I dropped through and crashed into a large light fixture or was it a sign? I managed to grab some kind of hold. Of course, that decides to break. I drop again. After some painful rolling, I snagged a side paneling that almost popped off. Finally, I was safe…until the broken light fixture smashed into the paneling and me. More painful rolling before I finally came to a stop.

I managed to roll onto my hands and knees groaning. "Why?" I was in pain and wet. "My ribs." I was starting to sound like Joker. At least my gun fell with me.

I grabbed my gun and staggered to my feet.

"Commander." Was that Brooks? "I found a secure terminal. Are you okay down there?"

"Yup." I rolled my shoulders. "Feeling good." I could grumble about my aches and pains later. Once someone wasn't trying to kill me…on the Citadel. "Brooks, you got hit."

"I know!" She sounded awfully excited. "I used medi gel. A lot of it. Um all of it, actually. And now everything is a little bouncy."

To the left was a dead end and to my right, platforms I could use to jump across and climb down further. Jumping it is.

"I think." I lept across. "You used too much." I hopped down ono a beam and slid down the ladder to another platform.

Brooks: "So, can I help with...anything?"

"Alert C-Sec." I lept across to another platform. "I'll look for a way out."

Improvising. It's what I do best. And shoot things.

There was a ladder leading down here too. Convenient. Oh and another ladder. I must have landed on some kind of construction site.

"Brooks, I see some skycars across the gap. Maybe a landing pad."

Brooks: "I'm checking the area. Transportation, no. Food, no. Laundry…aha! It's a skycar lot. Cison Motors.

As far down as I could go, I turned to find, aww, some kind of freezer with lots of fish. "Get a shuttle over there. I'll find a way across."

Brooks: "Okay, right."

I walked in feeling the nice ice cold air.

There was a salarian just chill'en, no pun intended, further in. "Hey." He said when he noticed me.

"Hey." I said back. Just act like I belong here.

Brooks: "So, um, it turns out C-Sec has the whole area locked down."

I found a door. With my crazy luck, it was going to be locked or a bad direction to go.

Brooks: "It's going to be a tiny bit tricky to get you a shuttle."

The salarian pointed to a ladder. "Less likely to run into anyone."

"Thanks."

Could I trust him? No idea, but seeing how he did nothing when I came in, I figured I was safe-ish.

So, I started to climb that cold ass ladder.

Brooks: "Oh, also, stay off your comm."

Did I just climb up into some kind of rafters? Or am I on top of a building?

Brooks: "Well, except for me. It's hacked. That's probably how they found you."

What was that long line for? Ah, that was the sushi place I just broke. I'm back where I started just on the outside.

"Who were those guys?" Apparently nobody noticed me jumping from roof top to roof top.

Brooks: "I don't know but they really don't seem to like you."

"Yeah, I'm sensing that."

And then I heard them.

"The advance team screwed it up!" The mercs were right below me.

"Shepard was unarmed. Man, those guys are idiots."

Or I'm just that badass.

Oh look, another ladder. I grabbed on and slid down.

"Shepard's here!"

Time to do my other specialty.

"Shepard?" That voice in my ear sounded oddly familiar…Mordin! "Do you copy? Everything alright?"

"I'm fine. Might need a little backup." Or a lot.

"Ran into Joker. Explained everything. Should be in your location soon."

"Excuse me, who is this?" Brooks snapped.

I sprinted down the hall. Heh, that sign said 'Fresh Meat' and I just killed a few guys in front of it. I'll have to laugh about it later.

"You're on an unsecured channel, and you're putting Commander Shepard in danger!"

I almost ran smack dab into a merc. I was able to shoot him before that happened.

Mordin: "Danger? More problematic."

"Hang on." I grabbed a grenade off a dead merc and threw it.

BOOM!

"Joker mentioned Staff Analysist Brooks, yes? That's her." I stood up, took a couple well aimed shots, and ducked back down. "Everyone play nice. I don't want any arguing while I'm getting shot at."

I ducked behind cover just as two mercs took shots at me.

"Commander." That sounded like EDI. "Jeff told me what happened. The crew is headed your way."

"Good to hear. Things are a little dicey." Good thing this little gun packs a giant punch.

EDI: "I will attempt to register surprise."

With the coast clear, I continued.

Ah, a door…a locked door.

"Brooks! Found a way across. It's locked down."

Brooks: "Right, because of the, uh, lockdown. Can you get through?"

"I'll try to override it." Man, I wish Tali or EDI was with me. Wait, Spectre status. Rules don't apply to me.

The door opened and I sprinted through.

"Shepard's down there!" A merc yelled. "Open fire!"

"Damnit." I hid behind a lighted sign. Might not be the best place to hide.

Brooks: "Commander!"

Mordin: "Shepard! Refrain from being destructive. Could hear that from here."

I shot two more. "It's all under control."

EDI: "I'm detecting multiple alarms across the Wards. What's the situation?"

A tossed a grenade and rolled back. "Thought I'd make things more interesting."

More guys dropped in. One poor bastard didn't even get to land before I killed him.

EDI: "I see. Did you sustain cranial damage in the fall, Commander?"

I reloaded. "No blood no damage."

Mordin: "Shepard, received NavPoint from Brooks. Will be waiting."

"Good."

Mordin: "Mercenaries. Do we have data?"

"They have guns and don't like me?" I ran into the Kon Junction building for cover.

Mordin: "Unhelpful."

"Disagree." Killed a couple more guys.

Brooks: "Commander, it would be really great if you could stay off the comm."

"Hey, they called me." I hurried to the next building.

More mercs were on the way. "Can't believe Shepard got past the walkway."

Brooks: "Commander! There's a C-Sec shuttle inbound if you can get to the skycar lot."

"Understood." A merc got too close and got an Omni-tool to the face for his troubles.

Brooks: "Okay! Brooks over! No, out. Brooks out! Over and out? Brooks. Oh, damn it!"