Title: Mass Effect: Entrada
Author: Maqeurious
Game: Dragon Age: Origins / Mass Effect
Characters: Neria Surana/Cerberus

Mass Effect: Entrada is the story of a once revered Grey Warden forced into a life of the unknown. Hunted mercilessly by Cerberus for her ability to possess magic, her only hope of survival is at the hands of a young C-Sec agent. But what happens when even he is out of his depth? Where does an escaped fugitive and an AWOL soldier go?

To family, of course.

Although this is classed on as a crossover, it will be 99% based in the Mass Effect universe. Comments welcome.

Chapter 2: Bound

"Her vital signs are stable, but there are some anomalies."

"Such as...?"

"She seems to have foreign mutagens in her blood work unlike anything we've ever seen before. It's some kind of unknown infection or virus that's slowly but periodically attacking her white blood cells. It could takes years to kill her if that is indeed what it does - but until we know exactly what it is, we can't treat her."

"I see. Anything else?"

"We're still analyzing her data, but we did find something else of interest. Her nervous system shows signs similar to element zero exposure."

"Similar, but not the same?"

"That's correct, Sir. We know that when a subject is exposed to dust-form element zero in utero, there is a chance that child will develop eezo nodules throughout the nervous system. In most cases it amounts to nothing, or in the extreme – cancer. But in rare cases; particularity in humans, it leads to the ability to use biotics."

"I've never seen biotics that can control fire like this girl can."

"No. Biotics is the ability to control and create mass effect fields thanks to the bodies eezo nodes manipulating the electrical pulses of the nervous system. This girl has those nodes throughout her entire body; more then usual in fact, but testing shows it's not exactly element zero."

"What is it then?"

"Unknown, Sir. Its properties are similar to eezo, but in a more natural state unlike the refined material we use. Think of asari biology. They are all inherently biotic, so their nodules are almost natural occurrences in their DNA. They 'belong' there. Whereas in humans it's like an extra piece of code that's been 'lumped' together as an after thought. Natural in a sense, but compared to the asari, it sticks out like a sore thumb."

"And this means... what exactly?"

"Well, not only does this girl have some kind of hybrid element zero material coursing in abundance through her body, it's more natural to her then any asari biotic could imagine. Not to mention any human. Her ability to control fire could come from the fact she's more inherently biotic then the entire asari race."

"How is that even possible? Humans are still new to biotics and the asari have been partial to it for much longer then us. How could her ability have evolved beyond the oldest known race in the galaxy."

"I'm not sure, but there is one more thing. She shows no sign of any artificial augmentation whatsoever. No cybernetics, no biotic amps. She doesn't even have a cochlear implant for translation or an omni-tool, which is completely unheard of in this day and age. It's as if you plucked her from the 20th century – or earlier."

"You're assuming she's human at all."

"There is no reason to believe otherwise."

"What about those? Those aren't human looking ears."

"A relatively simple – albeit painful, cosmetic procedure is my guess. Everything else about her is human-like, although she is more petite and slight in stature."

"Have we been able to communicate with – wh...what's happening?"

"She's waking up, Sir. Her heart rate is accelerated and she's trembling. I...I think she's having a panic attack. We have to calm her down."

"Well do something! Look, her eyes are opening! Hold her down before she can use her biotics again!"

"No, if we cause her more stress she could have a heart attack!"

"And I don't want another fire on my hands like last time! Do someth - ahhh!"

"Doctor Jansen! Are you OK?!"

"What... what is this? My hands are... they're so cold!"

"Let me see -"

"WHAT IS THIS!? Is this her doing?!"

"What the...! Her entire cot is... turning to ice! How is she doing this?!"

"I don't care if she has a heart attack! Do something! Sedate her if you have to!"

"Y..y..yes Sir! Benzodiazepines will calm her panic attack, but we have to wait to administer a sedative. Hold down her legs until it takes effect. A few minutes will do."

"She's strong for such a small girl. And ice? Something tells me this isn't biotics as we know it at all."

"I agree. I'll give her the sedative now. Her heart rate has gone back to normal and it looks like she's drifting off again. What an amazing specimen she is. I've never seen such abilities before."

"So...do you still think she's human?"

"This does... make me wonder. If she isn't, then it's possible there is an entire race out there with abilities similar to hers. Can you imagine the power they could wield! An army of them would make Cerberus an even bigger force to be reckoned with. Do you have any idea where she is from?"

"No. But I intend to find out."

o.O.o

Kolyat stared mindlessly at his computer, watching as the cursor blinked lazily against the pale blue screen. It was taunting him, he just knew it. This small, arrogant collection of pixels were toying with him – embedding it's demonic little ode with every successive flicker into his already overtired brain.

WRITERS... BLOCK...

WRITERS... BLOCK...

It had been over an hour already and his mind was blank.

"You want in, I can help. But you have to sell yourself, son. Write the self recommendation letter and I'll endorse you." Captain Baileys words were still fresh in his mind. He was tired of being a glorified street rat; filtering down information to C-Sec officials for a dime. Sure, the perks were good in some respect. Out of all the C-Sec informants he supposed he had the better deal. An average wage depending on the intel he provided, a livable apartment that he only sometimes shared with a family of mice and access to files and data that could bring about ruin to certain government officials. Okay, so the latter was only available under strict instruction by Bailey himself and kept absolutely confidential from the other C-Sec officers, but still. He'd hate to be one of those poor schmucks when those tasty tidbits made it into the public eye.

But it was time for a change. It was time he took control of his life and lifted himself out of the gutter; so to speak, and become a normal member of society. If he was going to get anywhere in this life he had to conform to the societal norms, and that meant getting a proper job. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but it was an inevitability he had to deal with. Hell, if it hadn't of been for his father and Commander Shepard, he'd most likely be rotting in a jail cell. He had to pay them back somehow. He had to show them that the trust they placed in him wasn't a mistake, and it wasn't!

It hadn't taken long for Kolyat to realize the error of his ways, trying in vain to live up to the legacy that was Thane Krios: Master Assassin. He'd been kidding himself. He wasn't a hitman. He wasn't a killer. He was just a boy lost in a world that he thought had given up on him when his father left and his mother departed to the other side. He knew better now. The relationship between the two of them was still healing, but he knew his father suffered in his own way, and he took a quiet solace in that. It helped knowing he wasn't the only one that suffered after his mothers death.

But after a few months running errands under Baileys watchful eye, the monotony was beginning to wear him down and he wanted to trade that in for something more stable with a reliable income. And hell, maybe even someone to share it with if he played his cards right! He wanted to become someone that others would be proud of. So when Bailey mentioned the up and coming C-Sec cadet intake, he jumped at the chance. He already had the street experience and he was no slouch with a gun either. With Captain Baileys endorsement and training, he really felt he could be a great agent. That was if he could ever finish this damned self recommendation letter.

A sweeping, baritone voice from the computer opposite him interrupted his reverie, and he reluctantly let his eyes lift lazily from his screen.

"Stare all you want, it ain't gonna write itself." Kian was sitting at the desk across from him with a stack of files and a mischievous look on his face. "If you need a break we can head to the gun range and fire off a few shots. Target practice always helps me clear my head."

"Clear your head?" Kolyat retorted with a feigned sneer, "I'm pretty sure your head is always clear. Clear or empty."

Kian chuckled, but didn't miss a beat. "Yeah well, I might have an empty head, but I'm the one wearing the uniform and holstering something big and dangerous." He made a spectacle of grabbing his crotch to emphasize his crudely made point, but Kolyat just groaned. Kian Mareck was nothing if not crude, and for a turian it was a refreshing change. He found the species too cut and dry. Too 'by the book'. Trying to squeeze a little humor out of them was like trying to push over an elcor with a feather. Impossible. Kian on the other hand was nothing if not an unconventional turian. He was crass, blunt and totally obscene. He could drink you under the table at the same time as saving your ass in a fire fight. He was also the only C-Sec soldier in this place that was the same age as him.

"You keep grabbing that thing and I swear it's going to fall off one of these days."

Kian chuckled again, his mandibles twitching in what Kolyat could only guess was a smile. They'd only been working together for a few months, but in that time they'd become quite close, and it was nice to have someone to count on for once. Even if Kian was a smart ass every now and then.

"We can't have that," he replied as he leaned across his desk, "Imagine all the poor women that wouldn't have a reason to get up in the morning."

Kolyat shook his head, trying to repress a smile. "Can you stop thinking with the contents of your pants for one minute and help me with this? Bailey's gonna be here soon to look it over before sending it off to the brass. This is my last chance to get recruited." He gave his friend a pressing look and sighed. "Please."

There was a moment of silence while they stared at each other down. The game was on. The young drell knew that if he lasted long enough, Kian would back down and give in. It was a devious method, but it worked each and every time. And this time was no different. It didn't take long for him to get the desired result.

Kian growled and cursed under his breath. "Alright, alright! Stow the pup eyes greenhorn and let me see what you have already." Begrudgingly, he slid into the seat beside Kolyat and commandeered the keyboard. "Why you want in C-Sec is beyond me. It's really not all it's cracked up to be."

"So says the detective with a commendation. Not to mention the talks of you becoming a spectre." He gave Kian a sidewards look. "I've seen the paperwork."

His fingers froze over the keyboard for a moment before once again tapping away like a maniac. "You saw that, huh? Can you imagine? Me... a spectre."

"You don't sound too pleased? I thought all you military types aspired to be a spectre one day? The freedom. Playing by your own rules. You know, all that stuff."

"Sounds fancy, doesn't it? Though, being under the councils thumb at every moment leaves something to be desired."

Kolyat snorted. His father had briefly mentioned how the council railroaded the illustrious Commander Shepard when that whole debacle with Saren erupted. Granted, being a spectre had it's advantages, if you didn't mind all the bureaucratic bullshit that you had to put up with. But still. In the long run, wasn't it worth it just to be able to traverse the galaxy without a care in the world?

"So what? You don't want to do it? In all seriousness, I think you'd make a great spectre. And don't give me that look." He shoved Kian in the ribs with his elbow when the turian gave him a half cocked stare. "I'm just saying, is all."

"Aww, that's cute." Once again he returned his attention back to the computer. "I actually have an evaluation coming up tomorrow. Lucky me. I get to be shadowed and judged on the ability to do my job. Fun times."

Kolyat frowned at the news. "What? Where? You didn't mention this before?"

"Well, technically it's all hush hush, but you know me. I can't keep anything from you when you fire those big puppy eyes at me. I've been assigned to a special group under Ambassador Orinia. The executor is putting together a turian task force for a mission. I don't know all the particulars, but it has something to do with Cerberus."

Kolyat felt his breath give out. "C..Cerberus? Why? They're the humans problem, let them handle it." As much as he trusted Kian, he still hadn't told him that his father was currently on a Cerberus vessel which had not long ago returned from beyond the Omega 4 relay. Just. "And why is the turian Ambassador bothering? Shouldn't it be the humans Alliance?"

Kian shrugged. "I'm not too sure why they're not directly involved, but some human woman from Grissom Academy has taken refuge in the embassy. Apparently she has intel on cerberus that could cause some serious harm for the group. Locations of bases, names of agents.. that sorta thing. I think they're looking for someone, and I don't mean the Illusive Man."

There was a final click at the keyboard as Kian hit the save button. Satisfied, he flopped back in his chair. "You know, if I somehow pass my little test and become a spectre, you could just come with me. You wouldn't have to worry about this shit and I'd train you personally."

"Don't think I haven't thought about getting off the Citadel." Kolyat said, wearily. "I've lived such a nomadic life up until now it's been kinda hard to have to let it go and settle down in one place. But I promised." And it was a promise he would keep, not matter how disconnected it made him feel. "Don't tempt me Kian. You know I'd give up all this... luxury... in a heartbeat otherwise."

Kian took a long, hard look at Kolyat. He could see the conflict in the drells eyes and resigned himself to the fact that no matter how hard he pressed, one day very soon they would part ways. It was a shame. He really liked the guy.

"Well, the offers always there, greenhorn. You'd have a lot more fun and see a lot more things with me then you would working for C-Sec. Think about it. Seriously. You and me, kicking ass and taking names. And I'd never make you write some stupid self recommendation letter."

He watched in silence as Kian returned to his desk, dug through a disorganized stack of files and then gathered his sidearm from within the draw. More talk like that and he'd be sold, and that was a dangerous thought.

"Look, tell it to me straight. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? Sitting behind some desk taking orders from 'the man', or out in space enjoying it while you can? The drell are few and far between, Kolyat. Don't settle for what's easiest to conform to an ideal. You want to be your own man, then take an unorthodox route. Break from the mold." Kian turned to the door as he holstered his weapon. "You don't want to spend what precious few moments we have in life kissing ass and getting no where. And who knows, you might just meet someone out there."

Kolyat nodded somberly, accepting that maybe even he didn't really want to be here. He enjoyed the freedom of space travel too much to be nailed down in one place for Gods knows how long. But his promise. His... promise.

"I'll think about it, but that's all I can do right now." He met his friends eyes and smiled, "Besides, you still have to become a spectre first and you won't do that standing around here browbeating me into becoming your wing man."

"True enough, greenhorn," Kian said simply as he headed out the door. "Oh, and you may want to proofread what I wrote for you. My spelling.. uh.. may not be the best."

He was gone before Kolyat had a chance to say thanks. Though when his eyes skimmed over the computer and read the text his dear friend had typed, an overwhelming need to punch him arose. The whole page was filled with one simple line, over and over again.

'...You need to get laid You need to get laid You need to get laid You need to get laid

You need to get laid You need to get laid You need to get laid You need to get laid...'

Kolyat sighed. "Gods.. what an ass."

o.O.o

Neria could hear strange noises as her consciousness came back begrudgingly. It seemed like an eternity before her vision cleared just enough that she could make out the faint glimmer of a light source above her. It hurt to open her eyes, but if her time as a warden had taught her anything it was to be aware of your surroundings at all times. So as much as the light felt like it was burning her retinas, she forced them open.

There was indeed a light above her, but it was brighter then any candle or sconce she had ever encountered. It was also white, not yellow or orange like fire should be, and if she strained her ears enough it hummed like a small, irritating summer bug.

She swallowed thickly and retched as she did so. Her mouth was incredibly dry and her tongue felt twice the size it should be. She ran it over her teeth; which also felt dry and furry, and flexed her jaw in hopes it would produce at least a small amount of saliva to sate her devastating thirst.

Where am I? This doesn't look anything like the Makers...

"She's coming around, Sir."

A voice from somewhere beyond her vision interrupted her thought, and she froze. It was male, as was the voice that responded.

"Excellent. Ensure her restraints are firmly in place. Make doubly sure for her hands. I don't want her getting out of control again."

There was a ruffling of garments before a long, dark shadow fell over her and one of the men came into view. He looked young; maybe younger even then her, and he was human. But that was where the familiarity ended. There was nothing about his garb or any of his instruments that she recognized. Neria shivered—humans made her nervous on the best of days.

She followed him with her eyes for a moment before her gaze halted and sudden realization dawned on her. She was lying on a table, her midsection barely covered by a thin white sheet. Her armor, which she'd lovingly collected over the past few months, was no where in sight. At her ankles, thick leather straps bound her securely to the hard metal beneath her. There were similar straps over her thighs, torso, chest and both wrists. She tried to move her head to track the man circling her, but it too was immobilized by some sort of restraint. Desperation swept over her and she struggled against her bindings, trying in vain to find some leeway in hopes of escape.

"Get those bonds secured dammit! She's come around with more spunk then I'd hoped for!"

Her panic subsided momentarily as the other man came into view, and this one she vaguely recognized from earlier. He was standing over her, his long coat crumpled but impeccably white save for the small yellow and black symbol stitched on the breast pocket. He was helping secure the straps at her wrists when she noticed his hands were scarred and tautened by what could only have been the ravages of flames. The younger man busied himself with the straps at her feet and thighs.

"What are you doing?" Neria tried to asked, her thick tongue making her words garbled and painful. "Untie me. Do you... do you have any idea who I am?"

"So, you speak english," the older man said, more as a statement then a question. "It confirms my suspicion about you being human at least. Though I don't know any human who can use biotics like you." He pulled tightly at the last restraint and took a step back. "What is your name, girl."

Despite her situation, Neria felt a spike of anger rise within her. "It's not polite to inquire about ones name when you haven't the decency to introduce yourself first," she spat. "Tell me who you are and where I am and I might be inclined to return the gesture."

The man snorted, a smirk lining the corner of his mouth. "Fair enough," he replied, obviously annoyed by her haughtiness. "I'm Doctor Dieter Jansen, and you are in my laboratory in a cerberus facility."

It took a moment for the foreign words to sink in. "Laboratory? Cerberus?"

"That's right," the doctor continued. He came forward again to look over her, his eyes following the curve of the tattoo marking her cheek. "My team and I were in the middle of a very important experiment with a man-made relay, when the power amplified to such an extent that it was completely destroyed. But not before it transported you here from where ever you're from and dropped you in the middle of my lab. Rather unceremoniously I might add."

"I... I have no idea what you're talking about." Neria jerked her head back as much as the restraints would allow when his fingers came into contact with her skin. He traced the faded blue marks there with extreme fascination, before catching her eye again and smiling.

"Is that so?" was his cold reply.

Neria didn't speak for several moments as she contemplated the few thousand thoughts running through her head. Just how did she get there? And where exactly was here? None of her surroundings looked familiar, and the two humans hadn't even recognized her as an elf and thought she was human. The last thing she remembered was... oh Maker!

"Where is the archdemon?" she blurted, her eyes darting frantically around the room. "Is it dead? Where are my friends? Are they alive?" She tried to sit up and was met with the force of her bindings digging into her skin.

"It's alright, calm down. There is no one here but you." He pushed her back against the cold metal, followed closely by the younger human who had chosen to remain silent until now.

"You were the only one to pass through the relay," he added. "Well, you and the decapitated head of a giant beast."

She tried to kick her legs out of frustration when he got closer, only to be met with the restraints once again. "Relay? What is a relay? I don't know what you're talking about! Let me out of here!"

"I said calm down!" The doctor put the full force of his weight on her now, pushing down on her shoulders to stop her from flopping and thrashing on the table. "I don't want to have to sedate you again, but I will. You've already set my testing area on fire and given me rather nasty burns in the process." He held up one his hands to her face so she could see and it was like a light went on in her head. The memory of her fight with the archdemon came flooding back. Then a pillar of light that blinded her. And a tunnel; a swirling tunnel unlike anything she had ever seen before surrounding her. Suffocating her. Then she'd opened her eyes and looked into the face of a strange man looming over her. This man. That was when the fire came. That was when all of her instincts went into protecting herself. She'd let the flames run wild, and this poor sap had been in the firing line. Yes, she remembered now.

"Not to mention your little stunt trying to turn this room into your own personal freezer," the doctor continued.

OK. That, she didn't remember.

"We had to restrain you for our own safety, and for yours. Every time you raised your hand you caused trouble." The doctor pulled back slowly and slid his reddened fingers across her exposed palm. "You need your hands to make your biotics work, right?"

"B..biotics?" Neria stuttered, cringing at the older mans touch, "I don't know what this... biotics... is!"

"Don't try and fool me!" Dieter growled, his patience running thin. "I'm talking about the fire and ice you command at will! I've seen it with my own eyes!"

"Fire and... you mean my magic?" It was the only thing she could think of that would make any sense. "I'm... I'm a mage."

"M...magic?" The doctor stared at her for a long time, his muddy brown eyes focused intently on hers. Then it was a like an animal had been let loose in the room, and Dieter broke down into fits of howling laughter. He leaned against the metal table, using it as leverage to keep himself from keeling over until his laughter subsided and he once again met her eye to eye. "You...you actually expect me to believe your abilities are... magical?" Just saying the word made the corners of his mouth turn upwards, but he bit back the chuckle no matter how funny the idea was. "I've never heard of anything so preposterous. Magic doesn't exist, girl. This is the 22nd century sweetheart, not a fairytale."

As Neria stared down the doctor, watching him try and suppress his childish waffling at her expense, she felt her anger spike again. But it wasn't that he was being a smart-ass, or even that he'd dared laugh at her. She'd been mocked before, worse even then this. It came with the territory when you were an elf. It was what he had said that struck a nerve deep inside of her. How could magic not exist when he'd clearly seen her use it. Twice. How was it that he hadn't mentioned her being an elf or a Grey Warden? And what was this 22nd century? Biotics? Cerberus? Just what in the Makers name was going on?

Instead of biting his head off like she oh-so-longed to do, Neria took a deep breath and tried to relax. She needed to think. Something was definitely wrong here, and she didn't mean the 'putting your shoes on the wrong feet' kind of wrong. Clearly something had gone spectacularly awry and she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Killing the archdemon was supposed to have killed her in return, that she knew for a fact. So if this wasn't the Makers Kingdoms; as she suspected it wasn't, then where exactly was she?

Dieter moved away from the table but his eyes never left her. He could see that she was mulling over something in her head, but his patience was wearing thin and he wanted... needed... answers.

"Your name," he said simply. "Tell me who you are." After a few quiet moments when she didn't respond, he urged her once again. "You promised."

Meeting his gaze once again, she steeled herself and began to speak. "My name is Neria," she said with determination. "Neria Surana; and no, I am not human. I speak the Kings tongue out of necessity, but I am an elf; as well as a mage, to my very core. I am also the Grey Warden that sacrificed her life to save Ferelden from the fifth blight. I come from a land called Thedas... in the age of 9:30 Dragon." Then her voiced changed. Softened. Almost like she was pleading with him. "Please tell me you no what I'm talking about."

A/N: So, this chapter has been a long time coming, and for those people that have been waiting.. I'm so sorry! My excuse? Well, in all honesty there were a few things. I was so upset at the ending of Mass Effect 3, that I lost all motivation to write. After I finally came to terms with it, fell in love with it again and resigned myself to the fact that Shepards story was actually over, I had already fallen in deep with the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. Then if that wasn't enough, I got sucked in by Star Wars: The Old Republic, and have been playing the crap out of that. So between ME3MP and SWTOR, I lost my way with my fiction. But lately I've been reading a lot of fanfic (mainly swtor) which has brought the spark back. So here we go again. Hope you enjoyed it, and will stick around for more.