Batman and Tali left long before C-Sec had arrived. Saren had secured authorization for his task force to enter the Archives and investigate the crime. Liara stood by while The Spectre looked at Garrus. "Care to explain what happened here?"

Garrus didn't hesitate for a second. He presented his report calmly and efficiently. "I visited Dr. T'Soni to conduct a follow up interview about her mother's death. She informed me that Lady Benezia had transferred access to Vault 1107. She offered to grant me access in exchange for a security escort. I felt the contents of the vault could be relevant. It seems I was right, as the Blood Pack attacked upon our arrival."

"More than just the Blood Pack." Harkin said as he held up an evidence bag with a batarang in it. "We found several of these stuck in the rafters."

Saren took the bag and studied the Batarang. "The Batman was here."

"Yes." Garrus confirmed. "He showed shortly after the Blood Pack."

"Lucky for you." Harkin said with a slimy smile on his face.

Detective Anaya spoke up. "We also found them at Benezia's apartment. It seems wherever the Blood Pack goes, Batman follows."

Garrus nodded. "He battled the Krogan Battlemaster leader the Vorcha while I focused on protecting Dr. T'Soni. The Krogan chose to destroy himself rather than be captured. Thankfully, Dr. T'Soni was able to get a barrier up to protect me."

Garrus held up his assault rifle that still had a batarang stuck in it. "I attempted to apprehend the Batman but he fled."

"And you didn't pursue?" Harkin asked.

"And abandon Dr. T'Soni?" Anaya asked rhetorically. That was the second time she spoke up Garrus' defense when it came to the Batman. She hadn't seen him with the vigilante and Garrus doubted that Harkin would've brought it up to her. Though she was a good detective, she probably sensed Garrus was being less than honest on the issue…and was choosing to back him up.

"The Detective is right." Saren said to Harkin. "Garrus' main priority was Dr. T'Soni's safety. But you really should've mentioned this lead to me, Garrus. I could've worked out authorization with the Council."

"You're right." Garrus said, playing into the Spectre's ego. "I got a little ahead of myself."

Saren turned to the rest of the task force. "Scour the rafters and maintenance shafts. And get the security system back in order. I want the Archives secure."

The Spectre looked to Dr. T'Soni before asking Garrus. "Was there anything in the Vault that was relevant?"

"I don't know." Garrus lied. "They had gotten to it before we could. The Vault had been broken into and wiped when we got here."

That was by far, the biggest risk in all of this. Garrus had called the task force immediately after Batman left, so there was a good chance that word of what actually happened hadn't gotten back to Bane and Saren yet. But then, it probably didn't matter.

Maybe Saren could easily see through Garrus' lies just as he saw through the Spectre's own charade. Maybe everyone involved in this twisted game of Galactic Extinction knew exactly what the score was. But that didn't change what both sides needed to do.

"Dr. T'Soni." Saren said, sparing Garrus the need of making the request himself. "It seems that the Blood Pack have a vested interest in you. And clearly the Security of the Citadel is not sufficient. I would like to transfer you to Destiny Ascension."

Garrus offered a token question. "Would you like me to arrange transportation?"

"That won't be necessary." Saren answered. "I'll handle it personally. Given the breach that just occurred here, I feel an inspection of the Ascension's own security is in order."

Batman was right. Saren was going to Ascension on his own accord. The Blood Pack had probably planned to deliberately set off an alarm after obtaining Benezia's message to give Saren the excuse.

"The Council has demanded that I ensure the restoration of security here in the Archives." Saren explained to Liara. "So, it'll be a few hours before we depart. C-Sec will provide a security detail to accompany you on whatever business you need to tie up. I can't say how long you'll be on the Ascension."

"Thank you, Agent Saren." Liara said courteously.

And so the board was set. With one or two keys to the Catalyst of Destruction as the prize. Garrus just had to hope that Batman could pull it off.

Bruce had returned to the Beta-Cave. Still in his Batsuit with the cowl resting by the keyboard of the batcomputer while Alfred stepped up behind him. "Sir, are you sure this is a wise course of action?"

"I just got the confirmation from Garrus." Bruce answered. "Saren is going to the Ascension regardless. I can't risk more keys getting into his possession."

"Sir." Alfred chose his words carefully. "I feel I must remind you that we are NOT on Omega. And that is not some gang safehouse you're planning to infiltrate. It is currently the single most important place in the Galaxy."

Bruce understood his point "I know. But Saren is not Bane. He won't risk his official position and all the advantages that affords him. The Councilors probably have hidden safes in their quarters on the Ascension. He'll use his security inspection as a pretense to obtain the keys and get out before they know what happened. Probably counting on the Court's dedication to secrecy above all else. As long as Tali's programs work, no one will know I'm there."

"If they felt that the Reaper's return was truly imminent, wouldn't the remaining Council try to raise the alarm?"

"Never underestimate the desire of politicians to avoid public panic at all cost, Alfred." Bruce answered. "Besides, if the Reapers are truly so powerful…the Court may view the loss of the Catalyst as the end of everything regardless."

"You really believe it, sir?" Alfred asked. "The Reapers, I mean. Do you believe they are out there?"

Bruce nodded. "Yes. Because, under the circumstances, I have no other choice but to believe it. Because now I know why Benezia is dead. Why so many others on the Citadel are dying. I know Saren and Bane's goal. So now I can stop them. But only if I believe it."

There was a beep on Bruce's omni-tool. Bruce put on his Batman voice and answered the comm. "What have you got, Tali?"

"The key is not at either of the Councilors' homes." Tali reported, just as Bruce expected. "Though I suppose it's possible the Blood Pack already got them."

"No." Bruce said. "Saren is going to the Ascension. They have to be there…did you say 'key.'"

"Yes." Tali confirmed. "Only the Asari Councilor had a secret safe and closet."

"The Salarian Councilor was only appointed a year ago." Alfred whispered.

So there was only one key on the Ascension. Bruce spoke into the comm. "Return to the Batmobile, Tali. Just tell the computer where you want to be dropped off and it'll take you there."

"Ok." Tali responded. "Good luck, Batman."

Bruce deactivated his comm and thought aloud. "Two keys already taken by Bane. One on the Ascension. Where are the other two?"

"Hopefully the Asari Councilor will be able to shed some light on that." Alfred answered just as his own omni-tool beeped. Alfred checked it. "Sir, we have a guest."

Liara was pacing around in the living room of the Wayne Estate. Bruce's butler had let her in and told her that he would be down soon. With nothing else to do, she looked at all the pictures. The walls of the room were covered with them. They were actual pictures too. None of them were digital frames with alternating images. All taken before Bruce's parents had died.

There wasn't a single picture of Bruce as an adult. Every image of him was when he was still a child, together with his parents. He likely hadn't made any changes to the room since they were killed. It was like the entire estate was a museum to life before that awful day on Mindior.

Was that to be Liara's fate? She'll soon be in possession of all of her mothers properties. Will she leave them just as they are? Spend the rest of her centuries afraid to fully move on from her mother's death?

She turned to go sit on one of the couches when one of the pictures suddenly caught her eye. It was a larger one. It stood out among the rest because the Waynes weren't the only ones in it. The picture seemed to be from a vacation back when Bruce was a kid. There was a man standing next to Thomas Wayne. Liara recognized him from the newsvids: Henry Lawson, the CEO of GothCorp.

Liara did a lot of research into the Waynes in preparation for that dinner she was supposed to have with Bruce. Thomas and Henry were lifelong friends. Wayne Enterprises and Gothcorp were both a part of the Big-4 Corporations that emerged during humanity's expansion into Council Space, along with ExoGeni and LexCorp. In fact, she had read that Henry Lawson was Bruce's Godfather. Liara didn't really understand what that meant but it seemed like a big deal.

There was someone else in the picture. A human girl with dark hair that seemed to be the same age as Bruce. Lawson's daughter? She and Bruce had their arms around each while they smiled for the camera.

"Liara." Bruce said, breaking Liara from her thoughts. She turned to see him walking into the room in a robe. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Sorry." Liara replied. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about…several things actually."

Bruce sat down on one of the couches while Alfred walked in with a tray carrying a tea kettle and mugs. The butler placed it down on the coffee table. Bruce nodded to him. "Thank you, Alfred."

Liara waited for the butler to leave the room before Liara sat down on the couch opposite of Bruce. She was still doubting her decision to come here. But everything had happened so fast, she needed to talk to someone about it. Though she wasn't sure where to begin. Bruce could see her hesitating. "Is everything alright?"

"The blood pack tried to kill me." Liara answered.

"What!?" Bruce exclaimed.

"It's fine." Liara stopped and sighed. "No it's not."

From there, Liara just decided to tell him everything. Batman and the others coming to her, the trip down to the Citadel Archives, and the message left to her by her mother. Liara wasn't entirely sure why she was telling Bruce all this, she had only just met him. But, under the circumstances, she didn't have anyone else to talk to you on the Citadel. And she knew that Wayne had an interest in the Protheans.

Bruce was understandably shocked by what Liara had to say. But the shock quickly turned to a snarky chuckle as the trillionaire said. "Forgive me, I am glad you're alright but…it all just sounds so absurd."

"I know it's hard to believe." Liara insisted. "But my mother wouldn't go through the trouble of leaving me a hidden message just to lie to me. She wouldn't waste…"

Liara trailed off as tears built up in her eyes. The memory of Benezia dead in her arms flooding back into her thoughts. She shoved them away. That wasn't going to be her last memory of her mother, not anymore. "She wouldn't waste her final words to me."

"I'm sorry." Bruce said awkwardly. "But…why are you telling me this."

Liara laid out a bunch of datapads on the coffee table. "I have compiled everything I know about the Protheans. All of my research. I've downloaded mountains of research on the Citadel itself, and all the information I could get my hands on the expedition that discovered it. And the Matriarchs who led it. Somewhere in all this information, there's a way to track down the location of the Prothean VI that Ksad Ishan left behind."

Bruce picked up one of the datapads and asked. "What leads have you found?"

"None." Liara answered. "I haven't had time to look through it all yet. I'm being transferred to the Destiny Ascension for my own protection. So, I'm leaving this with you…In case anything goes wrong."

"Goes wrong?"

Liara then explained the plan to Bruce. The human seemed a bit concerned. "Liara, are you sure this is a good idea? If this Spectre, Saren, is working for the Reapers-"

"Batman will be there." Liara pointed out.

"Yeah, but." Bruce looked for the right words. "I mean, the man dresses like a bat. You think he can be counted on?"

"You didn't see him." Liara answered. "And I don't have a choice. The Asari Councilor knew my mother. And if she's a member of the Court, she can tell me where to find the Prothean VI."

A beep came on Liara's omni-tool. She activated it and read the message. She looked back to Bruce. "Time's up. My escort is going to take me to C-Sec Headquarters and, from there, the Destiny Ascension. Read these datapads. If anything happens, go to Garrus Vakarian."

"Of course." Bruce said while Liara stood up. "And Liara…good luck."

Bruce returned to the Beta-Cave immediately after Liara left the estate. He looked to Alfred. "Is the suit ready?"

"I've replaced the cape like you asked, sir." Alfred confirmed. "Along with your portable air supply. Mordin modified the cloak as best as he could but it's never been tested for long durations."

Bruce walked up to the Batsuit. "Don't worry, Alfred. I won't need it for very long."

Bruce put the Batsuit back on just in time for the Batmobile to return from dropping Tali off at her chosen destination. The Batman jumped into the vehicle and left the cave. On the way, he checked his omni-tool. There was a message from Liara, giving Batman confirmation that she was at C-Sec. Batman responded to the text message, informing her that the Asari Councilor was the only one with a key. There was also a message from Garrus informing him what ship Saren was taking. An official C-Sec transport.

That was good. The Batmobile's stealth system was clearly enough to fool C-Sec's scans, but there was no telling what kind of advanced tech Saren would have on one of his own ships. Batman flew the vehicle out beyond the Citadel's Mass Effect field. Out into the void of space between the station and the Ascension.

He couldn't fly to the Citadel Docks. The Batmobile's stealth system protected it from sensors but it wasn't invisible to the naked eye. Batman needed to time this out just right to make sure he didn't end up in the Transport's line of sight when he made the jump.

Another text message came in from Garrus. The transport had just left. It didn't take too long for the Batmobile to locate the ship and plot its path to the Ascension. Batman set an intercept course and grabbed his helmet. It had a similar design to his standard cowl complete with bat ears, but it fit right over the cowl and connected to the rest of his suit. Forming a seal that allowed it to pressurize.

The eyes of the helmet lit up as the Batmobile approached the C-Sec transport. He set the auto-pilot and rested his hand on a switch at the side of the cockpit. He waited for the right moment and then he hit the switch. The bottom of the Batmobile opened up and the cockpit flattened out vertically as the rapid depressurization of the cockpit sent Batman falling down into the vacuum of space.

Without missing a beat, Batman grabbed his grappling gun and fired it straight down. The magnet at the end of the line struck the hull of the passing transport. He quickly pulled himself in and stuck himself to the top of the ship. His magnetic boots giving him grounding while he waved his cape over himself.

The edges of his cape magnetized and similarly attached itself to the hull of the ship, completely covering The Dark Knight who proceeded to activate the cape's cloak. Rendering him invisible. The eyes of Batman's helmet turned red, allowing him to see through the cloak. The red outlines of his sight displayed the approaching Destiny Ascension.

The transport ship entered one of the docks of the Ascension. Passing through the forcefield that contained the atmosphere and hovered there while several mechanical arms stretched out to connect to the transport. Batman pointed his grappling gun up to the ceiling through a small crease in the cape. He fired and pulled himself up to the rafters as the cloak slowly disengaged.

Once he was up there, Batman took off the space-couwl and activated his comm. "I'm in."

"Well done, sir." Alfred replied. "Garrus was kind enough to send over a blueprint of the Ascension. The maintenance shafts should be on the starboard side of the dock. From there, you should easily gain access to the air ducts."

Liara had been on the Destiny Ascension once before. As a child, she accompanied Benezia on a visit to the ship during one of her missions to the Citadel. The feeling of walking on the massive dreadnought was as overwhelming to Liara then as it is now. It was truly the greatest ship in the Citadel fleet.

Upon exiting the C-Sec transport, she and Saren were quickly greeted by a welcoming committee of Asari Commandos. The Captain of the group saluted the Spectre. "Agent Saren, welcome aboard. Admiral Ledayne is waiting for you on the bridge."

"Let us not stand on ceremonies here, Captain." Saren replied. "The Council has ordered me to conduct a review of your security protocols but I also have an investigation to run. I'll begin the inspection immediately. The Admiral can reach me on the comms. The quicker we can get this done the better."

Made sense that the Spectre would want to spend as little time on the Destiny Ascension as possible. He'll need to make a quick exit once he gets the key. But the official inspection does give Liara a little time to work with.

Saren pointed to Liara while he instructed the Commandos. "Please take Dr. T'Soni to her quarters. Make sure she's comfortable."

"Of course." The Captain responded. "The Council has instructed us to afford you every courtesy, Dr. T'Soni. Please come with us."

Liara did as she was instructed while Saren went off to perform his inspection. Liara followed the Commandos through the sleek halls of the Dreadnought. The Captain gave her a rundown of the security protocols she was expected to observe. Liara tried to pay attention but she couldn't help but wonder just how long she was going to be on the Destiny Ascension. Obviously Batman wanted to get the key and keep it away from Saren and the Blood Pack but what then?

Liara didn't really like the idea of being stuck up here while everybody else chased after the Prothean VI on the Citadel. Benezia said it needed to be destroyed and Batman probably intended to obey that command. But Liara couldn't allow that. She had to speak to it. Goddess only knows what she could learn about the Protheans from it. But first, she had to get the key.

"Excuse me." Liara said, cutting off the Captain's instructions. "Is there any way I could speak to the Asari Councilor?"

"She actually requested dinner with you once had settled in." The Captain explained. "If you want, I can take you straight there."

"Yes, thank you." Liara said. "I've known her since I was a child…I could use a friendly face right now."

"Of course." The Captain obliged while she turned the group towards one of the elevators. "And if I may offer my condolences for your mother. Such a terrible loss."

Liara nodded. "Thank you."

The Commandos led Liara to the Councilor's quarters. Before they entered, Liara asked. "Will the Salarian Councilor be joining us?"

"No." The Captain answered. "Standard procedure. The Councilors remain on separate sections of the ship with their own security. While we're on alert, they'll never be in the same room."

They reached the door and, after a brief roundabout with the Asari Councilor's personal guard, Liara was allowed to enter. The Asari Councilor Tevos stood up from her desk immediately. "Liara, it's so good to see you in one piece."

"Thank you, Councilor." Liara said while the two embraced in a hug.

The door closed behind Liara, leaving the two Asari alone in the room. The Councilor's demeanor changed immediately. She broke from the hug and demanded. "What happened down there?"

"Let me explain."

"You took a member of C-Sec to the archives? That Vault was meant for you and you alone."

"I had the authorization to-"

"That was for you to select a successor." The Councilor cut her off. "Hundreds of years from now."

"If I hadn't, I'd probably be dead." Liara insisted, eager to get the conversion moving forward. "We don't have time for this. The Reapers-"

"Don't say their name." The Councilor said softly but firmly. "Never say any names. The secret must be protected."

"The secret is already out. People are dying right now."

"They will be dealt with." The Councilor said, clearly not grasping the situation. "Our first priority is secrecy. Peace and Order depends on it."

Liara's patience was wearing out very quickly. "The secrecy is exactly what's destroying everything."

Back down at C-Sec Headquarters. Garrus was nervously waiting for any kind of update from Batman or Liara. He didn't like sitting idle while they were up there with Saren. He had attempted to focus on his paperwork but was too distracted. Eventually, he stood up from his desk.

"Everything alright, Lieutenant?" Detective Chellick asked.

"I need to blow up some steam." Garrus answered honestly. "I'm going to head down to the shooting range. Would you like to join me?"

"No." Chellick said. "That damn Task Force is taking up so much oxygen, I'm way behind on everything else."

"Make sure it's all straight." Garrus said to the detective as he walked out of the room. "The Executor won't tolerate the Task Force being used as an excuse when the performance reviews come around."

Garrus made his ways through the halls of C-Sec when he came across Harkin. The Human Sergeant was flipping that double-headed coin of his while Garrus walked by. Harkin smugly said. "Quite the adventure you had in the Archives, wasn't it?"

"I'm not in the mood, Harkin." Garrus said, turning to the human.

"Hey now." Harkin said with a smile. "Can't a man have a friendly chat with a fellow officer anymore. God, civilization really is falling apart."

"Spare me the bullshit." Garrus kept his voice low but harsh.

Harkin just chuckled. "Spare you the bullshit? I think you've got things a little backwards. Anaya was right, it seems that wherever the Blood Pack goes, Batman follows. But you're always there as well."

Garrus sighed. "Ok, I'm tired of having the same conversation with you."

"Then do something about it." Harkin stepped up to Garrus, not letting the Turian's height intimidate him. "Because it seems to me, there's an obvious solution to this problem. A way to get Batman and the Blood Pack off the streets. And the only thing standing in the way of that is you. Now you can also be the solution, the hero. I can even help you. Could work very well for both of us."

Garrus couldn't believe he actually had to deal with this idiot right now. The man didn't have any idea what was actually happening. What was really at stake. And all he can think about is how to take advantage of the situation as if he needs another leg up. What's worse is that his petty ambition and stupidity could ruin everything. Cause the destruction of the galaxy. SHOULD JUST KILL HIM AND GET HIM OUT OF THE WAY!

"Is everything ok?" Anaya asked as she walked down the hallway towards them.

Garrus shook the crazy thought away and stepped away from Harkin. "Yeah, everything is fine."

Garrus turned to continue to the shooting range when the blast hit. Suddenly halls for the entire building shook as more than a few windows shattered. And before the C-Sec officers could even register what had just happened there was more.

The explosions ripped through Citadel-Security, the fire suppression quickly became active as the Blood Pack came crawling out of the busted out walls like a hoard of terrible rats. Gunfire began to ring out while the belated call went out over the comms. "Alert! We're under attack."

A panel blew down the hall from Garrus who, at the moment, was armed with nothing but a pistol. But that would have to do against the shotgun wielding Vorcha piling out. Thankfully, he wasn't alone.

"Get down." Anaya said as she charged up.

Garrus dropped to his knees and rolled to cover just in time to miss Anaya's biotic throw. Sending the Vorcha flying back. The Turian drew his pistol and spoke into his comm. "This is Vakarian, where's the Executor!"

"I'm here, Garrus." The Executor answered, the sound of gunfire at both ends of the comm link overlapping each other. "I'm in my Office."

"I'm on my w-." Garrus was quickly cut off.

"Absolutely not! My office is a secure and perfectly defensible position. As head of Major Crimes, you must take direct command of C-Sec's defense. I'll relay what information I can just drive these Terminus Bastards out!

There were an impressive amount of security measures that Batman had to contend with in the air ducts from sensors to electric stunners. This was especially true near the quarters of one of the Councilors. Clearly the Destiny Ascension was built to house the heads of Council space. Thankfully, the upgrades Tali provided Batman's omni-tool and the quick tutorial the Quarian gave him proved extremely useful.

Having navigated through those obstacles, Batman was now looking down at the Asari Councilor's office. Liara had been going in circles with the older Asari, she was growing frustrated but Batman was getting impatient. Liara had been focusing on convincing the Councilor to go public to unite people against Reapers and their agents. That would certainly be useful in the grand scheme of things but it wasn't why they were here.

Finally, Liara decided on a different tact. But it wasn't the one Batman wanted her to go to.

"Where is the Prothean VI?" Liara asked

"Why would you need to know that?" The Councilor replied.

"My mother said it needed to be destroyed." Liara answered. "And I want to talk to it before that happens."

"That is impossible." The Councilor explained. "When the Court was first formed, the Matriarchs had the VI implement an additional layer of security. The only way to activate the VI now is with two of the keys."

Batman hadn't considered that. But it made sense, the Matriarchs would've had their own ideas to add to Ksad Ishan's plan to keep the Reapers in dark space. Naturally, it seemed predicated on maintaining secrecy but it also poised a problem. Batman had his own reasons for finding the Prothean VI and he had hoped the one key would've been enough to activate it. In any case, the conversation was finally on the keys.

"Where are the others?" Liara asked. "Two of them were taken, you have one. That leaves two."

The Councilor turned and paced around the room, clearly debating how she wanted to answer that question. "One of them was lost to us, the other was sent away."

That was an interesting choice of words. The first one was easy to decipher: 'lost to us' means it was taken. Bane and Saren likely already had it, possibly courtesy of Nassana Dantius. The second was a bit more curious: 'sent away.' The why was obvious. But Where?

Liara seemed to have the same line of thought. "Where can we find it?"

"Find it?" The Asari Councilor was incredulous. "No, there is no finding it. As long as the final key is away from the Citadel, the Reapers can never return."

"And we'll never be able to reactivate the Prothean VI." Liara said.

"You mean YOU'LL never be able to activate it." The Councilor grew angry. "I will not allow your obsession with the past to destroy our future, Liara!"

That statement seemed to strike Liara to her core but, before she could respond the door opened and the head of the Councilor's personal guard came rushing in. "Forgive me. Councilor. C-Sec Headquarters is under attack."

"What!?" The Councilor responded.

"The Blood Pack has launched a full assault." The Commando explained. "The Executor is mobilization the full weight of C-Sec to repel them."

"Tell Admiral Ledayne to send what troops the Citadel fleet can spare." The Councilor ordered. "I'll be having a meeting with the Salarian Councilor. And find Saren."

"Yes ma'am." The Commando rushed out of the room, apparently forgetting to consider Liara.

Batman activated his comm. "Alfred."

"The news just broke, sir." Alfred quickly responded. "Garrus is on the scene but I recommend you and Dr. T'Soni finish your business up there quickly."

"Mordin's cure for the Titan Compound?" Batman asked.

"The Bat-Computer has only developed a single dose of it so far."

"Send it to Garrus immediately." Batman then changed comm channels. "Liara, you need to wrap this up."

He watched as Liara followed the Councilor to her desk. "You need to listen to me."

"We'll finish this conversation later." The Councilor said firmly. "Saren will be here soon."

"Saren is with the Blood Pack." Liara blurted out. "He's working for the Reapers."

The Councilor stopped short of calling her Salarian colleague. "That's impossible."

Batman, realizing that Liara wasn't privy to all the details, relayed them into her ear to repeat to the Councilor. "Saren was the one who killed Fist to cover for Dr. Crane. He had Dr. Crane launch the chemical attack on the Silversun Strip to allow the Blood Pack to kill Benezia."

"No." The Councilor struggled. "Saren would never betray the Council. He wouldn't."

"True Mothers never Die." Batman said into the comm on a whim. Liara repeated it though she clearly didn't understand the statement. But it got the Councilor's attention.

"What did you just say?" The Councilor asked in shock. That was all the confirmation that Batman needed. He hadn't heard Saren use that expression, only Nassana. But for the Asari Councilor, a member of the Court, to react that way...there was no doubt, Nassana was absolutely in league with Saren. She likely had one of the keys, but from where.

Liara was clearly waiting for Batman to feed her another line but, before he could, Saren entered the room. The Spectre was quick. "Councilor, we must be…Dr. T'Soni, if you could return to your quarters-"

"I'm not going anywhere." Liara said quite forcefully. Letting out an anger that she must've been restraining during her ride up with Saren. "You are the one who is going to leave."

Saren didn't take too kindly to that. "Excuse me, but I am-"

"A traitor." Liara spat out. "And a murderer."

Batman was ready to jump in…but he had to wait. He watched as Liara turned to the Councilor. She stepped behind the desk to her side. "He's the one. He's working with the Reapers."

"The Reapers?" Saren said, deciding to play dumb.

"Councilor." Liara pleaded. "You've known me all my life. You knew my mother. Please, have to believe me, Saren is with the Reapers."

The Councilor looked at Liara and then at the Spectre. "Agent Saren, as of this moment your Spectre status is revoked."

"Councilor!?"

"My Guard will escort you to the ship's brig." The Councilor said, reaching for the comm channel on her desk…Saren wasn't having any of that.

The Turian drew his pistol and pointed it towards the Asari. "I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen. Step back."

The Councilor did just that while Liara readied herself for a fight. But this was exactly the opening Batman was waiting for. He jumped down from the vent above and stood up on the opposite side of the room from Saren. The Councilor was startled by his appearance but Liara quickly reassured her. "It's ok, he's on our side."

"Is he now?" Saren said with his gun still pointed at the Councilor though his eyes were now locked on Batman. "And what does he plan to do here?"

Batman matched the Spectre's deathglare. "It's over, Saren. Put the gun down."

"Or what?" The Turian said with a chuckle. "You think you get to me in time to save them both."

"Enough people have died because of you."

"Including my mother." Liara stated, fully prepared to join Batman in taking him down.

The Turian looked at her. "True Mothers never die."

And then…Saren released the gun. It dropped harmlessly to the floor while the Spectre raised his hands in apparent surrender. Batman wasn't buying it and neither was Liara. The Councilor, however, after an awkward moment of silence, took the opportunity to walk back to her desk.

Saren returned his gaze to Batman. "You know, Bane was so certain that you'd show at C-Sec. That my plan wouldn't work. But you're not a warrior like him. No, you're an operative. Like me."

The Asari Councilor reached for her comm as an alarm suddenly sounded. An Salarian voice came in over the PA system. "Alert! The Salarian Councilor is dead! I repeat, the Salarian Councilor has been murdered!"

Saren made a slight gesture with hand…Producing a Batarang that he stashed in the arm of his armor. He must've grabbed it down at the Archives. It extended to the symbol of a bat while Saren took hold of it.

Suddenly, Batman understood. Bane wasn't with his Blood Pack at the Archives because keeping them from the Vault wasn't the plan. Saren wanted Batman to know about the Keys. Saren wanted him here. Batman charged at the Turian. "No!"

Saren threw the Batarang before Batman could reach him and, before Liara could react with her biotics, it flew across the room and sliced the Asari Councilor's neck on its way to sticking itself into the wall. The Councilor fell to the ground holding her neck, Liara quickly went to her aid while Batman threw Saren into the wall.

Batman and Saren exchanged only a couple of blows before the Councilor's personal guard, reacting to the shipwide alert, ran into the room. They saw Batman fighting Saren and then the Councilor bleeding on the ground. They looked at Batman. "Freeze!"

Batman put Saren between him and the Commandos. He stepped back and performed at a dropkick as he activated the booster jets, sending the Turian crashing into Asari soldiers and falling out of the room. Batman jumped back to his feet and used his omni-tool to close the door and overload the controls. Giving them some time.

Batman ran over to Liara who was kneeling over the Councilor, trying to stop the bleeding. But it was too late. With her last ounce of strength, the Councilor pulled up her necklace. Revealing the key. Liara took it, crying as the Councilor died..but not before she looked over to the corner of the room opposite of the door.

Batman got the hint. He ran over and waved his omni-tool, revealing a secret escape pod. He went back and grabbed Liara by the arm. "Come on!"

He pulled Liara up and led her to the escape pod. He quickly said. "Stay away from C-Sec. Tali will find you."

Batman pushed her into the pod and waved his omni-tool again. Liara turned to him. "Batman!"

The door closed and the pod launched. Leaving Batman alone. Using his grappling hook, he returned to the air duct through the ceiling vent just as Saren and the Commandos blasted the door down.

Batman moved quickly through the duct to avoid the gunfire that came from the below. He activated his comm. "Alfred, Saren killed the Councilors. Liara is on her way down. See if you can track her escape pod. Have Tali meet her."

"What about you?"

"I'm going after Saren."

Author's Note:

Thanks for Reading. Leave a comment and stay tuned. Had to split this chapter up into 2 it became so long. So the wait for Chapter 9 won't be too long.