Prologue:
The man in the boots had walked off, standing in a doorway talking with another. Sam Fisher's vision had become blurry. It was hard to make either of them out from the metal rig he was hooked up to. But the clacking of those damn boots, he'd easily recognize that. A ridiculous choice, Sam thought. As soon as he got out of here he'd know exactly who to kill first. And how to find him. Boots like that, they provide no tactical advantage whatsoever.
Sam assumed their little conversation was over when he heard the clacking footsteps coming back over. The rattle of spurs. His heart started racing again but he fought to slow his breathing. He could handle anything this wannabe cowboy could do to him. He'd been through worse.
"Gonna have to do better than a few jolts to get anything out of my head, amateur." Sam said. "Who taught you how to interrogate an enemy? Fucking Andriy Kobin. I've been through twenty years of shit like this, it's nothing new."
"Yes, yes," his interrogator said in a cool, smooth tone yet seasoned. "You're a real living legend to dogs of war like us, Fisher. Fortunately, I have the luxury of knowing many living legends" That's right you bastard, keep talking. The more I hear the more I know about you. You'll be dead in a week.
"I admit, you're pretty good."
Sam heard him walking circles around the vertical standing metal device he was suspended from.
"That ship you flew in on, the Splinter Cell, well it's not exactly a typical ship is it? My intel says you reached this base within a week of leaving Earth. Impressive, considering we're a few weeks travel from the nearest Mass Relay at FTL."
He walked back around to the front and stood face to face with Sam.
"Which means there's some special tech capable of travel unheard of so far. Don't worry, I don't need you to tell me what it is. We have our best scientists stripping her in order to reverse-engineer the technology. No...what I want is something else."
He flipped a switch and before Sam could think, another blast of electricity shot through his whole body. His mind was burning, his eyes felt like they were melting. It went on for what felt like years. And then it stopped again. He had no choice, he let himself go.
"Yes...haha. Let it all out. If it's any relief, most break after the first flip of the switch."
"What is it you want then?" Sam had no intention of breaking. But in order to know what he was up against he needed to know what they really wanted.
The man started pacing again. "Your superiors sent you here with a purpose. I suspect I know that purpose. If it's what I suspect then they fear us. As they should. They created a weapon that could be their own destruction. Waiting to be hijacked by the wrong party. All said party would need...is the key."
"You think I have clearance to something like that?" Sam scoffed. "I'm just a spy. So we're both wasting our time here."
"For some reason I don't believe that. You've been a black-ops agent with the UNHA for over twenty years. CAT-6, if I recall. Highest level of clearance."
"You're well informed."
"It's my job." A twisted smirk wormed across the man's face. "But you are right, we are wasting valuable time. Time I need. I could break you, if I didn't have more pressing concerns, trust me, Fisher. But we have...other methods to get what we need. The psychological kind rather than the physical."
Physical, psychological. It didn't matter. Sam had been tortured in more way than most.
Just then something etched into his brain.
An odd feeling. A green haze filled his vision and for a moment he felt like he was not the only one in his head.
Suddenly an apparition of some kind appeared next to the man. A floating specter, hard to make out but breathing heavily through a gas mask.
Sweat rolled down from Sam's forehead into his eye.
Something dug into his mind.
And pulled something out.
The Commander I:
Nothing could beat the sight of little Arya playing with her toys. Attempting to use her premature biotics to move them about in formations. She was a gifted little girl. Her mother's doing, no doubt.
At least she got her father's looks, Shepard joked to himself.
He heard the door to the condo slide open. Liara walked through holding a dozen brown bags, a couple in her hands, the rest suspended around her.
"Little help, honey?" she said sweetly.
Shepard hopped up from the floor and grabbed the bags from her arms, heavier than he expected.
"Well this is a lot for one week."
"We're galactic heroes on vacation. Shouldn't we go overboard with the snacks?" That little grin drew across her face and Shepard was pulled into her eyes once again.
"Get little Arya ready for the beach," she went on. "I'll put this stuff away."
Shepard did as he was told, gathering their beach necessities and dressing little Arya in the bathing suit she loved.
"I get to play in the water today daddy?"
Shepard grinned. This is the life he had always pictured for them. Back during the war, going into impossible situations, serving as a Council Spectre. He fought, and now he gets to rest.
"Yeah baby," he said softly. "You do."
"Shepard?" he heard Liara call from his office. He didn't like the tone of her voice. Entering he found Admiral David Anderson on the vidcom screen.
"Anderson."
"Shepard I hate to be the bearer of bad news…"
"Isn't that what you always are?"
They shared a quick laugh before Anderson grew solemn.
"The UNHA board wants to see you. Now. I told them you were at the beach with family but they insisted. 'Threat of galactic peace' is the term I believe they used.'
"Have they forgotten I'm retired?" Shepard crossed his arms and Liara rested a hand on his shoulder.
"Not at all Shepard. But you know as well as I do the Board has its reasons. It's you they need. Not some rookies out for glory."
He looked at Liara, it wasn't hard to alway know what she was thinking.
And this time he didn't like what was on her mind.
"Give me a moment."
"Very well, Shepard. A shuttle will pick you up in an hour. I'm sorry."
"What?" Liara asked.
"Don't look at me like that. We agreed, I'm retired. We have a daughter."
"Shepard do you know what gave my people hope when the Covenant was on my homeworld? As the Brutes rounded everyone up and the Prophets tried to forcibly convert us? They thought that Commander Shepard and the legendary Normandy would swoop in to save them all. A human was the last hope of the most powerful world in the galaxy. You are that human. You may settle down and get married, have a daughter. But you will always be Commander Shepard to them. To everyone. Not the father, or the husband. But the legend."
Shepard turned away from her in consideration. She walked up to him, hugging him from behind, wrapping those soft arms around him and resting her head on him.
"We'll be here when you come back. Just...promise me that you will."
He turned to face her, getting lost in those eyes.
"I promise."
It wasn't long before he found himself standing at attention in front of the Board of Directors, the leaders of the UNHA, Anderson at his side.
"Commander Shepard," the first one acknowledged him.
"Directors."
"We understand you were pulled out of retirement, away from your family. We greatly appreciate you agreeing. This is a perilous predicament we find ourselves in."
"I haven't agreed to anything yet. I need some details. Mission type, crew, ship diagnostics, enemy combatants."
The director just barely let out a grin.
"We apologize Commander," another spoke out. "We didn't mean to jump to any conclusions. One of our top tier black ops teams went out of UNHA space on a daring mission to infiltrate an enemy fortress run by the privately funded corporation calling itself Tartarus."
"I've heard some about Tartarus on the news."
"Mostly fabricated. I'm afraid we have very little intel on them. And so does the Citadel Council. It's like they're invisible out there."
"Which is why you sent this team."
"Precisely. Sam Fisher's team to be specific, running a state of the art infiltration vessel known as the Splinter Cell. The most advanced ship in known space. It made the Arcturus Relay run in less than 12 parsecs."
"Impressive." Shepard said.
"We're afraid the team was captured. The ship taken. We've received word from a sleeper agent within Tartarus that Sam Fisher is being interrogated for vital intel. Intel that could mean the end of UNHA security and safety. Not only that, but they are stripping the Splinter Cell down in order to use her tech in their own ships. Which would make them a dangerous enemy. They cannot complete their tests. You have two mission objectives: the first is to rescue Fisher and any of his remaining team, if they're still alive. And most importantly, destroying the facility and the ship along with it."
"So you want me to attack a privately owned fortress to keep them from stealing your ideas, and blow them all to hell? These people aren't my enemy."
"Don't be so short sighted, Commander. Today's allies could be tomorrow's greatest threat. Believe us, if Tartarus gains this technology as well as the info in Fisher's head, it will be the end of galactic peace as we know it."
"I need more info," Shepard demanded. "What is it Fisher knows that is so important, what makes this ship so special. If I remember correctly I saved all your asses during the war with the Covenant. The Normandy was the most advanced ship at the time and you were all willing to sacrifice her for the greater good during the Battle of the Citadel. I can't go in this blind."
"Shepard I assure you destroying this ship is for the greater good. As for Agent Fisher. We can't tell you."
"Not how I work, Director. You forget I was a Council Spectre once. I had access to every bit of info I needed before I ran a mission. Highest clearance. There's something you're not telling me."
"With good reason, Shepard."
He looked around the room, trying to get a read on them. Anderson stepped up to his side with his Omni-tool out, transferring documents.
"We are forwarding you a list of dossiers on people you will need to complete this mission." A councilor went on. "They're some of the best around that we could still find. You'll need them. If Fisher and his team were captured then we have underestimated our enemy. Perhaps the infiltration method isn't the best idea this time."
"This is a list of old soldiers, mercs, explorers, tech specialists.. You want us to go in hard and loud."
"It's up to you how to proceed. But we cannot provide any more information for fear of it falling into the wrong hands. Some of these names would sell any info they could if it meant bettering their position in the galaxy. But with enough compensation, we're sure they'll all come around to join you. They'll each be given a reward for their service unique to them."
Shepard shook his head. This was lunacy. Asking these strangers to join him on another one of his suicide missions for what, an enemy that they've probably never heard of..
"We're counting on you Shepard. If anyone can get this done, it's you. You're a natural leader, you will rally these individuals to your cause. And if it comes down to the sake of the mission, or the lives of any of them, remember...they're all expendable."
After the hearing he stood overlooking the city of London in contemplation. Anderson rejoined his side.
"Shepard I know they're sending you in nearly blind. This isn't how we operate, they know that. But you really are their best hope. N7 decorated Officer, former Council Spectre, hero of the Covenant War. As far as I'm concerned you've earned your retirement. But there's this last thing that needs taken care of."
"There's always just one more, isn't there? When does it stop, Anderson?"
"I don't know. When we're dead I guess. We're old soldiers. They probably wont ever really let us rest. What I can tell you is this: Tartarus is co-run by an old...friend of ours. And he scares them."
Shepard turned to face him.
"The Illusive Man. He's partnered up with some unknown entity and they've pooled their resources. You worked with Cerberus for a time. You know the Illusive Man, and you know he only wants this tech and info to benefit his own agenda. Which isn't good for the rest of us. All that said, I actually do have some good news.."
"Which is?"
"I got a pilot you might like. One of the best."