This is kind of a novelization of Mass Effect 2, except it is changed in quite a few parts with some things added. It's not all the scenes, mostly scenes centering on Shepard and Miranda, as well as Shepard and Garrus.
Miranda Lawson looked down at the heavily damaged corpse before her. So this was the great John Shepard. The one that humanity's hopes rested on… or so the Illusive Man believed. She couldn't say she was convinced.
She looked up and down the man's body, his armour already having been removed. Everything was still intact, just badly burned, sometimes down to the bone. Steam still poured off of him, leftover from the cryo he had just come out of. Wilson thought he might have to completely replace the right arm, but that wasn't acceptable. They needed a human Shepard. Sure, he would invariably have a lot of machine inside him, but the outside had to be as human as possible. Even the way he moved. She had basically unlimited resources at her disposal to get this done. She would find a way. She would make him better.
It's not that she cared about this man. He was just that – a man. One man. She didn't understand it. Yes, he was a hero, an icon. But what did he have that she didn't? Granted he had stopped the reaper attack, and allowed the council to die, allowing humanity to take its rightful place in the galaxy. But he was still just a man; not invulnerable, as she could see before her. She knew she could do everything he had done. Better probably.
She pushed that thought away almost immediately. That sounded like jealousy. That was one thing that was beneath her. She turned her attention back to looking over the body. She couldn't tell much about him from before, but she could tell that before his injuries he had a relatively large well-built frame, a soldier's frame. Now though… not so much, she thought to herself ruefully.
She heard the doors swoosh open behind her, and recognized the steps of Wilson. "Wilson," she said, without turning. She could tell he was startled by the slight intake of breath he had, not expecting her to recognize him without turning. One of the reasons she was the best, able to tell who he was just by his footsteps.
"Miranda. I've finished my final tests for the first step. I am ready to begin on your order." He stopped a few feet behind her.
She scanned over the broken body before her again. He was nothing right now. But she would make him whole again. She had never failed an assignment before, and she didn't plan to start not.
"The Lazarus Project is a go. Let's begin."
There was this damn voice that just wouldn't go away. He tried to swat it away, but it wouldn't leave him be. He was so tired, and he hurt so much. He just wanted to sleep. Let him sleep.
The voice droned on for a bit more, before heard a name. Shepard. That was his name, he realized with a slight jolt. He opened his eyes slowly, recognizing the voice from when he'd awoke before, when they'd drugged him. Everything had hurt that time, and it wasn't much better now.
"God damn it, wake up Shepard. Shepard, can you hear me? Get the hell up, you don't have much time!"
He didn't like the sound of that. The woman's voice was calm, but forceful. A leader's voice, a tone he could recognize.
He had a sudden moment of panic, remembering what happened with the Normandy, all his comrades, his team, his crew. He quickly calmed himself, remembering that he wasn't there anymore. He was alone in a medbay with someone calling him over the com trying to get him to move. And it sounded likely he was under threat.
"I'm here," he rasped out, finding his throat gravelly and in pain. He saw a bottle of water nearby, and grabbed it, slugging it back as the woman started talking again. She had an Australian accent, and although she spoke evenly, he could feel the adrenaline in her voice.
"About time. I wouldn't wake you up if this wasn't an emergency. Your scars still need time to heal, and your body is nowhere near 100%. But I have no choice. There's a set of armour and a pistol in the room, get into it."
He finished the water as he looked for the items. He saw them and moved over to them, every step painful. Everything all over him hurt. "What's going on? What happened to me?" he asked. It still hurt to speak.
"I don't have time to fully explain, but I promise I will tell you later. Just know that the security mechs have gone rogue and are killing everyone. I think they're after you."
He finished putting on the armour and checked the pistol, accepting her explanation for now. "Where's the damn clips?"
"It's a medbay Shepard, you'll have to find some. Make your way to the shuttles, level D. And be careful; remember that you're still healing. You took a hell of a beating."
He didn't reply, instead made his way out, finding a few clips thankfully. He instantly ran into a mech which he handily dispatched with a biotic shove followed by a single shot to the head. As he kept moving, the woman, who he still didn't know, kept guiding him until it started to get staticky, and eventually cut off as she reported the mechs had found her. But she was calm about it, so Shepard wasn't too worried about her. He had no idea who she was, and if he could or should trust her, but she had been helping him and had saved him, so he silently wished her luck. He opened up the next door to the sound of gunfire, and upon seeing a human fighting some robots, he gladly jumped in on the human side.
"Oh thank god you found me," Wilson claimed as Jacob and John came into the room. "The bastards got me good."
Shepard took a look at the man, instantly getting a bad feeling about him. He didn't know what it was, but his body language was screaming something off. "I see that," he said quietly. He watched as Jacob moved to help him. He hadn't formed a full opinion about the soldier yet, but for the most part it was a good one. He had shown himself to be capable for the most part, and had answered his questions frankly and honestly. A soldier's soldier, like himself. A man he could trust to not stab him in the back, at least in the middle of a warzone.
But this Wilson, something was off. He knew that he was the doctor who had been getting him together for the last 2 years, and that he was just trying to help him during that period. But he could already tell that Wilson was not trustworthy. A skilled man to be used if needed, but then discarded in a hurry.
"Grab the medi-gel Shepard, we have to get him out of here," Jacob asked as he tried to slow the bleeding.
He hesitated for half a second, wondering how he took a single shot in the leg and why there was only a single mech on the floor, before making the move to grab it and slathered it over the wound. Wilson instantly relaxed. "Oh thank god." He slowly rose to his feet. "We have to get out of here, fast! More will come I'm sure. I was here trying to shut them down but I don't think I can."
"Do you even know how?" asked Jacob.
"Well… I don't but I had to try!"
Shepard broke in, remembering what Jacob had told him about the other woman. "The woman, Miranda. What about her?"
"She's probably dead! There's no time. For all we know, she's the traitor!"
Shepard didn't change his expression at all. Something was off here. He had his doubts before, but now he was certain. Wilson knew something about this. "I don't think so. She helped me, without her I'd be dead. No, we're not going anywhere yet." Wilson and Jacob turned to him, confused. "You know more than you're telling me. And I want to know what it is."
Wilson paled very slightly, but what was more interesting to John was how Jacob seemed to react as well. So, the soldier could hide things as well.
"I told you! I was here trying to stop the machines! I don't know what else you want to know!"
Jacob cut in, his voice a bit suspicious. "I didn't think you had access." Shepard smiled on the inside. Jacob wasn't a total idiot at least. He should have said that right away, but better late than never.
"I… I was around here when the shooting started. I figured trying was better than nothing. I got shot trying to save your asses, and this is how you repay me?"
His tone was off, the anger seemingly forced. It was pretty clear now that he was the traitor. But Shepard didn't want to tip his hand just yet. He needed to find out who wanted him dead. Playing dumb suited him just fine.
"Alright, whatever. I guess it doesn't matter now until we get out of here." He made sure that he didn't come off too non-chalant, but instead trying to sound gruff and impatient… like someone who didn't care, just wanted to escape.
Wilson apparently took him at face-value as he started to make it for the exit when it opened and some LOKI mechs marched in.
It was a simple matter to dispatch them, with his shields barely flaring from their hazardous and inaccurate fire. As he started to make towards the exit, Jacob spoke.
"Commander, wait." John turned around, taking in Jacob's guilty looking expression. "You should know something. About this facility, who we work for."
Wilson cut in. "Don't! Our boss will have your head!"
Jacob shot him a glare. "No he won't. He was going to find out soon anyways, and if we want him to trust us, being upfront from the start is the way to go." He turned back to Shepard, who was appraising Jacob closely, his respect for Jacob wavering. On the one hand, the man was giving away obviously precious information. On the other hand, he was probably using it smartly, since it was a valid way of getting trust. But having told him that he was doing it to get his trust, he hurt the amount of trust he could gain from telling him it. The tangled webs we weave, John smirked to himself.
Still, he needed information, and Jacob was the source for now. "We work for Cerberus."
John's vision went red for a moment and without realizing it his weapon was raised at Jacob before he got control of himself and lowered his weapon. Jacob hadn't even gotten his weapon halfway up, and Wilson had barely moved at all in the span of it. John took a couple of deep breaths, regaining control as quickly as he could. Wilson was looking at him scared, but Jacob was just staring at him, evaluating him.
"Didn't see that one coming," was all John said, having regained himself. "I'd ask why, but I think I'd rather not know."
"You'll get your answer soon enough, I can tell you that much. We'll take you to the Illusive Man; he's the one who funded this. Billions of credits, 2 years of our best agents. Just so you understand, we put a lot into you."
John smirked at him before starting to walk to the door. "So I owe you?" he asked sarcastically.
But Jacob took him at face-value. "You don't owe me anything Shepard. Look… I just…" He stopped. "Let's get out of here, and then we can cross that bridge? I promise you, we don't want to hurt you. We want to help you. Just talk to our boss."
Shepard didn't answer as he strode away, though he could hear them talking between each other. It didn't matter what they said, they were Cerberus. He'd kill them as soon as they reached the shuttle bay and he didn't need them anymore.
"It's right through here, we're almost there!" exclaimed Wilson ahead of them, his desperation to escape quite obvious.
Shepard checked his pistol, aware that if Wilson was going to try something, it would be soon. He had no intention of letting Wilson get away, or betray him in any way.
As they had fought their way through the facility, John had reconsidered his decision to kill Jacob. He had decided he was going to hear this Illusive Man out, it wouldn't hurt him. Plus it may be a chance to kill off more of Cerberus if he so desired. Maybe even the head. Killing any of Cerberus was always a good thing. Wilson however, he would have to detain and maybe kill.
Wilson was fiddling with the door as Jacob watched their back. He heard Wilson exclaim a quiet 'yes' as the door popped open in front of them.
The woman standing there immediately caught his eye. Her skin-tight armoured jumpsuit didn't leave much to the imagination, revealing a well-toned body, with shapely legs and an ample pair of breasts. It was hard to not be distracted by how stunning she was. He quickly snapped up to her face, which had delicate features shrouded with dark hair.
He had no doubt that his reaction was exactly what she was shooting for with the outfit. It had distracted him for nearly a whole second, and he silently reprimanded himself for his idiocy. But it was hard to not explain it away as his body feeling the fact that he had been dead for 2 long years, and his hormones were out of whack. He dismissed that quickly. He never could lie very well to himself.
Wilson started to blubber. "Miranda… but I thought you were…"
He never finished, as Miranda pulled her pistol up and blew his brains out the back of his skull. "Dead? Yes, I suppose you did think so." He didn't even move as Jacob spun around and started to bring his weapon up at Miranda before he stopped.
"What the… what did you do that for!" he asked, shocked.
Miranda didn't answer as she knelt over his body, checking his pockets.
Shepard spoke up. "I wanted him alive." His voice was cold and angry. This made things considerably more difficult.
"He wouldn't have known anything," she replied equally coldly, not even surprised that he implied he knew that Wilson was bad. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you knew he wasn't trustworthy. I'm just surprised you didn't do something to limit him."
Shepard snorted. "What was he going to do to me? Another hand helping me fight my way out is better than him fighting me all the way."
Miranda acknowledged the point with a nod as Jacob broke in. "You've got to be kidding me. I should have seen it, but I can't believe you didn't tell me."
Shepard flicked his head at Jacob, and Miranda gave him a tight lipped smile, and a shrug. The kid wasn't stupid, but he definitely didn't have the mind for any sort of intelligence service. This Miranda however… she was a dangerous foe, John already could see that.
"So what does Cerberus want from me?" he asked impatiently. Miranda couldn't hide her look of annoyance at Jacob, who just shrugged in response.
"I had a feeling his conscience would get the better of him. It doesn't matter you know though. Maybe it won't even hurt."
She holstered her pistol at her side. "We want your help. Your free-willed help. All we want is for you to hear out the offer from the Illusive Man. I don't even know the details, so I can't tell you. A short shuttle ride, a quick meeting… and then whatever you decide."
Shepard just smiled at her. But it wasn't a warm smile, it was a bitter cold smile instead. "Right. You'll let billions of credits just walk out the door?"
Miranda shrugged. "Either you'll do what we want with our help, or you'll find some other way to do it. I know you John. I bet I know you better than anyone else you've ever known. Better than you know yourself. You'll do this with or without us, and either way our goals will be reached. So trust me when I say that you want to hear us out."
Shepard didn't trust many people. It's not that he didn't trust anyone, seeing as he trusted much of the old Normandy's crew. He trusted a few people he had known in the military before that. But the list was not a long one.
So what surprised him was that he trusted what she was saying. Not that he trusted her per-se, but he trusted her statement. She meant every word of it.
"Well then, I guess we better get going?" he said grimly, brushing past her and making for the shuttle. As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, "I'm assuming everyone who's still alive is already here. Don't suppose we have a pilot?" he asked callously, and was rewarded as he saw movement from the front of the shuttle. Well at least he could get some sleep.
He had a feeling that he'd woken to a situation he wasn't going to like. But there was no sense pushing it off. By the time Miranda and Jacob joined him, he was already strapped in. He stayed silent, barely acknowledging them as they joined him in the shuttle.
He gave a quick glance to Jacob, sizing up the man. He seemed capable enough in battle, with some decent biotic power. He was pretty sure that Jacob was dealing with him honestly. And he actually was fairly certain that so far, Miranda was too. But that wouldn't last long at all, not someone like her. He sized her up again with his peripheries, noticing that she was doing the same with him. Her eyes narrowed for a millisecond before even that sign disappeared. Obviously she saw him eyeing her too.
He'd have to watch his back. She was trouble, and he hated surprises.
"Well then Shepard, mind if I ask you some questions?" she started, as she stared at him full on.
"You can ask away, I might not answer," he replied, not openly hostile but not too friendly either.
Jacob sighed. "Do we have to do this? He showed he still has the fighting ability."
"But does he have it all?" Miranda asked back, her voice quiet and deferring. But he recognized that she was the one in charge, and she spoke like that to him to… well Shepard wasn't sure why. But it was some game she had going. "We need to check his memories and mental functioning. It should have been weeks of testing before he was even moving around much. This is all we have."
Jacob nodded his head. "Alright, fine." He pulled out a datapad, quickly scanning over it. "Can I ask what happened to you on Akuze?"
Shepard didn't answer for a moment, his mind drifting back to that hellhole. 50 of his friends died there. Only one made it out alive. "Reminding me of that doesn't seem like the best way to get on my side, I have to say. Toombs is convinced you did that," he said darkly. "I'm inclined to believe him. I sure as hell know what you did afterwards."
He was looking at Jacob, but what he really cared about was Miranda's reaction. The Thresher Maw's had been terrible, slaughtering the marines wholesale. He'd only barely made it out of there himself. It had been hell.
But Miranda didn't even blink. "It wasn't us. Not completely. I'm ashamed to say that certain elements of Cerberus aren't technically Cerberus. They take our name, but have no affiliation. We can't help that. But we keep tabs on those elements anyways, and as far as we know, the thresher attack was unrelated to us."
Damn… she was hard to read. Either she genuinely believed that or she was the best damn liar he'd ever seen. But he couldn't tell which.
Jacob had been busy scrolling down on his datapad, furiously reading. "I'm sorry sir. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." The fool didn't even know the information he was looking for when he asked the question. Brawn, not the brains.
Miranda cut in again. "Let's try something more recent. Virmire? Lt. Kaiden Alenko?"
"Wow, this is quite the upbeat line of questioning," Shepard said, his voice even and quiet. "Someone had to stay behind. I'm not happy about that, not one bit, but it had to be done. That's what it took, he knew the price, and he paid it. He died a fucking hero, and no one remembers him. Without him, Sovereign probably would have won." He looked at Miranda, whose expression hadn't changed, then looked back out the window. "That's what hero's do, right? Sacrifice themself for other's only to be forgotten or shoved aside? Don't worry, that hasn't changed." He turned to look at her. "I'll do what needs to be done."
He saw the uplift of a smile on one side of her mouth. He had a feeling it was a rare sight. Still, it sent a chill through him. "Good."
Upon entering the room where he was supposed to meet the Illusive Man, Shepard almost slapped himself at his own stupidity as he looked at the circle before him, obviously a holographic link unit.
Of course he wasn't going to actually meet him. They hadn't taken his pistol, or any security precautions. With a history like his, they had to know that there was a good chance John would kill him on site. Jacob had filled him in about this Man. The head of Cerberus. They would have been right to fear John trying to kill him. He was still surprised how he'd reacted to Jacob and Miranda.
He stepped onto to the unit, waiting as it scanned him in. When it finished, he was greeted by a well-dressed man in a chair, scotch in one hand, cigarette in the other. In the background was a brilliant red star. But what drew his attention were the eyes. They were… cybernetics. Interesting.
The man spoke, his voice deep and commanding. "Command Shepard, I've waited a long time to meet you. I'm glad we finally got the opportunity."
"Illusive Man. I'd say I'm glad to meet you, but I'd be lying."
The man swirled his drink, before sipping at it. "I apologize for the trouble you had since you woke. I'm glad you can still handle yourself." He just seemed to ignore the barb Shepard had thrown at him. "There are some things that I just can't predict and protect against. People and things that want to silence us. But that's not unusual for people who know what you and I know."
Shepard almost wanted to just walk away right here. The man was playing up the situation, and obviously trying to subtly pump his ego. This was not someone he should be dealing with.
But he said it anyways. "And what is that?"
"That our place in the universe is more fragile than we'd like to think." He took a deep drag of his cigarette. "That one man, one very specific man, might be all that stands between humanity and the greatest threat in our oh so brief existence." He put his cigarette down, staring at Shepard.
So that's what this was all about. "The Reapers."
He smiled at Shepard. "Well, I'm glad your memories are intact. How are you feeling?"
Shepard almost snorted in derision, but held it back. "A little murderous. Being surrounded by Cerberus isn't the best for my self-control."
"You know, Cerberus isn't as evil as you believe," the Illusive Man commented, almost offhandedly. "We're on the same side. And it's not like our methods are that different.
Shepard immediately snarled at him. "We are nothing alike. Don't ever suggest that." He had done a lot of things that he was ashamed of in his life, but not one of them measured up to what Cerberus did. "I do what needs to be done, but I don't take it lightly."
The Illusive Man didn't seem to be moved at all by his words. "I assure you, nothing Cerberus does is done lightly. The spending of 4 and a half billion credits bringing you back was not done lightly. And that's just on bringing you back, let alone the funding we have prepared to support you."
Gah. This man thought Shepard could be bought, or impressed with this. Well, he supposed could be bought. Their 4.5 billion credits had got him here. And not a step further. "Cut the bullshit. What are the Reapers doing that made you decide to bring me back?"
The Illusive Man seemed annoyed at his abrupt and hostile manner. "We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack. While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing - Human colonies. We believe it's someone working for the Reapers, just as Saren and the Geth aided Sovereign." He took another drag of the cigarette, then continued, his voice turning more respectful as he continued. "You've seen it yourself. You've bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you. You're the best Shepard. If anyone can stop them, it's you."
Again, playing to his vanity. And he knew he wasn't immune to it. Everyone could fall prey to compliments, even when they knew what was going on. "A war - Cerberus is fighting a war? Aren't you more suited to back alleys and valleys?" He inwardly smiled at the valleys bit – a reference to the Akuze Event.
The Illusive Man shook his head, standing and stepping towards Shepard, not taking the bait. "You don't get it. We are committed to humanity, in any way. If the Reapers are targeting us, if we're being hunted, Cerberus will do whatever it takes to stop them. If we wait for the alliance or the politicians…" he trailed of for a moment. "Well… there won't be any human colonies left. Or humans."
Shepard had to acknowledge that the threat was quite possibly real. In fact, he was willing to imagine that things could unfold exactly as the Illusive Man laid it out. He didn't know if he bought his story about Cerberus though. "4.5 billion credits, 1 man. That's an army there. That's almost a Frigate."
The Illusive Man smiled at him. "Not quite a frigate, not how we'd build them. But I concede the point. There's a difference. You are unique to humanity, to the galaxy. You stood for humanity at a key moment, a moment that has defined our role in this universe. You're much more than a soldier – you're a symbol. A symbol of what humanity is, of all that we can be."
"You give far too much credit to me. I'm just a man in the right place at the right time."
The Illusive Man shrugged. "Maybe. But maybe another man could never have done what you did while you were at that place. Maybe no other man could have even gotten to that place." He turned around and looked at the brilliant sun behind him. "I don't know if the Reapers can understand fear, but you did kill one of them. Which is more than anyone else alive can say. They must respect that. Maybe that's part of the reason they're harvesting humans wholesale. Entire colonies."
Shepards blood was starting to run cold. "I can't imagine the Alliance is sitting on their hands."
"The fools dismiss it, as pirates and slavers. Did you know they've already dismissed the Reapers as a threat? I don't know how they justify it to themselves, but they do. It's easier for them that way." He took another drink from his glass. "There's never any evidence from the abductions. Everyone is just… gone. No damage to the buildings, no sign of a struggle."
Now his blood was freezing. Something was definitely going on – assuming he wasn't being lied to. But 4.5 billion credits was a lot of money. It would have to be one hell of a deep game for this to all be a lie, and frankly he couldn't imagine what it could be.
"Maybe I believe you. Maybe I'm willing to do a bit of investigating. And maybe… just maybe… we can work together."
"I'm happy that you're willing to give us a shot. I'm even happier that you want to see for yourself. Freedom's progress. Miranda and Jacob will take you there; it's the most recent abduction site. You'll be the first one there." He sat down, stabbing out his cigarette.
"I think I'd rather have my own team."
"Your team has scattered all over the galaxy Shepard. Before you go off on a wild goose chase trying to gather them, why don't you verify what I'm saying." The tone was that of a suggestion – but the force behind the words suggested it was an order. This was not a man used to being questioned. He must be going mad trying to guide Shepard this way.
"Maybe." He thought back to the two companions he escaped with. He could work with Jacob, he could trust him. Miranda however… "I have no problem with killing. But Miranda killed Wilson in cold blood. I don't trust her."
The Illusive Man was quick to counter. "Wilson was one of my best agents. Miranda did exactly what I expected and would have wanted from her. She saved your life – several times. You can trust that, for now, she will do everything in her power to support you and keep you alive." That 'for now' stuck out like a sore thumb, but he did have a legitimate point. The Illusive Man was clearly a cold calculating bastard who he couldn't trust in the little things. Probably not the big things either. But he was right; their goals were the same for now. He could trust that he was needed alive for now, and that the chances of them turning on him so fast were low.
Still, he had to make one thing crystal clear. "So are you ordering me to go to Freedom's Progress?" The disdain in his voice was palpable.
"This is your choice Shepard. If you want out, you're out. But you can trust me when I say that, if you find this is a cause worth fighting for, if you find the evidence we're both looking for, that I will do everything in my power, and Cerberus' power, to get you what you need to stop the Reapers. Because that's all that matters."
He drained the last of his drink. "I brought you back Shepard. It's up to you to do the rest." He winked out of existence.
Shepard walked back up the stairs towards the main room. As he walked into the room, his eyes were drawn to Miranda as she worked over a monitor. He glanced over at Jacob, deciding that he could wait to talk to Jacob. But he needed to understand Miranda before he decided if he could work with her – or if she might have an 'unfortunate accident' on Freedom's Progress. That would be even more unfortunate, because Jacob would likely have to follow. And he hated killing honourable men in dishonourable ways.
"Are you ready to go?" asked Shepard.
Miranda looked up from her console, eyeing him suspiciously. "I'm always ready, Commander. Given how impressed the Illusive Man is, I'm hoping that you can live up to the considerable expectations you've raised." Her blue eyes bore into him coldly.
Shepard just stared right back. "Just do your job. And just to be clear, I can't have anyone disobey my orders when we get there trying to prove something."
Her eyes sparked for a second, but it was hidden away just as fast. "I'll leave it to you to prove something. I know who I report to, as long as you're loyal to Cerberus, I'm loyal to you."
Well that was unfortunate. She knew everything about him, so she knew how he felt about Cerberus. Two years of studying him… she must. So she was subtly saying that one step out of line and she'd put him down. Seemed ridiculous given the expense they'd spent on him. "On this mission, you forget Cerberus. If we continue to work together, then we can discuss your loyalty to Cerberus. But not this one, you follow my orders to the letter. Or your boss will see the last of me."
She opened her mouth to reply, probably angrily, but snapped it shut right away. "This conversation is over Shepard. My loyalty is to Cerberus."
He stepped right up to her, though he wasn't as tall over her as he'd have liked. She was surprisingly tall. "This is over when I say this is over Ms. Lawson. For someone who spent two years putting me back together, you don't seem real fond of me. At least the feelings mutual."
He was surprised when she didn't step back or push him; she just continued to stare at him, undaunted. "Don't think you can push me around Shepard. I'm not scared of you. And while I have the utmost confidence in your abilities, your motivations concern me. Only time can tell whether you're an asset or a liability to our cause." Laughable. He had nothing to prove to her.
"And what cause is that? Cerberus', or humanity's?"
"They're one and the same here Shepard." She finally stepped back, returning to her console.
Shepard didn't respond for a moment. His trust for her was dropping by the second. "We'll have to disagree there. But there's no sense quibbling over that." He paused, considering his next move. "I'd like to know more about the Lazarus Project."
She looked up at him, scowling. "You can access all that data from any console here. I assure you, everything has been unlocked for you." With the anger that she said it with, he believed her. She wasn't quite as good at keeping everything locked down as he'd originally thought. That was good to know.
"That's not what I want. I want your take on it."
Miranda glanced up at him, giving him a very brief sarcastic smile, before returning to her console. "Ah, I see. Trying to get a read on me. Well, I spent two years of my life spent bringing you back. I learned more about you than anyone should know about someone. I had to bring you back exactly the same. No matter how much I wished I didn't have to."
Shepard tensed up for a moment, but forced himself to relax. "What did you want to change?"
She looked him in the eye, not blinking. "I would have put a control chip in." Her icy blue eyes showed nothing, and Shepard found he was being drawn into them, despite what she was saying. "Luckily for you, the Illusive Man wanted nothing changed in you. He didn't want us to limit your… potential?" She tailed off at the end, making it more of a question. Either she didn't believe he had any, or thought it was a foolish idea.
"Well I'm glad he's the decision maker then."
Without looking up, she continued. "He's taking an incredible risk with you. I hope his gamble pays off, but frankly, I doubt it."
"I think he's taking a bigger gamble with you," Shepard answered sharply, causing her to once again look up, stopping her work on the console. "Putting me with an ice bitch like you is not the smartest way to get me on your side."
He expected some sort of a reaction out of her, but instead she smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. I'm not looking to make nice and be friends with you Shepard. This 'ice bitch' has her priorities straight – the mission. If you don't like me, that's fine."
She stepped up close to him like he had with her earlier. She seductively traced her hands across his body as she continued. "I don't have patience for incompetence or recklessness or heroes. I'll complete this mission because of you, or in spite of you. I don't really give a damn. I'll follow your orders, and I'll follow you into battle. But my trust? Well that you have to earn." Shepard was a bit distracted by her wandering hands, but as soon as they disappeared as she stepped back, he was with it. She was definitely good at playing the femme fatale.
"I think you've got the trust thing wrong Ms. Lawson. Either way, I'm going to ask this again. You follow MY orders on this mission, regardless of what you think is right for Cerberus."
"No."
Shepard shrugged, and turned to walk towards Jacob. "Great, I'll see you when I get back from Freedom's Progress. Jacob, let's go." The soldier looked over to him from where he was looking out at space. He nodded, ready to go.
Behind him he heard shuffling. "You're not going without me. I have the shuttle codes; and the Illusive M…"
Shepard cut her off. "Ms. Lawson, let's not get into this. You need me. I don't need you. What do you think your boss will do when I tell him the reason we're here and not going to Freedom's Progress."
She stared at him. He stared right back. Jacob wisely said nothing, but watched in silence.
"I'm loyal to Cerberus Shepard," Miranda started, her voice low. "I won't betray them, I owe them too much."
"I didn't ask you to betray them. I asked you to follow me. Cerberus wants me. Prove that I can trust Cerberus, that I can trust you. You'll be loyal to Cerberus by getting me on your side, right?" The last part he said with a smirk at her.
She bore into him a moment longer, before glancing at Jacob. "This one mission." She said darkly, emphasizing each word. "The moment I step back onto that shuttle, I might have to kill you for what you do. But on the ground…" she left the rest unsaid.
He was genuinely surprised. He thought she would stand her ground, and he'd be able to get her removed from his side. He had mixed feelings about that. She was dangerous to him, but she was clearly a capable fighter and would be an asset to his team if loyal. The fact that she was willing to compromise on this was a good sign, and he suspected she was being honest. Maybe she wouldn't need to have an accident on Freedom's progress. She was a formidable enough opponent, but he had ways of neutralizing biotics. And he was very good with a knife. "Good enough. Go prep the shuttle then; I need to speak with Jacob for a moment. We won't be long."
Her eyes kept staring at him, and he wasn't sure she was going to listen, before she moved past him towards the shuttle, her eyes not leaving his until she was pass. For some reason, it kept coming back to her eyes. There was something about them…
He didn't like the power they seemed to have.
Thanks for Reading.