Project Menoetius – now

Her hands were shaking with anger, too hard to get it under control. In a desperate attempt to keep it from him, she hid them behind her back, clasped together and knowing fully well that it was probably a futile attempt. Her own weakness disgusted her but not enough to help her keeping her feelings in check.

Absolutely nothing went according to plan. To say it was upsetting would be a grave understatement, bordering catastrophic was a lot more fitting. At this very moment it took everything to keep herself from fully voicing her displeasure to the man in front of her, mustering her with the coldest blue eyes she had ever seen, not even warming for her no matter how much she desired it. Even after all those years they could still send a shiver down her spine and not always in a good way.

"It's a regrettable turn of events but they are approaching Omega. He will be back with you soon enough," he said, voice as cool as his eyes, completely in control. Everything she was not at this very moment.

"He better be," she snapped, unable to restrain her fury. „I was so close! He was almost ready for the next step and we can't afford this kind of interruption! The longer he's gone, the harder it will become to get him ready for the next phase."

Blue smoke rippled through the air, vanishing outside the radius of the holographic transmission. The cigarette was almost gone, soon to be replaced by a new one that would vanish just as quickly. The profligacy he consistently displayed fueled her foul mood even further.

"This should never have happened! He shouldn't have been woken up at all! The cryo-sleep was keeping his metabolism in check, we can count ourselves lucky if not all our efforts are completely mute when he's back at the station."

"Then you probably should have ensured he couldn't escape in the first place, shouldn't you, Dr. Cevahir?"

It took everything she had not to flinch when he used her title but she was sure he saw the effect it had on her anyway as he always seemed to see everything. She felt the guilt rising but quickly pushed it back down. It was not her fault that Kaidan ... that the subject had escaped. This was a high security facility with enough well-trained personnel specifically hired to prevent something like this from happening. And she'd had no way of knowing the information she'd fed him to make him lose control would result in something like this! He had never tried to escape before, never so much as thought about it; or so she believed. She couldn't have foreseen something like this. She couldn't have foreseen that he had used her as much as she had used him.

Worrying her lip she forced herself to stop clenching her hands, calmly folding her arms in front of her instead. Her index finger started tapping on her arm as if it had a will of its own but she was too peeved to pay attention.

"You should send Kai Leng."

For a moment he was silent, just looking at her. "Should I."

It was not a question. She ignored the dangerous tone his voice got when someone was stupid enough to give him commands or suggest something to him who was not his precious Miss Lawson who for some reason was allowed to do whatever the hell she wanted. She clenched her teeth, trying not to let her mind run away with the ridiculous implications it kindly offered.

"He might be a sociopath but he gets the job done."

"He's a trained killer and I got the impression you wanted Alenko alive."

She bit back another angry retort because she was aware she was treating on thin ice. As important as this project was, she knew fully well that it still ranked behind others, especially behind Project Lazarus. If Menoetius got in the way of Lazarus she knew he would not hesitate to put an end to it and render all of her hard work mute. Being angry about things that couldn't be changed now didn't help her case in any way, no matter how much it frustrated her. She couldn't risk that her moods endangered her work even further. So instead of venting her spleen she changed tactics and sighted, shoulders slightly falling.

"We were so close," she muttered in frustration. „It wouldn't have taken much longer for him to be ready for the next phase. Now we're lucky if we don't have to start over. If she doesn't make our whole work void again."

"If that's the case then you were not as far as you claimed you were."

His words were like daggers, hurting her pride as much as her heart. Not only because he belittled her work but also herself, not trusting her in a way she should have by now. After all these years and months, after everything she had achieved and given up ... Angry eyes shot to his but she said nothing, knowing fully well that she'd probably start digging her own grave if she did. No matter how much she wished it was different, she knew she was replaceable. Maybe not as easily as others but she didn't fool herself into believing she was indispensable. Trying to ignore the hurt, she forced herself to remain calm.

"They are on their way to Omega?" She asked instead.

"They should arrive soon. A team is already waiting for them."

"What about Shepard? She's hardly going to give him up voluntarily, if she even lets him leave the ship."

"Shepard is no concern. Just be sure everything's prepared for Alenko's return."

"Of course," she said stiffly, realizing she was about to be dismissed.

"And Dr. Cevahir? Make sure he stays this time."

Author's Note:

Sorry for the unexpected delay! Life happened so I couldn't post a chapter last Sunday. I actually wanted to make it up to you by posting two today but I couldn't finish the second one in time and didn't want you to have to wait much longer. I hope I can publish it before next Sunday, tho! And yes, Kaidan will wake up very soon ... By the way if you don't already know it: Kaidan Porn Week is returning to Tumblr in a few days! I'm taking prompts to fullfill your smutty needs :) Thank you all for your support! It means the world to me!