Shepard - Memorable Moments
A/N: I don't have a beta, so I'm unfortunately everything I write will be somewhat rough. Also I'm not going to edi. And Cards on the table, I've got a good day drunk going.
Apologies in advance.
The Alliance Recruiting office was an small room with no windows and a rather sparse decor. A poster on the back wall read 'The Alliance – We'll be your Shepard'. The desk was old and the chair creaked, the only thing new was the lock which, by necessity was state of the art. Anywhere else the office would have been an insult to newly risen prestige of the organization. But on level 2 in Vancouver, it was the nicest building for miles.
The graying officer reclined behind a desk was O'Rourke, a twenty year vet knocking on the door of retirement and it showed. An unseemly gut spilled over his belt, and his hair was more than pushing regulations. But his eyes were all military. Steely blue fire held back by an iron will. Too bad they were deeply engrossed in the sports section of the local paper.
It's not like there was anything better to do. The level two office boasted exactly four recruits in the last decade. Which suited O'Rourke just fine most of the time. He'd asked for lighter duty after Shanxi and the top brass had been happy to oblige. It must have been a real joke for someone to stick him here, he mused. Lighter duty indeed.
A shrill ring cut through his thoughts. The door buzzer rang twice.
"Are you gonna let me in or what?"
O'Rourke shot up in his seat and wiped the dust off the door monitor and saw the small form leaning against the outside wall.
"What do you want?" he asked cautiously.
"This the the Alliance place, right?," came the shrill reply. "What the fuck do you think?"
O'Rourke checked the concealed pistol strapped under the desk, this was Level 2 after all, then unlocked the door.
The man- no, boy who creeped in was thin and dirty. His oddly new clothes hung off a tall frame. He didn't meet O'Rourke's eyes, looking everywhere else instead. Not a good sign. Satisfied with whatever he saw, the boy leaned against the side wall and relaxed maybe a millimeter.
"What's your name?"
"Johnny."
"So, you want to enlist?"
"Yeah."
Even with his height, there wasn't a chance in hell this kid was eighteen. Or even sixteen.
"You're too young."
"I'm eighteen." Came the mumbled reply. The boy still hadn't met his eyes. A tag on the shirt peeked out from behind the collar. And the pieces slid into place.
"Show me your ID." O'Rourke was tired of this game.
"I forgot where I left it." His voice was tight.
"What's your name? I'll look you up in the database."
Johnny was openly sweating now. But was he getting ready to make a move? O'Rourke's hand tightened on the pistol grip.
"I don't have an ID."
"No shit. I'm guessing your not eighteen either. Here's a tip for the next time, don't use the minimum age for anything. Go big or go home." That was advice from his father, that had served him well over the years. "Come see me in a few years and maybe we'll have something to talk about. Meantime go home."
Johnny shook his head. "Don't have a home."
O"Rourke sighed. This wasn't his problem. The kid was just another street rat who wanted out of a bad life. He'd seen it before. Never in here of course, weaseling out of the service was pretty damn hard after all. He'd join for a few months, get off planet, maybe with a few credits and then just disappear. Leaving the Alliance for suckers and making O'Rourke look like a fool. He opened his mouth to say as much when the boy met his gaze for the first time.
Johnny had blue eyes just a little darker than his own and heavily bloodshot. You shouldn't judge a book by its cover and you can't read a man from his eyes, that was another pearl from his father, but it seemed he was wrong. There was honesty in those eyes and a lot of fear.
"Even if I wanted to let you in kid, I couldn't. You're not eighteen."
"I heard you only had to be sixteen." He was insistent and more than a little desperate.
O'Rourke shook his head. "That's if you've got a parent's permission. You don't do you? And you don't even look that old. Can't you just come back in a few months"?
"I'll be dead in a few months." His desperate voice started to crack. "There's got to be something you can do. Please."
"How do I know you won't bail the first chance you get?"
"You don't."
The honesty was surprising.
"You steal those clothes your wearing?"
The boy swallowed. His entire future depended on what what kind of answer O'Rourke wanted.
"Yes."
"Take them back. Apologize. Pay for them if you have to. I'll check to make sure. Then you come back here and we'll see what we can do."
They had spoken for almost an hour after that. Mostly about logistics for if and when Johnny came back. O'Rourke hadn't asked what he was running from. Whatever that was, it was better left unsaid. Frankly he probably wasn't coming back anyway. He kept thinking right up until the door buzzer rang again. Wrong again.
O'Rourke was laughing as Johnny dashed back inside his office. This time he wore ratty clothes and carried a sack on one shoulder. A welt was quickly rising along the side of his face. O'Rourke raised a questioning eyebrow.
"They weren't so happy to see you?"
Johnny shot him a pissed look. "You'll get worse where you're going. Come here"
On the flat screen monitor were half a dozen pages of information. Medical history, personality and skills tests, a short fictional biography and on top of it all, a signed permission form from a parent. All stolen from other files, names wiped and ready for a new purpose.
"I've got you're new identity ready for you. Just need a name."
The kid stared at the poster along the back wall for a moment before answering. "Shepard."
O'Rourke glanced over his shoulder. "I've never understood that one."
"The lord is my Shepard, I shall not want." When he spook the words, the tension in his face lightened a bit. "The church on 33rd street would let sleep on the floor sometimes Pastor gave me this." He reached into the bag and pulled out a worn King James Bible.
"First name?"
"Not Johnny."
"I've got a brother named Aiden. How about that?" The kid nodded.
"Transport will come for you tomorrow. You'll be a week late getting into basic and that's not going to make you any friends." Shepard gave him a flat stare. "Right, well I've got some parting advice for you Aiden. Make nice, but don't make any waves. Good or bad. Don't get noticed. If people take notice of you they'll look into this file, and its not going to hold up." He was probably just being overly cautious, chances are this kid would never get past corporal.
"There's just one more thing." He stuck out a hand. "Welcome to the Alliance Navy son. You're home now."
And just like that, Aiden Shepard was born.