Mass Effect: Route of the Damned

Chapter 1

Shepard shifted uncomfortably, sitting on the examination table of the Normandy's med bay. He eyed his neatly folded shirt and pants on the Doctor's desk, a thin pair of shorts the only thing defending his modesty. It had been nearly two weeks since his encounter with the Prothean Reaper called Forsaken, and Dr. Chakwas had insisted on a physical exam to assess his recovery.

Peering over his shoulder, he studied his ghostly reflection in the nearby window. The burst blood vessels in his eyes had healed, clearing the crimson veil that had once haunted them. The faint line of a surgical scar spread down one side of his abdomen, the only evidence of Chakwas' skillful resetting of his ribs.

Shepard looked past his reflection into the galley beyond and spotted Tali sitting at the mess' table, her bright eyes moving across his body. Noticing his attention, she embarrassedly turned back to the stack of datapads on the tabletop. Although he couldn't see it, he knew a bashful grin was spreading across her soft lips, causing him to follow suit.

His attention was drawn back into the room as Chakwas approached. She smiled warmly, noticing his distraction. She stepped in front of him a produced a small penlight. "If you'll look straight ahead, Commander." She said, her hand gently holding his chin. She raised the light to his face and swiftly shifted the beam across his eyes. "Very good …" She muttered to herself after several seconds. "I didn't think those red eyes suited you very well, anyways." Shepard smirked, but remained still. Chakwas tucked the light into her pocket and turned her attention to his chest. He fingers carefully traced the point of incision, gently probing his ribcage. Shepard fought back a grimace, the area still heavily bruised. The Doctor noticed his tensing muscles. "Does it still hurt?" She asked.

"Just a little tender." Shepard replied through clenched teeth.

Chakwas nodded. "Well, the bones seem to have knit together nicely. The pain should subside before too long." Her hand moved from his ribs to his left thigh, fingering the jagged scar left behind by a hunk of shattered Collector exoskeleton. "And this?" She inquired, gently massaging the injured tissue. "The nerve damage should be mostly healed by now. Any soreness or loss of function?

Shepard shook his head. "No, not much pain there at all. Still feels a little weak, though."

Chakwas turned and walked to her desk. She scooped up his pants and tossed them to him. "Well, then … let's see you walk."

Shepard gladly slipped into his trousers and stood. He straightened his back, forcing the muscles in his left leg to comply. He slowly lumbered across the room, his strides rigid and uncomfortable. He turned to find Chakwas chuckling softly to herself. "Alright, alright …" She teased, "I'm very impressed, you can relax now."

Shepard laughed softly, releasing the tension throughout his body. He casually walked over to the desk, a pronounced limp still evident in his gait. "So am I free of that damned leg brace?" He asked with a smile. "I seem healthy enough. What do you think, Doc?"

"What do I think?" She replied, picking up his shirt and tucking it into his hands. "I think those Reapers don't stand a chance, Commander."

A wide grin spread across Shepard's face as he pulled on his shirt. "A crippled former Alliance soldier versus an entire race of planet devouring machines?" He mused, heading towards the door. "Doesn't even seem like a fair fight, does it?"

Tali sat at a table in the mess hall, datapads fanned out before her. As she looked over the maintenance schedule for the upcoming week, she heard footsteps approaching behind her. A muscular arm slid around her shoulders and pulled her tightly against the seat's back in a warm embrace. She smiled and leaned her head against Shepard's arm. She heard as much as felt him gingerly kiss the top of her helmet. Although her immune system made their relationship complicated, Shepard had always treated her as he would were there no issue at all, and she loved him for it. Small things, like a kiss he knew she couldn't feel, but would appreciate all the same; the gentle caress of an arm, or squeeze of a hand, despite the course material of her enviro-suit.

She turned to see Shepard's head hovering over her shoulder. "So, what's the prognosis, Commander?" She asked coyly.

"Clean bill of health." He replied with a smile. "And you? How are you feeling?"

It had been over a week since she had last been intimate with Shepard. She had been stricken with a mild cold afterwards, from which she was still recovering. "I'm a little feverish still, but … it's a small price, and I'm glad to pay it." She assured him warmly, stroking his forearm.

Shepard squeezed tightly once more, then slipped into the seat beside her. "How're things down in engineering?"

Tali sighed. "Ever since we dropped off the slaves we freed from Fist at Omega, my workload's tripled. With her Cerberus blocks removed, EDI does an incredible job of keeping the systems in check, but when it comes to routine maintenance, I've only got two hands and I seem to get further behind every day."

"Is there anything I can help with?" Shepard asked earnestly.

Tali grinned. "Sure. Can you hand me the datapad with the diagram of the core's gravitation dampener?"

Shepard's hand hovered over the pile of datapads as he scanned through the various volumes. After several seconds, he withdrew his hand. "Umm … no, I can't" he replied sheepishly.

Tali giggled softly, patting his knee. "It's alright, I can make do. I just wish that Gabby and Donnelly were still around. It'd be nice to even have Legion around to lighten the load." She picked up a datapad and quickly skimmed through its contents. Thoughtfully, she turned back to Shepard. "Speaking of Legion … has there been any word on where we might look for the rest of the crew?"

Shepard's face fell, his eyes distant. "No, nothing." He muttered. "Liara and Miranda have been pooling all of their resources, but there's still no sign of any of them. There's a faint trail for each of them following my arrest, but shortly after that all leads just evaporate." Shepard balled his fist in frustration. "It just doesn't make any sense. Why would …"

His train of thought was suddenly interrupted as Joker's voice erupted over the comms. "Uhh, Commander? You might want to get down to the briefing room…"

Shepard's brow furrowed. "What is it, Joker?"

"There's a comm signal coming in. It's somehow managed to bypass our firewalls and tap directly into the communications relay."

"Can you disconnect?" Shepard asked anxiously

"That's the first thing I tried." Joker responded. "There's nothing I can do from here. Either this is someone with inside information on our systems, or it's the most persistent telemarketer in existence."

Tali turned to Shepard. "I might be able to cut off the transmission from inside the briefing room itself."

Shepard nodded and stood. "We're on our way, Joker."

Shepard looked into the darkness of the briefing room as the door slid open. The table had already receded into the floor, an orange holographic field standing in its place. Tali quickly knelt down and pulled a panel from the wall. "I can manually disconnect the feed," She explained as her fingers flew over the circuits, "but it could take a few minutes."

Shepard stepped toward the glowing field. "I want to know what this is all about first. Be ready to sever the connection." Tali nodded as he cautiously proceeded through the luminous holographic wall.

Passing through the barrier, the briefing room faded away, resolving into a space of boundless shadows. In the center of the gloom, a glaring white light shone, the undulating representation of some distant star. Sitting casually before it was a man few had heard of, and even fewer had ever met. He sat with his legs crossed, idly swirling a tumbler of thick liquor in one hand, a lit cigarette smoldering in the other. "Shepard." He greeted coldly.

Shepard scowled. "The Illusive Man. I suppose there's a reason you've hijacked my communications systems?"

"There is." The man said, bringing the cigarette to his lips and inhaling deeply. After a measured silence, he continued. "Certain … events … have transpired, which you should be made aware of."

"Why should I even listen to you?" Shepard growled. "You betrayed me. You had me branded a criminal. You tore apart my crew. You had Tali kidnapped and nearly killed."

The Illusive Man uncrossed his legs and straightened his posture, the closest thing to a sign of irritation he allowed to be seen. "In our relationship, betrayal is a two way street, Shepard. You destroyed that Collector base, despite my protests. You proved yourself to be far too unpredictable to be allowed to wander freely, to be allowed to further disrupt Cerberus' plans. So yes, I had you incarcerated. You were to be kept locked away while I made the necessary preparations. When the Reaper threat finally presented itself, you would be released to fight for us, for humanity. As far as your crewmates, they were separated, and in … relative safety. And the Quarian … I ordered her capture, but beyond that, Fist worked independently without my knowledge or permission. After her acquisition, he ceased all communications. Never the less, he got what he deserved in the end."

"We've established there's no trust between us." Shepard snarled. "Can you get to the damned point?"

"Very well." The man replied, taking a hearty sip from his glass. "Shortly after your arrest, one of our remote research bases in the Armstrong Nebula came under a vicious attack by Geth forces. We barely managed to repel the invading force. It was obvious from their points of attack that they sought the data being studied. To protect the research, I shut down the base. As a failsafe, I divided the entirety of the facility's database into four non-contiguous data packages, and entrusted those packages to four agents working for Cerberus. Alone, no one package is decipherable without the other three. All other copies were purged."

"What type of research was being done at this base?" Shepard interrupted.

"As I said," The Illusive Man replied, "I couldn't trust any singular person besides myself to know the entire scope of the project, and that includes you. Suffice it to say, in Human hands, it may very well aid in the destruction of the Reapers. In enemy hands … it could devastate every species in the galaxy." Shepard fought the urge to argue the insanity of undertaking such research, but held his tongue. The Illusive man continued. "Recent reports from scouting parties show increased Geth activity in the areas these four agents were last seen. I'm concerned they may be in danger of being captured. I want you to recover them and the data they carry."

Shepard scoffed. "After everything you've put me and my friends through, you think I'm going to help you? You've got deeper pockets than some planetary governments, solve you own problems. Tali, cut the feed."

"It'll take me a couple of minutes …" Tali's voice replied from beyond the holographic interface.

Shepard watched as The Illusive Man took a long drag on his cigarette, eyeing the long tendrils of smoke thoughtfully. His image fizzled slightly as Tali cut through the connections. "Have you had any luck locating the last of your crew, Commander?" He asked, his voice distant and uncaring.

Shepard leveled a calculating stare at the man on the other side of the transmission. After a moment's consideration, he looked back towards the entrance. "Tali, standby." Turning back to The Illusive Man, he stepped forward, closing the virtual distance between them. "What do you know about the rest of my squad?" He hissed

The man looked at him squarely. "As much as we might differ, Shepard, I know that we do have one thing in common: we're both missing four agents. And with all that we've both seen of this universe, I think we can agree, coincidences are exceptionally rare."

"Bullshit," Shepard muttered, glowering, "They'd never work for you."

The Illusive Man smirked. "Of course they would Shepard. I had something they wanted. Something they needed. I had you, locked away in a hidden C-Sec internment facility. Their cooperation bought them your location, as well your guaranteed health and safety until such a time as you were released."

Shepard's brow furrowed with uncertainty. "Think about it, Commander." The man continued. "Consider those you've gathered so far. Although they are, without any doubt, completely loyal to you, they are all either capable of continuing their lives without you, or were detained at the same time as you. In your absence, Ms. Lawson and Mr. Taylor would be welcomed back to Cerberus with open arms. Your Krogan found a home on Tuchanka. Subject Zero has survived on her own for her entire adult life. The Drell assassin was reunited with his son, his only living family. And Massani is a mercenary, and will happily work wherever the pay is best. Although the Turian and Quarian would both likely lay down there lives to secure your freedom, they were both detained during your incarceration.

"Now look at those remaining. Doctor Mordin Solus. He gave up his practice on Omega to travel with you. In your time together, your influence cast doubts on his actions as an operative of the STG, his actions during the development of the Krogan Genophage. You left him questioning his past and his future.

Kasumi Goto. You recovered her lover's graybox and allowed her to keep it, thereby forcing her to become completely removed from society, hidden from any that might seek the knowledge she possessed. Where could she possibly find a better place to hide than with a Spectre on a stealth-capable vessel?

Samara, the Asari Justicar. She spent a great many years hunting her own daughter. With your help, she accomplished that goal. She also observed that, although you serve the ideals of justice without fault, you are capable of acts of many would consider unjust to achieve those ends. In your absence, she was uncertain of herself and entirely without direction.

Finally, the Geth platform you refer to as Legion. He was constructed and programmed specifically to find you, to gain your allegiance against the Reapers. Without you, his existence in its current form is meaningless."

Shepard glared angrily at the hologram before him. "My friends were desperate, and you used that against them?"

"Of course I did Shepard." The Illusive Man replied. "To ensure humanity's safety, I'll use every resource available to me. But that's beside the point. What's important now is that we both, once again, share a common goal. That data must be recovered."

Shepard remained silent for a long breath. "…Where do we start?" he finally relented.

The Illusive Man gestured, and a holographic screen opened up before him. "At the moment, we only have a positive location on the Salarian doctor. He took a public transport to the planet of Anhur in the Eagle Nebula shortly after receiving our data package, and records show that he hasn't left since."

Shepard looked to the entrance once more. "Tali, tell Joker to set a course. Get us there as soon as possible."

"Understood." Tali replied as she hurried from the room.

Shepard looked to the man before him. "You know, this would be much easier if I weren't completely understaffed as well as being hunted across Council Space."

The Illusive man tapped a few controls on the screen in front of him. "Done." He murmured absently.

Shepard arched his brow. "What do you mean, 'done'?"

"When you were arrested, you support staff was deported back to the Terminus Systems. Cerberus has been collecting our lost employees ever since. It make take some time, but your full crew will be returned to you. As far as your wanted status, I've just sent evidence exonerating you of any Cerberus-related wrong doings to one of my contacts on the Citadel. It'll likely be tied up in litigation for months, but for the time being it may be enough to dissuade any active searches for you."

With that, The Illusive Man activated a final control on the screen before him. The holographic field shimmered as the connection was slowly severed. His voice echoed over the channel as the room faded to darkness. "Remember, Shepard, there's more at stake than just your friends. Should that data fall to our enemies, the entire galaxy may suffer the consequences."