Chapter 11: Striking the Match.

The Kodiak ride to the Afterlife Nightclub was uneventful if anything, and Shepard had come to terms about using the Cerberus Assault Trooper Armor during the trip. It helped a lot that it was now in the colors of the N7 marines. He pulled out the combat knife from the back pack and tested its weight in his hands. It was a well-balanced weapon, capable of emitting electric pulses that could disable shields on contact, and a microfilament layered steel blade able to slash into whatever armor lay underneath. Sheathing the blade, he looked around at his squad.

Zaeed puffed on his cigar as he checked his M-76 Revenant assault rifle, a bandage patched onto his scarred forehead. Next to him, Thane had his hands clasped together and was muttering something under his breath, probably a prayer. Both were only too eager to join in on the mission on the count of Jack; the former to avoid killing her, and the latter to avoid being killed by her.

Across them, Jacob sat like a coiled spring, ready to snap at any given notice. He was busying himself with one of his newly acquired weapons, a Graal Spike-Thrower, loading the razor sharp fletchettes carefully. Shepard didn't think the thought of getting this information would make Jacob so tense. Though on the other hand, he didn't notice Jacob stealing glimpses at Miranda every now and again.

Upon hearing the news, Miranda was quick to insist her inclusion into Shepard's little meet up with Aria. She was busying herself with a datapad, reviewing what information she had on the Cerberus base. She was one of the Illusive Man's top lieutenants, and wanted to verify the information Aria had herself. Or at least that is what she said. He trusted Miranda, he really did, but some ties run deep, and Shepard couldn't help but think of all the surveillance bugs she had installed into his quarters during those first few weeks of the suicide mission. At the very least she's earned the benefit of the doubt.

"Listen up, people." Shepard finally began, catching their attention. "Our mission is a package pick up, but we have to play it safe. There's been no radio chatter about the bounty on us yet, but I'm not about to put my faith entirely on Aria's sense of honor." He whipped out his omnitool, showing a holographic layout of the Afterlife. "Here's the plan…"

Dr. Chakwas stifled a yawn as she stretched demurely on her swivel chair. It had been a long couple of days, to say the least. Between the several workplace accidents from the repairs and the occasional couple of idiots who bring themselves to near death and expect her to patch them up afterwards, she really could use a little break. Hell, she needed a vacation, but she's not being picky.

Looking conspicuously to the left and the right, she took out a small silver flask from her coat and had a quick sip. It was all she could do to calm her nerves these days. Despite the strong front she puts up, she really does worry about the crew. Maybe it was her maternal instinct talking, maybe it was the drink, but she'd be more than glad when the day they could all put down their guns arrive.

Placing the flask back into her coat, she stood up to check on her only patient. Garrus slept soundly, having resigned to his faith after she threatened to sedate him proactively. Checking his vitals and satisfied to see them stable, she turned her attention to his blood transfusion and was happy to see it emptied right on schedule. Taking off the empty bag, she replaced it with dextro-compatible saline and let it drip slowly. She'll finish the rest of the treatment tomorrow. Right now, she was jealous of the sleeping turian, her problem child, she snickered to herself. For a turian, he really was an undisciplined sort, which made him a perfect fit for the crew, it seems.

After determining he was more than stable, Dr. Chakwas walked back to her station to turn off her terminal, before slinking over to the bed next to Garrus and get some much needed sleep. Just a nap, she told herself.

Five full minutes passed before Garrus opened one eye to peek if the coast was clear. Not that he needed to, mind you, what with turian hearing able to perceive the decrease in breathing and heart rate associated with sleeping quite easily. Swinging his legs off the bed, he gently got up, minding the bandages wrapped around his bare torso, and grabbed the post where his IV hung and stood up. Standing by her bedside, he grabbed the blanket at her feet with both hands and carefully drew it over the sleeping woman. She muttered something in her sleep and Garrus froze halfway through.

For a moment, her eyelids seemed to flicker, and Garrus could only watch in horror as he thought of what this woman would do to him if she saw him out of his bed standing over her. A few seconds passed and she rustled, causing Garrus' heart to skip a beat, only for her to roll over to her side and continue sleeping. He didn't realize he had been holding his breath up 'til that point. How could this woman terrify him so and endear him at the same time?

He smiled as he tucked her in and made for the door. He just needed to stretch his legs for a bit, he'll be back before she even knows it. Sure, she'd be fuming if she woke up, but he just couldn't stand the thought of lying idle in the sick bay. Oh well, at least she'd be fuming warm and well-rested.

Still topless and leaning on the IV post like a staff, he left the med bay, thankful for the absence of people in the cafeteria, and made for his quarters in the main battery. Too late for that drink, he thought, but the guns could always use some re-calibrating. He was on the verge of pushing it's power bleed down by 4% with his current calculations. War Emergency Power be damned, this was going to be a new breakthrough for ballistics.

His musings were interrupted as he sniffed the air. That scent; sharp and biting. He was still groggy, but it smelled acidic. A leaking fuel cell, maybe? It also smelled human. "Oh hell no…" He hurried his shambling and made it down the long hallway towards the main battery, his face the very definition of annoyed. Figures, he steps out for a bit and some grease monkey thought they could do his job better. Rank amateurs, probably thought a huge power output equaled to a better cannon. The doors parted open and he hurried inside, determined to find the cause of the smell before something hap- Why was Kasumi lying on the floor surrounded by empty bottles?

Afterlife.

They say the reason Aria gave the club that name was because it was a place where you could escape from harsh realities into your own personal heaven or hell. Alcohol, drugs, women, men; you could get it all if you flashed the right amount of credits. And if you flash it around too much, odds are you could be going to an altogether different afterlife when you leave and step into the wrong dark alley.

The beat of the music was heavy, and Shepard always felt like he was being swallowed by it as he made his way through the crowd of party goers. It was easy to get people to give you a wide berth when you start walking in like you owned the place with a machine gun strapped to your back.

He reached the stairwell leading up to Aria's self-made throne room when four armed guards barred his way, with the Aria's batarian lieutenant Garka at their head. Not that that slowed Shepard down at all. "Aria's expecting me."

"Yeah?" Came Garka's condescending tone. "Sorry to say, but you aren't welcome here, Shepard." The clicking sound of guns being cocked was almost inaudible under the thumping bass of the music. "Leave."

Shepard was not in the mood for any of this bullshit. "Just try to stop me." he replied, taking a couple steps forward.

"I can arrange that for you." Garka assured, brandishing his pistol.

"I sincerely doubt that." came a voice behind him and his guards.

Before Garka or his men could turn around, Thane had already floored two of them, breaking an arm each in the take down. Another flailed wildly with the butt of his rifle, only for the drell to side step him and drop him with a leg sweep. A quick boot to the face made sure he stayed down. The last guard, a human, drew out a knife and tried to stab him in the chest. Amateurish, Thane thought, as he easily wrapped his arms around the guard's, twisting it to make him drop the knife then snapping it like a twig for good measure. The guard screamed in agony, only to be cut off when Thane flipped him over his shoulder and slammed him to the floor.

Garka had drawn his pistol and was about to shoot the assassin in the back when Shepard introduced the back of his skull to the heavy metal casing of his carnifex heavy pistol. Even before his sorry, unconcious batarian ass could hit the floor; Shepard had already continued walking towards the stairs, noting that Thane had already disappeared back into the crowd.

His plan was simple. Going in alone was a risk, but he'd rather go in alone then risk the entire group in this gambit. With Thane shadowing him, he could focus on whatever threat came from the front while the drell watched his back. Meanwhile Jacob and the rest waited down below in Lower Afterlife, ready to bail them out should the need arise.

The encounter didn't go unnoticed, but fights were common place in the Afterlife, and it's loyal patrons didn't so much as panic at his approach as they did give him a wide berth. Well, a bigger one than before, anyway.

Okay, so Aria apparently didn't want him here. Enough so that armed guards were dispatched to get him to leave. Well too bad, because one way or another, him and Aria would be having a little chat. For summoning him in secret, she sure didn't seem to want to talk to him. He reached the right side stairwell, where a dozen guards blocked his path.

Grizz slithered up to the front, shouldering his shotgun and looking down at Shepard. "You got balls, Shepard. Looks like you forgot the one rule in Omega."

"Who's gonna remind me, Grizz?" Shepard said, looking the turian in the eye. "You?" He took a sudden step forward, causing the turian to flinch and take an unconscious step back, knocking into some of the men behind him.

"You cocky bastard…" Grizz said, fuming at the humiliation and raising his weapon at Shepard. "Think you're so fucking tough, huh? I'm gonna-"

"ENOUGH!" The very music in the club seemed to die down a bit, and the guards parted, revealing Aria T'loak standing on the first landing. The expression on her face was not impressed. Nobody dared say a word, and the nearby patrons started to back away in a manner short of outright fleeing. Nobody dared say a word, nobody but Shepard, anyway.

"Aria."

Grizz walked up to him, brandishing the shotgun. "Why you disrespectful little-!"

"Are you going to make me repeat myself, Grizz?" Aria held up a hand, and Grizz knew that was the perfect time to shut up if he wanted to keep the use of his legs.

"Uh… No, boss. Sorry, boss."

She looked at Shepard, her piercing gaze seemingly sizing him up. For his part, Shepard met the stare unwaveringly. A moment passed before she tossed her head up towards her private lounge, signaling him to follow after her as she walked back up. With that, the music seemed to return to its full ferocity, the patrons slowly returning to their own thing, and Shepard followed after her.

The drink went down like slithering fire as Zaeed downed his sixth shot of whisky. Savoring the burning sensation, he put the glass down and motioned for the salarian bar tender to hit him with another. He leaned against the bar, holding the drink in one hand, casually eyeing the pleasant sights of the asari dancers with interest. The sound of a clearing throat managed to break him from his reverie. Wonderful, it's the party-pooper. "Oh, what can I do for you, miss Lawson?"

Miranda stood there frowning, hands on her hips and tapping one of her high heels. "Seems like you're enjoying yourself, Massani." She began, arching an eyebrow as the grizzled merc drank his shot. "The hell is wrong with you? We're here for work, not pleasure."

"Heh." Zaeed snickered, putting the glass back down on the counter. "Sweet heart, in my line of business, the two doesn't have any distinction."

Miranda grabbed him by the collar of his armor and yanked him 'til they were face to face. "Call me that again and I'll hammer the distinction into what's left of your face."

Zaeed merely smirked. For such a beauty, she had a hell of a stick up her ass. Of course, he'd happily volunteer to get it out for her. But then again, somebody else might've beaten him to it. "Well now, Jack's rubbing off on you, isn't she?"

Miranda shoved him away from her and back onto the counter. "You crass bastard."

Zaeed grabbed another drink that the bar tender took the initiative to pour for him and slammed it down. He sighed, and whispered under his breath. "They're still watching us."

"I know." She whispered back, leaning on her hip. "Blue Suns, 7 of them. Friends of yours?"

"You don't get this old in this business making friends, Miranda."

"Right…" She knew it was a good idea to go in one at a time so that they weren't seen together as a group. "Keep their attention on us so Jacob can get a good bead on them."

"I don't know why they'd look away from the view, Sweet heart."

The slap was quick and resounded in the bar, and people close by started to eye them curiously and whisper amongst themselves. "Good job." Miranda grinned as Zaeed rubbed his cheek. "Keep it up, old man."

In a corner of the bar, a table of mercs were eye-balling the two as they chatted. They didn't notice Jacob leaning against a nearby wall, sizing them up in return.

Garrus snapped his talons in front of her face, kneeling beside Kasumi as she lied on the cold metal grates that served as the floor of the battery. His voice was laced with equal parts worry and amusement. "Hey… Hey Kasumi? Are you alright?" The drunken woman merely rolled over to her side grunting in annoyance.

"Watashi wa nemuru koto…" she muttered, pulling her hood down over her eyes. "Get out of my room."

"Kasumi…" He spoke gently but with firmness, fighting down the urge to laugh. "This is my room. Get up so we can get you to your bed."

"Jibun jishin o korosu…"

"Something must be wrong with my translator…" Garrus mumbled as he fidgeted with the device in his ear. He looked back down at Kasumi and sighed. "Spirits, Kasumi, you are such a light weight…"

He tried to pick her up, a difficult feat with an IV line in one arm, but she lazily swatted his hands away as he touched her. "Don't bother me…"

Garrus stood up and ran a hand through his fringe. "You want to sleep on the floor? Fine. Don't say I didn't try to help."

"Naze anata wa ikanakereba naranai nodesu ka?" she muttered.

Garrus face palmed, having no idea how to handle this situation, starting to get annoyed. "Kasumi, I have no idea what you're saying right now."

"Watashi o nokoshite inai…" she continued to mutter silently, her voice starting to quiver. "Keiji watashi o nokoshite inai."

Did she just say Keiji? He asked himself, peeking between two fingers as he was still face-palming. Wasn't that the name of her…? He noticed the slits of her still closed eyes start to glisten with moisture, and his expression softened. Kneeling back down beside her, he whispered gently. "Hey… Come on, it's okay..."

Sure enough, tears slowly started to run down her face. "Keiji." She whispered as she cried. "Watashi wa anata o aishite Keiji…" She sobbed, starting to shake as she did so. "I'm so sorry, Keiji…"

Scooping her up by her upper back, he slowly helped her get up to a sitting position. "Hey… Hey come on; let's get you back to your room." Suddenly, she flung her arms around his chest, burying her face into his shoulder. Garrus cringed at the sudden pressure exerted on his wounds, but he bit back the pain. He felt warm tears stream down his skin as the small woman sobbed quietly. He wasn't exactly sure of what to do in a situation like this, so instead, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back.

Shepard leaned back on his usual spot in Aria's lounge, watching the pirate queen sip on her drink casually. She noticed him doing so, eye's locked into his as she stared back over the rim of the glass.

"So. You're still here?" She finally spoke, handing the empty glass back to one of her attendants.

"Not for long, repairs are almost done."

"Good riddance." She replied, managing that half sneering smile she always gave him. "You're at the verge of overstaying your welcome."

"Still mad about that whole Krogan affair?"

"Mildly irritated." She grinned, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her lap. "I see you've made a full recovery."

"I've been told you helped us out, Thank you. Would it help if I said I was sorry?"

"It would help if things didn't explode around you as you passed by."

"You know what I'm here for, Aria."

"You mean asides from pissing me off?"

Shepard arched an eyebrow at her, but Aria just stared at him, as if expecting something from him. Something wasn't adding up here. Whipping out a datapad from his pack, he tossed it to Aria who caught it effortlessly and begun reading. "I got that a couple of hours ago through an encrypted channel." He began, "From you."

"I never sent this." Aria replied, still engrossed with reading the message. "But whoever did will wish they hadn't. Nobody impersonates Aria."

And there it was; looks like he wasn't finding Cerberus HQ anytime soon. "But why go through the trouble of sending it to me at all?" He asked, more to himself.

They were interrupted when Grizz came up the stairs, holding a box with both hands. "Boss, Miller dropped this off, said it was a gift."

"As you can see, I'm busy Grizz." she answered testily, "Set it aside."

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Who's Miller?"

Aria snorted. "Human. He's the new commander of the Blue Suns here in Omega, been sending me gifts for the past few weeks." She said amused. "Loser's been desperate to get into my pants."

Then it hit Shepard like a dead weight.

The message got him and Aria together at the same place.

At the same time.

It couldn't be a coincidence.

He darted his sights between the box and Aria. No time to get rid of it, he thought. Nowhere to get rid of it either. Too many people around; can't avoid casualties. It was best just to get away from it.

"BOMB!" he yelled out loud.

Practically jumping off the couch, he charged towards Aria, scooping her up before she could protest or attack him. He climbed up the couch she was sitting on and jumped through the glass window with her in his arms.

As they flew through the air, the lounge behind them was engulfed in a blazing fireball.