Godo: Welcome one and all to the new year! It's time for some bonding—ME2 bonding to its fullest!

Arch: enjoy!

XXX xxx XXX xxx XXX xxx XXX xxx XXX

"And then, during the final test, I nearly didn't make the grade. I was two points shy of failing, but I impressed them enough to make the N7 moniker officially."

With a smile plastered on her face from hearing the stories of her son's time training in the program she reformed on her own as a green-as-grass rookie, Kushina could only laugh in delight. Still, she knew the new system well enough that hearing this confirmed it never changed. "You weren't two points shy of failing. They always say that to get you to do more. So they knew telling you that you almost didn't make it would either make or break the true 7 class mark."

That was a shock. Her son's blue eyes gazed her way in a questioning glare. "And what does that mean? How do you know that?"

"Because, back when the current letter/number system was first made, there was no such thing as biotic using individuals amongst the human military. As their first, I managed to smash all their expectations and cause a stir. As more and more people became biotically capable, they incorporated MY scores as the baseline. By the time I vanished, they had made the system for N7, their greatest special forces, much more clearly defined."

It made her wonder just what his true score was and how well Shepard did in hers compared. *These two grew up since childhood in a wasteland of broken buildings and scorched earth... And both became top officers, N7 qualified to boot. I'll have to get a hold of Hackett when Cerberus isn't watching my comms.*

Faint tapping on the glass got the attention of mother and son to see Mordin, "Session is done for today, and patient needs her rest." The Salarian addressed simply before turning back to the mess hall.

"Glad to see Salarians have not changed in thirty years," Kushina humored with a snort.

Her son chuckled, "I still think Mordin is an oddball, even by his own race's standards." Naruto leaned over to give his mother a quick hug, and she returned before they separated. The blond gave a quick wave as he stood and left the medical station to join a few of the others in the Mess.

Garrus glanced from his seat at the mess table towards the medical station and Back to Naruto after he got a light snack from the cook. "So, how was the family visit?"

"Was a good one. Catching up, learning new things. Wished for more time, but can't expect her to be fully recovered yet. Did the tour with Tali go well?" He was looking forward to catching up properly with her, too.

A firm nod of pride came from his sniping rival. "Of course. There is not much to tour; you can see the shuttle bay from the engineering deck. She got some nutrient paste from Gardner and headed back down to check her station after I showed her this deck from the lunch area."

Naruto did notice his mother look around from time to time. He assumed she was checking who was running around getting their meals. "And since the loft is my room and Miranda tries to quarter it off limits to anyone but myself, it was a quick tour. Got it. She didn't have any questions?"

A shake of his fringed head was the answer. "She's a sharp one; she didn't mention anything about not knowing something important about the ship so far. Being the inquisitive sort, she's probably probing the systems as we speak."

"Heh, more than likely. I think I'll head down to see her for a bit, get some rest Garrus." Looking towards the ceiling because it was universal to imagine EDI watching from hidden cameras. "Let the crew know that we're taking a shift break. Can't keep going non-stop like this after all."

The Turian chuckled, "Running on fumes already? I just hit my stride, as you humans put it." A snorted laugh came from the blond as the two friends ate comfortably.

XXX xxx XXX

The elevator doors opened to the engineering, and Naruto stepped out. Striding to where he knew Tali would be beside Kenneth and Gabby, with said the duo, chatting idly before hearing their Quarian comrade speak up. "You know I can hear you." Tali's voice was chiding.

"Hah!" Gabby chimed.

Shaking his head in amusement, the blue-eyed CO of the new Normandy strode in from the Port side entrance to the engine room. "Kenneth, already teasing your senior in Normandy systems?"

Both the human engineers turned on the spot and gave a full salute. "Commander! uhhh, you see... I was saying how Quarian suits look quite intriguing!"

"Uh-huh." Tali walked over a bit when Naruto walked in. "He was commenting on how Quarian suits seem to be form-fitting and show off our curves."

Rolling his eyes at Kenneth's usual no-filter comments on his gutter-minded thoughts, Naruto let it slide for now. "At ease, you two." Turning back to his dextro friend, he gestured her for a talk elsewhere.

Though she gestured back to follow her, which he did because he trusted her judgment, as they walked into the engine core section, Naruto's eyes saw in its full glory the orb of mass effect propulsion and energy keeping them moving and safe in space. "I've only seen glimpses from other windows so far... But this is an impressive M.E. Field. I can even feel the waves of energy it's producing."

"When I first came into Engineering, I was curious. After all, I watched our old ship's engine core whenever I worked on the SR-1. I still don't trust Cerberus and despise them for what they did against the Fleet. Still, I can't complain about their skills in building a ship. They even stabilized a core flaw from the first engine but created a mountain of other issues. These I can do something about, however." Hearing her talk with such delight about a ship's engine was just like from back during their chase after Saren.

Naruto leaned against one of the rails in the room, arms crossed. "So, any news from the Fleet?"

"Doubtful. They won't send any message to Cerberus channels."

Made sense, "So how about being here?"

"Seeing some of the old crew of SR-1 here brought some relief, even more when they said they only joined to be with you." Tali glanced back to where Kenneth and Gabby were. "The rest..."

"I won't lie and say I am on board with most of this bunch being here. I won't tell you to trust any of them," Naruto said, his eyes shifting with thoughts.

"Naruto?"

The blond shook his head, "Yeah?"

"Are you alright?" The concern came from the Guardian's voice.

A pause of silence followed before the man rubbed the back of his head. " I'm just processing a lot that has been happening. You see my mother in the medical wing?"

Tali nodded back, "I can't believe it. Are you certain that is her?"

"Chakwas and Sakura went over everything. That is my mother..."

A moment of thought raced through the young woman's mind as well. Tali leaned against the opposite railing, hands on either side of her hips holding it. "I'm not sure what to say about that. I guess you have conflicting feelings as well. It IS your mother, after all."

"Some..." It was true. He had a lot of worries at the moment. "But whether I am being a worry-wort or not will be something to see later. Right now, I think I'm just glad to know she's safe and sound. All I can hope for because I don't regret my life as a street orphan. I met so many people and made a family with them. Can't say it's been all bad after all. Still, Who wouldn't want to get along with their parents?"

"That is probably the best way to feel about this whole situation," Tali reasoned, staring at the Normandy core. "Things... Everything felt so chaotic when you were gone. Like the universe couldn't make sense anymore." She sighed, "And things only escalated to more and more insanity."

A grunt came from the blond. He would be lying if he didn't think he felt the same when just waking up in that Cerberus lab. Two years being dead and just... Waking up from it all...

His body tensed, his eyes becoming razor-sharp and narrow. Next to Kenneth and Gabby, standing with gaze staring back with equal steel, was the red Asari.

The blond heard nothing around him as his focus stayed on the Asari, who stared back with her amber-slit irises. Naruto blinked, feeling three fingers wrapped around his arm, looking to his side at the sight of Tali beside him. While the visor obscured her face, he could feel her concern. "Are you okay?"

Glancing back, the Asari was gone.

"Naruto?"

The Uzumaki shook his head, "I'm... Honestly, I don't know." He muttered, rubbing his eyes before looking at Tali, "Ever since I woke up, I've been seeing a red Asari." He paused, "I honestly don't know if I'm losing my mind or something."

Silence came from the Quarian before speaking, "It could be stress, maybe?"

A shrug came from Naruto as he tried to think about it more. "Not the first time I've had stress-related hallucinations; PTSD is a bag full of them. But this feels way different, and it's only started happening recently. Whatever it is, I'd love to find out." Though he knew the stress of continued missions so far had taken a toll on all of them, including the monitoring crew and, recently, the medical personnel, the biotic powerhouse shook his head. "But for another day."

Understanding the way her captain did things and thought, Tali let the subject go. At least until such a thing started causing him problems. *He has enough of those with Cerberus.*

Before they could continue talking, EDI's visage appeared next to the engine core door, calling for the CO of the ship. "Commander, Zaeed wishes to speak with you in his quarters when you find the time."

"Right, thanks, EDI."

"Of course." The blue orb soon vanished

Tali looked to the human, "Don't think I'll get used to that either."

"At least I can say you can trust Gabby and Kenneth. Gabby mostly." If only Ken wasn't thinking with his head below the waist and tempered that mouth.

"We'll see." The Quarian patted Naruto's shoulder before leaving the core room. She stopped for a moment to look back, "If you need me. I'll be here."

"Thanks." Nodded before leaving the engine room. He shifted right to make his way to Zaeed.

It didn't take long, being on the same deck anyway. But when he knocked, the door opened with Zaeed being frustrated searching some of his gear. "Needed a hand looking for something? Needed the CO of the ship for that?"

"Of course not, so don't get your tights in a twist blondie." As he went through another crate, he grunted along with what he wanted to talk about. "I thought it'd be time to talk about my deal with Cerberus."

Letting the door close behind him, Naruto kept his distance from the tornado of search and seizure here. "If I remember right... You had a deal regarding a favor? Something to do with your connection to the Blue Suns?"

"Not like I kept it too secret. Just because I don't appear in their records doesn't mean it's a secret." He grabbed a giant red Krogan helmet and placed it on the cot table. He was getting some of his gear out for decorations. "I founded the group decades ago. Me and this mouse of a man named Santiago, the current head of the entire group, built it from nothing."

Pieces clicked into place to the blond, "Vido Santiago?"

"You know of him?" Zaeed's brow rose.

"Name and reputation, but I thought Solem Dal'serah runs the Suns?"

The aged man scoffed, "Solem is just the puppet, while Vido runs everything in the shadows. Let him move freely to do whatever he wants, and no one will be the wiser. When we started the Suns, I controlled the men, and Vido worked on the finances. We argued but kept the ship running until Vido suggested we hire Batarians into the ranks."

How the grizzled merc spat just saying those words, "Wasn't too keen on Batarians, I see."

"I am a lot of goddamn things. Some of it I'm proud of, others not so much. But I draw the line at fucking slavery. Sure, not every Batarian falls in line with their government. But that is not a lot either."

Well, it was something to note that Zaeed has some standards. But Naruto focused on the information given to him. "Vido betrayed you."

The older man pointed to his glass eye and scar, "He left me a nice going-away present when he turned my men against me."

Remembering when they met, the blue-eyed marksman held back a chuckle to continue the conversation. He was starting to see what the favor was. "I'd assume you want him dead and gone. Guessing that's what you asked Cerberus for?"

Leaning against the wall near the garbage station for the ship, the Merc explained in greater, rather agitated detail. "I deal with my issues, and I plan to keep doing that until I'm buried a mile underground from a spectacular goddamn crash. Especially if it's to kill that fucking asshole, I'd drive the ship into the nearest sun if he was on it with no way out. But we won't need such drastic measures this time around."

"You know where he's set up base for now?"

"Bet your arse I do, and the intel is fresh enough that we'll surprise the bastard. I picked up a mission a while back, something about the Blue Suns running a factory with slaves. I was going to get that done and over with before the priority payment from Cerberus, but now I hear Vido's on the ground for that operation. Not sure how Cererbus managed it, but they slipped that into my private messages while you were down killing tin cans."

Naruto rubbed his chin, "Alright. We deal with Vido." The blond crossed his arms, "I'll leave him to you."

"Appreciate that."

"Deal with the Suns and get those slaves out of there. Get them home."

Zaeed grunted, "Ever the hero, eh kid?"

The blond shrugged, "Family tradition, from what I hear."

"None of my business. As long as Vido's a dead man, rotting as a corpse, I'll put on a cape and swear a goddamn scout oath." With that settled, Zaeed had only one thing left to say. "This Intel won't stay fresh; I'd like to get on this ASAP."

Pushing himself from the wall, Naruto agreed. "Six hours, I'll pull together a small strike team. In the meantime, will you explain the story behind that Krogan helmet?" The grin on the merc only grew, which the blonde was unsure if he would regret asking.

XxX xx XxX

Eyes scanning through the logistics of the past five years, catching up well. *More in my element as a career soldier than a mother... but I'll have my chance to change that one day. Moreover...* She was picking up some minor details that showed a pattern regarding her old friend Hackett.

Before she could finish, the door opened to show a male doctor coming in. "Ah, an honor to meet you. Dr. Hawthorne, night shift."

Former nightshift doctor of the SR-1, jumping to Cerberus with Chakwas about the news with Naruto. The skilled middle-aged Caucasian man with short salt-and-pepper hair and a five-o'clock shadow on the lower half of his oval face gave a respectful nod, "Admiral Kushina." He spoke with a husky masculine rasp. Coming over to the sole patient in the office, he switched on his Omni-tool scanner. "Vitals are looking stable so far." His blue eyes turned to the datapad in the woman's hand, "Still catching up?"

"Got thirty years worth of it."

Shrugging, the doctor looked at the notices Chakwas had left him. With a small groan, he turned to the suitcase-looking device. "One thing in thirty years that's never changed is people skirting AI research. It makes you wonder why they even bother sometimes. It's not worth getting into it with the galactic law-abiding communities."

"Skirting?" the fiery-headed mother asked as she continued reading the report. "I hear the ship's intelligence is fully AI, with shackles."

Shaking his head, he poked at the suitcase. "Not EDI. This one. Cerberus doing shady research is nothing new, and no one aboard the Normandy besides The Illusive Man's cold-shouldered right hand will ever agree with how they do things. But I wonder what that fossil was trying to do with medical AI. Trusting a machine's mathematical code over real medicine makes me nervous."

Turning to him away from her reading, Kushina was curious about his stance. Hers was probably not common even to this day. "Three decades and the notion of AI's still causing fear and hate?"

"Most people will parrot that; I shut my trap on it." Getting his sign-in to the medical terminal, he sighed heavily. "It's not the intelligence part I worry about, but the morality part. If we let numbers run our lives, we'd lose too many living beings to things that could be prevented or helped. And AI's never had a Morality check."

The redhead could see the concern with a nod: "Would it probably be best with organic and synthetic balancing each other out to work together?"

"We'd have a long way before that happens, Admiral."

Another valid point before the revived woman sparked another question, "You were in the SR-1 with my son to deal with Saren?"

"I should have said no to Anderson when he requested me. Who would have guessed I would be dragged all over Citadel space looking for a rogue Spectre allied with an ancient robot wanting to kill us all off by bringing its buddies out from Dark space." Hawthorne grumbled.

"Wasn't boring, at least."

"No offense, admiral, but I'd rather have boring. Karin is the adventurous type."

Returning to her reading, Kushina gave a wry smirk. "Not much fun, are you?"

"Should I be? As long as you and everyone on this ship are patched up, fun can take a backseat. I'm a doctor, after all, not a comedian."

Though she wanted to comment on the comedian part, she wondered something else. "If boring and simple are what you want most, why take this assignment? Forget my track record of trouble, but if missions like the last one are common enough to shrug off, you might be in the wrong post."

Her eyes trained on her with a serious expression; it put off Kushina for a moment before he explained. "If Naruto and Emily are fighting something, they need the best. I'll admit I'm not, but no one is closer to the skills Chakwas has than I am, not even her current apprentice. If their lives being sustained means a peaceful future where I can retire as an old man on his porch, I'll suck up every complaint about how they get so injured and covered in blood I have ever had or will have."

It seemed that was about as much as he was willing to talk about it, though Kushina was impressed with the kinds of people surrounding her son. *More of his father in him; he probably charms every girl he passes with that grin of his.* If only she knew his romantic history.

The doors to the medical bay opened to the Turian and her son's adoptive sister. "Isn't it about time for you to rest, Admiral?" Shepard asked as they entered. "You've been either chatting or looking over reports for most of the time you've regained consciousness."

Kushina eyed both, "Emily Shepard."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And you are Garrus Vakarian of C-SEC."

"I was formerly of C-SEC. I was a vigilante in Omega for a few years until your son's unexpected revival." The Turian bowed formally. "Then we learned about you."

A grunt came from Hawthorne at his desk, "That Illusive Man read way too many comics."

Though that made Emily laugh, Kushina saw the prosthetic arm. "Cerberus not pay enough for a good arm? Even in my day, the Alliance had better ones to give their N7 operatives."

"Not officially with Cerberus, just aboard this ship with Naruto. As one of the top Engineer's to pass with flying colors in the program, I'm not naive enough to bring a sophisticated piece of hardware aboard a vessel with an AI that Cerberus made." Sitting beside the redheaded mother of her brother, the one-armed Spectre removed it to show it off. "It's functional enough for all my needs for this mission."

Looking at it, the woman, out of time, gave it a good once over. She had to admit, the arm was not as shoddy as she thought from just a glance. Giving it back, Kushina was curious. "How you mentioned the AI... It's not that it's an AI, but that it's from Cerberus?"

Garrus shook his head in amusement. "The siblings here have an... unpopular opinion about AI than the rest of Citadel space."

XXX xxx XXX

Faia System, Ismar Frontier is where the SR-2 emerged from the mass relay jump near the planet of their destination, Zorya.

Zaeed stood beside Naruto behind Joker, "If anyone has allergies, stay on the ship. Planet fucks with your sinuses something fierce." The grizzled merc spoke up.

"Good thing I got my allergy shots last month," Jacob snorted, fixing his shotgun and pistol.

"I don't get sick," Grunt remarked.

"Ultimate Krogan and all, right?" The team turned to see Shepard geared up again, adjusting the connections in her prosthetic arm. "Going to tell me what's going on besides keeping me out of the loop?"

It didn't take a mastermind to know who told her. Her brother's cerulean eyes bore holes in the thick hide of the reptile. "I thought my message was clear about not telling anyone else about this for their recovering health."

"Shepard is my Krantt." The massive Krogan said, simply looking over his weapon.

Emily spoke up next. "And I've crossed paths with Vido. Bastard's slipped away every time."

"He's good at running," Zaeed quipped.

Naruto wanted to protest, given what his sister had been through on several missions. But the look on her face said she was not backing down. "Fine. But no unnecessary risks."

"Yes, sir."

As the ship got into orbit, Joker ran a scan. EDI had put in the calculations at light speed before giving them the results. "A landing zone half a kilometer out is advised. My warfare suite can easily disrupt their sensor readings, and if the shuttle arrives from 2 kilometers out at low altitude, you may arrive at the facility nearly undetected."

"Nearly?" Ignoring Joker grabbing his head and acting like he's pulling it off to the side like an old movie's ghostly character, Shepard was curious. "No way to sneak in without detection at all?"

Being the knowledgable one of the group on Vido's tactics, the grunt from the one-eyed man was agitated. "His systems going on the fritz while he's planetside will make him suspicious. He's a skittish bastard, anything out of the norm and he'll send teams out to confirm they aren't being hacked from afar. Lookouts with all sorts of gadgets will be watching every angle with high magnification instruments; even a low altitude drop will be seen eventually. But that's our best way in, as long as we can take out the patrols before they can report back."

"Let's get to the shuttle, then." The group leader turned and started down the walkway as his sister followed suit. "The quicker we hit them, the quicker we save the enslaved workers and kill Vido."

XxX xx XxX

If they thought Zaeed was lying, which they didn't, they were not questioning him anymore. Not five minutes after landing in the jungle, Emily's comm hack, helped by Zaeed's former comm code as a sample to splice, picked up a signal, and they heard a man aggressively ordering patrols to their area of operation. "We'll be seeing patrols. Thankfully, any nearby comm units will have their transmitter signals cut off.

Jacob scanned the area with his pistol at the ready. "How tough are these Suns with Vido?"

"Rougher bunch than the ones trying to go after Archangel back in Omega."

That was all that needed to be said as the team began to move towards their target. The area was mixed with lush jungle and machinery, which could be a double-edged sword for anyone in combat. The blond Uzumaki prayed to the goddess this would work in their favor as they pressed ahead.

The jungle was rough, but thankfully, their path forward wasn't completely overgrown. Hoping over some tree vines and sticking away from anything that looked way too purple to be safe, the team found themselves nearing some bodies on the ground. Grunt sniffed the air and hummed, "It hasn't been a day, but it is still starting to rot. It is not very appetizing."

"And that isn't something we'd like to hear about at the moment," Shepard called out. "But not wrong, must have been hours ago... shot in the back."

Zaeed was listening on the comms, hearing about runaways. "Vido's style. He can't control you; he gets rid of you."

Nearing a side warehouse for the refinery, the group saw some of the Suns talking to each other, with what looked like an engineer connecting into a communications pylon. Shuffling behind some cover, Naruto had his idea. "We can't deal with them getting word about us to Vido just yet. I'll actively jam it on my end and take the engineer out. Jacob, flank right."

"I'll stick with you here at range. Grunt, you and Zaeed keep them from running off." The technical Spectre activated her Omni-bracer, the crossbow construct appearing with a projectile ready to launch.

The group quickly got into position while Naruto soon finished his setup for his hack. With a final tap, he sent it into the coms and omni-tools of the Blue Suns, who noticed nothing before Naruto made the order to strike.

Grunt surprised the Blue Sun heavy coming out from the shadows near him with his hand around the human's neck.

Dragging the Batarian armsman behind enemy lines before propping him up between himself and the enemy, the ultimate Krogan's talons kept that windpipe shut much to the flailing enemy's panic. The Suns were focused on the big brute as their comrade's neck snapped under the force of the grip.

One Batarian in heavy armor thought to run in with his shotgun, and just as he got in close, he was faced with a bigger shotgun that fired point blank to his chest and blew his chest cavity out from behind him. This gave their flanking biotic a chance to lift the engineer, giving a clear shot for Shepard to skewer him with the omni-crossbow and set him ablaze.

*That thing has impressive shield penetration. It was supposed to be my target, though.* Naruto thought as he took a shot to take the shields off a human woman in the back, causing her to panic and run. Zaeed had ample time to race for the path of escape for his former group and finish her off with a quick three-round burst, causing her to fall in pain.

With most of the enemy dead, Naruto let the hack down before calling the all-clear. Grunt let the corpse fall from his grasp and followed the woman with dark brownish-red hair. Making it to Zaeed, they saw the woman without her helmet and taking her last breaths. "Not your fault you backed a bastard... But can't go unpunished for helping hold me down while he shot me in the skull."

On a whim, he applied her painkillers to take away the suffering. As her eyes glazed over, her face looked peaceful. Jacob was curiously interested in that. "Didn't think a former group member would be this merciful."

"My good deed for the day. Used to help me on patrols, 'till Vido got her around his bloody finger. Didn't think she was still around."

Grunt cocked his shotgun, "More."

"Let's get going," Naruto spoke up as they resumed their trek to the factory.

Out of that minor skirmish, they had not encountered any more Suns while making their way up to their destination. It was too quiet for Naruto and Zaeed, who glanced at each other going up a hill that led to the entrance of the factory.

"We should be hearing comms or something," Emily quipped.

"This feels sideways," Jacob remarked.

The team was worried for good reason. Even when they activated a bridge, they knew it was on the network being used; nothing came to their comms. Zaeed had a hunch. He hated his hunch sometimes. "I'm betting the bastard knows we hacked them at this point. Sideways is being positive about it, I wager. They might be setting up for an ambush or worse."

"And now I wish we had a bit more biotic power..." He wasn't wrong. Jacob and he were a great duo, but he always planned barrier protection in an ambush situation.

Knowing her brother, Emily Shepard reassured him as they approached the big metal entrance: "Grunt has heavy armored plating and natural defenses, and I have a tech shield to compare to your biotic aegis. We're defensible. I'll keep Zaeed protected, and you and Jacob will keep Grunt from taking one too many rounds."

"I don't need protecting, Shepard." A grunt came from Grunt as they opened the door, ready for anything.

Zaeed really hated his hunches sometimes...

The moment they entered the factory, they were greeted by a dozen or more Blue Suns, their guns raised on the floor and the platform above them. At the center of the platform was a man around Zaeed's age with dark caramel skin and well-kept short, slicked, backed black hair. His brown eyes held a smug arrogance beside the smirk on his lips.

"Zaeed Massani. Took a bullet to the head and still couldn't die right."

"Vido." The grizzled merc spoke the name like a curse.

"And somehow, another dead man is walking alongside you. How the hell are even you still breathing, Uzumaki?"

The blond shrugged, "Guess hell didn't want me."

Vido snorted a laugh, "HAH! Guess you and Massani have that in common. Should have stayed dead and not roped in by that mad dog."

As the team looked around them, each had been thinking of ways to get out of this without making a mess of things. Zaeed was eyeing pipes whilst Naruto answered the leading member of the Suns. "You'll find even if I hadn't come back from the dead, you'd be dead soon anyway, either from Zaeed, my sister, or one of your clown henchmen who have a hair up their ass about being the true head of the group. Hell, be glad you weren't on Omega recently. Have a Turian onboard that helped wipe those shitstains off the galactic map. We can do this easy or hard, but one way or another..." His body flared in red, not quite the fox-like cloak of biotic energy but enough to instill paralyzing fear in most of the Suns and even Grunt for a brief second. "You'll be a corpse for your cruelty here..."

Vido, to his credit, did not flinch at the glowing crimson biotics from the blond Uzumaki. "The first natural human biotic. Wasted on someone wanting to be a hero. You came from the streets, like Shepard. You both know damn well how the real world works."

"Survival of the fittest. The wolves rule the sheep." Emily quipped.

"Exactly."

Naruto spoke up, "Just because we understand that doesn't mean we agree with it."

The true leader of the Suns shook his head, "Damn shame. Well, I'll make certain hell takes every last one of you. Starting with Zaeed."

"You always did talk too much!" Said Merc, who brought his rifle out in a flash and peppered fire behind the goons up top near Vido, only to hit piping as he rushed behind some cover. This made no sense to the team that stuck together, with Jacob popping a barrier around himself to tank the fire to get into position to shield the impatient bastard.

Vido laughed like a madman as his troops' gunfire started to rain down on them. "Going blind, old friend!?"

"Never was one to see the bigger picture, arsehole!" A single bullet from him again caused the leaking pipes to burst, causing at least half of the Suns up top to be blown around, a few dying instantly whilst others were knocked unconscious.

It's too bad for Zaeed; his nemesis of an old friend wasn't one of either. "You'll die for this Zaeed! Mark my words!" As he ran off the platform, he screamed into his comms. "Get the shuttle prepped for takeoff, and KILL THESE FUCKERS!"

Groaning aloud as he covered Grunt's back, the blonde biotic was not pleased. "Great, now you've done it, you psycho!"

Zaeed was undeterred by Uzumaki's words, "We disrupted the facility and Sun forces. They will be in a mess, and we can take them down easier, no-" His words were interrupted by a hand grabbing his throat and slamming him against the wall.

Crimson energy radiated off the blond with his slite eyes glaring, "You also endangered the civilians Vido had been using as slaves!" Zaeed only gurgled, hanging off the ground with one hand from Naruto. "Now we have to save these people before this place blows to hell and kill Vido!" The blond brought the old merc close to his face, "And you will be helping us to save the civilians, or you're going wish Vido finished and not me!"

He dropped Zaeed hard to the ground as he gasped for air.

As Naruto started walking, Zaaed stood up, also pissed. "When I asked for a favor from Cerberus, the payment for my services wasn't just the bloody credits! They got me in contact with a job broker for this refinery, knowing Vido was running things from a distance. When I found out he was coming here, I wasn't going to let this chance slide! He dies today, on this planet, in this refinery if I can damned well make it happen!"

The dark-haired sister of the earth siblings was nearly ready to tear his head apart herself, but her brother stepped up first. The control in his emotions, the stoic look, with eyes piercing like precision lasers with the power of a dozen suns, was enough to stop her from saying anything. But her mind was racing for a solution. *If these two don't compromise, we lose Vido, the refinery, AND Zaeed all in one go...*

Even Grunt was feeling like facing this biotic human was suicide at the moment. Not wrong, as said biotic spoke icily. "That was the plan, I made my promise, I never break my word... But you promised the civilians would be safe."

"Don't go soft on me, and I'm not some noble soul. Vido's death has been my goal for twenty years! If a few small fry go out so bloody poorly, then so fucking be it!" His blood ran cold the moment he stopped talking, for the cloak that formed around Naruto was nearly blood red, ears sprouting above his head and swirling energy swishing behind him.

"Then fuck your vendetta." Eyes slit and red now, something that spooked the one-eye with even more worry.

Knowing his pressure, the only one not paralyzed came up and put her metallic hand on his shoulder. "Enough. We don't have time for this." Before any retort came, she looked into her brother's eyes. "Remember that bullshit with the Salarian on Lopori station? Time to give Zaeed a taste of the same medicine."

Knowing the very incident, Naruto calmed down, clutching his rifle. Turning to Zaeed, he gave one declaration to the team. "Everyone, the ground team leader for this squad is now Shepard. Don't wait up for me..." Smirking like a feral animal, he directed Zaeed. "You want Vido gone; I want these people saved... Challenge accepted." With that, he left in a hurry forward to do just that.

Zaeed watched in surprise and then screamed at the blonde. "Get back here, you coward!"

"Massani!" Emily shouted with authority, "You are with me and the others. Don't fall behind!"

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Having managed to burst into the burning side of the facility, biotics kept any hair from scorching. As he searched for survivors, Naruto hoped they were already evacuating. "Anyone alive in here!? HEY! We're here to save you from the Suns!"

An explosion rang out overhead, and some debris started falling on him, but quick thinking saved him as he caught it with his biotics and laid the slab of scaffolding to the side. Before he could run to check the next room, he heard the ringing of a door like one would if it refused access. The sound was even louder, in truth. Making his way around the room, he was stopped by flaming jets of fuel bursting from the pipe. "Damn it..."

Over an intercom, he heard a woman coughing and panicking. "Help us! We're in the room above you! We're locked in, and the fuel line is about to —CHAUH KHUGH!" It was clear their room was filling with gaseous fumes.

"I'll get you out, hold on!" Growling as he looked up and saw the room in question and the smoke, the biotic powerhouse went for his Omni-tool, scanning passively for any routes from that room to safety as he started running programs to redirect fuel lines.

"Trust your instincts." That deep voice once again spoke in his mind.

"That is what I'm doing, crazy voice."

The voice snorted, "You use your head well enough. I approve of that. But try combining it once in a while. You might reach further than you think."

Not really sure what the voice was getting at, he finished re-routing the gas so he could safely get through. Now, with nothing impeding his way forward, Naruto ran up to the room and saw the forced laborer having every issue breathing and an even harder time opening the stuck door. Though he knew the system to save the facility did matter, that could be hacked into later. *No time to think. I don't make idle promises, Dattebayo!* "Move from the glass!"

The ones who were too close did as told, and he took hold of the safety glass with his biotics. No time to worry; he just focused as he pulled, and the entire thing crashed out and rained on the floor below the room into the inferno. Jumping in and slapping a remote splint on the console, the red slit iris' stared at the door to freedom, and he used his red aura to feel for every safety lock and break them open, forcing the door to come undone. As the path was clear, he helped them through until they all made it outside.

One of the men looked at the fox-cloaked biotic and bowed in respect. "Thank you... We're in your debt."

"No, you're not. And you're not out of the woods yet. This place might blow if I can't hack the system in time. Get out of the area and to a safe location nearby." Taking a beacon signal from his pack, he handed it to the man. "Keep this on you. A shuttle will come to get you after we're done taking out the Suns. You'll see home again."

With everyone thanking him with even more vigorous enthusiasm, he just ran back inside to see what he could do about the system. It wasn't looking good. *Alright... Not many choices.*

"No need to save the facility... But if you must minimize the damage, what keeps this place from exploding?" The voice tried to reason.

A few ideas came to mind, but Naruto only knew one that was most likely to work. "Fire needs fuel, so... take away the fuel." Running the operations from the base code, he tried dumping the fuel away from any containment so there wouldn't be any more explosive surprises, only burnt resources.

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Bullets fired from Emily and the others as they came across Blue Suns through the factory. Heavy fire rained from both sides while the building around them was falling apart in flames.

"You'd think self-preservation be their focus!" Jacob quipped, hiding behind some cover with the others

Zaeed scoffed, "Vido scares them enough to ignore that."

A roar drew everyone's attention, as Grunt was the only member of their team not taking cover and tore through several Suns with ease.

The area ahead was thankfully as much a chokepoint for them as it was for the Suns, but the forces converging on them had stalled their progress. With another being lifted into the air by Jacob, Zaeed took their shields down before finishing them off. "My intel said they had a small army; I feel we've nearly gotten through that by this point!"

"Then let's-" Before the squad leader could advance formation, the left side went up like a bonfire, causing a lot of hidden Suns to scorch to death. That was good news in one way, but what came from the flames made Emily grimace. "Of course, they'd have giant mechs... And are those additional launchers!?"

Being too in front, Grunt was not in a great position. "Need some backup, Shepard!"

"Cover fire, NOW YOU TWO!" She took her shotgun and got ready to spend through her thermal clips like she did with Kasumi's heist. "Take that fuck down!"

Just as they started firing, they saw a red field surround Grunt and yank him back behind cover, and a wave of red biotics zip past them, showing Naruto with his biotic fox cloak still going. He looked back at them briefly before his hand rose into the air and, within, swirled the dark matter into a spherical whirlwind of power. To his sister's surprise, as he did not register it himself in the heat of the moment, it was even more crimson. "DUCK!"

Though she listened, both Jacob and Zaeed watched as he forced the ball of biotic power through the giant Ymir mech's heavy armor and then let it explode, causing his target to become an unrecognizable scrap.

But that was not all the blast had done as the force struck all the Suns around the mech and sent them flying everywhere, screaming.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!" Jacob yelled before ducking with Zaeed as bodies and metal came flying their way.

The grizzled mercenary tried to peek over from their spot only to duck back down as a burst of flame came over their heads, "What the fuck is he!?"

No one answered. Naruto stood at ground zero before looking around to notice the smarter group of Suns who ducked just before he attacked stood up from their cover and began to fire their weapons at the blond. The blue slit eyes of Grunt bore witness to the human commander of the Normandy seemingly vanishing in a burst of speed the eyes could not register and attacked the enemy with deadly savagery.

With every Blue Sun dead, their defenses in ruins, and the facility burning with less destruction than it was before, the team regrouped. Naruto's cloak sizzled out of existence around him, his eyes returning to their natural gleaming blue as he drew his rifle once more. "Civvies are safe, and the area is secured. I re-routed the fuel so the place won't blow anymore, but it'll still burn to the ground eventually."

"Then all that's left is Vido, " his sister informed him. Seeing her brother using his omni-tool to configure his sights, she nodded and turned towards the team. "Let's move; there's no time to waste. Right, Zaeed?"

That display shocked him into forgetting the reason he came here, but being reminded had him cursing. "He's probably already on the shuttle! Fucking hell!" In a dead sprint, he rushed to catch up before the thing left.

As Shepard led the others behind him, Grunt and Jacob took notice that their blonde squadmate was following with less urgency. Something told the tank-bred that this patience would pay off in a way he would like.

Dodging debris, Zaeed came to a shut door; he was quick to open it to see a shuttle and only Vido entering inside it. Raising his rifle, the older man rained bullets at the shuttle as it began to come to life and rise into the air. Emily and the others soon arrived to hear Zaeed roar while Vido mocked them on their comms.

Grunt looked back to Naruto who walked casually beside him with his sniper rifle at the ready.

"Try in another twenty years, Massani!" Santiago declared.

Raising his rifle, Naruto focused on the scope. His blue eyes turned crimson-slit. His breathing was even and calm. His finger rubbed against the trigger. He waited as the shuttle moved further and further until it came right into his sight. He pulled the trigger. "You're already dead, Vido." Naruto quipped on his comm.

"Go fu-" Vido's voice went dead on the comm.

Everyone watched as the shuttle suddenly flipped overhead and then dived to the ground, crashing to the jungle floor. As the Spectre with red-tinted brown hair turned to her brother, a smirk present, she relinquished command. "Command of this squad goes back to Naruto Uzumaki. Orders?"

Clearing comms, the blonde pinged the shuttle. "Shuttle picks us up; we head to the crash site and confirm the death of Vido Santiago. If he still breathes, Zaeed's got the first go on the double tap."

The one-eyed merc could only listen as he stared at the rising smoke in the distance. His thoughts were a whirlwind, and his understanding of the situation changed by the second. Behind him, between him and the others, the Cerberus shuttle that carried them in landed and opened its doors for extraction.

XxX xxx XxX

The shuttle landed at the wreckage of Vido's ship. Zaeed stepped out as the door opened. His sole surveyed the area before coming to a stop at the half-burned body of Vido. The man's armor was heavily charred, kicking the body over. A hole clear as day glared in the man's forehead.

Naruto walked beside Zaeed with both being in silence.

"Good shot."

"Thanks."

The older man glanced at the blond, "I'm your man, Uzumaki. Thanks." with that, Zaeed spat at Vido's corpse before walking back to the shuttle.

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The ride back to the SR-2 was quiet, save Zaeed looking over his weapons.

It was almost painful how silent it was, but Jacob looked over to his former Corsair in training buddy. "Want to tell me what the hell you did back there? Because that's some biotic god-type stuff."

"What do you mean?" It wasn't clear to him how others viewed his actions. *All I did was use my signature technique on that mech after zooming in. Starting to get how this biotic flash forward works, thanks to that prick Kabuto.*

His sister helped answer a bit. "Started against Saren. Even more powerful now, though." Turning to the blue-eyed powerhouse, she nodded. "That thing was like blood red, and the power behind it was four times as much with an explosive ending. Not to mention, you just teleported up front faster than anyone could have run. Your Biotics are getting even stronger, and that cloak you've started to use is becoming more frequent."

"And you pulled me behind cover like I was as light as a twig. Biotics or not, it's impressive. The little naked human in the hold should be very scared to test you, Uzumaki. Even I'm thinking twice." The type of praise that only a Krogan could deliver had made Naruto wonder what was happening to him.

The blond only blinked with a bewildered expression. "I... Was?"

"You didn't notice at all," Jacob inquired, garnering a shake of the head from his old partner, "Damn... Maybe let Mordin and Chakwas have a look over you. Just in case."

That would probably be best.

It was not long before the shuttle entered the Normandy.

Piling out of the shuttle, Zaeed gave Naruto a pat on the shoulder. "I was wrong. I'm an arsehole, but I usually pride myself on doing the jobs I agree to on the terms agreed upon. I agreed we'd save those people, and I fucked up the whole thing. It doesn't matter how you did it; you kept your word. I'll be keeping mine even to my grave. Zaeed Massanni's behind your idealist bullshit, now."

Patting the man on the back in return, the two hurried to the elevator. Their understanding was complete, and the day was far from over. As the team was setting their weapons in order in the armory room, Jacob hit up his terminal, finding a few messages. A couple of spam mails, a letter from an old acquaintance about his work with Cerberus still... but one caught his eye and had him frozen in place. Naruto noticed and shook him from his stupor. "What's up?"

Jacob looked up, he was silent for a moment, "...My father..."

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