A/N: Best viewed in 3/4 or on mobile. :)

The research lab was the quietest it had been in days. For Cerberus… that was saying something. For now, it was just two scientists and one unconscious test subject. A safety precaution. There was no telling exactly how things would play out once he was awake.

Madison Paige leaned over the test subject for a brief moment, using a small flashlight to examine each of his irises. She checked the cybernetic one twice, clicking her tongue at the scar that still marred his left eye. She'd given up trying to convince the surgeons to repair it. They wanted him easily identifiable in case of 'incident'. Never mind the fact that said 'incident' could well occur here and now, in this cold, underground lab with security more than five minutes away.

Peering over her glasses at her datapad, she entered her findings before transferring them to her partner. Across the lab, a small 'hmm' let her know that he'd read it.

Noah Walker had been with Cerberus for years. At first, it had been for the salary, but with hard evidence of the Reapers? He felt it was his duty to stay. He glanced over his shoulder at Madison, raising an eyebrow for a moment as she twisted a few of her brunette strands around her fingers. A nervous habit.

Idly, he scratched his salt and pepper beard. Admittedly, he was nervous as well. "I'll prep the IV."

Research and development of these 'super soldiers' was nothing new to anyone in Cerberus. It was always some pipe dream or another. Rachni DNA, the Thorian, and now…. Reaper technology. The host body was human… donated, but… Heart, liver, biotic amp… the precious few samples of Reaper tech that they possessed had been used to craft this latest venture.

Project Scythe.

A soldier designed to resist the effects of indoctrination and outperform even seasoned veterans on the battlefield. Humanity's trump card against the reapers. His purpose was similar to that of Commander Shepard. She'd left the facility mere weeks ago, though the Illusive Man had somehow found a way to keep her docile. If docile was a word they could even use for Commander Layla Shepard.

Madison examined the screens above the examination table. "Blood pressure is stable at 127 over 79."

Noah tightened the restraints around the subject's wrists, ankles, and chest. Reaper technology was unstable, and he wasn't taking any chances. "Begin initialization."

Madison injected the adrenaline slowly, her gaze constantly shifting between the subject and the bio-readings. The machines did the rest of the work.

A spike in blood pressure. Rapid eye movement. His eyes snapped open, staring straight ahead. A brief, rattling breath before they closed once more. The readings rapidly shifted back to baseline.

"Failed to initialize," Noah murmured to himself as he moved over to the computer and recorded the results. Madison suppressed an irritated sigh. She was afraid of this. Reaper technology was unpredictable- it was possible that a human body would reject the synthetic components entirely.

Reluctantly, she set up a comm to The Illusive Man. He would want to know the results of the test right away.

"Shepard is still alive."

Harbinger seethed. The remaining forces on Horizon had failed to complete the job after he'd taken his leave. Something like rage brewed inside of the ancient machine. If organics excelled at anything, it was dying. Why couldn't this one human woman master the skill? He'd been unable to recover the commander's body and now… now she was alive. Again.

Sovereign had already perished at her hands. Shepard was an impediment to everything they needed to accomplish. Harbinger considered the situation for some time. For a single organic being to be so influential in galactic events...

Shepard needed to be killed, yes, but also studied. Understood. He needed to be prepared to handle any other 'Shepards' that might surface after he'd finally dispatched this one.

He looked in on The Illusive Man- another of his puppets. The indoctrination was slight; patient. For all of the man's wealth, power and influence, he still had no idea. Harbinger intended to keep it that way. Indirect control of Cerberus was valuable, and he needed to maintain it.

The idea to integrate Reaper technology into an organic body had been Harbinger's, though the human he whispered to saw it as an opportunity to advance his race. To defeat the Reapers. The Reaper General would have laughed if he was able. Humans were so overconfident. More so than any other organics he'd encountered. And it would be their downfall.

News of the failed attempt to awaken Project Scythe had just reached the Illusive Man. Harbinger silently retrieved the information. The project was complete. At last, it could be used for its intended purpose- the destruction of Layla Shepard.

Dr. Paige checked her charts once more. She couldn't understand where they'd gone wrong. The initialization should have been a resounding success. What had they missed?

She examined the subject once more. Slow, steady breaths. Dirty-blonde hair spilling over the pillow. Another spike in blood pressure, much like the one before. This time, his hands twitched against their restraints. His lips parted, moving as if he was attempting to speak.

Assuming DIRECT control….