"I want an assurance that Kahlee and I will be allowed to go free after this meeting," Anderson insisted.

"Everyone wants things they cannot get."

"Are you going to keep us here as prisoners forever?" Kahlee wanted to know. "Or are you just going to kill us when this is over?"

"I haven't decided your fate yet," Aria said with a smile. "But if you cooperate, your chances of leaving Omega will increase dramatically."

"How long until the meeting?" Kahlee finally said, realizing there was truth in Aria's last statement.

"I'll send an escort to accompany you in a few hours. I suggest you be ready when they arrive."

Kahlee and Anderson both remained standing until Aria and the others were gone and the door had closed behind them.

Neither of them spoke as they turned to look at each other. Kahlee wondered if the concern she saw in Anderson's face was reflected in her own.

He reached up and gently took her wrists, then drew her back down to a sitting position on the couch.

"You risk losing mobility if we don't finish the therapy," he told her.

With a nod, Kahlee resumed the exercises, eager to find something that could take her mind off the imminent meeting with Grayson ... and the fear of what she might find waiting for her.

Aria still hadn't decided what she was going to do with her prisoners. She didn't want to kill them if she didn't have to; there was little long-term gain to be had from dead bodies. But she was also leery of letting them go. Anderson in particular looked like the type to carry a grudge, and she already had plenty of enemies. Ultimately, she knew, her decision would depend on the outcome of the meeting with Grayson.

He represented another decision she hadn't made yet. It was unlike her; she very rarely went ahead with a plan if she wasn't reasonably certain of the outcome. But she still didn't like the idea of getting into bed with Cerberus, no matter how lucrative the payoff might be.

"What's the plan for when Grayson arrives?" Sanak asked, causing her to turn her head in mild surprise.

She had never thought of the batarian as particularly perceptive; was it possible she had underestimated him? Or was it simply coincidence that had made him bring up the subject?

"We'll have plenty of people at the warehouse," she assured him. "More than enough to handle whatever happens."

"Why go to all this trouble? Why not just have someone take him out the second he sets foot on the station?"

"I haven't even decided for sure whether I want him dead or not," she cautioned.

"If you let him live you're throwing away three million credits!" Sanak protested. "And for what?"

"For what, indeed," she answered, causing him to shake his head in bewilderment.

She didn't bother trying to explain her thought process to him. The Cerberus offer was generous ... a little too generous. What secrets did Grayson have that were so valuable to them? And was there any chance they could prove as valuable to her?

"It's a lot of money," Sanak muttered. "That's all I'm saying. With those kind of credits on the table, no way I'd let him live."

Suddenly Aria knew what she was going to do, at least as far as Grayson was concerned. Sanak had many fine qualities. He was loyal, skilled, ruthless, and relentless in pursuit of his goals. But one thing he lacked was vision; he had a sense only of the now. The fact that he would take the Cerberus offer meant she should reject it.

"I want to try and take Grayson alive if possible," she declared. "But if he resists in any way, kill him."

Sanak's lip curled up in a snarl of disgust, but he had the common sense not to question her.

"I'm going to put Orgun in charge of the warehouse team," she added, deciding the bad blood between her lieutenant and Grayson only increased the chances of the meeting turning violent.

"What about me?"

"I'm putting you in charge of Kahlee. Make sure she's there to meet him."

EIGHTEEN.

Grayson's fingers moved deftly over the controls of the turian vessel, bringing it in to dock with one of Omega's many landing ports. He was surprised by how easily he had picked up the feel of the alien vessel; it almost felt like he had piloted turian shuttles thousands of times before.

The meeting with Kahlee was at a warehouse in a district firmly under Aria T'Loak's thumb. Grayson didn't know if that was good or bad, however. Had Kahlee somehow become involved with Aria, or was it just random chance? The odds of any given location on Omega somehow being connected with the Pirate Queen were fairly high. She had direct control of at least a third of the station, and another third was held by various factions loyal to or affiliated with her organization in some way.

Aria is powerful. A threat. Avoid if possible.

Still, it didn't hurt to be cautious. He didn't know how Aria would react to his disappearance and Liselle's death. Rather than take a chance he chose to touch down at one of the rare Omega ports that didn't pay her tribute.

From there it was a long walk to the rendezvous, but he covered the distance quickly. Though he wasn't running, Omega's landmarks rolled by quickly as he made his way through the labyrinthine streets. After several minutes he noted with surprise that, despite the brisk pace, he wasn't even breathing hard.

He would have made even better time if he wasn't constantly slowing down to study various structural and architectural features of the station. He had seen it all before, of course, but he almost felt like he was looking at it through fresh eyes: taking every detail and comparing it against some half-remembered blueprint he didn't actually ever remember seeing.

The cycle continues. Each civilization brings change, yet the works of our kind are eternal.

Omega was known for the haphazard, piecemeal way it had been constructed. Most believed that it had been carved from the heart of an ancient asteroid by the Protheans eons ago, but over the centuries any number of species had left their mark on it. Its discordant style gave it an almost random feel. And though it had never bothered him before, for some reason he now found the chaos offensive on a deep philosophical level.

But while the overall effect filled him with revulsion, each individual element he examined during his trek caused him to react with amusement. It reminded him of the ant farm he had as a child. The insects had worked with slavish dedication to build their network of tunnels, shaping and altering the tiny glass case that encompassed the entirety of their existence. He had observed them through the glass as they worked, industrious and relentless, completely oblivious of their own insignificance in the grand design of the universe.

He was nearing the warehouse district. Soon he would see Kahlee again. Just thinking of her caused his pulse, and his pace, to quicken. The walk felt effortless, as if he were being carried along by some invisible force. It felt different than when the Reapers had taken control of his body, however. Then he had been distanced from himself, a passive observer. Now he felt fully engaged in the process of putting one foot in front of the other to propel himself along. It just didn't seem to require any effort. It was almost as if someone was helping him.

A symbiotic relationship.

Grayson pulled up short, his calm, relaxed demeanor swallowed up by a dark cloud of suspicion. He tried to turn around and head back the way he came, but his legs suddenly felt heavy and awkward. He managed only ten steps before he was doubled over and gasping for breath. His own body was fighting him; resisting him.

The horrifying truth slowly dawned on him. The alien technology had become so deeply embedded into his body and mind that the Reapers were now an inextricable part of him. When he had been heading toward Kahlee they had been working in unison, parasite and host united in a common goal. Their insidious influence had burrowed so deep into the fiber of his being that he had not only been unable to resist their will, he had actively been helping them achieve their end.

"No," he shouted out, harsh and defiant. "I won't take you to her!"

He braced himself for the inevitable surge of pain as the aliens fought to bend him to their will. Instead, he felt nothing. The lack of opposition confused him. He knew they were still present; the wires and tubes protruding from his joints and crisscrossing beneath his flesh confirmed that beyond any doubt. But they had become invisible. He no longer processed them as other; they were part of him now, inseparable and indistinguishable from his own identity.

That's a good thing. Influence can work both ways.

A crazy idea began to form in his mind. If the Reaper technology was part of him now, maybe that meant he would be able to influence and control it the same way the Reapers had controlled his body earlier. Maybe he could draw on the cybernetic enhancements and his newfound biotic abilities whenever he wanted to. Maybe he could use them as tools to achieve his own goals.

You are superior to the pathetic beings of flesh that surround you.

The implications were staggering. Liberating. He had transcended the slow, laborious process of natural selection. He had broken free of the cycle of passing randomly mutated genes down from one generation to the next with the slim hope of gaining some minuscule natural advantage. He himself was changing, quickly and with purpose. He was evolving toward a perfect being.

Do not hide what you have become. Reveal your glory.

He had been afraid to see Kahlee because of what she might think of him. He looked strange. Different. But she was a scientist; she would understand and appreciate what was happening to him. She would see how he had been improved. Repurposed. She would admire him. Adore him.

Spinning on his heel, he set off once more toward the warehouse district, eagerly anticipating the meeting he had been defiantly refusing to go to only minutes before.

Kai Leng sat on the couch of the small room he had rented two nights before, staring intently at the image on his monitor as he absentmindedly spooned his dinner into his mouth. The monitor was linked to a surveillance camera pointed at the back wall of Afterlife.

His accommodations were less than a block away from the club; a run-down, ramshackle building converted into a pay-by-the-hour motel by an enterprising volus. It was primarily used by patrons of the club looking for a quick hookup who couldn't afford to rent one of Afterlife's private suites.

The room was poorly lit, and it reeked of what Kai Leng assumed was a mixture of alien sweat and vomit. But it was close enough to the club that he could maintain his vigil yet still have time to react if he saw anything.

The image on the monitor hadn't changed. He knew that what appeared to be a solid wall was, in fact, a well-disguised secret door leading to the private rooms in the back of the club. The wide-angle lens on the surveillance camera showed that the narrow alley was completely deserted; unlike the crowded doors out front, this hidden entrance was apparently known only to those who served in Aria's inner circle.

The Illusive Man had instructed him to keep an eye on Aria's people to verify they actually delivered on their promise to eliminate Grayson. With no other resources, it was impossible for Kai Leng to keep track of everyone in the organization. So he had initially decided to focus on Sanak, Aria's batarian lieutenant.

A less experienced agent might have tried to tail Aria herself. But the risk of being noticed was too great, and Kai Leng knew she wasn't going to put herself at risk by meeting Grayson face-to-face. Besides, she almost never left the club.

Sanak seemed the next logical choice, given what the Illusive Man had ascertained about his role in Aria's organization through a few discreet inquiries. The batarian was her attack dog, a blunt instrument. Whenever a situation called for violence or brute force, he would be her first choice.

Kai Leng's instincts had served him well. Three days ago Sanak had left the club through the VIP entrance out front. Kai Leng had tailed him as he gathered a squad of heavily armed mercenaries and boarded a ship. When the ship returned the next day, Sanak and the mercenaries weren't alone: Kahlee Sanders and Admiral David Anderson, one of the Alliance's most decorated soldiers, were with them.

It was immediately obvious the humans were prisoners and not guests. He could see the handcuffs on their unconscious bodies as they were carried by Aria's massive krogan bodyguard, one tossed over each shoulder.

Kai Leng had followed at a distance as Sanak's crew had taken the hostages back to Afterlife. They stuck to the unused back alleys to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Upon reaching the club they had used the secret back entrance instead of going in the front, inadvertently revealing its existence to the inconspicuous shadow that had been following them the entire time.

So far everything was going according to the Illusive Man's plan-they had captured Sanders, and now they were using her as bait to lure Grayson in. Kai Leng estimated he had at least a day before the meeting would take place; wherever Grayson was, it would take time to contact him and set up the location. That gave him time to purchase the surveillance equipment, set up the camera on the back entrance, rent the repulsive room just down the street, and stock up on food and water in preparation for his vigil.

The wireless monitor was portable; when Kai Leng needed to use the bathroom, he brought it with him so he wouldn't miss anything. It was also set up to beep if the camera detected motion, allowing Kai Leng to grab a few sporadic hours of sleep as he waited. He never slept well or for very long, however. He didn't fully trust the merchant who'd sold him the equipment, and in the back of his mind he was worried it might simply short out while he was dozing.

He wasn't about to let that happen. Not when things seemed to be drawing to their conclusion.

Aria's people had brought Kahlee in through the back entrance; he had no doubt they would bring her out the same way when the meeting with Grayson drew near. All he had to do now was watch and wait.

Anderson knew the time was drawing near.

"Are you ready for this?" he asked Kahlee.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"We'll be fine," he assured her. "Just stick to the plan."

They'd talked it over after Aria left them alone, and had agreed they had to stick together if they wanted to get out of this alive. Besides, there was no way in hell he was going to let them take Kahlee away to meet Grayson alone.

He took a deep breath to center himself, forcing his pounding heart to throttle itself back through sheer force of will.

A few minutes later the door whisked open and Sanak came marching in. Anderson hadn't been expecting him to be the one sent to retrieve Kahlee, but it didn't change anything. In fact, it might actually work in their favor.

A pair of krogan stepped into the room right behind him, weapons drawn in case the prisoners tried anything.

"Time to go," Sanak snapped. "Move."

Kahlee crossed her arms defiantly, careful not to bend her splinted fingers. Anderson did the same.

"We go together or I don't go," she said.

Sanak whipped out his pistol and stepped forward, jamming the barrel into Kahlee's forehead.

"He stays here. You come with me now, or you die."

"You won't kill me," she said, her voice calm and certain. "You need me for this meeting."

The batarian tilted his head to the right, an instinctive display of his contempt and frustration. Then he turned and pointed his gun at Anderson.

"We don't need him for the meeting," he warned her. "Come with me or I splatter his brains all over the floor."

"No you won't," Anderson declared. "Grayson's going to be suspicious. He's going to scout the location out; he won't reveal himself until he sees Kahlee. And if he senses something's wrong, he'll bolt.

"You need my cooperation to pull this off," Kahlee insisted. "Harm Anderson in any way, and you won't get it."

Anderson could see Sanak's mind churning. Aria would no doubt have emphasized the importance of getting Kahlee to the meeting; the batarian was trying to figure out a way to follow his orders without letting the prisoners dictate any terms.

"You have two options," Kahlee explained slowly. "One, David comes with me and we all go to meet Grayson. Two, you try to stop him from coming and the meeting doesn't happen."

"Then you get to explain to Aria how you blew this mission," Anderson added.

He suspected the lieutenant was good at following orders. He hoped he wasn't as good at improvising. Their gamble hinged on it.

Sanak let his pistol drop. He glared at them, then snapped it back into the clip on his thigh.

"If either of you try anything on the way, I'll kill you both," he warned.

NINETEEN.

Kai Leng's monitor beeped its warning to indicate the camera had detected movement, but the alert wasn't necessary. He was already watching the screen intently as Sanders, Anderson, Sanak, and a pair of krogan guards emerged from Afterlife.

Grabbing his pistol and knife, he rushed out the door of the tiny rented room. He didn't bother to pack up the surveillance equipment. He didn't care if the next guest stumbled across it; he would have no further use for it after this meeting.

Ignoring the elevator, he took the stairs two at a time. He reached ground level and burst through the door out onto the street. Racing around the corner, he managed to catch his quarry just as they reached the intersection where the alley behind Afterlife joined up with the main thoroughfare.

To the casual eye they would have appeared to be nothing more than a group walking a little too closely together, but Kai Leng knew different. Sanak led the way, an assault rifle strapped to his back and a pistol on his hip. Anderson and Sanders followed, both unarmed. The two krogan brought up the rear, also carrying assault rifles. Unlike Sanak, however, the krogan had their weapons out, casually cradling them in their arms as they marched.