Authors' Notes: Thank you to all the Watchers (Raigel, Ninja-TIEM, and KoKoTheBunga) and a special thanks to Kashira1786 for the helpful comment. ;) We'll remember your advice for HK's next chapter. I'm so very glad you chose to read this fic out of the other Self-Inserts out there, and I do hope you continue reading it.
Since I forgot to put FF.N authorial names here...
Abby = me, celestial-insanity
Sarah = TehMarishal
HK = hk47fan
Enjoy!
(Abby)
Apparently my imagination was more thorough than I'd originally thought. Of course, there was a very high possibility that I fell asleep at my laptop (it wouldn't have been the first time) and was simply dreaming this all up. But there was a hint of a sweet smell in the air I'd never encountered before, refreshing and invigorating to my overwhelmed mind, that told me that no, this was real. This was happening, and it wasn't merely some detailed illusion.
I couldn't stop grinning.
Okay, sure, Commander Shepard probably thought we were crazy, Miranda wanted us 'taken care of', Jacob probably wanted us interrogated, and the Illusive Man probably thought he'd imbibed a very Illusive Drink. If I belonged here in this galaxy I would probably be worried about the consequences of acting the way I was, but from experience I knew that as long as you played it cool, stayed confident, and kept the story straight, people tend to take you a lot more seriously.
I was pretty confident that dropping Garrus's name had started a chain reaction of little rocks that preceded an avalanche. Commander Shepard would keep us here and locked up while she went to Omega, and hopefully she'd go see Archangel first, acting on our tip.
But there was still a few major questions to be answered, and I needed to get HK and Sarah alone to discuss them.
Shepard led us back to the unofficial brig and sat on one of the beds across from us. EDI appeared silently over her terminal, throwing a soft blue light on the reflective metal beds. "So tell me. . ." she said, tapping her fingers restlessly on the butt of her pistil. "What else do you know?"
I glanced over at HK and Sarah. Our eyes met, and an unspoken agreement passed between us. Shepard watched us, amused, and I had the distinct impression that both she and EDI were analyzing our body language. I'd bet a whole bucket ColdStone Ice Cream that the latter had some kind of lie detecting software in her programming.
I didn't know these guys outside of a computer box, but years of intuitively grasping their mindset through one sense alone lent us an unspoken communicational advantage that, for all our disadvantages, made up for a lot. Anybody could tell they were nervous, and for all of my outward confidence I was pretty shaken, too. Sarah bit the side of her lip, glancing from HK to me, questions in her eyes. HK pursed his lips a little bit and gave a slight shrug of the head, which I took to mean 'Well, do it, but be careful.'
My toes were jumping up and down in my boot. Nervousness, or excitement?
"We know a bit," I admitted slowly. "And, well. . . Huh, I really don't know how to explain it."
"Try your best," Shepard said, her voice carefully controlled. "Start with how you got the information."
Wrong question. "Well. . ." Now how do I explain this?
Shepard raised one perfect eyebrow, and inspiration struck.
"We have. . . dreams, I guess that's how you could say it," I said carefully, glancing at HK and Sarah. "Feelings, senses, whatever. We really can't explain it, and we've been trying to for years, trust us, but when we try to tell somebody how it works, outside our small group, then, well. . . it doesn't happen."
"Oh, really?" Shepard's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, please, Commander, don't tell me you've never heard of psychics before," I said stiffly, putting a slightly condescending tone into my voice. I'm so screwed, I'm so screwed, I'm so screwed... Talking to Shepard like she was an ignorant schoolgirl was not going to win me any points. "Only most of the psychics I've met or heard of aren't psychics at all. And I don't want to say we're psychics, but we kind of are. We can't control it. We just get these feelings, or information, or whatever, and boom, look who guesses the night's winning lottery numbers."
"We've never won the lottery or anything," Sarah muttered. "I don't think our powers work that way."
"So you just. . . know the last words of Ashley Williams, the exact layout of the Normandy, and where Garrus Vakarian is?" Shepard asked.
Oh, we were screwed.
HK blurted out, "You should know about this kind of stuff better than anyone, Commander Shepard...you got all those visions about the Prothean's destruction, Ilos, and Sovereign."
Shepard's eyes narrowed. "Well," she said carefully, weighing every word with a micrometer, "I can't dispute that. But you could have easily gotten my records of my testimony to the Council with a few bribes..."
But we could all tell she didn't believe that at all.
I could tell it was time to drop another bomb. "You didn't tell the Council that Shiala gave you the Prothean Cipher." I didn't even give her time to respond to this. "Look, do you think we want the entire galaxy killed by the Reapers? If you haven't noticed, we're not indoctrinated. Indoctrination and all other forms of mental manipulation equal a minus in intellect. Saren was given relatively free reign from Sovereign, but when he started questioning his mandate, Sovereign 'upgraded' him. And when you convinced Saren to shoot himself--"
"I didn't." Shepard's eyes were as cold as ice. "I fought and killed the bastard."
I held up one finger to stall her and turned to Sarah and HK, wondering. "Oops," Sarah muttered. HK's face was heating up with embarrassment, and I was thinking back to our descriptions of Shepard in Team Milky Way, wondering if I'd specified that. . . then, I had to wonder if we'd saved--no, no, we saved Wrex. I could feel my heart stutter in relief. There was no way I was going to be in the Mass Effect universe and not meet the famous Urdnot Wrex. That would just be the blackest type of torture.
"It was a strand of the future you could've followed," I said, putting a theoretical frown on my face as I pretended to 'look back' at our mistake. "Either way, Saren was going to die. The only real danger you had of Sovereign controlling the Citadel was when the Conduit was closing back on Ilos, but as soon as the Mako hit the relay it was set in stone from there."
"And after I killed Saren, what happened?"
He turned into a zombie. "Sovereign used him as a type of avatar. Soon as the body disintegrated, the Reaper's shields went down."
"The fleet took out Sovereign after saving the Destiny's Asencion," HK continued. "Wreckage nearly crushed you, and your crew and Anderson all thought you were dead...but you made it, popping up at the last minute."
"But you were limping," I supplied. "We didn't pay much attention to the injury itself, because you met with Anderson afterwards. After the Council meeting we lost track of you for a while, until suddenly we saw your ship, the first one, I mean. I. . . forget what planet it was, but it was icy blue."
I looked at her, all humor gone. "We saw you die."
Silence. I could see the words had affected her more much more than our privileged knowledge of the rest of her word. I had never expected it after playing the video game, but Shepard actually looked. . . uncomfortable, if a person like her could be. Obviously, mention of her death still struck a raw chord in her.
Sarah cleared her throat softly and spoke up, breaking the heavy silence. "So what are you gonna do, Commander?" she asked. "Are you going to keep us locked up in here, or let us come with you on Omega, or what?"
Shepard blinked, awareness of the situation creeping back in to her gaze. "Why would you want to come to Omega?"
"We're just asking what your plans for us are," I said.
Shepard snorted, some of her old life returning. "I find it hard to believe you can take Omega full on. It's safer for you on the ship." Her eyes caught mine. "Especially you. How old are you, kid?"
"Fourteen," I said promptly.
"Exactly. A fourteen-year-old girl shouldn't even look in the general direction of that God-forsaken place, much less step on it."
"Have you ever been there?" HK asked.
"No," she said wryly. "Except I know how to take care of myself. Now. . . let's consider this a test of your... skills. What am I going to find when I step off this ship?"
"Zaeed Massani," I said, glancing at HK and Sarah. I didn't know if they'd downloaded his character, but that was where they met up. "At least, one strand says so. You'll be summoned somewhere, first, though. You should go. You'll meet a friend."
"A friend," she echoed.
"Excuse me, Commander Shepard," said EDI, "but they aren't keeping to their story. They say if they tell any one person what happens outside of the three of them, it won't happen."
"That's a very good point, EDI," Shepard conceded. She looked at us. "Well?"
HK decided to speak up again. "I understand what you are saying, but for the most part, these are facts that can't change...maybe the Zaeed thing can, I think only Abby had that...dream."
"And Kasumi," I muttered, a small grin on my face.
"Archangel is Garrus. That's not an event that can change... that's a solid fact."
"Besides," I said, "we. . . we kind of have a general idea how everything will happen during this campaign. We were sent here, and our job is to keep the Reapers from killing us all. Every small revelation, every big one, we already know about it. We obviously can't tell it all to you yet, but. . . hints and pieces, I think that will work." I glanced at HK and Sarah. "Will it?"
Sarah simply nodded. "Yeah, I think so." HK simply nodded, too.
"So there we go," I said confidently. "You're stuck with us, Commander. Is Rupert's cooking really that bad as everybody claims it is? Because even though I just ate some awesome ramen noodles, I just got back from a class and I'm still hungry and insanely tired."
Less than five minutes later we were in the mess hall, eating happily next to Rupert, who seemed to think we were either crazy, as in bat shit, or totally telling the truth. His food actually wasn't that bad, either. It was on the same par as my normal school cafeteria.
"I've never had ramen before," Shepard said, obviously trying to force conversation. I stared at her in shock. "It's Japanese noodles, right?"
"You've never had ramen?" I asked, affronted. "Crap. Zakera Ward, on the Citadel--best place for it. I'll take you there."
"Been there?" she asked.
"Yeah." At least that was some of the truth. . . wrapped in a convenient lie.
"So. . ." Sarah began, sounding a bit unsure, "who are you going to pick up first, on Omega?"
"Archangel," she said. I was surprised she would even tell us that. "I need to know sooner rather than later if you're telling the truth."
I nodded. "Alright. . . and I suppose we're staying here, then?"
"Yes," Shepard said. "When I get back, we'll talk more."
"What's our ETA?"
"We're docking soon. Until I get back, you're going to stay on this deck, understand? EDI has the elevators locked down. No trouble." She looked like she meant it.
We all exchanged a glance. EDI had no powers over the innards of the Normandy, at least not yet, so we knew the threat was empty. Most likely she'd alert Joker if we were using them, who would call a security team.
I was starting to wonder if Commander Shepard was feeling alright. Back home I'd been writing a piece of fiction, titled 'Entanglement,' following the events of Mass Effect 2. In it, Commander Valar Shepard was having a hard time adjusting. Either Amelia Shepard had a better poker face or was sincerely not experiencing any side effects. I couldn't tell, but it intrigued me.
I wondered if, in like my fic, she heard Ashley's last words echo in her skull when she woke up in that Cerberus facility. After all, I was the only one in the group of us who'd written a Mass Effect fic so far, and when I said 'detailed' I was kind of hoping that some of the details would run right alongside my story.
I glanced behind me and towards the right, at Miranda's office. The door was closed, unsurprisingly. On the other side, Doctor Chakwas--I felt my heart leap when I saw her--was throwing a suspicious glance our way.
"You'll trust us sooner or later, Commander," I said, returning to look at her. I smiled, but there was no strength in it this time. "I wonder. . ."
"Wonder what?"
I was wondering if, like in the game, we'd each have our own little Loyalty Missions to complete. It was certainly something to think about. If it were so, I wondered inwardly what mine would be, or Sarah's, or HK's. "I was thinking Sarah should go with you to Omega. . . if you meet Zaeed Massani."
She blinked and looked at Sarah, then back to me. "Excuse me?"
"Zaeed will be chasing a batarian. He'll shoot him in the knee. He also wants to go take care of some unfinished business, but I don't know the world it's on. He'll tell you all of the details as you meet him. When you meet him, you should know we're telling the truth about our... feelings."
"I thought you said you couldn't get to specific," Shepard said harshly.
I threw her a patronizing look. "I know exactly how much to reveal," I said, mirroring her tone. "Look, take Sarah. She's the oldest out of all of us, anyway. Take her to meet your friend, then send her back to the ship."
Sarah was looking at me with a horrified expression. I grimaced in apology. Sarah swallowed, pressing her lips together in a thin line. Her eyes darted around nervously, then she said, "But um... I don't even know how to use one of their guns. I mean, I have used a BB pistol, and I even have one still, but uh..." She trailed off.
"There won't be any fighting," I assured her, speaking in a low, calming tone of voice. "Don't bring her to Archangel's base. After you get the info you need, send her back here."
Shepard wasn't the kind of lady who looked like she took orders from anybody, but she looked like she was hard-put to resist. "I don't suppose you have floor plans for the base? Seeing as you're psychics?" she asked sarcastically.
Okay, maybe she wasn't feeling that great. I filed that away for future info. When Shepard trusted us, maybe she would give me more fodder for my story. I smiled inwardly.
"You want floor plans?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"If you think you can be that specific."
"Got a piece of paper and a pencil?"
I drew it out for them, as close as I could reckon. I didn't include the merc's base of operations on the other side of the bridge, but I still remembered Garrus's hideout pretty well. "Here is the first floor as you cross the bridge," I said. "Best as I can remember it. X's are places you can take cover. That circle is a bomb you should probably dismantle. Just saying.
"Here is the second floor, up these stairs. Garrus is there, taking potshots. Other side of the balcony is a dead end I think. I'm not sure, it's very hazy.
"Here's a door leading down to the next floor. Left door here leads to a small hallway, with a tight corner right here. There's a flamethrower guy there, so grenade his butt. Lots of krogan... Blood Pack. Krogan and vorcha, with the varren. This door leads to a bigger area, here. I... can't remember much about the cover and layout, though."
Shepard actually looked impressed. "This could help."
I handed the papers to her. "They better. If they don't, I'm going to be so pissed at B--myself."
"Can you tell me how I'll get there?" she asked, interested.
"Uh, no," I said, shaking my head. "I know exactly how, though. It won't be hard, trust me. Actually. . ." I grinned. "I wish I was coming, but I'll ruin it for you, and so would HK or Sarah. We've never fought with the weapons you use, and we've never worn armor. I want a few test runs or something before you put us in a deadly situation."
Sarah nodded empathetically. Her eyes were still wide. She and HK had made occasional helpful comments on the map as I'd been drawing it, but were now silent again.
I wondered why I had such an easy time talking to Shepard.
I'm aggressive by nature, and I'm really nervous. That had to account for some of my bluntness. I don't sugar-coat things, and don't appreciate it when others do, either.
We'd have to put up with the omnipresent EDI, though, so we'd never be able to talk about it fully. And if Shepard did let us out of the ship... it probably wouldn't be without some kind of bug or tracking device.
She led us back to our unofficial prison and left, probably to get her team ready and suit up. I breathed out a deep sigh of relief as the doors closed. "I'm so sorry, Sarah. Really, I am. I just need you to see if Omega is the way we... dreamed it." Did EDI notice the hesitation before my lie? Probably. "Okay? Don't drink anything there, don't talk to anybody. Stick with Shepard and look tough."
Sarah's face turned more serious, as though she was trying to take the advice to heart. "Don't worry... I plan to stay close to Shepard," she muttered. "Just... well, pray for me I guess," she added with a small shrug. "And hopefully I won't get lost or... die down there." She smiled a little, but the smile quickly vanished, as though she realized that that really wasn't funny in this case.
I stared at her for a moment, frowning. Then I said, with utmost seriousness, "Don't stand anywhere near the edge."
Sarah blinked. "Oh yeah, they... wouldn't have the safety barriers on like in the game," she muttered.
I giggled. "That would be so horrible... just walking, trying to get a good look... and oopsie-daisy, a krogan pushes you off." I couldn't stop laughing, and I had to sit down. "There's one detail we might have missed."
I sighed and leaned back, stretching my cramped back. "Now, let's see. . . you know the basic self-defense moves, right? In case anybody tries anything on you."
Sarah looked thoughtful for a moment. "Um..." She pursed her lips, as if thinking or trying to figure out how to phrase this. "Well... I know that if anybody starts shooting, I should duck behind something... or maybe just get down flat on the floor." She laughed a little, but it sounded like a nervous chuckle more than anything.
"But..." She looked a little sheepish. "I don't really know any great moves. If they're not wearing armor, I could maybe kick them where it counts, or aim for the shin. But I don't know how well that would work on aliens."
I frowned, thoughtful. "Obviously, we'll have to improvise," I mumbled, thinking out loud. "Okay, um... for humans, basic stuff. Break the nose, gouge out the eyes, rake the face. A good fighter can ignore a punch to the balls, and there are techniques for resisting a punch to the stomach, so don't try those. Windpipes. Hit it with the knife-blade of your hand with enough pressure, and it'll seriously choke or kill them. But if you're that close then you're kind of screwed there... Hmmm. So just, like, run if you get into a confrontation. If they have a gun, don't run straight, but do the alligator-run, you know, the zig-zaggity thingamabob."
Sarah's face was growing more and more horrified as Abby rambled on and on, giving more and more info. "But... stuff like that can KILL someone, or seriously hurt them," she said, then shook her head at her own words, as if realizing how stupid they sounded. "I mean... yeah I know that that's the point, and uh... if somebody's attacking me, then they're not concerned with not hurting me. But um..." She pressed her lips into a think line and shook her head. "I've never had to hurt anyone before. I've never really even been in a fight!"
"Sarah, if somebody attacks you on Omega, it'll be either to kill you, rape you, or embarrass you because you're human," I said, gripping her shoulder. "It'll be hard at first, but when your back is to the wall and the adrenaline kicks in... well, we'll sort out the bad feelings afterwards. This is a risk you have to take. I'm so sorry for putting you on it, but you're the oldest. They would kick HK and me out soon as they saw us."
She sucked in a deep breath, then nodded slowly. She looked more resigned than anything. "I'll just stay close to Shepard," she finally said. She still looked nervous, but she looked a bit more determined. Then she purposely moved toward the door. "So when am I leaving, anyway?" she muttered, intertwining her fingers together in front of her.
"Well, there is some positive, and that is Shepard," HK interjected "Just do what you just said, and you should be fine. No one's ever died on Shepard's watch before."
I coughed a noise that mysteriously sounded just like 'Ashley.' "Okay, okay. But before you go, I need to tell you some more stuff!" I fluttered over to her side, suddenly excited with the new challenge of finding different ways to incapacitate turians, krogans, and who knew what else.
"Pull the turian's whiskers, but stay away from his mouth because I bet they can bite off fingers with that beak of theirs... um, take out batarian eyes, because that just plain-out hurts and Saren did it once (remind me to describe how he tortured that one batarian) and let's see... salarians look soft, and their neck is probably a very vulnerable spot. Such a big head on a small body is crazy. I wonder what their home planet looks like? Take out the neck of salarians first, and their eyes. Take out batarians with head strikes. Turians... ah, whisker-thingies. I just said humans... um, human stuff should work with asari, too. And if a krogan is running for you, just step to the side. It's all about angles with those guys."
Nothing could get me more excited than an explanation of how to hurt somebody. I hoped EDI was making notes.
Sarah listened, obviously trying to absorb all of this, although she gave a couple of dull nods from time to time. "Uh huh," was all she really said whenever there was a pause of breath. "Thanks for the tips," she finally added with a forced smile. "Well, I guess I'm ready to go," she said, and turned to face the door. "Wish me luck... and take care of yourselves."
My eyes suddenly widened and I ran up to her. "I'm so saying bye at the airlock," I said. "Besides, I need to see Joker."
HK looked at her with a look that said he was worried, but he wasn't too distressed. "Good luck, and just...stay safe and alive," he warned.
"Oh yeah... that would be good," I agreed.
