So, in Flesh is Weak, there was a chapter with Jack that ended with a bit of a twist and a number of people wanted some follow-up to it. The more I thought about it, the more I decided it was a pretty good idea but one that would require more than just a single chapter to do justice to. Hence, this story, which will feature both Shepard/Jack, and Shepard/Liara. The first couple of chapters will include some slightly modified bits from Non-Elective Surgery and Flesh is Weak for the set-up alongside the original material, but then it will be all original. Like Flesh is Weak, this story is an AU of the main Experiments setting and will involve futa FemShep, but stands on its own for anyone who hasn't read that story. With all that said, let's get to the story and I hope you enjoy it.
Miranda Lawson was almost back to her office when the attack came. In spite of her training, she was still taken by surprise, a strong hand grabbing the operative and slamming her against the wall of the Normandy before she could react.
"What have you done to me?!", Shepard demanded, her frantic tone revealing the true measure of the powerlessness she felt in that moment despite having her hand at Miranda's throat.
"Why, I think that would be obvious, Commander," the operative replied coolly, seemingly unfazed by her vulnerable position. "We brought you back from the dead. At outrageous expense, might I add."
"That's not what I mean and you know it," she snarled.
"Ah, that," Miranda replied, a smug, knowing smile etched onto her lovely face. "As I just told you, Cerberus has made a considerable investment in you, one that we intend to have repaid with interest. You are, after all, the first human Spectre, a warrior of unparalleled skill and cunning, and those are traits that humanity is likely to have need of in the years to come. Traits that we're interested in you passing on to future generations."
"And you thought this was the best way?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did that mean… Did they actually expect her to… "You're mad!", was the only response that came to mind.
"Well, we can't very well have you getting pregnant in the middle of a mission of this importance, now can we?", Miranda replied condescendingly. "No, this will allow you to pass on your superior genetic material to as many partners as possible while keeping you fit for active duty. We will then collect any children that might result, and make sure they are raised to be of use to humanity."
"You mean of use to Cerberus?" She'd seen the labs where the human supremacist group performed its twisted experiments and she couldn't believe that this Illusive Man would allow anyone else to benefit from his work.
"We are humanity, Commander."
"I won't do it," she protested as her hand slipped away from Miranda's throat, but her voice lacked much conviction. Even in her anger, just standing next the gorgeous Ms. Lawson was having an effect on her. The woman's perfect curves, her full breasts, her taut stomach: all of them were teasing the Spectre through the clinging, white cat suit Miranda wore. Shepard could already feel the stirrings of unwanted desire in her groin, and she had a horrible feeling that this was only the beginning. Cerberus was going to do everything in their power to break her self-control, something that had never been her strongest trait to begin with.
As Shepard walked away, her shoulders slumped, Miranda's smirk deepened. The former Spectre might be protesting now, but Ms. Lawson had no doubt that she would surrender in the end to the pleasures Cerberus had to offer. As the head of the Lazarus Project, she had spent considerable time studying the woman's psychological make-up, and while the commander might have been a model of virtue in field, when it came to the bedroom, her appetites were prodigious. Even if she didn't succumb to the operative's own charms, one of the numerous other options Cerberus had prepared would surely appeal to her.
From what Miranda had been able to find out, the only person Shepard had ever been faithful to as an adult was the asari scientist who had helped Cerberus retrieve her body from the Shadow Broker. She was a potential complication to be sure, but also one that Miranda was confident could be dealt with. Liara T'Soni was safely distant on Ilium, and even if Shepard made contact, the asari's new-found obsession with the Broker should keep her out of Cerberus' way. No, one way or another, Shepard and her future offspring would be theirs.
Two Weeks Later:
"Oh great. Another one," Shepard mumbled under her breath. Every time the Spectre thought she'd seen the last of Cerberus' temptations, another attractive woman would be dangled under her nose. If it wasn't the stunning Miss Lawson in her form-fitting white suit making the commander's life harder, it was the perky Kelly Chambers and her double entendres or the mysterious Kasumi Goto tantalizing Shepard with glimpses of her lithe body.
And now she could add Jack to that list. The biotic convict they'd just rescued from the Purgatory was dressed in a top so small that it was barely even a bra, let alone a shirt, a fact she hardly seemed conscious of. And while she might not have been a conventional bombshell like Miranda, there was a raw sexuality in the devil-may-care way the woman carried herself that had stood out even in the few minutes they'd spent together.
"What the fuck are you waiting for?,"" Jack snapped, pulling Shepard out of her own head. "Let's get off of this floating hellhole before it explodes on us."
"Fine. This way." The Spectre shook her head and started moving towards their shuttle, but even as she followed along, Miranda allowed herself a small smile at Shepard's distraction. Thus far, the project to seduce her hadn't gone nearly as well as the operative had hoped for. Her initial projection had been that the commander would be fucking half the female crew within a week, but she was still holding out, her venom towards Cerberus seeming to overcome her formidable libido.
Jack, though, offered an intriguing alternate possibility. Miranda had read Subject Zero's file, and if there was anyone in the galaxy who hated Cerberus more than her, the operative had yet to come across them. At first, she'd wondered why the Illusive Man would want somebody like that on this mission, no matter how strong a biotic she was.
Now though, it made sense. Shepard might not be willing to sleep with a member of Cerberus or a mercenary they'd hired like Kasumi, but the convict could well prove to be a different story. Their shared disdain for the organization they were now working for was something that Jack and the commander could bond over, and unless the operative was very much mistaken, there had been a definite spark of attraction in the way Shepard had looked at their new crew member.
Of course if that was who Shepard ended up falling into bed with, it would complicate matters somewhat. The same hatred for Cerberus that could draw her and Jack together would also make controlling them more difficult. That was all right though. It just meant she had to prepare the proper contingencies, and if there was anything that Miranda Lawson excelled at, it was preparation.
Two Weeks After That:
"Shepard! Nyxeris, hold my calls."
As the Spectre walked into her office, Liara could scarcely keep her heart from bursting out of her chest. For two long years, she'd held onto the faintest glimmers of hope imaginable, believing beyond reason that somehow, Shepard would come back to her. The rational, scientific part of her brain had known it was crazy, but what else could she do?
Though they had only known each other a short time, Shepard had come to mean the world to the young asari. Her strength, courage, and kindness were a blend unlike any Liara had ever encountered, and the fact that a woman like that had given her love to a shy scientist had, for a little while, made Liara happier than she had the words to express. Shepard had awakened desires the asari had spent decades ignoring, and then, just when it seemed they would have some time to more fully explore those feelings, she'd been taken away.
And now she was back. The woman standing in front of Liara looked nothing like the burnt body she had handed over to Cerberus. Her red hair, freckled cheeks, and bright green eyes were just as the asari remembered them and the sight of her was melting away all of the questions that had kept Liara awake many a long night.
Even as the holographic form of her last client her was fading away behind her, Liara rushed to the commander, throwing herself into the human woman's embrace. Strong arms encircled her and the information broke guided their lips together with her hands, trying desperately to drink in every drop of this moment that she could.
As the kiss started, Shepard forgot for an instant about everything else. Ever since they'd set course for Ilium, she'd been frightened of this reunion. For the last month, she'd been desperately fighting against her own desires, and now she was face to face with the woman she wanted most in the galaxy. She'd been scared of losing control of her own reactions, but with Liara 's lips against hers, none of that seemed to matter.
And then it intruded. As Liara's tongue slid into her mouth, Shepard felt the thing Cerberus had put between her legs stir, her sudden erection pressing painfully against her armor. She knew she should have tried to satisfy herself before coming to see Liara, but that was something she still hadn't been able to do. Her disgust at her changed body had outweighed her need, but now, as she tried to choke back her desire, she was regretting her weakness.
Mercifully, the metal of her armor prevented Liara from knowing what was going on below the belt so to speak, but it was a reminder to Shepard that she had to stop this before it went too far. The Liara she had loved had been an innocent. Before she met Shepard, she'd never even kissed anyone else, let alone made love with them. How could someone like that want the freak that the commander had been turned into?
Liara's bliss was short-lived. As suddenly as it had begun, the kiss ended, Shepard pulling away from the information broker, an uncharacteristically skittish look covering her pretty face. "I'm sorry," she stuttered, "I can't…"
The asari was stunned. Not sure how to respond, she took several steps backwards in the direction of her desk, looking to the two other people that her brain now recognized had followed Shepard in for some clue as to what had just happened. They were no help. The gigantic krogan seemed entirely uninterested in the proceedings, chewing on some prepackaged meaty snack, while the salarian's eyes were darting around the room as he mumbled to himself about some unrelated matter.
Her attention was pulled back to Shepard as the human repeated, "I really am sorry Liara, but I just can't do this."
"Why not?", the asari stammered, scarcely able to believe this was happening. She collapsed down into her desk chair, afraid her suddenly wobbly knees wouldn't support her. "What's wrong, Shepard?", she asked frantically. "What's happened?"
The commander could see the pain in Liara's beautiful, blue eyes, and the knowledge that she was its cause was something she wasn't sure she'd ever forgive herself for. She still couldn't be with Liara though, not the way she was, and so all she could do was try to minimize the damage. "It's nothing you did, Liara," she insisted, "It's my problem. Things just aren't the same with me anymore. I was dead, and now, I have this mission against the Collectors… Look, there's a pretty good chance none of us are coming back from that. It's not exactly a good time for romance."
"Of… of course, Shepard." As hard as it was, Liara tried to force herself to face reality, to accept that what she had dreaded had really come to pass. Her lover might have returned but time and tragedy were too much for them to overcome, at least for now. Shepard belonged to the galaxy, not to her, and in spite of her pain, Liara would still do her best to help her save it. "What is it that brings you here, then?", she asked, trying to change the subject before her sorrow overwhelmed her.
"Recruiting allies," she told the asari, relieved that Liara was willing to accept the justification she'd offered. "I'm looking for an assassin named Thane Krios and an asari Justicar named Samara and I heard you were working as an information broker now. Maybe you have something on them."
"As it happens, I do," Liara told the commander, but even while she started running through her leads for Shepard, something was still nagging at her. This was hardly the first time the commander had faced death. They had spent their first night together just before the mission to Ilos. Could this be more dangerous than that? Just what was really going on here anyway?