A/N: Ohai. Have a random update. :3 Hopefully I'll be able to write a bit more once the first draft of my thesis is done.

A Worst Nightmare

Anyone who had not been on the Normandy, which tended to be a veritable menagerie on the best of days, may have been surprised by what seemed like the collection of lowlifes, aliens, illegal AIs, Alliance crewmen and Spectres in the clear conference room. To anyone who had been on the Normandy, on the other hand, it was just another Tuesday.

"So what? You gonna brief us or are we just wasting our time?" Jack asked from her perch on the table. Kaidan briefly thought about commenting that she was breaking at least thirty regulations, but decided against it. Shepard had never run quite as tight a ship as some commanders, which was probably a good thing considering the people she tended to attract.

"Yesterday morning while I was in a meeting with the Council," Kaidan started. "Shepard received this message." EDI, without moving to touch the terminal on the table, brought the message up on one of the walls. "It replicated the exact thing I would have sent her had the Council needed her presence."

"So she walked into a goddamn trap," Zaeed said, shaking his head. "Thought the kid was smarter than that."

"She went prepared," EDI explained. "Lieutenant Kebelsen, Jeff and I refused to let her leave the ship alone."

"And what happened to you?" Javik replied pointedly, still studying the AI with distrust.

"My platform was deactivated. An especially powerful hack that shut down my ability to control it."

"But you were built with Reaper tech, and I upgraded your platform myself when I reactivated you. Is that even possible?" Tali asked. EDI studied her, then replied.

"Apparently, it is," she answered dryly. "My processors were not damaged, merely the platform. However, a communications block prevented me from accessing my platform, or Jeff's omni-tool. I was unable to do anything except contact C-Sec from the Normandy. Unfortunately as C-Sec's response times are notoriously unsatisfactory, they were very slow in arriving."

"The bottom line is that they were prepared." Miranda was leaning against the window, one arm crossed over her chest and the other holding her omni-tool so she could read it. "They expected Shepard to bring backup. My question is . . . why did Moreau go?"

Their heads turned back to EDI, who suddenly seemed slightly uncomfortable. "Jeff . . . was afraid that we were walking into a trap," EDI said carefully. "He refused to let her leave without him. I believe that, psychologically, it stems from his original inability to help her on the original Normandy. He still blames himself for her death. Despite his decreased ability to aid her, he insisted on going 'just in case.'"

"God damn it," Kaidan murmured, shaking his head. No matter how many times they told him it hadn't been his fault . . . "Traynor. Have you and EDI had any luck?"

The duo glanced at each other, then back. "N-not yet," Traynor said. "Echidna has been covering their tracks."

"Miranda?"

"I've been attempting to determine who is behind the successor organization," she said, nodding at her omni-tool. "But I believe I may have partially determined their motives. May," she emphasized. "The first attack in the Wards, where you and Doctor Chakwas were present." Kaidan nodded. "The men from that attack shared the same genetic material as some of the bodies from this second attack."

They blinked. "More clones?" Garrus said finally. "I thought we were all past that."

"Yes, but not of Shepard. I doubt that is their end goal." She waved her 'tool, and the screen changed to a readout. "The attack in the Wards was disorganized and frankly, rather poorly planned. I don't believe it was a serious attack."

"They were tryin' to see how she'd react," Zaeed said, skimming it after a mere moment. Miranda nodded.

"I believe that Echidna has a mole on the Normandy that informed Echidna as to your whereabouts the day of that attack, and that it was intended to-"

"To find out if she was actually pregnant," Kaidan said thoughtfully, staring down at the table. "It all goes back to that."

Miranda nodded, then sighed. "Believe me, major, when I tell you that a large number of people would be interested in anything bearing both yours and Shepard's genetic code."

Kaidan took a deep breath, managing to compose himself. Everything had just gotten thirty times worse, if Miranda was right.

"And do you know who's behind it?"

"Honestly?" Miranda asked. He nodded. "If I hadn't thrown his arrogant ass out a window, I'd say this has my father written all over it. With him dead, however . . . I can't be sure. Not yet."

"So why take Joker?" Jack asked. "Let's be honest - why put up with his sarcastic ass if you don't actually care about him."

"Leverage," Zaeed said, shrugging when they looked over at him. "What? Don't think I've run some kidnappings in my time? There was this one time in -"

"Anyway," Kaidan said pointedly. Zaeed shrugged.

"That's what we've been thinking," Garrus said. "Know some merc groups that used to run that way. Keep them separate and you've practically got Shepard on a leash."

"Especially Joker," Kaidan added.

"They probably thought it was Christmas when he showed up," Kasumi added. "Wonder what they would have done if she hadn't fallen for it."

"It's too late to ask that now. Miranda, Traynor, EDI. What do we need to track these guys?" They needed to get to work - this was one of those times where they didn't have the luxury of time.

"Another base, preferably before they wipe their drives. It won't be easy."

"Maybe not for you," Kasumi said, a small grin playing on her lips. "I can get data out before they start a wipe, don't worry. It is me."

"There's one problem," he interrupted. "We don't have any more coordinates."

The conference room was quiet.

"I . . . may have a contact that might be able to help us," Miranda said. "She owes me a favor."

"Hm." Kasumi added simply, then bounced off the table and out of the room.

"EDI and I can keep going over what we do have," Traynor said, as EDI added a short, curt nod. "It isn't much but there might be something buried in there. If we get access to Citadel Control's information on the relay network we may be able to track the shuttle, at least for two jumps."

Kaidan opened his omni-tool and made the appropriate authorizations. "Done."

"We can probably narrow it further," Jack said, looking unusually thoughtful. "They ain't going to stay in Citadel Space, that much is for sure. They're gonna make for the Terminus Systems, even with territory lines all over the fuckin place. Don't want to risk a cruiser or something coming up on 'em."

"She's right," Miranda agreed, though as usual it seemed reluctant. "Staying close to the Citadel is too risky, especially if they know people will be after them."

Kaidan nodded. "Garrus, we'll head down to the Spectre office and see if anyone's talking about Echidna. Miranda, EDI, Traynor, Tali, go talk with Liara and see what the three of you can work out. The rest of you ..." He studied the three remaining team members. "Um, try not to destroy the ship."

Grunt replied with a deep chuckle that was just slightly unnerving.

"Alenko," Garrus said as everyone filed out of the conference room, splitting into two groups - three headed down for the shuttle bay, the rest to the war room comm. "We'll get her back."

The look Kaidan replied him could possibly have frozen magma, or turned away an entire merc group without firing a shot. "I know we will," he replied, voice low, before turning on his heel and leaving the room. Garrus blinked a couple times, then followed him.

Yeah. That should be on a warning poster to everyone in the galaxy, that stare. Mess with Shepard, and there was no power in the universe that was going to keep a certain Spectre from completely destroying them.

#

Liara had been fruitlessly scouring everything for the past thirty-eight hours straight. She knew the trail was running cold. Most people, including C-Sec, would have given up by now. But they weren't C-Sec and, more than that, this was Shepard. The woman who had saved the galaxy, who was going to continue to serve it in an advisory position, who of all people in the entire damnable collection of stars deserved some modicum of happiness for the rest of her life.

She, nor anyone else on her old crew, was going to let her go that easily. Even the people who couldn't help hands-on - Wrex, in particular - were on watch for her, in case she managed to escape and fled to them. The quarians, too.

But Liara knew that, with Joker there, the likelihood of Shepard attempting an escape was low. She would never leave him, and it would likely be almost impossible to safely get them both out. She'd do the same for any of her crew, but no one suffered from any illusions that she and Joker were not all but family.

"I've been catching increased chatter from the Terminus systems. Namely, a region consisting of approximately ten relays."

::That's . . . not really narrowing,:: Tali said.

::It's better than what we have,:: Miranda replied. ::Liara, can you send us that information?::

"It's coming to your omni-tools now."

There was a distinctive chime, and she glanced up where the four were visibly crammed into the small communications room, omni-tools open and reading.

::Tali's right. This doesn't narrow it much,:: Miranda said. ::Are you-::

"I. Have. Nothing. Else. Yet," Liara snapped. "I've been working for over a day, Miranda, I am not a miracle worker."

Miranda didn't answer - instead, Traynor opted to step in. ::We'll see what we can do on our end.::

"I do have one more piece of information," Liara said. "There was recently a sizable sum of money transferred out of a previous Cerberus front account. Corcoran Technology."

Miranda's head shot up. ::Corcoran? You're sure.::

"Absolutely. Enough to pay well for a group to capture Shepard, I would say, and provide for the tech that they used."

::That means something to you?:: Tali asked. Miranda shook her head.

::It might. Liara, can you look at other former Cerberus companies to see if money has been transferred out?::

"Glyph?" The drone appeared, and Liara nodded. "You heard her."

"Right away, Doctor T'Soni."

"I'll contact you as soon as I know more. Any idea who they have on the Normandy?"

::No, but it will not take long,:: EDI said, with a sense of certainty only formerly matched when Shepard's clone had locked her out of the Normandy's systems. It was the one tone of voice no one wanted to hear the AI use.

"I will check out the Normandy crew, and see what I can find."

::You have access to crew files?:: Traynor asked, a little worriedly. Liara looked up.

"You'd be surprised what I have access to," Liara replied with a small smile. "How is Kaidan holding up?"

::About like you'd expect,:: Tali replied, when the others seemed to find the question extremely awkward judging by their exchanged look. ::I'm a little afraid what he might do to the first Echidna guy we find, but can you expect anything else?::

"No, unfortunately. I'll contact you when I know more. End feed." As they disappeared, Liara sighed and yelled for Glyph again.

"Yes, Doctor T'Soni?"

"Run searches for large financial transactions from any company that used to be a known front for Cerberus. See if you can get into Citadel Control and track that shuttle more precisely. And find out if anyone's heard anything about Echidna."

"Right away, Doctor T'Soni."

#

Shepard finally passed into something resembling sleep ... she wasn't sure when. There was no way to keep time in her cell - not even the terminal had a clock, she'd checked and found it was disconnected - and except for the fact that her pregnancy had not continued to progress she would have thought it could have been months.

She'd been too anxious to sleep when the base or station they were being held on entered its night-cycle - the only reliable way she had to tell days, though hours were still beyond her and there was the idea that they could be fucking with her too. Considerably anxious, in fact, finding herself curled up in the dark with one hand wrapped around the dog tags she still wore as she tried to figure out what to do until the lights came back on, announcing the beginning of the day cycle.

She'd also refused to eat at first, though it was less of a hunger strike and more out of concern that there would be something in it to make her docile, though she was sure that nothing safe had been developed yet, but if someone had it it'd be them - or, though this was only slightly less concerning, they were dosing it with eezo to create stronger biotics.

They jumped on that incredibly fast, considering her metabolism, ultimately informing her that she had three options: eating, IV, or force-feeding. Fairly sure that they'd make good on their threats and aptly determining that it was not a battle she would win, she resigned herself to whatever the hell it was that they pushed under the door.

The second day she'd investigated every nook and cranny of the damn cell, looking for a weak point or loose panel or some other thing she could use to escape and finding nothing. Furniture - essentially, the bed, terminal, and chair - had been bolted to the floor, and everything inside seemed to be solid steel. It was almost as if they'd retrofitted this room, but retrofitted it specifically for her. She didn't know what unnerved her more, if she were honest. She could hear guards outside, indicating that she was never truly left to her own devices, and allowed herself a small amount of pride in the fact that she was still obviously considered dangerous enough to merit constant, armed observation.

Part of her wondered how long it would take Kaidan to find them; but if they had barely any information on Echidna now she could only imagine them even locating the base on anything except sheer luck.

It looked bad. Really bad, and as she struggled to examine a floor panel under the bed she thought it could only get worse.

Joker, who was under far less observation than Shepard and in what was once, in fact, a utility closet, had much the same concerns.

He had essentially taken it upon himself to get them both safely out of there and to somewhere relatively safe - enough dangerous people owed Shepard favors that he knew they could find at least someone to lay low with while waiting for the Normandy. Or, at least, he hoped that was the case.

He had a camera in the cell but it somehow managed to miss the part with the terminal, and looked mostly stationary. After all he assumed that no one in particular cared what he did. He wasn't a danger, he wasn't even a threat. If he gave them too many problems they could just break his legs and be done with it. It at least gave him room to work.

Joker levered himself down with a bit of a huff — finding it a bit painful as his arm was still in a cast, and they hadn't been giving him the right painkillers for it — and wiggled under the terminal, working his one good hand into the panel. He'd connect their terminals if he had to crawl through the wires himself to do it, that much was for sure.

He'd get them out of there if it was the last thing he did.