Disclaimer- I don't owe anything that is recognizable. All characters, planets, and situations are owned by Bioware and all the lovely and creative minds there.
AN: Thank you so much for reading on to this point. It has been lovely writing this chapter. Actually, it has been sitting on my laptop for the last two days because I couldn't find the time to actually upload it. This is the longest chapter yet. Please review and let me know how I'm doing. No one is an island.
Best Served Cold- Chapter 4
Shepard let the edges of her line of vision blur as she stared blankly at her private terminal. The glowing artificial light burned heavy into her sight, as her hand stayed pressed to the cooling coffee cup. Currently four new messages sat at the top of her personal messages. One was the reply she had received after sending for Dr. Chakwas, who was up late doing data collections for the Crucible.
"Commander. I'll be there as soon as humanly, or turianly possible. Garrus more than agreed to escort me to your apartment, he insisted. Not sure how Goto was even caught, but we'll be there within the hour."
Shepard couldn't really process the news that Garrus would be escorting Chakwas. The Commander allowed herself a quick rub to the bridge of her nose. Garrus would know the second he walked in. Or at least he would know that Shepard knew. The only person who could catch a thief like Kasumi was another thief or an assassin. A very talented assassin. A shiver passed down Shepard's spine, which brought her eyes to the next message on the list. An unread message from Kolyat Krios.
The name made all the sense in the world and none at all. It was unmistakable evidence that what she had heard from Kasumi as she passed out was 'Krios.' But, then that also made a case for Thane to be alive. And that, that news was…even her mind couldn't search and place a proper word. Panic set in now. It started subtly. Shepard cracked her knuckles and pushed her cup away from her. The woman tried to take in a deep breath, but found she couldn't. The puncture in her heart the day she closed Thane's eyes, felt like the puncture in her oxygen feed. Horrible and inevitable.
Jane was never ready to say goodbye to the only man she had ever truly loved. Shepard hadn't realized her eyes had closed, or that she was clutching the edge of the desk, gasping for air. Her eyes flew open wildly out of fear, the edges of her sight hazy from the lack of oxygen. She had feared to see the inside of her suit, like she had in those last moments before death took her. Or perhaps she had expected to see the boy who had died on that shuttle in Canada. That boy who haunted her sleep every night. But, instead there was Garrus Vakarian, taking her up by the shoulders and shaking her lightly. Shouting "BREATHE SHEPARD! Spirits! If you pass out, so help me." And Shepard, found the gusto to obey, letting out a hoarse apology and a heavy breath. "What are YOU doing?" Her old friend asked, obviously worried. Mandibles curling in anxiously.
This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. Shepard was not even remotely interested in trying to say a single word about this entire scenario to Garrus, mostly because if there was anyone in this world to criticize Shepard it would be this turian in front of her. It was rather clear though, as her breathing slowed and Dr. Chakwas came into view just out of her blurred vision, that she was very much unable to avoid offering some explanation. She started the simplest explanation that would get Chakwas in the other room examining Kasumi. "As far as I can tell, Kasumi was attacked by someone. Someone with skill, obviously. When I set her ankle, it was clear someone had grabbed at it from below and broken it. If this someone had the hindsight to break her foot, but didn't have enough strength, or interest perhaps, to drag her back in then I have few on the list who would do such a thing." Chakwas raised an eyebrow and blinked her eyes a little too much, before she excused herself to find said victim.
Garrus watched as Chakwas left the room, turning his eyes back to his Commander just as quickly. Shepard looked at the window open on her terminal, memorizing the names and titles on the unopened messages closely, as if committing them to memory. She'd have to read them after dealing with Garrus. Kolyat's header was a clear warning sign, "I need to stop by." Tali's was a slightly less ominous and straight forward, "I think I'm being followed." And last, but not least, was Liara. "It's time." All three of these issues needed to be solved without Garrus looking over her shoulder.
Trying to find a reason to move around, Shepard took her coffee cup to the sink, realizing she'd only taken two sips before it got cold. Garrus followed her. "Who do you think it is? What's the motive?" He asked, leaning on the tiled island, elbows first. He sounded like true C-Sec there, coming out of Garrus' mouth. And if Shepard was in a more reminiscent state, she would have teased him about way back when. Instead, she raked her fingers through her bright red hair, always trying to get it to lay flatter on the top of her head. There was no real time, or reason to beat around the bush, she figured, since her own comfort on the situation was already too compromised.
"Garrus. That broken foot was strategically broken. Like the person inflicting it was trying to decide whether or not he should let her get away. Kasumi, didn't say much to me before she passed out, but she did say Thane's last name." Garrus looked at Shepard long and hard, before straightening up, like he couldn't decide how to respond to that. Somehow Shepard found the way to continue, even with Garrus blank expression. She moved her coffee cup under the spigot, filling it with water, before hoisting herself up to sit on the counter. "So logically, this is as much as I've got. There's a Thane clone out there, like a Shep clone, but worse. Who is out to kill all of us, but Kasumi was let go to deliver the message to me." Garrus hummed, as if marking that as option one. "Clone Thane. Go on."
Shepard laced her hands together on her lap, trying to reasonably think things through. "Or she could have meant Krios, as in Thane's son. He could have snapped, gone rogue, and just wasn't fast enough to catch Kasumi. And is now somehow on a vengeance streak for me friends. Seeing as I have an unread message in my terminal from him saying he needs to see me, and one from Tali saying she feels like she being…" Shepard's mind finally clicked with the possibility of a cloned assassin out to destroy her friends. "We need to warn Tali." It seemed like Garrus' mind was made up before Shepard's was. "Omni-message her. I'll go and pick her up."
Shepard shook her head, already disliking the idea of sending Garrus anywhere. Shepard naturally wanted to leave at this moment, to try and find Tali on her own. No one else would have to get hurt. But, Garrus wouldn't even consider Shepard going solo as an option. Not when it was proven, quite boisterously, not so very long ago that Garrus was the best shot on the Citadel.
Shepard hopped off the counter, holding a hand up to Garrus' demand. "Hold it. I got a message from her. Shepard said, realizing she'd never really have the opportunity to read or handle these answers on her own. Garrus was hot on her tail as she rounded the corner, when Dr. Chakwas called from the other room, exclaiming that Kasumi was awake. Shepard gave the turian a pointed look as she sat once more at her desk. And Garrus gave her a scowl right back when he walked right back out to go and greet Kasumi.
Fingers were quick and before she knew it, she had opened the link to Tali's message. Shepard allowed herself to feel the cool fear that slipped through her as she read the short message.
"Shepard, went to visit the Quarian market district down on one of the lower levels today. I was planning to pick up a package or two of the cheap noodles I used to eat out on my pilgrimage. Old habits and such. It was strange. People really started recognizing me. One of the young girls even asked me about you. Anyway, that's not why I'm messaging. You know that feeling you get when something is staring you down. I had that, but from behind. Feeling a bit weird, and distinctly unarmed I headed to the nearest C-Sec office. Krios was the nameplate on the front desk. You won't believe this, but Kolyat is a C-Sec officer now! Anyway, he was being a bit shifty on the details, but he basically detained me, 'for my own protection' at C-Sec until you can come get me. So uh, come get me? Sorry about all the trouble, Shepard. –Tali"
Shepard wasn't entirely sure she felt better or worse after reading the letter. It made her feel better knowing that Kolyat was watching out for her, but didn't that make them both sitting ducks to Clone Thane wondering around. And if it was Clone Thane that she was dealing with, then there was no way he would not have taken the shot. Likewise, there was no way he wouldn't have killed Kasumi if that was the game. At least, if there was anything to be learned about Clone Shepard it was exactly how ruthless she was. Maybe it was a new Thane, just waking up. The possibilities were enough to set her up with weeks of stress. So without much thought, she opened the first letter from Kolyat since he'd sent her the old videos of his dad. The videos she'd fallen asleep to every night of the last week.
"Shepard, I'm not even very sure where to start. I am absolutely awash with memories right now and it is not making it easy to write this. I'm at his old apartment. I had just finished packing up his weapons set, when he walks in and..Shepard. My father, as in my father, not a spirit, or any vision walks into the apartment. He asks me why I'm here. He doesn't seem to have an clue that he died a month ago. Or that he ever saw me on the Citadel. He doesn't seem to know you either. I'm not sure how to explain entirely, but I noticed a laser-like scar on his chest. Not that that seemed to stop him. He was just very upset that I had left Kahje and seemed confused. The most worrisome thing was that he hardly even recognized me. He actually questions whether I was his son at all. Then he just leaves. Walks out the door like he is haunted by something. He took one of his older model rifles with him. I couldn't really stop him. Besides letting Bailey know, it's not as if you plan for what to say as your father wakes up from being dead, questions your identity, and walks out half way through a conversation. Drell memories are not so easily erased. I feel like if we can get a hold of him. Talk sense into him, he might be able to be stopped. But, Shepard. My father looked like he always had when he sent me messages as I grew up. After mother went to the Sea. My father is dangerous Shepard. And whatever happened. If it was Cerberus, they're after you. My father is the best weapon I know of. Come down to C-Sec when you get a chance. –Krios"
Shepard wanted to run. Suddenly she very much just wanted to run away and disappear. War be damned, Shepard just felt exhausted. What kind of sick joke was this? What kind of monster reanimated a corpse of a man who had a son, a lover, and a purpose. And then removed the memories that were most important to that same man? Shepard had no doubt it was the Illusive Man. He had been trying to off her pretty consistently since they had parted ways. Sure, she had received some intel on what the human reaper could unlock, even against her own judgment. But, since then communications between her and Jack were anything but civil. With short replies to Tali and Kolyat, explaining her haste sent out, that then left the last unread message finally opened on her terminal.
Liara only left two sentences on the Commanders screen.
Shepard-
Special project is as close to complete as it ever will be. All systems are a go and all we need is the Commander to set it in motion on Earth.
-T'Soni
Shepard cracked her neck. It was time to finish her little shore leave and get back to the big picture. She would have to get this thing with Kolyat secured and leave it unfinished. And there was nothing more irksome than unfinished business.
Out of her reveries and into the frying pan, Dr. Chakwas came in, resting her hand on Shepard's shoulder. "Kasumi wants to explain things to you, Commander. Garrus is getting his ear talked off." Shepard blinked a bit at the words coming from the doctor's mouth as if she didn't recognize what she was saying straight away. But, her legs moved upward anyway, feeling like jelly as she marched her way into the bedroom on the ground floor of the apartment. Kasumi was indeed awake, the medicine administered to her took away a bit of the sparkle in her eyes and she was a bit paler than normal. Her foot was now in a semi-permanent splint. It would be on her foot for a week at most. The medicine was an advanced form of medigel after all. It strengthened bones in a manner of hours, where it used to be months.
Before the Commander even had the opportunity to really look her friend over, Kasumi was starting in on her story. "Shepard, it was THANE! Couldn't have been anyone else. I was walking down the street with Tali who was debating whether she wanted to stop by tomorrow or tonight, when she decided she'd go do some shopping. We parted ways, but even then I knew I was being followed. I didn't say anything to Tali, so as not to cause any alarm. She has a horrible poker face, as you know. So, I go into cloaking. I figure I've lost the guy. Figure it's just some Cerberus scouts over their head. And then, there he is. I ended up in an elevator with him. He goes crazy. Doesn't have a clue who I am. He lashed out at me and I make an escape out of the elevator ceiling, with a hookshot. I look down at him. He's caught my foot. I'm done for. He breaks my foot and I'm certain he's going to whip me back in and do me in. But, instead he just stares at me. He just lets me go. Shepard. He's dead. Now he alive. But, he is nothing like the neighbor next room over, like used to know. He isn't as eloquent. The only thing I can't understand is why he let me go. Unless he is trying to remember. In which case, why did he break my foot?!" Kasumi said almost entirely too fast and all in one breath. She leaned over and sipped her water through one of Tali's emergency induction ports. Garrus was pacing, wearing a hole in the carpet next to the closet.
What was she supposed to do now? Shepard sat on the side of the bed Kasumi wasn't occupying. Rubbing her forehead with irritation she looked over at her Kasumi, who was waiting anxiously for a reply. For an answer. People always wanted answers. Orders. That was all they ever wanted from Shepard. "Got two messages. One from Thane's son. He also ran into Thane. Thinks there is something wrong with him. He doesn't think he is a clone, because there are obvious memories missing from him and attached. Then, I got a note from Tali saying she feels like she is being watched. She ended up walking into a C-Sec building and being detained. I'm planning to go and get her in a few minutes." Looking from one woman to the other tiredly, she turned her attention to Garrus.
"Garrus, you have to get Chakwas and Kasumi back to the ship. I'm going to go and get Tali and head back too." Before Garrus could complain, she stood and crossed her arms, feeling suddenly underdressed in her jeans and a shirt. The armor she wore helped her separate orders from feelings. And right now she needed a lot let feelings. "Whatever threat Thane is becoming, we don't have the time. The Crucible is ready and we're needed on the Normandy."
Without another word, even with protests as her back, Shepard found herself walking automatically upstairs to her armor, needing a little more protection from the world outside.
AN- This chapter is dedicated to those who reviewed my last chapter. Thank you so much for keeping me dedicated to this trip with Thane and Shepard. The next chapter will be from Thane's perspective. I'm very excited about what's next.
Thank you so much for your kind words Askeebe, Templar's Creed, and Kassy22!