Drew Karpyshyn - Retribution

Just as they were leaving, one of the turians warned, “Mr. Johnson might not be that happy to see you.

His asari friend came through here about ten minutes before you showed up.”

“She’s probably giving him her gift right now,” the other added with a crude chuckle.

Kai Leng swore silently. Seeing that Grayson had left the club alone, he’d dropped surveillance and gone to meet up with his team. He hadn’t considered the possibility that the asari might join him at the apartment later.

Keeping his anger in check, he smiled and said, “We’ll be sure to knock.”

He led his team past the checkpoint and around the corner leading to Grayson’s building. As soon as they were out of sight of the guards he held up a hand, ordering everyone to stop.

He never would have given the go-ahead for the mission if he knew the asari would be there, but it was too late to abort. The guards were sure to ask Grayson about his surprise party in the next few days.

He was smart enough to put the pieces together; he’d know Cerberus had found him. He’d either disappear or get a special security detail from Aria to shadow him. Tonight was their only chance.

“You heard the guard,” he told his team. “Grayson isn’t alone. The asari is with him. We have to take him alive,” he reminded them, stressing the mission’s primary directive. “However, the alien whore is expendable. If you get a chance, kill her.”

He could see from the others’ faces that they all understood this was easier said than done. They expected Grayson to have at least one weapon somewhere in his apartment; the asari could be similarly armed. Even if she wasn’t, she was a biotic. Wearing nothing but party clothes and armed only with tranquilizer pistols, they were at a significant disadvantage.

“Stick to the original plan,” he reassured them. “Strike fast; catch them unprepared. If we’re lucky, it will be over before they even know what’s happening.”

Grayson was panting like a dog. He lay atop the covers of his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath. Liselle was pressed up against him, their naked bodies still intertwined.

“I’m glad you changed your mind,” she murmured in his ear, running her fingers lightly down the center of his bare chest.

Still recovering from their session, he barely managed to croak out, “Me too.”

Sex with Liselle went beyond mere physical pleasure. Like all asari, she established a profound and powerful mental connection with her partner during climax; for a brief instant two minds became one.

Their identities crashed together, splintered, reformed, then tore apart with an overwhelming intensity that left Grayson literally gasping for air.

How are you ever going to go back to humans?

“I need a drink,” he said, gently unraveling himself from Liselle’s long, slender limbs.

He staggered down the hall into the kitchen. He pulled a bottled water from the fridge and drank it all in a single series of long, desperate gulps. He felt light-headed, but the restlessness and anxiety were gone, washed away by Liselle’s incredible skills in the bedroom.

Just as he was about to call out to Liselle to see if she wanted anything, the door to his apartment slid open.

His head snapped around in response to the sound, revealing a small group of people in the hall just outside his door. One was crouched at the edge of the door frame, where she had just finished overriding the security codes. The others were standing in a tight knot, making it hard to accurately gauge their numbers. But two things stood out to Grayson immediately: they all appeared to be human, and they were all armed.

His instincts kicked in and he dropped to the floor, the half-wall shielding him from a round fired by one of the intruders.

Professional. He got that shot off fast.

“Ambush!” he called out to Liselle. “Bedside table!” he added, giving her the location of his weapon.

Told you Cerberus would find you.

He knew there was no way he could win this battle. Naked, unarmed, outnumbered — the odds were impossible. But he didn’t care about survival. All he cared about was getting back to the extranet terminal in the bedroom long enough to send a warning out to Kahlee.

Assuming they haven’t already gotten to her.

Knowing it was a huge risk, he popped his head up over the wall to sneak a peek at the enemy. Three of them fired as soon as his head came into view, but he was able to duck back down and avoid the shots.

Fortunately, they had no way of knowing he was unarmed. Instead of charging in to finish him off, they were still lurking in the hall, taking cover by the edges of the doorway to guard against any return fire.

Grayson made a break for the hall leading to the bedroom, crouching low to the ground. Behind him he heard heavy footsteps as several of the assassins burst into the apartment.

There was a series of sharp twangs as enemy bullets peppered the wall just above him. He heard the hiss as one whizzed past his ear. And then he was around the corner and out of the line of fire.

Odd. Bullets don’t twang.

The stray thought was pushed from his head by the sight of Liselle rushing from the bedroom and down the hall toward him. She was still naked, her right arm extended, her hand clasped firmly around the butt of Grayson’s pistol.

They were both moving fast, and in the split second it took them to realize what was happening it was too late. They plowed into each other, the collision knocking them both to the ground.

Grayson sprang back to his feet, yanking on Liselle’s left arm in a desperate attempt to pull her up. He was already heading toward the bedroom door again, moving backward as he half-dragged the asari with him. Amazingly, she’d managed to hold on to the pistol despite being bowled over and having her arm nearly wrenched from its socket.

A Cerberus agent skidded around the corner from the kitchen, bearing down on them. Grayson’s grip instinctively tightened on Liselle’s arm as he braced himself to receive a slug in the chest. From her half-prone position, Liselle waved the hand holding the gun vaguely in their enemy’s direction as he took aim, the physical action triggering the synapses in her brain to unleash a quick burst of dark side energy.

The asari didn’t have enough time to gather her power for a truly devastating attack. The biotic push didn’t do any real harm, but it knocked their opponent off balance, sending his shot harmlessly into the ceiling as he staggered back around the corner and out of sight.

They were less than a meter away from the bedroom when the attacker ducked around the corner a second time, already firing. From point-blank range he unloaded a single shot, catching Liselle in the chest. She gasped and, with Grayson still dragging her down the hall, threw up her free hand to return fire.

The high-powered pistol unleashed a wild spray of bullets, the automated targeting computer compensating as best it could for Liselle’s erratic aim. At least one round found its mark — a burst of red splashed across the wall and the Cerberus agent slumped to the ground.

Grayson kept his legs churning as Liselle’s body went limp, the pistol sliding from her nerveless fingers as they crossed the bedroom’s threshold. Releasing his grip on his lover, Grayson punched the panel on the wall and the door slammed shut, buying him a few moments of precious time.

He hoisted Liselle up and tossed her on the bed, frantically searching her naked body for the wound.

He expected to see a hole torn through her sternum; instead he found only a small pinprick perfectly centered between her breasts.

The pieces finally fell into place when he realized that Liselle, though unresponsive, was still breathing.