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'You lied to me,' Shepard spat, wanting nothing more than to wring the Illusive Man's neck. 'You sent me and my squad into a trap. You knew it was a trap!'
The Illusive Man, as always, was perched in his sleek metal chair, an unlit cigarette in hand. He rolled it between his forefinger and thumb, a blank expression on his face. 'Shepard. I brought you here, in person, so I could explain to you both my actions and my intentions.' He drew out a lighter from his breast pocket and lit his cigarette in one, fluid motion.
Before taking a drag, he pushed himself up from his chair, smoothing out the creases in his suit pants. As he smoked, she took her chance to speak.
'You and your intentions can go to hell, for all I care.' She was livid. Beyond livid. She had barely escaped the 'damaged' Collector ship with her life. Had it not been for EDI, she wouldn't have escaped at all.
The Illusive Man didn't seem to understand, nor did he seem to want to understand. As far as Shepard saw things, in his mind, the mission was a success. That was all that mattered to him.
As he breathed out the fresh smoke, the Illusive Man shook his head. 'I had full confidence that EDI would deliver, and she did. The window of opportunity was slowly closing; there wasn't enough time to debrief you. You might have refused. That was not a risk I was, or am, prepared to take, Shepard.'
Her frown deepened. She was frustrated now, because she understood him. Being in the same situation, she might have done the same thing herself. It bothered her to no end that they were more alike than either would care to admit. They both carried the heavy weight of responsibility on their shoulders, and they didn't tip-toe around it. They were exceptionally good and getting the job done, no matter the cost.
'Next time, let me know,' she said, her fury fading to a dull, constant anger; the kind of anger that drove her hatred of Cerberus, of the Alliance, of humanity. She wasn't an unfair woman by any means, but she was bitter at the lot of them, and rightfully so.
'Full disclosure, if possible, from now on,' the Illusive Man said, his eyes sparkling with something she hadn't noticed before. This was the first time she had seen him in the flesh, and a quiet part of her mind told her that she didn't completely hate what she saw. It was different to seeing the holo projection of him - that was for certain.
She kicked herself for the small distraction. 'I don't believe you.'
The Illusive Man threw back his head and laughed.
'This isn't a joke,' she said, her anger flaring once more. She closed the distance between them, marching straight up to him, noticing for the first time that they were approximately the same height. 'You think this is a joke? One more lie, one more betrayal, and I'm taking this multi-billion credit investment and leaving.'
She could tell the threat bothered him. The 'multi-billion credit investment', her body, was not his property, as much as he liked to boss her around.
Besides, she hadn't asked him to bring her back. It wasn't her choice. She hadn't sighed any agreement - she could leave whenever she wanted.
The Illusive Man saw through her bluff. 'That is your prerogative, Shepard, but please don't forget what we're ultimately fighting for.'
She sighed. 'I know. Humanity.'
'Not just humanity,' he corrected her, putting out his cigarette in the ashtray resting on the arm of his chair. 'We're protecting everyone.'
'And if humanity weren't involved, you wouldn't be half as involved,' Shepard countered, feeling another argument bubbling.
'True,' he said, 'But not unfair of me, don't you agree? What have the rest of the universe done for us? The Council ignored your pleas, as did the Alliance. Cerberus is the only thing keeping humanity a strong presence in Citadel Space, so think twice before judging us. You might question our means, but do not deny that those means create results.'
'It sounds like you're trying to recruit me,' she scoffed, 'Is that some new Cerberus propaganda you're spinning? Anti-alien campaign, maybe?'
'This is a waste of time,' the Illusive Man said, 'I thought we were going to discuss this as adults. Instead, you once again prove how naïve you are about the universe around you.'
Shepard slapped him.
'Don't call me naïve,' she said through gritted teeth, the palm of her hand throbbing. She had forgotten what it felt like to hit another person, to take out her anger without fear of the repercussions. Because she didn't fear the Illusive Man. She didn't fear Cerberus. The thought made her smile.
The Illusive Man glared at her. She had left an impressive red handprint on his left cheek. Possibly her best work yet, she mentally noted.
His glare couldn't wipe the smile from her lips. 'See what happens wh-'
With lightning speed, the Illusive Man's hands reached out to her own, grasping both of her wrists with an iron grip. She swore.
'Get. Off. Me.'
'You wanted to lower the tone,' he said, leaning over until his breath was in her ear. It felt good. She shuddered involuntarily, furious at her body's reaction.
'Let's have it out, then, Commander. Is that what you want?'
With all of her strength, she pushed against him. It took him by surprise, and he stumbled backward, releasing her.
'I've always wanted to beat up my boss,' she said icily. 'Didn't they used to call this "The American Dream"?'
The Illusive Man smirked. 'Commander Shepard, you are an incredible woman.'
'You disgust me,' she retorted.
With another show of speed and agility, the Illusive Man closed the gap between them. This time, he forced Shepard's hands behind her back, locking them together with a fist.
His breath was on her ear again, tickling her, making her squirm.
'When I said "let's have it out", I didn't mean I wanted to fight you, Shepard,' he said; his voice feeling like a fine silk across her neck.
She didn't know how it had happened, or why, but she knew she enjoyed the contact more than she should. There were so many reasons why it was wrong, why it repulsed her, but just as equally as it disgusted her, she didn't want the Illusive Man to let her go.
Maybe it was the promise of a little escape from everything; maybe it was seeing Kaidan on Horizon again. She didn't know. What she did know was what she felt. A quickened pulse, laboured breaths, an uncomfortable heat between her legs.
Her body wouldn't lie to her. She wanted this.
End note: What was initially going to be a one-shot turned into multiple chapters. I'm splitting this up because, well, I can. Stay tuned, folks.