The group was about halfway through the tunnel when another explosion was heard and the second gate collapsed inward. The mercs went in firing. One was hurled backward, his arms flailing, as a biotic threw him. Another shook spastically as a hail of projectiles chewed through his armor and pulped his vital organs.

  T’Loak might have been hit as well but wasn’t. She was safe inside the biotic barrier that one of her Level 3 adepts had created to protect her. As a result the only thing on the asari’s mind as her entourage swept into the compound was the need to locate the man responsible for her daughter’s death. “Find Leng,” she ordered grimly, “and bring him to me.”

  By prior agreement Kahlee and Anderson were determined to ignore T’Loak and go looking for Nick and Gillian. As T’Loak’s mercs passed through the second gate, and fanned out across the cavern’s floor, they followed behind. Kahlee saw a body, feared that it might be Gillian’s, and ran to check. But the moment that she knelt next to the bloodstained corpse she realized the woman was older. Kahlee was back on her feet when Anderson’s voice flooded her helmet. He was on a little-used frequency, which the two of them had chosen for personal communications. “Kahlee … Over here.”

  The battle for control of the main floor was over by that time so T’Loak and her mercs were busy working their way up along the spiraling path. There were sporadic bursts of gunfire as the invaders paused to deal with biotics who had taken cover in side caves. So the danger was minimal as Kahlee made her way over to the point where Anderson was standing with hands on knees. “It’s Hendel,” he said. “And Nick.”

  Kahlee uttered an involuntary gasp as she looked at what remained of Hendel’s face. He’d been shot at point-blank range. A pistol was laying not far from Nick’s out-flung hand, and Anderson was in the process of removing a second weapon from one of the boy’s holsters, as Kahlee dropped to one knee. She felt for a pulse. “I think he’s alive. Nick? Can you hear me? It’s Kahlee Sanders.”

  Anderson removed the canteen that was clipped to his belt and splashed some water onto the boy’s face. Nick’s eyelids fluttered and popped open. He stared upward for a moment, as if reluctant to believe what he was seeing, and blinked. “Miss Sanders? I should have known that if Mr. Mitra was here you would be too.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “Bad … Real bad. But it doesn’t matter. Mr. Mitra killed Marisa.”

  Kahlee remembered what Hendel had told her, about seeing Nick with a girl, and guessed the rest. “So you shot him?”

  “Yeah … I was angry.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that Nick. Hendel was a fine man and he deserved better. Especially from a person he was trying to help.”

  Nick looked like he might cry.

  “Where’s Gillian? Was she involved in the fighting?”

  Nick shook his head. “No. We have a prisoner. A Cerberus agent named Leng. Gillian took him away just before the attack. The Illusive Man is going to pay millions of credits to get him back.”

  The mention of Leng and the Illusive Man triggered mental alarms for both Kahlee and Anderson. Their eyes met momentarily before returning to Nick. “Just before the attack?” Anderson demanded.

  “Yes.”

  “Nick, where did they go? Where is the handover?”

  “At the crematorium,” Nick said. “Miss Sanders … My parents. Tell them …”

  “Yes?”

  Nick jerked spasmodically as a shot rang out. Both Kahlee and Anderson looked up to see Immo standing about a meter away with a pistol in his hand. More shots could be heard in the background as other biotics were put to death. The salarian nodded politely. “Aria T’Loak would like to speak with you.”

  “Why you rotten bastard,” Kahlee said, as she came to her feet. “I should …”

  But there was no need to say what she should do as the butt of Anderson’s rifle made contact with the salarian’s head. Immo crumpled to the ground.

  “Come on!” Kahlee said. “If we hurry maybe we can make it.”

  “The handover could be over with by now,” Anderson said, as they ran for the tunnel.

  “True,” Kahlee replied, “but we’ve got to try.”

  “Look!” Anderson exclaimed. “Gyrocycles. I saw them on the way in. Let’s grab one.”

  “You can drive it?”

  A much younger version of Anderson appeared when he smiled. “I can con a spaceship, can’t I?”

  Anderson had already swung a leg over the nearest machine, and thumbed the start switch, when a shout was heard. “Stop the humans! T’Loak wants to speak with them.”

  Kahlee climbed on behind Anderson as the engine roared to life, gravel flew, and some mercs were forced to scatter when Anderson drove straight at them. Then the couple were through the tunnel, out on the street, and speeding away. Projectiles were flying by then, but all of them went wide, as they entered the maze of twisting-turning streets.

  Anderson had been on Omega long enough to navigate between major landmarks by that time, and he had a pretty good idea of where the crematorium was. The problem was heavy traffic. Fortunately the gyrocycle was very maneuverable, which meant he could weave in and out between carts, veer onto sidewalks, and bump his way down a long flight of stairs.

  A tight left-hand turn was called for, but the gyro-stabilized bike took it with ease, and Anderson performed an unintentional wheelie as he cranked the throttle open. There was a thud as the front tire came down, a street vendor went diving for cover, and the two-wheeler hit a rare section of straightaway. “There it is!” Kahlee shouted into his right ear, as a grouping of columns appeared on the rise ahead.

  Anderson released the throttle, applied the brakes, and pulled over next to a tiny shop that sold religious paraphernalia to mourners. Then they were off, running up the slope, hoping to arrive in time.

  Gillian had been assigned to guard Leng and felt a rising sense of excitement as the group entered the crematorium. Leng went first. His hands were cuffed in front of him and the leg shackles made walking difficult. Gillian was immediately behind him followed by Von. Only three people. That was all the Illusive Man had been willing to agree to. They were protected by the biotic barrier Von had established, however, and that made Gillian feel safer.

  As they passed between a pair of fluted columns a downward sloping ramp appeared. And there, standing in front of a three-meter-high pillar of flame, was a human male. The Illusive Man? Yes! He looked like the descriptions she’d heard. The protective shield shimmered, sounds were slightly muffled, and the scene took on a slightly surreal quality as Leng shuffled forward.

  Leng felt like a rat in a trap. It was the worst situation he’d ever been in. But as he led the others down the ramp Leng spotted the Illusive Man. And there, on the platform next to him, two satchels could be seen. The ransom. And the key to his freedom.

  He could hardly believe his eyes. All sorts of emotions welled up inside of him. The first was surprise. The Illusive Man was taking a huge risk by taking part in the handover. The second was gratitude. Because it would have been easy, appropriate even, for the Illusive Man to write him off. Yet there he was, standing all alone, waiting for the threesome to arrive. It was a sight Leng wouldn’t forget.

  They were halfway down the ramp and everything had gone flawlessly so far. But Gillian knew that could change in an instant. So she was looking for signs of treachery. But the Illusive Man was like a magnet that drew her gaze. The distance was closing and the seconds were ticking away. Zon would make the call, but not until they were close enough to grab the satchels that were sitting on the platform.

  As the gap closed to little more than a few meters what felt like bands of steel began to close around Gillian’s chest. Then, when Leng was still a good five meters away, the Illusive Man spoke. “Hello, Kai, it’s good to see you. And the young lady as well.”

  “You killed my father,” Gillian said coldly, as she gathered the energy necessary to kill the man in front of her.

  “Your father was well on the way toward killing himself,” the Illusive Man said, “but yes, I played a role. It was for a good cause, however. We learned a great deal from the experiments that were performed on your father. Enough to make an army of Graysons.”

  Gillian launched a reave. It should have ripped the Illusive Man’s nervous system apart and killed him within a matter of seconds. It didn’t. The Illusive Man smiled grimly. “That’s what I thought … You and your kind can’t be trusted. But the agreement stands. Take the ransom and leave Leng.”

  Gillian was both confused and angry. The Illusive Man should have been dead. But there he was talking to her! Zon said, “Gillian! Do what he says! Take the satchels!”

  But Gillian didn’t care about the satchels. So she unleashed a series of biotic attacks that sent a cloud of trash whirling through the air and caused one of the massive three-meter-tall statues that flanked the converter to fall sideways. There was a flash of light as the one-ton object was consumed and disappeared, but the Illusive Man remained untouched.

  Gillian screamed her rage as she drew a pistol and fired. Hits could be seen behind the Illusive Man, as projectiles stuck the supports to either side of the converter, and threw sparks in all directions. That was when Gillian realized that the pellets were passing through the Illusive Man and shouted a warning. “He isn’t real! It’s a holo!”

  Leng felt both disappointment and exultation. On the one hand the Illusive Man hadn’t been willing to put his life on the line. On the other hand the head of Cerberus was going to extreme lengths to get him back. But what to do? Allow the biotics to take him away? Or fight? It was an easy decision.

  Rather than connect his handcuffs to a waist chain the way they should have, the biotics had left his arms free. That was a mistake and Gillian paid for it as Leng brought his hands around. They were clenched, so as to form a bony club, and when it struck the side of Gillian’s skull she went flying. Her body hit, rolled, and came to a stop.

  Leng charged in. He was determined to follow up quickly and put the biotic out of action for good. But Gillian was quick. She sprang to her feet and delivered a blow of her own. It plucked Leng off the floor and slammed him down. The problem was obvious. She had a long-range weapon while he had none. So the key was to get in close where the girl’s talents would be of limited value—and his strength would make the critical difference. But how? Leng allowed himself to go limp.

  Gillian saw Leng hit the floor and remain there. The whole plan had gone terribly wrong. But one thing was clear. The Illusive Man clearly cared about Leng. So if she could recapture the assassin, and march out of the crematorium, she would have leverage over the Illusive Man.

  It appeared as though Leng was either unconscious or dead. But what if it was a trick? Gillian drew her pistol and approached one step at a time. Her eyes were focused on Leng’s face—and that was a mistake. A sudden kick knocked her feet out from under her, the handgun went flying, and Leng came back to life. He pounced on Gillian and his weight held her down.

  But she wasn’t about to give up. The head butt was one of many things learned from Hendel. She felt the contact, saw the look of surprise on Leng’s face, and tried to knee him in the groin. But rather than knock the assassin unconscious the blow made him angry.

  The weapon had been a toothbrush. But after countless hours of surreptitious sharpening the formerly innocent object had been transformed into a prison-style shank. The point went deep. Gillian jerked spasmodically, frowned, and stared up at Leng with an accusing look on her face. She tried to say something, but there was too much blood and all that came out was a gargling sound.

  Leng struggled to his feet just in time to see Zon reach the top of the ramp and back out the door. The biotics were escaping.

  Mott hurried forward to free his hands. The Illusive Man’s likeness looked Leng in the eye. “Welcome back, Kai … And don’t worry about your legs. Once the doctors are finished with you, you’ll be better than you were before. Much better. I’ll see you shortly.”

  The simulacrum disappeared, and with two heavily armed operatives to protect them, Mott and Leng left. The satchels, both of which were full of rocks, were left unclaimed.

  As Kahlee and Anderson ran up the slope to the crematorium a white delivery van pulled away. There was no one to stop them as they entered the crematorium and paused at the top of the downward sloping ramp. At first glance it seemed as though the amphitheater was empty. But then Anderson spotted the body that was sprawled in front of the brightly glowing converter. “Look! It’s Gillian.”

  Together they hurried down the ramp to the point where the body lay in a pool of quickly congealing blood. A quick check revealed that Anderson was right. The body was Gillian’s, some sort of weapon was protruding from her neck, and her breathing was shallow.

  “Don’t pull it out,” Anderson advised. “That could make things even worse.”

  Kahlee opened a medi-gel-impregnated battle dressing and wrapped it around the point where the weapon had gone in. But it was too little too late. That much was obvious as she leaned forward to look down into the teenager’s face. “Gillian? It’s Kahlee.”

  Gillian’s voice was little more than a whisper. “Kahlee?”

  “Yes. And David Anderson.”

  “We tried to kill the Illusive Man,” the teenager said, as she gripped Kahlee’s hand. “But it didn’t work.” Gillian coughed and blood dribbled down her chin.

  “I’m sorry,” Kahlee replied, by which she meant she was sorry about the choices Gillian had made, the people she had killed, and the fact that she was dying.

  But Gillian was unaware of the subtleties involved. “It’s okay … At least I tried. But there’s something else … Something important.”

  Kahlee squeezed Gillian’s hand. “Yes? What is it?”

  Kahlee brought a hand up to the gold chain and the jewel that was attached to it. Both were covered in blood. “Data … From my father … Taken from Cerberus. Reapers. All about them. And …”

  “Yes?”

  “An army … The Illusive Man told me. My father was the first. They’re building an army. An army of …”

  “Of what?” Kahlee inquired.

  But Gillian was silent. Kahlee felt the grip on her hand ease, saw the light disappear from the teenager’s eyes, and bit her lower lip. “Damn, damn, damn.”

  “Yeah,” Anderson said soberly. “What a waste.”

  ON THE CITADEL

  In the wake of the attack on the Biotic Underground, and the confrontation in the crematorium, Kahlee and Anderson had been forced to leave Omega in a hurry. Because Anderson’s attack on Immo was equivalent to attacking the Pirate Queen herself, to hang around would have been suicidal.

  Plus, once they were safely in space, and had the opportunity to open the jewel-like data storage device that Gillian had given them, they knew there was something more to do. And that was to deliver a second report to the Citadel Council.

  Now, as the transparent elevator carried Kahlee and Anderson up toward the Council Chamber, she marveled at the beauty of the wide-open vista in front of her. The sun-drenched view made quite a contrast to the dark, poorly lit streets of Omega.

  When the doors parted Anderson led Kahlee out into the hallway. Eight honor guards were on duty, just as they had been during the last visit, and the asari named Jai M’Lani was waiting for them at the other end of the corridor. She was wearing a different colored gown this time but was otherwise unchanged. “Good morning. It’s good to see you again. The meeting just began and you are second on the agenda. As you know the stairs will take you up to Council level—the pathway on the right will take you into the waiting room. I will come and get you about ten minutes before your presentation.”

  They thanked M’Lani and made their way up the stairs and into the waiting room. It was empty except for three turians so the rest of the seats were vacant. And as they sat down Kahlee was reminded of Nick and the last time they had been there. If only she’d been aware of what he had planned to do. Maybe she would have been able to stop it—or maybe he would have joined the Biotic Underground anyway. And then there was Gillian. Poor Gillian. This is for you, Kahlee thought to herself, as she took a seat next to Anderson. Win or lose we’re going to try.

  A turian could be seen on the big wall screen, and Kahlee got the impression that he was arguing against some sort of tariff, which according to him was completely unfair. B’Than thanked the turian, and was in the process of telling him that the Council would take the matter under advisement, when M’Lani came to get them.

  The asari led them to a small waiting area behind the Petitioner’s Stage. Then, once the turian left, it was their turn to walk out onto the platform. Even though Kahlee had been there before it still felt strange to look out across the gap to the Council members on the other side. The asari sat on the far left, flanked by the salarian, the turian, and the human. They were dwarfed by the five-meter-tall holographic likeness that hovered over their heads.

  The asari spoke first. “Greetings Admiral Anderson and Miss Sanders. I’m told that you just returned from Omega. Welcome back. Who will speak first?”

  “I will,” Anderson replied. “The last time Miss Sanders and I appeared before you it was to show you Paul Grayson’s body and what had been done to it. As you know, we’re of the opinion that the Reapers are the only ones who could conceivably have the technology used to modify Grayson’s body, even if Cerberus played a role.

  “Since the last time we appeared before you additional information has come our way, and we would like to share it with you in hopes that the Council will take action against the Reapers.”

  The human Council member was clearly annoyed.

  “With all due respect, Admiral, your fascination with the Reapers has all the hallmarks of a fixation. But if we have to walk this road again let’s do so as efficiently as possible. Please proceed.”