Laughter surrounds him, teeth flashing white, lips pulled back in a grin. The air holds a charge, almost electric, and they both feel it.

"Look at us," John says, and slaps him on the shoulder. He hardly feels it through the hardsuit. "Two of the world's most stunningly handsome men, and they put us on the same squad. They'll never know what hit them."

He smiles, saying nothing, but enjoying the moment. They'd celebrate after this mission, and John would probably get drunk and start a fight. He'd drag the whole squad into it, and if they spent the night in the brig, it'd be no surprise.

Soldiers move past, boots clomping on the ship's deck. Gearing up. Calling out, making jokes. Taking bets. What will they find when they land? Anticipation wove its web around them all.

John curls an arm around his neck, pulls him close. "Come, little brother. We've got a shuttle to catch."

He shrugs the arm off. Gives John a light shove. John laughs, and they join the throng of Alliance soldiers. Eyes bright, spirits high, they exchange grins.

Wherever his brother went, he would follow.

***

There were three of them.

Not one, as he'd been told, but three.

Sable lowered his sniper rifle, jaw tensing. Then he growled into the com. "Your intel is bad, Yuwin. There's two extras and I only have one shot."

The reply was immediate. And completely unconcerned. "Then you better make it count."

That wasn't how it worked, and Sable knew that his partner was well aware of that fact. He'd planned for only one target, with a quick shot from a safe distance and an easy escape path afterwards. However, sniping three asari was a near impossible thing unless they conveniently lined up a row for him. And the chances of that happening were pretty slim.

The moment he took a shot, the element of surprise would be lost, and the survivors would either take cover, sound the alarm, or go on the offensive. Maybe they'd even do all three. He wouldn't put it past these particular asari.

No, having three targets instead of one complicated things. Sable didn't like complications. He also didn't like witnesses.

He took a controlled breath, exhaling it slow and steady. Then he rose, compacting his rifle and slipping it over a shoulder where the maglocks grabbed it and held it in place against the back of his hardsuit.

"I'm going in," he said.

"Copy that. I'll run interference."

He didn't bother replying. Instead, Sable raised an arm and quickly keyed in the 4-digit sequence into his omnitool. Rather than the standard bright-orange glow, his was a dimmer, more red color, designed to be less jarring in low-light situations. It wasn't standard issue, and neither were the multitude of illegal programs loaded into it.

The moment he hit the last number, his hardsuit shimmered as a current of energy shivered over him from head to toe. And then he was gone. Invisible to all senses but his own.

He left the room and entered the hall. He moved quickly, unsure of how long his targets would remain in place. Voices warned him that he was catching up to people, but he didn't slow. The stealth technology built into his suit would hide him from all prying eyes, organic or artificial. It also ensured his movements remained silent.

Navigating doors was a bit tricky though, since people tended to notice when doors started opening and closing on their own. Same with shadows cast by nothing - he had to be mindful of that detail.

Thankfully, the human and turian pair up ahead didn't even glance back as he reached them. He slipped into the turian's shadow, his own becoming a mere extension of theirs. If one looked too closely, they might realize the turian's shadow was too long and didn't quite match the movements of its body.

But few people did. And if anyone reviewed the camera footage later, they wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary, because Yuwin would replace the file with one from earlier.

"Did you hear?" The turian asked the human. Its voice was pitched higher, putting it in the female range, with the distinctive flanging effect that its species had. "Something's got the Council in an uproar."

"It's hardly an uproar," the human scoffed. He was bald with a paunch, though there was a spring to his step that hinted at boundless energy. "They've merely went into closed door discussions for two days. They do that every other week."

"It's different this time," the turian persisted. They turned a corner, and Sable spotted the elevator up ahead. That was good, because that's where he needed to go.

"If you say so." Sable could almost sense the human rolling his eyes.

The turian gestured with its three-digit hands. "You didn't hear about Eden Prime, did you?"

Sable blinked, his shoulders tensing. Eden Prime was where his brother had gone.

It was risky to dig too far into Alliance communications, but Yuwin had been able to pull enough details for him to know that John had been sent there with a Spectre. Just a routine mission, he'd heard, but he should have known. Spectres were anything but routine.

"Obviously not," the human's tone was sarcastic. "Did something happen?"

"Obviously," the turian threw back. They reached the elevator. It opened immediately at their approach, the car already at this level, thanks to Sable's previous use of it.

"Good morning," an artificial voice greeted them. They all filed inside and turned around. Sable was forced to shuffle quickly to the side, where he stood within arm's reach of the turian.

He hoped the turian didn't get the sudden urge to stretch her arms.

The human opened his omnitool, briefly linking to the elevator controls. The doors shut and they began to descend. "Well?" The human demanded of his companion.

Mandibles lifting a little, the turian chuckled. "The Spectre is dead."

Sable frowned. Spectres weren't easy to kill. Everyone with half a brain knew that.

The human's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"I never kid," the turian returned. Her tone stated otherwise. "Apparently the settlements were attacked and the Spectre died in the crossfire. There's no official statement yet, but-"

"Attacked? By what?"

"Not sure."

Scoffing, the human scratched the side of his face. "You're making half of this up. I swear, you and your stories."

The elevator couldn't move fast enough for Sable. His stomach tightened. Rumors often held a grain of truth, and if any part of what he was hearing was true, then John had seen trouble. Or worse.

Was he hurt?

The urge to contact Yuwin and tell him to find John's immediate whereabouts was nearly overwhelming. But he couldn't. Not while he was in an elevator with a human and turian who believed they were the only ones there. The moment he spoke or used his omnitool, he'd lose his cloaking effect.

What happened, John? Are you okay?

The car came to a stop. The doors opened. And overhead, a pleasant voice chimed, "Have a nice day."

No one paid the computerized voice any attention as they moved out onto the main floor of the apartment complex.

Sable left the turian and human behind. He kept to the shadows as much as he could, then slipped behind another human as she exited the main doors.

Once outside, he paused only for a moment to take in his surroundings. Just to the left was a shuttle access - the woman he'd tailgated was already headed there - and across the wide walkway before him was the other apartment building.

That was where he needed to go. His targets were on the 27th floor.

He strode forward. "Yuwin," he spoke very softly into his com. "Get me John's location."

After a moment, Yuwin's voice sounded in his earpiece. "Now?"

"Yes, now."

Yuwin signed unnecessarily. "All right, fine. Give me a minute. Or two. Looks like there's been a security update. Probably because of the last 47 times we snuck into the Alliance databanks. Honestly, Sable, there's-"

"Just do it," Sable snapped. He reached the main entrance, stopped, and cautiously glanced up at the poorly hidden camera lens set flush against the wall. "Am I safe?"

"Yeah, yeah, go ahead. I already spliced the feeds. You're safe from all electronic eyes."

Meaning he'd have to be careful if he ran into any people. Fine, he could manage that. A quick look around showed no one around. Except the woman at the shuttle access, but she was turned away, gaze fixed skyward as she watched for her shuttle.

He took the moment to open the doors, his omnitool briefly flaring red. And then he was inside, the doors closing behind him.

He broke unto a trot, crossing the lobby. The elevator was at the far end, but it'd be too risky to use right now. The elevator generated noise. It'd chime upon opening, chime upon closing, and the automated greeting would be audible to anyone in the vicinity. No, if he wanted to play it safe, he'd have to take the stairs.

After making sure no eyes were looking his way, he carefully pushed the door open - for safety reasons, these doors did not have power locks - and slipped through. Then he began his ascent, taking the stairs two steps at a time.

By the fifth flight, he was slightly out of breath and he could feel his thighs starting to burn. His suit warmed, the built-in heat sinks starting to strain at absorbing the extra heat he was generating.

"Target status?" He asked.

Yuwin's reply was prompt. "They haven't moved."

"Good. Keep an eye on them. I'll let you know when I reach their floor."

"You want me to watch the blues, or look for your brother?" Yuwin snarked.

"Both," Sable shot back. He reached the landing for the 9th floor, only to have the door swing open. He immediately pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath. Thankfully, it was just a young woman who passed by, oblivious to his presence. He waited until she'd trotted a whole flight down before he resumed.

"That was close. Better pay attention, you know."

Sable narrowed his eyes. If he could have reached the coms and given Yuwin a good throttle, he would have. His partner-in-crime was enjoying this far more than he had any right to be.

He reached the 27th floor without any incident, though now he was sweating inside his hardsuit and his breathing came in labored pants. It didn't matter if he was in the best shape of his life - running up 27 flights of stairs would take its toll on any man.

In the hallway, he cautiously looked both ways. The place was as still and silent as a graveyard. "Which way?"

"Left. Go to the next intersection, turn right. Then down to the security door. I'll unlock it for you, but only because I'm a nice salarian."

Sable trotted down the hall, following the instructions. He didn't bother responding to Yuwin. There was only misery to follow if he fed that already overblown ego.

When he reached the aforementioned door, the security lock flashed green and the door opened. He didn't even have to slow down.

"A little further. The apartment is on your left. Number 27-4890."

A glance at the nearest door showed 27-4860. He was close. Sable slowed from a trot to a fast walk, taking the time to finish catching his breath.

"Ah, it looks like your brother is on the Citadel. His ship landed 48 minutes ago. I'll see if I can further pinpoint his location."

Relief surged through him, easing some of the tension in his shoulders. That was good news. He wouldn't thank Yuwin - that just wasn't his way - but the salarian would know it just the same. They've worked together long enough for them to understand each other.

Sable stopped. He turned on one heel, facing the door before him. 27-4890. There were no sounds, either from the hallway or from within the apartment. Not that he expected to hear anything - no one was in the halls, and the sound dampening of these apartments was too good.

"So, what's the plan?"

Red flashed over his arm as he accessed his omnitool. He entire body shimmered, then became visible as the stealth field deactivated. An orange notice on his helmet's HUD informed him that his battery packs were completely charged, thanks to heat sinks discharging into his suit's converters. It wasn't new technology, by any means, but his suit took efficiency to a new level.

He flicked open a small storage unit built in the forearm of his suit. It wasn't a big space, but it was more than enough to hold a handful of tiny magnetic discs. He pulled them all out.

And then he stuck them on the door.

"What are you doing, Sable? Is that- are those- ?!" Yuwin made a choked sound.

Sable tapped a couple of short codes into his omnitool, activating the necessary program. The discs on the door began to flash orange. Sable gave a rare smile, then moved several paces down the hall. He reached behind a hip and grabbed his Karpov pistol. At his touch, the maglocks released it into his hand. He closed his eyes and braced himself.

"You're mad! Do you know how much-!"

Yuwin's voice was cut off by a flash of white, blinding light and a dull boom. A shockwave of air shot through the hallway, nearly slapping him off his feet.

That was the signal.

He lunged forward, leaping over debris. Acrid smoke swirled in his wake. There was a giant hole with jagged, blackened edges where the door used to be. It wasn't hard to miss. He burst through, weapon up, its targeting laser immediately finding a blue-toned forehead.

He fired.

The asari's head snapped back. Her body crumpled, but he was already finding his next target. She was moving, leaping over a coffee table, landing in a crouch. He followed her with his pistol, his arm outstretched, hand steady. When she came up, he fired again.

Her eye exploded. She fell, her head slamming into the edge of the table before she slumped to the floor.

Two down, he thought. Blue burst into life in his peripherals. He barely had time to brace himself before the biotic energy slammed into him. It burst like a bubble around him, the energy sizzling against his armor in a disconcerting way. He was Lifted into air.

The remaining asari scrambled back, reaching for -

Sable bit back a curse. He saw the gun on the cabinet behind her. A pistol, though he couldn't tell the make of it from this distance. It didn't matter, anyway.

While he was caught in the biotic Lift, he was a sitting duck. She could pick through his shields and shoot him full of holes, and no doubt that's exactly what she intended. It left him with no choice.

Lift worked by manipulating his mass, lowering it to lighter-than-air levels. It forced him to float like a helpless balloon full of helium. To counteract that, he'd have to do the opposite - increase his own mass. It was simple math.

He grunted, focusing on his own stores of energy. It rushed through and out of him, his skin tingling as he was wrapped in a telltale blue glow of his own. Sable hated it.

The asari snatched the gun and spun to face him, a lithe grace to her movements. She had some training, judging by her cool reactions. The deaths of her friends didn't even seem to faze her – or if they had, she wasn't letting it get to her.

The glow around him increased as he pulled on more energy, directing it into a layer between himself and her biotic field that surrounded him.

She didn't take the time to aim. Instead, she fired recklessly, rounds sparking off his shields. She was going for speed rather than quality, with the intention getting though his shields as fast as possible.

Smart of her. But it wasn't enough.

His biotics thrummed under and over his skin, powerful and heady to the point he could feel the minute vibrations in his teeth. He grabbed that energy and folded it around himself, compressing it once. Twice. Thrice. Again. And again, until he lost count of how many times he folded it.

Her Lift proved unable to bear the weight of an armored man who'd nearly tripled his mass in matter of moments. It sloughed away. He dropped, boots finding the floor just as a stray round flew past his head.

Shock flitted across her face. She hadn't expected him to break free. The asari raised her other hand, her body flaring blue.

He wasn't about to stand there and get shot. His pistol snapped up, and he fired a third shot. She jerked as it tore through her shoulder. Her biotics faded, then flared in the next heartbeat, stronger than before.

His fourth shot pierced her heart. The blue faded for the last time. Her pistol clattered to the floor beside her.

Sable looked at her limp body, jaw tight. This could have gone very badly, but thanks to the element of surprise, he'd succeeded. Asari were always tricky targets. Even the most untrained amongst them made his own biotics look like child's play.

He snapped a picture of the room, ensuring that the intended target was easily recognizable in the frame. Then he sent the image to Yuwin.

"Done. Tell me you found my brother."

"I did, and you're very fortunate that I disabled the fire alarm ahead of time. I suggest you get out of there, because I can't make people deaf and oblivious to explosions."

"Yuwin," Sable growled. "Where is- "

His omnitool flashed four times in rapid succession. He instantly fell silent, because he'd programmed it to do so only when receiving a call from his brother.

Uncaring that he stood in an apartment with three dead bodies, he touched two gloved fingers to its surface. His com gave a short burst of static as it connected.

"John," he said, both relieved and worried at the same time.

"Hello, little brother." His brother's voice sounded as warm and rich as it ever had, but there was a strained note to it that Sable instantly picked up on.

"John, what's happening? Are you okay?" What's wrong?

"I-" His brother hesitated, and there was the tiniest hitch in his breath that had Sable alarmed. "Where are you?" Are you close by? was the unspoken question.

"I'm on the Citadel," Sable immediately answered. "In one of the residential districts. I'll come to you. Just tell me where."

"Embassies," John said. Then, barely louder than a whisper, "Hurry. Please."

The call ended. Sable cursed. Then he reactivated his stealth field, uncaring of the warnings popping up on his HUD. With the battery packs full, there was nowhere for the heat sinks to discharge. But that didn't matter.

John needed him. And whenever his brother called, he would answer.

~*~SPACE TIDBIT~*~

Yes, I'm stealing this idea from my other book. This is for those who are new to Mass Effect. I realize things may be a bit confusing if they haven't played the games. So here's a quick overview of the races mentioned in this chapter.

Asari:
These are essentially blue alien women with powerful space magic called biotics.

Turians:
A military race of bird-like aliens. A lot of them go into security work once they leave military service. I don't even know how to describe them, so here's another picture:

Salarian:
These guys are generally engineers, researchers, scientists, and they often are extremely intelligent. Sable's friend Yuwin is a salarian.