[Citadel] The Mixed Front

She closed her eyes, seeing a man hanging from a fence. There was no point explaining to these people: they were assholes. "Are you seriously ragging on me for being too professional? You totally want me distracted and indulgent in the middle of unsecured territory."

"I tore up a few Cerberus types, during the war. I didn't find it all that cathartic. I'll be happy when he's dead."

"He'll be dead soon enough kid, but not before making his sorry bird ass useful", Randall replying to Kayana, his hazel eyes betraying a hint of anticipation as the airvan pulled up to a row of apts three blocks away from the bazaar. The turian prisoner groaning as Randall picked him up, the asari enforcer opening the doors, allowing the human gangster to toss Elthinius outside. Desmond quickly drove away once the trio exited with their trophy, Aricia picking Elthinius up, half dragging him inside. As Randall followed Aricia inside he turned to Kayana, "hey kid, I'm about begin interrogating this piece of shit, my advice, wait outside 'till I'm done," the human enforcer unsheathing his skinning knife, entering a small room that had been prepped beforehand, clear plastic sheeting on the walls and floors. A chair with magnetic clamps set in the middle, and a burly krogan reeking of ryncol strapping Elthinius into the chair.

As the doors closed behind Randall, he gave the teenaged drell an smile, "Aricia, keep watch, and don't worry kid, shouldn't be too long."

Three levels below the chase for Julian Snow had become a game of hide and seek. Once inside Snow had found a maintenance panel, and with a little work, succeded in plunging the entire building into darkness. The five LTE gangers that had been pursuing him now were looking for the maintenance panel, but the ex-salvager made sure to sabotage it temporarily. Slowly making his way above and through the machinery, Snow eventually came across an emergency exit. Sighing in relief, Snow slowly exited the building, locking the door behind him, and took off for the elevator two blocks away.

Kayana stared back at Randall flicking her eyelids.

"Whatever." She had to decide it he was worth it, and he wasn't. Randall was very dangerous-that he was allowed inside of the the LTE building was another knock against the organization. That a rapist was tortured was not a great injustice, in the grand scheme of the galaxy. But she wasn't dumb enough to think it helped, either. "Just remember he's going to the Hanar."

She stretched her arms over her head. "I'd like to keep a lookout for Snow. Where would he be coming in?"

"This is the level Randall had marked on the packet", lowering his hood, Snow dusted himself off before heading to the row of tenements, blending in with the pedestrians at the intersection. The ex-salvager slowing up as he neared the door to the lobby, having took ten minutes to lose the LTE in an abandoned machine shop, another ten evading the spotters, and the last five being used for actual travel. Wiping the sweat off his face, Snow walked to the end of the hall, finding the apt number that was part of the data Randall had sent. "Let's see what I missed", muttering as he touched the intercom, getting only static.

"Well kid, if the furhead is smart he'll just knock," the asari remarking, her gaze on the door, ignoring Randall's activities. As soon as the former commando had uttered the reply the light to the door came on, along with the static from the intercom, "get ready Kayana", motioning to the drell to take position on the left. Aricia moving to the right before switching the intercom connection back on. "Who is it?" Aricia pulling out the Carnifex, preparing for the reply, "It's Snow, open the door smiler", the charity worker snarling back. The asari giving Kayana a look of surprise as she unlocked the door, allowing the dusty individual entry. "Anything important happen while I was playing with the LTE?"

"Sorry for presuming you had more than the one door."

[color= #c58c19]"Nothing unexpected." Nothing that needed to be discussed right then and there. "You alright?"

"Nothing? Fuckin' hate to see something then. Yeah, just left the LTE in a machine shop, with the doors locked", Snow noting the change, Kayana wasn't as talkative now. Normally this would be great news but shit wasn't normal. A drell nationalist and Ex-convict engaging in kidnapping and gangland politics. "Definitely not normal", Snow thinking as he turned to the asari watcher, thinking of a way to get her away from Kayana for a few. Hey, asari, here's some credits, go get yourself a drink at the pub across the street, if Randall bitches, tell him you left me and Kayana to stand watch." Tossing Aricia 50 credits, Snow hoped she'd accept his peace offering. After a minute the bantam maiden shrugged and took the chit, "what the hell, I'm a bit parched. Keep me posted kid." Aricia speaking the last to Kayana as she re-holstered her hand cannon before exiting the complex, leaving the unlikely duo alone. Taking in a slow breath, Snow removed his coat, shaking off the dust and grime while speaking,

"So, what's really going on?"

"Ehh. They're taking a power drill to him."

She gestured for him to follow her, moving a bit out of the way and out of the view of cameras.

"They don't have to. He's like, captured, and the hanar will want their own goddamn intel." She made a face. "Not that they'll be nice, but the Hanar are all about the power of words, you know? Must be a..." Amazing how different species all had so many gestures for jacking off and they were all so instantly recognizable. "Do we have to wait around for that?"

"So Randall didn't let the war change him, great." Following Kayana to the blindspot, Snow's voice revealing a hint of venom at the revelation that Randall was carving up Elthinus. Looking at the closed door, Snow pulled his coat back on, his face a grim mask as he contemplated his next move. He'd gotten the co-op involved, helped apprehend the rapist, but he still didn't have the name of the one who hired the pedophile. Unless he and Kayana jumped in, the name would be lost. Turning back to the drell his next words were surprising, but a byproduct of Benning in the charity worker's mindset.

"I'm going to stop this Kayana, we need the pervert lucid."

"He'd go that far?" She made a face.

"You acted like this guy was competent." Kayana strode after him, drawing her knife. "I want a gun."

"I never once said that, I just said Randall is good at what he does. He's an enforcer, pure and simple." Snow whispering at Kayana, motioning for her to sheath her blade, "a gun won't accomplish anything, not yet. I'm going to get Randall to stop this the old fashioned way, by telling him to let me take over." Heading over to the door, Snow quickly composing himself, making sure not let his disgust and contempt show. As Snow opened the door he reminded Kayana of what was promised,

"I don't just want this rapist, I want the asshole who hired him. He's as every bit responsible for what happened as Elthinus."

She frowned, keeping one hand on the knife even as she sheathed it. "If he has shitty impulse control, he's not a good anything."

She shut up when he opened the door, instantly moving to cover him and the doorway.

"He's survived over ten years of gang life. Make of that what you will." Retorting as he opened the door, Snow found a scene that was familiar to him, yet disgusted him nonetheless. The co-op enforcer was smiling with what appeared to be good humor, the plastic sheeting around him splattered with turian blood, and Elthinius, the rapist was thanking Randall profusely for removing his finger.

"No problem Elthinius, you weren't using that one anyway. I'll let you take five, it seems we have an audience." Randall whispering to the turian pederast, in the manner of a father soothing a child. Snow felt his eyesight narrow upon seeing this familiar scene, Randall would peel the skin of some poor bastard, then get his victim to beg for an amputation. The charity worker didn't feel nauseated though, instead a cold, dissonant wave came across him as he walked into the room, getting his former block captain's attention.

"And here I thought you planned to question him for real, not slowly skin the fucker alive." Snow's words filling the room, causing Randall to turn and face the duo. "Not much a loose cannon pedophile would know, so I'm saving the Hanar boys some trouble." A sly grin appearing on the torturer's face, the skinning blade dripping blood on the floor.
"Not sure they'd thank you for this...service, but I need him awake and aware. And you and that little fruit knife of yours isn't helping." The words coming from Snow's mouth were calm and reasonable, his posture was casual, but his eyes told the story, dark grey and contemptuous. Randall chuckled at Snow's request, sliding the blade inside his coat before giving the rejoinder,

"Didn't you listen to single word Snowman, he knows next to nothing."

"If that's true. Give us a shot..." Her eyes scanned over the wreck. She knew she would not feel visceral disgust, because she hadn't felt that in a long time, but the anger would come quickly.

Because really, Randall? What the fuck was this? And how was the LTE stupid enough to let this man in their building?

"And then let the Hanar do their own work."

"Next to nothing is still what I need Randall, just hope that you haven't broke this...thing entirely." Snow giving Randall a knowing grimace, the two former gang brothers staring each other down. The krogan in the corner starting to stir as Randall chuckled, his hazel eyes darting to the wheezing turian, "If you think you can get something out of this piece of shit, go ahead." The human legbreaker lowering his voice, leaning towards the hard, hooded individual, "but a bit of advance warning, if you get anything out of Elthinus, you're on your own. All I care about is delivering the goods to the hanar boys." Finishing, Randall motioned for the elderly krogan to watch the door, leaving Snow and Kayana alone with their quarry

"Kayana, get some water, I'll scrounge up a clean rag." Recovering his composure, Snow started scrounging for the makings of a tourniquet, grabbing an old shirt and a small piece of wire. Frowning as he walked over to the snivelling prisoner, using the makeshift tourniquet to slow the bleeding. Marking the time and date on the omnitool Snow looking over at Kayana with cool urgency,

"Give the bastard a drink, then ask him why. And let him talk", whispering, taking a seat in the corner, content to let the drell start round 2.

Fucking Randall acting like he was doing them a favour.

Kayana darted out. At the faucet she stopped, washing her face and hands, and shaking out all her limbs. She knew that she needed to sound in command, not peeved.

It was embarrassing, but she tried a couple different voices, very quietly.

At last came back with a basin of water, some of it dribbling out of his swollen mouth when he tried to drink. She spoke on the bones of her throat, playing up her accent and the drell rasp. "Your last victim is sleeping on my couch."

"But I know this was targeted and I know you're not smart enough to have tracked her down."

"Th-the drell whore? Shit, Derek lied about that too." The turian wheezing out, his eyes darting over to Snow, then back to Kayana. "He said he'd make the problem go away after I delivered the latest shipment." Snow perked up a bit at the mention of a name, but kept silent, letting Kayana set the pace of the interrogation. "I-I knew something was off, but the urges...the urges." Elthinus began to ramble about previous victims, how this 'Derek' funneled duct rats to his workplace, and what was done to them. As the turian went on about his deviancy, Snow gave Kayana a knowing glance, as if to say, "Get him back on track."

"She wasn't a whore. Whores aren't in the business to fight so hard."

She drew her knife-and only the thought that Randall would take it out on Leaving the Ducts, an organization run by a defenseless dipstick-really held her back. She bit down on the inside of her mouth, pulling up a chair. She used the knife to clean her nails. "You know, in all the time we spent tracking you down, we never heard about any Derek. Not that he was offering you any protection."

"I think this Derek's left you out in the cold."

"No shit, I'm stuck here in a room with you and him, the red hood," Elthinus acknowledging, the turian's gaze never leaving Snow, but his wheezing starting to subside. Seeing Kayana unsheathe her knife, Snow decided to intervene. Walking over to where she was seated, the charity worker whispering, "put the fuckin' knife away. Then ask him about the shipment, see if it was different from the others." Walking back to the corner of the room, the turian had given up the existence of the 'anthill', a drug running operation using duct rats as labor. Content to let the drell set the pace, despite his disdain for Kayana Pesh, she knew how to ask the right questions.

Kayana was really tempted to fling the knife at Snow. (She would have missed on purpose.) Could he let her try for five minutes? She narrowed her eyes.

"Hey, if you wanted, the last guy could come back." She placed the knife on the table besides her, wanting to keep the implicit threat in play (he didn't need to know she wasn't a torturer). "I am just interested in anyone who thinks they can fuck with the drell. And it sounds like Derek...well, what's happening with that shipment that my girl got involved?"

"Great, making vague threats", Snow thinking as he saw the rapist refocus on Kayana. Despite the knife, Elthinus kept his attention on the drell, who's penchant for dramatics was starting to wear on her reluctant partner. "Yeah, right before you grabbed me, Derek told me to relocate while he set up a new lab. At least that's what he...the motherfucker! That goddamn furhead stole my formula." The turian began to weep, the full realisation of his predicament hitting home. At the mention of the formula Snow sauntered back over, handing Kayana her blade before intervening.

"Would the formula be your recipe for making Slant?" The charity worker keeping his voice low and emotionless, making the contrast between Kayana and him even more pronounced. "Y-yeah, didn't let it out of my sight until Derek told me to lay low at the whorehouse, said he'd take care of transport." A mirthless smile appearing on Snow's face before stepping back, letting Kayana continue the investigation. Snow knew this was too tidy, the capture, escape, everything. Now it was clear, Elthinus was expendable.