Location: UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle—En-route to Anhur, New Thebes.
The drop ship buffeted violently as Ellie Donnelly broke through Ontarom's atmosphere and accelerated into FTL. Everyone clung to the nearest hand hold or harness, only to be knocked back when they recovered straight and level flight.
Glen Gordon clutched his shiny bald head, massing the spot where it hit the bulkhead. Liam could see barely contained anger in his eyes but it had nothing to do with the injury. Hours ago, Captain Flores pulled them into a classified meeting and gave them the smallest of details regarding this mission. Naturally they pried and pried some more, until she couldn't take it and snapped at them. Now with her team at arm's' length the atmosphere aboard the Kodiak was tense.
Vega was shifting uncomfortably between Gordon and an equally brooding Casey. "What do you think, Loco? They seem pretty pissed," Vega said through their private channel.
Liam switched off his external speakers. "Pissed or not we have a job to do," he replied, trying his best to take the captain's side without taking her side. "How do you feel about it?"
James shrugged but made it look casual under Casey and Gordon's combined glare. "I don't know. I haven't been here long enough to demand full disclosure, know what I mean?" Vega sighed through his speakers. "Still, I'd take it personally if my own CO couldn't feel like she could trust me."
Liam wanted to protest but knew Vega was right in some respects. Team loyalty didn't hinge on full disclosure, but trust. As far as he could see, this team's trust extended years back, maybe they got complacent in thinking Dana would be open with them on everything, but the harsh reality was that she was Captain and there would always be some things she had to keep to herself. Like the fact that her sister was now the fugitive they were heading out to apprehend. He didn't want to think of what that confrontation would look like. If it were Fi or John in a similar situation...he couldn't imagine trusting anyone else to help him.
He glanced to Flores who was up front with Ellie coordinating the other three Kodiaks flanking them. This might just be the fight of her life and something told him she already knew it.
"Hey." Liam turned to Vega who was still using private comms to communicate. "I'm just glad you're here, Loco," James said. "At least we can depend on your good luck."
Liam chortled at that. If they were down to depending on his rotten luck then things would be rocky indeed.
o~O~o
Location: Classified safehouse—Anhur, New Thebes.
Mark's bare footsteps slapped against the creaking wood as he made his way to the basement.
The towel over his head muffled his voice. "I swear man a hot shower is the best cure for..." he trailed off as Elena looked him over.
He looked very earth-like in a simple charcoal waffle-knit shirt and jeans. At least someone was getting some comfort out of this fucked up situation.
Mark froze as his eyes took in the scene before him. She couldn't tell if it was disbelief or confusion lining his dark features. But none of that mattered now. No, it was time for the truth because bullshit has left the building.
"Elena?" Mark asked, as if wondering if any of this was happening.
"Have a seat," Elena offered, gesturing with her gun towards a cheap plastic seat she dug out specifically for him. It was positioned directly across from his pal Gus' cuffed and gagged form. Elena sat on the desk that doubled as Gus' workstation and kept a leg on his chair. "Gus and I were just catching up."
Mark glanced to his friend then back to her, still no change. That look of shock remained in his gaze, making it difficult to gage his involvement. "What's going on? Did he try to hurt you?"
Elena laughed bitterly. "Hurt me? We're friends right, Gussy?" She teased, grasping the hacker's hair and jerking his head back violently. "I need you to grab a seat, Mark, because Gus tells one hell of a great story."
"Did you...did you torture him?" Mark stammered, glued to the spot.
Elena shoved his head away and trained her gun on Mark. "Did I fucking stutter? Get in the chair."
"El, let's talk ab—"
The round zipped past his ear, drawing blood with its graze. Elena's aim held steady as she waited for him to choose.
When Mark complied and promptly sat in the chair his eyes widened in horror at Gus' grievous state. She let him seek out the bruises and watch the rivulets of blood leave the hacker from a the head wound where she clocked him. Biotics made suchexcellent punching gloves that Elena couldn't resist using them to subdue the stubborn bastard.
As Mark shifted uncomfortably in his chair, she flexed the fingers of her free hand. Through the will of her mind, two pairs of cuffs flew at Mark and hit him square in the chest.
He grunted at the force and held them in his hands.
"Put those on," Elena ordered. "We want you to be comfortable for this."
Mark used those puppy dog blue eyes on her, trying to get her to see reason. "El..."
"Don't." She trained her gun on him again. Elena wanted to cry but she swallowed all the hurt and betrayal. How could she have been so stupid, so trusting? "Don't call me that and just do what I fucking say or I'll blow your brains out right here, right now."
She watched carefully as he clasped one cuff around the chair's arm then fixed it over his right arm. Using biotics, Elena snared his other arm and clicked the cuffs shut.
When both men were secure she spun Gus' chair, eliciting a painful moan from the traitor within. Mark seemed to steel himself and watched her with intent, there was something calling to her behind those blue eyes but he kept his mouth shut to her chagrin. What, no defense?
"Who the fuck is he?" Elena asked, staring Mark down.
Mark only shook his head, but didn't say anything. The regret in his eyes didn't help matters either. Something in those bright blues begged her to forgive him, but maybe that was just a trick of the light.
Deciding she's had enough of silence Elena pressed the muzzle of the Harpy against Gus' elbow. The groggy hacker started failing when he realized what she wanted to take away.
"I'm only going to ask one more time, Mark. Who the fuck is he?" she demanded, mashing the muzzle into the crux of his elbow.
Mark sighed heavily. "Back in Athens—"
Elena fired and Gus screamed in pain as blood and bone splattered the area around what used to be his elbow. "Don't you fucking lie to me. This piece of trash isn't your Athens connection. You and Jeremy got out of there thanks to a local connection Gustus Stone, this guy is Australian not Greek. He got you out by hacking the monorail and making it skip a stop. There was no fucking helicopter!" Elena grabbed at Gus' collar and yanked him close while speaking to her lover. "You brought me here, Mark. Who is he working for? Who are you working for?"
"Elena, please just listen." Mark sighed inwardly and shot an apologetic glance at Gus. "Back in Athens there was an Alliance post that was already hunting down Cerberus personnel. We were apprehended and spent two days in interrogation."
Elena forced herself to control her emotions. This couldn't be the truth, why was he telling her this now? What did it change? But most of all she tried to push away the horrible image of someone torturing him for two days. Slapping that aside she set the gun's muzzle on Gus' other elbow. "Stop wasting my time. Even if what you're saying is true, why would they just let you go? And why is this idiot transmitting our location to Cerberus..."
It suddenly clicked in her head. Now she understood his guilt, everything suddenly made sense. Oh god. He was still loyal to them.
"When Gus helped us run away, we had to ensure we didn't blow his cover. So we made up a connection called Gustus Stone, Mark explained.
Elena shook her head, not because she had been wrong about Gus but because she missed what was right in front of her. Mark was somehow still connected to Cerberus and she didn't see it. "Jesus Christ, Mark, don't you see what Cerberus did? How can you support them after everything...everything we've done?"
Mark shook his head defiantly. "Do you honestly think the Alliance is any better? We were on an Alliance paycheque when we decided to play god of war, when Jeremy was given free reign of that group of kids, when you were allowed to mess with the rachni, all of that was funded by the Alliance."
"I'm trying to fix this!" Elena yelled, feeling the rage ignite her blood.
"How?" Mark challenged, tilting his head to look at her in disbelief. "Cerberus was already off the rails under Alliance command. Everything they condemned other species for doing was being researched right here with our help, El. Look at me and don't deny it!"
Elena fought back tears and won. "So what was your big plan? Knock me out and steal the data? Is that what you were after? Take the rachni research that's claimed so many lives and what, give it a black ops unit gone rogue?"
"El," Mark pleaded as he hopelessly slumped back against his seat, "don't you see? I don't give a shit about any of this. Cerberus is no better than the Alliance and vice-versa, but Cerberus was willing to pay more to get the Hammerhead back."
"You sold a weapon of destruction to a megalomaniac?" She said, incredulous. "Someone you haven't even met?"
"I don't care." His eyes pleaded for her to understand. "I know what you want, babe. I know you want kids, a family, a life where you can actually live without looking over your shoulder every five minutes. I want that too and I want it with you."
She wasn't stunned, she was so far past stunned that they needed to invent another word to describe it. Elena swallowed hard and tried to make heads or tails out of everything he just confessed. She wanted to scream, laugh and cry like a maniac, but she couldn't. Years ago she swore to herself that the people of the galaxy came first. They still did.
She let go of Gus and kept her gaze lowered, away from those bright blues that were her world.
"Cerberus will be here any minute thanks to your pal." She tapped a few keys on the computer. "I've re-routed an Alliance ship to help Selina York."
Mark scoffed. "So you're allowed to use the Alliance for help but I can't deal with Cerberus?"
"I actually trust this contact," Elena clarified, "She'll get her to safety, I know it."
"What about you?" Mark asked, testing the strength of the cuffs.
Elena snagged her bag and grasped both armrests of Mark's chair. She leaned towards him until they were only inches apart, separated by breaths. "Don't worry about me anymore."
With that she was out the door, leaving both men to their fates.
o~O~o
Location: Batarian state controlled warehouse—Anhur, New Thebes.
Under the cover of darkness, four Alliance-branded Kodiaks touched down and deposited their squads.
Dana took point with Liam right behind her as Vega, Casey and Glen brought up the rear. They hunkered down a couple of yards from the warehouse entrance and waited for the other three teams to check in.
"Fireteam Foxtrot in position ma'am," the hushed voice of a veteran sergeant relayed through the team chat. "We have eyes on two armed batarian patrols at the rear gate. One anti-air on the roof."
"Fireteam Bravo, in position ma'am." The feminine voice of sergeant Colvin spoke confidently through the comm. "We have three batarian patrols on the West wing. They're huddled together, slacking off."
"Fireteam Omega, in position ma'am." Hunter spoke through the comms. Liam was surprised she let the kid out of her sights. "We have one batarian patrol in heavy armor on the East Wing. And a squad of four turians surrounding an armored Scout vehicle is heading up front."
"Great. Fireteam Indigo will take point. As soon as your patrols are distracted I want you all to strike simultaneously. We do this quietly"
"Uh, ma'am," Fireteam Foxtrot's sergeant spoke up, "just to confirm, you want us to attack batarian state troops?"
Before Dana had a chance to reply Glen got on the comm. "Foster, I never want to hear you question the Captain in the middle of a goddam mission."
"It's alright," Dana pacified, shooting Glen a 'cool it' look. "You've all read the brief, they have a classified Alliance asset in there. That's why we do this quietly. If it still weighs on your conscience just remember they're the ones who didn't sign up with the Citadel."
"Roger that, ma'am." All three team leads acknowledged and waited for her team to strike.
Flores turned to him and gestured up front. "How many can you pick off?"
Liam scoped his targets. The turians kept their distance from the batarians, but while the batarians lounged in their home field advantage the turians stood alert ready for anything short of the apocalypse to drop by.
"Vega and I can get the two batarians on the right, but someone needs to down the last one while his back is turned. The four turians near the Scout will be tricky." Even as he said it he still couldn't believe he was in the presence of an old turian vehicle like the Scout. Its massive Jeep-like contour and mounted gun made them the most versatile vehicles back during the First Contact War. They were also the first designs turians adapted from humans for guerilla warfare. But they were all but abandoned when the turians started development on their own fleet of ground vehicles.
"Don't worry about the turians," Dana replied, as she used hand signals to send Casey and Glen into position. "Blitz and Gordon can handle them. I'll take the spare batarian."
As the team dispersed, Liam picked his targets as Vega did the same. When the green acknowledge lights flashed on his HUD, Liam carefully waited until the batarian moved away before shooting him right in the eyes. Vega's silenced shot followed up and made quick work of his buddy.
Liam waited for the heat sink to cool down as he watched Dana sneak up and drive a combat knife right into the spare batarian's jugular.
The turians didn't suspect a thing when two biotic charges knocked them off their feet. The bodies twitched as Glen and Casey shot three rounds each in Mozambique drill style, from their silenced pistols.
Flores got into position behind the door as Vega switched to his assault rifle and ran for the entrance. Liam covered him but kept the Mantis in hand.
When Liam reached them, Casey entered the warehouse first followed by Glen. Stealth was to their advantage and judging from the quietness, the other teams were doing just as well.
Casey grabbed a batarian from behind and slit his throat before quietly dragging him away.
Glen snuck up behind a turian and double tapped him with two silenced rounds to the chest. When both biotics cleared a path, Dana, Liam and Vega advanced cautiously. The warehouse was a technical maze of boxes and grass cutting equipment.
"We're in," Dana relayed to the other fireteams as they crouched behind some boxes and scanned the area ahead. Liam could see the beginnings of a clearing in the maze of storage from over her shoulder. "All units report."
"Foxtrot here," The sergeant replied, "All tangos down. Rear entrance secure, anti-air disabled."
"Fireteam Bravo," the woman from earlier replied, "no hostiles left. West wing secure, moving in to reinforce the front."
"Omega," Hunter spoke, "All clear on the East wing. We'll fall back and keep a perimeter."
"Good work," Dana replied. "Indigo is inside and we're going silent. Keep your eyes peeled out there."
"Aye aye, ma'am,"all team leaders announced in unison.
Liam signaled everyone forward and kept the Mantis downrange. The four of them jumped a single stack of boxes and snuck around to the heart of the warehouse, following the faint sound of conversation.
Glen and Casey marked their targets up above and indicated that they were going around and up to the scaffolding. Vega and Flores hunkered down, not far from the prime spot where a turian and a batarian sat at a rickety old desk. They both had two guards of their species flanking them, each trying to win the silent staring contest.
"What makes you think we're ready to pay that much?" the turian accused.
Dana signaled to a cowering figure huddled in the far corner with a black bag over her head and chains that cut into her wrists. The prisoner seemed to be forgotten in the meeting's proceedings.
"It's your design, is it not?" the batarian retorted. His garb of gold plated armor made him important but it also painted him as a major target.
Flores moved but Liam held her back before she did something stupid. At her gaze he shook his head, motioning to wait.
"My point exactly," the turian continued, "Cerberus stole our plans and we thank you kindly for recovering them. But we're here to pick up the goods, not re-negotiate a price."
"We'll we're not in the business of fixed transactions," the gruff batarian replied. "We're handing you a weapon that'll boost your military might ages into the future. I think you can understand the increase in price this type of power demands."
Liam scoped his target and Vega tapped him on the back before signalling up to Casey and Vega who made quick work of the two guards on the scaffolding.
"We're not stupid enough to think you haven't copied the plans," the turian accused. "Look, let's not let a misunderstanding get between us. We came here on a predetermined price, we'll take the prototype as well as the woman and we will both go our separate ways."
The batarian smirked and blinked all four of his eyes. The turian mimicked the gesture and it suddenly dawned on both men that the other wasn't going to make it out alive.
Before Indigo could attack, the turian pulled a pistol on the batarian who drew his just in time to fire back. When the bosses engaged, so did their cronies. Shoulders were torn and hearts exploded in the close proximity of the shots.
The lead batarian took one in the shoulder and was first on his feet. As the turian leader struggled for breath, he received a bullet to the head.
The turian's bodyguards overpowered the batarians. Two of them quickly jumped on the leader, but he was too fast and shook them off.
Deciding he's had enough spectatorship, Liam popped up and shot a turian right through the heart. Vega downed the other with a precise shot from his Helix.
Flores dashed over the crates and slammed her boot right into the batarian's knee; knocking him off balance before he could fire at the prisoner.
Downed and moaning beneath her the batarian garbled profanities but only his green blood bubbled up through his mouth. As he neared the dead man, Liam could see the holes from the shoot-out peppered throughout his armor.
One of the batarian guards reached for his fallen pistol but Shepard drew the Paladin and shot him in the head.
"Who...are...you?" the lead batarian gargled as Dana got off of him.
"Your worst fucking nightmare," she replied and put him out of his misery with a burst from her Thunder assault rifle.
When the batarian died, Liam collapsed his Mantis and clipped it onto his back. Vega and the others were saying something but he couldn't hear what it was. Something in his heart was at peace as he watched Flores cautiously approach the chained woman.
Dana shot him an anxious look before crouching down beside the prisoner. It sounded like she was gagged, so she struggled to find the source of the shots and what killed her attackers.
At Flores' touch, the woman shuddered in fear. "It's alright," Dana tried to soothe as she slipped the bag from the woman's head. "You're safe now."
Liam felt his heart sink when he realized it wasn't Elena. But the captain didn't treat her any different, there was no surprise or shock on her part she simply removed the gag from the young woman's mouth and worked off her chains.
It wasn't until Vega bumped his arm that Liam was taken back to reality. "We've got a problem. There was an explosion not far from here."
o~O~o
Location: Classified Cerberus Safehouse—Anhur, New Thebes.
The entrance exploded into a pile of rubble. "Surprise!" Banes yelled from the smoke of his destruction as he stepped through what used to be the front door.
Miranda wanted to kill him right here right now. If this was his version of stealth then they were already in trouble. There was no doubt this blast would attract the attention of the entire galaxy.
But there was no time to argue now, they had to get in and get out before anyone came snooping around. "Move in. Dmitri, Svetlana, check the upstairs. Banes, with me. We're going to the basement."
"Where is everyone?" Banes exclaimed; arms wide as Dima and Sveta ran past him.
"Move it," Miranda seethed. Petrovsky's questions filtered into her ears and she tried to stay calm with her answers. "No survivors to report at the moment."
Downstairs she grit her teeth when she found her contact. Bleeding profusely with just an inch away from death, Gus looked nothing like the competent operative she liked to use. His left arm was mangled and just barely hanging on, three shots seemed to have punctured his chest but didn't finish the job yet.
Clearing the room, she went back to his chair and tapped his cheek. "Operative Harris, can you hear me?"
Gus groggily opened his eyes. His vitals didn't read too well on her omni-tool, but Miranda made a show of trying to help him anyways. There was nothing like the glimmer of hope to prompt some cooperation. "Where...Ms. Lawson?" he asked, clearly dazed.
"You're going to be fine," she lied. He lost too much blood and had minutes at best. She started prying the cuffs from his one intact hand. "Tell me what happened?"
Banes leapt down the stairs and took the place in. "And I thought my lab was a mess," he mused.
"Quiet!" Miranda shouted, before leaning closer to hear Gus' whispered words.
"Flores...she's gone...found me out," he managed through a spittle of blood. "Sharp one…and...Kassel …I"
"Do you know where they went?" Miranda asked, unlatching one cuff she moved onto the next. Though there was no need since that arm was nearly severed at the elbow.
Gus laughed and choked on his own blood. "I'm sorry, ma'am...I...I"
"Forget that," Miranda said, unlatching the final cuff and holding his head up. "Just tell me where they went."
"Warehouse..." Gus managed before a violent coughing fit ended with his silence.
The sound of Banes' steps ended beside her. She didn't look at him, only the operative whose eyes were now closed, his breathing shallow with the rattle of impending death. "He's gone, Lawson."
"Dammit," Miranda cursed and ran to his console. There was too much information so she narrowed it down to anything even remotely connected to Anhur or a warehouse. There was still nothing.
Banes picked up a datapad and started playing with it. "She's erased everything."
Miranda punched the console and thought of what to do next. They had the perfect advantage and now it was lost. She looked around hoping for any clues but amongst the broken datapads and large pieces of debris thanks to Banes' entrance, there was nothing left.
That's when the legs of a second chair caught her eyes. Miranda pushed past Banes and knelt down by the broken and uncomfortable piece of furniture to snag the cuffs. "She had someone else here."
Banes hunkered down beside her and raised the other cuff. The small ring of blood lined it. "Ready to follow the bloody red trail?" Banes coaxed, but she was already on her feet.
"Dmitri, Svetlana, we have a possible agent on the loose," Miranda relayed as she leapt away from Gus' body. "Gather as much data as you can before the authorities arrive then join us. We're going to track them."
"Now we're talking, Lawson," Banes cackled with glee and as he ran past her and up the stairs.
o~O~o
Location: Batarian state controlled warehouse—Anhur, New Thebes.
Outside the warehouse, four Kodiaks hovered in the air. When the lone prisoner was taken aboard, Flores turned to her squad. "We're going to check out that explosion."
"You're sure, ma'am?" Casey asked, albeit a little flippantly and nothing like her usual cheery self. "I think this world has police for that."
"It's worth a look," Liam said as he hot-wired the turian jeep. "Something this close to the warehouse can't be unrelated."
"If the police are already there then we'll leave them alone," Dana clarified, as she walked over to his side. "I just want to be sure we didn't miss anything."
Shepard knew she was ready to scour the entire planet if it meant finding her sister, but didn't say anything. It hurt enough to know that she was keeping it together despite the disappointment.
The turian jeep roared to life. "Got it," Liam announced as Vega bounded inside and grasped the machine gun at the back.
"Where did you learn to hot-wire a turian Scout?" Dana inquired with a raised brow.
"Trade secret," he winked at her, "if I told you, I'd have to teach you."
Flores only smirked and shut her visor before getting into the passenger seat. "The rest of you head back to the hotel. I'm taking Shepard and Vega to check this out then rendezvous with you later."
"You sure about this?"
"What happened to not questioning the captain?" she teased with amusement.
Glen huffed a laugh. "Be careful, Dana."
"You too."
Confident that he managed to convert at least half of the drive controls to human gestures, Liam gunned the engine and the turian Scout shot forward into the night.