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Slaves of Cerberus	By : NakedOwlMan Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 138070 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all the characters in it are owned by people that are not me. I have not made a cent off this work of fiction

Chapter List
- 42
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- 44
10 minutes earlier...

Shifting uncomfortably in the corner of the shuttle he had been shoved into, Vega took an awkward glance around at the armed men and women standing around him. "Wow," he said, "Packed in a little tight here, ain't we?"

The rest of the group grumbled slightly, everyone fighting for their spot in the shuttlecraft. "This is nothing," Garrus said, as the shuttle hit a pocket of turbulence and nearly sent him tumbling into the seated Javik's lap. "Remind me to tell you about the time Shepard crammed thirteen of us into a UT-47 Kodiak. Just imagine a shuttle 2/3rds the size of this model, with all of us in it plus four more... I'm not even sure how I was able to breathe." He glanced over at the largest person in the shuttle. "Still can't believe Shepard managed to fit you in at the end there, Grunt."

"Think I ended up sitting on the salarian," Grunt said with a grin. "Good times."

Tali looked up from adjusting her armor, her lips twisting quizzically behind her breathing mask. "You know... Shepard never did give us a reason for why we all had to go on that mission." Remembering Shepard's current predicament, Tali sounded melancholy as she added. "I'll make sure to ask her about that once we get her back."

"Speaking of which," Rooker said, turning her attention to Jacob. "Sir, what exactly is the mission? You were in such a hurry to get us prepped and ready, we never did get a proper briefing."

"Yeah, what's up?" Riggs said, a light hush falling over the rest of the people in the shuttle whenever he spoke. "Another low-level Cerberus cell to wipe out?"

Jacob glanced over his shoulder at them from the front of the shuttle, his brow furrowed and his posture tense. "I'll give you the full details in a minute," he said, before turning back to Cortez in the pilot's seat. Out the cockpit window, he could see nothing but clouds floating by, the Orpheus's shuttle staying high in the air to avoid visual detection. "You getting any response?"

"Nothing, sir," Cortez said. "Been sending messages ever since we broke the atmosphere... no acknowledgement."

"Dammit," Jacob muttered under his breath. "I was hoping maybe we beat them here."

Rooker leaned forward, trying her best to shove forward through the rest of the group. "Beat who here? Commander, what's going on?"

Jacob turned to the group. "We... I mean, I have recently come into some intel that suggests that Cerberus might be planning an operation here."

"On Ontarom?" Vega said. "Damn, are they really that loco? Half this planet is Alliance bases and communication relays. How do they think they can get away with that?"

Riggs gave Jacob a narrowed-eye look. "Hold on. When you say 'Cerberus' is coming here... you don't mean just a bunch of these amateurs we've been dealing with up until now, do you? You mean... the Normandy is here."

Jacob nodded, and the assembled group let out light gasps and exclamations of surprise. "Sir, all due respect," Rooker interjected, "you should have told us before. I mean, I wasn't expecting a full briefing, but at the very least a heads-up on what we were heading into. I might have prepped different gear if I'd known that..."

"There was no time," Jacob said. "Every minute counted as soon as we found out."

"That is the second time you have used that word," Javik suddenly piped up. "You say 'we,' but it seems there was not time for most of us to be made aware of our mission. Was there someone else besides yourself you shared this information with?" Javik glanced down at Kasumi, sitting cross-legged on the floor, and stared at her intently. After a few seconds, he bared his teeth in a grin. "Ah, now I understand why your aura was so strange, human. I trust your attempts to seduce the commander ended in success."

Jacob and Kasumi exchanged glances, Kasumi staring down at the floor bashfully, but with a trace of a smile on her face. "That's not important right now," Jacob quickly interjected. "Just know that we've got a chance to catch the Shepard clone and her people by surprise. If we can pull this off, freeing Shepard and all the others that Cerberus has abducted will be well within our grasps."

"Commander, I'm picking up something," Cortez announced. "Got a shuttle flying around the target site in a ten mile radius." He looked back at Jacob with a grave expression. "Its signature matches the shuttle assigned to the Normandy, sir."

"Son of a bitch," Vega said in awe. "They really are here!"

Jacob leaned down to stare at Cortez's control panel. "We need to do something about that shuttle. If the pilot radios back to the Cerberus troops on the ground, we lose the element of surprise."

"I'm on it," Tali called out. "I'm tapping into one of the Alliance comm relays nearby. If I hack into its secondary processes and create a distortion field on all communications in the area of the base..." she tapped furiously on the holographic keys of her omni-tool. "There! That should keep the shuttle and the Cerberus troops from sending out any messages. To each other or the Normandy."

"What about our radios?" Jacob asked her. "It'll be hard to coordinate our attack if we can't talk to each other."

Tali's fingers were already moving. "Everyone set their frequencies and encryption keys to the information I'm sending to your omni-tools. It should bypass the distortion field and let us stay in communication with each other."

"See, that's why I know Cerberus is going to lose," Garrus said, as he followed Tali's instructions and recalibrated his omni-tool. "How could any human hope to contend with an absolute genius at tech like the lovely quarian ambassador here?"

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Vakarian," Tali said with a sly look.

Kasumi looked up from her omni-tool with an indignant look. "Hey, just because Shepard picked you to go through those Collector tubes doesn't mean you're the only one good with tech around here! While you were busy with the communications, I've been tapping into the security systems for the base we're heading to. Should be able to pull up the camera feeds and give us an idea of..." A shocked look came to Kasumi's face as an image came up on her omni-tool screen. "Oh... oh, God."

Jacob looked down at her, concern on his face. "Send it to the video screen, Kasumi," he gently instructed her.

Kasumi followed his orders, and the group in the shuttle looked at the screen in horror. It was a surveillance shot of a hallway somewhere in the facility. A hallway littered with bodies. Blood puddled on the floor and dripped from the walls, from the stumps of necks, arms, and whatever other body parts were sliced away from the poor unfortunate residents of the Restoration Initiative facility.

"We're too late," Riggs coldly observed, as Kasumi cycled through feed after feed of corpses littering the once-calm hallways of the facility.

"No, they've still got to be down there somewhere," Rooker said. "Otherwise that shuttle would have already picked them up and left. Kasumi, keep looking through the security feeds. We'll find them eventually."

"O... okay," Kasumi said, and Jacob glanced down to see her hand shaking as she pressed buttons on her omni-tool.

Crouching down next to her, Jacob put a hand on Kasumi's shoulder. "Hey, you doing okay?" he softly asked her. "Because if you..."

"I'm fine," Kasumi said, inhaling deeply through her nose before breathing out. "I knew what I was getting into when I volunteered for this, I suppose, but this is..." After a few seconds, Jacob still staring at her in concern, Kasumi turned to him with a level stare. "I'll be fine, I promise."

Jacob almost opened his mouth to say something else, but seeing the look in Kasumi's eyes, he finally released the grip on her shoulder and stood up. Just when the entire team was starting to look completely deflated, being shown image after image of dead bodies from the facility's cameras, a video feed came up that was different from the others. "Who the..." Vega said.

"That son of a bitch," Jacob said, as the screen showed an image of a man standing proudly in a Cerberus uniform. He turned to the rest of the group to explain. "That's Oleg Petrovsky. He was the Illusive Man's top general, until he tried to take over Omega and came up against Shepard."

Garrus nodded. "I remember Shepard telling us about that. That mysterious mission she went off to without bringing us along. You know, never understood why Aria didn't trust us to back her and Shepard up. Heck, if I'd been part of the team, we would have had Omega liberated in half the time."

"Maybe it had something to do with you becoming a legendary vigilante the last time you were there," Tali observed. "And killing or scaring off a good portion of Omega's illicit business in the process."

"Well, okay, maybe that one little thing might have had something to do with it," Garrus remarked.

As the camera view from inside the facility panned, it caught sight of a woman standing off to the side. "Keelah," Tali said. "It's Miranda."

"Looks like Cerberus is paying a visit to old friends," Vega said. "Think they're planning to bring them back into the fold or..."

On the screen, the image of Brooks suddenly stepping forward and thrusting an omni-blade into Oleg's stomach made the entire group jump in surprise. "Yeah, I'm guessing not," Grunt dryly observed. The team watched as Miranda managed to get a gun away from the Shepard clone, only to stare off camera at something and immediately drop her weapon.

"We're running out of time," Jacob said. "We've got to get into position fast, before they figure out we're here."

"Kasumi, switch to one of the exterior cameras," Garrus said. The image on the video changed, and Garrus pointed. "That garden area... lots of places to take cover. Would be the perfect spot to lay an ambush."

As they broke the cloud cover and the Restoration Initiative base came into view below them, Cortez pointed out the cockpit window. "My scanners show a spot right there," he said, "About a half mile away from the base. Should be able to come in low and quiet, drop you off without anyone in the base seeing me."

"Do it," Jacob confirmed. "Alright, people, we can't waste any time," he addressed the group, everyone holding on tightly as Cortez began dropping the shuttle down. "Once we hit ground, we've got to get in position as soon as possible. We only get one shot at this. If they get away from us here... if they manage to get back to the Normandy, we might never find them again. Is everybody ready for this?"

The group all nodded their heads as they prepped their weapons for the drop. Once more, Jacob looked down at Kasumi, his eyes asking her a silent question that she answered with a firm nod. "We won't lose them... Commander," she said to him. "I promise."

"Yeah, damn straight," Vega said. "Just wish I could see the looks on their face when they realize we found their sorry asses!"

Pointing their flight path downward, Cortez brought the shuttle in low, sweeping dangerously close to the rocky hills and cliffs that surrounded the Restoration Initiative facility, before coming to a hover on a relatively flat area safely out of sight of the Alliance base.

As the team hopped out of the side shuttle doors, Jacob gave some last orders to Cortez. "Once we're clear, go up and keep that shuttle busy. The pilot may not be able to call the troops on the ground, but he might still be able to cause us some headaches."

"I'll keep him distracted, sir," Cortez acknowledged. Jacob was the last off the shuttle, the doors sliding shut as Cortez swung the shuttle around and took the same route away from them, keeping low and out of sight.

"It has been a long time since I have been in battle," Javik observed, as the group of nine well-trained fighters made last preparations before moving out. "I suppose I should thank this clone for the opportunity to test my skills once more... just before we exterminate her and her companions."

"You, I like," Grunt said to Javik, cocking his shotgun with one hand and gesturing in the direction of the facility. "Come on, my blood is up and there's enemies to kill!"

"Sir, wait a second," Rooker said to Jacob, pointing to a rocky incline leading up to an outcropping about twenty feet off the ground. "If I climb up there with my rifle, I'd have a perfect vantage point over the entire base. Should be hard for them to spot me there, too."

Jacob looked at the sniper position and nodded. "Good call." He handed her something in a cloth pouch. "Here, I brought this infrared spotting scope to help us root out Phantoms. Should make 'em stick out like sore thumbs even if they put their cloaks up. Pick someone to spot for you and get into position."

Rooker scanned the team, then pointed. "Riggs, you're with me," she said, tossing the mildly surprised marine the bag with the scope. "Let's get moving."

As Rooker and Riggs climbed up the rocks to the sniper position, the rest of the team moved low and quick, making their way through the rocky terrain towards the facility.

* * *

Brooks watched with a triumphant smirk as two Phantoms yanked Miranda's arms roughly behind her back, securing hard-light handcuffs around her wrists as they escorted her and Oriana to the main entrance hall of the facility. "I'm sorry for gloating, but the image is just too perfect. Miranda Lawson, the Illusive Man's confident, intelligent right hand... and look what has become of her. Did you ever imagine that, after all those times you ordered me around, sent me to do your dirty work, that this would be the result? That I would be the one to hand you your first defeat?"

Miranda gave Brooks a withering look. "Yes, it's all very impressive," she coldly mocked. "You went after a secret Alliance base with minimal security, hid in safety while taking out your enemies with a bomb, and then came in to bravely slaughter unarmed civilians. Oleg was right about you after all. You're nothing like the real Cerberus. You're a bunch of children playing dress-up."

"Oleg was a fool," Brooks said, coming to a stop in the entrance hall and turning to stare at the bound Miranda. "And for all of his talk, he was quite eager to don his uniform again when he thought there was the slightest chance we wanted him back." Strolling up to Miranda, she reached up to trace a finger along the line of her jaw. "It's a pity, though. If you hadn't betrayed the ideals of Cerberus, cast in your lot with the Alliance... I might have given you the opportunity that Oleg so desperately wanted. We might have worked well together, you and I." Glancing down at the swell of Miranda's breasts, Brooks arched an eyebrow. "In many different ways."

Miranda tilted her head away from Brooks's touch, disgusted. "Don't insult me," she said. "Even if there were a part of me that had any desire to call myself a Cerberus agent again... I would never lower myself to be a part of this." She gestured with her neck at the Phantoms moving corpses and painting with blood out in the courtyard garden. "These women you're working with aren't soldiers. They aren't skilled mercenaries or well-trained Alliance deserters. They're convicts and criminals. The dregs of the galaxy. If this is the best Cerberus can manage these days... perhaps it would have been best if it had stayed dead."

"Oh, Miss Lawson," Brooks said, her tone gently chiding. "These women are... a necessary evil. When I revived the Shepard clone and began my mission to resurrect Cerberus, I had to make do with what I had access to at the time. But since those early days, Cerberus has grown quite impressively." She saw the dismissive look on Miranda's face and chuckled. "Don't believe me? You'll see soon enough, once we return to base. You'll see what time, perseverance, and a massive amount of credits can accomplish." She smirked as she added, "Credits that, by the way, were generously donated from the personal bank accounts of Mr. Henry Lawson. Honestly, we have your father to thank for where Cerberus is today."

Miranda's eyes went wide. Even Oriana, who up until this point had been staring at the floor in misery, snapped her attention up to Brooks. "My father is dead," Miranda said. "I saw his body."

"Did you, now?" Brooks mockingly asked. "Well, perhaps his body is dead, yes. But you might say that the spirit of Henry Lawson lives on. In the..."

"Maya!" called out the clone, marching into the entrance hall with an annoyed expression. "Did you call the shuttle in yet?"

Brooks sighed in annoyance. "I was about to, love," she said. "Just making sure the Lawson sisters are ready for their departure."

"What are you going to do with us?" Oriana spoke for the first time since she'd had Morgan's sword removed from her throat.

"It's not what we're going to do with you," the clone said. "Once we finish our business and return to base, you and your pretty sister will be put in the hands of our resident mad genius. I understand he has some interesting... experiments he wants to conduct. On you and all the rest of Shepard's friends."

Brooks looked at Miranda with a wicked glare. "As a matter of fact, he's especially excited to meet you, Miranda. Seems he and you have some..."

"Maya!" the clone exclaimed again. "The call?"

"Right, right," Brooks said. As she brought up her omni-tool, she gestured towards something the clone was carrying. Under her arm was some sort of bundle, wrapped in what appeared to be bedsheets. "You've got our other guest ready to go, I see?"

"Oh, yes," the clone said, patting the white bundle with her free hand. "Our ticket to the last stop on our little cruise. Gift-wrapped and everything."

Brooks furrowed her brow, tapping a button on her omni-tool with a confused look. "Strange. Having trouble getting a connection."

"Could be interference," the clone offered. "Try switching to another frequency."

"Yes, love, I already tried that," Brooks slowly muttered, keep her tone phonily cheerful to cover up her annoyance. "Crooks, come in!" she said into her communicator. The only response was a haze of static and distorted transmission sounds. "Dammit, what the hell is going on?" Brooks yelled. "Crooks, if you can hear this, answer me, goddammit!"

A light smile crept onto Miranda's face. "Having some difficulties, Miss Brooks?" she asked. "Cerberus resources not what they used to be?"

"Shut up," the clone snapped at her, before turning to Brooks. "You don't suppose something happened to her out there?"

Brooks shook her head. "No. She'd have let us know if there was a problem. I'm going to try and contact the Normandy. See if Crooks's tin can co-pilot is answering."

As Brooks tried to reach the Normandy, the clone and the rest of the Phantoms in the room turned to the door out to the courtyard. Outside, one of the other Phantoms had jumped up onto the edge of the fountain and started yelling something up to the sky.

"What the hell is she doing?" the clone grumbled. "Supposed to be working out there, not yelling like some brain-dead politician." Turning back to Brooks, she asked, "Any luck?"

"Normandy, come in," Brooks said into her communicator. "Is anybody answering on this frequency?" After receiving no response again, she deactivated her omni-tool and sighed. "Well, this is just great."

"Maybe your omni-tool's malfunctioning. Here, I'll try," the clone said. As she pulled up her own holographic interface, Brooks turned to the courtyard, watching as the yelling Phantom on the fountain jumped down from her perch.

She was about ready to walk to the door and chastise the woman for wasting time, when there was suddenly a spray of pink mist, and the Phantom's head seemed to almost disintegrate.

"Shit, I'm having the same problems," the clone said, attention focused on her omni-tool, and not watching as a small group of armed individuals suddenly emerged from behind cover and raised their weapons to attack. "Wonder if it's..."

Charging forward, Brooks tackled the clone and sent her down to the floor, just as the sound of automatic weapons fire started outside.

* * *

"Well, that sure shut her up," Riggs said to his superior officer, as Rooker cocked her rifle and prepared to take aim again.

The two of them lay prone next to each other at the edge of the high rock face, Rooker with her rifle directed down into the courtyard ahead of them. From their vantage point, directly behind the team down on the ground, they had a view of almost the entire courtyard, and the surprised Phantoms that still hadn't entirely figured out what was going on.

Rooker held her breath to steady her aim, as she lined up her crosshairs on the Phantom who'd been standing next to the loudmouth one currently floating in the fountain. But by the time Rooker had the enemy's head within her sights, the Phantom had activated her cloak and changed position. Several of the Phantoms weren't as quick to react as their comrade, however, and were currently being torn apart by Jacob and the rest of the team's gunfire below.

"Nice shot, Garrus!" Rooker heard Tali say in her radio earpiece, after the turian's assault rifle fire shredded another Phantom's armor.

"Thanks. You ask me, though, I'd be doing a better job up where Commander Rooker is," Garrus said, speaking loudly over the gunfire surrounding him. "Hey, you sure there isn't room for another sniper up there, Jacob?"

"Ah, come on, Garrus!" Vega said, dropping back down into cover after exhausting his thermal clip. "Ain't you ever heard of chivalry? Let the pretty lady have the nice safe sniper spot, while us guys do the dirty work down in the trenches."

Rooker cleared her throat into her radio mic. "You do know I can hear you up here, right?" she asked.

She heard Vega let out a nervous chuckle. "Hey, sorry, chica. You're doing great up there, seriously!"

Instead of responding, Rooker lined up a shot on another Phantom, drilling a shot straight into her helmet. It didn't penetrate the thick metal, but it brought down the Phantom's barriers just in time for a timely shotgun blast from Tali to pierce her torso armor. The shot sent the unfortunate victim tumbling backwards to bleed out in a nearby shrubbery.

"What was that you were saying, James?" Tali said in a sing-song voice. "About 'us guys'?"

By now, the remaining Phantoms in the courtyard had triggered their cloaks, but not before four of their number had been taken down by the surprise attack. Rooker glanced over at Riggs, who nodded without a word and retrieved the spotting scope. Turning on the infrared filter, Riggs began scouting out the garden area. Down below, the rest of the assault team moved back into cover, waiting for a target to make itself visible.

"You got something for me, Riggs?" Rooker asked her spotter.

"Left side," Riggs said to Rooker after a few seconds of scanning. "Behind the planter next to the pair of civvie corpses."

Rooker searched the indicated area through her scope, her keen eye finally spotting the telltale shimmer of someone hidden under a tactical cloak. Lining up her shot, she pulled the trigger and watched as the Phantom's cloak was disrupted. The rest of the team below focused fire on the exposed Phantom, who didn't last long under the concentrated attack of seven well-trained fighters.

"Right side, trying to climb in through the broken window," Riggs called out, and Rooker swung her rifle in that direction. One shot later, and another Phantom was forcibly decloaked and targeted by the team below. "Looks like the rest managed to retreat back into the building, no more movement in the courtyard," Riggs said.

"We've got 'em on the run," Grunt said excitedly over the comms. "Let's move in and take 'em out!"

"No, now we wait," Jacob said. "They're trapped now. The only way out is through the courtyard, and we've got it locked down. Once they figure out there's no way out for them, they'll have to surrender."

"You humans and your mercy," Javik groused. "Better to just kill them all."

Rooker got on the comms. "Jacob's right. If we kill them, we've got no sure way of finding the Normandy. By the time we searched even a small fraction of this star system, somebody on the ship would figure out that something went wrong and make a beeline straight for the nearest relay."

"Exactly," Jacob said. "But if we can convince Brooks and the clone to surrender, take us back to the Normandy and tell their people to turn themselves in... maybe we can take the Normandy back without a fight." Jacob switched channels on his communicator. "Cortez, how are things going up there?"

"This pilot's pretty good, Commander," Cortez said. "But he's not getting past me. I'll keep him away from the facility as long as I can."

"Good job," Jacob said. "Kasumi, see if you can tap into the facility's security system again. I've got a message to deliver."

"Aye aye, sir," Kasumi said. While Kasumi hacked, the rest of the team waited in nervous anticipation, keeping their attention focused on the three exit points leading out into the courtyard.

Reaching up to her ear, Rooker disabled her comms. "Good looking out, Private Riggs. Glad I picked you to back me up."

Riggs glanced over at her, and turned off his mic as well. "Still not sure why you did," he said. "Trusting Cerberus scum like me to watch your back? Not a lot of other people would be willing to take that kind of risk."

"Don't start with that," Rooker said, keeping her eye pressed to the scope of her rifle while she spoke. "You're a good soldier, Private. What happened in the past is in the past. You couldn't help what you did back then."

"Maybe," Riggs said. "But then again, don't really remember fighting it all that hard."

There was a moment of silence, the two of them staring down into the courtyard and waiting for any sign of movement. Rooker finally broke the silence. "Did Commander Taylor ever tell you how you ended up on the Orpheus?"

"Never asked," Riggs said dismissively. "Figured he took me because nobody else would."

"Actually, Commander Taylor didn't want you either," Rooker said. "Thought you might be a destabilizing element on the crew. I was the one who convinced him to take you on."

Riggs pulled his eyes away from the infrared scope, looking over at Rooker with a peculiar expression. "I... didn't know that. You mind telling me why?"

"It was something in your file," Rooker said. "A name, really. Paul Benedict."

The name hung in the air for several tense segments. Riggs cleared his throat. "Yeah, Benedict. What about him?" he quietly asked.

"I served under him, a couple of years ago," Rooker said. "Good soldier, and one of the toughest men I ever knew. So when I read in your file that you killed him..." she trailed off.

Riggs could swear he could feel his heartbeat pounding against the dirt and loose gravel under his chest. "Yeah, I remember Benedict," he finally said, swallowing as he kept his eyes hidden in the spotting scope. "He put up a damn good fight in the end. We spent months trying to break him, get him to give up Alliance secrets. When that didn't work, we tried indoctrinating him. Threw everything we could at him, and still he resisted. In the end, we decided it just wasn't worth the effort anymore." He looked over at Rooker. "If it helps, I made it quick in the end. Put the bullet in his head myself."

Rooker didn't respond, her attention focused through the scope of her rifle. After a long silence, she finally spoke up. "I appreciate your... candor, Private Riggs. And in case you're wondering, I'm not out for revenge or anything foolish like that. Benedict is dead. No changing that. And as far as I'm concerned, the man who killed him is dead as well. He died when Shepard fired off the Crucible and wiped out the insanity Cerberus pumped inside your head. Be that as it may, though... the kind of person who could contend with Paul Benedict, who could defeat one of the best soldiers I've ever served with... that's the kind of man I want watching my back. That's why I picked you to spot for me, and why I told Commander Taylor to bring you on-board the Orpheus."

"I'll... try my best to live up to that, ma'am," Riggs said. "Thank you for the opportunity." After another long pause, with no activity down in the courtyard, Riggs spoke again. "So, you served with Benedict? Where was that, exactly?"

"It was... nowhere in particular," Rooker said, shifting slightly in the hard rocks. "A bunch of small colonies, doubt you'd have heard of any of them."

Riggs furrowed his brow. "Because it's a funny thing. Bringing up Benedict like this, reminds me of something he mentioned during one of our... interrogation sessions. Or someonehe brought up, rather. A woman that served under him."

"Really?" Rooker asked. "Doubt it was me. I was young back when I was under Benedict. Don't think I distinguished myself all that much."

"Maybe not," Riggs said. "Don't remember him ever mentioning the woman's name. But he told me how skilled she was. How she was the best soldier he'd ever fought with. Nerves of steel in battle, willing to do whatever it took to complete the mission." He paused, glancing over at Rooker to gauge her reaction. "But something went wrong. They had... a difference of opinion on a mission, and this woman ended up betraying the team."

Rooker let out a laugh. "Definitely not me, then. Pretty sure I would remember something like that. Must have happened after I served with him."

"Yes, you're probably right," Riggs said, the slightest trace of a smile creeping onto his face. "Makes me wonder, though, whatever happened to that woman. Where she might have run to after stabbing her commanding officer and teammates in the back like that." He glanced over at Rooker, then shrugged. "Well, it's like you say: like the man who killed Benedict, she most likely died a long time ago."

"Yeah, I imagine so. Anyway, we should probably stay focused," Rooker quickly said. "Something could happen at any moment."

"Yes, ma'am," Riggs said, scanning the courtyard with his spotting scope. "Wouldn't want to have something unexpected take us by surprise. Would we?"

* * *

"Shit shit shit," the clone poked her head out to stare through the entrance door of the facility. Outside, the blood of their fallen teammates mingled with that of the Cerberus defectors that they had been dragging into position just moments ago. "What the fuck is going on? Who the hell are these people?"

She, Brooks, and the remaining Phantoms were hidden behind cover in the entrance hall, out of sight of the attackers waiting outside in the courtyard. One of the Phantoms who had been inside when the fighting started kept guard over Miranda and Oriana, while the rest recovered from the sudden attack.

"How in the hell did anyone even find us here?" the clone continued to rant. "This is a secret Alliance facility! We had to go digging through the damn Citadel Archives and the Shadow Broker's files to even know it existed, for fuck's sake!"

"Calm down, love," Brooks said to the clone, before turning her attention to the Phantom leader crouching next to her. Morgan looked shaken, wringing her hands and staring out into the courtyard. A large crimson cloud was forming in the formerly pristine blue waters of the fountain, Rena's body bobbing face-up in the pool. "What did you see out there, Miss Lezayen? Who attacked us?"

"They... they killed her. Shot her right in the damn head," Morgan said, grief written all over her face. "Always told her those drugs would end up killing her, but didn't think it would be..."

Grabbing Morgan roughly by the shoulders, Brooks shook her until the Phantom turned to face her. "Focus! Who did you see out there? Who was shooting? Alliance?"

"Alliance?" Morgan asked, a dazed expression on her face. "Yeah... but no. There were a few in Alliance uniforms, but I saw... a turian. And a krogan. And what looked like... like a prothean? But that can't be right... there's only one prothean left and he's..."

"Sounds like Shepard's old comrades have finally tracked you down," Miranda said with a smirk. "Should be amusing to see how your team of 'necessary evils' stands up against the best soldiers in the galaxy."

The clone bared her teeth at Miranda. "I told you to shut the hell up!" she barked out. To Brooks, she hissed. "The Orpheus is here? How the hell did they take us by surprise, goddamnit? I swear to god, if I get my hands on that spy I'm going to wring..."

"Focus on our present predicament, dear," Brooks said calmly. "Then we can worry about the failures of our mole." She poked her head out of cover and stared out across the courtyard. "Looks like we've lost... six. Little less than half of us. Our enemy has the exit well-guarded, with short and long range fire."

"I say we go for it!" the clone declared. "They can't hit all of us at once. We charge at them from all angles, keep their attention divided."

Brooks shook her head. "If we hadn't just had half of our team ambushed and slaughtered, we might have stood a fighting chance. But a plan like that is..."

Their discussion was interrupted by a loud crackling sound, followed by a voice over the PA system. "This is Commander Jacob Taylor of the SSV Orpheus," the voice boomed out of all of the speakers in the facility. "Under the authority of the Systems Alliance, I am placing you all under arrest. If you drop your weapons and exit the building with your hands in the air, and with your hostages unharmed, I promise that you will be allowed to surrender peacefully. If you do not comply with these terms, we will be forced to enter the building and take you into custody, by force if necessary. You have fifteen minutes before we come in after you."

"Son of a bitch," the clone said, pulling out her shotgun and directing a blast directly into one of the overhead speakers. "Fuck you, Alliance pussy! Come and get us if you want us!" she yelled.

Ignoring her partner's outburst, Brooks stared out into the courtyard. In her mind she ran scenarios, considered the potential options. "Maybe," she mused, an idea starting to form. "It might just work. Risky, but probably our best bet."

"You got a plan, Maya?" the clone frantically asked her. "Tell me what I gotta do to kill these assholes, and I'm right there with you!"

"Not sure yet. Need some more data first," she said. Turning to one of the Phantoms, she pointed. "You, find us a back way out of the building. Something out of sight from the main courtyard."

The clone looked frustrated, watching as the Phantom dashed away. "Yeah, that's a great idea. We just sneak out the back and roam the desert with our thumbs out, hoping we can catch a ride!" she ranted.

"Not done yet, love," Brooks gently chided her. She crouched down next to Morgan again. "You want to get revenge for Rena, Miss Lezayen?"

Morgan nodded, wiping at her damp cheeks. "Fucking right I do," she said.

"Then I need you to do something for me," Brooks said. She pointed out the door into the courtyard. "You need to go out into that courtyard, and fetch Rena's sword for me. Can you do that?"

The Phantom leader glanced warily out into the courtyard, and at the planters their enemies hid behind. Despite her obvious uncertainty, she gave Brooks another nod. "I can. I will," she said. Standing up, Morgan triggered her cloak, and the vague shimmer that remained made its way in the direction of the main entrance.

"What do you think you're doing?" the clone cautiously made her way over to Brooks. "Morgan's one of our best people, and you're sending her out into the middle of a war zone? She's gonna get..."

"Shepard, my dear, love of my life," Brooks said, not looking at the clone as she stared out into the courtyard. "Kindly shut the fuck up. I'm in the middle of saving our necks, if you don't mind."

* * *

"Got movement," Riggs announced, switching his comms back on before speaking. "Cloaked Phantom coming out the front entrance, moving like a damn cheetah."

"No kidding," Rooker said, struggling to keep her crosshairs on the Phantom as she dashed forward. She was fast, a lot faster than any of her comrades. Rooker pulled the trigger and took a shot, but missed the Phantom by inches. "Shit," she muttered.

Riggs watched the Phantom in confusion. "She's heading for the fountain. Why's she going there?"

"All units, focus fire on the fountain," Jacob announced, the team taking aim and firing in the general direction of the decorative water spray. By the time they started shooting, however, the Phantom was already sliding into cover behind the concrete base.

"What's she up to?" Rooker asked Riggs, unable to get a good view of the Phantom.

Riggs stared through the spotting scope. "Looks like she's doing something to the floater. Grabbing something off her."

"Got it," Rooker said, catching a glimpse of the Phantom's shimmering arm against the corpse in the pool. She took another shot, and watched as the Phantom's cloak deactivated around her, revealing the blond-haired armored woman underneath. "There she is! Her cloak is down!" Rooker proclaimed to the team below. Through her scope, Rooker watched as the Phantom snatched the sword off her dead comrade's back, before tensing her muscles and making the dash back into the building.

"Open fire!" Jacob yelled out, and the team took aim at the fleeing Phantom. But with uncanny reflexes, the Phantom dodged and strafed, avoiding the vast majority of the shots directed at her. Rooker took aim one last time, the Phantom just a few feet away from the door, and fired.

Her shot hit true, penetrating the Phantom's armor and hitting her in the lower torso. She stumbled slightly, wincing in pain, but nonetheless managed to dodge the rest of the incoming fire enough to make it back into the building.

"What the hell was that about?" Rooker mused. "Not sure what that accomplished."

"Maybe it's just a really good sword," Riggs offered.

* * *

Gritting her teeth in pain, Morgan slid back behind cover, presenting the recovered blade to Brooks.

"Well, that's perfect," the clone said, as Morgan applied medi-gel to her own wound. "You got us an extra sword, Maya. They'll never be able to stop us now."

"The sword isn't what I was after, love," Brooks said, pulling up her omni-tool and displaying an image of the courtyard outside. "What I was after...was this," she said, as she pointed her finger through the holographic image at a large rocky outcropping in the distance. "That's where their sniper is. I just needed them to take a few shots so I could pinpoint the position."

The clone studied the image. "Okay, so we know where the sniper is. Now what?"

Brooks gave the clone a sly smile. "Now? We do what the good Commander Taylor told us to, love. We surrender."

* * *

"Movement at the main entrance again!" Riggs announced to the team. "It's the hostages!"

The team on the ground kept their weapons pointed at the entrance, as Miranda and Oriana Lawson slowly shuffled out the door and towards the center of the courtyard garden, their hands secured behind their backs.

And behind them, hands in the air, were the leaders of Cerberus, Brooks and the Shepard clone.

"I can't believe it," Garrus said. "They're actually going to surrender?"

"Don't let your guard down for a second," Jacob advised the team. "Not putting it past these two to try and pull something. Everybody keep focused."

"We're coming out," exclaimed Brooks, waving her hands in the air as she and the clone walked slowly behind their captives. "Hold your fire!"

Riggs frowned, keeping his infrared spotting scope sweeping around the battlefield. "Don't like this," he said. "This is too easy."

"I know what you mean," Rooker said, her crosshairs trained on the Shepard clone's head as she marched side-by-side with Brooks out of the building.

oh god it's her what have i done what have i done

Bad memories came flooding back into Rooker's mind, Rooker struggling to keep her aim steady. Tightening her grip on the rifle, she took a deep breath, calming herself down enough to keep her sights trained directly on the fake Shepard's forehead.

Just as the group reached the center of the courtyard, Riggs hissed in a breath. "Movement out the broken window on the right. A couple of Phantoms."

Rooker swung her scope in that direction, expecting to see shimmering cloaked forms. But the Phantoms were completely visible, their hands up in the air as well as they jumped down through the broken window and out into the courtyard.

"Don't move!" Jacob yelled out to the Phantoms emerging from the building. "Stay right there where..."

"More of them," Riggs announced, "Other side."

Moving her rifle, Rooker caught more of the Phantoms emerging out of the hole that had been blown into the side of the facility. Moving slowly like the other two groups, with their hands raised in surrender. Rooker moved her scope back and forth between the three groups, not sure where to focus her aim.

"Everybody just stay where you are!" Jacob called out, slowly rising to his feet and keeping his assault rifle trained on Brooks and the clone in the center. He turned back to his team. "Rest of you, keep your sights on the groups at the sides. I'm going in."

"Be careful, Jacob," Kasumi said, as she took aim with her submachine gun at the left group of Phantoms.

"We've got your back," Garrus said, him and the group on the other side of the courtyard targeting the group on the right.

As Jacob moved cautiously forward, weapon at the ready, Riggs suddenly jerked. "Did you hear that?" he asked Rooker.

"Hear what?" Rooker asked, so focused on the dangerous scenario playing out below that she hadn't heard a sound.

"Think I heard something behind us," Riggs said. Laying his spotting scope down, he grabbed up his shotgun from the ground and moved quietly to his feet. "I'm going to check it out. I'll call out if there's a problem."

"Make it quick," Rooker said, her rifle swinging back and forth between the three groups. "Got a feeling things might be getting hairy down there soon."

* * *

Stepping slowly, Jacob glanced to his sides at the two groups of Phantoms as he walked towards the center of the courtyard. As he approached closer to Miranda and Oriana, he noticed for the first time that their captors had tied crude gags into their mouths, made out of what appeared to be torn bedsheets. Miranda was staring at him with wide, terrified eyes, eyes matched by her sister standing next to her.

"It's okay, Miranda," Jacob said, as he got within ten feet of the two of them. "We're going to get you out of here." Glaring at the two Cerberus operatives standing behind them, Jacob pointed his rifle in their direction. "Either of you so much as moves a muscle, I'm opening fire, understand?"

"We don't want any trouble, Commander Taylor," Brooks said. "We're giving up peacefully, see?" Something in the tone of her voice only set Jacob on edge even more. He looked again at the two groups of Phantoms at his flanks, but neither group had moved a muscle since they emerged from the building.

They wouldn't dare make a move, Jacob thought. They'd be torn to shreds the second they tried anything. Still, something about all of this seemed wrong. Like he was walking into some sort of trap.

Getting up close to Miranda, he reached up for the gag in her mouth.

* * *

Rooker kept her finger tensed on the trigger, just waiting for either of the women behind the Lawsons to make a move for a weapon or something. "Hey, Riggs, everything okay back there?" she asked, watching as Jacob reached up towards the gag in Miranda's mouth.

She got no response. "Riggs?" she asked again.

* * *

As soon as the gag came out of Miranda's mouth, she yelled out to Jacob. "Your sniper!" she cried. "They're going after your sniper, Jacob!"

* * *

"...your sniper, Jacob!" Rooker heard in her comms, and she felt her blood run cold.

There was a crunch of gravel behind her. "Riggs, is that..."

"Hey, cutie," said a woman's voice behind and above her. And before she could move a muscle to defend herself, Rooker felt an agonizing sharp pain in her side.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" Rooker screamed, as the blade drove straight through her body armor, pierced her insides, and continued its downward drive into the rocky cliff below.

* * *

Jacob heard the scream in his comms. Almost soon as it stopped, he heard another voice, an unfamiliar one, speaking near Rooker's comm unit.

"You feel that? Feel that blade inside you?" the voice asked, tone sneering and angry. "That blade belonged to Rena. The woman you killed. She's striking back at you from the grave." The woman's words were punctuated by Rooker's groans of pain. "Hey, Commander Taylor? Status report up here: I just drove a sword through several of your pretty little sniper's blood vessels. Now, I'm no medical expert. But way I see it, if she doesn't get patched up with some medi-gel real soon, she's not gonna have enough blood left to keep that heart of hers a pumpy-pump-pumpin'."

"Don't... worry about me... sir..." Rooker strained to speak. "Take those bitches ouuuAAAAH!" she screamed again.

"You sing so beautifully when I give this thing a twist, gorgeous," the voice of the other woman on the comms said. "I could listen to your pretty voice alllll day. But... oooh, what's this? Did you bring me a present? My, what a big gun for such a little girl! You don't mind if I play with it, do you?"

There was a sharp crack in the distance, and Jacob jolted as a bullet struck the ground directly between his feet. Behind Miranda and Oriana, the clone and Brooks suddenly whipped out pistols holstered at their backs, while the Phantoms on either side of the courtyard lowered their hands and raised their barriers, moving into defensive postures almost in unison.

"You stated your terms, Commander," Brooks said, her gun trained at the back of Oriana's head. "Now here's ours. You will disable the block on our communications, let us call our shuttle in, and watch as we fly away with our two hostages. If you do not accept these terms, here's what will happen. First, my partner and I will shoot the lovely Lawson sisters in the head. Then my comrade up on the rocks will see how many of your companions she can pick off with that rifle. After that... well, I think we'll play that by ear."

Staring around, Jacob cursed under his breath. We're flanked on all four sides, he thought. It'd be a massacre.

"You know I can't let you go," Jacob said to the two Cerberus leaders.

"Oh, I think you can," said the clone, sneering at Jacob. "But if your conscience bothers you that much, go ahead and try your luck. Who knows? You and your team might even win. But certainly not without a lot of casualties." Reaching forward with her free hand, she grabbed Miranda by the hair and yanked her roughly backward. "Starting with your precious Miss Lawson."

"Jacob, you can't possibly be thinking of..." Vega started to say, just before a bullet struck the concrete barrier he was crouched against, dangerously close to his head.

Over the comms, Rooker's attacker clucked her tongue. "Hey, here's an idea. Next one of you that says a word, that isn't Commander Taylor there issuing a stand-down order, I punch an airhole or two through your skull. Sound good?"

Jacob glanced over his shoulder at his team. All of them looking to him for their orders. They would do it if I told them to, he thought. If I told them to stand and fight, they'd gladly do it, even if it meant that most of them wouldn't make it out alive. All of them, ready to sacrifice their lives for the smallest of chances to save Commander Shepard.

He locked eyes with Kasumi, the petite thief looking sadly at him. Knowing what he was going to have to do... what they were going to have to do.

"Tali," Jacob said. "Disable the comm distortion."

"I..." Tali started to say, then cut herself off as she glanced at the hill where Rooker had been sniping from. Nodding silently, she pulled up her omni-tool and did as she was ordered.

"Cortez," Jacob connected with the shuttle pilot on his comm-unit. "Disengage from the enemy shuttle. Let it come back here."

"Sir, I..." Cortez protested.

Jacob stared down at the ground. "That's an order, Lieutenant," he said wearily. "Return to drop point and await further instructions."

"Yes, sir," Cortez said.

Dropping her aim on Oriana's head, Brooks brought up her omni-tool. "Crooks. Ran into a bit of a snag here, but we're ready for extraction. Head to the landing pad right away."

The clone chuckled. "Aw, he looks so sad," she said, staring disdainfully at Jacob. "I bet he really thought he had us beat."

"He did come close, I'll grant him that," Brooks said, her pistol back up and pointed at Miranda's sister. "Managed to take us by surprise. So, with respect to your skills, Commander Taylor, Cerberus will show you mercy today. We will allow you and your ship to leave this system unharmed. But if you want my advice," she maneuvered closer to Jacob, while keeping her aim on Oriana's head. "Take this opportunity we have granted you, and give up. Because if you come up against us again, you will not be shown the same compassion."

Overhead, the sound of a shuttle engine was heard, the Normandy's troop carrier moving to land on the shuttle pads behind Jacob and the rest of the team. Their weapons still up and ready, Brooks and the clone led Miranda and Oriana towards the waiting shuttle, its side doors swinging open to grant them entry.

As she passed, Miranda stared at Jacob, a desperate look in her eyes. Jacob tried his best to give her confidence with just a look, assure her with his eyes that he was going to come and get her. He wasn't sure if she saw it or not, before the moment of eye contact was gone.

Behind Brooks and the clone, the remaining Phantoms followed, their swords and hand-blasters ready in case anybody made a move. As the group passed through the Orpheus team, one of them suddenly reached out and grabbed Tali by the wrist. "Hey, maybe we should bring this one, too!" she yelled out. "Always wanted to find out what shrink-wrapped pussy tastes like."

"Let her go," Garrus moved forward, assault rifle up and aimed at the Phantom's head. "Or I don't care how outgunned you may have us now, I will spend every last second of my life devoted to killing as many of you as I can manage."

The sounds of weapons cocking and barriers being activated rang out across the courtyard. "Hey," Brooks said, stomping up to the Phantom who had grabbed Tali. "Stand down, now," she warned the Phantom. "We got what we came for. Don't fucking push it."

After a long, tense pause, the Phantom finally released her grip on Tali's wrist. Garrus rushed to her side, while Brooks escorted the Phantom in the direction of the shuttle.

"Nice to meet you, Taylor," the clone said, snapping off a mocking salute from inside the shuttle. "Better hope it's the last time."

"Remember what I said," Brooks said, as she gestured with her pistol for Miranda and Oriana to get inside the ship. "Give up now, Commander. Or be prepared to lose more than you could possibly imagine."

With the hostages loaded, Brooks stepped inside the shuttle. Once she was in, the shuttle lifted off and glided over to the sniping vantage point. In the distance, Jacob could see the Phantom who had assaulted Rooker leap up into the open shuttle door, which slid shut before the vehicle pointed its nose upward and flew away.

Once the shuttle was out of sight, Jacob immediately began running in the direction of the sniper vantage. "Everybody move!" he yelled out. "We need to get to Rooker before it's too late!"

Charging through the uneven terrain, Jacob eventually reached the rocks that Rooker had climbed. As he scaled the steep grade as quickly as he could, he heard Garrus behind him. "Sir, I've got Riggs here. Out cold, looks like somebody hit him on the head."

"Try to get him up on his feet," Jacob said, as he reached the summit of the rocky hill. Rooker was pinned down on her stomach, a Phantom's blade jutting out from her back. Jacob saw with alarm a pool of blood forming under his XO's body. He grabbed the hilt of the blade and pulled upward, all of his muscles straining to try and remove the sword from the rock it had been embedded into. "Somebody help me with this!" he called out, finally giving up the fight.

"Here," said Grunt from behind him. Pushing aside Jacob, he took hold of the sword with one hand and yanked. Rooker let out a weak cry as the blade slid out of her body and blood started spilling out of the now open wound.

Rushing in, Tali retrieved a tube of medi-gel from one of her pouches. "I'm sealing the wound, but she's lost a lot of blood," Tali said. "We've got to get her back to the Orpheus medbay as soon as possible."

As if on cue, the sound of an approaching shuttle was heard. Cortez swung in low, and Jacob and Grunt each took one of Rooker's arms, sliding carefully down the hill and loading her into the shuttle. Garrus came in after, leading a still dazed Riggs, followed by the rest of the team.

"Sit her down, sit her down," Jacob instructed Grunt, the two of them setting Rooker down carefully in one of the seats as Cortez piloted the shuttle up and away from Ontarom. "Stay with me, Rooker," Jacob urged the pale-looking sniper. "We're going to get you back to the Orpheus, okay?"

"Did..." Rooker weakly spoke. "Did they get away?"

Jacob hesitated to answer. "Don't worry about it for now," he finally told his XO. "We're all safe. That's all that matters."

"We are all safe," Javik coldly observed. "I cannot say the same for Miss Lawson and her sibling, I'm afraid."

"Javik, now is really not the time for that refreshing bluntness of yours," Garrus observed.

Pounding a fist against the bulkhead, Vega let out an enraged grunt. "No, dammit, he's right! I can't believe we let them go! We had them right there in our sights, and we let them walk away. Tara could die, and who knows what they've got planned for Miranda and her sister?" He turned to Jacob, frustration and anger on his face. "We should have fought them, Jacob! It would have been bloody, yeah, but at least we would have stopped them! We wouldn't have just rolled over and let those bitches win!"

"Calm down, James," Jacob said. He heard light sobs from behind him, Tali crying into Garrus's chest as the turian embraced her shaking body.

"No, I ain't gonna calm down," Vega snapped. "Dammit, you said it yourself: that was our only chance! And we whizzed it down our fucking legs! We should have had a better plan. One that didn't leave Tara at the mercy of those Cerberus bitches!"

Jacob kept his voice low and calm. "We did have a plan, James," he said. "We..."

"Yeah, it worked out great, didn't it?" Vega angrily interrupted him. "Left us standing there helpless, watching our friends get abducted! It's a real great plan you got there, Commander. It's a plan that..."

"It was Plan A, Commander Vega," Jacob raised his voice. "And it failed. But there was always a Plan B."

Vega let out a disgusted noise. "Yeah, sure, Plan B. So tell me, what does Plan B do to..."

"Wait," Grunt suddenly spoke up. "Shuttle feels a little less crowded. We missing somebody?"

Looking up from Garrus's comforting embrace, Tali glanced around the shuttle. "Jacob, tell Cortez to turn back!" she said. "Kasumi's not on the shuttle!"

"Chill out, Tali," Vega said. "She's probably just cloaked somewhere, playing one of her pranks. Kasumi, show yourself! This really ain't the time, and you're freaking out Tali. You..."

Vega trailed off, realization dawning on his face. He stared at Jacob in disbelief, Jacob meeting his gaze without wavering.

"Kasumi's not on the shuttle, is she?" Vega asked him.

"She's not... on this shuttle," Jacob said.

"Oh no," Tali said, horror in her voice as she realized the truth.

"There was always a Plan B," Jacob repeated, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Javik nodded. "A clever move, Commander. Sending the thief to infiltrate the enemy ship. Will make tracking them down much easier, I imagine."

Vega pushed his way through the shuttle, getting up close to Jacob. "You sent her in alone? Alone against an entire ship of Cerberus agents? She's got no backup up there! If anything happens..."

"Nothing will happen," Jacob said. "Kasumi has a lot of experience finding hiding places on the Normandy. With her cloaking device and her knowledge of the ship, she'll be able to stay hidden for a long time. Long enough to let us know where the Normandy's heading, and where the Cerberus base is."

"So all this," Vega said, gesturing down at Rooker. "This entire ambush, Tara getting stabbed and nearly dying... all of it was just a distraction?"

Jacob shook his head. "It wasn't. If they had surrendered, actually surrendered, then this wouldn't have been necessary. But when that didn't work... look, we're all here to find Commander Shepard, right? Well, Commander Shepard is in the Normandy, and if we don't know where the Normandy is, then we've got no chance of ever finding her. Once Kasumi is in position, she'll be able to send back signals, let us know exactly where they're heading."

"Dammit," Vega said, obviously unhappy about the situation but unable to come up with any further objections. "Anything happens to her..."

"I know," Jacob said, and for the first time since they'd gotten into the shuttle, his stoic demeanor finally broke. "You think I like that it's come to this, James? That I enjoy sending someone I care about into a dangerous situation like this, alone? Truth about this plan is, it wasn't my idea. It was Kasumi's. I tried to talk her out of it, but she and I both knew that unless we know where the Normandy is heading, we're never going to rescue Shepard. It's why I didn't brief the rest of you about it: because if any of you knew beforehand, if any of you let slip for a second that Kasumi was going to sneak onto that shuttle... it would have been all over. I couldn't take that risk. Not with Kasumi's life on the line. I... dammit, I..."

"Commander, I..." Rooker said, her voice strained. "I understand. You made the right call, Commander."

Jacob stared down at the floor, clenching his fists tightly. "I hope I did. I really do. Or there's going to be a hell of a lot of blood on my hands."
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Slaves of Cerberus