A/N: Wow, you guys are really keen on this one, aren't you? I'll do my best. I'm aiming for a chapter a week, usually updated on Mondays. Anywho, thanks for all the lovely feedback, here have a chapter.
Chapter 2
Shepard woke to the sterile smell of antiseptic and the sickening lemony stench of high grade surface cleaner. Nearby a machine was beeping.
Then someone was pulling one of her eyes open and waving a pen light into her pupil.
She moved to brush it away only to find her hands were bound at her sides. She was on her back and completely immobile.
Her eyes snapped open and the unmistakable sight of a lab coat filled most of her vision, the hard press of the operation table she was on suddenly cold beneath her and far too familiar.
Her Biotics flared instantly, thoughts of Cerberus stitching her up for their own use, manipulating her, playing her, shot through her mind.
Not this time.
The blue glow flooded into the room and gravitational fields surged. Her restraints snapped and then several things happened at once. A fat and bearded man in a lab coat gasped and staggered back, dropping the penlight and knocking a tray of surgical equipment to the floor on his way down.
Shepard leapt to her feet, standing atop the operating table. She was in a large but otherwise standard old fashioned hospital room.
Several voices cried out, calls of "She's awake!" and "Stand down!" chorusing around the room.
The pulsing glow of her biotics surged wildly around her at the sight of nearly a dozen infantrymen lining the walls, all pointing their bulky rifles at her. It was obvious now that they weren't Cerberus, but then of course they weren't; she'd already destroyed The Illusive Man and the last of his organization. She didn't recognize the red diamond shaped logo on the wall.
Suddenly there was a rush of air to her side and before she could so much as turn her head a blade was being held against her throat.
"Stand down." A deep voice ordered from beside her.
Shepard instinctively cast stasis. She saw the corresponding glow on the blade stretching away to her left and knew she'd hit her target. Out of the corner of her eye she could see what looked like a leather coat and strands of long silver hair freeze mid-air in the stasis field.
A horrified silence fell, followed by the echoing click of guns cocking all around the room. Now the infantrymen weren't just holding their guns at the ready, they were aiming at her. Had they never seen biotics before? Many of them looked at the frozen silver haired man nervously; she could see the way some had started trembling, one or two even took an unconscious step back.
"Please calm down. We're not here to hurt you." A voice interrupted the tense silence.
The one who had spoken stepped through the line of infantrymen. He was the man in the suit from the bar, as Shepard vaguely recalled, the same one who had briefly fought beside her against the flaming bird.
He was of average height and build, Asian, well dressed, and in his early twenties. And packing heat, she noted with a wry smile. He stood forward from all the troopers, his hands held up in a pacifying gesture. A slight lump in the breast pocket of his old fashioned jacket gave away the hidden pistol he had, but he resolutely didn't reach for it. His hand did twitch in that direction though.
"Who are you, where am I, and why was I tied down?" she demanded, giving him the patented glare of a Spectre who was absolutely done with this shit.
"Please release the General." He answered with enviable calm, "Then we can discuss the situation."
A General? She turned slightly, looking at the man still trapped in her stasis field but keeping the suited man in her peripheral vision. The General didn't look anything like one, not by Alliance standards at least. He was tall and pale with long silver hair and unnaturally green eyes. It was impossible to tell how old he was, but she'd guess mid-twenties. He wore a long leather coat with no shirt under it and was holding a sword of all things. He looked back at her through narrowed eyes. His gaze was as measured and assessing as hers, despite being paralyzed for the moment. His hand and the unreasonably long sword he held were still frozen under her biotic hold.
Nobody moved. There were nearly a dozen guns trained on her and the stasis field wouldn't last much longer.
She looked back to the Asian man. His hand was trailing towards his concealed handgun.
Supressing a frustrated sigh, she released her biotics. The blue glow died and the sword was immediately held closer to her throat. The man in the suit and the infantry all breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"I let go, General, as instructed." She said quietly, careful not to move her neck too much.
He looked up at her for a moment with a face that gave away nothing, and then he drew back. The sword was lowered but not sheathed.
"That does not mean you are not a threat." He said.
She tilted her head in acknowledgement. Disarming a Biotic was like disarming a Krogan: nothing more than wishful thinking.
But she had let him go on purpose and she didn't intend to resort to force again unless they pushed her to it. Despite what many had said about her over the years she was perfectly capable of diplomacy. When necessary.
She had relented because she could deal with the military. No matter what species or creed, they had a sort of honour that was bred through the rigors of respect and regulations. Even when they made the wrong call, they spoke her language. The man with the hidden gun was straightening his suit and looking perfectly unassuming while pretending not to study her. She was pretty sure she spoke that language as well.
"Wait outside." The General said to one of the infantrymen, one with a red scarf instead of the blue the others all wore.
"But, sir-" He began, and then the trooper seemed to realise who he was questioning. He stopped mid-sentence, saluted, and left with the rest of the infantrymen.
"You as well, Hollander." He said to the scientist who was still on the floor and trying not to draw any attention to himself. Hollander did not require further encouragement and promptly scrambled out of the room, only stopping to give Shepard a glare once he was behind the imposing General.
Shepard got down from the operating table and stood on the ground, suddenly feeling exposed. She wasn't in her armour; instead she was wearing draughty hospital garb of some kind. She had no idea where her Black Widow was and that made her uncomfortable. Only the General and the man in the suit were left in the room now and there was no doubt they were the most dangerous people she'd met since this whole debacle had started.
The two men moved to a table on the other side of the room and pulled out chairs.
"Sit." The General said, drawing out a chair for her in a manner that implied it wasn't a suggestion.
"I'd rather stand." She replied.
He looked disapproving but didn't push the issue. He didn't sit either and stood next to the seated man in a suit.
"You asked who we are." The seated man began, "I am Tseng, of Shinra's Administrative Research department."
She wondered if everyone in Administrative Research carried hidden firearms. Her eyes drifted curiously to the General, awaiting the rest of the introduction. She didn't catch Tseng's small smile, as though he'd just confirmed a suspicion.
"That's General Sephiroth, of Shinra's SOLDIER division." Tseng continued. "And your name?"
"Shepard." She said.
"Shepard…?"
She looked down at herself. Her dog tags were missing.
"I'm sure you already know." She said, frustration leaking into her voice. She hated not understanding the situation and right now all she knew was that she wasn't the one holding the cards. That didn't mean she had to give away information for free.
"Why don't you tell us anyway, then we can see what we can do to help." Tseng said with an inoffensive smile that couldn't have been less artificial.
She crossed her arms and waited silently.
"Alright then, I'll tell you." He said, his voice not losing an ounce of its polite cordial quality. He reached over to a drawer in the table and pulled out her Alliance dog tags, the flickering form of her malfunctioning omni-tool, and the spare heat sink of her Black Widow. He deposited each item on the table with a dull thud.
"None of these items exist on Gaia." He said. He sat back and waited for her reaction.
"Would you care to offer an explanation, Commander?" said Sephiroth, "Or do you prefer Spectre?"
"Commander will do." She said, trying to get the most of what they'd just told her. This planet was called Gaia. She'd never heard of it before and the way the General said 'Spectre' told her he didn't know what it really meant, beside the label on her dog tags, so these people didn't know anything about Citadel Space. But then she remembered the planes. They probably didn't know about anything beyond their own atmosphere.
Which meant this was First Contact.
Perfect. That was just what she needed right now.
"You're identification, your armour and your weaponry aren't from this planet, neither are your powers." Tseng continued when it became obvious she wasn't going to say anything. "You're not even entirely human."
That got a response from her. She looked up sharply at the mention of her questionable claim to humanity and fixed him with a stare. They knew he had her full attention, though she doubted they could begin to imagine why. The implants that kept her going were based on Reaper technology, and she'd welcome death long before she risked anyone ever getting their hands on that. It was time to start talking.
"I'm Commander Shepard of The System's Alliance as well as a Spectre for the Citadel Council." She said, squaring her shoulders and looking them in the eye. "My arrival here was an accident. We have no quarrel with your people." But they absolutely would if they wanted to start poking at her implants.
"How did you end up in the middle of a secure military base by accident?" Asked Sephiroth.
"Do you understand the workings of Faster Then Light travel?" She asked back. He shook his head. "Then you'll have to take my word for it that it's very complicated and easy to get wrong."
"Regardless of what brought you here, you are here now." Tseng said, trying to steer the conversation back to where he wanted it. "And we would like you make you an offer."
"I'm listening."
"It's clear that you're very powerful, and given your reaction to the Phoenix on the streets, you jump to help people. That's admirable." He said. She got the feeling the feeling he was buttering her up for something. "We'd like to hire you."
"What? Just like that?" she asked, startled at their leap in logic. "I already have a job you know, and a rank."
"This agreement would only for the duration of your stay of course. You'd be doing exactly what you voluntarily did in Junon, killing monsters that are a danger to the populace. The only difference is that we'd be paying you for it."
"And I'd be wearing your uniform." She noted dryly.
"Your welcome to wear you own armour if it makes you feel more comfortable."
She watched them both for a moment, trying to decide what she thought of this development. Out of habit she stretched her shoulder, the one she kept her rifle on. It didn't hurt.
But she had been close to dead last time she was awake. So they'd provided her with medical attention? She'd just assumed they were going to cut her open for nefarious reasons of their own. She couldn't say why but she expected these people to be conniving liars. Perhaps she was being too hard on them.
"Who is this 'we' exactly?" she asked. "Who would I be working for?"
"The Shinra Electric Power Company." Tseng said. "We have a vested interest in the welfare of Gaia and often hire people to that end."
"I see." She replied, thinking the offer over. She didn't actually have any idea what to do, being on a human planet inexplicably separate from Earth and the Alliance.
Her first priority was getting back.
"I could well be retrieved by my men tomorrow. They might be scanning the atmosphere for me right now."
"You'll be free to return as soon as it is possible for you to do so." Said Sephiroth, "In the meantime, you are a representative of a foreign state's military we know nothing about. This is an offer of good will on our part."
"I have conditions. What you know about me, the medical data that says I'm not entirely human? Destroy it." She said. The two men shared a glance at her blatant demand. This was too important for her to keep quiet about.
"I have numerous implants which are beneficial to me, but any replicas of them would be incredibly dangerous, to everyone on your planet." She continued. "They are currently benign, but even the smallest tampering can cause more damage than you can imagine. If you want my co-operation you'll have to get rid of any information you have regarding my physiology."
"Do you have control over these implants?" Sephiroth asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
"I do." She said with a decisive nod.
"What if we don't agree to your conditions?" Tseng asked.
Her biotics flared, the shimmering power arcing across her skin. Both men immediately reacted, their hands flying to their weapons.
"I'm not going to let your curiosity destroy an entire planet." She said calmly. She let the glow subside when they didn't move further.
The both watched her cautiously, before letting their hands fall away from their weapons again.
"Alright." Tseng said after a long silent moment of contemplation. "We can agree to your conditions. Do we have a deal Commander?"
"You're very eager. Why the insistence?" She asked, watching him carefully.
"You're obviously very capable and I believe we can both benefit from an arrangement." He said smoothly.
"Yeah, but what's your rush?" she pressed, her hand resting on her hip. "Forgive me for thinking that this is all very suspicious."
Tseng shared a look with Sephiroth and then he reached back and held up a remote to the TV suspended from the ceiling. It was a heavy box of a thing though the screen itself was quite small. With a low whine it flicked on.
Some sort of news show was on, with two reporters excitedly discussing something.
"-Appeared out of nowhere and took down the Anti-Shinra terrorist! Her powers are unlike anything we've ever seen, Carol," exclaimed a man with heavily styled hair and a wide plastic smile.
In the bottom corner of the screen a grainy picture of Shepard appeared, she was wreathed in her biotics and attacking the flaming bird.
"You're telling me, Dan." A female reported replied from underneath thick makeup and an equally enduring smile. "Rumours have it that she's working for Shinra, she may even be a new type of SOLDIER, sent in specifically to protect civilians."
The picture in the corner changed over to one of Shepard aiming her rifle with Tseng standing behind her.
"Other sources claim that she was actually in Junon for a secret mission for SOLDIER and only blew her cover to save people." Said the first reporter.
"We are still waiting for an official statement from Shinra, but all we've heard so far practically confirms this mystery hero was one of theirs." Carol said, "If so, then it's great to see the famed Energy Company taking such an active interest in public safety."
"Absolutely. These are very exciting times, Carol, very exciting." Dan said. "Now, we'll be back after the break, keep watching for round the clock updates on-"
Tseng turned the TV off again.
Shepard didn't know whether to laugh at the absurdity of it or scowl at the obnoxious and presuming reporters. It seemed the media were the same no matter what planet you were on.
Still, now she could see why this Shinra was so eager to have her on board. They had a reputation to consider.
"One question, before I agree to anything." She said, "What exactly do they mean by SOLDIER?"
"That is exactly where we'd like you." Tseng said. "General?"
Sephiroth gave her one last look of careful consideration. Then he stepped forward.
Several hours later Sephiroth and Tseng stepped onto the roof of Shinra's Junon Medical Centre. Shepard had been sent off at her own insistence to check that her weapons and armour hadn't been tampered with. Sephiroth couldn't blame her; his own weapon was always within his reach. There was nobody in all of Shinra foolish enough to try and handle his sword without explicit permission.
Beside him Tseng stepped into the cool air of early evening. His expression was almost completely blank, only the slight crinkle in his forehead betrayed his thoughtfulness. Tseng was a hard man to read, as any Turk ought to be, especially such a high ranking one, but Sephiroth had learnt the trick of it.
Shepard put Tseng completely to shame.
Whether she was entrapped or being praised to the sky by the absurd claims of the media her expression had remained a hard mask that shifted only to become harder. The eerie red glow that occasionally shined out from behind her eyes otherwise green eyes and through the cracked scars in her face only made it more difficult.
There was no doubting that she was the Commander her dog tags had named her. Her movements were all economical and precise and she spoke expecting to be heard. She gave information in the same tone of voice one would give orders and it had been years since Sephiroth had felt such a strong urge to salute when someone marched out of the room.
He hadn't of course but it was embarrassing that he had even thought it.
The entire interview had felt like pulling teeth and Sephiroth was frustrated to have left still knowing so very little about the alien who was still somehow mostly human.
"Are you sure this was wise, Sephiroth?" Tseng asked after a minute or so of just enjoying the quiet above the city.
"We had to do something." He replied. "She's too dangerous to be left independent of the company."
Tseng leant against the waist high ledge and crossed his arms.
"Given the publicity of this case we did need a quick solution." He agreed in a voice too mild to reveal any genuine opinion on the subject.
"For her to disappear from the public eye now would be disastrous for Shinra's reputation." Sephiroth said.
"Of course."
"And she may well be important in her own military's hierarchy. Until we know more about their capabilities, to treat her with anything less than respect could be a critical strategic error."
"Naturally." Tseng said, "Giving her a place in the most elite division on the planet without so much as a background check is the only reasonable response."
Sephiroth narrowed his eyes at him. Most people were too nervous around the Turk to realise the man was actually scathingly sarcastic. The two of them had known each other far too long now for such misunderstandings. It was part of why they worked so well together.
"What's your point?" Sephiroth asked, irritation leaking into his voice. Some days he appreciated that Tseng was bold enough to point out weaknesses and flaws in his plans. Other days he did not.
Tseng looked back, completely unperturbed.
"Hojo is going to throw a fit when he realises what we've done." He said.
"Professor Hojo has enough specimens to cut up." Sephiroth replied. This time not a hint of his irritation escaped him. He would never drop his composure over Hojo, no matter what was at stake. "He doesn't need this one." He finished.
"She's the only one." Tseng pointed out.
"Which is why she'll be fighting alongside my men, in the most elite division on the planet." Sephiroth said with a small smile of satisfaction. "If you want to go tell her that you've changed your mind and you'll be handing her over to the science department then be my guest."
Tseng gave him the dry look that was as close as he came to rolling his eyes.
"Am I to choose between that and telling Hojo he won't be getting his hands on the super powered alien who can immobilise his strongest SOLDIER?"
"I'm sure you can simply fail to mention it." Sephiroth said in an equally dry tone. "Isn't that the usual protocol when ignoring Hojo's orders?"
Tseng's ever so slightly amused expression instantly dropped. The solid mask of professionalism took over. "I have no idea what you mean." He said, as mildly as ever.
"Of course you don't." Sephiroth said knowing that was the end of the conversation.
He looked out at the view of the city. The identical blocks of Shinra's facilities, followed by identical blocks of apartments, descended in marching rows down the slope towards the perfectly still ocean.
Everything was likely to become very busy in the coming days. Nobody knew an alien was walking Shinra's halls, soon to be called one of them.
With the gut instinct that frequently saved his life he knew that Shepard was going to change everything.
A/N: Thanks for Reading! Reviews are always appreciated.
Next Time: Brave New World