W.i.t.G

Twice in one year? You are some lucky readers aren't you!

Thank you to those of you who have come back: new readers; new followers and reviewers. Your engagement truly does make a difference.

Right, well, let's crack on with it shall we?

The Mako rumbled across Ontarom's rugged, verdurous terrain; large pollen spores bounced off of the APC nonchalantly as it continued towards its destination - a lone bunker located at the bottom of a sunken valley.

At face value, the planet appeared to be an exotic paradise: although it was uncomfortably hot on the surface, the shallow seas and nitrogen-oxygen rich atmosphere meant most known species could thrive here, if given the chance. Various wildlife, fauna, and picturesque views could be sold to the next generation of human colonists wishing to break away and enjoy the colonial lifestyle.

The raging electrical storms, however, would have been a fly in the ointment for the corporations trying to fully settle the planet. From the decaying orbit of Ontrarom's moon, Thornal, the planet's magnetic field had begun generating increasingly powerful electrical storms and tidal events; a force of nature that the commander and his team certainly found terrifying, and awe-inspiring.

Sat within the Mako, very few words were passed among the heavily armed group. Their commander's mood perfectly reflected the thunder that boomed in the distance; volatile, explosive and unpredictable.

Kaidan really hated it when Shepard got like this.

Although the human titan didn't have that maniacal gleam in his eye, something had managed to piss him off - again. The Butcher had perched himself in the back of the APC and had barely said two words to his compatriots before they set off.

They didn't even really know why they were here; the commander hadn't been as forthcoming as to why they'd diverted from their original course of the Citadel. They were supposed to be giving an in-person report to the Alliance brass as to the apparent destruction of Cerberus, and rendezvousing with Shepard's long lost sister, the other Shepard.

Most of the marines on board were simply looking forward to blowing off some steam and shooting the shit down in the Wards for a weekend before they were dragged across the Attican Traverse again. Now, they were on standby in case shit hit the fan and an immediate extraction was needed.

Alenko gave a quick shake of his head as he continued to drive the Mako past a herd of what appeared to be -space cows?- the tires of the mako grinding against loose chips of stone and earth as the Mako sluggishly climbed another small outcropping.

A small ding from the back of the APC was the only noise that could be heard for a time; eventually, Shepard grunted, "Well, I'll be damned..."

It was Ash- Gunnery Chief Williams, that replied first: "What's wrong, Skipper? More trouble?"

A short bark of laughter and Shepard gave a small smile, "The opposite, actually Chief. We just got some good news for a change."

Warbled, tinny laughter met these words as Tali turned around in her seat, "Saren's decided to kill himself? The geth have all shut down and we can all go home? That kind of good news? If so, the first round's on you Captain."

"I said good news, not a miracle Princess."

"Fre'eg."

Gunny Williams gave a small smile as she thought back to hearing her Quarian squad mate speaking Khelish to her commander, and how annoyed she'd gotten - now, it was almost second nature to hear the pair teasing and ribbing each other.

"What's the word, Skip?"

Shepard leant forward in his seat, a new rifle having been taken off his back and now cradling in his hands: "Firstly, I should probably let you know why we're down here in the first place. I spoke to an agent of the Shadow Broker several hours ago-"

At the mention of 'Shadow Broker', Kaidan's attention slipped and the Mako did a lurch as he quickly corrected their course.

"Eyes on the road, Lieutenant. I want to get to this base in one fucking piece."

A slight blush filled the human biotics cheeks; his response clipped as he hurriedly lied: "Sorry, sir. One of those... Space cow's... Walked in front of us. Looked pretty shifty to me; I swerved out of the way so I didn't hit it."

"Next time, run the fucker over. Shifty or not, it's a cow - if it's stupid enough to get in the way, then that's its problem. Vakarian can clean the wheels and undercarriage when we get back aboard the Normandy if they make a mess."

"Aye aye, Commander."

Shifting the rifle in his hands unsteadily, the human juggernaut continued speaking - his attention primarily focusing on Ashley and Tali: "Like I was saying, I spoke to an agent of the Shadow Broker. Some words were shared; insults and facts. Some hard truths as well. But I digress... The Shadow Broker's agent provided us with intel regarding a series of murders that have been occurring in the Traverse. Four 'Alliance' scientists and their security details have been found dead in the last couple of weeks; clean kills. Admiral Hackett was kind enough to inform me as we were approaching planet-side about it as well - it was apparently 'good we were in the area'. The brass have been aware of these murders, but they first attributed it to pirate attacks. Hackett, however, thinks there's something else to it. When I mentioned I had intel that these 'Alliance' scientists might have actually been working for Cerberus, he didn't even ask how I knew. He just wants the situation to be dealt with - quickly, and quietly."

Silence reigned for a time; every ground team member present in the Mako seemed to be thinking the same thing: how far did this Cerberus threat spread? How many more bases would need to be destroyed? How many more commando's were to be efficiently dispatched to their respective makers?

Before they could ponder much longer, another chime resounded in the small cabin; Shepard activated his omni-tool - allowing the speaker to be heard by everyone present - before gruffly speaking aloud, "Report."

A crackle of static could be heard at first before Master Sergeant Rohan answered, "We've finished surveying what planetary materials we could find, Commander. Vakarian also managed to find another one of those 'turian insignias' you've been looking for; the krogan, Wrex, and Dr T'Soni found some prothean discs as well. We've got one last pre-fab to inspect for supplies, but then we should be good to get off of this rock."

Pride laced Shepard's words, "Well done, Sergeant. Good work. Rendezvous with Joker and get yourselves safe; we should be done down here soon."

"Copy that, sir. Devil-1, out."

With the comms having been disconnected, the only sound that could be heard was the Mako trundling along - churning the ground up every now and again when Kaidan hit a rocky patch; silent swears punctuating the rattle of the APC as its passengers were constantly jostled.

It was the slightly Slavic, warbly tone of the quarian 'Princess' that spoke next, "So... Do we think there's a Cerberus base down here, Captain?"

"No, Tals, I think we dealt with Cerberus back on Nepeheron. I think... No, I know, that Cerberus have been involved in more things than the brass want to admit to. Hackett wants us to clean house. Again. Also, the Shadow Broker's under the impression that Cerberus were responsible for the... massacre at Akuze. And I think that these murdered scientists had a hand in it. According to Alliance records, the scientists were all part of the same team; received the same funding and enjoyed the same privileges of the highest security clearance we have to offer. Bones, Markham, Ndumu, and Shen... All of them have been found murdered - and I think their killer's here. There was one scientist, a Doctor Wayne, that was part of the original team that's still breathing, and he was stationed here a few months ago. Funnily enough, the research facility sent out a distress warning a couple of hours ago, so I think we're just in time."

Once more, silence reigned.

Another bump, and the APC suddenly flew through the air. For what felt like hours the Mako soared, before heavily plummeting to the ground again.

With a clatter, Shepard began to rub his head where he'd collided with the roof, "For fucks sake, Alenko! What was that?!"

The lieutenant didn't even turn around as he began flicking various switches, "Thunderstorm was rolling in, sir. We had to get as low as possible so we didn't get fried. We should be at the base in fifteen minutes, give or take."

Shepard slowly nodded his head as he checked on his subordinates, "Everyone good?"

Murmurs of discontent and annoyance permeated the cabin as both Tali and Ashley began to sit upright again.

"I'm good, Skipper. Nothing's broken... I think..."

"I'm fine, Captain. I think I might have to admit that your driving's better than the Lieutenant's... And that's saying something."

Chief Williams gave a small chuckle as Shepard's face began to warm; his hand reaching to the back of his neck - his rifle laying in his lap: "My driving's not that bad is it?"

"A blind turian could use the stick up his ass to drive, and he'd be better than you are Skipper. Then again, he'd be better than Kai- Lieutenant Alenko, sir."

'Another slip of the tongue?' Shepard mused. There was certainly something going on between his two human squad mates; whatever it was though, it would have to wait. All the Lion of Elysium wanted to do was find out who was killing these Cerberus scientists, and get back to the Citadel to reunite with Abby.

Although in her reply she stated she understood the change of plans, he still felt somewhat guilty having to make her wait a little bit longer to learn about his past, in person.

When no further comments were forthcoming, Shepard let out a quiet sigh before speaking once more, "So, we're going to find out what we can about these scientists and their work - see if it has any connection to Akuze. If their murderer's here, I don't know yet whether to buy them a steak dinner or put them in the ground - it could be the remnants of Cerberus cleaning house for all we know. But... That wasn't the good news I received earlier."

None of the APC's inhabitants said anything as they waited for their commander to continue: "One of the Shadow Broker's agents has just made me a very lucrative offer. You know those mods and weapons we seized on Nepheron?"

Two heads merely nodded in response as Alenko kept his attention on keeping the Mako the right side of up.

Chris gave a grunt as he opened the message up and proffered it to his teammates, "Well, the Shadow Broker wants to apparently take some of them off my hands. If I so choose, I'm to meet with a broker on the Citadel - some volus called 'Barla Von' - and if they're satisfied, because of my previous assistance in a matter-"

Ashley and Tali looked at each other, an unspoken question passing between them as Shepard continued; "-the Shadow Broker's willing to pay us ten million credits. To help with our 'campaign', apparently."

At the words 'ten million', Lieutenant Alenko lost concentration again and the Mako swerved up a rock before colliding with the ground. After engaging the jump jets, the Mako corrected itself, and remained idle.

"Another shifty cow, Kaidan?" Shepard laughed as he collected his rifle from the floor.

"Did you say ten million credits?!"

Similar exclamations came from the other ground team members:

"Christ, Skip... Ten million credits for some weapon mods?! What did you do exactly for the Shadow Broker to like us that much?"

"Keelah, Shepard... That's... That's a lot of money..."

Chris barked out a laugh as he directed Kaidan to get them moving again, "Yes. Ten million credits. But that's only if I choose to sell them to this 'Barla Von'. I will admit though, we could certainly use that money to get everyone some new equipment; armour, upgrades, ammo mods. You know, the usual."

The Mako roared to life again as it began to climb another steep outcropping. Eventually, they came to a stop on some flat terrain; at the top of a large hill. In the distance, a powerful thunderstorm boomed as bolts of lightning impacted the ground; dreary grey clouds looming in the horizon.

For a moment, everything was still.

The ground team members all took a collective moment to appreciate their surroundings, before it was Tali that spoke, "I noticed you don't have your usual rifle, Captain. You're not going to be selling that to the Shadow Broker too, are you? I thought-"

Tali abruptly stopped speaking as she noticed the sudden frown on Shepard's scarred features; his eyes holding a level of sorrow she hadn't seen for a long time.

"Tali's right, Skipper. I thought it was weird you weren't using your Lancer - where is it?"

A slight hitch in his voice; a crack of emotion belied Shepard's feelings as his eyes sunk to the rifle he now cradled in his hands, "I-I'm not gonna sell 'Lucy'... But, I fucked up."

It was Kaidan that spoke now, having turned around in his seat, "What happened, Shepard?"

Squeezing the handle of his new rifle, the commander peered upwards - the waiting eyes, although showing concern for their leader, only added to the growing pit of guilt in the bottom of his stomach; especially when he remembered speaking to Ashley after Binthu: "The polonium harpoon ammo block... It's stuck. I can't get it out properly without damaging the other parts. The damn thing's a relic - it was used in the First Contact War by Lucy's Dad, and it was passed down to her... And I've fucking tainted it by using that batarian ammo mod. So now I'm stuck with the equipment we took from Cerberus on Nepheron."

Ashley quickly spoke next, a small smile gracing her features; "I'm sure we can fix it, Skipper. I can take a look at it when we're next back aboard, if you'd like? God knows I service everyone else's equipment; I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a relic from the First Contact War."

Tali interjected, her tone laced with concern for her Nehya, "Everything can be fixed, Shepard. It just takes the right tools and time; if anyone knows that, it's a quarian. I can take a look at it if you like?"

The Butcher gave another grunt; a small sniffle as he hefted his new workhorse in his hands: "I appreciate the offers - truly. But I owe it to Lucy, and Michael - her dad - to fix it."

Everyone remained silent for a time; a loud crack of thunder sounded in the distance to punctuate the gravity of Shepard's statement.

Gunny Williams tried to change the subject; lighten the mood somewhat: "I've never seen a rifle like that before though, sir. It looks mean as hell - like it could certainly ruin someone's day."

Chris shook his head gently as he stared at the various attachments he'd added to it, "It's certainly newer than anything I've used in a while. We'll have to wait and see what it can do I suppose. The requisitions officer aboard the Normandy thinks it's a prototype of some sort; he'd never seen anything like it. Offered me half a million credits for it, then and there."

Kaidan gave a low whistle as he started the Mako's engines again, "What is it with you and being offered exorbitant sums of money, sir?"

Chief Williams gave a small chuckle as Shepard carried on staring at his rifle, "Has the Gunny been teaching you new words, Lieutenant?"

A choked splutter came from Alenko as Ashley's face broke out in a fierce blush; Tali's helmet emitting a slight warble as she leant back in her seat, chuckling softly.

"N-No, sir. I've just been reading more, that's all..."

Shepard's lips curled in a vicious grin as he twisted the proverbial knife in, a little deeper, "Is that what we're calling it now, Lieutenant? 'Reading'?"

Before Kaidan could reply, Gunny Williams' response cut everyone off - her tone clipped and laced with a steely undertone that even stunned Shepard, "I've been teaching Lieutenant Alenko about old Earth poetry, sir. It would be highly improper for enlisted service personnel to be engaging in any form of fraternisation - the Normandy might be the best deployment I've ever had, but rules are still rules - sir. A Williams knows that better than anyone."

Nobody said anything for a time; the cracking of thunder in the distance and the crunch of rocks bouncing off of the hull of the APC being the only notable sounds. Kaidan let out a small cough, "Yeah... What the Chief said."

Shepard's face was impassive as he stared at his subordinates; Ashley being the only one who met his gaze - coolly.

"Noted, Gunny. I'm sorry. I meant no offense."

Chief Williams continued to stare down her superior, before a warm smile replaced her icy demeanour, "No offense taken, Skipper. I'd be happy to speak to you about poetry if you can drag yourself out of engineering or visiting Dr T'Soni long enough."

Lieutenant Alenko let out a shaky chuckle as Tali looked between the two human warriors in the back of the APC.

The young quarian thought she knew enough about humans at this point; serving on a human warship for a few months was certainly an enlightening experience. But then the bosh'tets would do things like this and she really didn't want to try and break up any kind of physical altercation between them, if it came to that. Quarians, Tali realised, were much simpler to understand.

Humans were... Complicated.

Chris continued to stare at his subordinate, his tone humorous as he replied, "I'd like that, Williams."

Before an awkward silence could settle, Tali spoke up next - her omni-tool aglow as she began scanning her captain's new rifle, "Keelah Captain... Some of these modifications aren't even listed on the extra-net... What do they do exactly?"

Happy for the chance to speak about something else, the human titan began pointing out various parts: "From what I could understand, the internal mechanisms and heatsink are made with 'frictionless materials', meaning I can fire for longer before having to wait for it to vent; kinetic coils improve firing stability and reduce kickback, whilst also improving projectile velocity."

Tali was nodding her head whilst Ash looked on with rapt attention - Shepard continued, pointing to a scope on the top of his rifle, "There's an advanced VI package built into the weapon's optics which can directly feed into my helmet, as well as a combat radar that can ping enemies from up to a hundred metres away. It messes with my tactical cloak though, so I've got to make a decision before we deploy what's more important."

The quarian engineer was about to speak before Gunny Williams pointed to Shepard's barrel, "What attachment's this, Skip? I've never seen a barrel like this before."

The commander gave a grunt as he balanced the rifle on its stock; the barrel facing the ceiling of the Mako, "It's called a 'Hyper Rail' apparently. Cerberus have got some fucking strange terminology - but it's funny you mention it; the Shadow Broker's agent specifically said they wanted every one we've got. I'm gonna test it out and see why they're willing to pay so much for it."

"What about ammo mods, sir?" Alenko said, as the Mako came to a slow stop at the edge of the large hill they currently resided upon.

"Well... Those batarian ammo blocks got fucking spaced the first chance I got, and I'll never use anything like that again. I did, however, install some different mods - I can swap between two pre-installed mods; 'Inferno Rounds', and 'Snowblind Rounds'. I've got no idea what they can do, but it's fair to assume they either set things on fire or freeze anything dumb enough to be attacking me."

Everyone nodded appreciatively as they waited for Shepard to continue speaking. When no further explanation was forthcoming, the lieutenant spoke aloud, "We're here, sir. The bunker's right below us. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary though..."

Before the commander could respond, a blazing shuttle screamed past them - flames spitting from its sides and black smoke billowing from its thrusters as it impacted the mountain range across from them.

Within an instant, Shepard had readied himself and was outside the Mako - his rifle scanning all around them.

A mass accelerator round suddenly impacted the Mako's shields; the human titan taking cover behind the APC's large wheels. Looking down his newly installed optics, he began to sweep the surrounding horizon, before barking out his orders: "Tali, boost our shields. Williams, find out where we're being shot from; Alenko, get ready to charge us down to the bunker!"

"Shouldn't you get back in here, sir?! You're a sitting duck out there!" Kaidan roared as another round impacted the ground close to them. The Mako's turret began scanning all around them; the coaxial machine gun coming online and checking for hostiles close by.

Before Chris could reply, his comms blared into life, Rohan's voice filtering through. Sounds of combat sounded in the background: "Commander!"

"Report, Sergeant. What's happening?!"

"We're under attack, sir. Looks like mercs - I've got around fifteen armed hostiles trying to breach our perimeter; it seems like more just keep coming though. We'd just finished up cleaning out the last abandoned pre-fab and securing what supplies we could find before Ramirez got hit-."

"Is she?-" Concern leaked through as rage began to fill Shepard's veins.

"She'll live, sir. She took a concussive blast to the head, but Dr T'Soni's looking after her-" An explosion sounded in the background as Rohan panted; a short burst of rifle fire could be heard before he continued speaking, "What are your orders, sir? Do you want us to break cover and make our way to you?"

"Negative, Sergeant. You'll be too exposed."

Looking around, Shepard quickly weighed up his options, before the sudden realisation of the best plan available came to the forefront of his mind. Peering into the Mako, Shepard looked towards his squad mates; three sets of eyes stared back at him, waiting for his orders.

"Alenko, take Tali in the Mako and rendezvous with Rohan and the others. They're pinned down by mercs; break their lines and radio the Normandy for immediate exfil. Extract with them."

"Captain, I can stay here and fight-"

With a raised hand, the commander stopped the 'Princess' in her tracks; "That's an order, Tali."

With a nod of her head, Tali acquiesced - Kaidan began flicking multiple switches to get the Mako's navigation systems back online and the engines engaged.

"Williams, you're with me. We're gonna bullrush the bunker and take the valley by storm - they won't be expecting us to go in on foot. Anything and everything is now to be considered hostile and taken out. I don't care if they are mercs, or Cerberus - I want them dead. Understood?"

A vicious grin split the young human marine's lips as she drew her own assault rifle: "Aye aye, Commander."

Activating his comms once again, Shepard rested his rifle's stock in the crook of his shoulder, "Sergeant, Lieutenant Alenko and Tali'Zorah are on their way in the Mako. Hold your position until they get there - your priority is survival; keep everyone alive. They may have aerial support, so watch the skies. Bug out when the Normandy gets there and there are no more hostiles in the vicinity. Understood?"

A slight crackle punctuated the veteran marine's reply, "Acknowledged. Devil-1, out."

Ashley jumped out of the open hatch before Chris slammed his gauntleted hand on the side of the APC, "Get moving, Lieutenant!"

Within seconds, the large tires of the Mako were screeching as the human biotic floored it. Moments later, the Mako soared through the air as it careened off the side of the hill, intent on making it to the beleaguered defenders position as soon as possible.

Crouching behind a rocky outcropping, the Butcher signalled Ashley to fall in behind him. Once in position, the two wordlessly counted down before rushing out of cover and making a beeline down the verdurous hillside, towards the bunker's entrance.

For the first one hundred metres, no shots were fired. The mercs merely looked on in astonishment as they saw two heavily armed humanoids charge towards them.

They'd fired a few warning shots at the gleaming white APC, hoping it would give the new arrivals pause and cause them to flee. Who wanted to fight an unknown enemy after all?

The shuttle crashing into the mountainside had certainly shaken them all out of their stupor; when their armoured vehicle had barely taken any damage; their rounds merely glancing its tough shields, the mercs had begun to get worried. They hadn't heard from the recon team in a while, and they weren't as well-manned at the bunker's entrance as they would have liked; most of the available mercs having been sent by their employer to check out the proximity alert at the abandoned pre-fabs.

There were only five of them defending the Alliance bunker: two humans, an asari, a salarian and a krogan. The previous humans defending the scientific complex weren't expecting a thirty-strong band of heavily armed mercs attacking them, so any fighting had been realistically minimal.

Easy credits, for easy work.

But now, it seemed like a bigger fight was heading straight towards them.

Every available merc had their respective weapons aimed at the hillside now; biotics flaring and tech programs being primed.

It was the small, lithe salarian who activated his comms, his tone laced with panic as he aimed a sidearm at the humanoid warriors barrelling towards them, "Uhh... Boss? We've got a problem out here!"

A gruff voice responded; his tone gravelly and laced with anger. The slight lisp, however, defused some of the vitriol punctuating the reply: "What do you mean 'problem'?"

"There's two humans, I think, charging right at us! They're heavily armed; they look like they could be more of a problem than those 'Cerberus' personnel we put down when we got here. We've got shuttles crashing all around us too! We haven't heard from the others at the pre-fabs... It's all going to hell!"

"Then do what you're being paid for. Kill them. We've nearly cracked the encryption into the last of the sealed rooms; Wayne won't get away... I'll personally make sure of it."

"But... Boss, I don't think you heard me - what about the rest of the team? They could be dead for all we know!"

"That's the job. Now do yours, and delay them. Or I'll deal you with you when I get back topside."

With that statement, the comms disconnected. The two humanoids - no, definitely humans - were still charging right towards them. They seemed to be only a couple hundred metres away at this point...

The salarian merc licked his lips nervously as he croaked out his orders, "W-We're to delay them whilst the boss finishes up; take them out!"

One of his human compatriots laughed incredulously as he let a round off from his sniper rifle, "Did you say 'delay them'? There's only two of them for fucks sake. Grow a spine! Fucking salarians..."

A rumbling laugh; like gravel falling down a mountainside, echoed in the valley as their krogan ally began to charge forward to meet the two humans: "Finally! Something else for me to kill!"

Chris and Ashley were panting hard as they continued sprinting downhill; it was incredibly hot and running at a breakneck pace in full gear was not a fun time for either marine.

Between ragged breaths, Ashley voiced her concerns aloud, "Why aren't they firing at us Skipper?!"

Shepard grunted as he began to feel the familiar burning sensation of red-hot pain surging in his left leg again; "Who expects to be attacked on foot when they've got a defensible position?! They're probably as confused as you are Williams!"

A short bark of laugher as Ashley avoided a large hole in the hillside: "Nothing's ever easy with you, is it sir?"

With a vicious grin plastered on his face, Shepard began selecting 'Snowblind Rounds' on his assault rifle, "Nope! But hey, you know the famous phrase: 'Death smiles at us all. All we can do, is smile back.' When you get in range, light the fuckers up!"

Getting close enough to better see the defending mercs, a sudden mass accelerator round impacting the ground just in front of Shepard caused the large marine to swear violently.

"Looks like they've woken up - fire at will Chief!"

"Copy!" A precise burst of gunfire from Ashley's rifle - an 'Avenger VI' - hit one of the human mercs directly in the chest. The precise grouping caused the merc to fly backwards and tumble over a set of crates that had been set up as makeshift cover.

Charging towards them was a krogan; not as big as Wrex, but certainly a threat in their own right.

'Let's see what this Cerberus equipment can do exactly...'

A VI interface quickly brought up real-time information regarding the charging krogan; gently squeezing the trigger of his new rifle, Shepard watched in astonishment, and then amazement, as a bright white flash erupted from the barrel. Within moments the large alien warrior's body was peppered with, what looked like, hundreds of marble sized holes that began to freeze at the point of impact.

The projectiles had ripped right through the krogan's shields; like a finely honed blade slicing through a sheet of paper.

A wheezing moan escaped the krogan's lips as he numbly looked at his bullet ridden torso; his orange life blood leaking onto the verdant hillside; his shotgun having been weakly dropped out of his dying grip. Falling to his knees, the krogan merc could only dumbly look towards his killer as Shepard drew nearer.

"W-W-What..."

With an unceremonious kick, the Butcher jumped atop the merc's dying form before pulling the trigger once more - shards of ice erupted from the krogan's wounds as he could feel in his last moments, his limbs shattering.

Silence reigned for a moment as everyone present watched the spectacle of the execution. The three remaining mercs watched on, fully aware they weren't going to see any of the pay that was promised to them.

They weren't even going to get off of this rock.

Chief Williams was the first to break out of the stupor - her rifle barked out a volley that caught the asari merc in the head; purple brain matter and indigo blood splattering her former compatriots.

The commander quickly snapped to the remaining human merc; his rifle fire causing them to explode in a shower of frozen gore. The cooling lasers in his rifle's internal systems collapsed the ammunition into a small Bose-Einstein condensate - a mass of super-cooled subatomic particles - capable of snap-freezing impacted objects. The 'Hyper Rail' overclocked the internal mass accelerator equipment, causing the projectiles to be fired at hypervelocity; with enough force to completely rip through conventional shields and armour. It also seemingly caused the munitions to break apart inside the chosen target - causing the maximum amount of damage possible.

Chief Williams could only look on enviously as she saw the carnage. Hopefully, there was another prototype rifle on board the Normandy she could have... As long as she never had to use batarian polonium harpoon rounds again, she'd be happy.

With a grunt, Shepard continued towards the bunker's entrance, "Well I'll be fucking damned... Maybe this rifle's not bad after all!"

The Chief said nothing as she kept her aim directly on the remaining merc - a salarian who was currently hiding behind a set of crates.

The Lion of Elysium reached to the depths of his nervous system; awakening the dormant eezo clusters littered throughout his body as the familiar rush of adrenaline and sickening pain slammed into the forefront of his mind. An azure glow wreathed his hand as he biotically lifted the salarian from his hiding place.

"W-Wait! Don't kill me!"

With a nod from her superior, Ashley trained her rifle on her target and pulled the trigger. Multiple holes riddled the amphibian's body; dark green blood leaking to the ground as Shepard continued to hold him aloft.

Moments later, the salarian merc was thrown against a rocky outcropping nearby - his corpse crumpling with the impact; a wet 'flump' sounding in the valley.

The two marines continued to be on alert for a time - no words being shared between them - before Shepard motioned them to holster their respective weapons.

"Get in contact with Alenko, Williams. Get me a status report."

"Yes, sir. What about the crashed shuttle? Do you want to investigate it before we go in?"

Chris looked towards the makeshift barricade the mercs were using; wiping some of the viscera and frozen chunks from its surface, he took a seat before opening up one of the many pouches on his chest piece.

"No. It's not one of ours, and it doesn't look like it's Alliance either. My guess is, one of the mercs got too close to a thunderstorm and couldn't control their descent. So if that's the case: fuck 'em. Let 'em burn."

Chief Williams said nothing; a mild sense of revulsion gracing her features as she turned away from the Alliance's poster boy; if only the galaxy realised how ruthless he could truly be sometimes...

Within moments, her comms were engaged: quiet words were shared between Lieutenant Alenko and Gunny Williams; Shepard didn't care for the specifics in that moment - he just wanted something to eat and drink. His legs were burning and he was sweating profusely; his head pounded and he was somewhat ashamed at how much he enjoyed watching the krogan merc's limbs explode into a thousand icy shards.

Taking a bite of a protein bar, and taking a quick sip of an electric-blue electrolyte drink from his canteen, the commander looked on at the devastation around him.

A few minutes later Williams approached, "They broke the mercs' lines, sir. The Normandy's in bound for extraction."

"Good. Any further casualties?" With a shake of her head, Shepard continued, "Looks like it's just you and me going in then, Chief."

"Uhh... Not exactly, sir. Lieutenant Alenko, Vakarian, Wrex, Tali and Dr T'Soni are flying here in a stolen shuttle they 'appropriated' from the mercs."

The Butcher looked on dumbfounded; his gaze moving towards the smoking ruin of the crashed shuttle in the mountainside nearby, "What? They were supposed to extract with the Devil's and get to safety."

"Seems they wanted to join us, sir. I've told them to take extra caution to avoid any thunderstorms, but Lieutenant Alenko's adamant they'll be here in around ten minutes."

"For fucks sake, Kaidan…" Shepard muttered as he squeezed the bridge of his nose in consternation.

"What was that, Skipper?"

"Nothing. Take a seat, Williams. We'll wait on them to arrive before we breach the bunker. There's only one way in, and one way out - so we've got all the time in the world."

Wordlessly, Ashley took a seat next to her superior officer. Nothing was said for a few minutes before Shepard offered the female marine a protein bar; expressing her thanks, the two continued to look on at a roiling thunderstorm in the distance.

"What was that about 'Death smiles at us all', sir?" Ashley asked, as she finished her snack.

"Marcus Aurelius. An emperor from a human empire long forgotten; he was a philosopher too. Stoicism. You know your poetry, Chief. I know old Earth human history."

"You'll have to tell me some more some time, Skipper."

"I'd like that, Ash."

The two marines said nothing else as the rumble of a shuttle's engines droned nearby. Shakily, the stolen shuttle touched the soft grass nearby, and the five ground team members disembarked.

Garrus approached them first, his arm held out to his commander; grasping his arm in a gesture of friendship, the turian's sub harmonics trilled as he spoke: "Looks like you had about as much fun as we did, Boss. Good to see you're still in one piece."

Chris gave a small smile as he looked upon his squad mate; pock marks in his armour indicated where some rounds had broken through his shields and burrowed their way into his metallic hide - a smear of sapphire blood trickled from a particularly nasty gash on the side of Garrus' head fringe; "Still alive and kicking, Garrus? Good. Filling out the paperwork explaining what had happened to you, would have been a nightmare."

A mirthful smile was the commander's only response as Wrex lumbered over next. With a stubby finger pointing towards the deceased krogan merc, Wrex grunted his question out: "What happened to him?"

"He died. Cerberus' new toy blew his insides out."

With an appraising look at the rifle on Shepard's back, Wrex hocked a glob of spit on the floor; "Good riddance."

Alenko gave a crisp salute before addressing his superior, "I'm glad to see you're well, sir."

The Butcher didn't move for a moment, before he reciprocated the gesture, his words clipped: "You were supposed to exfil back with the Devils, Alenko. That was an order."

Without missing a beat, Tali entered the conversation. Shepard couldn't help the worry that creased his features as he noticed her slight limp as she deftly moved across to the pair: "That would be my fault, Captain. I implored the Lieutenant to put yours, and Chief Williams', safety first. If there's security measures in this complex, then you'd need a tech expert. I'm the best you've got and I would be of no use to you back on the Normandy. We all collectively agreed to come here instead."

The Survivor of Akuze looked incredulously at his subordinates as Kaidan spoke; "Once the threat had been eliminated, I made sure the Devils would be safe in the Mako. After we secured what supplies we could find, it was Dr T'Soni that gave the suggestion we take the mercs last remaining shuttle; we can use it to get out of here and rendezvous with the Normandy. If we take any prisoners-"

A raised eyebrow from the commander was the only response the human biotic received, before he carried on speaking, "-then the shuttle will be more than adequate. We've just got to hope it doesn't get fried whilst we're down below."

Chief Williams folded her arms over her chest as she regarded her asari teammate; an air of grace and sophistication followed the daughter of Matriarch Benezia wherever she went. Ash had to admit, she certainly did radiate... something. Even when she was carrying an assortment of heavy weaponry and wearing mud-stained armour. Who would have thought the timid archaeologist they'd found back on Therum, was starting to think like a seasoned Alliance veteran?

Silence reigned for a time before the commander regarded his quarian engineer, "What happened to your leg, Tals?"

Garrus made a guttural sound as his hand crept to the back of his neck; a gesture eerily similar to what Shepard did when he was nervous or guilty: "That was my fault, Commander. Tali saved me from a merc who'd crept up too close to me. I was providing overwatch for the marines and I didn't spot the merc until it was too late. They disengaged their tactical cloak; I tried to fight back, but before I could meet my maker Tali was facing him down."

A moderate amount of surprise, and a small twinge of pride, snuck it's way into the Lion's response, "Is that right? You saved Garrus, Tali?"

Twisting hands danced a mad flurry in front of Tali as she began to explain, "I saw on the Mako's scanners that one of the mercs had seemingly broken through our lines. So I informed the Lieutenant I was getting out; there didn't seem to be any time to tell anyone on the local comms about the threat - I just did what I thought you would have done, Captain. I acted. So I sprinted across the battlefield and found Garrus fighting with a merc; he hit Garrus around the head with his rifle and was just about to shoot. I fired my shotgun, before engaging him with my knife."

Wrex's toothy maw spread wide as he nodded his head approvingly, "I told you she had a quad, Shepard."

The human titan continued to stare down at his quarian teammate, his left hand resting gently on her shoulder, "What happened next, Tali?"

Tali's hands stopped their mad frenzy at her waist as she peered upwards to regard her Nehya, "I stabbed him in the side; he knocked me to the ground and I twisted my ankle as I fell. Garrus then finished him off. The battle was over by that point; the Lieutenant routed them with the Mako and the rest of the marines put down what fleeing mercs they could find. We regrouped with Master Sergeant Rohan and contacted Joker. Then we decided to come find you."

Chris nodded his head in understanding as he looked to the rest of his squad, "Well done, everyone. I'm proud of you all. You fought hard, and you fought well. I'll be putting in my recommendations for commendations once we get back aboard the Normandy, but first we have to finish this mission. If you want to sit this part out, I'd totally understand."

Tali's helmet gave a slight warble of laughter; her eyes twinkling as she patted her human on the side of the arm: "We didn't come this far just to sit in a shuttle and wait, Captain. Now let's find this det kazuat scientist."

Liara spoke for the first time, her tone soft as she offered an arm for Tali to use as support, "Let me assist you, Miss Zorah. I think we've done our fair share of fighting today."

Taking the proffered arm, Tali began walking forward. When she noticed no one else had moved, she gestured with her free arm towards the bunker's entrance; her sidearm having been equipped - just like Shepard had done many times before.

Her next words caused Chris to laugh mirthfully to himself:

"After you, Captain."

Equipping his rifle once more, the commander slammed the haptic interface of the entrance before gesturing for everyone else to fall in.

"Stay back! I've got no grief with you! All I want, is this bastard!"

The Normandy's ground team filtered slowly into the small underground room, their weapons all raised at the two individuals who were presently stood in the middle of the room; a merc having his sidearm levelled against a dishevelled scientist's head. Neither of the room's occupants had even turned around to see their new guests.

Shepard made no indication for anyone to lower their weapons as he took a small step forward - his sights set on the helmeted merc. He knew if he fired his weapon, the merc stood no chance of survival. But first, he'd answer the commander's questions.

Chris needed some form of closure, after all.

When no response was forthcoming from the heavily armed group, the dishevelled scientist screamed, "Please, help me! He's a madman! He's killed so many people!"

An almighty -smack- sounded in the room as the armoured merc hit the scientist across the face with the hilt of his pistol; "MADMAN?! I AM WHAT YOU MADE ME, DOCTOR WAYNE!"

All weapons were now focussed on the merc; 'Doctor Wayne' having fallen to his knees, clutching his face. Fresh blood dripped from between his fingers - the scientist's nose was surely broken.

Shepard said nothing as he motioned for Kaidan to take a position on his left, and for Garrus to get a clearer shot on his right. Wrex stood motionlessly in the middle - his shotgun resting at his hip as he merely waited for the order to open fire.

The scientist muttered through clenched teeth, pain evident in his voice as he pleaded aloud: "You're insane, Mr Toombs… You need help!"

Internally, something clicked in the commander's head at the mention of the name 'Toombs'; his mind began a mad frenzy of dredging up memories trying to remember where he'd heard the name before. Externally, however, the commander remained cold and distant as he continued to aim at 'Toombs'.

The armoured merc's anger only seemed to peak at this accusation - throwing his free hand into the air, he continued to train his sidearm at the kneeling scientist. "It's Corporal! Corporal Toombs! Service number: 3490-WM-0173. You don't get to lie... Not today! Today, it all comes out! Today, you admit what you did to me!"

Suddenly, realisation hit Chris like a speeding bullet. Subconsciously, he lowered his weapon as he began to speak; words spilling forth. "T-Toombs? Corporal Frank Toombs? It can't be... T-That's impossible... You're dead. I saw you die."

The merc physically stiffened at the human titan's words - his fully helmeted head slowly turning to finally face the Alliance marine who'd addressed him. "H-How do you know my name?! H-How... No... It can't be..."

Every other member of the ground team kept their weapons raised, but glances were shared as an unspoken question came to the forefront of everybody's mind:

What, was going on?

Toombs kept his sidearm levelled on Dr. Wayne as his free hand clutched at his helmeted head; his fingers numbly groping for the seals; "Is that you, Shepard? Corporal Chris Shepard?!"

The commander numbly nodded his head. The words he so desperately wanted to utter, sticking in his throat; a rasping choking sound was the best he could do.

Frank finally found purchase with his helmet, and with one shaky motion ripped it from his head. As it clattered across the room, colliding with some scientific equipment in the corner, exclamations could be heard from every other member of the ground team:

"What the fuck?!"

"Spirits..."

"By the Goddess!"

"And people say I'm ugly."

"Keelah!"

"I think I'm going to be sick..."

Staring back at the commander was a mottled, heavily scarred face - a sickly green tinge lay on the man's skin in places like heavy, clumsy foundation; parts of his skin writhed and wriggled intermittently; one of his eyes was cloudy, and milky white. The other one... It was strikingly yellow. His teeth were blackened in places and his hair was sprouting in misshapen clumps across his skull.

No words escaped the Lion's mouth as he stared at the supposedly 'dead' marine from so many years ago. From Akuze...

Toombs continued to aim his weapon, "I know I was never much of a looker, Shepard. Not compared to you, anyway. But... Surely you can see: it's me - your ol' pal Frank?"

The Survivor of Akuze could only dumbly look at the other Survivor of Akuze, his words finally becoming free to escape and be uttered into the empty void of the underground chamber, "Frank... What the fuck happened? I saw... I saw you die... I saw you get dragged away by the thresher maws back on Akuze! What are you doing here?! Are you the one responsible for killing Alliance scientists?!"

The heavily scarred merc focused all of his attention on Shepard now. His sidearm now resting lazily at his side; "You don't understand... They weren't Alliance - not anymore. They worked for Cerberus... I just wanted the people responsible for Akuze to be brought to justice. I wanted the people responsible for turning me into a monster to suffer."

Toombs' voice was barely more than a whisper as a lone, solitary tear leaked from the corner of his yellow eyes: "I-I just want to go to sleep without screaming in my dreams, Chris."

Dr. Wayne, who had previously been silent, suddenly spoke, his voice harried as he clutched his mangled nose: "Can't you see Toombs is crazy?! Shoot him already for God's sake!"

With speed that belied the man's large stature, Shepard moved across to the injured scientist in three steps and dragged him to his feet. With a single punch into the man's gut, Dr Wayne vomited his last meal and blood onto the floor. With an unceremonious shove, the commander pushed him against a wall; his own sidearm having been equipped and pointed at his temple.

Toombs raised his arm again, pointing his weapon at Shepard: "NO! HE'S MINE!"

The ground team moved closer, their own weapons trained on Toombs and Dr. Wayne. It was Kaidan that spoke next, "Put your weapon down, Corporal. Or we will shoot. I don't care who you say you are, you're threatening my Commander. Put it down, now."

Shepard didn't make any moves to disarm Toombs; on the contrary, he moved backwards towards the barrel of the merc's sidearm. When it gently smacked the back of his head, Shepard barked out his orders: "Alenko, Williams, watch Dr. Wayne. Don't let him move an inch."

Immediately, both marines aimed at their new target, their replies instantaneous, "Aye, aye, Commander."

Dr. Wayne shouted incredulously, "I'm an Alliance scientist! What do you think you're doing?! I'll have your heads for this!"

Turning on the spot, the human titan holstered his sidearm and disarmed Toombs in one fluid motion. Before he could say anything, Chris was in Frank's face: "Talk to me Toombs - what the fuck happened?!"

Stuttering out his response, Toombs fell to his knees - his one remaining good eye glazing over as he stared past Shepard's waist. The Butcher sank to his own knees, so both survivors were level with each other.

The corporal's words were laced with sorrow, his tone in disbelief as he recalled painful memories: "You were there, Chris... You saw how the maw's devoured our entire unit... These, scientists, were studying them. They triggered the attack and watched us get devoured all in the name of scientific progression."

Shepard raised his hands to gently rest on the other man's shoulders as he barely managed to whisper out his reply: "How did you survive, Frank? I saw you get dragged away, down a deep, deep hole. There were just limbs, man... Limbs, blood and acid everywhere..."

A vicious smirk split the scarred man's face as he slowly raised his right arm: "Maw's took my arm, Shepard... I don't remember what happened exactly - it's all pretty fuzzy. I remember being impaled on a maw's tooth, and then being dragged underground... Then it all just went dark. The only thing I can then remember is waking up in a holding cell. There were scientists poking, prodding me... They were delighted I'd survived. Now, they had someone to run their tests on, apparently..."

"Bastards... What did they to you, Frank?" Chris muttered, as he strenuously fought the feeling of being overwhelmed by his own morbid memories of Akuze.

"You ever had thresher maw acid injected in your veins?" Toombs' voice was little more than a whisper, but the hatred that emanated from every syllable could be felt by everyone in that small, underground room.

Toombs continued; his eyes never leaving Shepard's: "I have... Cerberus wanted to see what it would do, to humans. It melts you from the inside out; melts through steel for fucks sake... Can you imagine, my face looked worse than this? At least they tried to give me some semblance of normality; this is all the result of so many skin-graft surgeries, I've lost count... And the wriggling? That's the muscles in my face going into spasm every so often because the acid's so toxic. My body's constantly fighting itself because of what they've done to me. I'll never feel the wind blow through my hair again, Chris. I'll never see a sunset the same way again. They scalped me; they blinded me; they gave me metallic limbs... They made me a fucking freak!"

The commander looked towards his teammates; for a moment, his eyes seemed to cloud over with the pain of hearing what had happened to his old squad mate - he was on the very edge of mania, once more. His response was clipped as he levelled his gaze upon the scarred and grotesque visage of the lonely merc: "How did you escape, Frank?"

Toombs barked out a laugh - a sinister, cold noise, as he regaled everyone with his 'daring' escape: "I befriended one of the guards in my facility. One day, he came to check on me when I said I wasn't feeling too well. They weren't supposed to come into my cell, but I persuaded him I needed his help, badly. He came in and asked me what was wrong... Before he knew what was happening, I tore his throat out with my bare teeth. I took his uniform, and ran. Got into any shuttle I could find and made my way to safety. I started seeking my revenge not too long after that."

Toombs' face twisted in agony as he pointed an accusing finger at Dr. Wayne, "He deserves to die for what he did to me, Shepard! It's justice. For me, for you and for the others who died back on Akuze!"

Scrambling to his feet, the corporal looked accusingly at everybody present, before his gaze levelled on the other Survivor; "So... You're either going to help me kill him, or you'll have to kill me. Either way, after today, I'll finally be able to sleep again. I'll make the nightmares stop, once and for all."

Chris stood still, as his mind raced - thousands of thoughts ran through his head as his ground team looked on. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to violently splatter the doctor's blood across the scientific complex's walls; to beat the man to death until his hands grew numb. To slice him to pieces with the very same blade that he carried with him since Akuze…

Unsheathing his knife, Shepard took a few small steps towards the good doctor; his mind clouding over in hatred and bloodlust. Revenge. Justice for the fallen. The Maniac was let loose, and about to play.

Until...

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sight that gave him pause. Tali was still leaning against Liara, and had a pistol in her freehand - but she wasn't aiming at either Dr. Wayne, or Toombs. She had it levelled against the ground.

But that wasn't what gave gave the Maniac cause for concern. It was her eyes.

They sparkled in the dim lighting of the underground room, but Chris could swear he could see sorrow and sympathy radiating from her form, for what she'd just heard. She looked directly at him, and although no words were passed between the pair, the commander knew she was pleading with him not to do what his body screamed for.

With a clatter, the Survivor dropped his knife to the floor - the Maniac somehow contained. His hand reflexively balling itself into a fist, over and over as he stared at the quarian engineer.

"No... No one else will die today."

Before Toombs could protest, Chris smiled weakly towards Tali before rounding on his old friend: "You're better than this Frank. If you kill Wayne... You'll be exactly what they wanted to create. A monster."

A gauntleted finger jabbed the human titan in the chest as spittle leaked from the corners of Toombs' mouth; "Don't you dare tell me who I am, Shepard! You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation... Yeah... That's right. I heard all about how you 'survived'. What do you know about being a monster?! The rest of the unit was massacred, and I was tortured for years! You can't judge me. You don't have the right!"

"Toombs… You don't know half of what I did to get out of that hellhole. If I could have helped you, back on Akuze, you know I would have. But, I can help you now. Let me. We'll put him in front of the cameras of the galaxy, and make him tell everyone what Cerberus did to us. We owe that to the fallen."

"Tell me. Tell me how you got away. Tell me why I got captured and treated like a lab rat, and you got a pat on the back and a promotion!"

Chris' eyes glazed over as painful memories battered his internal walls once more. With a shaky sigh, the words he'd been so afraid of voicing aloud to another living soul since Lucy, spilled forth - in front of the only people in the universe he could truly call his friends.

Everyone, waited with bated breath.

"I... I hid. I hid under a pile of bodies for what felt like hours... People always assume I fought valiantly; with courage, honour and bravery against the threshers... But I hid... Like a fucking coward..."

Silence reigned for a time as Shepard sniffled - unwanted tears streaming down his face as one of his greatest moments of shame came to life. The salty liquid cut through the grime and blood that had hardened on his skin; his face a ghastly image as his hazel eyes pleaded with those around him to try and understand.

When nobody said anything, the Survivor continued: his voice cracked as his eyes glossed over once more: "When the maw's disappeared, I... I started gathering the remains of any soldiers, scientists, even those annoying civilian contractors, I could find, as bait. I gathered what limbs I could find; butchered what whole corpses were left - I used the Captain's knife; the one he'd kept with him for luck all those years. It's the same one I carry to this day..."

Numbly groping the holster on his chest piece, trying to find the object in question but having no luck, the Survivor ceased his fidgeting: "And then... Then I drenched them in Helium-3. I dragged what tanks I could find with my unpredictable biotics - my head fucking pounded with the effort; I didn't have an amp for Christ's sake... I didn't even know I was a fucking biotic until I felt my body practically rip itself apart when I jumped away from the maws... I laid those tanks out on the ground, and I punctured every single one of them - soaking the mess I'd arranged."

A faint blue aura surrounded his hands at the mention of this; the familiar pain and sickening feeling of his biotics flaring caused the human titan to grimace. To the other occupants of the room, a mixture of shock, worry and surprise was evident on their faces. Even Tali's luminescent eyes went wide at seeing her Nehya's hands glow azure.

No one dared stop their superior, however. "Then, I waited; day turned into night, night into day. I waited for those fucking worms to get drawn to the stench. I waited until they broke through the ground and started feasting on the meal I left for them... God, I still remember the smell... And the fucking noises they made..."

Toombs didn't move an inch as he looked upon the only other person in the galaxy who could truly understand. The broken Maniac barked out a laugh - an odd sound that caused all those to hear, to feel on edge: "And then... I set the fuckers alight. I used the shuttle's thrusters to set off a trail of fuel whilst I made a break for the atmosphere. Nobody in the Alliance seems to know the best way of dealing with threshers without heavy weaponry, but I've found burning them alive works wonders..."

Chris' eyes were cold, and distant as he looked upon his squad mates - focussing on everyone, one at a time before finally resting on Toombs' remaining yellow one: "I sacrificed what shred of humanity I had left when I butchered my friends' corpses' on Akuze, just to survive. I can't sleep without hearing the screams of people being devoured; acid rending metal, flesh... I can't close my eyes without seeing their accusing faces staring right back at me after what I did... And the times I manage to fall asleep; when I'm so goddamned tired I can't keep my eyes open, I have the same nightmare, over and over, and over again. Just when I'm about to make it out of there... I get swallowed whole. Some days, part of me hopes that it actually happened. Then maybe the nightmares would finally stop... If there is a God, I know I won't ever have a place in Heaven, after Akuze."

Before anybody could cut in; to tell the commander he did what was necessary to fight and live another day, the Survivor of Akuze faced the last remaining merc on Ontarom, and uttered a statement that caused the smaller man to falter, his words carrying a passion that was both galvanising, and haunting: "You think you're the only 'monster' that survived Akuze? We're all monsters, Frank... I'm just not very good at hiding mine any longer. If you've looked me up, then you'd know about the rest of the shit I've somehow lived through. All the bodies, innocent and guilty, I have laying at my feet... But trust me, the Blitz, Torfan, the raids on pirate bases... They all pale in comparison to Akuze. That's, where I 'died'. I'm just waiting for something, anything, to have enough strength to put me down for good."

Everyone held their collective breaths as they looked upon their commander - could one man truly be capable of committing such atrocities, all in the name of survival?

One by one, they all seemed to agree. Yes, one man could do that... They'd been fighting with him for months now, and he'd shown more than enough times he could commit atrocities. As long as it meant everyone got home in one piece.

The racking sobs of Dr. Wayne, huddled in a corner of the room; his repeated cries of 'I'm sorry' - the stench of piss wafting from his trousers... They were the only indicators he was actually even there. Everyone had seemingly forgotten about him as Shepard regaled Toombs of his survival.

Ashley quietly spoke up from the back of the room, her voice soft but holding authority that brooked no argument: "It's over, Chris. You made it home. Whatever you did... I know the Lord forgives you. Even if you don't forgive yourself."

Nods of agreement were shared by the other ground team members.

Slowly, Toombs reached for the blade that had fallen to the ground at the commander's feet. Presenting the blade hilt first, his words were subdued: "Just promise me... After this 'trial's' over with, l get to kill him. We'll tell them what 'monsters' Cerberus created; what they unleashed on the galaxy. But then, he's mine."

The Monster of Akuze said nothing as he took the proffered blade from his old friend; holstering it back in its sheath on his chest plate. Without a second glance, Shepard made his way to the exit - so desperately wanting to feel sunlight on his skin and fresh air in his lungs.

Everyone stood motionless for a second, before Alenko took command: "Wrex, grab that sobbing cunt in the corner, and gag him. He's coming with us, back to the Citadel. We'll make sure he answers for his crimes."

The lumbering krogan smiled viciously towards the injured scientist, "With pleasure."

The lieutenant continued barking out his orders, "Vakarian, Williams, once we're aboard the Normandy, you two have the honour of watching over him. If he so much as breathes funny, you have my permission to teach him the error of his ways."

Garrus unholstered his assault rifle as he too moved towards the Cerberus lackey, "You better pray to your gods human, that the Gunny and I don't fail to look after you. Because if the other marines heard about what you'd done to their commander... I don't think you'd make it back to the Citadel in one piece."

Ashley nodded her head once, before she too drew her rifle, "On your feet, Doctor. After what I've just heard, you don't deserve the mercy you've been shown. Only the Lord can judge us, but I'm begging you to give me a reason so you can meet him faster."

As the screams and wailing of Doctor Wayne tapered away, as he was forcibly dragged from the room, the remaining inhabitants took a moment to themselves - their eyes meeting each other's. Nobody said anything, but their feeling's were clearly mutual. Disdain, revulsion and pity clearly transcended xenobiological barriers.

Toombs collected his helmet from the other side of the room, before placing it on his scarred head. With a hiss, indicating the seals had been connected, Toombs addressed the lieutenant, "Permission to accompany you back to the Citadel, sir? I've got some catching up to do with an old friend. Hopefully, in a more pleasant place and about some more pleasant things than Akuze."

Alenko shook his head as he motioned for the rest of the squad to get moving, "You don't serve under me, Corporal. I don't think you even technically serve the Alliance anymore. I can't invite you aboard. But, if you're quick, you can ask the Commander before he takes off in the shuttle we have parked outside."

With a stiff salute, Toombs rushed out of the room - to find his old friend.

The Monsters of Akuze had much to talk about.

Who knew you could write over ten thousand words on a mission that takes like ten minutes in the first game?

Hopefully, you enjoy my version of events for Ontarom.

Next up, the Citadel - the Shepard's reunite!

Take it easy, guys.