She pulled her sister in for another hug. "It's so good to see you, sis. When we're settled a bit, there's something we need to talk about."
"Commander Shepard." EDI's mechanized voice, breaking the girls out of their conversation. "The Illusive man wishes to speak with you in the briefing room."
Shepard stood doing up her coat. She looked at her sister "I don't think we will be having the talk tonight." She lay a hand on her shoulder "make yourself at home. There's a shower a bed, have a breather or a sleep. I have to go to work."
Shepard straightened her hair in the lift. Tidied her jacked making sure it was all done up. Thankfully she wasn't the crying sort so she didn't have any red puffy eyes, it was all the Illusive man needed to see was her vulnerable, he already knew how to push her buttons he didn't need to see it when it worked. Tak always tried to be a contained woman, when people knew what you cared about they had a tendency to use it against you.
She approached relay system and was immediately scanned.
She always loved the look of the Illusive man's room. The fiery supernova behind him, his wide expanse of a room. Colours licking at the floor and Tainting his silvery hair. Pity the Illusive man was such a jack ass he had good tastes. Like normal his small glass of scotch sat in his left hand, his cigarette in his left.
"You are supposed to be collecting the Justicar for your mission." He said calmly his robotic silver eyes locking on to her as she stood motionless in front of him.
"I gained another Dossier that I had to act on right away." Her tone was formal, not as Snippy as usual with him. He noticed this he looked up at her.
"I thought how I went about forming my team was my business." She finished
He took a long drag on his cigarette "It is, I was just wondering how Svenja was doing?"
Shepard didn't flinch. Of course he knew, even if Miranda didn't tell him. He was the Illusive man after all.
"She's fine now. Tired a bit bruised."
"Mostly from you not the collectors I take it."
Shepard swallowed, she put her hands behind her back, and he wasn't supposed to know that.
"We had an Altercation." She said plainly
He smiled "sisterly love is more complicated that most think."
She eyed him for a minute. Neither intimated by the other, she was trying to get a read on what he was thinking. The illusive mans Poker face was better than hers.
"What's this about." She said finally his calm yet cocky demeanour was driving her mental "if you think that for one minute, she's back in your hands your wrong. Its going to take an army for you to take my sister away from me again."
He chuckled "you're a very passionate woman, dedicated to a cause." Again the cigarette met his lips "it's refreshing. So many people in this world roll over."
He was being cryptic again she rolled her eyes.
"Svenja has played her part, and I couldn't think of a safer place to keep her than with her loving older sister. Until she is needed again."
Tak's hands gripped each other tightly behind her back, the white knuckles would have given away her true feelings if he could see them.
"This is to do with the experiments on the survivors of akuze."
"You're the only survivor of Akuze." His voice was sickly smooth.
"Don't dick me around." She said flatly
He signed and took a sip of his drink "this is to do with Lazarus project."
Shepard frowned he was being up front but that made him more confusing than when he was taking her for a ride.
"As in my resurrection." Her words were slow as the thoughts gelled in her mind "no you can't have known, No one knew about the reapers then, that was 11 years ago."
"Akuze was a test." He continued neither confirming nor denying her fears. "Reaction, skill, discipline, we had to find the best. Weed out the weak from the strong"
Shepard's hands dropped, she knew they were testing the reactions of her squad, the thought of that made her sick, but to intentionally kill those who weren't what they considered strong was a monstrosity.
"When you survived and we found your sister. It was like we had been given a gift."
Tak's Body went numb as it dawned on her.
"You made sure the Lazarus project would work by using it on my sister."
"You two are so alike, Looks, Strength, Intelligence even though you'd never believe it. It's a pity height wise you weren't similar." The Illusive man leaned back in his chair. Tak Shepard was putty in his hands. He liked to keep it that way.
She was a forced to be reckoned with, a personality fuelled by honour and anger, Driven forward by dedication. She never cared for her own personal safety. But she did have a few weaknesses
"What did you do to her?"
"It was more like what she gave to you."
Tak's Tongue held fast in her mouth. All she could do was listen to the atrocities that was spilling forth from the illusive man.
"There is only so much one can rebuild from a corps. Cloned organs can take years to be strong enough to function, and still there's a risk that they will never be as good as the original. Shepard you're too important to be functioning at anything other than one hundred present. We learned all this thanks to the experiments, those brave soldiers giving so much to better humanities chances.
We learned Transplantation was the only way, and thanks to your sister. We had a compatible donor."
The blood leached out of Tak's Face, her head felt light, she wanted to vomit, she tried to say something but nothing was working, her mouth opened and closed, what could she say.
"An eye, heart, Liver, lets just say a lot of your internal organs are hers. We did bring medical science forward one hundred years with the transplant technology and organ cloning testing which mean we could keep her alive. But it wasn't good enough for you."
"You son of a bitch, your not god you don't get to pick and chose which sisters better. She's a person. They all are people, they had families, lives and you tore that away from them." Her voice was quiet and shaken.
"Salvation comes with a cost. Judge us not by our methods, but what we seek to accomplish."
"No." she said top lip curling in disgust with the man in front of her. "The end does not justify the means. I don't want to save humanity just to find out we're the monsters. You have no right. I swear the day I find you I'll…"
He sad forward in his seat his obscure eyes locking with hers. "You'll what Shepard? Do you really think Svenja was good enough to escape on her own? It was part of a plan. I couldn't risk the damage it would do to that tenacious personality of yours, instead we put in a-" he paused thinking for the right word "Kill switch for your younger sister."
Shepard half laughed watching her freedoms slip away with every word he spoke "you've had this planned for years." Her fists were still balled her back was still rigid, her body held the aggression from her previous words. "I'll find away." She said her eyes never leaving his "you think your so safe but I'll find your gilded cage."
The Illusive man nonchalantly drew on his cigarette and let the smoke listlessly drip from his mouth. "Tell me Shepard, How many people have you watched die? How many friends have you lost? Jenkins, Williams, Kaidan refuses to speak with you."
"He's not-" She cut herself off, why was she retorting, why was she letting it get to her.
"How many more would you like to lose Tailyka Shepard? Who is left out of your so called friends? Tali? Garrus? I see you're making friends with Thane and Subject Zero. What if something happened to our Gifted yet somewhat fragile pilot?"
"You leave him out of this." She snapped, and watching his smile she immediately regretted it. Her hand was shown.
"If I have to hurt people to keep you under control I will."
Shepard's heart was beating hard. "you best do all that is in your power to keep those people alive. With out them, I have no reason to keep myself or any one else alive. In which case, the reapers won't be your biggest threat any more."
She disconnected the line.
Numb detached from her body she walked from the briefing room and made a quick line for the elevator.
"Commander Shepard." Kelly said stopping her "we haven't had any new co-ordinates yet."
Shepard searched her brain, pushing aside her personal issues for that moment to think of where they had to go.
"Illium." She said plainly, the Illusive man what right they were suppose to pick up the Justicar.
"Yes ma'am."
She backed away from the CIC and into the elevator. Crossing her arms across her chest she leant against the back wall. The Illusive man was devious, Ruthless but in no way was he a liar. The truth was horrible enough, she was the reason her sister had been tortured all those years, every scar on her body she may as well have cut her self. Now the Illusive man was threatening her friends, every bond she made was at risk.
She exited the elevator and saw Svenja. Both sisters froze on the landing before the cabin.
"Thanks for the offer of the room sis, but its" Svenja paused thinking of the word "a bit over furnished for what I'm use to. So I'm going to go down to the engineering deck and see if I can find my self a little 6x4 room down there."
Tak nodded and smiled weakly. "Sure, you make your self comfortable where you need to."
Svenja saw the pain on her sister's face but didn't ask. If it was something to do with the illusive man she was probably better off not knowing. She hugged her instead and they parted company for the evening.
Tak entered her room, the music was off the whole room was silent. She turned the corner and slid the bathroom door open. Turning on the shower she stripped. Her body was no longer her own, taken in part from her sister. But how was it there were no marks. The fluorescent lights reflected off her pale skin. She looked in the mirror, it was still her face but defining points were missing.
The scar down her cheek from a knife fight at 13. The one on her lip from the Asari commando when she was 17. She even missed the scar on her eyebrow; playing with nun chucks at the age of 7 she hit herself in the head so hard she needed 9 stiches. Stupid on her behalf but still a part of her.
Even the Hook shaped birth mark from her back was gone, the gash down the side of her Leg from falling of a building and hitting every sharp and pointy object on the way down. The slices around her ankle from blundering through a barbed wire fence, and the 4 cigarette burns on her wrist. Like Cerberus had tried to rub her history off her body. She turned on the shower, the hot water pushing her hair down against her face, running over her. She sat down on the floor; she lent against the wall and tucked her legs up close to her, hugging them. She felt that familiar sinking feeling in her heart. But it wasn't her heart, Svenja's heart. Was she the cause of so much pain? She sat listening to the sound of the water hitting her and the shower below. She barely noticed the tears mixing with the shower water.
Svenja lay awake that night for some time. What a day, girl... She rolled onto her back and folded her arms across her belly, fingers tracing the scar running up her abdomen. It stretched from just below her navel to her sternum where it split into two branches, each reaching nearly to the shoulder. Vivisection was what they used to call it – and it hadn't been heard of in centuries. Good ol' Cerberus, bringing back primodial techniques in the name of progress. Thankfully, she'd never been awake for the procedures, but the memories from that time still made her sick.
She opened her eyes, still groggy, eyelids heavy from the anaesthesia. She wanted to scratch her right leg, but couldn't reach. She closed her eyes again for a moment, then turned her head to look at the door. Closed, like always. She'd been trying to keep track of time since she'd been here, but time spent unconscious made it difficult. At a rough guess, she'd say six months. Looking at the other corners of the room, nothing had changed. White, clinical, sterile. A datapad sat on the desk to her right. An IV stand fed fluid into the veins at the back of her left hand, just below the restraints. They'd done something to her biotics – some kind of drug, she supposed. Each time she'd tried to use her energy, she'd had a stab of crippling pain at the base of her skull. Must be what an L2 feels like, she thought.
There was a muffled yell from the room beyond hers. She wasn't sure who was in there, but he screamed a lot. Not in pain, she didn't think, he screamed for too long and at random intervals – he often screamed when he was alone. She wasn't sure he was still stable – poor guy. She wondered who it was. Jenssen? Berger? Lincoln? Not that it mattered. She wasn't in any position to get up and help him. She lifted her head and let it drop back onto the pillow. She had no idea what had happened to Tak – with any luck, she had died quickly. They'd been separated after the Thresher breached the surface, taking the entire unit by surprise. It was the first time humans had come into contact with the beasts – the only reason they'd recognised it was from horror stories passed on from other races. At least, they thought that's what it was. God help them if there was another kind of worm that size. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling the sting of tears. It was too much to hope that her sister had made it off Akuze – but if anyone could, it was Tak.
The sound of footsteps tapping down the corridor outside her door caught her attention. Ten metres...five...they stopped at her door and she watched it slide open. A woman entered, datapad and kit in hand. She didn't bother making eye contact. She lay the datapad beside its mate on the desk, and checked the restraints at her chest and left wrist. Not the right, though. That was odd. Svenja turned her gaze to her right wrist, and her heart nearly stopped beating. Her wrist wasn't there. Her entire arm, from mid bicep, was missing. She nearly threw up. She hadn't even noticed – how the hell did that happen? When did that happen? She thought frantically – last time she'd been awake, all four limbs were where they should have been. She barely noticed the woman in her room draw back the sheets to inspect her as she tried to make sense of things in her mind. A sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach compelled her to look down to where the woman was working. She wished she hadn't. Both of her legs were gone.
Her right leg still itched.
Svenja absentmindedly scratched her right leg. Sleeping wasn't going so well tonight. She rose, stretched, and strode across the room. Maybe a snack would help her sleep. Actually, on second thought...bile was starting to rise in her gullet. Dammit! She quickened her pace and made a beeline for the restrooms down the corridor. She made it, just.
After her stomach had stopped heaving, she rested her head on the back of her hand and tried to slow her breathing. Thinking about Akuze was distressing, but she'd stopped throwing up years ago – the day must have been rougher on her than she thought. She was still trying to make sense of the fact that Tak was alive. She didn't want to tell her about the tests, but knowing her, she'd find out eventually. She sighed. She'd keep it to herself as long as she could. They were on shaky enough ground as it was, the last thing Tak needed was to worry about her sister on top of everything else.
She lay, numb, as the woman finished examining the stumps at mid thigh. She was in shock. First the surgery, now this? What the hell was going on? It wasn't torture, it couldn't be – she was put under for every procedure, and was kept under observation every minute. What were they trying to achieve? She could ask, of course, but so far all enquiries had been met with stony silence. One of the men had flinched when she spoke to him, but otherwise she might have been speaking a different language. Useless. That was just after she'd awoken to find her torso stitched shut in the familiar Y shape she'd seen on cop shows and films her whole life. She felt bizarre after that – the incision healed quickly, leaving minimal (but obvious) scarring, but it was as if she was...improved. She couldn't put her finger on it, and maybe it was just the fact that she knew they'd been inside her, fucking with her internal organs, but she was sure something was different.
The woman punched something into her datapad and adjusted the IV, then left. After the door had closed, Svenja raised her head again. Her truncated legs looked bizarre under the sheet. There was no pain, though. Just that damn itch. She closed her eyes and lay her head back on the pillow. She could feel the familiar fatigue spreading throughout her body. Again...that was quick.
The next time she awoke, she had two arms. Two fully functional, matching arms. There was a small scar around her bicep, but otherwise she was back to normal. She wondered if it had been a dream. She looked down at her body. Nope. Not a dream. Still no legs. Maybe she was crazy, like the screamer next door. She had to get out of here.
She spat into the toilet bowl and flushed, standing. After a quick rinse of her mouth she decided to go check out the mess anyway – it was as good a time as any. The crew deck's common areas were deserted, only the dim glow from EDI's terminals giving any sign of life. After a quick bite and pilfering a bottle of water, she rose and took a quick tour. Med bay, Operative Lawson's office – she knew better than to poke around there unannounced. Taking a swig of water she opened the door to the main battery, and just about choked when she realised she wasn't alone.
"Sorry! I didn't think anyone else was awake!" The turian – Garrus – turned in surprise at her voice.
"Shep- Svenja. No bother, I'm just doing some calibrations before the morning shift come on." It was eerie, the resemblance between the sisters. Same red hair, same resolute set to the jaw, nearly the same haircut even. Svenja looked pale and shaken, and exhausted. "Are you feeling okay? You look a little rough." She also looked cold – she wore only a thin black shirt and underwear.
Svenja winced. She hadn't really planned on socialising with anyone at this hour, let alone after tossing up her breakfast. She was also painfully aware she wasn't wearing any pants. "I'm fine, just having trouble sleeping. Eventful day, y'know?" She inched back towards the door.
Garrus nodded. He did know. He'd been there when Shepard had thrown her sister across the bridge – he was surprised she'd been able to stand after that. Most humans wouldn't. "So," he turned from his workstation to face her. "Good to be back with your sister? After the initial hiccups, I mean." He grinned. "It was a fairly impressive reunion."
Svenja grinned back. "Yeah, it's always been like that with us. I love Tak more than anything, but sometimes she has difficulty engaging her brain. Anyway, I'm sorry to interrupt – I'd better head back to bed." Back to her nightmares.
"All right. See you 'round, Svenja – it'll be good to have you on board. We're all looking forward to finding out about Shepard's shady past, so if you feel like parting with some incriminating information, you know where to find me."
Cheeky! Svenja liked the turian already. She laughed. "Ask her how she got her eyebrow scar – if she still has it. Goodnight, Garrus." She turned and made her way back to her room. Dammit...next time, Svenja, put some damn pants on!
Tak Paced, back and forward in her room. The shock had settled the tears had passed; now the more familiar of her emotions was rising to the surface. She was angry, Furious, she felt caged and worse manipulated. She chewed her thumbnail what she needed was to work. Focus her mind, she knew she couldn't fixate on these things or she would never find a way to make it right. The Illusive man wasn't a problem for right now, he was something that was going to take time.
As if some how the gods had heard her, the familiar chime from her computer sounded. She had a message. The Illusive man, still using her as his little errand boy.
From: Illusive Man One of our cells just went off the grid without explanation. Project Overlord has been experimenting with highly volatile technology, and I need you to investigate. Their work is extremely compartmentalized, enough that I can't divulge operational details over this channel. You'll find them on the planet Aite, Typhon system, in the Phoenix Massing cluster. Please use care in this matter.
Shepard,
Another of his pet projects going astray. She would take care of it with pleasure.