- Author's Note -

Bit of a shorter chapter this time around, since I'm really just setting up pieces for upcoming chapters.
Also, I may have been a little self-indulgent in handling Kai Leng the way I have, but I make no apologies.
Narratively, he gets exactly what I feel he deserves. Even with my attempted improvements, there just
isn't much there to work with. Either way, I hope you enjoy. We've got some of the biggest moments
of the whole trilogy to hit coming up; I'm excited to see how you all like them!

A Changing Course

The Normandy hurtled through space, making for the Citadel as quickly as possible in the wake of Udina's emergency hail. Coordinates had been laid in, plans had been made as to how best assault the entrenched Cerberus agents within the station, and most of the crew had retired to get some much-needed rest after their excursion on Sur'kesh. In the crew quarters, amidst the shadows and dim emergency lighting, Lia'Vael nar Ulnay slept fitfully, even ensconced as she was in the arms of her love. Behind her visor, her eyes flitted restlessly, and within her mind she found herself back on the beach made of purple sand, staring out at the seemingly-endless ocean as it undulated before her.

The familiar droning sound called out across the distance, but she did not cover her ears or even wince in pain. Something about this time seemed...different. The sound came from out across the waves, a distant point where she could only now begin to see the top of a spire rising from the depths. At the same time, though, it seemed to have resonated from within her own mind, a mental din that pushed against her very consciousness. It was the call of a unique entity within her own mind. It wasn't painful or even unpleasant, it simply was. Her hands trembled at her sides, and she clenched them into fists before calling out across the empty void between them, her voice at once a scream and a whisper.

"What do you want from me?!" She heard it echo as it traversed the space, a phenomenon which made no sense, but the other seemed to wait only a moment before replying, its answer coming as a whisper from directly behind her.

"To show you."

She spun on her heel, finding nothing there, and growled low in her throat in frustration. "Show me what?" Again the voice called from beyond her vision, from behind her, toward the water.

"The truth."

She spun once more, expecting empty air, but hitched a gasp at what stood there instead. It was…a quarian. Or at least...something in the shape of one. It seemed comprised of coalesced shadows, a dark purple tempest in quarian form that twisted and turned even as it stayed relatively confined into the shape it had chosen. It reached out a hand to her, wisps of dark energy trailing away as its arm moved to beckon her closer, and she hesitated, taking an unconscious step backwards.

"You...this…" she began, fumbling at the words. "It's all wrong. Everything here is wrong." The shadowy form paused for a moment, lowering its head to gaze upon the sand before looking up to her again. Behind its visor, two bright blue eyes seemed to hover in the maelstrom, appraising her.

"Yes, it is," the shadow conceded. "And I would show you the truth of why." It paused for a moment, and when it spoke once more its voice was laden with taut conviction. "I would show you all." It turned then, waving its other arm, and a loud rumbling reverberated out across the empty seaside. From beneath the waves, large metal platforms rose up and linked together, slowly creating a path out over the tide. Lia's gaze flicked away for an instant to behold the sight, and when she glanced back the shadow had moved impossibly fast, now standing atop the first platform just above the crashing surf, arm still outstretched toward her.

There was a pull then, a mental beckoning that neither insisted nor demanded, only asked. It asked her, begged her, to learn the truth, and its insistence seemed to hold equal parts want and need. Reticently, she took a step forward, then another, and in a few long strides set her foot upon the metal platform. For a moment, she had the vague sensation of something sliding off and away from her midsection, as if a serpent had crossed over her on the way to something more important, but it fled her mind as she watched the shade lead ever onward.

She followed in silence then, out across the path that led to the ever-growing spire in the distance. Occasionally, the shadow would stop, as if waiting for something, and Lia would mimic its actions, not wanting to get too close. Each time, however, it would continue onward. Lia felt her body lighten for a moment, her stomach lurching, and she paused to place a hand over the area, the feeling unfamiliar in this dreamscape she had visited many times before. Sensing her hesitation, the shadow, who had stopped for a moment when the feeling occurred, turned back to her.

"It's not much farther now," it called back to her quietly. She met its gaze, that piercing blue urging her forward, and nodded slightly. The shadow turned back to the path, and she followed in its wake. After a short time, the shadow slowed its gait and turned back to face her. She slowed as well, stepping onto the final platform, the great spire a mere arm's length away over the edge where it pierced the water's veil. The shadow held her gaze for a long moment, then reached out its hand, placing it on the spire. "The truth…" it spoke softly, and with no small amount of pain, Lia noted. "It has been kept from you, from all of you, for too long. It needs to be shared, that you might correct our mistake." The blue eyes turned back to her, and she stepped forward, reaching out a hand but pausing before touching the spire. "The truth," the shadow said, voice now stoic once more, and she turned to meet its eyes before it continued, "is all that I offer. No more, no less." She held its gaze for a long moment before taking a deep breath and pressing the palm of her gloved hand to the spire.

Energy surged through her body and mind at the touch, fire in her veins and an electrical thunderstorm in her mind. She groaned at the pain, pushing against it, but it was overwhelming, coursing through every inch of her and flowing...into the spire? She paused for a moment, the realization bringing clarity in the midst of a hurricane of torment, and realized that the spire was not attacking her. Rather...she was channeling some kind of power into it. Muffled sounds flew over and around her head, words, phrases, but she heard none of them clearly. In the very back of her mind, she could make out a...klaxon blaring? Everything seemed muted, everything was repressed save for the ocean and the shadow and the spire before her. All at once, the energy snapped out of existence as quickly as it had come, and Lia felt a weariness sink into her bones at the exertion. Her knees buckled, and she fell to all fours, heaving for breath as the ocean swelled and surged around her. She hung her head, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to understand what had just happened. When she raised her head once more, the shadow was there, kneeling before her and awaiting her with its icy blue eyes.

"It is done," the shadow whispered across to her. "You will come, you will all come, and the truth will finally be laid bare." It reached out an arm that she had not the strength to flinch away from, and pressed it gently to her shoulder. "You have done well. Rest now; and know that I will haunt your dreams no longer." It stood then, turning toward the spire and gazing up at it, and Lia coughed for a moment before mustering up the words.

"But...the truth…?" she trailed off, unsure of the message she was to have learned from this experience. The shadow turned then, staring down at her for a moment before reaching a hand out toward her visor.

"In due time," it whispered. It's roiling, shadowy finger pressed against her visor, and a much smaller electrical snap lanced forward, through the visor, and into Lia's forehead. The sensation was instant and comforting, like being dropped from a height into a sea of feathers and soft blankets, and she collapsed into it, falling into a deep sleep as the sound of the ocean slipped away.

The first thing Udina noticed was the lights, normally soft and delicate, giving a comforting glow to the Council Chambers, now harsh and almost blinding in their intensity. He squinted his eyes with a groan, reaching up an arm to cover his face as he moved to sit up, and was met with a blinding pain in his midsection as a result. Barely stifling a cry of pain, he collapsed back to the smooth metal floor, the impact causing as much pain as trying to sit up had.

"Woah, woah, easy there, Councilor," a muffled voice called out from his left. He turned his head to see Alenko's concerned face as the man held a gentle hand to his chest. Even the light touch stung horribly, and he winced. Alenko removed his hand instantly. "Ah, right, sorry. You've got several broken ribs, and your right arm is fractured from how you landed after the blast." He shook his head for a moment, though a grin played across his features. "I'm not sure where you got a concussion grenade, but I'm just grateful you're alive, sir."

Udina's mouth was dry, but he formed the word regardless, and when is passed his lips it was all but a whisper. "Assassin?" Kaidan's countenance grew darker then, and he glanced away quickly before replying. Udina craned his neck upward, looking across the long walkway to see the body of his assailant lying still amidst a pool of blood. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and let his head fall back to rest against the floor.

"Taken care of. The blast took him out of commission long enough for me to make sure he's done for permanently." Kaidan closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. "But the station is still under attack; Cerberus troops are apparently everywhere, and they're not going to give up just because we took out one assassin, no matter how important he was."

"Sh-Shepard?" Udina managed to croak out, and he heard the soft approach of Tevos' boots.

"Nothing yet, Donnel," she said quietly, kneeling down to place a hand on his uninjured shoulder. "For the moment, this chamber is locked down and C-Sec has a unit stationed outside the lift on the lower level, so we're as safe as can be."

Despite his survival, despite being safe for the moment, Udina squeezed his eyes shut in frustration. A terrorist organization was running rampant across the beacon of hope for the entire galaxy. Where the hell was Shepard?

"And everyone is alright?" John asked, with no small amount of hesitation in his voice. There was a brief pause while she checked all available outlets and feeds, and then EDI replied.

"Yes, all crew members are accounted for, Shepard. Additionally, all decks and facilities are accessible, save for the bridge."

John sighed heavily as he pulled the shirt over his bare chest. Behind him on their bed, Tali was finishing reattaching one of her boots, the latches locking into place with a soft click. She stood then, and immediately crossed to the small workbench in his quarters to retrieve her shotgun. His eyes softened for a moment as he watched her, but he quickly shook the feeling away and turned back to the glowing orb.

EDI had awoken them in the middle of the night, or what could be called "night" aboard the ship, with an emergency message. The ship had been commandeered, their coordinates altered and the bridge locked down. When John had asked her to pull up the video feed from the bridge, he'd seen Lia's body instantly, collapsed onto the deck just next to the flight controls. He grabbed his pistol from a nearby table, holstering it at the small of his back, and made for the lift.

"How the hell did this happen, EDI?" he growled as the lift began to move. "Aren't you in charge of the systems when Joker is off-duty?" The voice paused for a moment before replying.

"I...do not know, Shepard. From what my system logs are able to compile, Lia'Vael traversed the ship from the crew's quarters to the bridge, removed one of her gloves, and placed her palm against one of the central consoles. After that, I detected a massive spike of energy, one which pushed my being out of all systems in a localized vicinity. For all intents and purposes, I am just as much locked out of the bridge as is anyone else presently aboard the Normandy."

"Damn it…" he mumbled under his breath, just as the lift doors opened onto Deck Two, placing him face-to-face with a bewildered Traynor.

"Commander!" she called out to him, falling into step as he began the long walk up toward the bridge.

"Traynor," he greeted her gruffly, "tell me you saw something." Beside him, the woman nodded sharply.

"I did, at that. I was still up working on personnel integration data when Lia came out of the lift. I said hello, but she didn't seem to hear me. Her head was kind of...tilted?" She paused, and John looked over to see Traynor imitating the look with her own head. "So...I assumed she was on a comm link with someone, and simply didn't hear me. She walked up toward the bridge, which is...well I mean that's normal, isn't it? Only right after she went in…"

"Everything went to hell," John finished for her, and she nodded. The three of them approached the sealed door to the bridge, where Joker stood, or rather nervously paced back and forth. Upon seeing them, he turned to cross the few feet left between. "Joker, tell me we can get in there." The man shook his head.

"It's not...we can't just…" he trailed off for a moment before growling in irritation. "The doors are mag-sealed and my override isn't working. It's like whatever...happened...in there shut out all external communication." He threw his hands up in dismay. "The only way anyone's getting through there is with a demolition charge already big enough to tear the Normandy in half." He scoffed at his own statement. "But not only is that completely unviable, I doubt even someone like Zaeed would have that kind of heat just lying around." John squeezed his eyes shut in irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose at the pilot's assessment.

"Not to mention we need to get in there without hurting Lia," he murmured, and Joker's frenetic step halted mid-stride.

"What?" He glanced back to the door, then back to Shepard, panic blooming in his eyes. "You mean she's…" he looked again, and when his gaze snapped back to John, it was filled with full-blown terror. "I thought she was with...oh shit. Shit, shit, shit." John arched an eyebrow in confusion, and Joker seemed to wilt under the scrutiny before he relented and divulged the nature of Lia's recent dreams, and the effects they had on her. John took it all in silently, seething beneath the surface that neither of them had come to him with the information before now, and when Joker finally finished speaking, he paused a moment before replying.

"When I carried Lia off of the Collector base, when Chakwas and Mordin saved her life, I only requested one thing from her." He felt Tali's hand gently touch his elbow in a warning, but he ignored it, the outrage at their present situation blinding him to all else. Joker shuffled uncomfortably in front of him.

"Shepard, I know that. We jus-"

"One thing!" he interrupted the man, stabbing a finger into his chest. "And now, because you decided to withhold that one thing I asked of you, we could be hurtling toward the middle of the Reaper armada, completely incapable of defending ourselves. Or maybe straight into the middle of the nearest star, or on a collision course with a planet. Do you need the full list of possibilities? I'm sure I could think of a hundred more if it would help you realize just how massively you have both fucked up here, Joker."

"We were going to talk to you about it, I wanted to talk to you about it," he pleaded. "But Lia said you had too mu-" he stopped abruptly at John's raised hand and the murderous look in his eyes.

"If I hear one more person tell me I have too much on my plate, I'm spacing them," he warned. "You think I don't know that already? You think I don't feel every single burden on my shoulders? That's taxing enough to deal with, but I can't do what this entire fucking galaxy seems to need me to do if I don't have all of the facts! Especially facts like this, that can put and end to everything we're working toward!" A tense silence fell between them, and Joker opened his mouth to speak again, but John shook his head. "Get the hell out of here. I don't care where you go, just...not here. Not right now. I need to fix this mess you've made, and then the three of us are going to have a very overdue discussion." Joker seemed to hesitate for a moment, then nodded, saluting before walking back down the tunnel toward the CIC. The silence permeated for a moment before Traynor spoke up quietly, gesturing to her datapad.

"He's not wrong, in this at least. High-powered explosives were a bit of an exaggeration, but brute force seems to be the only way we're getting past this door. Not sure who Zaeed is, but sounds like they might be able to help?" Her question trailed off, and John shook his head for a moment before realization hit him like a dreadnought. His eyes snapped open and he opened up his omni-tool, searching through his logs for the contact frequency the mercenary had given him long ago.

"Yes," he mumbled to himself, "He most certainly can." Beside him, he heard Tali scoff lightly.

"You're not seriously considering blowing open the door, right?" John shook his head as he scrolled through the information on the omni-tool.

"No, he can't help us," he agreed, "but he can help them. Though I guarantee he's not going to like it one bit." He made a small noise of success upon finding the comm frequency, and punched it in, waiting for a moment before a familiar, gruff voice answered the connection request.

"Figured it was only a matter of time before I got this call. You finally ready to collect on a debt?" Despite the situation, John could feel the grin cross his lips.

"Yea, and it's a big one. 'Paid in full,' you might say." A rough laugh barked at him from across the line.

"You don't ever ask for anything small, Shepard. It's one of my favorite things about you." he paused for a moment. "Out with it, then. Tell me what you need."

"I need you and the Suns to be, in your own words, 'big goddamned heroes'."

Bodies littered the floor in the hallway, and far too few of them were clad in Cerberus uniforms. Here and there one of their troopers would be lain in a pool of blood, the result of some lucky shot or twist of fortune that had allowed them to be taken out of the fight, but far more of the bodies wore the standard Alliance blues that marked them as workers on the station.

"Fuck's sake…" Jack murmured as they turned a corner to find even more corpses in their path. The walls of the hallway were scorched in multiple places, insinuating a fearsome firefight had taken place, but the death toll grimly announced who the winner had been. At the far side of the hallway, a thick security door stood ruptured by an explosive blast, its two panels blossoming away from the center in a still corona of twisted metal. Miranda gestured to it with her pistol, and her companion nodded, the two of them closing the distance carefully. The doorway opened into a security control center, many terminals still sat illuminated with layouts of Grissom Academy active on their displays. Miranda holstered her pistol and crossed to the largest among them, tapping at the screen when an emergency beacon flared to life.

"This is Kahlee Sanders hailing all available Alliance vessels. Grissom Academy is under attack from an unknown assailant. Our defenses have been compromised and armed soldiers are storming the station. We're attempting to evacuate the children but they...oh shit! Shit, it's Cerberus! Requesting assistance immed-" the beacon cut off into static, and Jack swore under her breath.

"No way they set up and blew that door that quickly," she mused aloud, and Miranda shook her head.

"That would have come later. She was likely recording and transmitting the emergency signal live, so it makes sense that it would have cut out once communications were disabled. It would have been any assault team's top priority after neutralizing any external defenses. What concerns me more is the lack of a body...They must have taken her along with the children." Jack scoffed.

"You know their shit way too well," she mumbled. Miranda gave her a pained smile.

"I've done their shit, I'd be the one to know it," she offered by way of explanation. The other woman simply nodded, casting her gaze around the room. Miranda had been ready for an argument or at least a verbal attack, but it hadn't come. Still slightly in shock, she pushed away the feeling of guilt and returned to the interface, tapping at the haptic controls. After a moment, she hummed in thought. "There are less shuttles here than there ought to be; possible they used some of the Grissom shuttles to take the students...wherever they went."

"Right," Jack followed, stepping over to another of the terminals and setting her shotgun down on the table beside it. "If we can get a drive signature and pull the astrogation data…"

"...we'll have a heading directly to them," Miranda finished with a grin. The two women worked for a long, silent moment trying to ascertain which shuttles had been taken and where they were headed. The moment seemed to stretch, and just when Miranda thought there might not be a lead for them to follow, Jack interrupted her thoughts.

"Fuck!" she whispered harshly. Miranda whipped her head over to look at her screen, and muttered a curse of her own as she saw the flight path that had led three of Grissom Academy's shuttles away with Cerberus' hostages.

Away from Grissom, and directly toward Horizon.