Chapter 2: The Normandy Reborn
Miranda had put on her cheerful face and was cooperative on the Freedom's Progress mission. Shepard seemed surprised that she never questioned any of his directives, not even when he ordered Veetor be allowed to go back with the Quarians. In fact, she could not help but notice that they worked quite well together, especially when the gunfire erupted. Though she had disagreed with Shepard's preoccupation with survivors twice now, she had to admit that she found it refreshing to see that he really did behave the way the way he had been portrayed in the vids and news reports.
Of course, this worried her too; could he make the sacrifices that would be needed in the fight against the Reapers? His willingness to give the Quarians what they wanted would have really bothered her if Tali had not been part of the team that took down Sovereign. And it was hard to fault his read on the situation when the Quarians actually forwarded Veetor's omni-tool data to Cerberus.
Miranda Lawson had spent the last two years of her life rebuilding Commander Shepard from the ground up. The process had not been without its challenges, and the costs were astronomical, and that was not including the building of the Normandy SR-2, developing the Enhanced Defense Intelligence, or the costs of running the crew. And the process itself was seemingly impossible at times; practically everything that could go wrong did, right down to Wilson selling Cerberus out and her nearly dying. But she had succeeded. And when Shepard arrived at the shuttle pad on the doomed station, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of him. Miranda was as cynical as you could be, and was never impressed by looks or charisma. And yet, when the man she had spent the last two years rebuilding stepped through the door, she was momentarily caught up in the moment, like Cinderella meeting Prince Charming.
And that had prompted her to put a lot of emotional distance between herself and Shepard. She knew she had been rude and disrespectful to him prior to the Freedom's Progress mission, but he had put aside any frustration and completed the mission professionally. This had the unexpected effect of impressing her even more. Then his damned paragon attitude about placing the lives of survivors and innocents ahead of getting the job done, while troubling, had also impressed her. Cerberus was very much about the big picture, and operated very much on the premise that the ends justified the means, and that sacrifices had to be made for the good of humanity. Shepard was different. The hero of the Blitz, he was famous specifically for doing what nobody else thought could be done; he held Elysium practically single handedly until the breach in the colony's defenses could be sealed, thus ending the attack with very few civilian casualties and minimal losses among his own men. For this the Alliance had awarded him the Star of Terra.
And now, here she was aboard the new Normandy, serving as that icon's XO. Though she tried to be professional and treat this as a very important mission, part of her was excited to be working with Shepard in spite of her attempts to remain dispassionate. Using her talents to save the galaxy alongside Humanity's greatest hero was very compelling. Her door chimed interrupting her thoughts, so she put down her work and signaled the door to open, saying,
"Come in."
It was Shepard. He wore the Cerberus officers' uniform that he had been provided with, and wore it well, she thought. Of course, his clothing options were limited almost entirely to Cerberus uniforms. What little he had that did not bear Cerberus' emblem was undergarments and sleep wear. She laughed silently to herself; he hated the idea of wearing a Cerberus uniform. Perhaps we'll change your mind, she thought. But he was not here just so she could admire him.
"What can I do for you, Commander," she opened warmly, smiling at him. Miranda was designed to be the perfect woman, and that included beautiful, seductive looks. And she had trained to use those looks to her fullest advantage. Shepard was all business, however, not showing the slightest crack in his defenses.
"Anything I should know regarding the Normandy?" he asked.
"The crew's working well, and the ship appears to be performing to specifications," she replied cheerfully, still working her looks and charm.
"What exactly are your duties; aside from keeping an eye on me?"
Right to it, she thought. As a Spectre, it was unlikely that Shepard would be easily taken in, and with her being openly Cerberus, she had her work cut out. Of course, she would have been disappointed if she had been able to wrap him around her finger that easily. She kept the charm on as she answered.
"I'm the Illusive Man's agent. You're his most important asset; my job is to make sure you succeed. Aside from that … I send regular reports to the Illusive Man, updating our status."
She expected him to press her for more concrete information, or to bristle at the mention that she was reporting on him, but he did neither.
"Do you have a minute, Miranda?"
"No doubt you have a lot of questions," she said as reassuringly as she could. "Cerberus isn't as evil as most people would have you believe. If you have any doubts, I'd be happy to answer your questions. So, what would you like to know?"
"I know what we're doing here, but what is Cerberus' long term goals?"
Now this was unexpected. It sounded like genuine interest. Alright, she thought. I'll bite.
"The advancement of the Human race. Nothing more, nothing less," she proudly declared. "The Salarians have their Special Task Group, the Asari have their legendary commandos for stealth and recon operations. Cerberus is Humanity's answer to those organizations."
"But those organizations are regulated by governments," he countered. "Who keeps Cerberus in check?"
"Nobody," she explained. "We're privately funded and our backers trust the Illusive Man to make the right decisions. But he's very clear about our goals; protect Humanity and serve its advancement." Saying it out loud, even she had to admit that it sounded naïve. She mentally prepared herself for the onslaught of logical rebuttals that she expected him to offer, but he switched gears.
"What is Cerberus? Military? Political? Or both?"
"Cerberus has several divisions," she said. "Political, military, scientific. But we're all working towards the same goal. We keep our ranks and structure similar to the Alliance; a lot of our recruits started there. But not all Cerberus operations use the same protocols. We try not to get bogged down in bureaucracy or formality."
She again braced herself for Shepard to dig into how Cerberus started out as an Alliance black ops, but instead, he asked about Cerberus' leader.
"What can you tell me about the Illusive Man?"
"Not much that you don't already know. Even I don't have access to most of his background," she confessed. "And you've more of him than most ever do. It's rare for him to become involved in missions, but you're something special." She could hear the admiration in her own voice. It just reinforced all of her own self-doubt. A man of fairly humble origins, Shepard's accomplishments had set him apart. No fancy education, no genetic tailoring, and no biotics. And yet, here he was in command of the Normandy, and for the duration of this mission, her superior officer. But she continued before she went further down that rabbit trail; he had to know, to understand, just how important the Illusive Man was to Humanity. "Whatever else people might say about him, I can assure you he's got Humanity's best interests at heart," she said emphatically. "That includes you and me."
This time, he did dig into the topic further.
"How can you be sure of that if you know so little about him?"
"I didn't get where I am without knowing how to gauge people's motives and ambitions, even from brief encounters," she said somewhat defensively. "He's no saint, and he'd be the first to admit it, but he's committed. Humanity couldn't have a better advocate."
She steeled herself again for an anticipated questioning of the Illusive Man's dedication to Humanity and her ability to know that he was genuine, but again, he switched gears, which threw her off balance.
"What kind of resources does Cerberus have?" he asked.
"We're very well-funded, though I doubt anyone but the Illusive Man knows exactly how well," she said readily. "But our resources are not unlimited; reviving you and rebuilding the Normandy was a significant investment, and a significant risk." Then she added cheerfully, "We're all hoping you can do the impossible, Shepard. No pressure."
Before she could even anticipate his response, not that she had had any success thus far, he caught her off guard saying,
"Tell me about yourself, Miranda."
"I guess that's fair," she replied, almost reflexively. "I've spent the last two years learning everything there is to know about you." That was not entirely true; records of his Spectre missions were sealed beyond even her ability to break in. But his background, Alliance service and public information she had memorized.
Before she realized it, she was telling Shepard things about herself. Very personal things.
"Well, you should probably know that I've had extensive genetic modification. Not my decision, but I make the most of it." She leaned against the desk, her shoulders momentarily slumping as she thought about the many strings that came attached to her gifts. Then she realized that she was showing more emotion than she intended. She straightened up and smiled, saying, "It's one of the reasons the Illusive Man handpicked me. I'm very good at just about anything I choose to do."
"What level of genetic modification are we talking about?" asked Shepard matter of factly.
"It's very thorough," she said animatedly. Strings or no, her she had always found her own modifications fascinating, not to mention that genetics was a field of intense interest for her. "Physically, I'm superior in many ways. I heal quickly and I'll likely live half again as long as the average human. My biotic abilities are also very advanced … for a human. Add to that some of the best training and education that money can buy and, well, it's pretty impressive … really." Her confidence waned at the end, but he seemed not to notice.
"You certainly don't lack for confidence," he observed, his voice complimentary.
"It's just a fact," she said with some resignation. "My reflexes, my strength, even my looks – they're all designed to give me an edge. No point in hiding from it." As if I could, she thought. Then she added suddenly, "It's the reason I'm trusted to oversee the most dangerous, risky, and technically demanding operations Cerberus undertakes." Who am I trying sell on that? she thought. Him or myself? Time to get the focus off of me, dammit! "It's why I was assigned to you. It's my job to make sure you succeed, Shepard."
Nobody else on the ship knew just how much of her supposed gifts were genetically engineered into her. Nothing of my own, she thought. Why am I telling him all this? But before she could answer herself, Shepard ended the conversation.
"Thanks for the information, Miranda. I'll talk to you later."
"Of course, Shepard," she said deferentially. "Whatever you need."
Miranda was relieved as the door closed, leaving her alone in her quarters once again. Or so she thought.
"My biometric scans of your body indicate that you were very close to giving him privileged information, Miss Lawson," came Edi's voice, startling her.
Miranda nearly jumped out of her skin. She tried not to show it, but Edi's diagnostics would not be fooled by such subtleties. Damned AI, she thought.
"I was not," Miranda retorted. "Besides, I can handle myself; don't tell me how to do my job."
"Clearly, you cannot," replied Edi, her voice devoid of emotion. "Not where Shepard is concerned. I observed your conversation with interest; Shepard led you exactly where he wanted you to go, and you gave up far more information than you should have."
"Shepard is a soldier, not an operative," Miranda declared. "He's not trained in interrogation."
"Shepard is a Spectre," countered Edi. "Something you should be acutely aware of. He has received a great deal of special training, and has overseen the most dangerous, risky, and technically demanding operations that the Council has. And he's an officer; the skipper of the Normandy."
"They should have made him a captain," Miranda said out loud.
"They did," replied Edi. "But he was then reduced in rank for stealing the Normandy, thus remaining a commander. Ambassador Udina has considerable pull, and keeping Shepard at his rank prior to the Battle of the Citadel was the only way to get him to withdraw his complaints."
"I know that Edi!" Miranda half said/half shouted. She could not believe it. First Shepard had worked her, and now the computer was working her.
"Humans often need reminders," replied the machine. "And you need to remember that Shepard successfully led the first major multi-species operation that involved humanity; it is self-deception to think otherwise on your part. His alien crewmembers were fiercely loyal to him. Shepard not only led them, but kept them in line. He knows how to get information from his subordinates. Never forget that Shepard is more experienced than his years would suggest, or that he is your intellectual equal."
"Again, Edi, don't tell me how to do my job."
"My goal is the same as yours, Miss Lawson; to monitor our progress and report to the Illusive Man. While it may be your job to make sure that Shepard succeeds, it is my job to make sure that you succeed, Miranda. Do not forget that."
Edi's avatar vanished from her screen, indicating that the connection had been terminated. But Edi was most certainly keeping an eye on her. Let it watch, she thought defiantly. I'm the Illusive Man's top agent. And I'll show that bloody machine who's in charge.
Shepard could hardly believe it; for all her confidence and haughtiness, Miranda was insecure. And insecure about the very things that seemed to also give her the confidence to do her job: her genetic engineering. She was beautiful, no denying, but also cold and aloof. But after their success in the Freedom's Progress mission, Miranda had warmed up. Shepard had again taken a cordial tack, asking about the ship, but when the conversation had turned to the subject of Miranda herself, Shepard found that she was opening up to him. He had pressed, gently and subtly, and she had almost given up information that he knew he was not privy to. But more importantly, she showed her vulnerability. He wondered why such magnificent gifts would be a source of insecurity. In due time, he thought, I'll find out.
He had to laugh; Ashley was just the opposite; fully confident in herself and her own abilities, but driven by her family's failure. She had been saddled not only with their failures, but with her own realization that she lacked the very gifts that Miranda had. Miranda was incredibly articulate and intelligent, while Ashley, though no dunce, was not any kind of supra-genius. Ashley also had to use the words of "those sappy poets" as she called them to voice her own feelings. Ash's expression through literature was one of the things he had fallen in love with. He wondered where she was.
It did not take long for Cerberus to try to put Shepard to work on missions that had nothing to do with the Collectors or the Reapers. It seemed that Cerberus had an operative who had been lost, only to turn up on Lorek in the Fahar system. It was nearby, and the mission was to retrieve the very sensitive Cerberus data the agent had been carrying. Shepard was about to tell the Illusive Man not to waste his time. But then a plan formed in his mind, prompting him to signal his acceptance of the mission.
I know what this organization is, and you know that, he thought. You want to send a Spectre to get your sensitive data? Heh; be careful what you wish for.
After Freedom's Progress and time spent aboard the new Normandy the first order of business was a Cerberus specific mission; they had gone to the Fahar System to retrieve data from a slain Cerberus operative. Battling through Eclipse mercs, Shepard was again impressive. And they got the data. She was surprised that he had even been willing to do that one; it was not pertinent to the Collector mission and was wholly for the benefit of Cerberus.
In spite of their initial friction, Shepard was proving to be cooperative. Edi's words still rang in her ears; Shepard could very easily be playing her. She knew that it was a possibility, especially as their alliance was still new and still very tenuous. During Shepard's reconstruction, she had pushed to have a control chip installed in him, but the Illusive Man would not allow it; anything that might potentially alter his personality, change who he was, or somehow render him not-Shepard was off limits. She was very annoyed with the Illusive Man's refusal to go along with her on it at the time. Now, however, she was glad that he had refused. She decided that it was for the best; Shepard needed to truly be Shepard.