A/ N: And I'm back with what is hopefully a smaller delay in between updates. Been wanting to get some writing done over the holidays but travel plans got the better of me. And even when I'm not travelling, I'm spending my time clearing up the craploads of unfinished games that's sitting on my shelf.

Honestly, winter breaks aren't long enough for me in my opinion. They need to make them longer before I return to yet another crazy and hectic spring semester. Anyways, enough with the notes and let's just get straight into the fic ey?

Once again, the wonderful Mass Effect universe is copyright of Bioware, and I own nothing within but my OCs. So sit back, relax and enjoy!

MASS EFFECT: REMNANTS

Chapter 20 – Family Reunion

Damn, it's cold out here. I think to myself as I stretch and straighten my back the moment I exit the Mako. The cramped interior definitely did not make for the most comfortable of journeys. Uncle Leo and Nazreil emerge from the vehicle shortly after I do while Ranae is already outside helping the Noverian workers unload the supply crates. I look around and note that we're standing in some kind of indoor hangar. A thick set of double doors behind me must lead further into the facility.

"Here, you could use a hand," I say, picking up one end of a supply crate which Ranae's struggling with.

"Thanks," comes her terse reply.

The workers are clearly in a rush to get back to Port Hanshan as they hurriedly unload the vehicle. No less than five minutes later, they're already rolling out the door. "Unfortunately, we'll be unable to arrange for pick up until after the blizzard's blown over. So I suggest staying put in these facilities to wait out the storm. Have a pleasant day," the salarian driver informs us before they leave.

"Well, that gives us plenty of time to have our questions answered," Uncle Leo remarks as he rummages through the contents of the crates and produces our firearms.

"Wait, how'd you get these through security?" I holster my pistol and cock a questioning eyebrow at the turian.

"It's a long story but I'll just say that it pays to have old friends who owe you a favor," he replies with a toothy grin. "Now let's get the rest of the supplies inside before we freeze to death."

It's a lot warmer on the inside once we're past the double doors which open up to what looks to be like a guest reception area. Whoever built this research facility clearly went for a utilitarian and no-frills approach. Apart from the necessary furnishings, there's nothing in the way of interior décor. However, that's not what's giving me a bad vibe about the place – it's the fact that the whole place just looks so pristine and untouched, as if nobody's even been in here.

"You sure Dad's here?" I ask, glancing around the empty room.

"Yeah, looks like nobody's even been here in a while," Nazreil chimes in.

I strain to listen for any signs of life within the facility. Nothing. I swear I can even hear a pin drop in this silence.

Ranae on the other hand, clearly disagrees. She already has her rifle drawn. "Stay sharp, I think we're being watched."

"What? There's no one even in here," I say.

Uncle Leo looks around warily and slowly pulls out his pistol. "Ranae's right, we're not alone in here. Everyone, stay close. Nate, you especially," he points to me.

Okay, now I'm really starting to get freaked out. I draw my pistol in response, feeling the reassuring weight of the weapon in my hands. We huddle close to one another and start sweeping our surroundings for any signs of hostiles.

"I still don't see anyone!" Ranae shushes me up as she stares intently down the sights of her rifle in search of our unknown enemy.

"There you are!" she perks up and swings her rifle behind us. There's nothing in front of her at first but then I see it. In a split second, the air in front of her starts to distort much like a failing holographic display and a figure clad in black armor materializes into being.

Ranae exclaims in surprise as the figure knocks her rifle away, sending a stray burst of rounds peppering into the wall. The sound is deafening in such close quarters. My body doesn't even have time to register surprise as I instinctively bring my pistol to bear on this new target. "Shit! I can't get a clear shot! That thing's moving too fast!"

The figure makes a beeline for Uncle Leo next and the turian barely has enough time to react. He swings outward with his pistol but the figure lithely dodges the blow and weaves around him. Uncle Leo returns with a backhand but misses and the figure seizes the opportunity to pull him into a chokehold. Fortunately, he sees it coming and manages to break its hold.

"Mr. Leo, get down!" Ranae orders as she flares up her biotics. Uncle Leo drops to the ground and Ranae manages to suspend the figure in a biotic lift before throwing it against the far wall. The figure audibly gasps in a feminine voice as the wind is knocked out of her. I turn to Uncle Leo and then back to the female figure to discover she's gone again.

"Where'd she go?!" I frantically yell out.

"She's got some sort of cloaking suit on, so watch out! She could be anywhere!" Nazreil yells out in warning.

"No shit!"

"Get back into formation everyone!" Uncle Leo breathlessly calls out as he scrambles to his feet. We're scattered all across the room after the unknown woman wreaked havoc on our ranks.

I can hear blood pounding in my ears as I frantically search every nook and cranny of the room looking for our assailant. I still don't see her. Then, as if by some twisted turn of events, I feel a foreign presence creeping up on me. Cold fear trickles down my spine. I don't even have time to open fire as I whip around to deliver a fierce low kick at our adversary. She swats it away and I follow it up with another high kick. No dice. She just dodges the kick and instantly disappears from my sight. Before I even realize what's going on, I feel my gun-toting arm being wrenched back and the weapon being disarmed. In an instant, I find myself in a chokehold with the barrel of my own gun being pressed against my temples.

"Drop your weapons, all of you," the female figure orders from behind me. Everyone still has their weapons trained on her. "I'm only going to say it again, drop them or else," she presses the barrel tightly against my temple to illustrate her point. Motioning to Ranae, "And that includes you, missy. I don't want to see any biotics if you don't want the boy here to get hurt."

Uncle Leo finally wavers and tosses his pistol to the floor. Everybody else follows suite. "Okay, we did as you asked. Nobody needs to get hurt here. Just…tell us what you want," he raises his talons in surrender.

"Now, you tell me who the hell you people are and how you managed to get in here. Whatever it is you're looking for, you're in the wrong place, assholes," she demands.

"I could ask you the same thing," Uncle Leo growls back at her.

"Hey, I'm asking the questions here, remember?!"

I wince as I feel the cold steel of the barrel digging into my skin.

"Alright, I'm just here to look for an old friend of mine and that's it. I've reason to believe that he's been here recently,' he says through gritted teeth.

"And who is this person?"

"A Nicholas Sunderland."

She draws a sharp breath and levels the pistol against Uncle Leo. "Who the fuck sent you?"

"Lynn, stop!"

We all turn our attention to a new arrival in the room. A bespectacled, middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes stands atop the second floor balcony that overlooks the reception room below. "And for the love of God, put that gun away right now!" He looks flustered as he storms down the stairs towards us.

"What the hell are you doing down here? Get back in there where it's safe!"

"Do as I say, Lynn!"

"Not a chance. We still don't know what they want with you!" Lynn replies, her attention still on Uncle Leo.

"Stand down right now! I know for sure that these people aren't here to kill us!" he strides up between Lynn and Uncle Leo, beckoning her to lower the gun. Lynn finally relents and she releases me from her hold. She shoves me forward and I stumble clumsily into Uncle Leo's arms.

"Leonus, is that really you?" The man looks over the turian with wistful eyes. "It is you, isn't it?"

There's disbelief etched in Uncle Leo's eyes at first. Then, they widen with joy as he takes in the presence of the man. "By the spirits, Nicholas!"

The two pull each other into a bone-crushing hug. "Spirits, you look like you haven't changed one bit, Nick!"

"And you, my friend, look like shit."

They both break out in a fit of jovial laughter. Boy, Uncle Leo sure does look happy to see him. The rest of us look on awkwardly as we wait for the two to finish. Lynn clears her throat to remind them of the rest of us.

"Right, that reminds me. Just how did you know to find me here, Leonus?"

Uncle Leo turns to look at me, and so does the man. I finally get a good look at his features. Apart from several small streaks of grey, the man has black hair that's neatly cropped and also those distinctive onyx-black eyes. Old age slightly mars his appearance but apart from that, I'm a splitting image of him.

"Dad?"

He turns to Uncle Leo and then back at me, his expression falling. The light-heartedness of their reunion dies away almost immediately.

"I…I guess you're here for answers, aren't you?"

Half an hour later, we're all huddled around the dining room table in the living quarters of Peak 10. Through the thick glass windows, I can see the blizzard outside picking up in speed and intensity. Four of us shuffle uncomfortably on one side of the table as we warily eye Lynn. She's still clad in her armor but has her helmet off. I notice that she bears some resemblance to Dad with the exception of her hazel eyes and brunette hair which she wears back in a short ponytail.

"First off, I think you guys deserve an apology regarding the incident back there," Dad starts us off. "We didn't know you were coming."

"Excuse me? Aren't you forgetting someone?" Lynn crosses her arms.

"Oh, this is Lynn by the way and well, you can say she's here to keep the two of us safe." She gives a slight nod of acknowledgement.

"Huh, found someone to replace my old job I see," Uncle Leo pipes up half-jokingly.

"And I can see that we basically have the old gang back together except for…" Dad trails off as his attention comes to rest on Nazreil.

"Nazreil Vaan nar Atwell, sir," the quarian responds.

"Ah well, it's nice to meet you Nazreil. Nicholas Sunderland and I do apologize for the misunderstanding earlier on."

"Oh, it's no problem. I'm just glad that nobody got hurt," Nazreil nods.

"And Aurania?" Dad turns to Ranae but I can tell he's already knows. The grim silence that greets him is all the answers that he needs. "Oh god, I feared as much…"

My impatience gets the better of me. "I don't mean to be rude but can we just get right to it, Dad? I mean, I've only traveled halfway across the galaxy and had people shooting at me while we were looking for you," I huff from where I'm sitting across from him.

This takes him a little by surprise. "Alright, I understand. Let's hear what's on your mind then."

Just right when I'm about to let my torrent of questions and emotions run free, I catch Uncle Leo giving me a wary look. I take a deep breath and collect myself, making a mental note to not let my emotions get the better of me. "I want to know the truth. I want to know why you created me in the first place. And why there are people out there who are willing to kill just to get to me."

Dad only crosses his arms and lets out a heavy sigh. "There's just so much to say, where do I even start?"

"How about my mother's data backups?" Ranae pipes up, not looking too pleased. "Try explaining that, Mr. Sunderland."

"Oh, about that," Dad pauses, rubbing his temples. "I'm sorry but it just had to be done. If I hadn't intervened, they would have already gotten their hands on the data."

"By 'them', I'm assuming you mean those people after me right?" I ask.

"Precisely. They've been scouting the bank for days, and I figured it was just a matter of time before they got their hands on the backups. So logically, I took it upon myself to remove it for safekeeping. I've got it back there somewhere in the labs if you want it, Ranae," he motions towards the back where the labs must be. "Again, I'm so sorry for doing it without telling you about it."

"Which brings us to another question, Nick. Just who in spirits' name are these people chasing after you? And Nate here as well?" Uncle Leo leans forward in his seat, locking eyes with Dad.

He sighs. "They're with the Shadow Broker."

The turian's jaw drops. "Spirits, Nick. What have you gotten yourself into? The Shadow Broker himself of all people?"

"I know, I know. Against my better judgment, I went to the Broker for help. But I didn't have much of a choice," Dad replies exasperatedly. "You knew how it was during the research, Leonus. We were on the verge of a breakthrough but funds were running out. What choice did I have? Our research didn't exactly abide with the majority of galactic conventions so that ruled out a lot of our investors."

"Alright, just calm down, Nick. I didn't mean to question your judgment. Whatever you did, I know you did it in the best of all our interests," the turian says reassuringly. "But even so, we never had any trouble with them up to about 13 years ago up until the point when you had to leave. What happened, Nick?"

Dad closes his eyes as he recalls those memories from all those years ago. "I finally figured out what the Broker's true motives were for funding our research. The Broker planned on taking Nate away so that he can subject him to his own tests and research." Just hearing those words sends a shiver down my spine. Having had the pleasure of meeting the kind of people that the Broker employs, who knows what kind of plans the Broker has in store for me. Dad continues, "But that's not the worst of it. In doing so, I uncovered something that's even bigger than the threat of the Broker himself. Hell, if I'm right, the entire galaxy could even be at stake here." He turns to me. "You weren't just a scientific breakthrough anymore; you're now a vital clue in preventing total galactic annihilation."

"What…what do you mean?" I swallow a lump in my throat, uncomfortable with the foreboding turn that this conversation is taking.

Dad makes eye contact with me, his expression grave. "The Protheans didn't go extinct. They were wiped out by some sort of large-scale galactic genocide." He pauses a moment as everyone in the room holds their breath for what's about to come next. "And it's going to happen again with us."

I hear anxious laughter coming from Uncle Leo. "Nick, stop messing with us. Come on, a full-scale galactic annihilation? Are you even listening to yourself? Now tell us what you really found."

Dad shakes his head. "I'm not making any of this up. Look, if someone like the Broker's buying into it, I don't think this threat's any laughing matter."

An unsettling silence falls over the entire room as his words sink in.

"Keelah…"

"Which explains why the Shadow Broker wants Nate so bad. Nate's the key to figuring out what happened to the Protheans. And if what Mr. Sunderland said is true, then the Broker must be planning to use that information to prevent it," Ranae remarks as all of the puzzle pieces fall into place.

"Precisely. You're as sharp as ever, Ranae," Dad smiles approvingly.

"So that's what you meant when you said I was the last remnant of hope for the Prothean and the galaxy," I mutter. "But that still doesn't explain why he wants me so bad. If the galaxy's really at stake here, then we all have a common goal to work towards, don't we? Why can't we all just work together to stop this apocalypse from happening?"

Lynn scoffs at my suggestion. "Listen kid, you obviously don't know who the Shadow Broker is. The Broker trades in information and in his line of work, information is power. There's no way he's going to share this with the rest of the galaxy; it'll only go the highest bidder, if at all." She puts her feet on the table and leans back in her chair. "Besides, you're a huge investment on his part and the Broker doesn't like his investments being unaccounted for."

Realization strikes me at last as I flash back to that fateful day. "So that's why you had to leave us all those years ago. To throw the Broker's men off our trail..."

"If the Broker ever got his hands on you, that information which you now hold within you will be lost to the light of day," Dad replies with a pained expression. "I never did want to leave you, Leonus or Aurania. Trust me, I never did because it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, son. But I had no choice and no time to explain everything to you." I can see tears tugging at the edges of his eyelids. So is mine.

"B-but still…..all those years without you; the constant moving, the bullying at schools, I-I just…" I trail off, unable to summon the words I want to say. There's nothing left in me to even want to make the effort to continue this conversation. I feel like I've just been hit by a huge wall of water and I'm now drowning in the murky and confusing mess of emotions inside my head. Right now, all I can think of is retreating somewhere quiet to sort this all out. "I think I've heard all I need to hear," I say as I stand up to make my way out of the dining hall. Thankfully, nobody comes after me.

I wasn't so much as walking as unconsciously dragging my feet in search of a lone room in the facility complex. When I finally settle on plopping down on one of the beds in an unoccupied bedroom, I just close my eyes and let the earlier conversation replay over and over again in my head. I'm not sure just how long I'm in the room but I suddenly feel someone else in there with me.

"Hey."

I jolt awake to find the owner of the voice. It's hard to see in the darkened room but I manage to make out a silhouette sitting on the bed opposite mine. "I don't think we've been properly introduced, have we? Or if you knew that your own aunt come close to putting a bullet through your head," Lynn lets out a small chuckle.

"Wait, what?" I shoot upwards into a sitting position, staring straight ahead at Lynn.

"Your Dad didn't mention me at all?" She rolls her eyes. "Pssh, typical Nick."

"Back up a minute, you're my aunt? As in, my dad's sister kinda aunt?"

"Pretty much. Even I just learnt about it a couple of minutes ago back in the dining room."

"And you're not the least bit surprised?" I ask incredulously. Great, this day keeps on getting better and better.

"Trust me, you see plenty of shit when you're with the System Alliance black ops. It takes a whole of a fucking lot to faze me."

"Oh…uh, wow," I scratch the back of my head, "I didn't even know I had an aunt. Thanks for not killing me back there, I guess."

"Don't mention it, Nate. Just don't go wetting your bed over it. It's not that traumatizing of an experience, was it?" she lets out a jovial laugh and gets on up to slap my back. It hurt. "Anyways, I just wanted to check up on you and whenever you feel like you're up to it, we still got a lot to talk about between your Dad and I." She pauses at the threshold of the door. "Oh, and this goes without mentioning but stay indoors. I'd hate to see you freeze to death outside before I can even get to know my long-lost nephew."

"I will….?"

She closes the door and I can still hear her chuckles fading down the hallway. First I have Dad to deal with and now I discover I have an aunt too? Talk about one giant family reunion. I don't need to deal with all of this right now. I groan out loud and just collapse back into bed.

The lab space is equipped with state-of-the-art technology which makes for an impressive sight. Sophisticated machineries and equipment lie atop the chrome-lined workbenches and various mounted holographic displays adorn the wall. I catch a faint whiff of lavender as I step into the room. Ranae and Dad are at the far end of the room where their attention is focused on a large display screen. I clear my throat and they turn around to look at me.

"Oh, it's you. You feeling okay, son?" Dad asks, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah, I think I am," I reply. I genuinely do feel better, having had time to grasp the situation after a few good hours of thinking it through.

Ranae waves me over. "Nate, come over here. We could use your help in helping decipher some of my mother's and Mr. Sunderland's research." I oblige and make my way across to them. She deftly sifts through piles after piles of data on the screen. "So we know about this whole galactic annihilation event and that it's occurring sometime within our cycle. But what else? There's nothing concrete that points to who's responsible for this or how it's even going to happen," she says in frustration.

"The Protheans didn't exactly leave much in the way of clues or records to indicate how it happened which only adds to the mystery of this impending galactic apocalypse," Dad rubs his chin in thought.

"I think I know what happened to them," I finally say at last. Both Ranae and Dad turn to me expectantly, clearly frustrated for answers. "These...things called Reapers came and wiped them all out."

"Reapers?" both say in unison. "Is that what you saw when you interacted with the beacon?" Ranae prods on.

"Beacon?" Dad asks quizzically before it hits him. "Good lord, were all of you down in Eden Prime? During the geth attack?" There's a mixture of shock and concern in his voice.

"Yeah, we were. We lost Aurania down there while trying to escape – " I stop myself short, realizing that Ranae's right in front of me. The asari lowers her gaze. Crap, of all the things to bring up. I try to change the topic of conversation in a useless attempt at damage control. "But what matters now is that the beacon kind of gave me a clue on what happened to the Protheans. They were wiped out by some sentient, robotic beings that called themselves the Reapers."

"Oh my god. Creatures capable of wiping out the most technologically-advanced race in the galaxy? You're sure about this?"

"Everything points to it. The dreams that I've been having, the visions from the beacon. It's got to be it," I shrug.

I see Dad's attention turning inwards as he ruminates on this revelation. "There's nothing in all of the Prothean data archives that I have which even mentions this. Which only leads me to believe that these…Reapers didn't wish to leave any of their traces for others to find."

"Regardless, Mr. Sunderland, that's still not much information to go off of," Ranae interjects. "Not that I'm doubting you, Nate, but we still don't know what we're up against or when these Reapers are going to show up."

Dad removes his glasses and rubs his eyes. "She's right. Even with what you've told us, we're still groping around in the dark." He sits there staring at the screen when a spark of inspiration leaps into his eyes.

"Feros."

Ranae and I look at Dad confused. "Feros? What's that?" I relay the question that must be on both our minds.

"It's a planet in the Attican Beta clusters where the ruins of a Prothean megalopolis have been discovered," Dad responds. His tone picks up in excitement with each and every word.

"I remember now. Mother's talked about Feros before," Ranae jumps back into our conversation. "But I don't understand. There's absolutely nothing down there; the ruins have been picked clean by looters. You'd think they've found something by now."

"But you're forgetting that we have Nate here. If the beacon resonated to his Prothean physiology, what are the chances that there are some data archives down there sitting dormant, waiting to just be reactivated? I'm sure that Nate here can power those things back on and access them."

I feel slightly annoyed by the mere fact that I'm being treated like a tool in this discussion, useful only when there's an obstacle that needed my unique Prothean-hybrid DNA matrix to overcome. "Dad, I'm not even sure I can do that. What if it needed some security clearance that I don't even have?"

"I know it's a long shot, but we've gotta at least try," he says resolutely. "And besides, it's our only lead right now."

Ranae claps her hands together and nods affirmatively. "It's settled then, we head out for Feros as soon as we can." She gets out of her seat and stretches. "I'll inform Mr. Leo and the rest." Right as she brushes past me, she shoots me a look and motions to Dad. I nod, knowing what I have to do. I hear her footfalls retreating until they disappear completely behind the lab doors….leaving the two of us alone.

I take Ranae's empty seat and just look ahead at the screen. I don't even know what to say to Dad, or even if there's anything to say to the man responsible for the predicament I now find myself in. Normally, a fist in his face would be appropriate but given Dad's circumstances, I don't think I could even blame the guy for leaving us like he did. But that still didn't make up for all those years wondering where the hell he was. Moments of awkward silence pass by.

"You know, I think I kinda understand why you had to do what you did," I start, picking my choice of words carefully.

There's a small pause on Dad's end. "I can only hope that Leonus and you do. What I've had to put you through…it mustn't be easy."

"You know I never asked for this, right? All I ever wanted was to be a normal kid, to have a normal life without some end of the world scenario to worry about. I mean, come on, how can I ever go back to that kind of life now that I've learnt about all this?"

Dad just rubs his temples and breathes out a heavy sigh. "Admittedly, I've made mistakes. Some bigger than others. Hell, I've gone about making up for the mistakes of others, but I've never even thought to stop making mistakes of my own." He sets his spectacles down on the table in front of him. Without them, I can see a man whose past actions have weighed heavily on his conscience over the years. "I thought that this research of mine could finally atone for all that I've done wrong in life. And when it finally succeeded, when you came along, I felt like I've done something right for once. But life's never that simple, is it?"

"I only wished it was. Every single day of my life."

"Well, you know the story from then on out. The Broker comes after all of us, I discover his plans and now the Reapers…god, it's one hell of a mess I've gotten myself into." Another sigh. "But you do the best with the hands you're dealt. You just keep on looking ahead and hope that one day, you finally catch the break that you deserve. Only thing is, I've yet to catch mine and until I do, I'll keep on moving forward until I set things right," Dad turns to me, his words laden with sincerity and wisdom. "My only wish for you is that you'll be able to see the day that I make things right."

I'm slightly taken aback by the brutal honesty of Dad's confession, which only causes my contempt for him to ebb away all the more. "You know I'm still not going to forgive you for what you've done to Uncle Leo and I. And for all the pain and suffering you've put us through."

"I know. Putting you in this position was the most selfish things I've done."

"But you're off to a good start, Dad," I eventually let a grin show on my face. I get up to my feet and start making my way towards the door.

"Son."

I pause in my tracks and look over my shoulder.

"Thanks," Dad says.

"You've still got a long ways to go though, so don't screw it up."

"I'll try."

A/N: And with that said, we get an emotionally-charged and plot-progressive chapter out of the way.

Well, I really have nothing much to say apart from my usual apologies in getting this chapter up so late and the old usual boring spiel. Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I had fun writing it.

Until next time, which will hopefully be sooner compared to my past updates, I'll see you guys around!