Note: Hello, my friends, I have another important announcement to make: In the past, while reading this very fanfic, I was drawn to it and became its instant follower. The writing was good, the storyline was special and intriguing. It's a shame the owner, Knight on Bald Mountain, decided to abandon it. Now, seeing as I'm a huge Samus admirer, and a fan of the Mass Effect series ( no 3, please ), I have asked Knight on Bald Mountain for permission to continue it. And he agreed. I know my style is different from his and may be inferior to his, but I will do my damnedest to stay pretty true to the original. I don't own either Metroid or Mass Effect franchise, all credits belong to the original creators. Please review after you read. Thank you.
Prologue
The SSV Normandy was gone. Nothing more than a memory. Within just a couple of minutes, the majestic work of engineering now became an empty husk of metal. Its broad and shining armor now burnt and torn, anything that resembled a ship had now vanished. It would have been a spectacle to behold, had it not been for the deaths of the many crew members, and the loss of one particular soldier.
His name was Shepard. Commander John Shepard. A defender of the Alliance from a threat that it wasn't even believed to exist; his determination, skills and cunningness brought an end to the horrific Reaper known only as Sovereign. Though the threat of the Reapers had been postponed, it was by no means, over, as this expedient encounter with the Normandy clearly proved. Of course, none of the Council would admit it was them. In their willful ignorance, they'd wipe the memory of the Reapers away and replace it with something less apocalyptic to keep the people from panicking, to keep them their obedient sheep.
Suffice to say, any hope of saving the known galaxy seemed lost, for the one man who could stop it all, was dead and lost.
Two years have passed since his death. What would happen next, no one in the Alliance could have anticipated.
Well, Cerberus happened. Held up as a radical human rights terrorist cell, they poured in billions of credits into the recovery and resurrection program for the Commander, codenamed The Lazarus Project, using cybernetic implants, skin reconstruction and special fluids to bring the dead man back to life. It looked to be a lost cause, however; it seemed as if it all just wasn't enough. They had all the resources, but they needed something extra to make it all work.
Word was secretly leaked that a "top secret" organization needed donors to supply ample amounts of blood for the use of DNA splicing. Many volunteered. Some were accepted, most were turned away. None of them worked. For a while, it seemed as though the project would stagnate and expire; but the Illusive Man, the head of Cerberus, would rather spend another fortune than to see it all disappear.
That was when it happened. A mysterious subject, out of nowhere, donated two pints of her blood. She charged an incredible amount of money for it, but it turned out to be exactly what was needed. She had the X factor. The scientists on the project had no idea what it was, and almost feared injecting it into the Commander, but they had no other options. The moment they did it, the process began to work. Slowly and steadily, the corpse began to regenerate. Everything quickly began to fall into place.
Commander Shepherd's return was estimated to be complete in a couple of weeks. The female stranger was contacted again; a request for another two pints of blood was made to finalize the project. She refused. Several attempts were made to sway her, but all were declined. It was not enough to stop the Illusive Man. He sent an operative to speak to her in person. He would get her into contact with him, and they would discuss it in private.
Though skeptical about the whole ordeal, she accepted. She was escorted to the Lazarus Research Station and led to the conference room. There, they left her alone and shut the door. That was when the hologram came up, and there he was: the Illusive Man. Sitting comfortably in his chair while nonchalantly smoking his cigar. For a good minute, he didn't even say a word. He just observed the woman before him.
She wore a giant suit of armor, covering her entire body, adding almost a foot in height, he estimated. Had it not been for the green visor on her helmet, he might not have been able to even tell it was a woman at all. The way she stood lacked a basic femininity that he saw in Miranda Lawson, nonetheless, one of his chief officers. There was a presence that she exuded, just standing there waiting on him. He had many questions for her, and this was perhaps the only chance he'd have to ask them.
"I'm glad you accepted my offer to see me", he began, finishing another puff a smoke, "let me first thank you for your incredibly generous donation to our project. It never would have been properly started without your help".
"Thank you for you generous offer of credits". Her voice was soft but firm. The deeper tones suggested elegance as well. "But now I'm afraid that I can't offer anymore".
"Certainly, you didn't come all the way here to just tell me that you weren't going to donate your blood".
"Perhaps I'm trusting that telling you directly will stop your attempts to take it by force".
"I instructed my people to convince you to give it to us willingly. If they attempted to kill you in the process, that was an error on their part. Not mine".
"I've been studying your group for some time. You're very good at absolving yourself of any responsibility. I prefer working for people who are trustworthy".
"Then why did you come to us in the first place?".
The woman halted briefly before answering:"Because I needed money".
"That can't be all". The Illusive Man grinned mildly, catching her in a half-truth. "Or else, you wouldn't care about our trust then".
The woman remained silent, giving the Illusive Man another moment to try to read her. She had strong body control; even under his mild interrogation, she made no apparent movements to indicate hesitation. Whatever it was she wanted, she did very well to hide it. Of course, the armor didn't help. "Would you mind removing you helmet? I would like to see who I'm negotiating with".
"Not a chance". A quick rejection with no follow up. The Illusive Man decided to move on.
"You know, you are a hard woman to track. I've had several of my operatives track your past. Would you like to hear what they found after three months of investigation?". The woman didn't respond verbally nor physically. "Nothing other than that you suddenly appeared in the colonies near the Veil about a year ago".
There was a slight hint of movement inside the armor, perhaps a chuckle. It was hard to tell. Still, he was not finished. "Now I pride myself in knowing everything about everyone I believe to be important, and when I can't do that, I am left to believe that there is something extraordinary about that person. It doesn't help that when you donated your blood the first time, even my scientists don't know what to make of it".
"Perhaps I'm a by-product of a biological project", she chided him. The Illusive Man did not appreciate being talked down like a child.
"Don't abuse your privilege to speak with me with your taunts. My scientists believe that your genetic code has been tampered with, for the better. We at Cerberus believe in anything that will serve the betterment of Mankind, and that code could hold a vital key to make us the dominant species in the galaxy".
"Which is why you want two more pints of blood", the mysterious woman surmised.
"I've never hid my intentions. We do need two more pints of your blood to finish the regeneration of Commander Shepard. I'm also asking that when you're ready to donate another two pints for genetic research, that you would do so. We are willing to double your payment for the second donation, and triple the third".
Again there was silence from the armored woman. She clearly had to think this one through. Perhaps the Illusive Man was starting to get through to her.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to donate my blood for your own research".
"Then, will you at least do it for the Commander? At least finish what you started".
"On one condition". She took a step closer towards the holographic projection of the seated gentleman. "I stay here to make sure that it's used properly. If for even a second it's used outside the Lazarus Project, or if there is anymore attempts on my life, I'll make sure you never see the results".
"Agreed". He didn't even bother to consider anything else. The life of Commander Shepard was of paramount importance, and everything else came second. "Send in Ms. Lawson and I'll have her make arrangements for your stay".
A mere second later, the door behind her opened, and a tall, well-figured woman strutted into the room, not even waiting for the other woman to leave. "You wanted to see me?".
"Miranda, please ensure that our donor has a place to stay here until Commander Shepard is completely revived. She is our guest and will be treated as such".
"Of course, Illusive Man".
"Miranda". It was a command, not a question.
"Yes?".
"Do not eavesdrop on my private conversations with guests. One more time and there'll be severe consequences".
"Of course, Illusive Man", she repeated herself, like a trained parrot.
Next, she turned to face the armored woman, gesturing for her to follow. "This way, Ms. Aran".
The armored woman nodded as she began up the steps. "Just call me Samus".