Disclaimer: I do not own and am not profiting from any of BioWare's creations. The Mass Effect setting, story and characters all belong to them. The rest is all from me.
Note: The events in this story take place four months after the events of "Lair of The Shadow Broker".
Chapter Note: All chapters in this story will continue directly after one another.
MASS EFFECT: The Secret Plot
Chapter 01_
An Unknown Truth_
Commander Sophie Shepard stood in the port observation deck of the Normandy SR-2, gently breathing in the artificial air that had filled the room. Shepard gazed through the window at the magnificent nebulas and star formations that appeared before her, her hands leaning upon the banister directly in front of her, supporting the weight of her entire body.
Shepard had always enjoyed looking at the delightful beauty the galaxy had to offer, although she had never really spent much time doing so because she had always been involved in a mission. Well now Sophie had some time to herself, time to enjoy the galaxy before she would undoubtedly have to save it once again. Shepard had always imagined travelling to other Galaxies far off in the distance. Although the human race was centuries ahead of their time, managing to travel across The Milky Way; She wanted to venture further into the Observable Universe.
Sophie felt a sharp tingle in her chest, she brought a hand up to it, before turning to her right, grabbing herself some wine from the drinks cabinet and carefully pouring it into a glass. She brought the glass up to her nose and breathed the liquid's glorious scent, like that of a newly ripened raspberry. The wonderful smell made her senses burst with pleasure.
She returned back to face the window, slowly drinking the alcohol, taking deep breaths in-between each sip. Her small, yet firm fingers, wrapped around the glass as she slowly brought it up to her tender lips. The liquid poured into her mouth, a sensation of warmth ran down her throat. She breathed out slowly; this was the third glass of wine she had drunk in the past twenty minutes. She could feel the alcohol travelling through her, settling down inside her bloodstream, causing her nerves to loosen their grip on her body.
She felt a sharp pain deep inside her mind and brought a hand up to try and comfort it. Her mind began to venture back into the memories that seemed so long forgotten. She thought about Torfan - the mission that gave her a name within the alliance. She had lost several good soldiers, and was known as 'the butcher of Torfan' because of it. People thought she was cold, ruthless and even brutal; she was none of these things. She did what had to be done to complete the mission, if there was an effective alternative, she would have taken it without a second thought. The Commander hoped that people had moved on to ignore her past. She had defeated Sovereign, Saren and the Collectors after all; not to mention she had also saved the council. She only hoped that all the good things she had done could undo the wrong.
Sophie put the glass which was now empty on top of the drinks cabinet. She closed her eyes and attempted to control her breathing, her heart began to beat slower as she started to calm herself. She was trying to put aside her thoughts and memories, and save them for a more convenient time. Maybe visiting Liara would help release the stresses that had begun torturing her mind. No. Liara had more important things to do. She was the Shadow Broker now and she had an important job to do, Shepard would simply have to learn to live with that.
Sophie wiped the sweat that was forming under her brow as she turned around and began walking out of the room. She was trying hard to keep her balance, but she did stumble into a wall every now and then. She walked into the corridor, where she could see Sergeant Gardner preparing the crew's meal for later that evening. The Commander strolled into the elevator. She looked at the destination panel and selected 'Combat Information Centre'.
The repetitive humming sound that the elevator created had always annoyed Shepard, maybe it was the painfully long amount of time in which she had to listen to it which really got her wound up. Shepard thought the original Normandy lift was slow, but this one? It seemed to drag on forever.
The Commander stepped out from the elevator, past Kelly Chambers and the galaxy map and toward her private terminal. She browsed through her mail and found one message that caught her attention, a message from 'Little Blue Children'. She opened the message and it read:
"Hello Commander Shepard.
Don't dive into the fray to save the day, because all will be okay... Just come on down to Illium now and you'll find yourself a treat. We have many Asari Dancers that will move to the beat. They are just waiting to help you with your stress, don't worry, we'll clean up the mess. We would like to think that you'll come back to Illium again and again to relieve the pressure that has been forced upon your mind. We can guarantee you'll find, something special if you're kind. Please come by our venue. We hope that the pleasure will mend you. We are located in the lower levels of the Vasir resting facility. Hope to see you there! Please take care".
Shepard felt goose bumps starting to form on her skin. She stared at the message for a while, trying to make sense of it. She had recognised some of the words used, she knew they were meaningful words but could not think of where she remembered them from. Her attention seemed to be fixed on the hard choices she had been forced to make in her life. It seemed as though there was so much happening in the galaxy, and that everyone was relying on her to fix it. Shepard was nervous about the many tough decisions she would have to make when the reapers finally arrived. She needed to talk to someone and stop keeping her feelings a secret; she needed to be rid of the stress that had overcome her. Although she would never admit it to anyone, she wanted to talk to Liara more than anyone. She wanted nothing more than to simply be around her and talk with her, that was all. That would do her the world of good. No. Shepard kept forgetting that Liara did not have time to talk, as simple as it may be. She was now one of the most powerful people in the Galaxy, and needed to focus all her attention and resources into finding the location of the reapers. Without that information the galaxy would not know when or where they would attack.
Shepard moved to the wall directly opposite her private terminal, she leant up against it, resting her weight upon it's grey metallic surface.
She began thinking about Liara, her thoughts making her body feel weightless, like she was there, living inside her own mind. Her memories brought her back to the last time she had seen Liara.
She closed her eyes.
"Come back soon, Liara" those were the last words that Sophie had said to her. She didn't say what she had so desperately wanted to say, how much she needed her, how much she loved her.
She felt her eyes begin to sting, a tear silently crept it's way down her face, slowly coming to a halt and resting upon her delicate skin. As Sophie wiped the tear from the side of her cheek, she thought about Liara saying how she would dive into the fray when the reapers finally arrived. Sophie remembered promising Liara that she would always come back, no matter what, now that she was thinking about it, it seemed unrealistic. The most likely scenario was that the reapers would win, this thought made Shepard feel uneasy. She cupped her hands over her face. She would not let that happen, she would save the Galaxy and save Liara.
Liara?
Rational thought forced its way to the forefront of Shepard's mind suddenly and her eyes shot open, she pulled her hands away from her face.
The message?
Shepard realised that the words she recognised, had come from Liara's mouth. Could Liara of sent that message? Maybe it was a code, maybe she was trying to tell her something.
She hurriedly walked back to her private terminal. She scanned the message for a second time. 'Don't dive into the fray, to save the day', this was one of the many things that Liara had said to Shepard aboard the Normandy after they had defeated the Shadow Broker. "When the reapers finally arrive, you'll dive into the fray" this particular sentence had engraved itself into her mind as soon as it had been spoken, it had always made her feel depressed, because she knew Liara was right. She would most likely forget everything, and head straight for the reapers. After all there wasn't much else she could do, the Milky Way was not prepared for such an attack. Shepard examined the message once more, "We are located in the lower levels of the Vasir resting facility".
Vasir?
Shepard recognised the name; it was a name she and Liara had encountered during their pursuit of the Shadow Broker.
Was it the name of the spectre that had turned against them back in the Dracon Trade Centre on Illium? She tried to think back to the time, she certainly remembered an asari named Vasir, but had she been the rogue spectre?
Memories began to flash back.
Shepard had jumped out of the balcony after the rogue spectre and been thrown back by her. Liara had jumped out from the balcony in pursuit of the spectre. She was so focused on capturing the Shadow Broker, she had not even turned back to give a second look at Sophie laying on the floor. She didn't even seem anxious to know whether she was all right. Shepard attempted to remember the image of the spectre's face. She suddenly knew that Vasir was the asari spectre who had turned rogue. She had betrayed Liara and Sophie. Yes. Shepard was now certain that Vasir was the spectre. "Vasir resting facility" Liara must want Sophie to meet her at the location in which Vasir died.
Shepard looked upward, at the metallic structure above her. "EDI! Tell Joker to set a course for Illium" a few seconds went by before she replied "It has been done, Commander".
Shepard suddenly felt her stomach tie a knot inside her body. She fell forward, her hands shooting out to grip the banister in front of her. The thought of seeing Liara again had made Shepard feel as if butterflies were nestling inside her. She felt excited, but at the same time trying to not get her hopes up to high. She couldn't help but get her hopes up though; this was Liara, the single most important person in her life.
Sophie suddenly felt a sharp pain from inside her stomach, like a knife had been forced into it. What if Liara was in trouble? She had taken the time to create a spam message, just to hide her real message, after all. She must want to tell Shepard something important, something that has to be kept secret.
Shepard closed down her private terminal; the light that had been projecting onto thin air had vanished.
She turned around trying to keep herself steady once more. She headed toward the elevator. "Commander!" came a voice from behind her.
Shepard turned to see Kelly Chambers, her Yeoman. Her face looking rather anxious. "What is it?" Shepard asked with genuine concern in her voice.
Kelly put one leg over the other and looked at the floor beneath her feet, trying to not look directly at Shepard. She attempted to make herself look more professional, but she knew the Commander would not approve what she was about to say. She continued to look at the ground below her, before she managed to direct her vision toward the Commander. "The Illusive man just contacted me. He needs to speak with you urgently" said Kelly before quickly looking back at the floor.
"Kelly. I told you to block communications from him!" said Shepard, looking rather annoyed.
"He said I had to make you speak with him. He said it was about the reapers" replied Kelly, with a rather innocent look on her face.
"Well, if it's that important. I guess you made the right decision telling me" said Shepard, with a comforting look in her eye.
Kelly smiled, looking reassured. "Thank you, Commander. I will only ask you to speak with him when it is absolutely urgent".
Shepard smiled back. "I appreciated that Kelly".
Both of them stood in silence, looking into each other's eyes for several seconds. "I should go" said Shepard, feeling slightly awkward.
She dismissed miss Chambers, turned around and walked toward the armoury. She past Jacob, who was polishing his M7 assault rifle. She let out a cheeky grin, "You sad, sad man!" she said.
Jacob turned to face her. He grinned back. "What? I like keeping my guns in perfect condition!" he said, with a hint of laughter in his voice.
Shepard brushed the hair away from her face. "I can see that!" she said, nodding her head toward Jacob's arms.
He looked at the floor, with a hint of awkwardness on his face. "Well. I do try" he replied, letting out a chuckle.
Shepard smiled at him. "Jacob? Are you embarrassed?" she said, with a sarcastic tone in her voice.
Mr Taylor stood up straight and put his hands behind his back. "Of course not Commander" he replied.
Shepard shook her head, "Don't be so formal Jacob. I was only joking".
Jacob let his body relax back into a comfortable posture. "Will do Commander" he said, with a smile.
"Good to know. Anyway, I better go" she said, as she started to walk toward the debriefing room.
"Talk to you later, Commander" said Jacob, turning back to polish the weapon that was laying on his desk.
Shepard walked into the debriefing room.
She pressed a button on the communication terminal which signalled the banisters in front of her to sink into the ground. She stepped into the centre of the oval directly in front of her. She opened the communication channel. As lasers began to scan her body, she felt the surface of her skin tingle. The plain, empty space around her soon disappeared. Replaced by a dark void with nothing but a giant red star in the centre of Shepard's view. The Illusive Man was sat a few meters directly in front of Shepard. His linen suit, tailored to perfection. His robotic, blue eyes lit up in the darkness. His right leg was crossed over the other. He took a long drag from the cigarette in his right hand, and brought it back down to rest upon his thigh. His facial expression showed that what was about to come was very serious. "Shepard. We need to talk".
She looked at him in disbelief. "I've got nothing to say to you!".
His face did not change. "You don't have to talk, but you need to hear this".
She gave out a sigh, and crossed one leg over the other. "All right. What is it?".
The Illusive Man shuffled himself forward in his chair. "We have received some new Intel that I thought you'd want to know about. It involves the reapers".
Shepard stood up straight again. "Go on".
The Illusive Man diverted his eyes away from Shepard. She had never seen him do that before. "We have found indisputable evidence which shows that the reapers are working with the Batarians. This is not good Shepard".
"Why should I believe you?" she said, remembering his previous eye movements.
The Illusive Man rolled his eyes and let out a chuckle under his breath. "You have never trusted me Shepard. I don't expect you to, but you should take what I have said as solid, factual Intel".
She crossed her arms and formed a frown between her eye brows. "Show me the evidence!".
He took another long drag from his cigarette. "I can't do that, Shepard".
Her frown grew larger, her eye brows pointing towards the artificial ground below. "What do you mean, you can't?".
The Illusive man returned the look. "If this evidence gets into the wrong hands the results could be catastrophic. Even this communication channel could be tapped".
The Commander scratched the back of her neck. She shook her head from side to side. "I don't have time for this".
The Illusive Man threw his cigarette out into the nothingness. He jumped up from his chair. He walked closer to Shepard, so there were barely a few inches between them. "I brought you back from the dead and you don't even have the courtesy to listen to me!", the sheer anger in his voice surprised Shepard greatly. "And I happen to know you do have time. You now spend your days drinking liquor and feeling sorry for yourself!".
Shepard felt the muscle tissue in her arms become solid as she clenched her first. She had never seen him loose control like this before. She shuffled forward, so their noses were practically touching. "If you ever speak to me like that again! Well, let's just say you might have to worry about more than the reapers".
The Illusive Man turned around and walked toward the chair in which he had been seated. He smirked evilly as he sat down. "You'll get what's coming to you, soon enough".
Shepard could feel anger rise up from within.
The Illusive Man pressed a button on the pad directly beside him, closing the channel.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean exactly?" she shouted as the familiar scenery of the debriefing room began to reappear. What had the Illusive Man meant?
Shepard walked out of the oval in which she had been stood. The banisters surrounding it reappeared. The hologram of the Normandy sprung back to life. She could hear someone coming up behind her, they put a hand on her shoulder. "Shepard, what's wrong?".
She turned around taking the hand off her shoulder. She saw Garrus standing in front of her. "Garrus, Don't worry I'm fine".
Garrus crossed his arms and looked her up and down. "Well, you don't look good".
Shepard chuckled. "Gee thanks!".
A smirk appeared on the turian's face. "I'm not saying you don't normally".
They stood in silence for a couple on seconds.
She cleared her throat. "I'm okay, don't worry yourself. I need to deal with this on my own".
He gave her a look of sympathy. "I heard what you said to the Illusive Man. What happened?".
Sophie turned away from Garrus, she stared blankly at the hologram that was now in front of her. "He said... he said something that scared me".
Garrus moved to stand beside her. "Tell me. Let me help".
She turned away from Garrus once again. She walked over to the wall on her left and leant against in. She crossed her arms and looked directly at him. "I've never seen him so angry before, Garrus. I've never seen him lose control of his emotions".
He walked over to her. He clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall beside her. "Did he upset you?" he asked, looking very angry, as if he would kill him is she said yes.
Shepard lowered her head and looked at the ground below her. "Yes" she said, as a tear began to form in her eye.
Garrus moved close to her. He raised his hand and wiped the tear from her face. "Don't worry, I'm here".
She looked up at Garrus. "You don't understand, it's not me you should be worrying about!".
He rested his hand on the wall beside her and leant on it. "I do worry about you. You seem... Emotionally scarred".
Garrus was right, she was. It was as if she had locked away all her emotions deep inside her mind and now they had joined forces to attack her. There was no point denying it. She was an emotional mess. What had happened? Why did she feel like she could burst out in tears at any given moment? She had been involved in many horrible things, been a victim of many horrible things. Why had all this stress and anxiety decided to appear now, of all times? She had always been a strong person, able to put things in the back of her mind and keep them there, without fail. Maybe they had simply been set loose.
"Shepard?" said Garrus, his hand resting upon her shoulder.
She brought her hands up, and clamped them over her face. "What is happening to me?" she screamed.
Garrus pulled the hands away from her face. "Shepard? What is wrong with you?" he asked, with a general look of concern showing in his facial expression.
She turned to face the wall she was leaning on and rested her head up against it. "To be honest, Garrus. I have no idea. I just need help".
He grabbed her shoulder, pulling her around to face him. He brought his hand up to her cheek, rubbing it smoothly with his reptilian thumb. "Let me".
She began to lean into it. After a few seconds she suddenly realised what was happening ,and quickly pushed his hand away. "I can't!".
Garrus looked rather angry. "Because of Liara? Remind me... Why isn't she here comforting you instead of me?".
Shepard pushed him away completely. "That's not fair Garrus. She needs to do her job!".
His expression suddenly turned to regret. "I'm sorry Shepard. I shouldn't have... I should just go" he said, before he turned and slowly walked out of the room. Shepard watched him walk away, realising how lonely she felt. She needed to see someone that would understand, someone she could talk to. That someone was Liara.
Sophie walked out of the debriefing room, through the tech labs, where Mordin was dissecting some form of lizard, and back onto the command deck. She then proceeded to the elevator and selected 'Captain's cabin' on the destination pad.
The doors of the elevator shot open, Sophie stepped out. She walked past her pet space hamster and over to the photo of Liara that was propped up on her desk. She gazed longingly at the picture, wondering what it would be like to truly see her face again. It had only been 4 months since she had last seen her, why did it feel like decades had gone by? Shepard missed Liara dearly and now, if she was right, she would see her again very soon. She took a deep breath and turned away, every sense in her body telling her to stay.
She walked past her fish tank and over to her clothes locker. From there she changed into her N7 amour, the hard metallic plating that had saved her life many times. She had worn the same armour on every mission since joining the alliance. She refused to wear armour with the Cerberus logo stamped across it, so she continued to wear it still. She made certain it was securely fitted, before moving into the bathroom.
She walked to the mirror and stared at herself. She brought a hand up to her hair, and swept it away from her face. She leaned in close, so her face was almost touching the mirror. A tear had started to fall across her face. Sophie put both her palms on her forehead and aggressively pulled them down her face, attempting to assault the tender liquid that had settled itself on her smooth skin. She took the hands away from her face and looked at herself in the mirror once more. "Pull yourself together!" she shouted.
"We are approaching Illium, Commander" came Joker's voice through the comm channel.
Shepard pushed herself away from the mirror. "I'll be right down" she said.
She walked out of the bathroom and looked to her right, "See you soon, Liara" she said, before moving into the elevator.
Shepard stepped out of the elevator, walked past the Galaxy map and Kelly Chambers and proceeded towards the bridge. The staff on the bridge were chatting about their families back on Earth, wondering what they were doing. Shepard walked up behind Joker. "How far out are we?"
The crippled man jumped slightly in shock. "You sneaked up on me there, Commander" he said, before turning his face to look at her and smirking. "As for your previous question, it'll be any minute now".
Shepard leant against the back of a chair. "So how have you been holding up?".
He spun around in his chair, so his body was in line with hers. "I fractured my thumb on the mute, but I think I made my point" replied Joker.
Shepard rolled her eyes, every time she asked that question he'd say that same sentence, it was like he'd been programmed by Cerberus to only have a certain vocabulary.
She saw Illium fast approaching through the cockpit window. "I should go" she said.
Joker turned to face the screen in front of him once more. "You should head to the airlock, Commander. We are about to dock".
Shepard shook her head. "I know Joker, that's where I'm heading".
Joker smirked. "Are you taking a squad with you Commander?".
Shepard thought about it for a second. "No, I'm going alone. Thanks Joker".
If Liara wanted to meet in secret, then it would be best to not take any crew members with her.
Shepard moved toward the airlock. She felt the ship vibrate as the clamps were brought down to secure it. "Opening the airlock now, Commander".
The airlock doors shot open.
Shepard walked through the short hallway and stepped out onto the grounds of Illium. She gazed at the wonderful view that appeared before her. She took a deep breath of the air, the scent of asari, like that of raspberries, crept up into Shepard's nostrils. The rich smell made her feel like she was in the presence of Liara, further reminding her that she may be close by.
Sophie walked through the district, strolling past 'Gateway Personal Defence', a shop that housed lots of valuable equipment, including Amplifier Plates that would increase the damage done by any weapon. She walked toward the office that had previously been Liara's. It was now owned by a salarian businessman. She moved through the doorway underneath it, strolling past many varieties of alien species.
After walking for a good thirty minutes, she finally reached the Taxi hub and called for one to pick her up and take her to the higher levels.
The journey allowed Shepard to get a full view of the city below, it was beautiful, which certainly reflected on the asari species. 'The great towers of Illium' as Liara had called them, could be seen many miles above the clouds. Sophie gazed at them in amazement, she had only just realised how many buildings were stationed on the ground far below her. How could the asari build so many? A question that every visitor asked themselves no doubt.
Shepard saw the large structure of the hotel fast approaching, the sheer size making the surrounding people look like tiny bugs. The word 'Azure' was written directly above the main entrance. The hotel's landing area was very large, allowing many vehicles to be docked on the surface. The blazing light from a nearby star, reflected off it's face and onto the ground below. Crystal clear glass windows covered the hotel's front, allowing people to look inside. Beautiful flowers housing all the colours of a rainbow, could be seen amongst the vehicles and benches. Asari security guards scanned the area, a constant look of suspicion in their eye as they patrolled the main doorway, weapons held tight to their chest. It was here, where Shepard and Liara had, for the first time in two years, talked about their relationship together.
The taxi grew closer to the grey metallic surface of the landing bay, slowly touching down between two shuttles that had been laid stationary on the far side. The doors of the taxi slid up, allowing Sophie to step out onto the cool ground. The air, which was filled with dust and exhaust fumes, invaded her nose. She felt the dust slowly approach the back of her throat, a tickling sensation beginning to rush down her neck and into her lungs caused her to cough violently.
She began to walk through the landing bay and toward the hotel's main entrance, passing the flowers and the asari guards as she made her approach. The doors vanished to the side, allowing her to stroll through them and into the building. The strong scent of alien attacked her senses as she stepped inside, it was a mix of raspberry from asari, and some new turian cologne which smelt similar to what human males used back on Earth.
She walked a few steps forward and into the reception. There were two asari behind the desk. A salarian was asking one about the hotel's services and a turian was asking the other about the cost of renting a room for the night.
She walked across the reception, and through a door on the opposite side of it. A long hallway, stretching for at least one hundred meters, appeared before her. She remembered talking to Liara here, about how she'd been a stranger when they had first reunited. Sophie wished she hadn't said that now, Liara had been a victim to a lot of stress and it wasn't fair for Shepard to complain about her actions. She felt bad for treating Liara like that, she was now a victim of mental strain herself and could imagine what the asari must have gone through.
She walked down the hallway, passing some type of nightclub, where many asari dancers were situated. Shepard couldn't help but peak inside. There were several poles attached to tables, surrounded by people of many species. Blue women of magnificent beauty stood on them, dancing around the poles. They were indeed beautiful, but nothing compared with Liara.
She continued to walk down the hallway. There were several doors on either side of it, they must have opened up to the rooms that people could rent from the reception. At the end of the hallway, she saw the opening which led down to the terrace in which Vasir had spoken her final words.
She kept walking, passing hundreds of doors. She reached the terrace, it was very large, stretching on for about fifty meters. There were several tables scattered around the area with sofas delicately placed around them. Large garden planters were visible, with delightful arrays of beautiful flowers nestled inside them. All these obstacles would provide Shepard with suitable cover if needed.
There was a strange structure directly above the terrace, sheets of glass were flanked by single bars of metal, this must have been used to keep rain from seeping in. Tall buildings towered over the terrace, the shadows they created big enough to block the rays of any star. The platform was packed full of asari, a few salarians attempting to chat them up, and one turian sitting on one of the sofas. Shepard looked around. There was no sign of Liara, anywhere. Shepard moved around the area for a while, looking behind every sofa and garden planter to find her, but there was nothing. Liara was nowhere to be seen.
Sophie felt her heartbeat drop considerably and her eyes started to sting, causing her vision to blur. She brought both of her hands up and tugged at her hair. She had started to lose hope.
She felt depressed again. She had allowed herself to get her hopes up and now she had been stripped of them. Why would Liara be there? It was stupid to have thought that she would have been. Her head now felt as though a Laser was being forced straight through the middle of it
She buried her face in the palms of her hands and closed her eyes, tears had started to collect around them. She simply could not contain her emotions any longer, she had to let them out.
She attempted to wipe her eyes, but there was no use, there was no point in even trying to stay calm. She had been hiding her emotions from everyone, ever since she had found out that the reapers were moving toward the Milky Way. She hadn't even told Liara about them, not even when she had been aboard the Normandy.
Tears were escaping past her hands, falling like rain in the winter and forming a tiny puddle on the ground below her feet.
She must of looked like a nervous wreck to the many people around her. She created a gap between her fingers and peaked out. Every asari in the area was now staring at her, the salarians were talking about her to the asari, and the turian couldn't care less.
Sophie didn't want to be mocked. She ran behind a garden planter to her right, trying to hide her face from the crowd of people. She continued to sob, the tears multiplying. The loud noises surrounding her had begun to cause her to develop a headache. This is all she needed, tears covering her face, mind blowing stress and now a headache.
She grasped her forehead, trying to overcome the pain that was now pulling at the nerves inside her brain. She started to calm down a little. She brushed the hair away from her eyes, and attempted to pull herself together. She sniffed, wiped her face on her hand and walked back into the crowd.
She looked around, everyone that had been looking at her had either turned away in fear or simply lost interest. "Get out of here!" she shouted, her words filled with anger. Everyone did as they were told. Shepard wiped the last of the tears from her face. She didn't feel any better, she felt worse. Why wasn't Liara here?
Thinking about Liara made her feel like crying again. Had she simply misinterpreted the message? Shepard was certain that there were words in that message that Liara had said when she had climbed aboard the Normandy.
Shepard would do anything to see her at that moment in time. She looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. That was it. Liara was the Shadow Broker, she did have an important job to do, but Shepard simply did not care any more. She had to see her.
She started walking back inside the building, she travelled through the hallway and headed towards the Taxi hub that she had previously used. She was about to call for a Taxi when she heard something, the sound of movement.
She turned around slowly, her eyes scanning the area. She silently took the pistol from her belt and pointed it at the Hotel's entrance. She took several steps forward, trying to make as little noise as possible. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She kept her weapon pointed forward as she slowly moved back inside the building, ignoring her headache and trying to keep herself focused. One foot after the other, she slowly crept forward.
A rattling of metal behind her made her jump. She turned around as fast as humanly possible. "I know your there! Come out!" Shepard shouted.
Silence.
Who was there? Was anyone even there at all? Shepard let out a sigh and relaxed her grip on the weapon in her hands. Was she losing her mind? She brought her gun down to rest against her thigh. She moved to a wall, leant against it and looked at the ceiling. What was wrong with her? What had happened?
Suddenly. The sound of a weapon being fired flowed through the atmosphere, causing an echo to travel through the hotel for several seconds. Judging from the direction of the sound, it's point of origin was the same place where Shepard had just been, the place where Vasir had died, the place where Liara was supposed to of met with her. Sophie began sprinting, through the hallway, toward the terrace. Passing many aliens that were beginning to flee from their previous locations, trying desperately to find cover. "Get down!" she shouted, trying to make her voice heard, but little success was achieved, there was simply too much noise surrounding her. The sound of screaming was overwhelming, even for Shepard. She could feel her emotions start to reappear at the sight of such chaos. There were asari children running for their lives, some parents were even carrying their young to safety. Shepard had to find the cause of this madness. She ran past the aliens and attempted to cover them. She kept her weapon pointed toward the terrace, ready to fire at any sign of an attacker.
She waited until they had all escaped the building, before walking back onto the terrace. She could feel her heartbeat gradually return to it's original pace. She walked around, peering over every obstacle she could find. There was nothing. No sign of an attacker. She continued to move around the terrace, searching every square inch of it. She spotted a black mark on the ground below her. She moved over to it, crouched down and examined it. There was a tiny hole in the surface, about five centimetres deep. This must have been where the projectile had struck.
The Commander looked up at the buildings towering above her, scanning every window and opening. She saw no one.
All of a sudden. Another gunshot sounded. This time, She saw the projectile hit the floor, leaving a long scratch in the metal, it was that of an M-97 Viper sniper rifle. She seemed to forget her own safety and gazed up at the buildings above her once again, and still, no one could be seen. Whoever this unknown assailant was, they were trying to kill Shepard. She suddenly realised that she was standing in the open, without any form of cover between her and the attacker.
She leapt over one of the sofas, and crouched down behind it, trying to stay hidden. There she remained, trying to listen out for any sign of movement. She tried to keep her breathing as quiet as possible, and her weapon resting tightly against her chest ready to shoot at anything that was hostile.
The sound of footsteps began to invade Shepard's ears, they were fast approaching. It seemed like the stranger was coming from inside the main hotel building.
The footsteps continued to move closer and closer, until they had finally stopped, barely a few feet away from where Shepard was hiding. "There's no sign of her" whispered a male voice. A few seconds of silence past. "Same over here" this must have been the sniper, it sounded as if the voice had originated from some kind of communication device, meaning that there was only one person on the terrace.
Shepard could hear the unknown person start to move around the area. Was he searching for her, or someone else? She could hear him walking, travelling past every sofa and garden planter in the area; Luckily for Shepard, he did not look behind the sofa where she was located.
The Commander let a few moments pass. She slowly raised her hand and rested it on top of the sofa's backrest, leaving it there for a couple of seconds. She began to move her head, attempting to peak over it without being seen. She turned her head, so she could get a better view of the figure that was still walking around the area. There was a mask upon his face, causing it to be hidden from sight. His body structure seemed like that of a human, he had spoken in English earlier, so this wasn't too hard for Sophie to believe. Her 'Alien Dialect Translator', a device that had been implanted behind her ear when she first joined the alliance, did not translate any words, meaning the two men were speaking the same language as Shepard. In order to talk with many alien species, including asari, this device would be needed.
She looked at the man once again, noticing the military grade assault rifle clutched in his hands, his finger poised against the trigger. The way he was manoeuvring the weapon led Shepard to believe he was in some kind of special tasks group. He couldn't have been enlisted with the Blue suns or Eclipse, he was professional.
The man continued to face away from her, it seemed he had stopped searching the area, and was taking a break. Shepard pulled her pistol up, away from her chest. She pointed it directly at him, her finger on the trigger, ready to fire. She could feel her nerves tingle slightly.
She hesitated, wondering if shooting him was the right action to take. Although weapons were now much more powerful and advanced, being able to penetrate many armours and shields. They lacked a feature that was key to any recon operation. The incredibly loud sound could not be silenced, like that of older, much less powerful designs. This made the option of stealth, using a weapon, impossible. The only way to kill someone without anyone hearing you do it, would be to use your own body. This was a major disadvantage to state-of-the-art weaponry.
The Commander took in a deep breath to steady her aim. She was about to pull the trigger.
A loud sound emerged from behind her. The clash of metal had caused her to lose focus. The man moved his head to face the direction of where the sound had come from. Shepard felt a rush of blood flow around her body and quickly ducked back down, behind the sofa's small backrest.
"I've heard something. I'm going to check it out" he whispered into the communication device on his wrist. Sophie rolled her eyes and breathed out heavily. "Shit!" she muttered quietly. She began to hear the faint sound of the man's feet, slowly creeping their way toward where the sound had originated from. The man was silently moving away from her.
She peaked her head up above the sofa, trying to get a glimpse of him. He had all his attention focused on finding the cause of the noise. She softly brought herself up to stand on two feet. She proceeded to follow the stranger, trying to be as quiet as possible.
The sound had originated from somewhere within the main hotel facility, possibly the same place where Shepard had heard something before, near the entrance. The man moved through the doorway, taking him back inside the building. Shepard silently ran up to the wall next to the doorway and peaked her head round the corner, trying to see what the man was doing. She moved into the building, standing only a few meters behind the stranger. She could feel the adrenaline surging through her body, the man could turn round at any given moment. They slowly moved through the hallway. They approached the nightclub, the unknown man crept into it. Shepard took cover behind the Nightclub's entrance. She could feel goose bumps forming themselves on the surface of her skin. Several minutes went by, every second making Sophie feel even more tense.
The human reappeared from the Nightclub's entrance and continued to walk down the hallway. Shepard positioned herself behind him once again, taking each step with caution as to not create any noise. They were beginning to approach the reception. She steadied her breath, trying to keep herself calm.
The man opened the door and walked into the reception. Sophie took cover beside the doorway. A data pad had been left on the receptionist's desk, abandoned. The hotel staff had obviously fled the building leaving everything behind. The man took several seconds to scan the room, before continuing forward.
The main entrance could now be seen. Shepard had a clear image in her mind, of where she had previously encountered the sound of movement.
They were heading toward the hotel's main entrance, the bright rays from the nearby sun shooting through the windows above it. The man stepped out, and vanished from sight. Shepard could her body begin to relax, her heartbeat begin to slow.
Sophie quickly turned around, trying to remember where she had heard the movement. It had definitely been around the main entrance. "Hello? Is anybody there?" she said quietly, tapping the walls. She heard someone moving from inside. "Where are you? Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you!". The Commander looked at the wall, trying to figure out where this person was, she couldn't just blast a hole in the wall, not without knowing exactly where they were, the risk was too high. "I'm... I'm over here!" came a voice. A voice that Shepard recognised. She quickly jumped up, her vision looking directly at where the voice had come from. She opened her mouth, words about to leave her lips.
Suddenly. The sound of footsteps approached. She speedily spun round, pointing her gun at the doors that were now in front of her. The footsteps grew louder, getting closer.
The man she had been previously following, walked through the door, letting out a soft gasp upon seeing Shepard standing in the centre of his view. His arm moved to grab the weapon that was holstered on his back, but it was too late.
Shepard squeezed the trigger on her pistol. The bullet catapulted out the barrel of the weapon at a supersonic velocity, causing unimaginable recoil to be propelled back into Sophie's wrist. It shot through the air at a speed that simply could not be explained. It sunk deep into the man's neck, through the tiny gap between his helmet and body armour, quickly penetrating his throat causing blood to shoot out from underneath his skin. The oxygen in his lungs began to expire, forcing him to reach for his throat. He started coughing, blood dripping from his lips. He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes wide open as if they were looking upon a ghost. One final bubble of oxygen escaped from his mouth, making him slowly edge closer and closer to the ground, until he was lying, still, on the surface.
Shepard stood, gazing at the lifeless body before her, the smell of blood assaulting her nostrils. She walked over and put two fingers on the man's throat. No pulse.
She stood still for several seconds, before returning to face the wall behind her. "It's all right. Where are you?".
"I'm over here!".
Shepard ran in the direction of the voice. "Alright, I'm right here. Move as far as you can to your right".
She heard the shuffling of a body in cramped conditions. She moved her hand up and reached over her shoulder to equip her M-100 Grenade Launcher. "Cover your face!".
The grenade was propelled forward at a speed that seemed to defy the laws of physics. A tremendous explosion caused the wall to collapse, shattering into many pieces of rubble. "Are you all right?".
Shepard could hear the person coughing violently and begin to push the rubble aside. They forced their way out of the wall. "Yes, I am fine".
Sophie's heart skipped a beat.
The figure that stood before her was that of an asari, her blue skin sparkling in the light from the nearby sun. Her deep blue eyes felt like they were pulling Sophie into another world. Shepard stood, staring at the woman for a few seconds, until she finally managed to speak. "Li...Liara?"
The asari looked surprised. "Don't you recognize me, Shepard?" she said, with a rather sad tone to her voice. Shepard didn't answer the question, instead she moved closer to Liara, so their lips were merely inches apart. Shepard's heart began to beat faster. It seemed as though she had been unable to breathe for four months, and now she could finally take a breath. Being this close to her lover once more, made her feel whole again. Being able to stare upon such remarkable beauty, being able to see the person who had lived inside her mind for what seemed like years, being able to touch her.
Shepard brushed the back of her hand across Liara's cheek, the touch of her smooth skin awakening familiar sensations from deep within her body. Sophie hesitated, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes and she dropped her gaze to the ground. Liara brought a hand up, touching her fingertips to the underside of Sophie's chin and forcing her to look up at her. They stared at each other for several seconds, gazing deep into each other's eyes. Shepard pressed her palm gently to Liara's cheek, brushing the pad of her thumb against her soft skin. Liara parted her lips, the tip of a pink tongue emerged from between them. The soft, moist texture awaiting Shepard's touch. She opened her mouth and pulled Liara in, their lips met and they embraced each other tightly. Shepard could feel a wonderful sensation of warmth travel around her body. Their tongues intertwined as they continued to embrace in this beautiful act of love. The feeling of being able to kiss Liara again, made her feel like a part of her body had been missing and now been replaced.
Their lips separated and they stared into each other's eyes. Shepard gazed up and down Liara's face, trying to memorise every part of it. Liara smiled at her, before turning her head to the side. She looked at the body lying on the floor, only a few feet away from her. "Do you know who he was?".
"No. Give me a second" said Shepard, as she turned to face the body. She crouched down and pulled it on its side. She slowly pushed her hand down into the man's armour, trying to find some form of identification. She rummaged through the heavy metal plating for several seconds.
She found something, dog tags. She pulled them out of the amour and brought them close to her eye.
Shepard's face turned into a ball of hate as she read them. She could feel anger shoot up from deep within. She clenched her fist and tensed every muscle in her body.
Cerberus.
She felt a shiver shoot down her spine as she suddenly remembered what the Illusive man had said. "You'll get what's coming to you, soon enough".
The words seemed to echo inside Shepard's mind.
To be continued...