AN: I apologise for the length of time between postings. It's been a bit hectic here with a lot of changes marking the start of 2022. I have not abandoned this, however. It might just be slow posting for a bit. I would like to mention Matt and Alyssa in this note. It feels as if these two people worked a lot harder at this than I did and I am so grateful.

Chapter 11

It was the last time she would see them, if all went well. Abby had Kahlee's hand in hers, letting the older woman curl and uncurl her fingers. They were nimble enough, but Kahlee's eyes held pain as she moved them.

"You overdid it," Abby spoke her mind, her tone a mix of caring and clinical. "I told you, pain's a discomfort that we have to listen to. When I work with animals, I never give a lot of pain medication. It sounds cruel but, the pain told them to stop. To take it quiet. Clearly you didn't have that sense."

Kahlee's grimace turned to a sheepish smile. "I had hoped I'd be able to find the strength to at least grip a pistol or…" she trailed off at Abby's disapproving look. "But I know now that was foolish."

Breathing out, Abby let go of Kahlee's hand, a signal to the woman she should stop her movements. The veterinarian leaned back to make a note, then realised she had not kept a file on the two. The action had come from muscle memory, a habit that she had in her old life. Another echo from her old life had joined her that morning, the slight tremor in her hands that signalled the return of her condition. Her muscle's memories be damned, she had hoped that it would stay away for longer.

"Well, how you go about this now is none of my concern," she said sharply without meaning to sound that way. "Hopefully by this time tomorrow you'll be on your way home. You know they're coming for you soon?"

Kahlee and Anderson looked at each other. "We were… informed," Anderson said. He was always close, Abby suspected within lunging distance of her should she try something he didn't approve of to Kahlee. They were still pleasant to her but Abby knew that from their point of view she was closer to an enemy than an ally, her real feelings notwithstanding.

"Do you have any update to give us? Time frame? Location?"

Abby breathed out and stood up from the couch. One of her knees took a bit longer to lock as she straightened.

"No," she said but kept her tone measured as she shot a meaningful glance in Anderson's direction. "But I can tell you there will be several parties on the field. Groups of Aria's people of course." She said the latter with a lighter tone before she turned to Kahlee. "Some are expected," she thought of Miranda. "Other's not. Be prepared for anything. Aria hasn't told me anything of your movements after this, neither has Asura. I am assuming, and hope, she'll let you go after this is done."

Anderson's expression slipped a little as his eyes became hard.

"You assume?"

Abby glanced at him, surprised when she didn't feel the need to defend herself. She was worried about what lay ahead, worried about Asura and Jack and Miranda who would be out there, fighting, she hoped, to save the lives of these people.

"I am just a veterinarian," she said. "Hardly a close confidant. I am done here, there is nothing more I can do for you." She bent to pick up her things, taking extra care to grip her medical bag tightly, lest it slipped from her fingers. When she looked at Anderson again, she regretted her tone because she still had a favour to ask him. A hand found her shoulder and she shuddered involuntarily.

"Easy," Sanders murmured, the weight of her hand anchoring. "David."

If the admiral had wanted to respond to Abby's words, he stopped at Kahlee's look.

"We appreciate everything you have done for us, Dr Gable." He said instead. "I won't forget your mercy."

Abby couldn't help but laugh softly. "I'm sure you won't," she said. "But at least you won't be reminded of it every time you look in the mirror. I am proud of that nose of yours." She put her hand into her satchel and searched around inside it. Her fingers soon found paper. Kahlee's hand was still on her shoulder, her nearly white eyes looking down to into Abby's bag. Unexpectedly, her features softened.

"You said you want David to give Shepard a message?" She asked. "Is that it?" Abby had drawn out the paper and stood with it clutched in her now trembling hand. The veterinarian was still watching Anderson, studying his face.

"If the admiral is still willing," she tried to keep her tone neutral and not show how much this meant to her. She didn't know if she could fool him. He had to know [delete "that"] all of them lost their minds a little when it came to Jane. To Abby's relief, his expression softened again as he nodded, his gaze finding the note trembling in her hand.

"Of course," he said. "Paper Dr Gable? Wouldn't an encrypted file have been better?" He held out his hand. Abby, after a second's consideration, stepped closer to him and handed him the note.

"An encrypted file could be decrypted and linked back to me," she said. "If Jane's not allowed any privacy. A note you can give to her mother, or herself. It's easily concealed." She didn't say that she hadn't thought of it at all or knew how to encrypt files to specific people. Anderson took the note from her but before taking his hand away, cupped her hand in both of his. Abby was very conscious of her inability to stop her hand from trembling, knowing he would feel it.

"I will see Jane gets it," Anderson promised, genuinely. "I believe she would enjoy hearing from a friend."

His words made her chest ache and tears threaten. Abby cleared her throat and turned away from him, pulling her hand away from his. She turned to find the door had opened. Sanders had stiffened and David, with all his attention now focused on the newcomers, stepped in between the two women and approaching batarian. Abby breathed out slowly as she saw two krogan also entering the room, their weapons drawn. Sanak, the batarian, was heading straight for Kahlee but Anderson intercepted him.

"That's close enough," he said, his gaze particularly vengeful. Sanak simply sneered at him and pointed to Kahlee.

"You, with me." He said. "Move."

Unsure of what to do, Abby stayed where she was but felt her stomach tighten when Kahlee crossed her arms, an awkward motion with her splints, and stood her ground.

"I'm not going without him," she said, nodding her head in Anderson's direction. Sanak sneered, and like lightening, pulled a pistol on Kahlee. Anderson shifted as if he wanted to make a grab for the weapon but the krogans stepped forward, aiming their rifles at the group of humans.

Scared, Abby's first instinct was to move away, knowing they would let her, but she found herself standing her ground, desperately hoping they would know not to kill her and perhaps, through that, have the sense not to fire at these humans lest they risked hitting her.

"He stays here," the batarian barked. "You come with me now, or you die. My patience with your kind is very thin."

Abby wanted to step forward but Kahlee spoke first.

"You won't kill me," she said. "You need me. I'm the one person who needs to make it to that meeting."

Sanak sneered at the truth in her words and immediately turned his gun on Anderson.

"He is expendable."

"Sanak!" Abby pushed past, feeling the need to remind him that she was there. "Should I call Aria?" She wasn't sure how he would interpret her words and she wasn't encouraged by the way he looked at her. It was hard not to dislike batarians when their obvious dislike for her kind was so strong.

"I don't need her to sort this out," he said and turned his attention to Kahlee. "I will kill him if you don't come with me."

"Then I won't help you," Sanders breathed, her voice low and dangerous. Abby wished she had the capacity to look so fearless. She wasn't even in danger and she was terrified. "And we'll see if Grayson will show himself then."

The batarian's eyes shifted between them and when they touched Abby, she took another step forward. She didn't say anything but she found she had moved herself in front of Anderson. Kahlee could still be forced when he was out of the way, through violence yes, the splints on her hands showed Sanak's people were quite capable of it.

Sanak looked at her angrily, his lips coming up for a sneer. His hand tightened on his pistol before he dropped it and turned an angry glare to Anderson.

"You try one thing soldier, one thing and I blow your brains out. And then hers," he nodded his head in Kahlee's direction. "We can always find another way to trap Grayson. If he is on this asteroid, and he probably is already, we'll find him." Regardless of his hostility, the tension left the room. Sanak motioned to the two krogan to step forward and escort the two humans out of the room. Abby let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and turned to leave when Sanak's pistol whipped up again and pointed at her forehead. Abby's breathing stopped again as she stared at it. Behind Sanak, Anderson and Kahlee were being escorted out. Kahlee had glanced back, possibly to call goodbye to Abby but the krogan had seized her roughly and pulled her through the door. She had to have seen the pistol, because Abby heard a soft cry of protest form on her lips before she was gone. She was left alone with Sanak, staring at the gun.

"You interfere in my business again and you'll find out how expendable you are," the batarian hissed. "Sanders isn't the only one with a vulnerability. Asura's out there, on my field…"

"Sanak!" A deep voice rumbled from the doorway. "Enough."

They both shifted to look to the door, Sanak turning around with a sneer. There was another krogan there, a large one Abby recognized immediately. Her knees nearly buckled with relief, but she stood firm even though her breathing exploded out in a ragged gasp.

Patriarch stepped into the room, his large frame silhouetting the doorway.

"Don't you have prisoners to escort?"

The batarian dropped his pistol but didn't miss the opportunity to shoot one last look of animosity in Abby's direction. He left the room, hitting his shoulder against Patriarch in a show of hostility. The krogan absorbed it as if he was a mountain, and Abby was happy to see him. When Sanak was gone he came to her, his large frame shrinking a little as he made himself less imposing.

"I'm to escort you back to your practice, or your apartment," he rumbled softly. "Asura requested you be kept safe during this… tumultuous time."

Abby breathed out and nodded, Sanak's last words vibrating against the fear she had felt earlier. Patriarch came right up to her, his arm extended as he had done once before. His eyes were surprisingly calm.

"Nobody will harm your love," he spoke softly. "Sanak is too much of a coward to do so. Please, let me take you out of here. As one of Shepard's friends to another."

And there you save me again, Jane. Abby found herself thinking as she accepted Patriarch's help, wondering if he would have interfered if she had not known the commander. I hope that letter gives you some comfort at least.

"They're moving," Miranda said, her voice a low murmur in his ear. "Seems they are going on foot."

Kai Leng got up immediately and made his way to where his ex-colleague had been. She wasn't where he left her but a quick scan of the area soon revealed her to him. She was already walking, though she glanced back occasionally and saw him the moment he came to her field of vision. Her lips thinned to a smile and he returned the gesture.

"Feels like old times," Kai Leng whispered, knowing their equipment as strong enough to pick it up. "Really Lawson, you should come back to the light. If you help with this, and your apology is sufficient, I'm sure the Illusive Man will take you back. He's lost a lot of people in these raids."

The dark-haired woman's chuckle was low, almost sultry. "Now Kai, I'm sure that's not quite true," she was flirting. "And I told you, I have other obligations. At best, you can carry my condolences to him. And perhaps a good word or two. If he is as forgiving as you are hinting towards, that might go a long way to encourage him to ignore me till the reapers come. We're still on the same side, him and I. I just think it's better if I work on my own."

Kai Leng made sure to keep an eye on the group of Aria's people. He didn't see the asari but suspected that they might already be in place. This travelling party consisted of a batarian who was leading them, the two unarmed humans and two krogan who were casually walking with their rifles out and balanced in their hands. No one spared them a second glance as they were either recognized as Aria's or identified as trouble walking.

"Have you looked at Grayson's data I gave you?" Kai spoke. "If you are working on a process to reverse the transformation of husks then the Illusive Man would take you back. He has been putting a lot of funds towards it and, he is still using your research. I had a chat with some of the scientists working on the project. They said that their work would go faster if you were there."

The line went quiet for a moment.

"You didn't say that you saw me, did you?"

Kai Leng smiled to himself. As if I need their help to take you.

"Of course not, we often speak in hypotheticals. I am going to go ahead. I'll be in position by the time they get there." Thanks to Miranda, they knew exactly where this was going to happen which had allowed them some time to prepare a few tricks, lest they need them.

Miranda went quiet, probably contemplating his words, wondering what he planned. She'd have been foolish to trust him, which was why he had made no plans, nor reached out to any that might be available to help take her down. He would take the opportunity to see to her as he saw fit and perhaps deliver both her and Grayson's heads to the Illusive Man on a plate.

And… Perhaps he'd let her go. As much as he wooed her, he knew that they didn't need her anymore. The Illusive Man simply didn't like loose threads and she was a big one.

He slipped past the group and rushed ahead the moment he knew he wouldn't attract attention. He had to make sure he was in a well-hidden position before Grayson came. He didn't care how far gone the freak was now, but he was sure he would recognize him anywhere.

I should have killed you Grayson, he thought. Delivering you to the Illusive Man was a mistake. Trust me my friend, I'm not one to make the same mistake twice. He thought about Miranda and their tentative alliance.

No, definitely not. He wasn't going to show mercy this time.

Asura saw Grayson first, the strange awkward man who walked towards the building. Sanak told her to keep an eye on the street and directed her to sit outside on a parapet that was easily accessible by a window to the warehouse. Studying him, she noticed how he felt out of place, and he moved through the crowds as if in a daze. Shifting in her position in the rafters, she called up her omnitool and send out a silent alert to those present. Sanders and Anderson arrived with Sanak, their demeanours understandably tense. She hadn't yet seen Jack and hoped the biotic would not act out of turn. She was unpredictable to work with and now that she knew where her friend was, Asura knew Jack's priorities would shift.

Still, the human biotic wasn't the only one with priorities. From what Abby had told Asura, Sanders was fixated on finding this… man.

Or what was left of him.

Even from a distance though, Asura could tell he wasn't one anymore. Not completely. She had not known Paul Grayson well before he went rogue. She had only worked with him once or twice and never saw him socially. Yet, even she could tell the man walking through the crowds was hardly recognizable from the one she engaged with before.

She raised her scope to study him and felt herself go cold when she realised the extent to which he had changed. The last time she had seen him he had had a mop of greying dark hair. He was never the most polished of individuals, but he had been healthy. Now he looked… Inhuman. It was strange, asari didn't have that term. They were never not asari, mad, dishevelled or otherwise. But humans… They could bring this distinction between those they considered a part of their species and those who seemed to have lost their way.

Grayson had lost his way.

Ill fitting clothes hid a mass of wires that appeared to be only skin deep. Where she could see his skin, it appeared thin, almost translucent. And his eyes glowed in a manner that tickled something in the knot of memories that Asura had from Abby.

The Illusive Man. But also, another memory…

Husks. The husks that Shepard had fought on Horizon.

Cerberus did this to him, that is why they want him back. she thought.

Despite moving as if he had no sense of rhythm, Grayson headed towards the warehouse with determination, his glowing eyes unfocused yet full of concentration. It was only when he reached the door that something stirred within him. Asura tightened her grip on her rifle as Grayson reached out to touch the door but stopped his hand midway.

She was a breath away from using her biotics as she lifted the rifle to her shoulder and zoomed in on his lips.

"Kahlee," She thought she saw him whisper. "Kahlee… it's a trap!"

He breathed out suddenly, blinked and turned as if to leave. Asura found herself blowing out her breath slowly and taking aim on his head. She wasn't a fantastic shot, but she also knew this… abomination could not get away. Not into the rest of Omega, not where it could still threaten Aria.

Grayson's facial expression changed to one akin to intense pain and discomfort. The light in his eyes dimmed as he shuddered, his hand coming to his throat as if to grip the wires underneath his skin and tear them out.

"Is he coming in?" Orgun asked. "What is the delay?"

Asura wasn't sure because even as she shifted her position slightly, she saw Grayson's expression went slack as he straightened and stared out across the sparsely populated warehouse district. He gave her the impression of a mech that had been switched off.

"I think he's…" She began to respond to Orgun but stopped when Grayson twitched, then whirled around and stormed into the warehouse.

"Kahlee!" He yelled. "Kahlee! It's a trap! Cerberus…"

Asura moved quickly and slipped back through the window into the warehouse, leaving her rifle outside. This wasn't going to be a firefight now, at least not for her. Inside the warehouse, Sanak's people had made Kahlee Sanders stand in the middle of an empty floor. They had quite a lot of people hidden in the small space, carefully concealed behind crates and boxes. Asura could sense all of them, their anticipation of what was to come filling her head with a low buzz of desire. She rarely worked in groups for this reason because they ramped up her need to feed, to meld, to kill. Voilence called to her but she ignored it with an iron clad will power. She had to protect both Anderson and Sanders. She didn't want Abby to be implicated if this turned out badly and, she didn't want an ex-councilman to die on Omega.

That would draw the wrong kind of attention.

Kahlee had seen Grayson step through the door and her expression was one of horror.

"Paul," she breathed. "Paul, what have they done to you?"

The monster walked to her, his hand outstretched and his face pulled into a terrible expression of need and revulsion.

"Kahlee," he breathed but there was more to his voice, a metallic undertone. "It's a trap. We have to get back to Grissom…" He didn't finish his sentence but whipped around to look at Orgun who had stepped in front of the door.

The krogan's face bore a rare expression of surprise as he shouldered his assault rifle.

"Grayson," he spat the name. "Or Johnson, whatever you call yourself. You are surrounded. Surrender to Aria and she will live."

Now that Grayson knew that he wasn't alone, Asura embraced her biotics and ran, not to the stairs as Sanak had instructed her but down the walkway to where he was keeping David Anderson. And she wasn't the only one moving. Below on the ground floor, Grayson disregarded Orgun's order. He dropped into a crouch and stormed towards the krogan on all fours. Asura opened her other communication line.

"Jack!" She breathed. "Now!"

There was a cacophony of noise when metal was torn apart as a crate exploded with biotics. Jack stormed out of it and put herself between Grayson and Sanders. Orgun, surprised by Grayson's sudden movement, let loose a burst of gunfire in Grayson's direction. Jack grabbed Kahlee and pulled her to the floor, a biotic shield winking into existence. Meanwhile Anderson whirled around to face Sanak, who was yelling orders at his men. The old admiral used the distraction to smash his face into the batarian's. Sanak crumbled and his orders fell on deaf ears. The batarian had never been good at improvising and command. If Asura had not counted on it to help get the two humans to safety, she would have told Aria and requested command herself. But, Sanak's ineptness suited her.

More gunfire joined the first burst from Orgun as flashes of biotics lit up the warehouse. A few steps ahead of her, Anderson wrestled Sanak's weapon from his hands and fired. Still dazed from the blow, Sanak crumbled to the floor, shuddering in death. As Asura ran up behind Anderson, the human turned his gun on her but didn't fire.

"Don't be an idiot!" Asura snapped at him as she slapped the pistol from his hands and grabbed at his cuffs. She tore them loose with her biotics and gave Anderson Sanak's assault rifle. "We have to get out of here, come on!"

She ran to the ladder, turning her attention to what was happening below. She expected to help Jack fight her way through Aria's people when Grayson was neutralised, but the tables had turned completely. In the seconds it had taken her to free Anderson, Grayson had gotten the upper hand. The gunfire in the warehouse was frantic and the cacophony of screams belonged to more than one man.

Goddess, Asura thought as she looked over the railing, realising that over half of Aria's people had been slaughtered and the others were fleeing, firing blindly. The only one who stood her ground was Jack, her biotics a nimbus around her as she fended off Grayson's biotic attacks. Whatever Cerberus had done to him, it had given him the ability to harness dark energy.

Jack was almost as strong as Asura in her power and certainly the strongest human the ardat yakshi had come across. Yet, Grayson's power seemed to match, if not exceed the tiny biotics. Asura didn't hesitate to rush to her aid.

"Jack!" She yelled and leapt over the railing, using her biotics to buffer her landing. No sooner had she landed when Jack was thrown back, caught off guard by a biotic weave that set Asura's teeth on edge. The little biotic yelled in frustration as she landed hard on the floor but immediately scampered to her feet, looking feral as her murderous eyes found Grayson again. Asura hurled her own power at the strange being but her weaves seemed to dissipate around him. The problem, she realised immediately was their power wasn't as effective against him as his would be against them.

Goddess, Asura prayed instinctively. What is he?

She glanced around quickly to find Orgun lying in a pool of blood. She could not tell if he was alive or dead but didn't have time to consider his fate. Grayson charged at her, his body low to the floor like a varren and his teeth bared. He looked completely feral as he leapt at her in a biotic wave of thunder.

Asura hadn't anticipated his speed. She knew that she was too late to stop him from hurling himself at her throat when Jack hurled a shockwave at him, sending him off course.

The power sent her off balance but she recovered quickly and tried to lock him with her own biotic trap. When it had no effect, he charged at Jack. Frantic, Asura emulated the biotic and threw a shockwave at him but this time he avoided it, having anticipated the tactic. Jack moved into Grayson's charge and took a swipe at him, her biotic engulfed fist striking him the face. It would have felled, possibly killed any other human or creature but Grayson was merely dazed and recovered seconds later as Jack scrambled for cover.

They were no longer in a fight to protect the two humans but in a desperate battle to save their own lives.

Kahlee Sanders knew Jack saved her life. The biotic burst onto the scene just in time to shield her from a spray of gunfire meant to kill Grayson. It had failed to hit its mark because he moved like a beast. What followed Jack's appearance became some of the most traumatic seconds of her life. She had seen her share of bloodshed but never, ever something like this.

Whatever had been done to Grayson, it turned him into a monster. All thoughts of saving him had gone from her when she saw him tear into the krogan, destroying his armour with his new biotics and tearing what looked like a couple of vital organs straight from his chest. She had stood there in a stupor till Jack all but shoved her away and tried to usher her out of the warehouse.

Panick had seized her legs and she moved too slowly. Seconds later, the beast's attention was on them, as was most of the gunfire. Jack fended off his attack with a snarl which Grayson echoed as he broke away from them to kill more of Aria's people.

Jack's hand pushed her towards an exit as blue fire exploded behind them.

"Fucking time Asura," Jack muttered and pushed Kahlee forward. "Run Sanders!" She took three more steps when Jack suddenly threw her to the ground.

"Asura watch out!" The biotic yelled and turned to face the action. The air cracked around them as Jack drew on her biotics and hurled a massive force towards the centre of the room. Kahlee tried to scramble up, not losing sight of their exit. The moment she put weight on her hands though she whimpered in pain and felt her elbows collapse. Her face would have smashed into the ground had it not been for a strong pair of hands seizing her by her shoulders and pulling her to her feet.

There was no desperation or fear in Anderson's face as he steadied her and pushed her forward. "Kahlee, we're leaving!" He snapped. "Go, I'll cover you!"

He was safe.

"David," she panted. "Paul… I don't know…" He must have felt that she wasn't moving fast enough because he linked arms with her and dragged her forward.

"It's reaper tech," he barked as biotic light flashed around them. "We have to get to safety; he will come for you when he kills them!"

When…

Dr Gable, forgive me…

A glance behind her showed that their two biotics had not yet gained the upper hand. Grayson was moving so fast she could hardly keep track of him. Asura and Jack split away from each other when he enclosed on them again. While Jack moved in to confront Grayson, Asura scrambled away, her eyes dark and terrible even as blood poured from a shoulder wound near her neck. Fear that she was abandoning Jack came and went as Anderson gave her no opportunity to linger. He ushered them to the door and tried to open it but found it locked. Kahlee tore her gaze away from the fight and reached for the console, swiping over her arm to activate her omnitool. She could hack most doors and this one should have been easy. Yet, trying to hack it either her hands or her brain failed her. She turned to look at Anderson for help but her attention was drawn by a furious yell from Jack. Behind them, Grayson had managed to grab her by the arm and hurl her across the floor. Seconds later, Asura crashed into him in a blinding flash of biotics that should have broken all his bones. It bore him to the ground and send him rolling into some empty storage crates where Aria's people had previously been hiding.

Asura looked around wildly, saw them pausing by the door and waved a hand sharply.

"Go!" She yelled in fury; her eyes as dark as death. Later, Kahlee couldn't understand what had given both her and Anderson pause but the sight of Asura had been breath-taking. They shouldn't have noticed under the pressure, but they did, and it robbed them of the seconds they needed to respond. It was only when she looked away that Anderson cursed and grabbed Kahlee by the hand, ignoring her cry in pain as he pulled her to the door Aria's people had fled from. It was further but maybe Grayson was finally down…

A force barrelled into them, tearing her out of Anderson's grip. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and half carried, half dragged her across the warehouse at a speed that robbed her of all breath. The arm around her waist was cold and hard, the unfamiliar ridges of foreign technology nauseating her. The door had been slammed shut and locked by those who fled the warehouse but Paul tore into the lock, wires from his implants bursting through his skin and fusing him with the door's technology. He had let her drop to the floor and was standing over her, a beast clothed in the husk of her close friend's body.

What was left of him, she would never know.

"Paul," she pleaded as she tried to push away from him. "Please…"

His free hand shot to her shoulder, pushing her down, his cold fingers pressing into her skin.

"Need to get away," he breathed, his voice box altered to give his voice a metallic, rasping sound. "Need to get to Grissom." He looked down to her and the light in his eyes made her cry.

"I have to save you."

She started crying then but could not reply as a glow of biotics surrounded them. Kahlee was torn away from his grip even as he tried to grasp at her, his claw like hands tearing the skin away from her shoulder. Kahlee scrambled to get to her feet as no one other than Jack dragged her away from Grayson, her one arm hanging limp at her side but doing nothing to hinder her movement. Grayson's grotesque features twisted into a snarl as he lunged for her but the door opened when he tore his hand away from it. A blast of biotics that made her hair stand on end send Grayson flying backwards into a net of another dark energy pool. It wrapped around him, intensifying as he started to struggle.

"Hold him Asura!" A familiar female voice yelled as a third biotic joined their party. "Don't try anything else! Just hold him!"

Asura was standing just beyond the net that captured Grayson, her arms spread wide and her hands clawed as if she was grasping at something in the air. Pushed into a corner by Jack, Kahlee could only stare at the display of power she had studied her whole life but had no mastery over. Asura looked as if she wanted to tear Grayson limb from limb, her mouth opened in a soundless snarl as her black eyes stared not at her quarry but at the ceiling above them. Goosebumps erupted on Kahlee's skin as she felt the power around them gather.

"Miranda fucking Lawson!" Jack yelled. "Get your fucking ass in this fight!"

Miranda Lawson, the fallen Cerberus agent who had become the Alliance's most wanted terrorist.

The dark-haired woman paid Jack no mind but strode into the warehouse as if she owned the place.

In the sphere, Grayson had begun to scream, the cybernetics in his body glowing fiercely. As Kahlee watched, one of the wires in his neck broke through the skin and tore loose, drifting in the biotics around them. Asura slowly balled her fists as more wires began to tear out of Grayson's body. She was shaking from effort and had started to cry out in effort. The world slowed as Miranda Lawson ran forward, grabbing David Anderson who had appeared behind the struggling Grayson. Kahlee fears from the movement that he was starting to show that he was going to break out as he had before when the biotic tried to restrain him.

"Not your fight!" Miranda snapped at Anderson. "Asura, let go when I tell you! Asura, you cannot hold him! Kai Leng now!"

Miranda raised her one arm as her biotics folded itself around her. Above them, a dark shape jumped from the railings right above where Grayson was and Miranda enclosed her hand as if plucking something from a tree. The dark shape was enveloped in biotics and flashed down to the ground as Miranda jerked her hand down.

"Now Asura!" She yelled. The air around them shifted, causing their ears to pop as the cage around Grayson vanished and Asura collapsed to her knees. The asari's cry died on her lips as she leaned forward, her forehead touching the warehouse floor as she wrapped her arms around her chest, pressing a hand into the wound on her shoulder. Jack left Kahlee's side and rushed forward to the two shapes on the floor, a figure pushing itself up.

A man of clear Asian descent straightened and stepped away from Grayson's convulsing corpse. He had a sword in his hands and deftly stepped around a thrashing arm to plunge the hilt of the weapon down into Grayson's chest with a look so ferocious it set Kahlee's teeth on edge.

"Not making the same mistake twice friend," the stranger snarled as he twisted the blade. "Fun's over."

He chuckled then, as Grayson's arm reached out to grab him but it wasn't with the speed that they had seen before. He looked ready to withdraw his blade but was tossed back suddenly by a wave of biotics. Asura was still on the ground but Jack had stopped short of Grayson's body, her face a mask of fury as she yelled the man in the air.

"Jack!" Miranda yelled. "For fuck's sake put him down!"

"Whoring again for Cerberus bitch!" Jack snapped. "I thought better of you!"

Whatever Miranda Lawson said to Jack was lost to Kahlee as she saw Grayson's arm go limp. She scrambled up and rushed to his side. His face was a wreck, as the sword's initial blow had penetrated the side of his head. Black ichor and blood poured from Grayson's face as his remaining eye looked around frantically. There was hardly anything left of the one side of his face and his mouth twitched and worked to form words he would not be allowed to speak before death. As Kahlee sank down beside him, she didn't know if she was witnessing the death of the monster or her friend. Hesitance over the latter stayed her hand when her whole being told her to take his but she sat with him in death and as the light finally faded from his eye and his body grew still, she ignored the chaos around her and tried to remember the man he used to be.

The End of Chapter 11