(A/N, just reminding everyone of my "LOL I can't write combat unless necessary" thing. So I'll be skipping most of it unless it's really plot important. )
Chapter 2
Kaidan sat in the back of the shuttle while Vega piloted it down to the surface of Mars. Shepard stood behind the large man, holding onto the back of his chair, as she used to do to Joker's. Her voice was muffled by the hum of the engines, so he took a few moments to gather his thoughts. What just happened? The Reapers are on Earth... how many people made it off world in time? Where are my parents? Where are my students? He leaned his head against the wall behind him. How did I end up back on the Normandy? With Shepard! I should keep an eye on her, who knows what Cerberus put in her head when they rebuilt her... But they really did put her back the same way she was... She walks the same, talks the same... He felt the same stirrings in his chest as when he had first seen her on Horizon. Can I put these stupid doubts out of my head for just a few minutes, and take in the fact that she's here, she's alive... and we're together? Well, we're near each other, at least. As if she knew he was thinking about her, she returned to the small cabin area. They stared at each other for a moment, her eyes studied him curiously, then Shepard turned away to put on her helmet. Kaidan stood up, and attached his own.
"I... uh... didn't see anyone else in the cockpit with Joker... Who is the Edi woman I kept hearing over the intercom?"
"She's our AI." Shepard said casually, as if it were an everyday thing.
"An AI?"
"Yes. Cerberus built her. Joker unlocked her. She's very helpful."
"You have an unshackled Cerberus AI running the ship?"
Before she could answer, the shuttle whined loudly as it landed. Vega popped around the corner, securing his own helmet, and nodded at Shepard.
"Still no contact from the base. But we've got a massive storm headed our way."
"How long till it hits?"
"Half hour, tops. After that, we're going to have difficulty keeping up comms with the Normandy."
"Understood."
Shepard opened the door, and they followed her out onto the Martian surface. The red planet sprawled out before them, all canyons and sharp edges. Kaidan had only been once, right after basic training, but Mars looked the same no matter where you went.
"Damn, that's a huge storm. Looks a lot bigger in person!" Vega exclaimed, shielding his eyes from the sun.
"Pretty average for Mars, actually." Damn, did that sound pretentious?
"I'm glad you're so optimistic." Vega shot back. Over his comms, Kaidan heard something that might have been a snort from Shepard.
"We've got Reapers invading Earth, the station here is offline, a little dust storm seems like the least of our worries."
"Fair enough." Vega shrugged at him, and kept walking. He seems like an amiable enough guy. I mean, he's not pissed at Shepard for that moment in the hanger bay...
They patrolled in radio silence, sneaking through the abandoned solar panels, until they reached a small ledge. Kaidan lowered himself down, and stood guard as Shepard dropped down behind him.
"What's that?" Vega called out, pointing to a small heap near a large stack of crates. Kaidan jogged forward, and knelt to examine what turned out to be a body. He sighed deeply as he stood back up.
"He's Alliance. Sargent Reeves. Didn't put up a fight before he died."
"Something's not right here." Vega swung his rifle around wildly as he scanned the area.
"Keep a low profile till we know what's going on." Based on her tone of voice, Kaidan could picture the expression on her face; The thoughtful frown she wore when she was trying to make up a plan on the fly. I wish I could see her face. He shook the thought off. I need to stay focused. If I get too caught up in my own head, I could get myself killed.
"Roger that."
They crept towards the base, Shepard's head snapping up as the sound of gunfire echoed through the thin atmosphere. She rushed forward and hid behind a large crate, Vega on her heels. Kaidan took up position behind a large boulder near them. Carefully, they peered around, looking down onto the horrible sight of Cerberus soldiers surrounding a pile of dead scientists.
"Holy shit. They're executing them." Vega hissed. "Take the shot, Shepard!"
Shepard unhooked her sniper rifle, and took aim. Instantaneously, Kaidan's mind flashed back to Therum, when he had acted as her shield, pulling her in tightly for the first time. He watched her tense up, and obliterate the head of one of the troopers.
"Well, they know we're here now..." As Vega stood up from behind cover and blasted away with his rifle. Kaidan reached out with his biotics, grabbed a trooper, and flung him over the edge of the cliff. The small force was unprepared for the sneak attack, and was destroyed in moments.
Approaching the bodies carefully, Vega kicked one over.
"Those guys were Cerberus, weren't they?"
"Sure look like it." Shepard answered.
"Cerberus." Kaidan looked over at her. "What are they doing here on Mars?"
"Good question." She looked back at him, head tilted.
"You don't know?" The question popped out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
"I'm not with them any more, Kaidan, if that's what you're asking." He could practically feel her eyes narrowing as she stared at him through her helmet.
"It wasn't." He backpedaled quickly. "But you have to admit, its a bit... convenient."
She shook her head at him, and walked away.
"Doesn't look like they came here in force." Vega said, trying to fill the awkward silence.
"Yeah. Just a few vehicles." Shepard ran her hand lightly over a large Mako. Kaidan closed his eyes and offered a prayer to the universe that she wouldn't try to drive it.
"Must've had help from the inside." Kaidan couldn't help looking at Shepard. If only she didn't have the helmet on. If she knew what was going on, I'd be able to tell...
"You could be right." She sounded uncertain.
"No way they could take this facility with less than a full battalion."
He watched her out of the corner of his eye, making sure she didn't do anything strange. Who knows, the Illusive Man could have put a chip in her head, ready to switch on a moment's notice. During his research of Cerberus, he had come across reports of the Illusive Man, and everything he had read made him feel ill.
"Commander, I thought you told Cerberus to screw off after you wiped out that Collector base they were after." Vega's loud voice echoed in his helmet. Shepard laughed, the first real laugh he had heard from her since his the conversation he listened in on, almost a year ago. It made his chest feel tight in a way he had forgotten.
"That's exactly what I did."
"Well one things for sure. They're no friend of the Alliance."
"Agreed."
Cautiously, they jogged up the ramp into the facility loading area. Shepard hit a few buttons on the control panel, sealing the large door behind them. I have to make sure she isn't walking us into a trap, even if she doesn't know it.
"Shepard. I need a straight answer." He walked up to her, closing the distance between them so he could see her eyes through her visor. The last time I looked at her like this, she was about to get spaced...
"Kaidan..." She looked up at him with annoyance in her voice. She can't blow me off like that anymore. Technically, I outrank her now.
" Don't "Kaidan" me. This is business." Her eyes went wide. Have I ever stood up to her before? "Do you know anything about why Cerberus is here?"
"What makes you think I know what they are up to?" There was an edge to her voice, Kaidan knew he was treading on thin ice, but he didn't care. He had loved her, lost her to fire and death, found her again, then was abandoned by her for a company of traitors and terrorists. If she wasn't who he thought she was now, the consequences were dire. His head buzzed with confusion and frustration.
"You worked for them, for god's sakes. How am I not supposed to think that?"
"We joined forces to take down the Collectors. That's it." She turned her back to him angrily. Vega cleared his throat and awkwardly backed away from them.
"There's more to it. They rebuilt you from the ground up. They gave you a ship, resources..." He wasn't going to let her back out of this. I want to believe her, but I have to be sure. I need to know.
"Let me be clear." She spun back around, her helmet mere inches from his. "I've had no contact with Cerberus since I destroyed the Collector base. An d I have no idea why they're here now, or what they want."
"Commander Shepard's been under constant surveillance since coming back to Earth." Vega interjected cautiously. "There's no way they've communicated since."
Dammit, I am such an ass. Why can't I just trust her? If she didn't hate me after Horizon, I bet she does now.
"Sorry, Shepard. Its just that..."
A loud hissing noise cut him off as the pressure equalized. Shepard took her helmet off, shaking out her hair before looking back up at him.
"You of all people should know what I'm about, Kaidan." She said softly. He took his helmet off as well, and looked down at her. She wasn't as pale as she had been on Horizon, and her freckles were coming back across her nose and cheeks. Her eyes were large, pleading. Dammit. Those fucking eyes. I'd probably shoot myself if she told me to. "Please... trust me."
He took a step back from her, distancing himself from his distracting emotions. All I want to do right now is hold her, but we have to find Liara and get back to the Normandy.
"I do. I'm sorry. I didn't mean..." He stopped trying to find words, and walked over to a small railing as the platform they stood on rose up into the main warehouse for the facility.
They made their way silently through the room, until a series of loud bangs sent them running for cover. Guns drawn, they listened to the noise get closer, until Liara came crawling out of a ventilation duct above them. She spun around, used her biotics to fling her Cerberus pursuers into the air, and shot them coldly before turning to face the squad.
Shepard and Kaidan holstered their guns, but Vega kept his rifle trained on Liara.
"Easy there, Lieutenant." Shepard pushed his barrel down. "She's with us."
"Shepard! Thank the goddess you're alive!"
"Liara." Shepard reached up and clasped the Asari's shoulder.
"I was worried when the reports came in. They hit Earth hard?"
"Yeah. It was hard to leave like that." Kaidan stepped up behind remembered how flustered Liara had been with combat when they had first picked her up. So much has changed since then...
"Kaidan." She look at him curiously, then glanced over at Shepard, who gave a short nod. "I'm sorry." She turned to fully face Shepard. "But, why did you come here?"
"Hackett ordered us to come. Said you'd know what was going on."
"I do." Liara walked over to a small window overlooking the complex.
"Hallelujah." Vega let his shoulders drop. "Some answers, finally."
"Maybe. I've discovered plans for a Prothean device. One that could wipe out the Reapers."
"Here? On Mars?" Shepard joined the Asari at the window.
"In the Prothean Archives, yes."
"We've known about the Archives for decades. Why now?"
"Process of elimination, mixed with a little desperation. When you destroyed the Alpha Relay, you bought us some time. But then you were under investigation. I knew I had to do something. Hackett knew it too. He contacted me, asking if I would use my resources as the Shadow Broker to find a way to stop the Reapers." Kaidan exchanged a quick confused glance with Vega. Liara is the Shadow Broker? What the hell? When did that happen? "My search led me here. Hackett gave me access to the Archives, and kept me updated on your status. I meant to come see you, but..."
"I was under house arrest. There wasn't much I could do to help you, anyway."
"I suppose you're right. In any case, my work paid off. The Archives are full of data. An overwhelming amount. I think I found what we need."
"I guess I'll believe it when I see it. Where do we find this weapon?"
"Its not a weapon... not yet. Its plans for a device. A blueprint."
Shepard sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Kaidan felt his fingertips tingle with the urge to do the same, and quickly balled his hands into fists.
"Its more than we had a minute ago. How do we get it?"
"The archives are just across that tramway. Assuming Cerberus hasn't locked it down." Liara pointed out the windows to another building.
"What are they after?" Shepard glanced at Kaidan out of the corner of eye. Is this how she's trying to prove she's not with them?
"Yeah, they seemed hell bent on catching you." Vega said.
"They want what I'm here for. What we're all here for."
"But why?" Shepard leaned forward, practically resting her head on the thick glass.
"The Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers. They had plans to destroy them, but they ran out of time."
"And anything powerful enough to destroy the Reapers..." Kaidan felt the thought forming in his head.
"Just might be something Cerberus is interested in." Shepard finished his sentence, giving him a small smile. They stared at each other, as if neither one wanted to break the gaze first.
"So it's a race to the archives." Vega said, popping the heat sink out of his rifle.
A loud groaning noise from the far end of the room caught everyone's attention, forcing Shepard to turn away from Kaidan. Something was prying its way through a set of sealed doors on the second level.
"We've got company." Shepard unclipped her rifle from her backplate, and checked her heatsinks.
"Bring it on." Vega came up next to her, his giant body dwarfing her. He must have been a good guard. He's nearly twice her size! Shepard looked up at him and shook her head quickly.
"Not this time, James."
"What?"
"Get back to the shuttle." She gestured with her head. "If Cerberus beats us to the archives, I need you covering the exits."
"But..."
"Now, Lieutenant."
He glared at her, then took off running back to the platform they had come up on.
Kaidan looked up at the door. There were clamps in it, and the muffled sound of Cerberus troops could be heard.
"I hear them. We should take cover." He followed Liara and Shepard to a large pile of crates and pulled out his sidearm.
"Looks like they found us." Liara hissed as the doors shot open.
A small squad of Cerberus troops burst into the room, firing down at them.
"Shit!" Shepard muttered as a shot went past her head. "I hate having the low ground. Liara, can you get them up so Kaidan and I can pick them off?"
Liara nodded and sent her biotics out to fling the troops into the air. Shepard and Kaidan stood, taking them down systematically. Letting them collapse in a heap, they stood still for a moment, straining to hear if any more were coming.
"That's all of them." Liara said, after a few moments brought no new troops.
"Good. Let's find a way up."
As they made their way towards a ladder at the far end of the room, Shepard shot a glance over at Kaidan.
"Nice pistol." She said with a grin. "Someone put a lot of time and care into modding that."
He ran his fingers over his sidearm and gave her a nervous smile back.
"Yeah. Its a good gun. Its got... sentimental value."
Liara went up the ladder first, quickly getting to the top to check for Cerberus. Shepard grabbed a rung, and climbed up a few steps before looking down at Kaidan.
"I'm glad you kept it."
"I don't throw away good things, Shepard."
Her face went red, and she scrambled up to the top and out of sight. What am I doing? Can we go down this road again? Does she even want to? She spent so long on the SR2, and with Vega... has she moved on? I mean, her crew knew me as 'the ass from Horizon.' He shook his head and followed Shepard up the ladder. Lets get back to the Normandy before I bring it up. This is not the place for this conversation. I should also make sure she's not a Cerberus spy before finding out what happened to us.
"How'd Cerberus get into the facility?" He called out to Liara as he reached the top of the ladder and followed her down a hallway towards a security outpost.
"Not sure. One moment we were getting reports of the Reaper invasion, the next, there was chaos. Didn't even realize it was Cerberus at first." She answered.
"Could they be working with the Reapers?"
"Doubtful, but I suppose anything's possible." She frowned. "We'll need access to the pedway. Controls should be nearby."
She sat down at the desk, quickly bringing up the system controls. A scowl crossed her blue face, and she looked up at Shepard.
" Dammit. Security's been tampered with. Shepard, see if you can gain access to the pedway. I can't seem to unlock the live feeds, but..."
Kaidan walked to the back of the room where a screen was playing a loop of footage from earlier in the day. A dark haired woman ran into focus, looked up at the camera, then ran off.
"Did you see that? Who's that woman in the vid?" He called out to Liara.
"That's Doctor Eva Core. She got here about a week ago." She turned back to Shepard. "Any luck?"
Shepard shook her head.
"Pedways been locked out."
"All right. Looks like there's construction nearby. We can get out on the roof. We can find a way around from there."
"Great. Let's move."
Clipping their helmets back on, they made their way out through an airlock and onto the roof of the facility. Kaidan took a moment to look out across the landscape to the oncoming storm.
"That storm's getting close!" he called to Shepard, and pointed out at it. As he looked down from the storm to the archives, movement caught his eye. A tram was making its way towards the archives, with heavy gunfire following it. "What the hell is that?"
"Looks like the Alliance is still putting up a fight."
"That tram heads to the archives. Once Cerberus is across, they're at the final security checkpoint." Nervousness was creeping into Liara's voice, whatever they had found at the archives must be huge.
"Then that's where we're headed!" Shepard took off running again, but only made it a few feet before Vega's voice came over the comms, heavily distorted by static.
"Commander, you read me?"
"Barely! The storm's causing interference!
"Yeah, tell me about it! I've lost contact with the Normandy! What's your po...?"
"I didn't read that! James! Repeat!"
A roar of static was her answer.
"Dammit!"
"That storm's going to be in here very soon..." Liara said, as they approached the next building.
"Yeah, I can..."
"This airlock shouldn't be open!" Liara ran forward into the open room, cutting off Shepard mid-sentence. Thoughtfully, Kaidan checked the seal.
"Doesn't look like it was forced open."
"No, you have to override security protocols."
Shepard peered down into the large room below us.
"It looks like the powers off. Be careful." She flicked the light on her gun on, and set off cautiously ahead of them. She made it ten feet before she stopped. Coming up behind her, Kaidan was horrified at what he saw. A small pile of bodies lay on the floor, their faces contorted in pain and terror.
"Someone vented the air from this room while they were still here." Liara sounded shocked.
"Looks like they died trying to claw their way out." They looked at each other.
This is brutal, even by Cerberus standards."
Shepard didn't say anything, instead making a hissing noise under her breath before taking off running. She bolted down the stairs, hopped over a half wall, and barreled into the security office.
Chasing after her, Liara called out.
"We need to pressurize the room first!"
Shepard was already working on it, they heard the door they had come in through slam shut behind them, and the hiss of pressurization fill the area. Kaidan stopped to take a look around as the lights came on. Fuck. This was the cafeteria. These people were just eating and relaxing, when all the air went out. He felt sick.
By the time they caught up with Shepard, they were able to take their helmets off again.
"There we go. We have access to the labs. They'll take us right to the tram station." Liara pointed towards another set of doors.
Kaidan looked down at a security monitor with several files available.
"Hey, there's a recording of what happened here." Shepard and Liara gathered around him, and he started the footage.
It seemed to be pretty nondescript, one of the guards was using a terminal in the foreground, with a coworker behind him.
"Security station, come in..." He said. "We're seeing some odd activity down here. Our security protocols just kicked in. Everything's locked down." He turned as Doctor Core came into view. "Doctor, I'll get you..." He was cut off as she pulled out a pistol and gunned him and his partner down with two quick shots. As he slumped forward, he knocked over the camera, dropping it onto its side so it gave a distorted view of the woman accessing the environmental controls.
Kaidan couldn't bring himself to look at the other screens. Based on Liara's face, he bet it was footage of the rooms getting vented. He stepped out of the room, and leaned up against the wall.
"I guess we know how Cerberus got in." He heard Shepard say behind him.
"I should have realized it when I met her. I was just so focused on finding a way to stop the Reapers." Liara sounded genuinely upset.
"Stopping the Reapers is the only thing we should be focusing on. Its not your fault."
"But what if we're wrong? What if there's no way to stop them? What if these are our last days and we spend them scurrying around trying to fix a problem we can't fix?" The Asari's voice cracked.
"Come on, Liara." There was a warmth in Shepard's voice. She always had a way to make everything seem like it was going to be fine, even if she didn't believe it herself.
"I know. I shouldn't think that way. I don't know how you do it. You've always stayed focused, even in the worst situations."
"There's so much at stake, I just think about what I'd lose if I fail."
There was a long pause in the conversation, and he looked back at the women. He was surprised to see Shepard staring at him. He caught her glance for a moment, before she quickly turned back to Liara.
"That's a terrible burden." Liara looked at Kaidan, then back to Shepard.
"We'll stop them, Liara. Together."
"Thanks. I want to believe you." So do I. Liara finished accessing the computer. "Okay, door's open. We can get to the labs and tram station through there."
"Good. Let's move." Shepard rushed past him without looking up, and he got a hint of redness on her face. What the hell was that? Is there actually a chance she still feels anything for me but anger?
They met little resistance on their way through the labs, but the amount of dead scientists told them they were going in the correct direction. Passing through one of the smaller labs, a wave of air hit them, smelling of chemicals and burned flesh.
"God, what's that stench?" Kaidan tried to hold back a gag.
"They just activated the decontamination protocols." Liara said, holding her hand over her face.
"With the staff still inside?" Liara nodded.
Shepard was pale, but held a look of fierce anger on her face. I know how much she takes it personally when civilians get killed. This whole day must be hitting her hard.
"This is where they studied the various relics unearthed here." Liara continued as they passed through the lab.
"What did they find?" Shepard's voice was curious.
"More than I could describe in a short conversation. And they'd only scratched the surface. There are vaults filled with Prothean data that have never been studied." She pointed down the hallway. "That's the tram line, Takes us right to the Archives." She frowned. "No doubt Cerberus has it locked down. Hopefully we can override it at the security station. Its just through here."
They turned the corner and were greeted by a hail of automatic gunfire. As they dove for cover behind a small crate, a ceiling mounted turret followed their every move.
"Heads up!" Kaidan called out. The small space they had for cover forced him to lean over Shepard, as if he was shielding her with his body.
"That's an understatement." Shepard looked up at him, eyebrows raised. He felt his face start to go red, and tried to fight it.
"I take it that's the only way in?" He looked towards Liara.
"Its the only way I know of!" The Asari shrugged apologetically.
"We'll skirt around it. Stay out of its sights." Shepard tried to move past him, but Kaidan put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.
"I'll move up first." I can distract it. If it hits me... only my students will be out of luck. Hell, they might be already. But Shepard and Liara have to get to the Archives. "Don't let it target you!"
He took off running, sliding into cover behind behind another wall up. The tracking on the turret was slightly off, always half a second or so behind him.
"If we all move at the same time, I think we can get past it!" He called back. "Get ready to move!"
As he set off for the next half wall, he saw Shepard and Liara slip out of their cover. It was a nerve wracking few minutes as they made their way slowly around the room, but finally they were out of the range of the turret.
"Everyone okay? No one got hit?"
"Kaidan, if someone got hit, you'd know by now." Shepard looked at him, trying hard to hide a smile.
"Right."
Liara sat down at the console and started typing furiously.
"I'm having a hard time with the override. But I think I've got the live security feed back up..."
A small screen clicked on, Doctor Core and a Cerberus troop were arguing loudly.
"Set up a perimeter. No one else comes across!" She was yelling at him.
"We still have teams on the other side..."
"No one. And shut down those cameras!" She pulled out her pistol and shot the camera, reducing the video feed to static.
"Looks like they've made it to the Archives." Liara said with a grimace.
"And I doubt they'll just send us a tram." Kaidan sighed.
"Can you override it?" Shepard leaned over Liara, staring down at the console.
"The Archives are on a separate network. We're completely locked out." As Liara sat back in the chair, Kaidan's mind started to race. If we can't override the system, there has to be a way for them to send a tram to us. That soldier sounded pretty pissed about leaving his squad.
"Not if we can find a short range communicator. Helmet to Helmet." Shepard turned to look at him.
"And...?" She leaned back against the security console, arms folded across her chest.
"And we convince them that we're on their side. Tell them the Alliance forces have been taken care of."
"Good idea. See what you can find." She pointed to the next room, where a Cerberus soldier lay amongst some scientists.
He was just through the door when he heard her voice again, slightly muffled, but obviously exasperated.
"What?"
"The Major has become very... capable." Liara sounded like she was teasing Shepard.
"That he has." There was a strange tone to her voice, Kaidan couldn't quite pin it down. Capable?
He knelt down by the Cerberus soldier. A small wireless antennae gave away that his helmet was definitely wired for short range comms.
"Shepard! I found something." She came through the door and crouched down next to him.
"What've you got?"
"He's got a transmitter in his helmet. If I can..." He reached up and hit the release on the helmet. The visor popped up, revealing a gray face covered in thick veins. The eyes were glowing blue, without pupils. "My god. He looks like a husk."
"Yeah, but not quite. But they've definitely done something to him." She stared at him curiously.
"And by they, you mean Cerberus? They did this to their own guy? Is this what they did to you?" Again, the words came out before he could think them through. Shepard shot him a disgusted look and got to her feet. He stood up quickly as she turned her back towards him. But as he approached her to apologize, she spun around, short hair flying.
"How can you compare me to him?" She stared at him accusingly.
"Shepard, I don't know what you are. Or who... not since Cerberus rebuilt you. For all I know, you could be their puppet, controlled by the Illusive Man himself." All his doubt, his concerns, his worries, poured out in a rush.
"Kaidan..." Her face went soft, a hurt expression sweeping across it.
"Don't try to explain it . I don't think I'd understand anyway. I just want to know. Is the person I followed to hell and back, the person that I loved, are you still in there, somewhere?" Dammit, I wanted to save this conversation for the Normandy, not for the middle of a war zone. Well, now she really knows how I feel. Surprisingly she reached out, and softly placed her gloved hand on his arm.
"They didn't change me, Kaidan. Or how I feel about you. But words won't convince you, will they?"
She still feels... But... Horizon... Cerberus... Three years...
He was so shocked, he could barely get words out.
"Probably not." Wait. Wrong words. No, no no.
"I didn't think so. You were always stubborn." She gave him a half smile, and he had to laugh.
"Me?"
"Come on, let's see what Cerberus is up to. Maybe we'll both get some answers." She gave him a light punch to the shoulder, like Ashley used to do, and reached down to pull out the transmitter.
"Hello.. this is... uh... Delta team." She looked at Kaidan nervously and shrugged. "Anybody there?"
"Where the hell have you been?" A rough voice responded. "Never mind. What's your status?"
"We're at the tram station, waiting for extraction. All hostiles terminated."
"Roger that. Echo team will ride over and secure the station." Shepard clicked the transmitter off.
"Think they bought it?" Kaidan asked.
"If they didn't, they'll figure it out soon enough."
"We should flank them, hit them when they get off the tram."
"Good thinking... Major." Shepard shot him a grin that made his heart melt. Dammit, she better be real. I couldn't handle it if she wasn't.
As they made their way into cover, he looked over at her.
"Delta team?"
"There's always a Delta team." She called back.
They hid behind crates and waited as the tram hissed into the station. Kaidan flared his biotics, ready to push the troops back, when he felt pressure on his arm. Shepard was pushing his hand down, the blue lightning of his power crawling up her arm. He felt her tremble slightly and she looked up at him.
"Not yet." She whispered, and held up a frag grenade.
She crossed in front of him, stepped out from behind the crate, and lobbed the grenade with surprising accuracy. It bounced through the opening door of the tram, and exploded with a burst of shrapnel. The few troopers that weren't felled instantly staggered around blindly, easy pickings for Shepard's rifle.
"Where did you learn to throw like that?" Kaidan asked, mouth open.
"We picked up an old mercenary, Zaeed Messani. Spent a lot of time with him on the hanger deck with some duds. He's got an arm like you wouldn't believe."
She grinned as she made her way onto the tram. The amount of Cerberus troops that had been on it surprised them all.
"Damn, they really didn't want us getting in here."
Shepard gave a laugh, and they secured their helmets before starting the tram on its return trip.
They met little resistance on their way to the Archives, besides the few troops they were picking off, Kaidan figured the group on the tram must have been the last of the forces. As they entered the large room that housed the Archives, Liara bolted for the main console. Kaidan stared in awe. In the center of the room stood a large Prothean beacon, identical to the one they had found on Eden Prime. Back when everything was relatively simple...
As they walked towards it, a terminal booted up, and a hologram of a man stepped into view. Well dressed and smoking a cigarette, he glared at Shepard.
"Shepard." She and Liara froze, and spun to face him.
"Illusive Man." Liara snarled. The Illusive Man? Kaidan leaned forward curiously. The name had come up several times in his research of Cerberus, but no pictures of the man existed.
"Fascinating race, the Protheans." He gestured towards the beacon with his cigarette. "They left all this for us to discover. But we squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than thirty years. And what have they done with it?"
Shepard folded her arms across her chest and glared.
"What do you want?"
"What I've always wanted. The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat."
"I've seen your solution. Your people are turned into monsters."
"Hardly. They're being improved." Kaidan felt a chill go down his spine. Well, this might be pretty definite proof she's not working for them...
"Improved?"
"That's what separates up, Shepard. Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control. To dominate and harness the Reaper's power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them."
"You've gone to far! The Reapers will kill us all if we don't stop fighting each other!"
"I don't expect you to understand, Shepard. And I'm certainly not looking for your approval. You were a tool. An agent with a singular purpose." Shepard's hands balled into fists. "And despite our differences, you were relatively successful." He turned to look behind him at something unseen. "But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over."
"Enough talk." Shepard looked over her shoulder. "Liara!" She gestured with her head towards the terminal.
"Don't interfere with my plans, Shepard. I won't warn you again."
Shepard gave him a mocking salute.
"Duly noted."
"Shepard!" Liara called.
"What?"
"The data! Its not here!" The hologram of the Illusive Man smiled cruelly, and turned away before blinking off. "Its being erased!"
"Dammit! How's he doing it?"
"Its local. Someone's uploading the information."
Kaidan saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and stepped away to investigate. In a small alcove, Doctor Core was hard at work at a terminal.
"Hey!" He called out, pointing his pistol at her. "Step away from the console! Now!"
She spun quickly, kicking him squarely in the chest, knocking him backwards, before putting her fist through the terminal. She took off running towards the exit.
"She's got the data!" He yelled at Shepard as he struggled back to his feet. Damn, that was strong. What the hell?
"She's faster than she looks!" Liara yelled as they bolted after her.
"Stay close! We can't lose her!" Shepard called back.
They ran through the Archives, always a few meters behind the doctor. She scampered up a ladder, and burst open a hatch onto the facility roof. As they followed her, a strange thought struck Kaidan. She's not wearing a helmet... He didn't have time to voice the thought, Shepard was calling out to Vega over the comms.
"James! Do you read me? Cerberus has the data! Radio the Normandy, get them down here now!"
They followed the rogue scientist over barriers and up ladders. Finally, when they had her cornered on the highest point of the roof, a Cerberus shuttle swooped down and opened its cargo doors. She jumped on, and turned back to them with a smug expression.
"Dammit! James! Normandy! ANYBODY?" Shepard yelled into her comms. Kaidan's ears rang, and he felt her anger resonate in his bones. We can't fail so soon...
"I got this one!" Vega's voice accompanied the roar of shuttle engines. They looked up to see their shuttle bearing down on the Cerberus transport.
Kaidan barely had enough time to mentally curse Vega before the shuttles collided. They dove out of the way as burning wreckage crashed towards them.
When Kaidan pulled himself up, the Cerberus shuttle was completely ablaze. The Normandy shuttle was thankfully unharmed, save a few large dents, and it circled around to land behind them. He helped Liara to her feet, watching Shepard wave down their transport.
"We need the data!" Liara said to him, as she hobbled away towards Shepard. A loud crashing noise caused them all to turn back towards the Cerberus shuttle, as the door came flying off with a horrible squeal.
Doctor Core stood in the fire, her clothes and skin burned away to reveal synthetics and metal. Pushing Liara towards Shepard, Kaidan drew his pistol, and shot frantically at her. She was on him in seconds, her hand gripping his helmet. She lifted him off the ground, stretching his neck out as he dangled helplessly.
"Kaidan!" He heard Shepard yell behind him, her voice full of panic. "Let him go!"
The robot cocked its head to the side.
"Orders?" It said, tuning into some silent frequency. Whatever the response was, it seemed to please her. She spun around and slammed Kaidan up against the wreckage of her shuttle. He felt a rib crack as he hit a corner in the metal. With the wind knocked out of him, he couldn't even cry out.
"NO!" Shepard screamed desperately. His eyes already starting to go fuzzy, he saw her running towards him, pistol drawn. Slammed against the metal again, his head snapped back, and he felt every nerve in his neck twitch. The pain was incredible, worse than every biotic migraine he has ever experienced. A series of images flashed through his mind, childhood, his parents, BAaT, Shepard on Eden Prime, on Virmire, asleep in his arms. Oh god I'm going to lose everything again. More images flashed by, things new but somehow familiar. A little house on a hill, a small boy with his eyes, but her freckles... and then everything was fire, smoke and screaming. I only ever wanted to be with her... was that too much to ask? He hit the wall again, and his body shut down as a reaction to the pain. He had a sensation of falling to the ground before everything faded to black. A few minutes later, he woke to excruciating pain, and tried to open his eyes, but couldn't force them open. He felt the sting of MediGel, and the buzz of far off voices.
"...medical attention! We have to leave the Sol system."
"I know."
"The Citadel is our best chance. We can..."
"Hold on, Kaidan..." He heard Shepard whisper to him, and felt the soft pressure of her hands on his, the only feeling he had that wasn't pain. Then the darkness overtook him again, and he slipped into nothingness.