and silver armored being that had been terrorising the Blue Suns on the Citadel for the last few months.

Cerberus had been tracking this man's movements since his first attack against the mercs. His unique suit was something that could benefit the organization by leaps and bounds. And the man behind the suit was also one of a kind with his abilities in a firefight.

Tapping a button on the armrest of his chair, he opened a communication line. "Get me Ms. Lawson. I have a mission for her." he said as he looked at the frozen image of Maverick.

X

Alexander 'Maverick' Drake

Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive - East River, NY

August 23, 2023 - 10:22 hours

Alex walked through the tunnels underneath the streets, SCAR rifle in hand as he searched for any hostiles when Gould came on the comm line. 'Listen, CELL have set up checkpoints all along the FDR freeway. I just tapped into their comms and it sounds like Lockhart's down here overseeing the operation himself.'

The soldier rolled his eyes but kept quiet as Gould continued. 'He's gotta be close. Prophet, keep a low profile.' Alex climbed up onto a ledge and pulling himself out of a large hole in the ceiling leading him into a rundown building.

"The order is to take him alive." said Tara over the tapped communications. "The order is to bring him down. I'll argue the civil rights detail when we've done that." replied Lockhart.

Alex pressed his back to a boarded up window and peered around to look at the small courtyard beyond. A CELL attack helicopter was parked right outside with two guards standing outside with Tara and Lockhart arguing behind them.

"Alive is more useful." argued Tara. "Yeah? Useful to who? The guy just got through massacring a couple dozen of my men, Ms. Strickland. I'm taking no more chances." said Lockhart with finality. "Prophet dies. Hargreave can have his corpse to play with."

"Hargreave wants-" "Hargreave wants the suit. That's what he'll get." said Lockhart cutting the woman off.

Tara shook her head, "He isn't going to like this. And last time I checked, we both worked for him." she said shaking her head.

"That's where you're wrong, Ms. Strickland." said Lockhart getting into her face. "You work for him. I answer to the CELL executive board and the DoD. I don't give a shit what some senile old shareholder like Hargreave may or may not like."

"That's a majority shareholder." Tara said back. "And former President of the CryNet board. You want to be careful what enemies you make here, Lockhart."

Both climbed into the copter as the engines powered up. "This conversation is over." said Lockhart as the arial unit rose into the air and flew off into the city.

Alex observed the area, two guards milling around below where the copter was. Another was standing in an overwatch position on the train tracks above them. Two hummers drove through and stopped fifty feet away allowing six other CELL soldiers to pile out.

"Tactical Options Available." said Prophet as Alex leapt out of the window, grabbing both soldiers' heads and smashing them into the ground.

He spun around and shot the lone soldier up high causing his body to fall to the ground. "Cloak Engaged." Alex ran to the nearest wall and took cover as the six soldiers from the humvees ran into the courtyard. "What the fuck happened?" asked one of them Alex jumped into the air. Leaping over their heads and dropping two grenades in their midst.

The following explosions ripped the CELL personnel apart as Alex deactivated his cloak and making his way to the still running hummers. "I could use a little road rage right about now." he mumbled to himself getting behind the wheel.

X

Alex awoke with a start. His memories of what occurred before coming to this universe were becoming more frequent in his dreams. It was getting harder and harder to understand exactly why it was happening though.

Stretching a bit before heading to the shower, Alex recalled what happened yesterday. After seeing the news report about him, he decided to lay as low as possible when he went out again to avoid more people finding out about him.

He, Reena and Prophet had gone over blue prints of the service tunnels throughout all of the wards. If he wanted to figure out what the Suns were up too he'd have to go into the tunnels around where they're targeting to see if something was out of the ordinary.

Figuring that he'd check it all out when he got out of work tonight, the soldier prepared himself for his day at the shop.

Completely unaware of the events that were unfolding around him.

A/N: Things are going to get a lot more chaotic after this. With the council sending a Spectre after him, Cerberus and the Blue Suns Alex will have his hands full. And with Reena in on the secret it could prove to be a little more tense. But how much longer before someone else figures it out?

Update coming guys. Like the reviews!