We Have Dismissed This Claim

SSV Normandy

Crew Deck

En route to Citadel

15 hours post-mission

"Mr. MacGrath, do you have a moment?" Cole turned to see the kindly Dr. Chakwas looking at him. He could have said no, since he really wanted to process the day's events, but if there was one thing that his relationship with Trish had taught him, it was that doctors don't take "no" for an answer.

"Doc, I usually get called 'Mr.MacGrath' by people who want me dead or locked up. Call me Cole. Now, what can I do for you?" The doctor motioned for him to follow, before making brisk strides into the med-bay.

"I can't get a solid scan of any kind on Dr. Mercer. For lack of a better phrase, his DNA won't sit still. You know that already though, and since it's not the problem I'll let that matter slide. What I want to know is why he's exhibiting all the signs of intense dreaming - rapid eye movement, abnormal beta waves, et cetera - if he's clearly awake." With that, Chakwas gestured to Alex, who was lying on one of the beds. The viral man was awake, yet for all intents and purposes, in a deep sleep.

Cole looked at his friend then began to laugh. He turned to Chakwas and said, "Doc, Alex isn't exactly capable of sleep, let alone dreams. He can, however, remember with perfect clarity, much like a drell."

Chakwas motioned for him to continue, "When he remembers things that he didn't learn... naturally, the experience is painful." Cole walked over to Alex's side, "And that beacon was the furthest thing there is front natural. He's lost inside his own head. I'll bring him out."

With that, Cole grabbed his comrade by the skull, said a sarcastic "clear," and sent several hundred volts down his hand and into Alex's body. The response was instantaneous. Alex sprung into a sitting position, and began to cough as if trying to re-learn how to breathe on his own. When he calmed down, his first action was to take in his surroundings; his second was to flip Cole off. Cole shrugged, and prepared to repeat the ordeal with Ryan. 

"No, wait!" Chief Williams yelled. "Are you sure this necessary? Would the Commander even react the same way?"

Both men looked at her with an amused expression. It was touching, in that cavity-inducing sort of way. Unfortunately, Williams' concern for her commander was going to deny them the petty thrill of electrocuting Ryan for a legitimate reason. Cole smirked, "Clear."

==========================================================================

2 minutes later 

"You guys are assholes. You know that, right?"

"I can always put you back to sleep, if you'd like."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "At least tell me what the hell happened back there?"

Williams was the one to field that question. "It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."

Alex and Cole tried not to crack up. It was definitely a serious matter, but knowing that Ryan had to say something nice was priceless. After all, it wasn't as if he could say that he had mysteriously lost the ability to teleport. That tended to get negative responses. 

Ryan sighed, Don't sweat it. Like you said, the beacon wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up. It was probably Saren's work. Thus, I'm blaming him for my shore leave caliber headache."

Dr. Chakwas looked grim. "Unfortunately, we won't be able to determine what set it off. You may not know this, but when it released its hold on the two of you, the bloody thing exploded. 

Both men swore, before turning to Cole. They weren't looking for sympathy, but silently asking if he and maybe Cortana had lifted something useful before it exploded. Cole gave them a slight twitch in the affirmative that wouldn't be noticed by anyone without enhanced senses. 

Williams again chimed in, "it may have been a system overload, you and the multi-ton man with the hood, she nodded towards Mercer, "were out cold. So a giant man in green armor carried him, and Lieutenant Alenko helped me carry you back to the Normandy.  

Ryan grinned at the woman, "You have no idea how much I appreciate being being carried by you instead of our resident light  socket."

Williams gave a small smile, then frowned and said, "Don't think this means I've forgotten about all the crazy shit you did with your left hand, Commander. I'll want answers soon enough."

Ryan pointed at his head, "Note the shore leave caliber headache."

Cole was about to point out that, back in Rapture, both the original Jack Ryan and the Supernova in front of him would often get utterly wasted in the middle of firefights, and they would always be just fine. Luckily for the Splicer King, Captain Anderson chose that moment to walk into the med-bay, requesting for some privacy with the trio of powerhouse. Once Williams and Chakwas had left, the captain tiredly asked how they were holding up. 

Alex snorted, "We're apparently a hell of a lot better than Jenkins. There are only two beds in here, and he wasn't on either. Don't tell me he didn't make it after I spent all that time hauling his ass across the colony."

Cole chuckled at that, "I think we forgot to mention one thing. you guys have been out cold for roughly fifteen hours. Despite my protests, Jenkins and Ryan got the beds until we met up with the Moscow about four hours ago. It was the closest Alliance ship making its way back to Arcturus, and it had a larger med bay. Docs over there assured us he'll be fine. That was when the Chief came in here and put your ass on the bed. We're all amazed you didn't break it."

Anderson held up his hand. "We'll be arriving at the Citadel soon enough. If I can get a statement from you two of you, that would be good. I've already spoken with Cole, the Master Chief, and his.... copilot."

"Of course, sir," Ryan said respectfully, "but if I may, why is Chief Williams here?" This comment earned him a two-pronged smack to the back of the head, courtesy of Alex and Cole.

Anderson resisted the urge to laugh at what were basically the Three Stooges with super powers and super intelligence. "Gunnery Chief Williams is a good soldier, as you likely noticed on Eden Prime. And with Jenkins out of commission for the foreseeable future, she's been reassigned to the Normandy's crew." 

Ryan nodded, stating she was a fine soldier before immediately dodging his associates' blows. "Okay that's enough! Will you at least act civilized in front of the Captain? This is a damn Alliance warship, and we're off to a rocky start as 'humanity's finest' without the bitch slapping routine!"

Anderson grunted, "Commander Ryan's right on that one. Between Nihlus' death, the beacon's destruction, and the geth, we have some serious explaining to do. The Council's going to want answers, and the official report accuses Saren, their best agent, of going rogue and causing all of this. Saren is dangerous, and he hates humans."

Cole growled. "There's no way he just made nice with the geth to kill some on the edge of the Terminus systems. Whatever that beacon had was really important to him. I plan to find out what he knows, and whether I just have to ask nicely tear off Saren's mandibles to get answers is entirely up to him."

Alex let out a cross between a snarl and a hiss, "Count me in. I'm itching to 'thank' him for whatever that beacon did to me."

"That  stunt with the beacon is actually our best bet," Anderson said sternly. His expression made it transparently clear that they were not to be carving a bloody swath through the galaxy in search of Saren. He couldn't have physically stopped them in any way, but he had enough of their respect that they would defer to his judgement. "What exactly did the beacon do? Was there anything that can be used to help us here? Dr. Chakwas said you were both dreaming..."

Alex looked at Ryan, apparently demanding that Ryan step up and let the virus avoid another headache. Ryan closed his eyes, trying to remember the vision with the slightest hint of clarity. "I saw what may have been the worst act of slaughter in existence. Machines were brutalizing organics. I didn't recognize either faction. I'm pretty sure it was meant to be viewed by Protheans only." Alex mumbled something about being warned ahead of time. Ryan shook his head and sighed, "It won't do us much good, and it may even undermine out case. In the end, its MacGrath's word against Saren's."

MacGrath nodded at that."I'm not too concerned. I caught him in his lies once, and I can do it again."

Anderson looked at the three men standing in front of him. They were about to charge a Spectre with treason, and the evidence was shoddy at best. The Council was difficult on its best days, yet these boys were totally unafraid of standing before the seat of galactic power and saying that their best agent had gone rogue. He was impressed, and a bit concerned for their sanity. "Alright then. We should be reaching the Citadel soon, so tell Joker to pull us in to dock. You three will be arguing the case against Saren, but the Chief had no connection. What he does is up to him."

Ryan laughed as they left the med-bay. "A assure you, sir, his 'copilot' will demand he take her to see the sights. Cole, Alex, you guys can do as you please once we dock. I'm going straight for the embassies.

=============================================================================

Saren Arterius

Unknown ship 

En route to Virmire

Saren was leaning back in his chair when the asari Matriarch approached. No doubt she brought news of Eden Prime's destruction. She cleared her throat before saying, "We identified the that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel. It was under the command of Captain Anderson." Saren tensed up with pure hatred at the mention of that name, but the black-clad Matriarch continued, "They managed to save the colony."

This was unacceptable, but before he lost his temper, Saren had to know one thing, "And the beacon?"

With perfect discipline, the Matriarch responded, "two... individuals may have used it."

Saren was furious, and not just because so much of his efforts on Eden Prime had been jeopardized, but because a couple of pathetic humans had the audacity to try and rise above their stations as an inferior species. They couldn't hope to stop what was coming, yet the "heroics" of these few was a major annoyance nonetheless. That's all humans knew how to be: annoyances.

Flying into a rage, Saren roared and tossed about anything not attached to the floor. He almost hit the asari with one of his thrown projectiles. Storming up to her, he grabbed her head with both hands and brought her face an inch away from his with a snarl. Yet she made no effect to escape, and showed no sign of fear. Calming down, Saren released the calm asari, and said in a deep growl, "These 'individuals' must be eliminated."

With that, he strode out of the room. He had to look and act the part of the falsely-accused Spectre, or even the witless Councilors might have a few doubts. Anderson was involved, though, and that would definitely work in his favor. After all, these were mere humans he was defending against. How bad could it be?

=======================================================================

SSV Normandy

Approaching Citadel Station

"Why so touchy Joker," Williams said with a teasing voice. Nobody was going to side with Joker on this one. Any man stupid enough to say that "size isn't everything" is obligated to find his own way out of the hole he just dug. Ryan especially knew that Joker was a goner, having talked with Williams earlier in the mess hall. 

The pilot remained unaffected, "I'm just saying you need firepower too."

"Look at that monster," Williams pointed out. "Its main gun could rip through the barriers of any ship in the Alliance fleet!" The four Supernovas looked at the ship, each noting that it was barely half the size of that thing that had attacked Eden Prime.

"Good thing it's on our side, then," Alenko commented.

Alex muttered something the definition of"our side" wile Joker got permission to dock. Soon enough, the Normandy had pulled into a hanger bay, and the docking clamps latched onto the frigate. 

Ryan turned to everyone, "Shall we?" The team of six, along with Anderson, left the ship and headed for the embassies on the Presidium. But Cole and Alex were horrified to learn there was one thing in their way: 

More of those damn elevators. 

The look on their faces told Ryan that there was about to be a very large bill to pay. His suspicions were confirmed as Cole used his mastery of lightning to force the elevator to descend faster than it was designed. "Now I have two reasons to hate the Protheans," Alex stated with complete sincerity. "Their beacons hurt like a bitch, and their elevators are just plain sad."

===============================================================================

Citadel 

Presidium

Human Embassy

"The turians don't found colonies on the borders of the Terminus systems, Ambassador." Ryan could hear Valern, the salarian Councilor, through the door, and against his better judgment chose to walk in at this moment.

"Gee, Councilor," Ryan droned in a mocking voice, "Could it have anything to do with the fact that you send humanity to found the colonies first, only sending your own people out if we happen to survive? What are we? The galaxy's friggin' buffer zone?"

All four politicians looked at Ryan in disbelief. No mere soldier would have such a keen understanding of galactic affairs. Tevos, the asari Councilor, recovered first, saying, "We will discuss this matter at the hearing not before."

Ambassador Udina turned his gaze on Ryan, barely containing his rage, "What was that all about? Can the good Captain not control his own crew?"

Cole snickered. He still held a dislike for Ryan, but while everyone assumed it was an intense rivalry, not even Alex, his closest friend in the Supernovas, knew the truth. Cole hoped to keep it that way. Still, this territory had done Ryan some good; he was at least trying to be a decent human, and as much as Cole hated the Splicer King, he hated politicians more. 

And now Commander Ryan was channeling his heritage, the persona of Andrew Ryan himself, to tear this sorry excuse of a man apart. "The operative word in that sentence, ambassador, was 'good'. I'd like to think that anyone serving in the Alliance, such as Anderson, Lieutenant Alenko, Chief Williams, and myself, has the moral high ground on you." Blatantly ignoring the ambassador's sputtering fury, Ryan continued, "If you must know, I was doing you a favor, as they will now believe humanity is more aware of their careful manipulation. They won't throw us to the wolves quite so eagerly in the future, and they'll have to permit the construction of a larger human military force to retaliate against the geth. In layman's term: they know that we know that it's their fault Eden Prime was relatively defenseless. Did that make sense? Or do I need to do the rest of your job too?"

"That's enough, Commander Ryan. You've made your point." Anderson was astounded that the Commander had this force of will hidden away, but he needed to contain the situation before Udina's ego got him killed. He was just grateful that Mercer wasn't here. The hooded man had insisted on tracking down a lead discovered by the AI called Cortana. Apparently, the evidence itself was damning, but it was from Saren's private logs, which meant it was also inadmissible. Explaining that they got the information from an AI would have been awkward too. So Alex had elected to do the legwork and the legwork and go to Chora's Den in the Wards.

==================================================================

Citadel

Wards

Chora's Den

Alex Mercer hated elevators. He was beginning to suspect that the real cause of the Protheans' disappearance was death by boredom in the things. He would not be exaggerating if he said he could reach his destination on foot. He could tear out the floor and run, but he was saving that for a rainy day when he really needed to cut loose. Doing it now would just cause an increased security, and possibly make the elevators go even slower. That last possibility made Alex shudder.  

Stepping out of the elevator, he followed the route to Chora's den that Cortana had given him. He knew he was almost there when he heard club music and smelled the sweat and alcohol. All three were dead giveaways for a "gentleman's club." Rounding the corner, he came to a halt as the two turians attempting - and failing - to be inconspicuous whispered, "That's him," before pulling out concealed firearms.

Alex rolled his eye and began walking towards them as they fired modded shredder rounds at him to absolutely no effect. When it became clear they were smart enough to try running - making them more intelligent than ninety percent of all people to shoot at him - Alex leapt over the small gap in the platform. He'd fall for at least three hours before he actually crashed and died. Lifting the second turian by the throat, Alex simply stood there as the fool kept shooting him in the head. Finally the gun overheated, and Alex snatched it away, shattering it with a gentle squeeze and holding the turian directly in front of his regenerating have.

Once his mouth reformed, Alex grinned psychotically at the terrified bird, and asked, "Did Saren send you? Don't answer that, you don't need to talk for me to get what I need." With that, Alex grabbed the would-be hit man by the fringe, snapped his neck, and consumed him.

========================================================================

Web of Intrigue Node 17:

Adelius Thraetor

Saren: I trust you can get this done quietly?

Adelius: Arterius, you've got nothing to worry about. We'll handle these guys.

Saren: Good. And be sure to only contact me after they're actually dead because if you attempt to cheat me, then I'll be... personally insulted. Are we clear?

Adelius: O-of course Mr. Arterius, s-sir. We'll get it done.

End of Node 17

==========================================================================

Alex shook his head and walked into Chora's Den. It was unfortunate, but any evidence discovered by eating people was probably inadmissible. He could impersonate the turian and record a conversation with Saren, but if he played his cards right, they could expose Saren and score the small fortune that the bastard was planning to pay for their deaths. Alex knew that the turian had C-Sec looking into his recent activities. While their search likely wouldn't turn up anything, when combine with Cortana's lead in Chora's Den and the knowledge Alex had just gained, it would lay the groundwork for a wonderful kick in the mandibles of one Saren Arterius. 

==========================================================================================

Citadel 

Presidium 

Embassies

After they all listened Udina bitch and moan for several minutes, Anderson followed the ambassador out the door, heading to the Council chambers in the Citadel Tower. 

Ryan looked at the vacant space where Udina had been standing, unable to accept that the powers that be would give this giant office to such a waste of air. Sighing, he looked at Williams, as if giving her some unspoken permission. Apparently that was exactly what she was hoping for, immediately saying, "And that's why I hate politicians." A chorus of "damn rights" echoed through the room.

Ryan looked to Chief, and asked if they had everything, getting a nod in the affirmative. He was referring the intelligence goldmine sitting on all the computers across the embassy district. This was standard procedure in larger territories. Much like Retronuke Earth, if you stumble across something of normal problem, no matter how trivial. Uniques also had the annoying habit of befriending people with serious baggage. Unique Six of Retronuke Earth had befriended a PTSD sniper with a death wish, an ex-caravan owner with a chip on her shoulder, and a progressive-thinking woman whose entire "family" was compose isolationist technophiles, just to name a few. It was worth it in the end, but Ryan had to wonder just how the Uniques stayed sane when they stopped every two seconds to solve somebody's problems

"Alright, everyone," Ryan announced, "we're off to the Citadel Tower. We'll contact Alex once we get closer. This place would bore him worse than a hanar poetry reading."

========================================================================

Citadel

Wards 

Chora's Den

Alex was five steps inside the club, and he already hated the place. Activating his thermal vision, he saw a fortified position in the back room. That likely had what he needed, but there was something far more intriguing standing in his way.

"Fist told us to take you down if you showed up!" a krogan bouncer yelled at a much larger and tougher-looking krogan.

Alex guessed that the big one was a battlemaster. Alex had learned a lot about most races in the galaxy during his time on Omega prior to the Skyllian Blitz. The alien races he appreciated the most were the krogan , the salarians, and the asari. He had gotten good at interacting with all three. The krogan were his favorite. They respected strength, lived for centuries, and healed at a very high rate. They were eight-hundred pound reptilian versions of him. Shapeshifting powers aside, the only two differences between Alex Mercer and a krogan difference were that krogan actually died if you shot them enough times, and they had twice as many nuts.

The battlemster looked unimpressed with the threat. In a moderately quiet voice, he said. "What are you waiting for? I'm standing right here. This is Fist's only chance, if he's smart, he'll take it."

The bouncer, whether from stupidity or overconfidence, ignored the battlemaster's warning. "He's not coming out Wrex. End of story."

The aptly named Wrex seemed amused by this response, saying, "This story is just beginning." Alex was upset that nobody had died, when Wrex lumbered by him. "Out of my way, human. I have no quarrel with you." Alex moved to the side, not because he was intimidated, but because the inverse scenario would attract a lot of attention. Sure, the asari maidens would find it hot, but he had business here. Bar fights could - and probably would - come later. 

As Wrex passed by though, Alex made sure that he met the krogan's gaze, a predatory look in his dull eyes that spoke volumes to the krogan. He was no frail human, but a powerful individual that stepped aside as a courtesy to a fellow warrior.

Then Alex seamlessly transitioned back into the role of a typical human at a club, enjoying the view and certainly not here for any trouble. Alex was almost sure that he'd seen that krogan again in the near future. Nothing was certain, but he seemed like the kind of guy that Unique Shepard would go out of his way to recruit.

Alex's comm. buzzed to life, and Cole was asking him to head for the Citadel Tower. Alex said he'd be there but first he was going to knock some sense into the turian in the corner that refused to shut up about some asari called Sha'ira the Consort....

===============================================================================

Citadel 

Citadel Tower

Council Chambers

"We've made our reports," Alenko said to Williams in the elevator. She had been wondering if the Council would ask her any questions directly. "Now we just have to trust, Ambassador Udina." Cole couldn't believe how somebody who sounded just like Carth Onasi was not only an idealist, but had just used the word "trust" in a positive manner. It was kind of freaky.

"No we don't, sir," was the Gunnery Chief's only response. When Ryan laughed and said she was going to fit in with this group just fine, Cole was convinced that the Splicer King had lost it. She didn't even know what he was, and he was welcoming her with open arms because she share a dislike for politicians? That quality existed in just about everyone who wasn't a politician. After seeing him teleport or launch a swarm of killer bees from his hand, he would be going to her for acceptance, not the other way around. Cole was actually surprised that Ryan hadn't thought of that by now.

Luckily all this gave him something to think about while on the damn elevator. He was unwilling to make this one go any faster since they would be stepping out into a room filled with snipers reader to kill any possible threats to the Council's safety. He knew they were there. If they ended up taking a shot, the Council was going to need a new rug. Cortana had sent the Supernovas everything she had on turians in general and Saren in particular. If Alex could follow his lead, this would be one hell of a show. 

They were greeted by a pair of arguing turians upon arrival. "Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them!" Obviously, the one with the snazzy visor was the C-Sec officer investigating Saren.

The other turian looked amused. "Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous. Your investigation is over, Garrus." And obviously, this guy - who just walked by the group as if they weren't even there - was a higher rank than the officer investigating Saren. It would figure that the man in charge wouldn't want to be cooperative. 

Garrus looked at the group, and gave his apologies for finding nothing. Ryan, able to tell he was close to some kind of clue, nodded at the Master Chief. Cortana knew that he was about to suggest something illegal so it was in their best interest for her to loop the sercurity feeds for a few moments. 

Ryan leaned in close, and whispered to Garrus, "Off the record, Garrus? I'd get cracking on that lead soon. We don't have enough to convict Saren, but we have enough to embarrass him. Once we've made a lasting impression, we'll conduct our own investigation, and we'll need your help. Official procedure be damned."

Garrus' mandibles flared in what looked like anticipation. "Sounds good to me. If it takes getting fired to bring a rogue Spectre to justice, then this job just isn't worth it anymore." That got Ryan's attention. Anyone who would have shared the goal of taking down Saren would have riding shotgun with Commander Shepard. Now he understood what the Unique had meant by "make some friends." It was beginning to make sense:

They were supposed to build a team to take Saren down. A multi-species team at that. This was going to be so much fun. He turned to Cole, "Got something in mind or do you plan on doing something like the "smartasses on, two, and three" routine from that stunt we pulled on Manaan? 

Cole smiled, ignoring Alenko and Williams' looks of confusion, "Yup, and guess who gets to be smartass number one?" Ryan rolled his eyes.

They hurried up to Anderson only to be told that the hearing had already started.

===============================================================================

Tevos was speaking when they arrived. "The geth attack  is a matter of some concern, but there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way.

Sparatus, the turian Councilor was the next to speak, "The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason."

Ryan butted in before Udina could try and control the hearing on their behalf, "And of course when a human says one thing, and a turian says another, the turian is always the one telling the truth. And Saren's a Spectre so even though his every action is complete mystery, even to the Council, whatever comes out of his mouth must be set in bloody stone. Because why would a government-sanctioned terrorist possibly have anything to hide?" With that, Ryan passed the torch to Cole, who would play the role of smartass number two; the angry smartass.

Cole pointed up at the giant holographic image of Saren. Remember me, Saren? I was there when Nihlus died! I watched your favorite pet shoot him in cold blood. I'd continue, But you already know all this. You read the file didn't you? What about the part where Nihlus' one and only injury doesn't match geth pulse weaponry, but Spectre Master Gear? And what about when you placed your hand on Nihlus' shoulder? Is it a coincidence you're so busy that this hearing just had to be held before the boys in C-Sec forensics could match the metal scrapes from your custom glove to his shoulder plate?"

Obviously worried that Cole was beginning to gain some ground, Saren butted in. I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre," he fixed his gaze on Cole, "and a friend."

The turian continued, and Cole let him. They just needed to wait for Alex to show up, and then this would become the worst day in Saren's life. "I assume that you and that human in the ridiculous jacket are Captain Anderson's little 'heroes'. Strange that he is always involved whenever I'm being falsely accused. It's even stranger that your kind actually admires those who let a Prothean beacon get destroyed."

"And how would you know about that? The mission was top secret. You couldn't know unless you were there." Cole smirked. He knew it wouldn't really be that easy, but he was going to slam the turian's bullshit excuse back down his throat.

Saren remained smug, "With Nihlus gone, his files were passed on to me. I read the Eden Prime report, and what isn't pure fiction is unimpressive, to say the least. But what can you expect from a human?" That last word was dripping with enough venom to put down a thresher maw. 

Cole didn't take the bait. As a conduit back in Empire City, he had long since grown numb to xenophobia. Instead he found something much more fun to hit the Spectre with. Turing to the Council, Cole put on an expression of disbelief. "Did you actually think before you handed over the Eden Prime report to the same Spectre that we accused of going rogue in the Eden Prime report? Or is it standard procedure to hand all of our ammunition to the defense to make sure that he walks?" 

Tevos, always the mediator, attempted to rationalize the action, but Cole interrupted, "With all due respect Councilor, you either gave him the file with little-to-no concern for how it would affect this hearing if he actually was a rogue Spectre, or Saren asked for the file, and somebody just gave it to him because he's the Spectre's damn poster boy! The former is foolishness on your part. The latter raises the question: What does Saren want with the Eden Prime mission report if he's not guilty of working with geth to attack a human colony?"

Saren had appearently had enough. Obviously he wasn't used to having his logic called into question. That meant their song and dance was working. They just had to wait on smartass number three. And Saren's current rant was buying Alex valuable time to show up. "Your species really needs to learn its place MacGrath," the turian's sub-vocals had practically overtaken his primary voice. "You're not ready to join the Council, let alone the Spectres, yet you think you can dominate the hearing?"

That's when the booming voice of smartass number three echoed throughout the entire room. "And who died and made our eligibility for the Spectres your decision, jackass?" Alex had entered the building. "Sorry I'm late. I'm trying to get over this horrible headache given to me by a Prothean beacon. Before you ask why Ryan isn't late for the same reason, recognize that he's an Alliance officer that obeys the chain of command. I, on the other hand, am a civilian with authority issues and a file somewhere in front of you that says I killed ten thresher maws. I was contracted to assist the Normandy's crew on the Eden Prime mission, but I don't answer to anyone I don't like. Thus, I showed up fashionably late for a meeting with the three most influential people in the galaxy and their favorite pet."

Saren gave the turian equivalent of a smirk, "I see you humans allow a sociopath to do as he pleases. Such a terrible risk, don't you think councilors? And of the beacon has damaged your mind, then perhaps you should be put in hospital, or better yet, a cage fitting for the varren you are!"

Alex took the typical "mad dog" insult in stride, and asked in chillingly calm voice, "Tell me, bareface,  if Eden Prime really had been a turian colony, would you still send your geth to kill them? What was so damn important about that beacon's message that made it worth killing a colony?"

"Enough!" Sparatus bellowed, silencing the chamber. "Mr. Mercer, do you have some new evidence, or are you simply here to insult us?" 

Alex fixed Sparatus with a forceful glare that actually had the turian councilor sorry he had asked. Then Alex relaxed with practiced ease, and reached out to the nearby guardrail. "It's Doctor' Mercer. And I just have this message for Saren," he said before ripping out a meter-long section of railing.

When this display earned him a shot to the head from one of the many snipers that had been watching his every move, Alex extended his middle finger in the exact direction that the shot had come from, letting them know he was fully aware of their presence. He turned back to the Council and Saren, delighted in their fear. "I'm sorry, was that supposed to put the rabid varren down? I guess the report left out a few key details about me. I've been very careful not to let anything slip. You now know I can't die from being shot in the head because I wanted you to know, Saren Arterius. Just like I want you to know that when I find you, I'll do this," Alex bent the railing into a loop, then a knot, and finally crumpled the whole thing into a ball of scrap metal, "to your fucking spine." He looked at the Council,  "this is the part where you say that the meeting is adjourned so we con all get on with our lives." Giving Saren one last psychotic grin, which genuinely scared the turian, Alex turned around and walked off.

Cole smirked and followed his friend, flipping Saren the bird on his way out. One by one, the Eden Prime ground team walked away from the hearing.

=============================================================================================

Udina was furious. "What in the hell was that meant to accomplish? Were you trying to make us look like fools?"

Ryan held up a hand, unable to take the ambassador's complete lack of common sense for another moment. "We wouldn't have gotten him convicted, so we did the next best thing, and we sucker punched the bastard. Now if you'll excuse us, we have leads to follow up." He turned to the Chief, knowing Cortana could point them all in the right directions.

Chief turned to Alex and said, "The Shadow Broker has a contact on the Presidium. A volus named Barla Von." Alex grinned like it was his birthday. The Shadow Broker was the ultimate secret-seller in the galaxy, and Alex Mercer loved secrets. Or rather, he loved to learn them.  

"Dibs!" the sociopath yelled before running toward the elevator.

Alenko rubbed his neck and asked, "Is Mercer always so-" 

"Yes," Cole, Ryan and the Chief all said at the exact same time.

Chief turned to Cole and Ryan, "Chora's Den still has a good lead, and since we don't know where Garrus went, the suspended C-Sec officer, Harkin, just might." With that, the Chief walk over to a salarian messing with a keeper, grabbed the scanner out of his hand, held it for a few seconds, then handed it back to the salarian and walked away. Cortana had just boosted the device's signal and scanned all keepers at once. The thing had been causing minor interference on the Chief's radar, so it needed to be dealt with quickly.

Chief headed to the elevator and took it down, refusing to give a destination. 

Ryan turned too Anderson. "It's your call, sir. We're about to break the law in so many different kinds of ways. But if you let us do this, we'll have plenty of evidence in less than an hour."

Anderson nodded grimly, and without so much as glancing at Udina, the group of four left for Chora's Den.

They had been in the elevator for less than ten seconds before Cole groaned. "Our exit would have been so much more badass if these things weren't so damn slow!" 

==============================================================================

Hear it is... I just wish it got out sooner. There will be more I just don't know when. 

I don't own shit.