MASS EFFECT: ENTANGLED

CHAPTER 28

This takes place between Chapters 25 and 26 of "Solace."

Citadel, Alliance Docks Pedway:

Alivia remained gripped upon the pedway's translucent glass side to peer down at the Normandy SR-2 as it reapproached its designated berth. It was escorted by multiple C-Sec shuttles. Their flashing emergency lights lit up the area. The entire vicinity was on lockdown and even Alliance personnel like herself were prevented from entering. All she could do was wait until Shepard and her team left the ship and came up through the gate's elevator. The C-Sec officers that were questioning her on what happened outside Shepard's apartment ended their investigation early as a call came over their ear comms. She couldn't hear what was said, but the officers scurried away. She secretively followed them until her path was blocked. Why was the SR-2 returning and what was with the escort? Her silver eyes anxiously looked on as her hands wrung. "Come on, Shepard, be okay…" Alivia felt alone standing there despite an Alliance security guard at the elevator's entrance standing with a deadpan stare.

A few moments later, the ship was docked with its magnetic locks in place and several figures were exiting the craft in good spirits. A group of Citadel Security officers including Commander Bailey were waiting for them. A familiar blonde hair woman grabbed her attention and Alivia couldn't contain the delight that emitted from within. "Yes!" Realizing just how loud her celebration was in the vacant terminal, Alivia spied the guard nervously before allowing herself to take a breath. Her heart thumped in her chest as Shepard and her team departed from Bailey after a quick chat and were now making their way to the elevator. She was coming there! Standing straighter and clearing her throat, Alivia eagerly looked at the elevator doors.

After stepping out from the elevator, Krysta was thrown off to see Alivia with a pleased beam on her face. For once in Lykaia's life, she saw the commander smile. The hard exterior wore down despite bearing the title "Butcher of Torfan." The commander extended her hand in gratitude. "Alivia, Bailey told me you handle some of the mercs outside my apartment."

"Just a few," Alivia mischievously grinned.

"I mean that's Anderson's place. If they trashed it, whoa! Look out!" Joker chortled as he came around to join in on the reunion. He gave an approving nod to the lieutenant. "Nice job."

"Now it's fiesta time!" James exclaimed happily. "You coming to the party right, amiga?" A few of the squadmates cheered at the announcement.

Krysta rapidly spun around with her hands held up to stop them. "Whoa, hold it! I never said I was going to throw a party."

"Come on," Her pilot egged her on. "We have all earned it. Stop being such a hardass."

Shepard diverted her almond eyes over to Wrex in the back. Surely, the burly krogan would see her side of things. "Wrex, no backup here?"

The ex-merc turned clan chief chuckled spitefully. "Sorry, Shepard. I feel like breaking things. Party it is." The blonde commander groaned by the betrayal and face palmed.

"Fine, but not yet. I need to unwind a little," Shepard gave in.

"Shepard, you do know what the term 'party' means, right? I'm pretty sure that the turian definition is about the same," Vakarian piped in, not missing the chance for a banter opportunity.

"In a few hours after my shower," Shepard shooed them away, ignoring their grumbles. Her body ached and she felt so soiled from the sweat inside her body armor. The fight with her clone was intense. He and Brooks were well organized and now both were dead. Her glance moved back over to her fellow soldier. "Want to chat along the way, Alivia?"

Anderson's apartment was more enormous and glamorous than Alivia imagined. Being a former councilor had its perks. The place had two floors and was six times the size of the apartment she had while on Omega. "Wow, this is yours?" She giggled in delight at her friend.

"For now, while I'm on the Citadel," Shepard walked inside. "I don't plan on staying here much longer." Her grave words were ominous as if there was a double meaning behind them. The atmosphere turned sour.

"I heard you were attacked at the fancy sushi place. What happened?"

"I don't think my team is ever going to let me live that down," Krysta headed to the kitchen to grab a beer. She picked up two and offered one to Lykaia's way. "That's the last time I let Joker pick a place to eat." After a quick salute with the bottles, Krysta took a swig and sat down on the couch as she unfastened her chest piece. "Had no idea that Cerberus was trying to clone me..." She maneuvered her shoulders from side to side as she took off the chest plate, revealing her under-armor top and dog tags.

"Wait…" Alivia watched on, captivated by her story. "There were two of you?" How…?"

Krysta grunted again in response as she unfastened the body chace of her armor. "Long story. Cerberus created another Shepard, but an egotistical xenophobic male. A former operative went AWOL and took the clone for herself. I have no idea what the Illusive Man hoped to gain with that abomination."

Alivia stared stunned. "What happened to him?"

Alivia relaxed with a loud sigh of relief in her full under armor and took another swig of her drink. "I kicked his ass right off the Normandy down into the wards. And for Maya..." A pause. "She thought she could run from this. Didn't get too far."

"So, the Illusive Man wasn't in on this?"

"No, they worked alone with some hired CAT 6 officers. All itching to get the best of the first human Spectre…. ha!"

Alivia shook her head and took a sip of her beer. "Never a dull moment around you, is it?"

Krysta looked her way, "So how did you deal with those mercs?"

"A nice biotic shockwave," Alivia laughed.

"Nice," Shepard cheered with her half-empty bottle. "Gotta love the biotics. Underestimated every time." Her light composure softened a bit. "I know I didn't get to see you earlier…I'm sorry about Thane. War is never easy. No one is ever safe."

Alivia inhaled slowly and closed her eyes momentarily before answering. "It's okay. I know he died honorably to protect the council...he always wanted to put more light in the world."

"That he did, "Shepard nodded her head. "The world has grown dark and cold. If he didn't stop Kai Leng, then Cerberus would have won. Stay wrong, Lieutenant. I know he would have wanted it that way."

Wiping the tear that strolled down her cheek, Alivia nodded her head as she struggled to hold in the pain that still churned inside her like a vortex. "I was on extended leave…but I told Hackett that I'm ready to be deployed. I head out in two days. My squad needs me."

This made Shepard smile proudly. "You have come a long way since Akuze. You're one hell of a soldier. I'm honored by your actions and I know he would be too."

"Thanks…" Alivia chewed her lip as she thought back to how she heard about the attack on Shepard's life. She wasn't the only one eager to find her. Shepard caught on to her silent thoughts.

"Alivia, what's on your mind? Is there something else?"

"You know I wasn't the only one looking for you…" She flinched at only the hint. The whole dynamic between the commander and the batarian was rocky. She remembered how Shepard reacted on Omega and even Bray seemed pissed when the subject came up. The hostility died down since then, but something still lingered.

"Bray…" Krysta narrowed her eyes, and her composure grew tense as she sat straighter on the couch. She stood up and pretended to stretch her arms. "I better grab that shower before the others show up. With them, this could be an all-nighter." She shut down by the subject matter. Her mind remained baffled after what emerged in Chasm. Did she really have sex with him? It seemed so unreal and out of pattern that she began to wonder if it was just a dream or another nightmare that plagued her sleep. The whole memory was so vivid. She could still remember the sounds he made during their session, the heat of his breath against her skin, and how her body quivered from the intense ecstasy. She had to admit, no one made her feel that way, not even her former partner, Kaidan. Then there was him. A thorn between her and Bray. Their once intimate moment ended on bad terms when Alenko's name was dropped. She quickly retreated into her shell and became guarded as if the events of Virmire had just happened hours before.

Alivia stood up quickly and blurted out, "He seems to care about you."

Shepard rolled her eyes at the case. "Yeah, because Aria needs me to retake Omega."

"I have worked alongside him, Krysta. You know how to get under his skin."

"It's mutual...," She hissed. "He's a batarian and Aria is just toying with me. I let myself become careless."

"That's not what I meant..." Alivia pressed on. "It's different now. You should have seen how scared he looked when heard you were attacked. I was there in Purgatory when word got around. This was him, Shepard. Not Aria."

"Maybe…" Krysta's eyes steered away, deviating from direct contact with her fellow soldier's. What Alivia conveyed to her was astonishing and baffled her deeply. She had to admit that a part of her desired to see him again despite where they left things. What occurred between the two awakened her soul and she desperately wanted to tell someone. The strange emotions made her feel giddy and youthful. They were explosively close to her chest wall. Finally meeting the lieutenant's gaze, she surrendered all instincts telling her to push aside what she felt. "Alivia, I never like to be personal with anyone, not even my squad. It is unprofessional for a commanding officer to do. The focus should always be driven on the objectives."

Alivia snapped a salute in acknowledgment. "Aye, mam. I apologize, I just- "Krysta's words felt so icy and guarded. She pushed too far.

"Lieutenant, I've held back so much in my years. It wears you down." Shepard breathed in defeat. "I trust this to you in sheer confidence, Alivia." Lykaia was taken back by her name. "What I say doesn't leave this room. Do we have an understanding?"

"You have my full trust, Commander." Alivia had no idea what to expect next. Shepard was hard to read.

Krysta moved to the large windows that overlooked the strip below. Skycabs constantly moved past as the fluorescent lighting of the displays gave an orange hue to the spacious abode. "War changes you…" Her words shook from frustration. "Hell, death does too. After losing Kaidan, I found it hard to let his memory go. Virmire still feels fresh after all these years…I have been having nightmares; more frequently lately. Bray…I don't know," She lightly chuckled as she reminisced. "He's a batarian…he did piss me off…maybe I pissed him off as well. The contacts with him were relentless. What I feel for him… it's tearing at me. I'm not myself." She finally turned to look Alivia's way. Her once hardened stance diminished. "Going to Eden Prime to the dig site brought back dead memories. It felt like LT had my six…I became distracted by this and could have put my squad in danger," She growled. "I had enough. I came back to the Citadel and found Bray. I gave in, but I told him I didn't want any strings. I didn't want to give a damn if he died before this war was over." Alivia's eyes widened at the revelation, but she remained reserved as the woman before her confessed. "I didn't want him to be Kaidan all over again...he's not him." Her fists clenched angrily by her sides. "That's how we left things. I tend to piss off batarians it seems. So, Lieutenant, believe me, whatever he is doing, it's only for T' Loak. That's probably the only reason why he slept with me…to please her." She huffed, "Fucking ironic for Torfan."

The apartment grew awkwardly still, and Alivia waited a moment longer to allow Shepard to finish whatever she had to say before completely analyzing it all. She wanted to spring up and cheerfully yell that she was right and was glad that the two of them came together. Then again, it sounded like it could have been one-sided and maybe Shepard was right. She hardly knew Bray and he did owe a lot to T'Loak; especially for keeping her mouth closed and protecting him when the Hegemony was hunting him down. Then again, if it wasn't for what he did, Alivia would never have had the chance to work with Krios and fall in love with him. "This war has taken a toll on everyone in this galaxy by now, Shepard…" She paused and lightly laughed, "I have no idea if I'll be alive after my next mission or not out there. Akuze did a number on me. I thought I would never be able to put on the uniform again and would drown in my sorrow and self-pity. Instead, you and Thane brought life back into my soul. You told me to suck it up and move on. I have no idea how you are doing it now and yes, a part of me wants to crawl up and hide from the world after Thane's death. But you're right. He wants me to move on and stay strong. I must do it. Just..." She leered meekly over at her. "Don't be numb. You need something to live for."

Krysta's eyes grew dark as her demeanor tensed. "Life for all is what I am living for. I will be damned if the reapers take that away."

"Krysta…"

Shepard flashed her a quick smile. "Thanks for stopping by. I need to hit up a shower before the gang gets here. You're welcome to join us at the party later."

Alivia decided it was best to let the topic go for the moment. "I might." Giving one more salute, Alivia turned on her boot heel to exit the apartment. Her head spun with all the new information. She bit her lip as her mind switched to Thane. She missed the drell deeply. Tears brewed in her eyes, and she paused in her step to lean up against the hall's wall to regain her composure. Taking a few breaths, she closed her eyes. "Thane, I miss you…"

Later that night,

Bray relentlessly pounded the swinging punching bag in front of him over and over inside his apartment in the lower wards. He could hear his breath in between strikes as the chain rattled by its unforgiving torment. The heat of his workout dripped sweat down his bare chest and back. A chirp interrupted his intended left uppercut, and he gripped the back to stop it in place as both sets of his brown eyes glanced towards his door. Picking up his sidearm and checking the clip, he finally answered, "Who is it?"

"Celeste. Who do you want it to be?" A familiar sarcastic female spat on the other end.

Rolling his eyes, Bray stashed his weapon behind his back pants' waistband before opening the door. He didn't bother greeting her as he moved to grab a towel to wipe the sweat off his face. "What the fuck do you want? We were not supposed to meet up until the morning. I'm going on shift soon."

Celeste glanced around at his very plain small apartment and whistled tauntingly. "You racked up here." He ignored her poke at him, so she continued, "I'm heading out to the cruiser to do the preliminary checks with Ahz. I'm itching to get back to Omega, aren't you?" She pursed her lips knowingly. "Or do you want to stay here where it's soft and cushy?"

"You know damn well that I am. Been wanting to get back ever since Cerberus knocked us off." He grumbled as he tossed the used towel to the side of the couch.

"You going to stay once we get it back?"

"What the hell does that mean? Of course, I am," He was becoming angered with the mind games.

Celeste shrugged haphazardly. "Figured you would just fly on to Earth."

"What for? If you are implying to Commander Shepard," He narrowed his eyes at her. "Forget it. That's her war and she can handle it. Reapers don't seem to care about Omega, and I would rather much stay alive." He struggled to get his words out. What was holding him back? Of course, he was not going off Omega again. "You know the plans?"

"Yes," She batted him away. "Once ground side, we head to the bunker on D deck. It's so simple that a vorcha could understand it."

"Don't think it will be easy. Who knows if they reinforced their troops while we were gone. Communication has been severed. Adjutants could be roaming the streets as well."

"You scared?" She lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Don't be cocky is all that I'm saying."

"Too bad Shepard is not going," Celeste grinned widely. "Word on the wards is that she's having a huge party right now. She doesn't give a fuck about Omega. She used you, Bray. You are way too gullible." She chortled. "See you on the cruiser."

Bray stood there shocked as he watched the redhead leave. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he snatched the towel and moved to take a shower. His shift started in an hour. He had to give it one more shot.

Alivia made her way along the Silver Sun strip and felt herself growing anxious as she neared the Tiberius Towers. Krysta, she knew somewhat, but what about the others? She still was fleshing out what Shepard told her hours ago. The concept of her and Bray having some sort of a relationship was mind-boggling, and a complete three-sixty for how things were months ago. Whatever was between them was private. She doubted that the batarian would be invited to the celebration. A few recognizable faces came into her field of vision outside the towers, and she slowed her pace in perplexity. Was it some of Shepard's team? Did the party already end? The commander was nowhere in sight. A few parted ways while others lingered about. A prominent woman in civvies caught her eye and she recognized her as Ashley Williams, the newest human Spectre. The brunette was standing looking disarrayed beside a gray turian. Both seemed uneasy and out of sorts despite the assumed exuberant atmosphere. "Hey," Alivia flashed them a shy smile with a wave as she approached. "Lieutenant Alivia Lykaia. Shepard asked me to stop by."

The turian's mandible twitched as his avian eyes gazed back from where they came then back to the woman beside him. Ashley also seemed a bit uncomfortable by an unspoken event. "The commander had a call to take. We are all heading out. You're the one that lived from Akuze. Damn, girl. You must be one hell of a soldier. I'm so glad you're back with us."

The lieutenant smiled at the compliment. "Thank you, Lieutenant Commander."

"Hey, no ranks here. I'm off-duty."

An older and rougher-looking merc with one glass eye grumbled over to them as he overheard their talk. "The little errand boy ruined a good party. I haven't had one like that in years." His good eye flickered the turian's way. "Garrus, we should probably finish out the layout. Can't be too careful."

"Errand boy?" Alivia tilted her head, still curious as to what was truly going on. "You mean Bray?"

"You know the little four-eye bastard too?" Zaeed huffed with resentment.

"Shepard trusts him, Massani. It's up to her," Ashley snapped back harshly at him, defending her CO's decision.

Garrus finally spoke up. "I'm on this one with Zaeed…well sort of. Can we trust him? Ashley, I know Shepard's not in the right mind with everything going on. I saw a lot of dirty things go down on Omega because of Aria T' Loak. She's dangerous and so is anyone with ties to her."

Williams sighed and held her head. "Look, let's just give her some space. We all know Krysta can handle herself and if he dares to hurt her, we can sick Massani on him."

Zaeed chuckled and pounded his fist into the palm of his other hand in delight. "Damn right."

"Well, I'm not done with shore leave," Ash declared. "Combat Sim, anyone?"

"Sure. Time to test your marksman skills, Williams. Been a long time," Garrus jokingly jabbed.

"You're on, Vakarian." The woman laughed and she turned to Zaeed and Alivia. "You two coming?"

Zaeed shook his head. "I came for drinks. I'll hit the casino and get wasted."

"Just don't get C-Sec called on you," Williams grinned. "Alivia?"

"No, I need to get ready to head out soon. Thanks for the offer," Alivia waved as they walked off. Her silver eyes looked back at the entrance of the apartment, and she smiled knowingly. "Don't lose that, Shepard."