So, my allergic reaction went from "hideous, huge hives all over most of my body" to, once they were gone, "blotchy and sore hands, swollen and edemic and very sore feet". Great. And neither I nor any of my doctors still have any clue what the reaction was to – a food, a medicine, a virus…

SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

Realm ME-N7, Normandy II, Captain's Quarters

Shepard awoke with a start, the memories of the nightmare still fresh in his head – the dull-grey, ash-choked forest of dead trees under thick dark-grey clouds, shadowy black wispy specters whispering unintelligibly while slowly drifting around, the little boy looking up at him and bursting into flames, rendered into a scorched skeleton that then crumbled to smoldering ash right in front of him… He shook his head, setting down the datapad he'd fallen asleep holding, and a few seconds later the doorbell chimed.

"It's open" he called out.

"Shepard," Liara said as she walked in, "there's something you need to hear. …Is this a bad time?"

"I keep seeing this one little boy in my dreams…"

"A little boy?"

"Couldn't have been more than seven. I tried to help him back on Earth, but he said nobody could help him anymore. When we were taking off, I saw him climb aboard an evac shuttle… and I saw that shuttle get blown to bits by a Reaper right in front of me. And now, every time I sleep, I…"

"Shepard… I'm so sorry."

"…Didn't you have something I needed to hear?"

"The Salarian Councilor has an urgent matter."

"Let me guess: he called the comm. room?"

"The Council must be taking the Crucible seriously. I'll see you downstairs."

Shepard cleaned himself up a bit, making himself look a bit more presentable, and then headed down a deck to the QEC room. Councilor Valern's hologram was already waiting.

"Commander, there is something we need to discuss… if you are finished rewriting history."

"I made my decision, Councilor. There's not much anyone can do about it now."

"Yes, we're going to have billions more Krogans in the galaxy. It's a good thing you saved my life once, Shepard. Otherwise… well. I have concerns about humanity's representative, Councilor Udina. My agents have discovered that he's using his authority to move vast sums of money. For what purpose, we're not sure."

"If Udina's dirty, it's best we get to the bottom of it fast."

"Agreed. Come to the Citadel at your earliest convenience. We will review the evidence and discuss this in private. Valern out."

"Commander," Traynor said over the intercom just as Valern's connection ended, "Admiral Hackett wants us to investigate something on Noveria…"

-SCENE BREAK-

Horsehead Nebula, Pax System, Noveria

SCAN: "Noveria is a small, frozen terrestrial world, barely habitable by conventional definitions. It is privately chartered by the Noveria Development Corporation, who lease out labs to perform research too dangerous or controversial to be performed elsewhere. The Reaper War has brought significant attention to this otherwise obscure planet. Noveria is home to some of the most advanced research in the galaxy, a sure magnet for Cerberus interest. Further, Noveria's mass relay is the stop between the humans' Exodus Cluster and the beginning of Salarian space. It is a safe bet that the Salarians will defend their borders to the utmost."

As the Kodiak carried Shepard, EDI, and Kal'Reegar down through the snowy skies, Admiral Hackett's face appeared on the holographic viewscreen.

"Commander, Cerberus has a strategic advantage in this sector, thanks to the fighter squadron facility you're about to attack. We want to seize it, but their air defenses are too strong for our frontal assault. Losses would be too cost-prohibitive."

"How do you want me to handle this?"

"Go in the back, bring down their defenses so we can send in the troops. Good luck, Commander."

"I have visual contact" Cortez reported. "There's a small platform above the main landing pad. I can drop you there, but it's gotta be now."

"Let's do it."

The Kodiak zipped in, hovering a few feet above the platform, and the trio jumped out, weapons ready. Up ahead, a half-dozen Cerberus troops emerged onto a catwalk a level up, already starting to fire down on Team Shepard as they got into cover. Shepard leaned out and tossed a Singularity that snatched three of them up, leaving them vulnerable to machine-precision shots from EDI, while Kal took out two more with his modded Avenger, and Shepard used his N7 Eagle to kill the last.

Moving forward and left, they hurried down a ramp, Shepard using a Biotic Throw to launch two Cerberus Troopers in the way over a nearby railing. They reached the control room guarded by two Centurions and four standard Troopers, and Shepard & EDI overloaded the Centurions' shields as Kal tossed a couple of grenades in, the blasts and shrapnel killing one Centurion and two Troopers and disorienting the rest. Shepard and EDI ran in with SMGs drawn, gunning down the survivors and clearing the control room.

"Damn it" Shepard looked at one of the two control terminals against the wall. "This'll take a while."

"Commander, you've got hostiles inbound, and we can't wait. Someone's gotta get those defenses down ASAP."

"EDI, get on it."

"Yes, Commander" the AI replied, getting to work.

"Get ready, Commander. You're gonna get swarmed. I've been flushed from cover; retreating to minimum safe distance."

"No problem, Cortez. Get out of there."

Cortez's reply was cut off by interference, a local radio-jamming effect taking hold. Seconds later, Cerberus troops started filing in through both entrances. Shepard and Reegar each covered an entryway, the Quarian's shotgun taking out a Centurion while Shepard's SMG gunned down two Troopers. Shepard then sent a Combat Drone over to aid Kal, the little construct's shock stunning a Trooper and allowing Kal to dodge the hostile's now-wild fire and gun him down. On the other side, Shepard used a Biotic 'push' to blow away the smoke from a Centurion's smoke grenade and knock the shielded enemy off-balance, letting him overload the Centurion's shields and put an N7 Eagle round through his forehead. Kal'Reegar fired a Carnage shot that blew a Cerberus Trooper's chestplate open and shattered half the man's ribs, and then drew his pistol and shot another Trooper who'd been trying to sneak around and flank him.

"Defense system deactivation prioritized" the base VI announced. "Awaiting shutdown command."

"Commander, shutdown requires synchronized input" EDI said.

Shepard hurried to the console adjacent to EDI's, and on the count of three they triggered the shutdown command. Readings showed that the base's AA guns were offline, and would remain so for quite a while thanks to EDI adding a little something extra. The trio then hurried back outdoors, finding a sizable force of Cerberus soldiers – including an Engineer and at least one Nemesis – waiting. Seeing that the Engineer was preparing to set up a turret, EDI immediately hit him with an Overload followed by precision SMG fire to bring him down. At the same time, Shepard took out the Nemesis in the same way, while Kal'Reegar used his shotgun to clear out a few of the basic Troopers.

"Commander, Cortez here." The pilot's voice was fuzzed with static."I'm trying to break through the interference."

"I hear you, Cortez. Come in."

"There you are, Commander. Had to get through the interference. Area clear. Signaling the strike-force. …Wait; scan's picking up something coming your way."

With a mighty thud, a Cerberus Atlas dropped in on the landing pad. The large mech's cannon-fire forced Team Shepard into cover, and Shepard sent out a Combat Drone to provide distraction. The little drone started firing its shock-blaster and mini-rockets at the Atlas, chipping away at its shields and dodging attempts to stomp, shoot, or swat it. Shepard and EDI pitched in with Overloads, bringing the Atlas' shields the rest of the way down, and in response it scored a lucky shot that destroyed the Drone and then fired a rocket that forced Shepard & EDI back into cover, the proximity of the blast partially draining their shields. Kal'Reegar leaned out and fired a Carnage blast that left a small scorch-mark on the Atlas' upper chestplate and a small crack in the reinforced cockpit window; the Atlas' return fire forced the Quarian back into cover quickly.

Shepard rolled out of cover and performed a Biotic Charge that carried him to right behind the Atlas. He unloaded his SMG on the armored power-core on the back, the rounds quickly beginning to do some damage. In response, the Atlas spun and tried to hit him with a backhand strike, but he ducked and rolled under it. EDI came running up next, and the Atlas fired, only to see its shot pass right through; the pilot had fallen for a decoy. The real EDI had used the brief moment to get in behind the Atlas and unleash a max-strength Overload directly into its damaged power core. The Atlas seized up, small explosions chaining through it, and EDI & Shepard got some distance just before the mech violently exploded, blowing its pilot to bits along with it.

"Scans clear, Commander. The strike force is inbound and will assume control of the station. Coming to pick you up."

-Break-

Normandy II, Deck Two, QEC Room

"This was a major victory, Commander," Hackett said, "a crippling blow to Cerberus operations in this sector. Now all we have to do is maintain control of the facility."

"Cerberus won't make that easy" Shepard replied.

"And we won't make it easy on them. Thanks to you, we can use their own defenses against them. You did good, Commander. Hackett out."

"Commander," Traynor chimed in as the Admiral's hologram vanished, "Diana Allers wants an interview regarding the recent events on Tuchanka…"

-SCENE BREAK-

"Alliance Control, this is SSV Normandy, are we cleared to descend?"

As Shepard entered the cockpit, there was no response from control. Joker looked over his shoulder at Shepard and shook his head.

"Alliance Control, this is Normandy, we're headed to Bay 1-4, Zakera Ward. Are we cleared to descend?"

Nothing.

"What the hell's going on down there? Even if there were a station malfunction, they'd have backups online. I've got a bad feeling here. Checking emergency channels…"

"Where's the Citadel Defense Fleet?" Shepard said. "I'm not seeing their transponders on the scanners…"

"Hold up a sec, Shep, I've got someone. Hey! …Yeah, this is Joker. …Uh-huh… Shit, no kidding? Commander, it's Thane. I think you'll wanna hear this."

"Put him through."

"Shepard. The Citadel is under attack. Cerberus troops are everywhere, and they're in control of the docks."

"Are you safe?"

"No. They sent a team of Biotic commandos – Phantoms, the troopers called them – after me at the hospital; I killed two but had to retreat when reinforcements arrived. I'm in a Presidium storefront."

"Did Williams make it out?"

"We got separated. She said she had to protect the Council. I'm going to C-Sec headquarters."

"Why there?"

"It's been compromised, and C-Sec's response depends on it. As long as Cerberus is holding the headquarters, they have the station."

"All right. Joker, get us away from the docks and close to C-Sec HQ. We'll deploy in the shuttle."

-Break-

The Alliance Kodiak raced through the airspace of the Presidium, flying through air tainted by smoke and the occasional bullet, over the water reservoir polluted by debris and blood. It passed numerous firefights between Cerberus forces and odd C-Sec personnel, some of the latter outfitted with high-end weapons courtesy of the DDF but still outnumbered and in inferior positions. The shuttle hung a hard right into a narrow fly-way, soon arriving at the landing pads outside Citadel Security's entrance. A firefight was already raging, C-Sec and Cerberus troops exchanging fire. Unfortunately, the invaders were winning; dead C-Sec officers were all over, though they hadn't gone quietly. Near the entrance of the building, Commander Bailey and a few of his men were trying to get inside while holding off the attackers, but were overcome, Bailey holding a hand to his stomach area as he slumped against a wall while his men took shots to the hearts or heads.

The Kodiak touched down, and Team Shepard – the Commander, Garrus, and James – leapt out and slid into cover. Shepard used his N7 Valiant to pick off the Troopers near the door, preventing the wounded Bailey from being executed, while Garrus took out an Engineer trying to set up a turret and James threw a frag grenade that killed a trio of Troopers and de-shielded a Centurion. Shepard and James made their way forward from place to place while Garrus covered them, the Turian taking out three Troopers trying to drop in from a busted window above the door. A Centurion tried to get Shepard from the side, but the Commander ducked and spun under the attack and hit the Cerberus soldier with a Biotic Punch that sent him flying into a wall. Garrus moved up to join the other two as one last Trooper team was gunned down.

"Shepard…" Bailey spoke up, wincing. "Thought you were in trouble for a sec."

"What are you doing here?" Shepard asked him as James treated the C-Sec officer with medigel.

"Getting my ass shot off tryin' to retake headquarters. Cerberus took it in the first push. We gotta kick them out of there; everyone in C-Sec's flying blind without the network."

"How bad's the situation?" Garrus asked. "Do you know if the Councilors are alive?"

"They split up" Bailey replied as Shepard helped him up. "I'll know more if I can access a terminal inside. Lemme get the door… if nobody interrupts me with a bullet this time…"

Bailey keyed in the commands and opened the door, and everyone filed in with weapons ready. Bailey limped over to the front desk beneath a bullet-marred C-Sec logo, sitting down at the active console and getting to work.

"Here we go" he said. "C-Sec network access, courtesy of Cerberus."

"How's that gonna help?" Shepard asked.

"Cerberus has control of the main channels, but I can set up a new one. Without it, our people have no plan and no chance. …Hello…"

"What have you got?"

"A warning from Councilor Valern. He's supposed to be here, meeting with the executor. 'Be on guard; the likelihood of betrayal from within is high'… Not a lot else. But if he's inside…"

"Why would the Councilor be meeting with the executor?"

"Usually it means someone big's about to be prosecuted. I guess that 'someone' had Cerberus friends."

"The Councilor mentioned Udina," Garrus spoke up, "but that's insane. Does he even have this kind of pull?"

"Only he'd have the answer to that."

"One Councilor's better than zero" Shepard said. "Where am I headed?"

"He could be in the executor's office" Garrus suggested. "It's a fairly defensible position."

"Before you go, hold up a sec…" Bailey brought up his Omnitool, synching it with Shepard's. "There, now we can talk to each other. Go!"

"Right. …Thane, did you get all that?"

"Yes. I'm nearing the building but I've had to evade a few heavy patrols. I'll try to get to you."

"Shepard!" a new voice popped in from a different channel.

"…Aria?"

"I saw your transmitter was on the station. Cerberus bastards thought they could take Purgatory; I showed them who they were dealing with. I've hooked up with Gryll, Vosque, and Sayn; we're coordinating a response by their gangs and my people against Cerberus. They've launched a few more attacks on Purgatory, but we're holding strong for the moment. Our forces are operating in groups through the wards and docks; they've been giving Cerberus a few headaches."

"Establish a link with Commander Bailey; see if you can work with C-Sec to coordinate a larger defense or counterattack."

"Normally I'd ask if you're crazy for saying to work with galactic law enforcement, but in this situation I'll get right on it."

"Good. …Alenko? Kaidan, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Commander. I and a few other Spectres have secured Bay E-24; we're guarding civilians and treating wounded here. Only a few casualties so far, but if they keep pushing…"

"Well, maybe when they realize I'm here they'll take some of the heat off you and come after me instead. Have you heard anything about the Citadel Defense Fleet?"

"They headed out to the edge of the system about 20 minutes before the attack started; I think someone lured them out there or gave false orders. Also, I can't get a hold of Ashley."

"Ashley's with Sparatus, Tevos, and Udina; Garrus, James, and I are going to find Valern. Valern suspects Udina might have a hand in this."

"Udina? …Well, that's just great. Ash and the Councilors could be in big trouble. I'll let you know if we find anything out, Commander."

Team Shepard moved into the lobby, Garrus quickly taking out the two Cerberus Troopers directly ahead with his pistol. From the short stairs on the left, a pair of Guardians descended while an Engineer tried to set up a shield pylon. Shepard Biotically yanked the Guardians' shields away from them, making them stumble and letting James gun them down, while Garrus hit the incomplete pylon with an Overload that destroyed it and de-shielded & stunned the Engineer, leaving him open to a pistol headshot. Moving up into the next section of the lobby, they found a few bodies by some consoles.

"These two got it in the back of the head" James said, inspecting the corpses. "Must've been an inside job."

"Cerberus sure likes sleeper agents…" Shepard remarked.

They bypassed a locked door and headed into a hallway; everything was wet due to the overhead sprinklers going off, and two Centurions, a Guardian, and an Engineer were there and already beginning to react to their presence. Shepard overloaded the Engineer's shields and gunned him down with SMG fire, while at the same time James staggered the Guardian with a shotgun blast to keep him from getting a bead on Garrus, who was unloading his Phaeston assault rifle on one of the Centurions. James then rushed at the Guardian while he was still off-balance, rolling under a shot and coming up right behind the Cerberus soldier, blasting him in the back twice with his shotgun and putting him down. The other Centurion tried to rush in, but an Overload from Shepard and a precise pistol headshot from Garrus put him down.

In the next hallway, they found an enemy Engineer trying to set up a scrambler on the elevator. He had his back turned to them and his shields down, and a single pistol round to the back of the head from a few meters back took him out before he knew what had happened. Shepard quickly undid the Cerberus man's work, and he & the others took the elevator up.

"Any survivors in there?" Bailey radioed.

"None yet" Shepard replied.

"Damn it. Keep looking. Aria's minions are coordinating with my people elsewhere on the station; they've got some sections of the Wards cleared out."

Exiting the elevator, they came to another long room, sprinklers wetting everything, bloodstains and bullet holes marring the walls, and bodies here & there.

"Richfield! Lamont!" Garrus called out. "You alive?"

"Hey!" James snapped, whispering. "You're gonna blow our cover!"

"If all that gunfire didn't alert them, my shouting probably won't."

The door up ahead was malfunctioning, but a quick bypass allowed a detour through a side hall. When they came out, a pair of Cerberus Troopers were standing around down by the next door.

"You sure we had to do that?" one asked. "Without him, we'd never have gotten in."

"Direct orders" the other replied. "He stopped being useful."

A couple snipe-shots from Garrus and Shepard put an end to the conversation, and the trio hurried into the next area, an office section with the stairs to the executor's office at the far end. As the team moved up, the windows a couple levels up shattered and Cerberus troops dropped in, at least a dozen of them. Shepard sent a Combat Drone out to provide distraction and support, the construct zapping any Cerberus soldier in range, and Garrus sniped the lone Centurion in the group. James threw a frag grenade that took out three Troopers, while Shepard moved up and used his Eagle to take out four more. Shepard Biotically picked up one and then slammed him down with enough force to kill him and stun another nearby, and Garrus mopped up the last of them with pistol fire.

With the way clear, they hurried across and up the stairs, stacking up by the executor's office door. At Shepard's signal, James opened the door, and they filed in with guns drawn. A human man in a suit was slumped dead on the desk inside, with two light-armored Salarian corpses on the floor nearby.

"Bailey, looks like they got the executor and two Salarian bodyguards."

"Damn. All right, keep searching. If you don't see the Councilor's body, don't count him out yet."

As James looked around the office, Shepard and Garrus moved over to a window overlooking another office section a floor down. After a few seconds, they saw an office chair move slightly, and then a shimmer of light accompanied the disengaging of a Tactical Cloak, revealing Councilor Valern.

"Found him" Shepard reported to Bailey. "He looks unharmed."

"Get him somewhere safe!"

Suddenly, a new figure dropped in from above, right in front of the Councilor: a black-armored man wearing a domino mask, his black hair held in a topknot, wielding a short sword and wearing a high-tech glove. The newcomer advanced menacingly on Valern, and Shepard immediately shattered the window with his pistol and leapt down. The assassin leapt over Valern, placing the Councilor between himself and Shepard, while pointing his right palm – which now glowed with energy ready to discharge – right at the Salarian's chest.

"Don't even think about it" Shepard warned, N7 Eagle pointed at the assassin's head.

"Shepard, Udina's going to kill us all!" Valern whispered, speaking quickly, as Shepard and the assassin circled him in an attempt to get a bead on each other. "He's staging a coup. He's got the other Councilors now, to hand over to Cerberus!"

Garrus and James came down the stairs, pointing their rifles at the assassin from the side.

"Three-on-one, pal" Shepard said. "Now it's over."

"No" the man replied with a small smirk. "Now it's fun."

The assassin was about to fire, when suddenly there was the whirring click of an activating mass-effect weapon. He turned his head, and the barrel of an M5 Phalanx pistol was right next to his head, held in the hand of Thane Krios. In a flash he threw his head to the side, barely dodging the ensuing bullet, and lashed out with a right jab at Thane's throat which Thane parried. As Councilor Valern dove out of the way and over to Shepard, the assassin hit Thane with an elbow to the neck, but Thane twisted out of the way of the ensuing palm-blast, the shot missing so narrowly that it tore a hole through his black longcoat. Thane countered with a headbutt that made the other man grunt in surprised pain, but the assassin recovered and judo-flipped Thane to the ground. Thane quickly rolled back onto his feet, but the assassin had vanished.

After several seconds of everyone looking around with guns ready, Thane turned as he heard the electronic sound of a deactivating cloak, and fired his Phalanx several times as the assassin ran to the side, closely dodging the shots. The man drew his sword and rushed in, swinging it horizontally, but Thane ducked under the swing and slapped the weapon aside further with his weapon hand. He hit the assassin with a quick straight kick to the gut, followed by a roundhouse to the chest, and then finished with a Biotically-charged backhand strike to the man's face that sent him flying a couple meters.

As the assassin got back to his feet and readied his blade, Thane reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a small, odd-shaped device. With a squeeze of the palm, the single-'prong' Sangheili plasma blade came to life, and the two elite assassins charged at each other, the enemy wreathing his metal sword in Biotic energy. They met in the middle, blades swishing through the air and clashing against each other, bodies constantly in motion. A thrust of the assassin's blade was parried by Thane, who swung his plasma sword at the other man's neck only for the Cerberus warrior to duck & dodge, lashing out with a kick aimed at Thane's groin which the Drell hopped back to avoid.

Thane made a feint that threw the assassin off for just a bit, long enough to then hit him with a Biotic kick that sent him back a few meters. The Drell then lashed out with a Biotic Push that hit the assassin, making him stagger back a few feet. Thane kept at it, thrusting both hands forward in alternation, each Biotic hit pushing the enemy back a bit more until he was near the window overlooking the Presidium. Finally, Thane hit him with a double Throw that slammed the assassin through the window. He and Shepard immediately hurried forward, leaping down to the area below, just as the man jumped off the ledge and landed on a waiting skycar, riding it out and avoiding the two men's pistol fire.

"Go, Shepard!" Thane said. "Get to the other Councilors! I will stay and guard Councilor Valern!"

"Right. Bailey, Valern is safe but there's a Cerberus assassin after Tevos and Sparatus! Get the word out; Udina's in league with Cerberus! I've got to get to the other Councilors."

"They're being taken to a shuttle pad on the Presidium" Bailey replied as Garrus and James came down. "Take a patrol car and start driving; I'll try to raise them on the comm."

-Break-

The C-Sec cruiser, piloted by Garrus, flew through the Presidium airspace, hurrying toward the storefront area.

"Shepard, I've got a fix on the Council's position; I'm sending it to your car. Any intel on our assassin?"

"Never seen him before, but he's definitely Cerberus. Black armor, hair in a topknot, domino mask, he's a Biotic and he's got a short sword he can charge with Biotic energy, as well as a tactical-cloaking device and a palm-mounted blaster weapon of some sort."

"Did he get to Valern? What happened?"

"Krios happened; whooped the assassin's butt and sent him scurrying. Now he's going for the other Councilors while Thane guards Valern. Are you all right?"

"A few of Aria's people are here; they're keeping the place secure, got me patched up, and their techs are helpin' me keep the network up and running. We've already got about half of Cerberus' viral stuff purged."

"Roger that. Keep me posted. I'll let you know if anyth*THUD* Jeez!"

The Cerberus assassin had dropped in from out of nowhere, landing right on top of the speeding sky-car. Before Shepard or Garrus could react, the man ran/slid farther back to the rear section of the vehicle, behind the cockpit, and rammed his sword down into the machinery. Warning lights and sirens filled the inside of the car as it began to list to the side and lose altitude, trailing smoke. Garrus tried to shake the bastard off, but a crimson sky-car pulled up alongside, opening to reveal a Cerberus pilot. The assassin leapt in, the other car zooming away as Team Shepard's patrol car continued to drop.

"I've barely got any control!" Garrus shouted. "Everyone buckle up; this is gonna be a bumpy landing!"

Garrus brought the wounded vehicle down to the left, nose up, and its rear bounced off a guardrail, shedding momentum and jarring the vehicle and its occupants. The car landed on its bottom, skidding a few meters before coming to a stop against a tree. After a few seconds, the trio climbed out, shaken but unhurt, finding themselves in a storefront area of the Presidium.

"Shepard? My instruments say your car's stopped."

"This guy's nuts, Bailey! He jumped on top of our car and jammed his sword into the engine! We're all right, but we're on foot. Any luck contacting the Council?"

"Negative; their guards are dead. But we've still got vital signs on their transponders."

"Where are they going?"

"The shuttle pad above Shalmar Plaza. Udina's with them. If he can get them in range of that assassin, this is all over."

"On our way."

As the team began to move forward, a Cerberus shuttle pulled in up ahead and dropped off a trio of new enemies. They were slender, obviously female, covered in black and white armor with gold highlights, their faces hidden by whole-head helmets. Palm-mounted blasters and short swords formed their armaments. Upon seeing Team Shepard, two of them vanished in Tactical Cloaks while the third stood her ground, taking a stance and staring them down. She fired a few palm-blasts at them, forcing them into cover, and when James fired his assault rifle the new hostile flipped around and dodged most of the bullets, the few that hit being deflected by a Biotic energy shield.

"I'm guessing these are the 'Phantoms' Thane mentioned…" Shepard said.

Suddenly, Shepard heard a faint electronic crackling and caught a flicker of light out of the corner of his eye. Eyes widening, he threw himself to the side, barely dodging a swing from a de-cloaking Phantom's sword. He fired his pistol, scoring a few hits, but the Phantom flipped away before her barriers could fail, vanishing again. A few seconds later, Phantom 1 closed in from the front, firing a palm-blast that barely missed Shepard's head and then leaping at him with sword drawn. As Shepard rolled back and got into a quick close fight, James tried to help, only to narrowly dodge a shot from Phantom 2 as she decloaked and engaged him.

The second Garrus tried to get involved, the third Phantom appeared with a Biotically-charged roundhouse kick that launched him through a nearby window into a store. He groaned as he got to his feet, a bit sore but not actually hurt thanks to his shields and armor. He immediately then brought up an Omniblade to block a downward swing of Phantom 3's sword, the Cerberus cyborg hissing as she tried to overpower him. He pushed her back, but she cloaked again, and he readied his pistol, head on a swivel as he looked all around, waiting for her to attack again. He finally noticed a few Turian and Asari civilians huddled in a corner of the shop, but before he could get a good look at them he heard the de-cloaking to his left and fired in that direction; the few shots he managed to squeeze off impacted Phantom 3's barriers, but failed to penetrate, and he barely managed to duck under a swing aimed at his neck. He fired a few more rounds, but his thermal clip hit its capacity, and Phantom 3 used the brief window of time while he was reloading to cloak again.

Garrus was breathing a little hard, focusing his senses as best he could to try and predict where the Phantom's next attack would come from. Outside, he heard the boom of a shotgun, followed immediately after by a synthetic-tinged female cry of pain and a triumphant shout from James; one down, two to go. Slowly moving around in a circle, trying to put himself between the cloaked Phantom and the civilians, Garrus could almost hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Suddenly, he heard the de-cloaking sound right behind him, and as he began to turn around he knew he wouldn't make it in time…

There was a thud, as something slammed into the Phantom from the side and behind – one of the Turian civilians. The man wrestled briefly with the Cerberus assassin, but then her Biotically-boosted strength won out, and there was a flash of purple as she sunk her blade deep into his chest. She pulled it out, letting his blood begin spurting out, and went to stab him again, this time in the face. But Garrus was quicker, tackling the Phantom off of the civvie and onto her front with him on top. Before the Phantom could shake him off, Garrus gripped her head and neck with both hands and twisted as hard as he could. There was a popping crack, and the cyborg went limp. Garrus put two pistol rounds in the back of her head, just to be sure.

"Garrus…"

Hearing the wounded Turian's weak voice, Garrus turned to see the man, slumped against a wall and holding a hand to the hole in his chest that was practically gushing blood. Upon getting a good look, Garrus' jaw dropped.

"…Sidonis?"

"I told you… I'd find a way to… make it up to you…"

"Why would… Hold on! I've got medigel!"

"Don't bother… Got my aorta… and my heart… Already dead… Maybe, after I've… served my time in Hell… I'll see you… again… and tell the others… I'm sorry…"

Lantar Sidonis' head then hung down, his eyes drifting closed as his breath left him. Garrus closed his eyes and shook his head, before reaching out and patting his former friend on the shoulder.

"Maybe…" he replied.

There was a crash and a cry of pain behind him, as Phantom 1 was Biotically thrown into the shop, a half-dozen bullet holes in her chest. She struggled a bit, then expired, and Shepard stepped in, James close behind.

"Garrus?" he asked. "…Is that Sidonis?"

"Yeah… Yeah, it was. …Come on, Shepard; we need to get to the Council before it's too late."

"Right"

The trio moved out, hurrying down the market area. Up ahead, a sky-car careened out of control and slammed into the side of a second-story shop at an acute angle, a blast of smoke and fire shooting out from the impact point. As they moved forward, hopping across a short gap into a small parking lot, two more Phantoms appeared, along with at least one Nemesis and a pair of Troopers. Fire from a Nemesis' M98 Widow forced the trio into cover behind two parked cars, and the Phantoms took the chance to start closing in on them. Suddenly, a Singularity formed amongst the surprised Phantoms, snatching them up, followed by a Warp that detonated it and ripped them both apart. The Nemesis fell next, a sniper round catching her in the side of the head, and lastly a Biotic Throw launched the two Troopers over the railing.

"Hey, Shep" a woman's husky and rough voice said. "Fancy meeting you here."

Team Shepard came out of cover to see their rescuer, a familiar old Asari accompanied by three Asari Commandos.

"Matriarch Aethyta?"

"Yep, that's me. The assholes thought they could wreck my bar. After I made them into smears on the walls, I hooked up with these girls. We've been doing what we can to mess with 'em around here. …I'm no Commando, but I've had 1,000 years to learn how to fight. Cerberus has been learning that the hard way."

"We're trying to reach a shuttle pad over Shalmar Plaza. Councilor Udina's a traitor; he's luring Sparatus and Tevos into a trap."

"Udina? Had a bad feelin' about him the second he got the position. Alright, we probably can't go all the way with you, but we'll at least get you to the elevator you need. Come on, girls; let's go give Cerberus some more headaches."

Up ahead, the doors to Shalmar Plaza were sealed, but one of the Commandos was able to hack open a maintenance passageway for the group to pass through.

"I'm at Shalmar Plaza" Shepard reported. "Where's the Council?"

"In an elevator" Bailey replied. "They're trying to get to the shuttle dock. Someone's following them, matches your description of the Cerberus assassin."

As the team tried to move forward, a Cerberus Engineer popped out of cover up ahead… and then a Cerberus Atlas dropped in as well, immediately starting to fire its cannon at them as they dived for cover. Shepard and the tech-savvy Commando started hitting the giant mech with Overloads, trying to take down its shields, while Garrus and the sniper Commando quickly focused on the Engineer, taking him out before he could make things harder. James threw a grenade that finished off the Atlas' shields, and then Aethyta and one of the Commandos started throwing Warps, setting off Biotic combo-explosions that tore into the Atlas' heavy armor, weakening it substantially. Shepard's Incinerate and James' Carnage pitched in as well, and very soon the mech was sparking and smoking. A trio of grenades finished the job, the mech exploding with considerable violence.

The elevator was just up ahead; a trio of Cerberus Troopers tried to block the group's path, but Shepard and two of the Commandos used Biotic Slam attacks to deal with them quickly. They rushed into the elevator room, just in time to see the masked assassin and three Phantoms boarding an elevator; the man smirked at Shepard as the elevator doors closed and the lift started up. One of the Asari Commandos called the Commander over as she Biotically pried the other elevator's doors open, revealing the dark shaft. The other elevator was a floor down, and Team Shepard was able to leap the gap and get on top of it.

"We'll hold the fort here, Shepard" Aethyta said. "Go be a big damn hero again."

"Hang on, Shepard; it's gonna be a fast climb…"

The trio briefly stumbled as the elevator lurched and began to ascend.

"Tell me that assassin hasn't reached the Council…"

"He's trying, but I'm making his elevator stop at every floor."

After a few seconds, the assassin's elevator was visible up overhead, Shepard's elevator bringing them closer. Seeing the power conduits on the bottom, Shepard hit them with Overloads, and the enemy's elevator came to a dead stop. Several seconds later, a third elevator came up on the other side, a pair of Phantoms riding atop it; Garrus shot the power conduits atop it, and the lift screeched to a halt, one of the Phantoms falling off.

"Shepard! Bad news!"

"Is there any other kind?"

"That hitman jumped to another elevator, and he's overridden my controls. He's on his way up. I can't stop him."

Finally, they pulled up alongside the Council's elevator and Team Shepard jumped over onto its roof. Gunfire shot up from inside, forcing Shepard to roll away, and the elevator came to a halt. After a few seconds, Shepard managed to pry the access hatch open and drop in, just in time to catch sight of Ashley and the Councilors passing through the door up ahead. Hurrying, the trio followed them out into the shuttle area, seeing Ashley, Udina, Sparatus, and Tevos looking at a thoroughly wrecked Alliance Kodiak burning atop the landing pad.

"Shepard?" Ashley asked, seeing as Shepard, Garrus, and James immediately all pointed their weapons at Udina.

"Shepard's blocking our escape!" Udina said. "He's with Cerberus!"

"Everybody hang on!" Ashley shouted, getting between Shepard and Udina with her gun drawn on the former. "Shepard, what the hell's happening here?"

"You know me, Ash" he said, lowering his gun. "You know I wouldn't do something like this without a good reason." He signaled James and Garrus to lower their weapons. "We don't have time to negotiate. You've been fooled, all of you. Udina's behind the attack; Councilor Valern confirmed it."

"Please," Udina scoffed, "you have no proof. You never do."

"There are Cerberus soldiers in the elevator shaft behind us. If you open that door, they'll kill you all!"

"…We have mistrusted Shepard before," Tevos spoke up, "and it did not help us."

"We don't have time to debate this!" Udina snapped as he walked over to the console linked to the door. "We're dead if we stay here. I'm overriding the lock."

Shepard stepped forward, pistol pointed at Udina, and Ashley got in his way, trembling.

"I'm gonna regret this…" she whispered… and then lowered her gun and turned toward Udina.

"No, you're not" Shepard replied softly.

"Udina," Ashley said, pointing her Predator at him, "step away from the console."

"To hell with this!"

Udina started quickly typing in commands, and the red holographic circle on the door began to spin, shifting to yellow. Tevos marched up to Udina, grabbing him by the wrist, but he twisted away and shoved her to the ground, drawing his own gun – a Phalanx – and pointing it down at her. There was a gunshot, and Udina fell back, a splash of red on his chest.

"Son of a bitch…" Ashley whispered, shaking, as her gun was kept trained on the man who'd made her a Spectre, the man whom she'd just shot.

As Tevos got to her feet, Shepard walked up beside Ashley, putting a hand on her shoulder, and then he looked down at Udina. "Why?" he asked.

Udina coughed, blood spattering out. "For Earth" he rasped. "Tevos and Valern… made it clear they wanted t… to sacrifice humanity's homeworld… and our population… just to protect their worlds… They would rather see us all die… than risk their precious positions… Cerberus pr… promised to help… let me make the Citadel Fleet… save our world, our people, from annihilation. I just wanted… to protect… Earth…"

The man's struggles ceased, and his eyes closed as his last breath left him. Sparatus scowled… and then spun around and punched Tevos in the face, knocking his fellow Councilor to the floor with a bloody nose. As she groaned in pain, he snarled as he stood over her.

"This is on your head, Asari" he growled out. "If you hadn't so coldly made clear your intentions to let humanity and their world – their homeworld – burn to protect your people's colonies, this wouldn't have happened! Udina was a fool and a traitor to turn to Cerberus in desperation… but you were partially responsible for making him that desperate in the first place. The blood of today's losses stains your hands, Tevos…"

Suddenly, there were sparks coming from the elevator door, as someone on the other side used a cutting torch to break their way through. Everyone drew their guns, but instead of Cerberus they saw half a dozen people in C-Sec uniforms, led by their Commander.

"Bailey?" Shepard asked.

"We made it as fast as we could, Shepard" he replied. "Looks like you took care of things."

"Where did Cerberus' soldiers go?" Tevos asked, still holding a hand to her face as she struggled to her feet again.

"They were right here, but they bolted into the Keeper tunnels when they heard us coming. …Sorry, Councilors, I'll say it plain: Shepard just saved your asses again."

"Commander," Sparatus said, "you have made a habit of saving my life. I owe you a great debt. …Do you have any idea what the Illusive Man's stake in this might have been?"

"No, I don't" Shepard replied. "But I plan to find out."

"All right, people," Bailey spoke up, "principals are evacuated; we've got a tunnel and a million more places to secure. Move it!"

"How's Valern?"

"He's all right; a couple more Cerberus goons came after him, but Krios took 'em out no problem. They're both safe with my people now."

"Commanders," EDI radioed, "energy signatures indicate a UNSC fleet will arrive in-system in 10 minutes. They will likely be able to lend some equipment and personnel in securing the station. Cerberus vessels are falling back from the Citadel en masse, breaking for the Relay."

"Looks like this particular debacle is just about wrapped up…" Bailey remarked. "Let's get back to the station."

-Break-

Aboard a small, cloaked ship, the Cerberus assassin scowled as he opened a secure channel to his boss.

"Yes?" the Illusive Man asked.

"Things didn't go as planned" the assassin said. "The Council's still in control of the Citadel, and Udina's dead."

"Udina was expendable."

"Now what?"

"There are other plans in motion. I'll fill you in once you return. I'm surprised you let Shepard get the better of you, Leng."

"It won't happen again" Kai Leng growled.

"We'll see…"

-CHAPTER END-

Next Time: a short chapter covering the coup aftermath and setting up for the next plotline world