Black tie? That'd be a problem. I only had the one outfit and it was all torn up from falling through a fish tank and being shot at. Bullets tend to be murder on clothes.

Liara assured me she'd find something suitable for me. Mordin and Brooks needed formal wear too. "Don't worry. I'll find you something that goes with Mordin's." Liara had said in a loud whisper. At the time, Mordin had been too busy reasuring Brooks that the medi-gel was indeed working and the bullet wound was only noticeable if someone looked at her shoulder. Someone really should help Mordin work on his bedside manner.

Cortez dropped the three of us off at Khan's Casino. Was that seriously a red carpet? What was this? Old school Hollywood?

"Shepard." Mordin stood to the right of me.

Damn!

This was my first good look at Mordin and, he always looked good, to me at least, but in civilian dress clothes? Just, damn! I hoped I wouldn't start drooling. I needed to remember to thank Liara later. The dark blue really made his red skin pop.

Brooks, to my left, was in a light blue dress. I wasn't going to tell Brooks that dress made her upper arms and ass look fat, but the rest of her looked good in it.

I was in dark blue, a shade barley different from Mordin's with a light blue trim to match Brooks'.

"Social norm dictates that I complement your attire." Mordin looked me over. "It is fitting."

Brooks looked mortified. "You're supposed to say 'looking good, Commander'."

"I see. Looking good, Commander."

"I hate you both." I hooked my arms around theirs. Eye candy on both sides. "Now? Not so much."

One of the guests gave me a strange look.

"What?" I said with a smirk. "I like mine soft and squishy."

The guest hurried off.

"Not appropriate." Brooks' face was beat red.

"Your logic is faulty. Salarians are neither soft or squishy." Mordin informed me.

"Way to ruin my fun." I grumbled dropping both arms.

"I'll get to the ventilation shaft. Wish me luck." Brooks hurried up the stairs.

"Liara, you have any input?" I asked as Mordin and I climbed the stairs.

"I'm here, Shepard. EDI and I will keep in contact in case we're needed. Khan has a lot of surveillance set up. I'd mingle with the guests if you want to look normal."

"When do I never look normal?" Pause. "Okay, Mordin. Time to meet the riff-raff."

"Hi, Elspeth Murrain. I'm running for Zakera Ward City Council. Are you a citizen here?"

"I've…had bad experience with politicians." Like killing the original council or Uddina trying to kill me. Oh and the Delatchress trying to talk me into sabotaging the genophage cure. Yeah, bad experiences.

"Who hasn't? That's why I'm running. I got sick of leads with ties to Terra Firma or Cerberus or worse."

"Were we not Cerberus ourselves?" Mordin whispered.

"Shh."

"The ward needs refugee facilities. It needs security, it needs jobs, it needs everything and hopefully with a friend like Elijah Khan backing me, I can make it happen."

"Ironic."

"Mordin."

"Commander, I'm upstairs by the gate leading to the shaft. But there's a problem. Can you meet me?" Brooks' voice came in my ear.

Mordin and I calmly went up the curved stair case.

"Okay, right. Just like we thought. There's an alarm on the grate." Brooks gestured to the grate.

"We'll have to bypass it."

"Dr. T'Soni gave me this to pass to you." Brooks handed me something. "It's a resonance emitter lens. It should let you see security grids and wiring."

"Convenient." Mordin nodded his approval.

I put the lens in. Mordin furrowed his brow. "Eyes. Unnatural. Noticeable."

"I'm not the only person with creepy looking eyes." I said a little defensively. "Anyway, I'll follow the wiring to a junction box, splice it, and disable the alarm."

"Yeah, fingers crossed!" Brooks held up her crossed fingers.

Seeing the weird blue lines was just...it was like staring into a light. I just knew I'd still see the lines once the lens was gone. "The lens is working."

Liara: "Follow the blue wiring. In case it needs to be said, don't try to bypass a camera while you're being watched."

I did as she said, Mordin keeping his eyes peeled so nobody bothered us and I didn't accidently run into anyone. "I see a junction in the wall, but there's a camera watching it."

Liara: "Shepard, I'm sending a hack to your omni-tool. It will fool the camera, but it'll self-delete after a few seconds."

"Why, Liara, is that all the amazing Shadow Broker can do?"

Liara: "Be careful, Shepard, I know more about you than you do."

"I don't doubt it." I hacked the camera and inserted the splice. "The splice is in."

Brooks: "Good. I've got the grate open, and…in we go! Act casual. This could take a while."

"This isn't my first rodeo, Brooks." Mordin and I walked back down the stairs.

"Rodeo?" Mordin gave me a weird look.

"It's an old human saying." I waved my hand lazily. "Let's mingle."

"Dance?" Mordin gestured to the dance floor. There was the closest thing to a playful smirk a salarian could have on his face.

I glared half-heartedly. "Just for that, you have to be seen dancing with me."

Brooks: "Commander!"

"What? Another problem already?"

Brooks: "There's a guard right below me."

"Don't panic. We'll get his attention." I assured her.

"Guard." Mordin approached him and I leaned against the wall behind the guard. "Men's room. Someone partaking in drugs."

"I see. Were you able to identify the substance used?"

"Red sand."

The guard pulled up his omni-tool. "Dispatch, we've got a sand-tripper in the bathrooms."

"Have they tried to compromise the games biotically?"

"Unknown at this time. Moving to confront, send backup. We're taking care of it, sir. Appreciate the help." The guard hurried off.

"You're clear Brooks." I said.

"Thanks, Commander. I'll see if I can get to the panic room."

"And I'll get back to blending in." I wanted to offer my arm to Mordin, but I knew he wouldn't take it. "Mordin, what do you think'll happen when the guard finds out there's no drugy in the bathroom?"

He smiled. "I didn't lie. Gave desperate man 'red sand'." He air quoted.

I knew I loved him for a reason.

We approached the bar.

"What are you having?" The human bartender asked.

"Nothing too crazy. I want to be able to walk a straight line."

"Thessian Temple coming up."

"Are asari drinks usually mild?"

"Not all of them. Mr. Khan had us put out some gelatin shots earlier. Also asari, but they kick like a shotgun."

Mordin shrugged. "Better than krogan drinks, right Shepard?"

I knew Mordin was referring to the time I drank krogan liquor and woke up on the bathroom floor. You do it once and nobody ever lets you forget it.

"Um." Brooks sounded hesitant.

"Talk to me, Brooks."

"I've got a pressure pad and an obstruction detector ahead. I can't disable them from here."

"Okay. EDI, I need a tech solution. Brooks, stay put, we'll find some junctions and take down the sensors."

Liara: "Follow the red wiring."

Following this led me to the roulette wheels. "It's in plain view of two guards."

Brooks: "But…you can do something, right? Because my legs are maybe sort of starting to fall asleep a little."

"Hang in there. We've got this." I looked to Mordin. "As soon as that guard starts back tracking his route, strike up a conversation with the other one."

"Affirmative." Mordin walked up to the guard.

"No flesh eating viruses." I hissed. "And no sex advice."

I waited for Mordin.

"Pardon me." He spoke to the guard causing the guard to have his back to me. "How many spleens does a human possess?"

"Ah…1?"

"Why ask me? I asked you."

Well, that was one way to distract the guard.

"Okay." I nodded to myself slowly. "I think I've disabled it."

Brooks: "Testing the obstruction detector…and I think we're okay."

Now for the pressure pad.

"There's a camera and a guard." I understand the need for all the guards and cameras, but crap! Everybody has to make my life harder whether they realize it or not.

LIara: "I have another hack for you."

"I shall distract the guard again." Mordin made his way towards the guard.

Brooks: "I'll just be here…trying not to cough."

"Human sir, I'm curious about the art of human flirting. Perhaps you can explain or better yet demonstrate it for me?"

The second I heard Mordin, I went to work.

"Done." I informed Brooks. Mordin hurried back to my side.

Brooks: "I'm at the storage room grate. Time to hit the lock."

"Be careful, Brooks." I turned to Mordin. "Human flirting?"

He shrugged. "Humans find conversations concerning most anything sexual uncomfortable. Discomfort is best exploited."

There was some loud screeching sound.

Brooks: "Oh, son of a…Hey, Commander?"

"What? What happened?"

Brooks: "Infrared laser hooked up to a silent alarm. I didn't get it in time!"

EDI: "Shepard, I'll call the responding guard to say it was a false alarm, but you must stall him before he reaches Brooks."

"Where is he?" I looked around.

"There." Mordin pointed.

"Hey!" I shouted too loudly hurrying over.

"Just calm down. I'm trying to do three different things here." He opened his omni-tool. "Barrows."

"Sir, we checked out the alarm in storage. It's nothing. Minor accident." Someone needed to tell Joker his robo-girlfriend could sound like a dude.

"Find out who tripped it and get them in my office by the end of shift!" He closed his omni-tool. "Now, you. What did you need?"

"I'm sorry. Are you with security? I thought you were a friend of mine. You've got the same…suit."

It was a good thing the guard couldn't see Mordin's face. He was almost laughing.

"You…enjoy your evening."

"You're clear Brooks."

Brooks: "Thanks, Commander. I'll see if I can get to the panic room."

"Suit?" Mordin asked as soon as we were away from the guard.

"Shut up. He'll just think I was drunk or something."

"Are you?"

I ignored him slipping into a conversation.

"I love roulette." A young girl said. "Every minute is more exciting than the next."

"Statement, flawed. Very flawed." Mordin informed her.

"Oh, are you like one of those detail people? Come on. Even diamonds have flaws, that doesn't make them less valuable."

I think I could feel my IQ dropping. "Miss, where exactly were you educated?"

"Oh, online. You can take these courses, and it teaches you responsibility, because you do the grading."

I looked to the turian she was talking to. The poor guy clearly wanted to run.

"Come on, Mordin, let's go before your IQ drops too."

"Not possible without head trauma."

"Never mind."

Luckily, or maybe not, I can never tell anymore, Brooks spoke up.

Brooks: "Okay, so now I think you just need to get to me. I'm on the other side of the security gate."

"Right. Have you bypassed the camera back there?"

Brooks: "Well, I got myside. Yours is still on though. We need to finish this before someone comes by."

"Hang tight. I'll get to you."

Liara: "Yellow wiring."

Brooks: "I can't get the security gate to open from here. The junction must be on your side. It might be tricy. Just so you know."

Great, a big room, no cover, a few cameras and two guards.

"Have a little faith." Lord knows I didn't have any.

I waited for Mordin to speak to both guards. "Pardon me, human males, I require assistance."

"Yeah?" One asked.

"At what age does a male start having erectile dysfunction? I wish to compare it to other species."

Oh Mordin.

The poor guards were so uncomfortable they stuttered over their words. I suppose as long as Mordin kept asking awkward sex questions, I had all the time in the world.

At least he wasn't asking me.

With the guards distracted, I easily hack the cameras and disabled all the alarms.

Brooks peeked around a door, saw me, and waved.

The three of us hurried into the panic room just before either guard saw us.

Khan was sitting in his chair facing away from the door.

"Khan, you and me are going to have a talk." I used my most commanding voice.

Mordin walked forward carefully and spun the chair around.

"What the hell?" Brooks grabbed my arm.

Khan's head was slumped to his chest. There was no doubt, he was dead.

The doctor touched the dead body. "Still warm. Not dead long."

Brooks went to the terminal. "Commander! There's a deletion order on the terminal."

"Damn it." She moved so I could look.

"Everything's been wiped. I don't know if it was him, or the killer, or-When I tripped that alarm, did I screw this up?" Brooks tugged on my arm.

I 'shooed' her away. "Mordin, can you look through this?"

"Can try." He started scrolling.

"What are you looking for?" Brooks asked.

"Mistakes." I told her watching the screen.

"Shepard?" Mordin pointed.

"I see it. Whoever it was had to do this fast. They wiped the terminal, but not the comm."

"Oh. So we can take the comm back to the safe house to scan it, or…" Brooks started.

The screen behind us came to life. "Elijah. Come crawling back?" The image was blurry.

"Guess again." I crossed my arms leaning my lower back on the desk.

"You. I see you've recovered from flopping on the floor like a fish."

"Like a Great White. The deadliest fish there is." I scoffed. "You'll have to do better than that. The last guy that trash-talked me was a few kilometers taller than you." And I kicked his ass.

"Brave. I thought as much, but it won't matter. You have nothing. All you can do is wait for the hammer to fall."

"Why do this? What did I do to you? I'm pretty good at remembering who I pissed off."

"I'm going to take everything you have and everything you are."

The screen went black.

"Damn it!" Brooks smacked the desk. "Sorry, Commander. There wasn't enough time to trace the call."

"We're not finished." I growled. "Pull out the data drives."

"The ones that got wiped? You think we can find something?"

"With EDI, anything's possible. The sooner we get them to her, the sooner we can track down the threat."

Mordin was already doing what I asked before Brooks could ask any more questions.