Mass Effect - Prometheus by NeonZangetsu

7/24/2019 Mass Effect - Prometheus by NeonZangetsu

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Mass Effect: PrometheusbyNeonZangetsu

Naruto & Mass Effect XoverRated: M, English, Romance & Adventure, Naruto U., Jack,

Samara, Clone Shepard (F), Words: 45k+, Favs: 1k+, Follows: 1k+, Published: Jul 10,2014 Updated: Jun 27

Chapter 1

"Jackie, I've done things that would make even you sick...

~?

Invictus

At first all he knew was cold metal on his back and muffled voices. Then he became aware

of shuffling footsteps, his shallow breathing, blood rushing in his ears, sweat beading uponhis brow. Gradually, this eerie world of sound expanded to blurry figures, pins and needlesin his limbs and louder words, though by no means less garbled. It felt like he was coming

off of a heavy anesthetic. That or one hell of a genjutsu. As each of those voices grew moredistinct, he could hear a man say, "Looks like he's waking up, Warden."

Waking up from what,was his first thought, his mind finally restarting amidst the haze. The

last thing he remembered was...

Peace.

Memories came rushing back in a monumental wave, momentarily subsuming him inimages of the past.

Redeeming Obito. Crushing Kabuto. Obliterating Madara. Sealing away Kaguyawithinhimself. Separating the Juubi back into its nine halves for a second time after the

arrogant Uchiha's inteirference, recreating the nine Biju once more. Reviving theirrespective Jinchuuriki through use of the Rinnegan. Permitting them the impossible choice

of reuniting with their partners or living their lives as normal human beings. Resigninghimself to a life with her voice constantly in his head; her power constantly trying to take

over his body, claim it as her own.

a life devoid of the voice the incessant whispers of Kurama. Peace. Yes, that was what itwas called. What he had achieved. Hadn't he?

Taking a society once feared around the world and repurposing it; new faces, new ideals,new everything. Breathing fresh life into the desicated husk it had once been, ressurecting

it, for the sole purpose of preserving that peace. What was the name of it again? He probedthe darkest depths of his mind, seeking, searching, trying to remember it...
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Akatsuki.

Ten years later, his people had happened upon a treasure trove of technology-Prothean, as

he would soon learn-and not five years later, they stumbled their way into the stars. He hadbeen upon one of those very first vessels, and together with his crew, had reached what

would later be known as as Mass Relay. But something had gone wrong. Those thingsarrived. Terrible, horrible creatures, pouring out of them. He remembered in bits and

pieces, sporadic events threatening to scar him once more. Jumping through the relay.Crashing. And that voice...that damned voice...

We are your salvation th rough destruction.

That was where memory ended. Anger filled in the blanks. Clearly he'd landed somewhere.But where-or even when-was here?

Satisfied that he at least wasn't an amnesiac, the man looked down...and what he saw there

all but turned his spine to ice. What...in the nine circles of hell? Why was he covered inshackles? Why...couldn't he move his body? Why were his hands so charred? What the hellwas he wearing? More importantly, why did his chest feel as though an elephant were

sitting on it? He took a a deep breath and felt the pressure alleviate somewhat and hischakra flaring subtly beneath his restraints. The world came into its own then, suddenly

aware of hair before his visage, those matted blond tresses blotting out his vision for thesmallest of seconds as he began to summon forth his power-

That was when he saw the creature. He almost burst out laughing right then and there. It

looked some sort of scaly, bipedal chicken! Little did he know that this was a Turian, andthe situation in which he found himself was by no means a laughing matter.

A voice, warbling deeply in the way all turian's did, spoke to him, mockingly. "And how

are we feeling today?"

Well. This creature seemed to know him somehow. How odd.

"...fuck off."

"Good. It seems you can understand me. I'll have to thank our techs for implanting that

translator in your spine." His mouth plates twitched in the parodyxm of a human smile."Now that we can finally converse I think you'll be happy to know, boy," At this point a

soil-brown turian with gold eyes in Blue Suns armor stepped into focus, speaking to him,"that you are thesecondprisoner aboard the Purgatory deemed dangerousenough for the

cryogenic unit. I'm sure the Collectors will pay a handsome sum for you."

'Cryo-what? Collector who?'

He froze in his groggy stirrings as the finals words left the Warden's beak, why the hell was

he aboard a prison ship? Was this creature an alien, or something? Had to be. No one in


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their right minds would create a jutsu like this. Mistaking this silience for fear the turian in

front of him chuckled and foolishly continued his little tirade, "Don't worry too much,you're only on board until a proper buyer can be found. Oh, and you'll even have a cell

mate, too! Won't that be wonderful?"

The man blinked once in acknowledgement. Trapped he might be, but he wouldn't be aprisoner for long.

"I certainly hope so." A silken voice sulked in the back of his brain."You forget; so long

as you remain trapped, then so do I. This is unacceptable. Escape at once!"

'Oh, good.'the blond groaned as Kaguya made herself known for the first time in what felt

like an eon. 'You're still here. How I've missed you.'..

"Sarcasm does not become you."he could just picture her pretty little scowl.

'Neither does your lack of wit!'

Behind the turian who loved to hear himself talk, he could see a large mechanical arm

slowly pulling a tube of frosted metal out of the cryo-unit.

Imagining the type of horrible criminal he would no doubt be sharing a cell with, he was

vaguely surprised as the mist cleared to reveal a woman a head shorter than him andcovered in tattoos. She looked a handful of years younger than himself and her head was

shaved. She started to stir just as he had, but before she became aware of the change in herimprisonment a collar similar to his own was clamped over her neck. Her eyes shot open as

she came to the realization he did when his own collar was applied and a hoarse voice letout a loud stream of vulgar curses. Had he been a green genin still, the man might have

blushed at some of them.

As it were, he merely arched an eyebrow.

The Warden snorted next to him and said, "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"Fuck you!" she shrieked!

"Can you believe," the Warden continued merrily, "That she's been like this sinced ay one?

Completely unbreakable. Marvelous, Subject Zero. Absolutley marvelous." When hemoved to stroke her face, she tried to bite him.

"My name," the woman hissed, "Is Jack!"

"I don't care what your name is." the turian remarked dismissively, dead eyes swivelingtowards Naruto. "Bind him."


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With a wave of the turian's talons the rack he was strapped to was lifted by the large arm

and shortly brought to the tube. A second's pause passed before the rack was slotted into thetube, mechanical clamps locking it into place. The woman snapped out of her tirade as she

realized that he was detained facing her. Full lips quirked down into a scowl. "Don't get anyfunny ideas, fucker."

The man raised his eyebrows at her and asked the cliched question, "What are you in for?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, hazel orbs angry and intense. "All kinds of shit. You?"

He shrugged as best he could in the restraints and said, "I honestly don't know, I feel likehalf my mind is missing." A hoarse laugh leapt from his lips. There it was. He could feel

his old strength returning. "Could have something to do with all these voices in my head.That ,or the fact that I've killed an entire godamn planet." By action, or inaction, he had

doomed his people. But none of that mattered now. He could feel a hot, heady warmthblooming in his limbs as his chakra began to move within him and a pleasant, almost

euphoric feeling flow down his spine as his coils were stressed. Just a little longer...

"Bullshit."

"I don't see anyone of the bovine persuasion around here..."

She snorted at his poor joke and frowned at the sudden drop in baritone but said nothing as

the Warden walked up to the two of them, sneering in his mirth, "I'msooooo glad to see thetwo of getting along." A clawed hand reached down to carress her cheek. "It wouldn't do to

have your bunk mate try to murder you in your sleep, and I do hope yousleep well." As thetube settled into the cryo-unit all vestiges of light vanished and a brief, sharp pain bloomed

from the spur on the back of his neck before the odd hum of his cell began to fade away.But it did not die. His eyes remained open, his senses alert, if slightly muddled.

Deep in the darkness, Naruto smiled.

"Only one sleeping here will be you, warden." Grimly, he released the hold of his body, nolonger containing the entity he'd worked so hard to restrain. The effect was as immediate as

it was terrible. Kaguya's shouts of joy were possibly the most terrifying thing he'd everheard in all his life. He suppressed a shiver at the cold creeping up on him-the numbing

sensation as she took almost complete control of his form. It wasn't his body anymore.Suddenly, it was hers. And the Rabbit Goddess rejoiced.

"FINALLY!"

Sapphire eyes snapped into a rimmed, violent violet. Veins bulged on either side of thoseorbs, the once purple rinnegan staining within just a touch of white. Horns sprouted from

his head, his blond hair bleaching itself white as he gave himself to the entity sealed insideof his very soul. Power coursed through him. Changed him. Empowered him. Flooded his

deadened limbs. Shredded the shackles, that bound him. One arm came free in a flurry of


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fling steel. That was all it took. A single arm-then a leg-then anotherarm and then he was

loose, standing in the black. She smiled up at the hatch that still barred her passage.

A slim, manicured hand cannoned upward with all the force of a typhoon.

Warden Kurill, still standing on the tube, never saw the blow that killed him. One momenthe'd been crowing proudly over his sealed prisoners. The next, he was looking up at hislegs, the severed half of his torso flying away in a spurt of blood and bone. Bifurcated, dead

before he hit the ground, his upper and lower torso flopped lifelessly on the deck. Kaguyaemerged from the hole, white eyes glancing piteously down at the still form off the turian

she'd killed. A cruel smile quirked her face as she beheld the dumbstruck guards, gawpingat the demise of their leader, at this woman in rags who stood before them.

"Hello, corpses." she smiled benovelently. They raised their weapons to fire-

She moved and they died. There could be no other explanation for it. Once they were men-

and in the next instant they were smears on the wall, armor and all. Kaguya felt nothing fortheir demise. They were inferior to her. Base creatures unworthy of even the most passingglances. Worms. On a whim she reached down and opened the woman's cage, watching as

it began its slow ascent up from the depths. That one had a spark, one she would've enjoyeddraining her of if she had the chance. Ah but her time was fleeting. Even now she could feel

herself slipping, returning back to the seal.

"Ahh,"she sighed, gazing upon her blood-soaked hands. Her hands, not the rough callousedpalms of the one who had bound her, trapped her to his very being. She would relish these

rare moments of freedom as long as possible. "If only this were permanent." Kaguya usedhis mouth to smile, her silken voice emerging from his lips. Her lips. "If you'd just create a

body for me, we wouldn't have to suffer like this...

'Yeah, well it isn't!'His voice stabbed at her mind, once more reminding her who held thewhip. 'And I won't. Assuming control! NOW!'

Kaguya bent double, gasping as the change reversed itself. Male asserting itself over femaleonce more. Bones restructured themselves, snapping and cracking. Horns shrank back into

his scalp. Molten gold asserted its dominance over white, the long pale tresses shrinkinguntil they were little more than bangs. By the time the fog had cleared and all six senses

were her own, Jack found herself face to face with her cell mate. Her eyes instinctuallynarrowed in anger, only to widen when she saw his blood-spattered form standing tall and

unbound. A low whistle carried past her lips, barely heard over his own hammering heart.

"Holy shit...you really fucked them up."

"You noticed that, too? I thought it was just me. You said you're Jack, right? Name'sNaruto, by the way." he introduced, offering his hand.

She stared at him in disbelief.


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"I can't shake your hand if I'm tied up, fucker."

"Right."

Naruto laughed and moved to unbind her. But before he could unlock anything more than

the collar, she slapped his hands away. "I can do the rest myself." she grumbled.Impatiently he waited as she unbound herself, her small hands wresting themselves freefrom each shackle one by one. Unsurprisingly, she didn't thank him. Instead she stalked

away, hurriedly rummaging amonst the corpses. When she came up with a shotgun, hefinally grew weary of her silence.

"Hey!" he shouted, grabbing hold of her shoulder.

"What?" she growled, rounding on him. The shinobi was somehow reminded of a viperhissing defiance at some larger predator.

"I just saved your ass! A thank you would be appreciated."

Jack glowered at him for a long moment. A muscle jumped in her jaw. Then she flung

Kurin's assault rifle at him. With fumbling fingers , he caught the large weapon. The redand black stock felt strange and alien in his grasp. Even as he looked down at it, he felt the

first explosion. Jack had blown a hole in the nearby wall, thereby securing an escape.Almost immediately, dozens of alarms began blaring, deafeningly. Perhaps that was why

she chose to grant his request.

"Thanks." she muttered.

An uneasy silence passed between the two of them. Finally, the tattooed convict gesturedtoward the hole

"So...you ready to fuck some shit up?"

Naruto felt an old smile tear across his face at the idea of some much-needed payback.

"I was born ready!"

That was when it finally occurred to him:

He had no idea how to fire a gun!

"Erm...

"Now, what?"

He held up the rifle.


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"How the hell do you use this thing?"

Jack facepalmed.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

Chapter 2

"I've watch my world burn. You think I'm afraid of a little murder?"

~?

Titan

Illium was not what Naruto had expected it to be. Then again, he wasn't entirely sure whathe'd been expecting in the first place. He was still adapting to the alien idea of findinghimself flung into a different universe by that relay, a new realm bordering on the strange

and the obscure. And guns! Did he mention the guns? The assault rifle he'd liberated fromthe Warden proved itself to be a might powerhouse in every sense, capable of mowing

down entire squads with just a twitch of the trigger. Then there was the concept ofammunition. Shields. Tech attacks. Biotics. And pain. Lots of pain.

Getting shot hurt like a bitch. If not for his regeneration, he'd have a few dozen holes in himby now.

Purgatory was little more than smoldering ruin at their backs now, a derelict hulk ventingair and prisoners into the cold, un. To add insult to injury, they'd made off with Kurin'spersonal cruiser. The Vendetta. It was a turian make and model, all angles and harsh edges,

clearly made to tailor to the man's...needs. They couldn't eat a damned thing onboard butwithin their appropriated ride, they'd discovered a safe. When all was said and done, Naruto

and Jack were each ten million credits richer. Not a bad start for their grand getaway intothe universe.

He'd thought he'd seen another ship approach the wreckage just before their little vessel hit

the relay, but he had no way of knowing whether or not his eyes were playing trickers onhim. Regardless, he was a foreigner in a very foreign place.

Granted, it helped a little that he'd had Jack at his side throughout so he didn't have to dealwith the pangs of loneliness, but beyond that, he was almost hopelessly lost in this cultural

marvel of the asari-dominated planet. There were so many different species to see,technology to observe, and everywhere he went, he'd found these strange, gorgeous

creatures staring at him. At Jack's behest he'd procurred a pair of pants and a shirt to satisfyhis somewhat limited sense of modesy without his new armor, but even so he felt horribly

overdressed as he gazed upon some of the scanty attire of the denizens of the spaceport.


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"Heh."

Her sudden laugh caught him unawares, in the last thre days that he'd known Subject Zero,

he didn't think her the sort to laugh. It was an odd sound, surprisingly pleasant coming fromher lips. Unbidden, his eyes fell a bit, ghosting over the tattoos covering her skin. Her art

really was beautiful, the ink itself seemed to shimmer in the fading light of the planet. Whatkind of scars did all thos markings cover? If one looked closely, the faintest outlines of

scars could just be seen...

"Eyes up here, dumbass."

"What?" he blinked, frowning at her in the crowd. She was smirking.

"Looks like you've got a bounty on your head."

She pointed, a finger direction his attention to a flickering image of himself on a nearby

building, his features set in a stern scowl. Apparently someone had managed to get apicture of him back in Purgatory before they torched the place. Beneath this name andpicture was a...rather hefty sum. Naruto immediately pressed a button on the seal of his suit

at the neck. Almost immediately the seals of his hardsuit adjusted, folding upward toprovide the sudden prescence of the helm and hiding his face from the world. Handy little

ugrade. Then, almost out of he noticed the abbreviations between his name.

"Titan, huh?" his voice was harsh and filtered through the mask. "I like the sound of that.Fifty thousand credits though...is that a lot?"

"A lot less than mine." Jack replied smugly.

"Guess that means they'll grab you first." he joked. He considered elbowing her but decidedagainst it; Jack wasn't big on physical contact. Unless it involved violence. She didn't

hesitate to give him a shove.

"Fucker."

"You like it." he countered.

A roll of the eyes.

"You like a lot of things." she snorted, changing the subject. "Doesn't anything make you

angry?"

Naruto considered it for a moment. He felt anger of course, but he didn't let it move him.

The closest thing he'd felt to it had been when those monstrous synthetics came pouringthrough the relay. Watching his vessels fall, seeing his planet burn as they bombarded it

from orbit. Damnit, they didn't even try to land-


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"Hey, you there?" Jack's hand, waving before his face, pulled him back to reality.

"Muwah?

"I was askingif anything pissed you off before."

"Not really, no."

"What about our little friend back there?" she jerked a thumb over her shoulder to the thirdmember of their party, a slender redhead clad in threadbare armor, her face hidden by a

dark helme. "She's been following us like a little lost puppy since you busted her out."Naruto shifted and she was quick to catch it. "C'mon, yougottabe pissed after what that

bastard did to her." Naruto let his eyes linger on the woman for a moment, as if to remindhimself why he'd let her tag along in the first place.

"She's...an exception.

"Riiiiiiight."

In the hours they'd spent fighting through the prison to freedom, he'd gotten a crash course

on life. But even the shock of waking up to a new and alien world couldn't have preparedhim for what he and Jack had found deep in the bowels of the ship. In the Warden's

personal quarters. The guards had lots of credit. Lots of armor, too. He'd even stolen a setfor himsellf and painted it orange and black, just for kicks. Yet, what the grizzly old bird

had been hiding, secreted behind a false wall in his own dwelling...that blew the man'smind right back to the stone age. They'd looted it for supplies...

...and found something else altogether.

Just thinking about it was enough to send a shiver shooting up his spine...

(Flashback)

Heart pounding nearly out of his chest, he keyed open the door. Jack stood guard outsid,shotgun at the ready. Who knew what manner of traps lay within? He knew she could've

rushed off and ditched him, but for an odd reason he still didn't quite understand, she stuckaround. He was glad for her company, crazed though it might be, but even that couldn't

have prepared him for this.

"What in the blue hell...?"

Naruto opened the door and stepped into a refrigerated blast of air. He holstered his

weapon, suddenly aware of the chill in the air. He can see his breath. Feel it on his skin. Asolitary desk and chair sit in the middle of the room. Located only a few feet behind,


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adjacent to the door itself, is a single, coffin-like pod with a translucent covers, stretching

to the back of the room. There are tanks pumping gases and fluids into the pod. Thecylinder sits on a vertical beds, tilted forward at about a 20-degree angle.

His mind proccesses this quietly.

A datapad sits on the desk in the middle of the room. Naruto walks to it and sets his newlyproccurred helmet down. He picks the datapad up with a trembling hand. He skims through

the text. What he finds there sets his had spinning. Its a diary of sorts. And a grisly one atthat:

(Entry One)

"I've done it. Cerberus thought they were so smart, finding the Commander's body. But theyweren't. I found her first. I'd no need of a corpse so I left her there, on that blighted

wasteland of Alchera. By the time I had realized the Collectors were willing to pay for her

shriveled body, the Illusive Man had already staked his claim. But it doesn't matter. Alll Ineeded was a single DNA sample from that manged corpse. And I have it. She will beperfect for what I have in mind.

(Entry Two)

Nineteen failures. NINETEEN! I never thought it would be this difficult to clone one damn

human! The real Shepard was a biotic. devastatingly effective. The eezo infusions will makethis one twice the one she was, but perhaps they are the reasons the last batch turned out so

deformed and insane. But not this one. She's coming along smoothly. No signs of deformityor psychosis. Biotics are off the charts. She'd put even the best of our cabals to shame. The

techies have taken to calling her X20. I admit, the name sticks and with all the tech we'regrafting to her, she'll be virtually indestrucible...

(Entry Three)

X20 is improving smoothly. Thanks to a vat-grown program she'll knows how to fight, run,breathe, talk, and kill all from the moment she leaves the tank. Nothing else. Her obedience

will be unquestioning. I'll keep her as my own personal bodyguard maybe a pet. Someoneto do my dirty work once I've finally woken her up. But I've just had a thought. They say

that the Commander is back now. From the dead. Running with Cerberus no less. Nowshe's coming here for Jack. Maybe, if were to sell the real Shepard, I could live like a king!

Then there's our more recent guest. He could be worth something to, if I gave him to theCollectors. Well, its food for thought I suppose...

~Kurin.

" Hmm."Kaguya mused, contemplative within his skull. " Seems li ke someone was

experimenting."


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"Yeah, no kidding."

" So what are you going to do?"

"About what?" he frowned.

" About that."

Naruto turned his gaze back to the pod. With mounting dread, he realizes that the podcontained a shape.

A human shape.

"Oh, dear sweet kami."

Numbly, his fingers find the release catch. It whisks open with a soft hiss, fog steaming

forth to blind him. He draws the rifle, trains it on her, expecting an attack. What he findsthere causes him to lower it. There is a human contained within-a female. Naked as the day

she was born.

She's beautiful.

Perfectly formed, she looks at him with intelligence. She is aware. Marvelously so. Darkauburn red hair frames a heart-shaped face from which bright green eyes turn to regard

him, widening as he points his gun at it in disbelief. It stretches out an arm and utters araspy mewling sound, pleading with him. "No," it speaks to him in a soft voice. It tries to

crawl out of the pod-tugging at the tubes holding it down. Naruto feels himself sway on his

feet. He barely remembers where he is, aware only of the weakness in his legs. This thing ishuman. Its alive. Itbegs.

"Please..."

Naruto deliberates. This is a clone. Not like his. A living breathing, being of flesh. It lives.

Killing it might be a mercy. Or it might not. Does this woman-X20-even deserve to live? Heconsiders if a moment, remembering all he said and did as the leader of his people, his

planet. Never leaving a man behind, until those things came. Had he changed? No. I won'tkill her. He holsters his weapon, and instead reached down for the tubes tied into her arms

and legs. His hands fumble at the restraints, hoping that they won't do any permanentdamage.

"I'm going to get you out of here." he says at last.

Her eyes glisten with tears. When she speaks again her voice is stronger, if only slightly.

"Thank you..."


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"You can thank me later." A few tugs and the tubes come free with a wet pop, leaving large,

gaping holes in her flesh. The woman cries out. He cringes. Then to his amazement-thoseholes begin to close. This woman-this clone of Shepard, whoever that is-possesses a

regeneration factor that rivals his own. She blinks slowly, amazement flickering across hervisage. Slowly, carefully, she steps out of the pod, her bare feet stumbling on the cold metal

floor. She stumbled and fell; his arms there to steady there.

"Hey, easy there."

Then the door opened.

"Hey, you find any-WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Naruto started slightly at Jack's shout. X20 jumped. But not so much as what came next.

"Who the hell are you?" the convict demanded.

She looked at them with those big, green eyes. Filled with so much confusion.

"...I don't know."

(End Flashback)

In the end, they called her Jodie. Jodie Shepard.

The clone seemed to like that. Having a name meant, she had an idenity. She wasn't justsome testube clone. Not X20. She didn't need to know she was a clone of perhaps one of

the most badass humans to ever have lived, and died if the rumors were to be believed, thather face was known halfway across the extranet. And that was just according to Jack.

Naruto didn't know a damned thing about this Commander Shepard-only that he feltimmensely sorry for the young woman who'd fallen under their-his-care to look after.

"Where are we going?"

Naruto started slightly. Jodie. He'd nearly forgotten she was there. Bright green eyes methis blue, her head cocked aside quizically; she'd removed the helmet when he wasn't

looking. Willfull, this one. So much for the vaunted obedience as espoused by Kurin'sdatapad. It was like having a sibling-one who could rip your head off with a blink.

"Please."Kaguya scoffed. "You've regenerated from worse."

'Yeah, and its not something I'm keen on doing again.'

"Naruto?"


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"Well, ah," he folded under her inquisitive stare. "We're still buying up supplies. After that,

who knows?"

"Why the Citadel?"

Her expresssion turned stormy and tense. "I don't know...it just feels like I should go there.Report to someone...orsomething."She pushed a hand against her head as though fightingoff a migraine. "Everything's just-jumbled up. I can't think straight." Naruto mentally raised

an eyebrow. Did she have the memories of the original? Was that even possible? Not in hisday and age. Even with the technological advancements his people had made, they hadn't

been able to produce an exact duplicate of an individual-not down to the memories.

Jack rolled her eyes. "Pussy."

Jodie bristled. "Take that back."

"You gonna make me?"

"Yes."

The convict barked a laugh, her eyes shining at the promise of a fight. "Well, shit. Lookwho took their balls out of their purse!"

"Hey!" Naruto thrust himself between the two biotics with a growl. "That's enough. Both of

you. We're in this together... remember?We've helped each other get out of Purgatory. I'mnot going to let an arguement tear us apart, not over something like this." Even with his

helmet on, he was more than capable of persuading even the most stubborn of individuals.

He didn't doubt that he'd be able to talk two angry women who could alll but manipulatedark matter down from their tempers.

And sure enough, they relented.

"Whatever you say, boss man." Jack raised her hands in defeat. "Just don't expect to bail

this bitch out of a fight."

Jodie made a face. "Wouldn't want you to."

She was right though; she'd been clinging to him like a shadow ever since they'd gotten outof Purgatory. It was kinda, cute really.

They'd discovered she was an able shot with a pistol and her biotics, well...suffice it to sayJack wasn't going to tease her again after she'd turned that last guard inside out. For

someone with so much power, such skill, the clone was very much like a human child.Always watching. Learning. Listening. Someone brimming with pent up energy, capable of

doing so much good, yet also more than able to do catastrophic damage to every andanyone who dared to stand in their way.


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"Alright then!" he clapped his hands, eager to dissolve the tension. "Lets get back to

shopping!"

"Sure." Jodie chirruped happily.

Jack groaned. "Fine...but you're buying me that new shotgun!"

"Deadl!"

They ended up wandering the market for the next three hours, picking up arms, weapons,

supplies, and all manner of others things. And food. Definitely food. But to Naruto'sdismay, there was no ramen to be found. Not even a single noodle! Oh, they had all manner

of exotic dishes he'd never tried before, but there was none of his favorite broth anywhereto be seen. Surely their worlds weren't that different?! Yet it seemed they just might be; forstop after his stop, none of his delightful food stuff was to be found.

"Oh c'mon," he muttered, helmet folding down into his suit to reveal the extent of hisdispleasure, blue eyes leering into the hologram as though he could somehow make itmanifest. "Why is there no ramen?! This is the fifth one!" Whirling away without a word,

he stormed off towards another kiosk-all too certain that he'd be denied yet again. Sureenough, he was. "Oh, fuck me! WHERE IS THE RAMEN?! I'm starving here! Its not

funny, Jack!" Jerking back in the direction of her laughter, he spun-

-and he slammed headlong into someone.

"Sorry," he muttered, cheeks heating up as his hands ghosted somewhere where they

shouldn't be. He caught sight of a deep red outfit and beautiful blue skin. "I didn't mean to-shit."He hissed immediately as a pistol pressed against his stomach. "Hey, easy now, no

need to shoot." he raised a hand, and then the other, silently channeling chakra into hispalms in preparation as he raised his gaze. "I didn't mean to bump into you. Its my bad.

Really-wow.

Blue eyes met blue.

"My name is Samara," the woman began slowly. "I am seeking a wanted fugitive. You areimpeding my investigation and have laid hands upon me. Identify yousrelf." In his

peripheals he could see the rest of the crowd all but scattering terrified at the suddenappearance of the armed asari. Where the hell were Jack and Jodie?

"Whoa now, the name's Naruto. I didn't mean to touch anything." Already he could feel thebeginnings of a frown plucking at his visage. It would be child's play, to blast her away

with a bit of wind chakra, but he chose the peaceful route instead. "C'mon now, we canwork this out.

"Be that as it may, your hands didwander."


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"Fuck." somewhere out of sight, Jack hissed. Naruto swore. "Damnit, why'd you have to

run into a Justicar...

No, this definitley wasn't what Naruto had expected of the asari when he'd first heard ofthem.

Neither was a Justicar.

"Yeah," he sighed. "I get that alot. Look, I'm not trying to pick a fight-

"-I am!-"

-so can we please put the gun away and discuss this like civilized beings? Pretty please?

With ramen on top?"

There was a tense moment of silence between them. Finally, the asari nodded and holstered

her pistol. "Very well."

"Thank you-

"But I would have you answer me a question, first."

"Eh, sure? Why not."

Samara had lived for countless years, taken inumerable lives and yet something about her

struck him as off. Power radiated off her in waves, something that could best be describedas...an aura. There was a prescence to her that could only be defined as a subtle sense of

regality, as though she were a queen walking among common peasants. Naruto tried not tostare, but some part of him was instinctually stricken by the sight of this warrior standing

before him. It was like staring at a goddess.

"I sense a great evil within you." she murmurred, her severe features creasing into a frown,eyes straying to Jack and Jodie. "And I see two well armed people before me in addition to

yourself. Are we friend or foe?"

Inwardly, Kaguya grinned, tensing with the anticipation of combat. "I'd say foe. Please

say foe."

The shinobi grimaced.

"That depends."

"On?"

"On whether or not you have any ramen."


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There was a puzzled silence. Samara blinked. Finally she managed to find words again.

...I beg your pardon?"

Chapter 3

Well...here ya go! =D

"RAMEN!"

~?

Shock

Illium.

You could find almost anyone here.

Or anything,Naruto reflected quietly to himself as he laid into his ramen, the trio of cupsposition squarely across the table, between him and Samara. The justicar had taken his

words a tad little too literallly; instead of shooting him, she'd brought him to the one placeon Illium that did, in fact serve this delectable treat.

Ilium was every bit as beautiful and awe-inspiring as its reputation suggested. The capital

Nos Astra was a vibrant megalopolis stretching out further than the eye could see andbeyond what the imagination could visualise, possessing the spectacular look of the Citadel

Wards, made warmer and more welcoming by its planetside setting. Even from orbit, he

had seen that every inch of the planet's surface seemed covered by grandiose office

buildings, apartments and markets in slender, towering formdwarfing even the finest thathis oeople had erected in their newest golden age. From every angle the traffic shot through

the air like enormous fireflies, above and between a labyrinthine maze of skyscrapers. Athousand neon lights from a thousand billboards attempted to grab his attention all at once.

Everything was for sale on Ilium and it was marketed to every species.

Ilium was a volus world as he soon learned, yet had been the main trade hub for asari-

owned corporations for several hundred years. It was a celebration of wealth andachievement, of extravagance and privilege. It magnified and proudly displayed all thepositive traits of asari and volus culture; making it a never ending flow of money contained

within ageless and elegant architecture.

But the planet's beauty masked a sinister underbelly of crime. Ruthlessness was the single

rule in many places on Ilium, and almost nothing but first degree murder was outlawed.Jack had spoken of the planet only once, calling parts of it 'Omega with better shoes.' To


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survive, to live long enough to enjoy the all the elicit perks of the trade capital of the

Terminus Systems required mistrust of everyone and loyalty to only yourself. Mainstreamsociety was safe and satisfying for many, but rising to the very top however; required a

willingness to sacrifice anyone in the way of your success; friend, foe or loved one. Iliumwas fit to burst with mobsters, assassins and Donovan Hock-type businessmen prospering

under the not so watchful eyes of well-bribed law enforcement.

Still, they served his favorite food. Couldn't be that bad.

"Finally, a place that serves ramen!" he exulted as he slurped the noodles down. "Bless the

log!"

Jack watched him with a bemused look as he dug into his food. "You really like that shit,dont'cha?" She herself favored a medium-rare steak, a surprisingly demure choice given her

volatile temper.

"What's not to love! Its ramen!"

"You want some more, kid?" Aethyta asked, pausing as she polished a glass. Samara was

an old friend; she was more surprised than anything else to see her fellow matriach in thecompany of humans. Or with anyone for that matter. It was rare to see her normally uptight

sister-not by blood of course-relaxing, much less nursing a thessian temple in one hand.Good for her. The old girl deserved a chance to unwind for once-however brief that

opportunity might be.

"Yes, please!" Naruto chorused, drawing her attention. "And I'm not a kid!" He wastwenty-seven years old for crissakes!

The elder asari smirked.

"Most humans are to me."

"Bah!" Naruto stuck out his tongue in childish defiance; indirectly proving her point.

"What's ramen?" Jodie asked, her green eyes observing one of the cups with an almost

childlike curiosity. She'd ordered some asari dish but had left it most untouched onceNaruto had started espousing the valures of what was apparently his favorite food.

The blond turned a pale, ghostly shade of white at her inquiry. "What?! You mean to tell

me you...you...haven't heard, haven't tastedof the goodness that is ramen?!"

The soldier shook her head mutely, the motion sending her scarlet tresses swaying side toside. "No. Is it really that good?"

"Its the best! Here, try some." Without pausing to think of the rammifications, he pluckedsome of it up with his chopsticks and offered it to her. The clone blinked, momentarily


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baffled. Then, without further hesitation, she leaned forward and closed her mouth around

the twin sticks, pulling away seconds later. There was a small slurping sound as she lappedup the noodley broth. From her own secluded spot Jack realised their hands were suddenly

locked together in a tight grip. The blonde withdrew as if touching fire, Jodie slipped herguilty hand under the table and they both took a step apart. There was a brief moment of

silence.

"Mmm!" the clone nodded once, swallowing quickly. "S'good!" Just like that, the moodwas restored.

"Told ya."

Jack's eyebrows rose in scorn.

"Shit," she groused. "You don't have to spoon-feed her."

"Don't mind." Jodie replied tersely, her reply turning uncustomarily smug as ever when sheaddressed Jack.

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't." the convict spat back. "You're like a little lost puppy, lapping upwhatever treats he gives you."

Jodie's face flushed in anger. "Am not."

"Are too, princess!"

"You-!"

This young woman, Samara thought to herself, bore a striking resemblance to Commander

Shepard. There were a few flaws of course to be sure; mostly cosmetic. Her eyes were astark, crystalline green instead of a blazing blue. That heartshaped face bore a smattering of

freckles near the brow of her nose, whereas the first human spectre certainly had none, andher hair was a little longer than Alliance regulation would normally allow, spilling down

just above her shoulders in a curtain of scarlet. Beyond that, one woul be hard-pressed totell the difference. Even the voice was the same. Not a sister, then. No familiar relation,

either. Unless...

A clone.

The realization, shocking for some, merely puzzled the justicar. Clones weren't uncommonin this day and age, but neither were they widespread. One could not "copy" memories onto

another template without massive implantation or somesuch, and, this young woman boreno such signs of scars. So what was a relatively unaltered clone of the Commander doing

up and about? In the company of these two, no less. Most curious. She certainly didn't seemmalicious enough to have orchestrated it herself...


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She could've chosen to pursue the matter further had Naruto not chosen that moment to step

in and break up their arguement.

"What, do you want me to feed you, too?" he offered to Jack.

The tattooed biotic sputtered indignantly as he held the chopsticks, now fresh with ramen,towards her. "Fuck, no! Get that shit away from me!"

He leaned closer, grinning. "Your mouth says no, but your eyes-

"Naruto, I swear to GOD!"

Jodie stifled a laugh; that was all it took to get him going for real.

"Yosh!" Naruto threw up his arms! "Now is the time for chaos!"

"I will destroyyou!"

"Haha! You can try!"

Back at the bar, Aethyta barked out a hoarse laugh. "Kids these days...

Samara was inclined to agree; and even permitted herself the slightest of smiles as she

observed their little kerfuffle. It seemed these three were not the menace, she had first madethem to be. They were more of a dysfunctional family than a gang of murderous theieves.

And, this Naruto. He was much more than the fool she'd first taken him for-so much moreindeed. She'd seen that discerning glint in his gaze before he started making a fool of

himself in front Jack and Jodie. He'd stepped in at the precise moment when tensions hadbegun to boil and acted in a manner that focused their attention on him instead of one

another.

But it was more than that. He was clearly the leader of this ragtag little band; and she couldnot help but wonder what would inspire such confidence in two women who couldn't be

more different. He clearly wasn't any sort of biotic-or if he was, he didn't move like one.There was a levity to his words that sounded just a little forced; as if he were struggling to

throw himself into what he did, and in doing so, forget or ignore the demon riding him. Shecould understand that much. But there was something her mind could not comprehend.

A man with no past, a wanted convict, and a clone walk into a bar on Illium? It sounded

like a bad joke. Maybe it was.

Still, they hadn't killed each other. They were a...family, of a sort. Something about that

word tore at the strings of her heart and plucked at emotions long buried, only just a little.What she wouldn't give, to have hers back. Watching these three reminded the matriarch of

her maiden days, when she would dance or fight or party the nights away. A simpler time.


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One long since past.

A frown drew down at the corners of her mouth as she thought of this. She shifted in her

seat, suddenly restless. Why did she tarry here? Morinth was somewhere here-on thisplanet-and for every moment she spent sitting at this table, her eldest grew further and

further away. She needed to find her eldest before she smuggled herself offworld or worse,found another victim. Knowing Morinth, it was only a matter of time. Steely resolve

galvanized Samara. No. She would not allow her to slip away-not this time. Not when shewas so close. Enough time had been wasted here already.

Stiffly, she rose from the table. Naruto paused in what he was doing, his eyes followingher. She knew what he was going to ask almost before the question even left his lips.

"Leaving already?"

In that instant Samara ached to tell him a thousand different things, all of them lies. Instead,

she told him the truth.

"I must continue my hunt."

She wasn't expecting him to rise after her. And she certainly wasn't prepared for his hand to

clamp down onto her wrist like a varren's jaw. Incredulously, she glanced down at theoffending appendage and was alarmed to find that she could not break free. Even with her

biotics. Such strength! A small part of her marveled at it. The rest of her became distinctlyuncomfortable. Out of the corner of her eye she was aware of the clone, all but watching

her like a hawk, ready to move if she tried to hurt the blonde. Devoted, this one.

"Release me." she said.

"Hey now, wait just a second." his tone was placating soothing. "This fugitive of

yours...just how do you plan to find her?"

Behind them, Jack groaned.

"Here we fuckin' go again...

"By whatever means neccessary." Samara answered, tacitly ignoring her fellow biotic. A

thought occured to her, then. "I must stop her before she kills again." He ice blue eyesstrayed down to the hand still locked onto her wrist." Will you attempt to stop me?"

Remarkably, he let go.

"You treated me to ramen." all she got was a shrug. "And you're hunting a murderer. Can'tbe all that bad."

"A simplistic view." the words escaped her mouth before she could think to take them back.


21/101

His lips curled in a roguish grin. "Its served me well enough in the past. Which brings me

to the next thing." He bowed, deep and low at the waist, as his people did in respect toothers. "We would be honored to assisst you in your search, Samara-san."

Jack scowled, a piece of steak still clenched in her teeth, one she now swallowed. "We

would?"

"Yes, we would." Naruto snapped, earning a scowl from the convict. His eyes cut to the

third member of their party. "Wouldn't we, Jodie?"

The clone inclined her head in a short nod and mirrored the motion. "Yes."

"Hello?! Don't I get a say in this?!"

"Nope." they chorused.

A rare emotion crossed Samara's visage. Surprise. Then humilty.

"I confess, it has been some time since I have traveled with a company of honourableheroes." she admitted. "I normally work alone." There was a peace that came with

loneliness. A solitude that allowed her to remain focused; fixated on her target and nothingelse. To work with others promised only distraction...yet surely they could help her in her

task?

"Well, I can't vouch for Jack-

"Hey!"

-but Jodie and I are pretty honorable."

"Something an old friend told me," Naruto said. He stepped out into the downpour, and his

scalp was instantly drenched. "Curse the darkness all you like, but you'd better pack afucking flamethrower."

He gave a short, rough laugh and turned back to his console.

"Ah, but that's the thing. I'm a shinobi. And a shinobi is a tool. A hammer can degrade, ahammer can decay - but, hell, it can still be repaired, it can still improve. If you throw it

away the minute it starts to show wear, then you might as well throw away all the good itcan do as well.

The pain in his head had sharpened to the point of a needle, but it was good pain, bright and

clear, hard and clean, like a blade of transparent aluminium running gently across his mind,and suddenly everything was wonderfully, lucidly clear.

"Hey, how bad can it be?"


22/101

Bad.

Very bad.

Naruto was no stranger to gunfights by this point, but even he was prepared for the rawferocity with which Eclipse mercenaries fought. He'd fought turians and batarians and even

some humans on purgatory, but Asari were vicious when it came to close quarters combat.The girls had their biotics and barries of course, but all he had was his assault rifle, a

mediocre shield generator and his own skills. Not to mention Kaguya. But using herwould've been overkill against a few alien women.

Vicious little things!

His arms pumped and strained wildly as he grappled with a huntress, his chakra honed

hands struggling to find purchase on her slim frame. She spat curses and profanities at him,their harsh words dully ignored as he struck out at her time and timge again. Worthlesshuman she called him. Weak. All that changed when he got his hands around her throat.

Then she started begging. He ignored her.

Squeezed.

In the end, even the most honed of asari reflexes couldn't stand up to the assassination skills

of a shinobi. For all the difference in appearance the aliens proved just as fragile as anyhuman being; their necks broke easily-the center of their stomachs proved a fair weakness

for even the softest of blows. Eyes were easy to gouge out. Between the four of them, theEclipse Sisters were dispatched most ruthllessly. Hard to believe such beautiful creatures

could be capable of such unmitigated cruelty, Naruto mused.

"Well, that was fun." Jack croaked. "We should do this sort of thing more often."

"Maybe...

Jodie nodded as she straightened from her predatory crouch, idly shaking the feeling back

into her hand. For once they were in complete agreement. Then a look of uncertaintyclouded her features. Her jaden gaze took in the yellow and back bodies, suddenly realizing

that they were one asair short of a dozen.

"Where is-

"I am here, child." Samara made a pleased sound from a few yards away. Naruto looked onas she slowly, deliberately, raised her heel away from the throat of the lone Eclipse

survivor. The woman began to rise behind her, sputtering a thousand thanks you's for thejusticars mercy-


23/101

-and a bullet through the head put her back down.

"Ouch." he cringed.

"She has spoken." the asari sounded vaguely pleased with herself as she holstered her

pistol. "And we are in luck. The fugitive I seek is bound for the AML Demeter. It is due todepart soon. We may yet catch her if we hurry. Come." Without another word she turn andstrode away, leaving them to follow. Jodie and Jack trailed after in their wake. An awkard

silence fell between them as they half-walked, half ran from the district to an unmannedhovercar, the very same one Samara had commandeered not so long ago.

"So, that's it?"

"Yes."

"Guess we'd better book it, then."

She sank seamlessly into the driver's seat and he did the same with the passenger. Jack andJodie crammed into the back and the doors closed. Samara gunned the engine. With a soft

whine its replusors caught and in an instant they were off, shooting through the skylanes ofIllium. Her eyes caught his. Held them. It felt like she was staring into the well of his soul,

silently contemplating whether to speak to him or put a cold piece of lead in the back of hishead. He wondered if he could get to her before she pulled the trigger...

"I owe you my thanks, Naruto." she said at last, her admittance diffusing the tension."When I came to this planet, I did not believe I would be working with others. You have

proven yourself...capable." Her words made him flush slightly. He'd always been big onpraise, even as he grew older. That it was coming from an asari matriarch did little to ebb

the pride he felt swelling in his chest.

"Gee, thanks. I think."

Jack snorted in the back seat. "Don't look now, but I think we're here."

All eyes shifted towards the cargo bay rapidly approach. According to the Eclipse merc, the

Demeter was to dock here, smuggling out illegal goods and in this case, a wanted murderer.It made little difference to him in any case-anyone who delighted in ending lives needed to

be dealt with. Immediately.

Quickly they disembarked from the shuttle, making for the nearest door. The area waspractically swarming with Eclipse. Also problematic.

Before they could do either however, the doors whooshed open before them. Naruto froze.

A woman, a turian and...wow. Just...well-wow. What kind of self-respecting human womanwore a catsuit in this day and age? Might as well just have the girls bouncing in the breeze!


24/101

And were those heels? In combat? Bloodly ridiculous. The little orange logo on the

woman's outfit did little to assauge his disbelief. He very nearly barked out a laugh, andvery well would have had Jack not snarled a foul oath. It was a simple word, one he didn't

know or understand:

"Cerberus?!"

But whatever the hell it was, it set the other squad off. All bloody hell broke loose.

Guns rose. Safeties clicked to the off setting. Biotics flared.

Samara looked ready to flay someone with her mind. "Stand aside."

"You first!"

Jodie growled behind her helment. "I'll make you!"

"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Naruto shouted, trying to preserve at least a modicum of calm! "Easy,

people!" What came next didn't help any.

"Subject Zero?" the catsuit woman spoke with an accent-one he couldn't place-her perfectbrow drawing up in surprise. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" The convict

hissed at her; a viper cornered by a larger predator and ready to bite.

"My name isJack,you Cerberus bitch!"

"Look, Commander, they've got the justciar with them." the turian murmurred. "Ideas?"

"Great." he grumbled. "More small fry."

The harsh click of a loaded gun filled his ears. There was a silence, as though the trio were

wondering whether they were friend or foe.

Naruto sighed. "What, did we miss the party or something? Mind putting those guns away?

One wisecrack-one!-and a single glance at his mercenary armor instantly made him foe in

their eyes. Now he had a freakingshotgunpointed at his face.

"Well, that escalated quickly."

"So you're the one sabotaging our mission." the leader, a woman whose face remained

sheltered behind an N7 helmet, growled out. She sounded absolutley livid, her voicevibtating with barely controlled anger. "Just who the hell do you think you are? Do you

have any ideawhat's at stake here?"


25/101

"Well, the name's Naruto. I love ramen, noodles, broth, and I have IDEA what you're

talking about-

"Okay, hotshot. Any last words?"

Violence it was, then.

"Just one." he sighed, raising his hands. "Why such a big shotgun?" his lips twitched as she

stilled. "Trying to compensate for something?" Jack snickered softly. "But wait, you're awoman, so-

Her only response was a furious shriek.

Naruto twisted aside, feeling a warm fist shoot across his face as her shotgun discharged,the bullets shooting pass his whiskered cheek with less than an inch to spar. Then he was

focused on twirling out of the way-his skin standing on end as a powerful biotic shockwave

shot past him and carromed into a series of crates. In the same instant Jack and Jodie strucktogether as one, a concussive wave of biotic force all but flatterning the turian and humanwoman to the ground. They'd live. Hopefully.

In the corner of his eye, he saw the N7 woman drawing a bead on him again.

Without thinking, he instinctually thrust a fist forwards, a column of air pistoning out fromhis outstretched hand. Unprepared for this unseen assault the human woman didn't have

time to brace herself; she could only cry out as a wall of wind picked her up, and slammedher into the nearest wall with all the force of a small atom bomb. The impact knocked her

helmet askew/free sending dark red hair glistening in the fading light of the Citadel. Sheglared at him, her bright eyes shining blearily in the dark, boring into his own. Then she

slumed, speeling taking her. Blue eyes bulged. Her face.

It was Jodie's face.

"Shit." Jack muttered. "Is that...

"Yeah."

Jodie removed her helmet. Her complexion was positively pallid. "Wh-Why does she look

like me?"

They were looking at Commander Jane Shepard, formerly of the Alliance Navy. And he'djust knocked her out.

"Ah, balls...don't worry, I have an idea."

"And that is?"


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Grabbing Jodie by the arm he turned and bolted.

"We run like hell!"

Chapter 4

"Bang. You're dead."

~?

Chase

Running like hell didn't work very well.

Ordinarily it would have, but when one considered that there were several squads of

Eclipsestanding between them and their target, things became...

...problematic.

They ended up having to slog through company after company after merc companyguns

ablazing; biotics and chakra flaring, their weapons devouring clip after thermal clip andspitting what remained as empty refuse out the chamber, ever eager to consume more. No

words were exchanged between the four of them. Only death. Naruto didn't like it.

He didn't like it at all.

Apparently these squads viewed them as nothing less than dire threats to their objective,because the insufferable bastards fought to the last man. Or perhaps there was something

more dire at work here. The last one he'd shot bore a crazed look in his eye, dying with thename "Morinth" whispered on his bleeding lips. Samara had become tense after that, her

already icey countenance turning positively frigid by comparison. She was keepingsomething from him. He knew it. He'd asked.

But whatever it was, she wasn't telling him.

The silence hurt.

Jodie had fallen eerily silent as well since she'd seen Shepard's face. Her face. Or was ittheir face? Hmmm...oi oi oi! Bad brain! Focus!He bitchslapped his mind back onto track,

blue eyes focusing on the clone-Jodie!-once more. Her eyes looked hollow. Empty, even.She was still perfecly capable of ripping a man's skull off with a biotic blink, but beyond

that she made no effort to speak. Jack wasn't talking either, prefering ample use of her


27/101

shotgun and biotics to making idle conversation. And with each second if silence, Naruto

seethed.

The encounter with the Renegade Shepard-she certainly struck hi as one-seemed to haveput a wall up between him and his squad. What had once been affable, if slightly volatile

group, was now cold and hard. Distant and distracted. And when you were distracted, youmade mistakes. But this was worse than that. He simply couldn't take the silence.

"I rather like it, actually."Kaguya mused-in his mind's eye he could see her running aslender finger along the curve of her full lips."Its...quiet."

'Yeah, well I sure as hell hate it.'

By the time they'd cut a swathe through them and reached what heprayed was the finalelevator, the tension had become unbearable. He ached to speak with someone, anyone. To

disssolve this nameless tension that had sprung up between them. In the end, Naruto waited

until they were all firmly within the elevator before he made his move, impatiently bidinghis time. They passed several floors in a rush-then he finally deemed it was time. Time totalk.

"Alright, enough!"

The three woman started in surprise, staggering now at his hand smashed into the

emergency stop, grinding the elevator a violent halt.

"Naruto, what are you-

"You," he began, rounding on Samara. "Are going to me what the deal with this criminal is.Now. Or so help me god I willsabotagethis elevator like nothing you've ever seen!" Hiswords resonated through the confines of the tiny cabin that was their momentary coffin.

"No more stabs in the dark! Answers! Now!" Hearing those words, staring into those milkywhite eyes-Kaguya's eyes-produced an interesting reaction the Justicar. Sheflinched.

"I..." the asari paused, her mouth working as though she'd just tasted something incredibly

foul. She actually seemed to be at a loss for words when faced with those blazing whiteeyes. "She-that is-Morinth...she is my eldest daughter. An Ardat-Yakshi. I will not ask if

you know what that means, only that she is an incredibly dangerous woman and must bestopped at all costs. She corrupts her victims, seduces them, sways them until they are

nothing more than puppets to her will. And when they meld, she consumes them, burningout their nervous system and growing stronger from it." the words had come in a rush, and

now, they ended.

Naruto blinked. "Shit. I didn't know it was that bad." Part of him was tempted to apologize;

but he knew in his heart that no words would ever change the pain.

"This...is difficult for me to discuss. I am sorry if my silence offended."


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"Was that so hard?"

His gaze settled on Jack.

"Don't you go all psycho-analyzing on me, buddy." the convict hissed, her voice caught-

trapped-somewhere between a snarl and a growl. "But yeah, I've got beef with Cerberus.Bastards tortured and drugged me when I was a kid. That's all you need to know. I see 'em,I kill 'em. Simple as that. And when I find the ones that did this to me," those dark eyes

narrowed hatefully, shining with foul purpose. "The galaxy's gonna be missing some reallynasty people. Gotta problem with that?"

Naruto recallled the squad they'd wasted. The woman in the catsuit. That icon. Shepard.

She was with this Cerberus organization-a group that performed experiments on kids?Anyrespect he might've had for the woman evaporated in an instant. Jack wanted to kill a few

of those bastards? He'd hold them down while she pulled the trigger.

...I'm, surprisingly alright with that."

"Well, shit." she actually sounded surprised to hear those words, the mass effect field

engulfing her hand having all but vanished by now. "Maybe I won't tear you a new oneafter all."

Finally, his attention fell to Jodie. Her silence was perhaps the most painful of all. He didn't

need the Byakugan to see the tension in her shoulders, the way she nervosly chewed at herlower lip as his eyes settled upon her. Just looking at her reminded him of a kicked puppy.

Poor thing. Jodie didn't know what was going on. Didn't understand. And how could she?Someone, was wearing herface.She didn't know that it was the other way around; that she

was an incredibly powerful clone who, through means Naruto himself didn't quiteunderstand, appeared to most, if not all, the memories of the original.

Jodie didn't know any of that.

If anything she looked like she needed a hug. But he doubted she'd react all that well tophysical affection right now. "And as for you,"

His voice softened as he beheld her.

"You are your own person. Hey," she tried to turn away, to which he cupped her cheek andturned her face back to him. "Listen to me. You're you. Jodie. No matter what anyone else

says, or what we found you in that old pod or anything else. You have thoughts. Feelings.Emotions. You think. You're real. You exist. Those thoughts? Those feeling? They belong

to you. Nothing can take them away, not in a million years. And if anyone tries...I'll cuttheir balls off and sell 'em to a krogan." he finished, making his voice as intimidating as he

could possibly hope it to be. It worked.


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Jodie lowered her gaze until she was staring firmly at her boots. Her cheeks were a bright

red, the warmth of her face burning into his battered glove like a small heartbeat.

"Thank you." she said in a tiny voice.

Belatedly, he realized her cheek was still resting in his palm. An awkward silence, evenlonger-stronger-than the last, seemed to fall over them. Finally, Naruto managed so salvagethe situation with a half-heartes smile-one he didn't entirely feel.

"Its what I do."

"Great," Jack quipped. "Happy feely time is over. Now, can we get this show on the road?"

"The Demeter is due to depart in less than five minutes." Samara informed.

"Call the car to our position, then."

Satisfied that all was as it should be once more, he slapped the controls again and they shot

upward once more.

"Its a trap, trap, traaap."Kaugya sang softly in his mind as they rose to what she believewas almost certain doom. "Its definitely a trap. This is precisely the sort of thing my

followers and I had to worry about when the world started to fear me." She soundedalmost nostalgic; the wistful emotion momentarily obscuring her ever-haughty tone. So

unnatural was it for her, that, for perhaps the first time in decades, he dared to ask her aquestion.

'I didn't know you had followers?'

There was a stoic, stony silence. When at last she spoke again, the woman's voice wassurprisingly soft.

"Not anymore."

Naruto blinked. He forgot sometimes that Kaguya had been human once, just like him,

before she'd eaten that fruit. Before-No! Bad! Traitorous thoughts! Pluck them out!

The basic electronic display over the elevator suddenly chimed, indicating the floor they'd

reach was the one they'd sought. Lit up in a bright 25, with a quiet ding. Naruto pushedhimself away from the wall and stepped in front of the doors, waiting for them to open as

the Rabbit Goddess' voice blaring inside his head roared into its third chorus.

"Called it!"

They opened. Seven armoured Eclipse soldiers and an Asari stood just outside, doubtlesslywaiting for the doors to open, and, although he couldn't see their eyes within their helmets,


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he had no doubt whatsoever that they were all staring at him. The look on the blue alien's

face however, was decidedly mixed. Shock came first, then suspicion, followed bysomething pure murder. She yanked, pulling someone out of sight towards her. His eyes

tracked with the motion, realizing right away that the situation had become complicated. Itwas a girl. She looked suspiciously like that other woman. And yet not. But was that a

corpse-who might that be?-cooling at their feet?

Very complicated.

"You'll never take her alive, bastard!"

Alive? They weren't here for her! Whoever she was?!

"Let me go!" the girl cried, her large dark eyes shooting down to the stiff body that no oneseemed to notice. Her tan face went pale. "You shot him!? You shot Niket?!"

Ah, hell.

"Aaaaaaand here comes the hero complex...

For maybe a quarter-half-of a second nobody else moved, immobilised by surprise, andthen Naruto struck. He'd had his assault rifle almost at the ready, and he brought it up,

acting on instinct alone, and rattled off a triple-shot burst. He didn't even have to pick atarget. He was barely a metre away from the first one, and from there neither the

unfortunate asari's kinetic barriers nor her thin plated armour could stand up to the shots,which speared through her heart in a quiet puff of purple blood. She started to slump, and

then the world unfroze and her companions started to bring their own guns up, but Narutowas still moving.

Neither side had been expecting this-but Naruto had reacted fastest. And he was already on

their leader. Behind him, he heard Jack's shotgun snarl. Jodie's twin pistols barked out theirown retort, to which the deadly thrum of Samara's biotics answered. Men and women were

dying all around him, but he only had eyes for the captive.

Captain Enyala didn't even have time to blink before Naruto slammed into her, knocked thehuman woman out of the way and rammed his own pistol up under the asari's chin. Then he

fired. Bang. Death. Bits of grey matter and purple flesh spattered the the docking bay, aslick lining of violet gore splashing into his face. He wiped it away with an armored hand.

Oriana whimpered, hugging her knees. "Oh my god...you...and she...

Naruto barely heard her. He spun, half-expecting to find a bullet in his back-only to realizethat the remaining mercenaries had already been scoped and dropped by his allies. Swiftly.

The pale ghost of a smile lit his face at the realization. He loved these girls...

"Oh?"


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'Shut up! Its a figure of speech!'

"What're we doing with miss crybaby over here?" Jack gestured with her shotgun toward

the still-quivering hostage, muttering nonsensically to herself. Naruto sighed. He wasgetting too old for this shit. Really he was. Out of the corner of an eye he watched Jodie

come forward, laying a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. That clinched it.

"She's coming with us."

"Ha?!"

Those words were suddenly drowned out by the roaring wash of an engine, punctuated as a

large skycar descended from the nearby lot-a matte iron grey paint marring its otherwiseyellow and black hull. Ugly little thing. Out of the corner of his eye saw what looked like atiny glint of metal in his eye. A necklace, a locket really, had been draped across one of the

nearby containers. Someone was probably missing that thing, he mused.

Without thinking the matter over further he snatched it up.

"I have secured the captain's car." Samara called, holding her stomach-when had she beenshot?-weakly, as though she were afraid its contents might come spilling out. Beneath the

limp limb he could see a coat of Medigel, already working to clot the wound. "We mustmake haste. The Demeter has already departed!" She limped into the back seats and Jodie

came barreling in after her, dragging a still shocked Oriana by an arm. Jack slammed intothe driver's seat without hesitation. Naruto slipped into the passenger seat.

"Go, go, go!"

Then, almost mercifully, it started to rain. Somehow, Kaguya took a dry humor in it.

"Let there be rain."

'Oh shut up,' Naruto groused as they lifted off.

And all bloody hell broke loose.

"Eclipse! Why is it always sodding Eclipse?!"

"-hit shit shit shit shit shit SHIT!" Jack was shouting, the car weaving wildly to and fro asshe fought for control. Most of the right front side of the car had gone, ripped away by the

main impact of the missile, leaving a smoking hole that looked out on the Illium starline.The right hand door had gone too, leaving the whole side open to the air. Jodie was clinging

to the seat for dear life, her eyes shut in thinly veiled concentration. As a secod rocket hitthe biotic barrier she'd erected around their car, that concentration faltered.


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Oriana yelped and tried once more to curl into a fetal position between the two women.

She'd recovered enough sense to realize she was in danger; but also enough to sass herrescuers. Much to their intense annoyance!

"Somebody get me off this thing!" she cried! "I wanna get off!"

"Yeah, and I want a star cruiser! Not gonna happen, sweet cheeks!"

"Jack!"

"What?! Somebody's gotta be the honest one!"

Naruto growled.

"Samara, help Jodie!" Without waiting for the wounded asari's reply, he slapped the front

seat with his good hand.

"Jack! Up! NOW!"

"Fuck you, I'm driving! Have you ever driven something like this?!"

"JUST AVOID THE GODAMNED MISSILES!"

"FINE! Fuck you very much!"

As the tattooed convict kicked the car up a few gears and sped off, another missile, agleaming blue ball of light shedding layers like an onion, whipped past barely five feet

away on the right with a roar. And on top of it all, his mouth had started to bleed again. TheAML Demeter was less than a foot ahead of them, the distance shrinking fast. The killer -

Morinth- was just inside. Close enough to touch. Enough...to reach. If someone didsomething really, incredibly stupid. He risked a glance over at Jodie. Her nose was

bleeding, eyes quivering with strain as she fought to keep the barrier up. Samara wouldn'tbe going anywhere with that wound.

Jack was still driving. No way in hell was Oriana up to something like this.

Which left him.

Swearing, he slapped the hatch, and peeked out what was left of the passenger door. Windlashed at his face, nearly ripping him clear out of the aircar. Jack shouted at him over the

gale and tried to pull him back into the car. He shook her off, a subtle sheen of chakraengulfing his legs. She noticed.

"What the hellare you doing?!"

"What does it look like I'm doing, woman?!" he snapped back, roaring over the storm.


33/101

"Like-

"JUST FUCKING DRIVE!"

Incredibly, she complied.

With that, he leaned out once more and steadied himself.

Kaguya took one look down with his eyes and gave a fearful shriek.

"Don't you dare!"

"Hoshit!" Jodie suddenly yelped, and Naruto's head jerked up reflexively at the noise. The

clone was breathing hard enough to hear over the com link. "Barrier's gone!" Sure enough itwas; the subtle veneer that'd once coated the car seemed to sputter and die before his very

eyes, depriving them of the much valued protection. With him leaning out the door!

Naruto could think of only one appropriate phrase to describe this situation in that moment.

Fuck! My! Life!

Then he leaned out of the opening, tensed his body...

...and jumped.

There was absolutely nothing to tell him that he was ascending, then falling besides the factthat his stomach appeared to be making a concerted attempt to relocate to his skull the

sky outside was utterly unmoving from his perspective. Leaning over to look down at hisfeet, he could see a whorled patte of colors shooting by from below as he fell towards the

Demeter, but the wind was nothing short of eerie.

For a terrifying instant his body was completely weightless, hanging between the skycarand the ship. He could see his legs flailing wildly beneath him, searching for traction and

finding none. Behind him, he was aware of Jack's disbelieving shout and Jodies cry of pureterror. Ahead of him the AML Demeter drifted in the air like a giant metal monolith,

utterlly uncaring whether he succeeded or failed. If he didn't make it, he had only a longdrop and Kaguya's furious shouting to look forwad to before he became a messy smear on

the ground. Not something he was looking forward to.

Probably not something he'd be able to regenerate from, either...

And on the off chance that he didmake it he would be alone against what, if Samara's word

was to be believed, was a very powerful and verypissed offasari. In confined quarters noless. Not the most idealsituation in hindsight, but it was the only one that ended with

Morinth's death. The exhileration of this sudden lunge pounded in his ears, matching hishammering heartbeat. He just couldn't help himself. He whooped!


34/101

It felt oddly like being in a very fast elevator, albeit one without quite the same ride quality.

The wind was roaring fiercely in his ears, but somehow his jump was kept level, so ratherthan let it fall wildly, he arced back at the Demeter like an arrow loosed from a bow. It

wasn't as bad as he'd expected. It didn't change the fact that he was still falling from almosta mile up with absolutely no way to catch himself, but it was something.

And something was certainly better than nothing.

It suddenly occurred to Naruto that he had no way of breaking his fall regardless-whetherhe made it or not was irrelevant. It was still going to hurt. And it did.

Clunk.

In that instant, all of his being focused on stifling the shout that threatened to come roaringout of his throat.

His shoulder collided violently with the hull as he rolled, popping out then back in again ashe clamped down to the hardened metal carapace. Ow! A thousand times! Ow!Almostimmediatelly the winds tried to peel him off and fling him back, but he glued himself to its

shell like a spider with chakra. All around him he could feel-hear-the air rushing by, theoccasioinal discharge of the ship's shields crackling around him, leaving standing his hair

on end. If the pilot was at all aware of an unwanted guest clinging to his ship, he certainlydidn't seem to be aware of it.

Yes!Naruto exulted quietly, clenching a fist.Mission accomplished, baby!He allowed

himself a moment of celebration before turning his eyes on the battered black hull. In a fewminutes the ship would be leaving Illium altogether - and he'd rather not be standing

outside when it left the atmosphere. Channeling chakra to his boots, he darted across thehull, searching for a point of entry. A hatch. Lever. Switch. Anything. But it seemed that

they had built ships better in this era; because he found nothing of the sort.

So he made one.

Fingers drew back and formed a point, nails grew long and sharpened, piercing through his

gloves. The flesh of his right arm bleaching a chalky white -the color of Kaguya's skin-beneath his armor. It was only a partial transformation, enough to give his limb that extra

"oomph" needed to carve a hole for himself without damaging the limb. He didn't have timeto wait for regeneration, not if this enemy was truly as deadly as Samara'd claimed her to

be. He couldn't afford any weakness.

So he simply cut.

He pressed his changed arm down to the hull and made a sharp, slashing motion. The armor

parted like butter. Two more swipes and he was completely through, forming a rough, if notman-shaped hole through which he dropped not a moment later. Promptly, the howling


35/101

wind dropped to a mere trickle of nose, leaving him standing in dim, fluorescent lightning.

Eerie.

To his great relief, there were no immediate civilians to be seen inside. Only cargo. Big,bulky boxes tied and strapped down. The kind you didn't want to slide around-they were

capable of doing some serious damage. Likely they were fillled with red sand or some othersuch drugs. Wisely, he chose to give them a wide birth. Rounding the nearest corner he

found himself face to face with a dead end. No cover there that he could see. The ship wasrising now, probably veering off the skylane for the atmosphere. Not much time.

Another turn found him face to face with the cockpit. Peering through the window, hesighted down an old salarian at the controls. Definitely not Morinth.

He took a deep breath and glanced around. That was when he saw her.

A single asari, leaning against the nearby wall, one that hadn't been there before. She

looked exactly like Samara. So much so that he almost hesitated. Almost. Time stood still.She looked as surprised to see him as he was her, but there were no weapons to be seen onher body, nor this slick, skintight body stocking that seemed to fit her like a glove.Gah,

focus, man! She moved and he had a bead on her before a second step could be taken. Itdidn't phase her.

"Hello, stranger." she said, somehow making the word sound like a purr. She was wholly at

ease-utterly unflinching in the face of almost certain death, staring down the barrel of agun. "The name's Morinth. To what do I owe the pleasure?" her every word radiated a

subtle vibean ease that permeated the very air they breathed. Something was wrong. Narutofollowed her warily-watched her every movement with his eyes. His senses screamed that

she was not to be trusted-that he needed to end her. Here. Now. Yet surely it couldn't hurtto hear her out...

No.

A blink and a subtle nudge from Kaguya was all it took to shove the asari's influence away.

"Get out of my head." he hissed, raising his rifle once more. "I'm here to kill you. Nothingmore, nothing less."

"Is that what my mother told you?" those full lips quirked in a petulant pout. "That I'm a

monster?"

"Yes."

"Pity."

Then she speared him in a biotic charge before he could blink.


36/101

The air rushed out of his lungs in a mighty whoosh. Power. Momentum. Velocity. All these

things and more added up to send him hurling through the cockpit, smashing down againstdoor and driver both. Pretty sure that killed the salarian. Before he could rise she was on

him, her hands locking around his face. His knee shot up, smashing into his stomach withenough force to smash her back up against the ceiling. He thought that would do it. But

incredibly, she held on. Blue eyes blazed black. Something stabbed into his mind. Narutosnarled.

You're mine now.

She wasn't expecting him to laugh.

"You think you're a monster?" Blue eyes flashed white, veins bulging on either side of hisvisage. You think to make me burn? Foolish creature. I am the inferno!"

" I AM YOUR DEATH!"

The hunter became the hunted.

This being, this...thing, this presence - it defied all logic. Any attempts on her part to definethe enormity of the existence before her would have been fruitless. Older than time itself.

She was but a speck before her, could no sooner quantify who or what or why it was, onlythat it existed and there was nothing she could do andoh Goddess what had she done...

Something grabbed her. A parasite, latching onto her mind.

And in that awful moment, for the first time in decades, Morinth felt something other than

desire. An emotion strong enough to overpower her arrogance and self confidence, fillingher with dread. Belatedly, she recognized it-this age old emotion, the one she'd first feltwhen she'd learned her own mother would be hunting her down. It had a name.

Fear.

Too late, the Ardat-Yakshi tried to break the meld. Kaguya held it open. And then sheswarmed over the other side.

Morinth received the same treatment she'd dealt to countless others over her many years-the

pain of having every thought eroded, her mind overloaded. Her brain began to bleed,hemhoraging blood and other fluid as Kaguya systematically destroyed her nervous system,

burning it out. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, the sound trailing off as herconcsiousness as utterly devoured and obliterated. Her corpse, alive one moment, then dead

the next, shuddered as the Rabbit Goddess took complete and total control.

"Ah," Morinth's lips began to move again, cooing. "Finally. A body."

The gun was at her temple before she could form a third thought.


37/101

"Drop. Her."

"Don't worry." She soothed with the asari's voice, glancing down at Morinth's pale, slender

figure. "I was a little too rough with her." Her hips swayed. "She's dead, and her body isalready dying. In a matter of moments, this will be little more than a corpse."

"Then ditch the body and take the head. We're leaving."

There was a brief moment of tension between the two. Would she listen to him? Or wouldshe try to flee and come what may? Then, finally, she nodded.

"Very well. I am with you, Naruto."

She watched him stiffen slightly as her lips touched his forehead. Let him dwell on that, shethought. Then there was only pain for both beings, wincing as her consciousness returned

to where it truly belonged. Morinth's body slumped behind them, a shell once more.

"Always."

Then they realized something.

"Who's flying the ship?!"

"Oh."Both host and tenant had just enough time to see a skyscraper filling their vision

through the viewport.

"Ah, crap, this is gonna sting isn't it?"

"Indeed."

BOOM!

Chapter 5

"There are a thousand ways to die...and I know them all."

~?

Two of a Kind

"How in thefucking helldid you survive that?"


38/101

Naruto tried to laugh at Jack's crass inqiry and ended up coughing out a tiny circle of smoke

instead. Ow.Seemed he still had some ash within his lungs. He'd forgotten how exhaustingit was to run around like that, in such a hurry, using up so much chakra, all without any

sleep. In short...

...not fun.

"Well...

Jack was leering at him now, choosing to withold any and all forms of their Med-igel until

he answered her question. Now, he didn't neccessarily need the miracle gel but the lastthing he wanted was to make his squad suspicious.Huh?Not for the first time, that thought

gave him pause. His squad.I wonder when I started to think of 'em like that...

"Beginner's luck?" he tried. Wrong answer. The tattooed biotic swatted him on the back of

his head with enough force to make him see stars. This time, he really did laugh. She hit

him, because she cared. He'd learned that back on the Purgatory. If she'd really wanted himdead a shotgun blast to the face would've done the job much better. Besides, she'd hadample time to leave...and yet she hadn't. She was the only member of the group uninjured

as of yet, and thus, had the unwanted task of nursing each of them back to health.

After all, no one in the Suicide Squad-he'd thought up that little moniker himself-wasparticullarly trusting of hospitals in Illium.

Our blond protagonist was a little dizzy from using so much of his chakra -both divine and

otherwise- in one outing. Let it not

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Mass Effect - Prometheus by NeonZangetsu

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