Not-so-Quick note from the Author: Hello there, and thank you for reading my story. I just wanted to say that although I'm posting this on a Wednesday, I won't usually post on Wednesdays or Thursdays in the future, as they are my days off and the only time I get to relax these days (read: play minecraft on Vox Populi, or Warframe if I'm in the mood). If you are looking for something to read on these days, I humbly recommend that you check out some of my short stories on fictionpress (author name: Michael James Wilbur), or even give my first book a read as I post it there as well (A Dreamer's Knight). Given how long I left this project on the back burner only to manage a full week of daily updates, I didn't want anyone worrying that I was going to stop posting; I've got plenty of inspiration to finish this book, and perhaps the next one as well, so no worries there. Anyway, sorry for the interruption, and on with the story.

Chapter 24

Jail Birds

Finn caught a brief glimpse of Scarlet's face as the krogan soldier carried him into his cell and plopped him down against the crude bars beside Glen and Eri."

"Get some rest while you can." The soldier rumbled, poking him in the chest with a thick finger. "The Primarch wants to deal with you lot personally."

"Stop playing with the monkeys." The other krogan said. "Close the cell so we can get moving."

"Right." The krogan's eyes fell on Glen. He gave her a quick nod. Finn was surprised to see respect in the krogan's eyes. He realized that the krogan was the same one Glen had fought earlier.

Glen accepted the gesture with a nod of her own, not having a lot of other ways to respond at the moment.

"Havak!"

"I'm coming!" The krogan left the cell and tapped at the console outside, encasing the three would-be rescuers in an energy field that surrounded the bars. As they left, Finn heard Scarlet say, "So they caught you too. I was hoping that maybe you managed to get away."

Finn tried to say something through his gag, which predictably came out as a mumble. Rolling his eyes, he started twisting so that his hands were closer to Eri's while Glen watched carefully.

From his new position, Finn could see into Scarlet's cell now; Azure and Amber were with her, the former unconscious with her head in Amber's lap. Blood crusted from one side of her lip, and her eye was already swollen.

"Azure got the worst of it." Scarlet told him as he tried to get in position. "She fought the hardest when the krogan's ambushed us. Auren, Violet, and Noir managed to get away by tricking a guard … that's why they're using the energy fields to keep us in now."

She let out a sigh, her eyes on the ceiling. "So much for my big plan. Who knows what they'll do with us now, especially after they figure out why we're here."

Glen nodded and mumbled something. Nodding back, Finn activated his omni-blade. The holographic blade emerged from the edges of his omni-tool, slicing through Eri's bindings and missing his wrist by millimeters.

Eri pulled the remnants of the bindings from his wrists, tossed them to the ground, and immediately started wiping the now mostly dry phlegm off his face.

"Ecch!" He spat as Scarlet stared at him in surprise. "That prick better hope we don't run into him again."

Finn grumbled at him through his gag.

"Right, right." Eri shuffled behind Finn and untied his bindings.

Untying his gag, Finn took a full breath and said, "I'm sorry, Eri; I shoulda realized he'd blame it on you."

"It's fine." Eri spat again. "It's disgusting, but I'll live. Who did knock him out, by the way?"

Glen flexed her Headache-covered arms, snapping the bindings easily. After removing her gag, she said, "That would be Jake. Saved the day, actually."

Finn turned to Scarlet. "All according to plan. Kyra's on the way to-"

"Kyra?" Amber asked, causing Azure to stir slightly. "She's here?"

"Yes." Finn said, smiling slightly at the way Amber's eyes lit up at the sound of her sister's name. "She and Jake are on the way to let us out. Listen, I've got a lot to tell you, so listen up and don't interrupt."

Kyra and Jake hurried through the corridors of the fortress, quickly ducking into adjoining corridors or unoccupied rooms whenever they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. She kept Finn's carnifex pistol clenched in her hand. Her Omni-tool was synched with Finn's, allowing her to see exactly where he was. It wasn't far, but if they were caught, it wouldn't matter how far away Finn and the others were.

"I hope you're a better shot with that than Finn." Jake said at one point.

"Jake, I could drop the pistol and still hit more targets than Finn." She told him, her eyes on the tunnel ahead. "I love the lug, but he really needs to stop skipping out on Javik's training."

"Ah, he's just creeped out by the guy. Admit it; he's a bit creepy."

"A little." Kyra admitted. "But he definitely knows his way around weapons."

The silence that followed struck Kyra as odd, though it was soon broken by the sound of heavy footsteps. She and Jake ducked into a nearby room and waited for the krogan to pass.

"Kyra." Jake asked as she reached for the panel that would open the door. "I've had strange dreams lately."

"You dream?' She asked, surprised.

He frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

He was right, of course; there was no reason to think that Jake didn't dream, robot or no. She had seen him sleep before; she had even seen him eat. Well, not eat per say; food disappeared around him, and he definitely seemed chipper about it afterwards.

Feeling a little guilty, she knelt down in front of him and put her hand on the side of his screen. "I'm sorry. Tell me about them."

He looked up at her concerned face, worry on his own. "It's not just lately. I've been having these dreams for a long time, even before I met Finn. Thing is, I only got them occasionally back then; once every month or so. I wrote them off as just being weird dreams, only I've been getting them more often ever since we joined the Shadow Broker."

Seeing Jake so bothered was beyond strange, and more than a little worrying. Kyra put her hand on Jake's monitor. "It's okay Jake. Remember, they're only dreams."

"I know." He said, his tail end wagging as though aware only of Kyra's hand rubbing the monitor. "But I see places I know I've never been, people I've never met, yet while I'm dreaming, I know they're my friends. I'd still just write 'em off as dreams, but …"

"But?" Kyra asked, feeling a slight sense of unease growing in the pit of her stomach. "Jake, we're friends … real, not dream friends. You can tell me anything if it makes you feel better; I won't even tell Finn."

He looked up at her, gratitude shining in his eyes for a moment before worry filled them once again. "I saw Liara and Javik."

"In your dreams?" Kyra asked. "Well, they're part of our lives now. Surely that's not so bad."

"You don't understand." He said, "I saw them before we even knew she was the Shadow Broker."

She froze as he continued, "I remember a place filled with old buildings and green trees stretching into the distance, and seeing Liara opening some kinda hibernation pod … but Javik's inside! He wakes up angry too, attacking her and this guy I swear I've seen before as well."

Swallowing, Kyra said, "Is there anything else?"

"Bits here and there." He admitted. "Flashes of old memories. Javik brooding over a sink, Liara working Glyph, other faces I don't remember when I wake up. I even remember a geth every now and then; it's weird, but the geth's repaired himself with a piece of N7 armor."

He looked at her, worry still evident on his face. "Is something wrong with me? Could I be a psychic robot?"

The only thing that kept Kyra from laughing at this was the serious expression on her friend's face. Putting her hands on either side of Jake's monitor, she said, "I'm sure there's a reason for it, Jake, and if there is something else going on, I promise I'll help you figure it out."

He smiled, not his usual goofy smile but a small, thankful smile. "Thanks, Kyra. I'm glad you and Finn are a thing."

"Well, if we end up getting married, that'll make me your sister, right?" She chuckled, a light blush coming to her cheeks. "That makes you my little brother too."

He giggled as she rubbed the top of his monitor. "Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, sis!"

As she opened the door, he said off-handedly, "She's nice too."

"Who?" Kyra asked curiously.

"The quarian lady in my dreams. It's hard to see through the mask of her environment suit, but you kinda look like her."

Kyra stared at Jake as he walked out of the room, not sure what to say to that. Something about the whole situation bothered her, and she couldn't help but feel worried as they continued moving … for Jake and for Finn.

Slipping into the cell block wasn't easy; while their movement through the fortress had been relatively unimpeded thus far, thanks in part to the sensor bug Finn had hidden on his person, the security in the cells was extremely high. There was only one path to the cell blocks, and it was through a bear of a krogan who looked even grumpier than normal for his kind. Unfortunately, he stood directly in front of the entrance to the cell block.

"Vents?" Jake suggested as Kyra showed him the footage of the krogan on her omni-tool.

"Already thought about that." Kyra moved the spyder (just thinking the name made her cringe. Sure, it was a spying device that looked like a spider, but the fact that the Shadow Broker would make such a bad pun just seemed so wrong on so many levels) so that its camera pointed at the small grate in the center of the corridor, almost directly above the krogan guard. It was far too small for either of them to squeeze inside. "Every vent we've passed already has been identical.

"All right, so the vent's a no go." Jake said, "Maybe there's a sewer."

"Ew."

"Ew? Finn's in there! You said you love him. Aren't you willing to risk everything to save him?"

"I wouldn't jump to the sewers as a way in unless there was no other choice. Besides, these are just holding cells; they don't keep people here for days."

Jake let out a sigh. "Think we could talk our way in?"

"I doubt it." Kyra said, "That krogan doesn't look like the messing around sort."

"Well, maybe you could run a distraction. Y'know, use your feminine wiles."

Her luminescent eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"Sorry." He said quickly, his cartoon cheeks turning red. "Must've been a glitch in my programming."

They watched in silence as the krogan stood perfectly still, only moving occasionally to scratch an itch.

"Okay, I have an idea." Jake said.

Kyra gave him the same look she gave Finn when she knew he was up to something. "What is it?"

"Watch." Jake leapt away before Kyra could stop him, running straight for the guard.

The guard raised his shotgun as Jake skidded to a halt just a few feet away and started barking … well, kind of barking. He was simply saying 'bark', 'bow-wow', and 'ruff' with his usual voice, though in a clearly aggressive manner.

"What the hell are you?" The krogan said, backing away slightly.

Jake lunged forward, shocking the krogan in the leg.

"Ow! You little …" The krogan shot at Jake, but he was far too quick. He darted out of the blast range and lunged again, this time shocking the krogan's other leg.

"Ow! Dammit! I'm gonna blast you into scrap!" The krogan fired again and again with his shotgun as Jake circled him, jumping out of the way of each blast and delivering another shock.

As the krogan's shotgun clicked empty, Jake took off down the corridor.

"Oh, no you don't!" The krogan snarled, loading another heat sink into his weapon. He stomped forward in pursuit, passing the room where Kyra was hiding.

"Good boy." Kyra whispered as she watched them disappear into the maze of corridors.

"I can see that."

Kyra spun about to see a face she hadn't seen in a long time.

"Noir!" She hugged her brother tightly, bringing smiles to the faces of Auren and Violet. "Little brother! You're all right!"

"Three lousy minutes." He whispered, though she could see he was smiling.

"It's the three minutes that count, and don't you forget it." After giving her brother a bop on the noggin, she moved to her sister and hugged her as well.

"Been awhile, hasn't it?" Violet pulled away slightly, her arms still holding those of her sister. "Not that it's not good to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Saving my boyfriend." She said as though that explained everything.

"Finn?" Auren asked, sounding surprised. "He's here? Where?"

"In the prison cells, supposedly trying to save you." Kyra looked at her brother and sister strangely. "We thought you were caught."

"We were." Noir explained. "Krogans jumped us on the Meridia. We managed to sneak out by distracting one of the guards."

"Distracting?" Kyra's eyes went to Auren who gave her usual sleepy smile and shrugged.

"We had to leave Azure, Scarlet and Amber." Noir said, clearly not happy about it. "I was hoping we could find a way out and come back for them."

"Did you?" Kyra asked.

Noir shook his head. "They're watching all the Tomkahs like hawks, and we can't even find where they keep the shuttles. This place is huge!"

A smile fell across Kyra's face. "I might be able to help you on both counts. The Meridia's in one of the hangars here."

"They found the Meridia?" Auren asked, sleepiness vanishing in an instant.

"All part of the plan." Kyra assured her. "Noir, I'm gonna transfer the coordinates to your omni-tool; can you three-"

"Get the ship started up, got it." Violet hugged her sister. "Be careful, okay? When we get out of here, I want to hear everything, especially about you and Finn."

Blushing, Kyra shooed her away before hurrying down the cell block corridor.