Anderson's Council chambers were in the human embassy and were quite the step up from Udina's office but reflected that Anderson was a career military man. The decorations were enough to look important but were not overly lavish or garish or over the top in any way. Most dignitaries would consider them somewhat sparse. A few plants, some images of human military vessels and artefacts, some human sculptures also revolving around military vessels with a large one dedicated to the Normandy in pride of place in the centre of the room.

Shepard felt a pang in her heart at the sight of it. Thankfully Miranda and Jacob hadn't fought her decision to leave them outside. She found the Council were waiting for her.

Anderson shook her hand, beaming at her, "It's good to see you Shepard." he greeted her warmly.

Shepard took that as a good sign, "Likewise Councillor. I apologize for being late, there was an issue with security."

"Yes, we have just been informed. At least we know for certain that you are no clone." The Turian Councillor Velarn glared at her. His personal nightmare was back. He'd never wanted her in the Spectres but she'd impressed the hell out of them with what she'd been able to accomplish, and she had saved their lives.

"It is unfortunate that you are working with Cerberus, Commander Shepard. It is akin to treason to be working with such an organization." The Asari Councillor Tevos looked at the woman warily.

"Now look here, Shepard has not..." Anderson began to defend her.

Shepard put her hand on his shoulder to silence him, "I would appreciate the opportunity to speak in my defence and present what I came here to present. If you would allow it Councillors." she took the conciliatory approach, wanting to smooth feathers not ruffle them at the moment.

"By all means Shepard, we are eager to hear of the events bringing forth your return." The Salarian Councillor Jabis nodded to her congenially.

"In regards to my return. I have some data files that show the state I was in when Cerberus recovered my body. They are... graphic and I apologize but you need to see them." She activated her omni-tool and sent them the files.

Tevos's eyes widened and she actually paled, which was quite impressive for an Asari.

Miranda had collated a series of images showing Shepard's progression from charred meat to the end of the project so they could see for themselves that the charred body wasn't just some random persons body.

Shepard gave them a moment to look then continued, "Being resurrected by Cerberus was by no means anything I had a choice in. But they invested billions of credits and over two years of work by their top operatives into me and as you are now aware, I am no clone."

"Why would Cerberus invest such a vast amount of resources into one person?" Velarn demanded with a sneer.

At that Shepard forced a smile, "I guess I have you to thank for that Councillor."

That caught them all a little by surprise, the Turian actually scoffed at her.

"You see your adamant refusal to accept the existence of the Reapers and prepare for their arrival has meant the Illusive Man is taking drastic measures to ensure the survival of the human race." At that Velarn interjected.

"Ah yes, the 'Reapers'." he air quoted the term arrogantly, "Your mind is still as fragile and led astray as before. We have dismissed your Reaper theory." he sneered at her.

Shepard growled in the back of her throat, her cybernetics glowing softly at the moment but she could see it still took them off guard a little. She took a half step forward as her demeanour instantly shifted from cordial to aggressive and intimidating. The words she began to speak in her low, menacing tone of voice were unable to be translated to the linguistic VI's and struck a nervous chord in the Councillors. When she was finished she stepped back and returned to a somewhat calmer demeanour.

"How dare you threaten this Council!" Velarn snarled at her, predatory eyes blazing and pointing at her viciously.

Shepard looked at him unfazed, "Did I? Tell me Councillor, what did I say?" she asked coolly.

"I don't need to know what you said, you made the meaning perfectly clear." he snapped, turning to look at Tevos beside him.

"Is that so. How can you know that when you have no idea what the words meant?" she spoke quickly before he could address the others further.

Tevos held her hand out subtly towards the Velarn to silence him, "You purposefully portrayed a physically intimidating posture and tone of voice that was at odds with the words you spoke?"

Shepard nodded once but said nothing in response just yet.

"What language were you speaking and what did you say?" Jabis asked, this was a curious and unforeseen turn of events, what was Shepard doing?

"I was speaking Prothean." she glanced at him, "I find it quite astonishing that you revere the Protheans, that you can believe they created the Relays, this Citadel and were technological marvels of their time. Yet when it comes to their communication you are in utter darkness and ignorance of both their languages and how they communicated across their empire." She leaned forward slightly, "Don't you think that if this Citadel was a Prothean construction it would have the Prothean language already programmed in its systems?" she posed in a tone of voice that was meant to provoke curiosity. "That you should know what I said without having to ask me for an interpretation?"

Anderson waited, he knew Shepard was highly intelligent but he couldn't tell what she was doing with this. What point was she trying to make and how did it link with the Reapers?

"There is a great deal we do not understand about this Citadel as the Keepers maintain it as they always have. The language of the Protheans may very well be embedded somewhere in its vast systems." Councillor Jabis pointed out.

"The Asari and Salarians have had over two thousand six hundred years to study and learn so much more than simply the language of the Protheans. Yet have you?" Shepard shook her head, "No. The Keepers kick up a fuss when you investigate too much so you stopped trying. They're designed to shut down the Citadel if a species gets too close to learning how it operates so you've never risked it. You see this place as too valuable, as the centre of galactic power and a symbol of unification." She was becoming more and more passionate as she spoke both in her tone and the gestures of her hands.

"You see that when left alone the Keepers fulfil their role in maintaining the systems of the Citadel and interpret that as a selfless act in upholding the tasks given to them by the long gone Protheans. But that is what you see." she gestured to Velarn, "You saw my actions and viewed them as hostile because you couldn't understand what I said and applied your own reasoning and beliefs to interpret them. But how would a Krogan respond? Would they see that as a threat?" she shook her head in answer to her own question, "No they wouldn't. To them it'd just be considered showing a bit of backbone nothing more nothing less and most assuredly not threatening at all."

"Get to the point, Shepard." Velarn hissed at her, his patience long since gone.

Shepard glared at him but obliged, "The Asari came to this place and applied their beliefs and peaceful natures to interpret it as a gift to explore the universe from. They passed on their beliefs to those who came after them and used it as a point of unification. But what they failed to take into account was that this place was built by a species completely foreign to them. The Keepers are not a selfless gift left behind by a benevolent race. They are a part of an elaborate trap. They are the only ones who know how this station works and actively stand against any who would try to learn its secrets." she gestured at a Keeper that was silently going about its business in the Ambassadors Chamber.

Anderson glanced at it more than a little wary of it at Shepard's words.

"Why? Because the magnificence and grandeur of this station is supposed to draw you in. It's designed as the centre of the Relay network. Its purpose is to be used as the centre of a galactic empire. From here you used the Relays to progress along a path left for you to follow. All of your technological advancements come from the technology found here. The very development of our differing species has been fundamentally controlled both technologically and sociologically by what's been discovered here." she flung her hand out towards the open expanse of the lavish Presidium.

"But the greatest achievement of this trap is that here is where the centre of government stands, here holds the records of every populated world, and that makes here the first place to fall." she took a step forward, the intensity in her being near overwhelming to those watching on with carefully schooled faces betrayed by wide eyes. "Being the centre of the Relay network the entire network can be shut down from here isolating every populated system. The centre of government being wiped out means there will be instant chaos and confusion making us easy targets to pick off at their leisure. Knowing the location of every inhabited world means there's nowhere to run."

Shepard looked between the three holographic Councillors, "More than that, the Citadel itself is a massive Relay which the Keepers ensure you don't realize. Sovereign attacked the Citadel because this Relay's secondary function is to recall all the Reapers from Dark Space."

Velarn had had enough. "STILL you persist!" he snarled at her vehemently.

Shepard snarled right back, why couldn't they LISTEN!, "A Reaper ripped off your front doors and came so close to ending all life as you know it and still you deny it. You think it was a Geth flagship? Who are you to know Geth advancements and technology? Did you even think of speaking with the Quarians? The creators of the Geth?" she implored in passionate frustration, "NO! In your arrogance and fear of the repercussions of a Reaper threat you made yourselves think you are the experts of a sentient AI race only the Quarians have an understanding of. I fucking DIED for you because of YOUR fear! Because to think there is a race of sentient machines that have spent millions of years wiping out organics like us is just too hard, it's too much for you to comprehend. JUST LIKE you interpreted my actions before as a threat when I wasn't you've interpreted another race you have NO understanding of and they do NOT have peaceful intentions."

"You DARE call US cowards!" Shouted Velarn in outrage.

"That is enough." Tevos asserted firmly before things could degenerate even further.

Shepard shook her head, "Don't you get it, can't you see it?" she pleaded with the Asari, her husky voice begging to be heard and actual tears of frustration glistening in her eyes.

"I understand the point you wish to make about interpreting other races different from our own through our own belief system and not theirs therefore not truly understanding them. But you have yet to offer solid and irrefutable proof as to the existence of the Reapers." Tevos spoke though her usually calm voice was strained.

Shepard closed her eyes and bowed her head, her entire body clenching as she fought to remain calm and keep her pesky tears at bay. She refused to cry! How could her body betray her like that!

"It is feared that the Prothean Beacon and Cipher have opened your mind to the lies and manipulations of Saren even now." Tevos looked to the human sadly, sensing the tumultuous emotions roaring through her even from where she stood.

"If that were the case, why would I be so opposed to what he was doing? Why did I fight him every step of the way? Why did I allow the sacrifice of hundreds of humans to save a Council he was trying to destroy? And why am I now trying so hard to get you to see and prepare to fight and defend yourselves against the Reapers when Saren chose to serve them?" She countered softly, her tone laced with weariness after her impassioned outburst.

"You opposed him for he was a threat and in that you fulfilled your expectations as a Spectre." Jabis responded sincerely. "But this obsession with the Reapers must end."

Shepard scoffed, "When the day comes that the Reapers arrive, when their numbers block out the stars and they lay waste to world after world as they did with the Protheans and all who came before them, will you look to me and expect me to save you again?" she looked up, "How long do you think I will stand being mocked and slandered by the very people I am trying desperately to save before I leave you to your fates?" she murmured.

"Then find proof." Tevos admonished her, "You swore an oath to protect and uphold the Galactic community..."

Shepard cut her off, "So I'm still a Spectre?"

Velarn snorted and was about to shoot her down when Tevos looked to him sharply.

"We have reviewed your information concerning the Collector attacks on human colonies in the Terminus Systems." Tevos returned her gaze to Shepard. "In light of the fact that we do owe you our lives we are willing to reinstate your Spectre status to investigate these attacks."

"But you must restrict your actions to the Terminus Systems." Velarn growled at her coldly, again in disbelief that she was to be a Spectre when clearly she didn't deserve it in his eyes.

They waited with baited breaths for her response as she just stood there glaring.

"Fine. I accept." Shepard nodded sharply, the words bitter in her mouth but she knew they were necessary.

"We wish you a speedy conclusion to your investigation and your dealings with Cerberus, Commander Shepard." Tevos bowed her head and ended the exchange before any more could be said, the three councillors vanishing from sight.

"You realize that their support is only peripheral." Anderson murmured to her, his heart heavy as he looked at the once pride and joy of humanity.

"As long as they don't actively hunt me down I don't care." Shepard huffed, feeling very disillusioned right now. She'd hoped to find true support, find a way to extricate herself from being solely controlled by Cerberus. She felt like a fool.

"What do you plan to do now?" he asked softly, reaching up and clasping her shoulder.

"I've been given command of a Normandy class vessel that's bigger and more advanced than the Normandy." She felt the instant concern as he stiffened and continued, "I'll be putting together a team of some of the most skilled people in the galaxy. The Illusive Man's given me some excellent dossiers of people who apparently have no affiliation with Cerberus but he also made a point of excluding the people I wanted on my team. Some I understand have moved on to things they can't just drop and follow me but I would feel far more comfortable if I could get one or two on board with me. People I know I can count on and can keep an eye on my Cerberus crew." she looked to Anderson, pleading with him, "I want Williams sir. I know she's on a classified mission, The Illusive Man refused to tell me what and I know he knows what it is. It'll take me some time to get the specialists listed so if she can do whatever it is she's doing within a month...?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll see what I can do." Anderson didn't commit to sending her as Ashleigh Williams was on a critical mission and it disturbed him to know that the Illusive Man knew what it was.

Shepard nodded, asking wasn't just a matter of getting a friend on board, it also showed she was willing to play ball with the Alliance and she hoped it would be enough to keep them off her back seeing as there would probably be no other way Anderson could help her out, "When I have my team we'll begin hunting down the Collector ship to see what we can learn about their home territory. There has to be a reason no ship has ever returned from the Omega-4 relay but theirs. That suggests they have some kind of advanced defence system we'll need to be prepared for and the only way to do that is to get on board their ship and check out their systems. Once that's done and we've figured out how to navigate the relay we'll go through and hit the Collectors where they live and put a stop to the abductions."

Anderson shook his head, "That's suicide even for you Shepard!"

Shepard smirked but it was empty of any mirth, "Tell that to Saren." but she nodded, "It's going to be tougher than hell but at the rate they're going they'll have abducted every human colony we have before too long. I will not allow that to happen." she straightened her shoulders and looked to the Councillor, "I sure as hell don't want to be relying solely on Cerberus either. I'm only agreeing to work with them because they're giving me what I know no one else can. The Council can't be seen to be taking too much of an interest because so far the Collectors have restrained themselves to humans for some reason making it technically a human issue. The Alliance is still rebuilding their losses from Saren and the geth attack. Once this mission is over, if I survive that is, I'll be politely informing the Illusive Man we're through, preferably with a bullet between his eyes but I'm not picky." she growled for emphasis on the last bit.

Anderson sighed, he applauded her courage and tenacity but she was going to need all the help she could get. "William's is currently out in the Terminus attempting to help what colonies we have out there boost their defences, installing Guardian Batteries, teaching self defence courses, that kind of thing." He didn't mention all she was doing and could see that Shepard suspected that.

Shepard nodded, that sure as hell didn't sound classified meaning there was something he wasn't telling her, "I won't interfere, but I would like to at least speak with her. I know it's been over two years for the rest of the galaxy, but for me it's been three days since the Normandy..." she glanced over at the sculpture sadly.

Anderson clasped her shoulder again, he couldn't imagine what she was going through right now. "If you need to talk, my door's always open." he offered sincerely.

"Right now I'm still processing information, catching up on the state of things. Miranda..." her voice faded as she lost the words. She closed her eyes and bowed her head in emotional turmoil.

"She seriously doesn't know who you are?" Anderson was skeptical.

"Not a clue. I just about told her but she made it clear my childhood was of no interest to her. I think she was also a little bit put out there were things she hadn't been able to find out about me. Maybe it was her way of deflecting her own lack of information gathering." Shepard sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "What kills me is that she can look me in the eye and can't see it, can't see me. Why?" she breathed and it came out almost as a sob, "She's supposed to have a perfect memory, she's a bloody genetic goddess but she can't remember me."She could understand Miri moving on emotionally, after all they'd been kids when they'd fallen in love, but to blatantly not recognize her at all not only confused the hell out of her but was breaking her heart.

"And now she's Cerberus' poster girl of the perfect human right?" Anderson pointed out as gently as possible. He couldn't afford for Shepard to lose herself or truly trust the Cerberus Operative, in his mind it was probably a good thing Miranda didn't recognize her as Shepard wouldn't hesitate in picking up at least their friendship. That would open her up to emotional manipulation he didn't want to even consider. He knew she hadn't lost her mind or been manipulated by Saren to believe the Reapers but he also knew she was only human and humans were swayed greatly by the people they loved. Shepard had always walked a fine line, she could show compassion one moment then brutality the next, Torfan was the greatest example of that. If Cerberus ideals started sinking in to her method of thought through Miranda Lawson there would be hell to pay.

Shepard scoffed, not aware of Anderson's true thoughts on the matter, "It's certainly given her opportunities to expand her impressive skills and mind she wouldn't have gotten in the corporate world. She can shoot you between the eyes in a heartbeat, can crush you with her biotics, makes Einstein look like a fool with her vastly superior intellect and has a figure to die for. Not to mention the ego to go with it. She's gonna be a real treat keeping in line." she chuckled, "I've already knocked her out cold and had her sedated and I've only been awake three days."

Anderson laughed, "That's my girl." he clapped her shoulder.

"We'll come to an understanding... eventually. I'm expecting to have my arse whipped at some stage." she chuckled ruefully.

"Well tell me what you need. How can I help you?" he asked, becoming serious again.

"Get me Williams. I'm not going to accept just any Alliance officer and Miranda won't let anyone on board I can't personally vouch for and it'll be pushing the friendship getting Williams on the team. Not that there's much of that present." she grumbled.

Anderson simply nodded, he would make the necessary arrangements for Williams to wrap up on her current assignment and get someone else to take over for her.

"As for supplies, Cerberus is footing the bill and I say let 'em pay. I won't be able to send regular reports but I'll let you know the big stuff. All I wanted out of today was my Spectre status, Williams and not to be hunted down for working with Cerberus." she could tick two things off her list with Williams pending.

"I'll work on Williams. Just stay safe out there Shepard. We lost you once already, let's not lose you again to soon." Anderson assured her grimly.

"You know me." she smirked and saluted, "See you 'round sir." she nodded and promptly left. There were a couple things she wanted to do before returning to the Normandy and she needed to decompress a little after that bloody awful encounter and hoped with everything in her that Miranda wasn't going to fight with her over something. She didn't have anything left emotionally to fight with right now.


So there it is. The Council Reveal. I wanted to make it different obviously but also to highlight that Shepard is intelligent in her arguments most of the time and highly frustrated. I also wanted to drop the hint that there are things in the background wanting to keep these two apart emotionally... and truth be told it's not just the Alliance...