Hey guys, BioshockerN7 here with another chapter! I'd like to thank ShepardisaBOSS for helping me with the beginning of the chapter. Let's go!


Adam's POV:

Looking closely, I can guarantee that I'm not seeing things. Luscious raven hair, stunning blue eyes, and that beautiful face. No matter how much she's changed over the years, that is definitely Miranda Lawson. And from the calm look in her eyes accompanied by a slight smile, I thought I saw a slight flash of cold anger in her expression.

Yeah, I had a feeling this wasn't gonna end well.

With a sigh, I turned to face Wrex and Will. "Sorry, guys, but our fun's gonna have to wait a bit."

"Why's tha- Holy shit," Will muttered as he got a good look at the woman in the black dress. "Is that Miranda Lawson?!"

"Who?" Wrex asked.

"Long story short," I answered, "a ghost from my past." With that, I walked over to Miranda's table and sat myself down, preparing myself for the oncoming inner turmoil.

"Adam Jameson," Miranda politely greeted. "It's been a long time."

Nervously gulping, I replied "Uh, yeah. It has been a while, hasn't it?"

She nodded. "If you don't mind," she said evenly, "I'd like to talk to you. In private."

Knowing there was no arguing with her, I followed her to a secluded area near Chora's Den. The whole time we walked, I was struggling to keep my gaze from wandering to her hindquarters, which have become more defined than ever. And I was somewhat failing.

Don't judge me.

When we finally arrived, I lowered my hood and raised my hands for my helmet as I slowly pulled it off.

I started "Look, Miranda-"

I was cut off with a resounding SLAP across my right cheek, which was stinging like mad from the force put into it, and especially since I had a scar that looked like Wrex's from a Hive Thrall there, it made the pain even WORSE. Facing Miranda, I could see the calm mask she put on herself melting into one of anger. "You bastard," she said with venom. "Fifteen years. Fifteen fucking years, you made me think you were dead. And the whole time, you were still alive?! You unbelievable-"

She moved to slap me again, but I caught her arm and looked straight at her. "I'm sorry, Miranda," I said with regret. "I'm so sorry for putting you through that. I would've let you know I was okay, but the explosion gave me amnesia. And even if it didn't, my brothers and I were in a place where I couldn't even contact you. Please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you like that, Miri."

Her expression softened throughout my explanation, especially when I called her Miri. A few minutes of silence later, she sighed in resignation. "Alright. I still don't forgive you for what you put me through," she said coldly. "But I can at least accept that things were out of your hands. Still, it's good to see you alive," she finished with a warm smile.

Returning her smile with one of my own, I said "Well, it's a start. So, what have you and Oriana been up to while I was gone?"

"Oriana is safe with a foster family," she explained. "She's living a completely normal life, and she's happy with it."

"Does she know about you?" I asked.

Miranda shook her head. "No, the less contact she has with me, the less of a chance my father has of tracking her down. Plus, she's being kept safe by my employers."

I had a bad feeling in my gut when I heard that. "Your...employers?" I asked nervously.

She nodded. "Yes. I work for Cerberus, an Alliance black ops group with the goal of advancing human interests. Not many really know about us, especially once we decided to drop off the grid." Her eyes widened as she took a step back at the furious look in my eyes.

"Miri," I said with complete seriousness, "Cerberus were the ones who tried to have my brothers and I captured. The ones who tortured us for years."

Shock was etched onto her face at that. "What?! But...but that doesn't make sense. Why would-"

"I don't know," I interrupted, "and I don't care. Some jackass called the Illusive Man made our lives Hell for six fucking years, and I don't exactly feel comfortable with you being with them." I said as she shook her head.

"It can't have been them, it could have been-"

"It doesn't matter to me Miranda, I saw their logos and I heard the name. Cerberus is on my shit list." I said.

"But there were no mentions of your names anywhere!" she said, obviously eating TIM's bullshit.

"Try looking up Projects Hunter, Titan, and Warlock. I'm sorry Miranda, but I have to go. It was nice seeing you again, hope we can talk under different circumstances next time." I said as I turned to walk when I felt her hand grab my own.

"Don't you dare die on me again cause when we meet again, I better get some answers." She said as I smirked.

"Miranda, with what I've been through, dying is the least of my worries." I said as I walked back to Wrex and Will.


Kyle POV

I walked through the Wards as I looked for the alley that Tali's in.

Where the hell is she?

Suddenly, I felt someone bump into me.

"Sorry." I said extending my hand to help up whoever I knocked down when I saw who it was.

It was Thane FUCKING Krios.

"It is my fault, I walked into you." Thane said as I stopped him from moving. Maybe I can get his help.

"Have you seen a Quarian around here lately? Purple hood, blue visor, carries a shotgun?" I asked. His eyes seem to narrow before shooting wide open as he enters solipsism.

"She walks by, a look of fear in her eyes. Nurses her side, gunshot wound. "Are you alright?" I asked. She snaps her head in my direction, "Please, stay away from me!" she says before running off toward an alley." He said before snapping back to normal.

"I am sorry, I slipped into a memory of seeing a Quarian fitting your description." Thane said as I nodded my head.

"You mind showing me where she went?" I asked as he slowly nodded his head.

"Yes. She went down that way." He said as I held out my hand.

"Kyle Jameson." I said as he took my hand and shook it.

"Thane Krios." He said. I pretended to sound shocked.

"The assassin?" I asked as his eyebrows rose.

"You know of me?" he asked. I nodded my head.

"I was told you're the best, and I need the best with what I'm doing, and that Quarian is going to help with my mission. I could use your help Krios." I said.

"What is the mission?" he asked.

"My brothers, our friends and a ground team from the Eden Prime attack are trying to prove a Spectre has gone rogue, and the Quarian, she has evidence that proves it." I said. His eyes showed he was thinking it through before nodding his head.

"I have been trying to leave the galaxy better than I found it. I am dying." He said.

Kepral's Syndrome.

Maybe Ghost can help him?

"I've known how it feels to be near death's grasp." I said truthfully, all the times I made a mistake as a Guardian, I paid for with my life. Ghost brought me back each time, and I learned from each mistake.

"My odds don't concern me. This rogue Spectre does. We should find the Quarian." Thane said.

"Then lets not keep her waiting." I said as he nodded his head and turned around to walk as I followed him.

Well, I got Thane Krios earlier than we were supposed to. I should probably contact Adam and the others and let them know. I contacted Will on our private comm channel.

"Will, it's Kyle. I'm still looking for Tali, but I ran into Thane Krios and got some help from him. He's going to be helping us now." I said.

"Really? Funny, we found Miranda Lawson in Chora's Den, and Adam and her are talking like they know each other." Will said.

"Huh, that's unexpected. Either way, we'll meet you at the Embassy." I said.

"There she is." I heard Thane say as I looked to see Tali.

Yep, that's her, all right.

"Alright, lets go." I said walking toward her.

"Hey." I said as she turned around.

"Are you the Shadow Broker?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No one meets the Broker in person, whoever told you that obviously set you up." I said. "Look, you have evidence against Saren right, well I need that evidence to prove him guilty of what he did. We'll help you out. Just say that we're muscle." I said.

She nodded her head slowly, trying to determine whether to trust me or not.

"Alright." She said as I saw the assassins approaching.

"Who are these guys?" the Turian asked.

"Hired muscle. Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" she asked.

"They'll be here." He said, running his hand up her arm.

She smacked his hand off.

"No way. The deals off." She said as the two Salarians raising their weapons. She backed up and tossed a mine right as Thane drew his sniper rifle while I drew my shotgun and ran into cover.

I saw Thane throw a Warp at the Salarian on the left as I throw a Lightning Grenade at the Turian. It stuck to him and burned his ass to death as he hit the ground. I aimed my shotgun to the next target.

But they were already dead.

"Huh, normally it takes me longer to finish a fight." I said to myself.

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" Tali said, obviously pissed off.

"You okay?" I asked.

"I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you?" she asked.

"Kyle Jameson. This is Thane Krios. You?" I asked.

"My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Thank you for helping me. Now about that evidence..." she said as I held up my hand.

"We gotta head to Choras Den and meet up with my team. Besides, I get the feeling you want some payback." I said. She nodded her head.

Well, time to go.


Severo POV

Hydra and I walk through the streets as we looked for Dr. Michel's clinic.

"So, when we get to the clinic, what are we going to do?" Hydra asked.

"We talk to Garrus and get his help." I said.

"Ooh, sounds interesting." A voice said as Hydra and I spun around, aiming our weapons at the voice.

No one was there.

"Come out." I said. I saw a cloak deactivate as I saw a woman in a black skintight suit with a hood covering the top half of her face, yet you could still tell she was amused.

"Didn't your mother teach you about manners?" she asked with a grin on her face.

"Only use them when people aren't eavesdropping on my conversations." I said.

"Well, I heard you guys talking about a rogue Spectre, so I decided to listen. Kasumi Goto at your service." She said extending her hand.

Kasumi Goto.

I believe Adam told us about her. She was supposed to be the galaxy's greatest thief. But what is she doing here? Maybe we could gain her assistance.

"The thief?" I asked as her body tensed, yet her face remained cheerful.

"Yep, you a bounty hunter or something?" she asked.

"No, I am a Guardian. And my name is Severo Sortolo." I said as I shook her hand.

"Guardian? Interesting title." She said.

"You look like you need something to do, Miss Goto. We've heard of your skill set, and it could be useful with what we're doing. Assuming you're interested?" I asked. She grinned.

"Well, there is nothing for me to steal right now, so why not?" she asked, holding out her hand. I extended my own and shook hers.

"Do you know where we can find Dr. Michel's clinic?" I asked. She nodded her head.

"Yep, just follow me." She said as she turned around to walk. "By the way, who's your friend?" she asked.

"My name is Hydra-78." Hydra said. She stopped and turned to face him.

"From the way you're talking, I'm guessing you're an AI." She said as he nodded his head. Her face immediately brightened. "Well, this should be fun." She said as she continued walking.

We then got to the clinic as I heard voices.

"Wait, do you hear that?" I asked.

"Sounds like something's going down in there." Hydra said.

"Weapons out." I said as Kasumi drew a pistol. We then opened the door as we saw Garrus on the side while some thug was holding a red haired woman.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked as he noticed us.

"Let her go!" Hydra said.

Suddenly, a bullet hits the man in the skull as he falls to the ground. I looked to see Garrus with his pistol in hand.

"Take them out!" I said as Hydra fired several shots as they destroyed one's shields and killed him instantly. Kasumi fired an Overload into another's shields, allowing me to fire three shots into his torso.

"Perfect timing, you gave me a clear shot at that bastard." Garrus said.

"What is wrong with you? You could've hit the hostage!" I said.

"There wasn't time to think! I just reacted…Dr. Michel, are you hurt?" Garrus asked.

"I am fine, thanks to you. All of you." Dr. Michel said.

"Who hired these men? If you tell us, we will make sure it doesn't happen again." Hydra asked.

"They worked for Fist. They wanted to shut me up. Keep me from talking about the Quarian." She said.

"We've got the Quarian already, we need to get to Shepard." I said.

"I want bring Saren down as much as you do." Garrus said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation. But I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the Council and a disgrace to my people!" he said.

"I think he's made his case." Hydra said.

"Welcome aboard, Garrus." I said extending my hand. He immediately shook it as we walked out of the room.

"We should probably head down to the Council chambers. The meeting was about to start when I was last there." Garrus said.

"I'll let the others know. Tune in to this frequency. Channel A34C99." I said as I contacted Adam.

"Adam, this is Severo. We need to head down to the Council chambers. The meeting is occurring." I said.

"Alright, we just took care of Fist. We're on our way. Kyle, you there?" Adam asked.

"I'm waiting by the entrance to the chambers with Tali and Thane." Kyle said.

"Alright, we'll meet you there." I said terminating the call.

"I'll drive." Garrus said as we got into a Skycar from the rental nearby. When we got to the chamber entrance, we saw Kyle sitting near the doors with a green skinned creature and a humanoid woman wearing a suit with a purple hood and blue visor. I then heard a door open as I turned to see Adam and Will getting out of the car with a giant lizard-like creature with red armor.

Alright, this is Urdnot Wrex, they agreed to help us, and what are we waiting for?" Adam asked Kyle.

"Door's locked." Kyle said.

"When has that stopped you?" I asked as Hydra walked up to the door.

"Point taken." Kyle said as he and Hydra grabbed the door and it open. Adam bent down to walk through as Will followed him, then Tali, Garrus, Thane, Wrex, and myself. I then heard Hydra and Kyle follow as we walked up the stairs.

"You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" I heard a voice say as Adam drew his hand cannon and pointed it to the ceiling.

BANG!


Adam POV

Everyone in the room snapped their heads toward my direction as I lowered my Thorn.

"Okay, now that I have your attention, I'm going to say that you, my Turian Spectre, are full of SHIT!" I said.

"Who are these fools? Arrest them!" Sparatus said.

"We're the fools with evidence, councilor!" I said as I stopped at the edge of the platform. "And if you don't know, these fools have names! Adam Jameson, Severo Sortolo, Kyle Jameson, Will Jameson, Hydra-78, Urdnot Wrex, Thane Krios, Kasumi Goto, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, and Garrus Vakarian! Tali." I said as she opened her Omni-Tool and played the evidence.

"Eden Prime was a major victory! It has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit!" Saren's voice said throughout the entire room. Saren's hologram looked like he just watched his puppy get shot right in front of him.

"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers." Benezia's voice said.

"Anything you want to say, Saren?" I asked. He was now fuming with rage.

"You think this is a victory? That you won? YOU HAVE NOT WON! YOU WILL ALL DIE! I REGRET NOTHING THAT I HAVE DONE! I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND LAUGH AS I BUTCHER YOU TO PIECES! THEN, I WILL DESTROY EVERY COLONY YOUR PEOPLE HAVE BEFORE DESTROYING YOUR HOMEWORLD! AND AS THE LAST HUMAN BURNS, KNOW THAT YOUR PEOPLE WILL HAVE BEEN ENDED BY ME!" Saren shouted, as I aimed my Thorn at the hologram projector.

"Bring it, bitch. We'll be waiting." I said as I pulled the trigger, making his hologram fade away. I looked at everyone else to see that they were staring at me.

"See Councilors? Never trust a barefaced." I said. How come they never thought of that? Barefaced Turians can't be trusted.

"The evidence presented is irrefutable. Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status immediately and efforts will be made to bring him in." Sparatus said.

"I recognize that other voice, the one speaking with Saren. Matriarch Benezia." Tevos said.

"Huh?" I asked, faking ignorance.

"Matriarchs are Asari who have entered the final stages of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people." Tevos said. I tuned out the rest as I suddenly heard them talking about the Reapers. Sparatus started ranting when suddenly, I heard Hydra chuckle.

"Why? You want to know why?" he asked reaching for his helmet as he removed it to show the entire room his face.

"It's because they're machines, like me. They don't make mistakes. If they wiped out all life in the galaxy, they wanted to make damn sure no one found out about them. You think they're a myth? The Geth do not BELIEVE the Reapers exist. They simply KNOW they exist." He said as the entire room had looks of shock on their faces.

"You have an AI?!" Tali asked with shock and fury as she brought up her Omni-Tool. I immediately spun around and aimed my Thorn at her as Kyle drew his shotgun, Will drawing his Hawkmoon, and Severo drawing his Unwilling Soul.

"Don't you dare." I said.

"That thing is an AI! It needs to be destroyed!" Tali said.

"Don't you FUCKING dare try to destroy him, or so help me, I will rip you to pieces." Kyle said.

"He's serious, you try to kill Hydra, and he will kill you. Hell, all of us will kill you if you try." Will said in a monotone voice. He then looked at the Council as he waved his hand. "Someone has to go after Saren, might as well be us." He said reverting to his business voice.

The Councilors looked at each other before looking back at us.

"Commander Shepard. Adam Jameson. Kyle Jameson. Will Jameson. Hydra-78. Severo Sortolo. Please step forward."

What?

What?

WHAT?

WTF? This isn't supposed to happen, it's supposed to be Shepard, why are we becoming Spectres? Don't tell me there were cameras recording shit on Eden Prime.

"There were. And we've already received over a million hits and a fan site." Ghost said.

Fuck you, Ghost.

Slowly, I take a step forward, looking at the others to see they had done so too.

"It is the decision of the Council that you be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." Tevos said.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle, those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." Valern said.

BULL.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right-hand of the Council, instruments of our will." Tevos said.

FUCKING.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of the galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." Sparatus said.

SHIT.

"You are the first human Spectres. This a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." Tevos said.

No, I can't accept this.

"With all due respect, Councilors, Shepard deserves this, not us." I said.

"Why?" Tevos asked.

"Because we already have a title to go by. One that was given to us when we were brought back from the dead. Guardians." Kyle said.

"Impossible. No one can be brought back from the dead!" Sparatus said as I held out my hand. Ghost appeared.

"Ghost, I think you're better off explaining this." I said.

"Councilors, I am the AI known as the Ghost. I was created to assist the Guardians I chose. Clearly, the ones in front of you are them." He said. I can feel Tali's eyes burning holes in my head.

"Another AI? You're committing treason with this!" Sparatus said.

"They haven't been to this reality for a long time, Councilors, it's reasonable they'd forget about your rules." Ghost said.

"Reality?" Valern asked.

"I come from an alternate reality where your races and the races on the Citadel never existed. But there were other life forms. The Exos, and the Awoken were peaceful. Humanity discovered the Traveler during this exact year on Mars and prospered into a Golden Age." Ghost said.

"It was beautiful." Kyle said.

"Then the Darkness came." Severo said in his rare tone of hate.

"The Vex. The Cabal. The Hive. The Fallen. They all destroyed what we built. Vex took over Venus. Fallen started occupying Earth. The Hive took our Moon. The Cabal stole Mars. We were on the verge of death. Then, the Traveler created us. The Ghosts, sent out to find suitable Guardians to fight the Darkness." Ghost said.

"What happened?" Valern asked, obviously trying to get more information from Ghost.

"We'd search from all of our dead, and when we found a Guardian, we'd revive them." Ghost said.

"How would you revive them?" Tevos asked. I then took off my helmet as I looked at the Council.

"He'd search for the Light, and when he found it, he'd use that to revive us." I said, as Ghost glowed before separating himself to show a screen showing an environment that looked like Old Russia.

"This was me when I was searching for a Guardian." He said as the screen stopped at three bodies.

Kyle, Will, and me.

"There you are." Ghost said through the camera before a bright light flashed. When it cleared, it showed us getting up.

"Guardians? Eyes up, Guardians." He said as I looked at him.

"You're alive." He said.

He changed the footage.

Nice.

"I'm a Ghost. Actually, I'm YOUR Ghost, but no time to talk, I have to get you three to the City." He said.

"What? Where are we?" Will asked.

"You're in Old Russia. Come on, you need to get to the Wall." Ghost said.

"Wall?" Kyle asked.

"Yes, now come on." He said as the screen disappeared.

"Since that day, their lives were changed to fight for the sake of peace." Ghost said as Valern had his eyes narrowed as he looked at me.

"His eyes show no change. He's either telling the truth or he's a very good liar." He said.

"What reason would I have to lie to you, Councilors?" I asked. I then teleported behind them, making them look around before turning to see me. "Why don't you see the truth for yourselves?" I asked looking at Tevos. She slowly nodded her head, understanding what I was asking.

"Relax, Mr. Jameson. Calm your thoughts." Tevos said as she closed her eyes. When they opened, they were black.

"Embrace Eternity."

SHIT.