Author's Note: Thank you to those who added this story to their favorite or follow list. I cannot thank those who left reviews enough. I believe I responded to all of them, thank you again. Enjoy. - TLC
Chapter Twenty-One
Kaidan was sitting with Ashley in the comm room waiting for Shepard to arrive. She had ordered them to meet her here and since then they were trying to figure out why. Shepard had kept herself pretty scarce since finding Toombs alive earlier that week. There was a mounting tension on the ship as they continued to wait with no word from the Council on Saren. At first, Kaidan had thought maybe she'd finally had a lead on the rogue Spectre, but if she had she would have called more than Ashley and him to the meeting. She breezed in and Kaidan was surprised by the bags under her eyes, and the disheveled look of her uniform. His concern for her caused a tension in his chest he was unfamiliar with, and he shifted in his seat as she sat across from them.
She pulled up her omni-tool, the orange light illuminating her face as she accessed her messages. The shadows casted over her face made her look smaller, younger maybe, and Kaidan and Ashley looked to each other briefly while they waited for her to speak. She didn't. She kept her eyes down as she played a message for them, "Shepard, this is Admiral Kahoku. I found out who set that trap for my men. The ones killed by the thresher maw. Damn, I hope you get this message. It was a group called Cerberus," At the name of the group, Shepard's eyes lifted and found Kaidan's. She was livid. Her eyes were burning like a gas flame, a sign of barely restrained power. Cerberus had kicked the proverbial hornet's nest and had no idea the storm that was going to be unleashed on them. The message continued, "An Alliance black ops organization, top secret, highest-level security clearance. They vanished a few months ago. Dropped right off the grid. Nobody knew where they went or what they were up to. They've gone completely rogue, Shepard! They're conducting illegal genetic experiments, trying to create some kind of super soldier. I don't have any proof, but I found the coordinates for one of their research worlds. I'm uploading them with this message. They're completely out of control. Somebody needs to stop them. I've done my part. Now, it's up to you. This is… this is probably the last you'll hear from me. Cerberus is after me now. I need to disappear before they find me," The message cut off then.
The silence that filled the room as the three Alliance Officers looked back and forth at each other was heavy. "What are we waiting for?" Ashley asked, her tone dark and angry but no match for the anger rolling off Shepard in waves.
"We're not, we're on our way. I wanted you to know what we're up against. I … We need answers. They need to answer for what they have done. If we can, I want to take them alive. I want them on trial. Death would be too easy for them," Shepard ordered, her voice grim and strained. "It will be the three of us. This is an Alliance issue, not a Council one. Ashley, ensure the weapons are ready. We're only about four hours away," Shepard ordered and Ashley answered in the affirmative. "Dismissed." Kaidan and Ashley stood and left the room. Kaidan looked over his shoulder and saw her drop her head into her hands. He forced himself to leave and while Ashley went down the stairs to attend to the weapons, he turned and went to the cockpit.
He sat in the co-pilot's seat to check on the upgrades he'd installed for Joker the other day. Joker glanced at him quickly, "We've got about three and a half hours before we're at Binthu." Kaidan nodded and thanked the pilot. The cockpit was silent, and Kaidan felt an odd tension between Joker and himself and he wasn't sure what it was. "Glad we're done with Noveria. That place gave me the creeps," Joker commented, and Kaidan nodded.
"Yeah, I don't know what was worse, the cold or the corporations," Kaidan commented, somewhat distracted as he watched the code in front of him.
"One will freeze your balls off, the other will sell them out from under you," Joker muttered and Kaidan looked over at him. When Joker turned to look at him, they laughed together. Kaidan wasn't sure what had caused the tension when he first entered the cockpit but he was glad it was over. They sat in companionable silence for awhile. "Things still good over there? I don't know why I have such a problem with that console," Joker asked.
Kaidan nodded, "Yeah, me neither. I just ran a couple diagnostics and everything is running smoothly still. I think that last upgrade I gave it may have finally solved the problem. At least for now, until we can get her into dry-dock and give her a full workup," He added as he logged off the system.
"My baby doesn't need a workup. She's perfect," Joker muttered and Kaidan chuckled. Kaidan moved to stand to head down to the cargo bay. "Are things alright between Wrex and Garrus?" Joker asked and Kaidan sat back in the seat, surprised by the question.
"Yeah, as far as I know. Why do you ask?" Kaidan inquired as he watched Joker navigate the ship.
"Well, I was checking the cameras … and no before you ask I was not spying on anyone," Joker turned and looked at Kaidan from beneath the brim of his cap. Kaidan raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Anyway, it's a good thing I was looking because I'm pretty sure they were near blows. I mean, I couldn't hear anything but it was pretty clear that Wrex was going all biotic and the last thing we need is a hole in the hull. So, I suggested to Shepard she head down to check it out," Kaidan let his comment sink in before he responded. "From what I saw, it was pretty heated and it took Shepard a good fifteen to get them to their respective corners."
"Well, I sat with them at chow last night and they seemed fine. Whatever it was, it's been settled," Kaidan answered as he processed this Joker's statements. He could watch what was happening on the cameras. Kaidan had to admit, part of him had thought the cameras were for show. He should have known better.
"Yeah, Shepard's good like that," Joker answered. "Probably something to do with the Genophage. Apparently, no one likes being sterilized," Joker's tone was thick with sarcasm and he paused as his eyes narrowed and his hands flew frantically over is console for a second. Kaidan was impressed at the pilot's ability to multi-task. "Thing is, this is the Alliance. There are eyes everywhere! People don't realize if you're not hittin' the head, in the elevator, or in Shepard's cabin … it's all 'Smile, you're on Candid Camera! Normandy Edition.'" Kaidan just chuckled before standing.
"Well, I guess it's a good thing we've got you keeping an eye on things, Big Brother," Kaidan offered, clapping him lightly on the shoulder as he passed to make his way down to check on Ashley's progress.
"Yeah, you have no idea," Joker responded sardonically, before calling out, "Later," to the retreating Lieutenant. Kaidan walked to the elevator, his eyes glancing up every few steps to spot the cameras near the ceiling. He chuckled as he headed down the stairs to the crew deck before heading to the elevator. It was waiting for him when he reached it and he stepped inside and pressed the call button for the cargo bay. He glanced up in the corner and confirmed there were no cameras in the elevator. He filed that piece of information away. He'd have to remember not to do anything embarrassing while in full view of the cameras.
It was about 2 hours later when Shepard was driving the Mako, with Kaidan navigating and Ashley on the guns towards the first of three compounds on Binthu. As they approached the first underground bunker, Kaidan's scan of the area alerted them to turrets on the roof of the complex. Shepard swung the Mako around broadside and Ashley made quick work of the turrets, the Mako sustaining minimal, if any, damage. "Nice work," Shepard complimented as she straightened out the Mako and continued on to the station. She pulled up at the entrance and they exited. The building was as exposed as the complex on Ontarom. Just the roof of the entrance showing, about as high as they were tall.
Kaidan moved forward to hack the door. Once it was open they dropped inside. There anteroom held only empty shipping crates, and they moved to the next door. Before starting the hack, Kaidan ran a scan of the room on the other side of the door. The radar showed half a dozen bodies inside and some small bring scuttling around the center of the room. Kaidan focused on one and ran a diagnostic on the form. "Rachni Workers," Kaidan announced and she raised an eyebrow in question, "The little ones, that explode," He clarified, and she nodded. They waited for the radar on the scanner to show the Cerberus workers on the opposite side of the room before she gave him the signal to open the door.
Once he did, they moved silently into the room. The room was large and square. A few feet into the room, in each corner, there was a large, square pillar. Between the pillars there was a blue energy field keeping the Rachni Workers in the center of the room and away from the scientists studying them. Shepard had taken cover behind a control console on one side of the square containment field. She signaled them to hold their position as she leaned out of cover to check the location of the scientists. She waited for a second, waited for them to turn their backs for just a moment. Then she darted out of cover to the next pillar. She stood with her back to it. She looked to Kaidan and Ashley. She would take the first shot, and once she did she was sure they would retaliate. Hopefully, they would leave the containment field open and either walk directly towards her or to Kaidan and Ashley.
She took two slow deep breaths before she leaned over and fired the first shot with her pistol. The sound bounced off the walls and echoed. The scientist fell to his knees, then onto his face. A single red dot in the center of his forehead the only evidence of an attack. The scientists were apparently more than scientists as they pulled weapons of their own and returned the attack. Two moving towards Shepard as three thought they were moving to flank her and ran right into Kaidan and Ashley who had waited for the right moment to leave cover. Kaidan lifted two of the scientists at once while Ashley took out the third before they turned their gunfire on the two scientists who were screaming as they floated above their heads. Once they fell to the floor. Kaidan and Ashley turned to Shepard who had just taken a final shot at the last scientist.
"Area clear, Commander," Kaidan confirmed after running his scan.
"Well, aside from the bugs," Ashley corrected as they turned their attention to the containment area. Shepard moved to the control console. She looked to Kaidan and Ashley who readied their rifles to take out the Rachni as soon as the field was down. Shepard punched in the commands to deactivate the energy and the Rachni started to scuttle towards them like overgrown cockroaches. They didn't get far before they were taken out in a hailstorm of bullets leaving puddles of acid where they had been. As Ashley and Kaidan took out the Rachni while Shepard checked out the information on the console.
"There are two other labs on this planet. We've got more work to do," Shepard announced as she looked to her team. They nodded and she led them out of the lab and back to the Mako. Kaidan programmed the coordinates of the additional labs into the navigation system and Shepard headed off towards the nearest lab. The vehicle was silent as they traveled across the planet. It only took about ten minutes to reach the next lab. Ashley handled the turrets with precision strikes before they pulled up at the door. They performed the same perimeter check before entering. Kaidan ran a scan, hoping they hadn't suspected something had happened at the first lab. They were lucky.
This lab was set up the same way. "What are they studying here?" Shepard asked Kaidan and he extended the scan to check the being in the center of the room. It was a Rachni Solider, and he told Shepard as much, letting her know it was one of the big ones. "Alright, when we go in, get to cover again. I'm going to take the force field down right away. Hopefully, the bug will go after the scientists first," They acknowledged the order and Shepard waited another minute before they entered. They took the same positions as they had in the first lab, except instead of waiting, Shepard took out the field, and returned to cover while the Rachni turned its angry attention to the scientists.
"What the fuck?!" One of the scientists screamed out before the Rachni answered. Kaidan leaned out of cover and watched as the Rachni took out it's vengeance on two of the scientists with acid spit and his large claws before a third lifted it biotically and then the rest took it out. There were four scientists left, and they were making their way across the room towards Shepard. Shepard signaled for Kaidan to lift two and that she would throw the others. She counted down on with her fingers. On go, she stood and tossed two of the scientists to the back wall while Kaidan lifted one, the other was the biotic and was able to defend himself from the attack. He fired at Shepard but the shot rebounded off her shields as Ashley came out and fired, silencing the biotic while Kaidan and Shepard turned their weapons on the rest of the scientists. The silence hung heavy in the air as they made their way around the lab after holstering their weapons.
Kaidan found some information on one of the computers, so he uploaded it to the Alliance database for review. "Still no sign of Kahoku," Ashley commented as they turned to make their way out of the lab and back to the Mako. Kaidan had a sinking feeling they wouldn't be so lucky at the third lab. He had the suspicion they would be ready for him.
He was right.
They reached the third lab and once the turrets were dealt with, they entered as they had previously. However, when Kaidan ran his scan of the next room, he found the scientists in defensible positions, awaiting their arrival. Before opening the door, Kaidan ran his scan. "We've got eight scientists. It looks like three Thorian Creepers," He noticed Shepard shudder.
"They're ready for us. We're going to have to go in shooting. Check your shields. Alenko, keep your Barrier up as long as you can. Let's try to hit the ones closest to the door with the Biotics to give Williams a chance to get to cover," Shepard ordered and Kaidan let his biotics ignite and the energy sheathed him like a second skin. His eyes caught Shepard's for a second, before she opened the door. Gunfire erupted immediately, and Ashley dove for cover behind the computer terminal, bullets bouncing off her shields, while Kaidan and Shepard Lifted the Cerberus scientists closest to the door.
Once she was protected Ashley turned and added her gunfire to Kaidan and Shepard's as they shot the Lifted scientists before turning their attention to the five remaining scientists. The barrier was still up, which offered them some additional protection. Shepard signaled for Kaidan to go one way around the protected area while she and Ashley went the other way. Once Kaidan rounded the corner he lost sight of Shepard and Williams so he focused on the scientists he was approaching.
He was able to sneak up behind one of the scientists and take him out silently by wrapping his arms around his neck and twisting violently. A sharp crack and a lost breath the only sounds indicating the man had been attacked. Kaidan laid the dead man down quietly as he used the pillar at this corner for cover before leaning over to see what was next. He heard two gunshots and saw a blue sheathed scientist fly into the wall. Ashley and Shepard had taken out two. He checked his scanner and confirmed the two he was facing were the last two scientists here. They were both heavily shielded. Kaidan readied a tech attack to overload their shields and executed it. Seconds later, and before they could react to the loss of their shields, Shepard and Ashley left cover and took them out. The silence was broken only by the groaning cries of the Creepers still in their cage.
With a deep sigh, Shepard led them back to the control console to take down the barrier and kill the Creepers. Once it was disabled, quick gunfire from the three of them caused each of the Creepers to erupt with that unfortunately familiar stench of rotting flesh and compost. They stowed their weapons and started their search of the lab. "Shepard," Kaidan said as he moved into the center of the room. There was a dead body dressed in Alliance Dress Blues. As Shepard moved over to him, he dropped to one knee and turned the body over.
They found Admiral Kahoku.
"How'd he die? Can you tell?" Shepard asked Kaidan, her voice was frozen steel and he opened his omni-tool to run a scan over the man's body. Shepard's eyes were blank as her hands clenched at her sides, her lips tight.
"No evidence of physical trauma, so, it wasn't the Creepers," He offered as he completed the scan. "There are needle marks on his arm, though. I won't be able to tell what drug was used. The Alliance will have to complete the autopsy," Kaidan offered as he stood and Shepard nodded turning her eyes down to her omni-tool. She reached out to Alliance Command to inform them of the Admiral's fate.
"Hey, L.T.," Ashley called out from behind the console and he made his way over while Shepard finished her call. He looked over her shoulder at the console and she pointed to one line in particular. "That what I think it is?" She asked looking at him over her shoulder. Kaidan confirmed that it was and she nodded. She looked to the Commander, and then turned her eyes back to Kaidan. She seemed uncomfortable calling Shepard over, the Commander's anger was intimidating. He nudged her and gave her a disbelieving look and she laughed quietly at herself, "Commander Shepard, I think I found the coordinates for their main base."
Shepard ended her call and joined them at the console. "Perfect. Let's go," She said and turned on her heel to leave the lab. Ashley finished downloading the information from the terminal before she and Kaidan followed her. They met her at the Mako and climbed inside. She radioed Joker for extraction and they were picked up momentarily. "Don't bother undressing," Shepard ordered as they exited the Mako. "We're heading right to Nepheron. We should be there in less than an hour. Check the weapons and make sure everything is ready. Alenko, eat something," She ordered, removing her helmet before heading to the elevator. "This ends today," She declared as she punched the button on the elevator. Her stance rigid and eyes tight. Kaidan's jaw clenched as he watched the doors close on her. With a frustrated sigh, he met Ashley at the weapons station.
They weapons hadn't sustained any damage during their time on Binthu, Ashley really just had to restock the ammo and heat sinks to ensure the trio had a sufficient amount going into their raid on the main base. Garrus came over to the station, concern playing between the tones of his voice, "What's going on, Alenko?" He asked, placing his taloned hands on the station's counter and Kaidan lifted his eyes to Ashley's. Ashley just shrugged and turned her attention back to the weapon she was working on.
"What do you know about the Commander's history?" Kaidan asked, and Garrus admitted he knew very little. He had heard of the raid on her hometown, and that she had completed the N7 training, but not much more than that. Kaidan sighed and stretched his neck from side to side, his hand coming up to rub the back of his neck. "There was a situation on Akuze, one of her first assignments. She had volunteered for it," Kaidan answered and filled him in on the massacre with information from the Alliance reports, nothing that Shepard had confided in him. He knew better. "She was the only survivor," Kaidan finished and realized Wrex had wandered over and listened in on the conversation. "Turns out, Cerberus was behind the massacre on Akuze and the attack on Kahoku's men. According to the information we've gathered, it looks like they're conducting illegal genetic research trying to create some kind of super soldier."
"I had heard about Akuze. I didn't make the connection," Wrex responded, his stone voice startling Kaidan, who nodded. "So she did know what she was doing when you met the maw on Edolus." Kaidan nodded. "What's going on now? Why are we being kept out of it?"
"It's none of your business," Ashley answered quietly and all three sets of eyes turned to her. Kaidan opened his mouth to reprimand her when she continued, "No, I mean, that came out wrong," She back pedaled, "I truly meant no disrespect. It's just, this is something that has affected her life and shaped her career with the Alliance. It's an Alliance issue, and I think the Commander wanted to handle it as an Alliance Commander and not as a Council Spectre," Ashley explained as she turned an uncharacteristic shade of red.
"That makes sense," Garrus acknowledged, "I hope she knows she can count on us, though, for whatever she needs." Garrus's eyes flicked to Wrex who nodded in agreement and Kaidan was overwhelmed by their dedication to Shepard, and knew she would be, too. His stomach rumbled as a reminder of Shepard's order to refuel.
"I'm sure she appreciates that," Kaidan offered with a nod, before excusing himself. He took the elevator up a floor to grab a few high-calorie, high-protein energy bars from the mess and went to his station. He opened the package and powered up his console to upload the information they had retrieved from the labs. The bar may have looked like chocolate, but it tasted like mud and had the consistency of soft tofu. It was not appetizing, but it would get the job done. He turned towards the footsteps heading his way and found Shepard opening her own energy bar.
"We've got about twenty minutes before we reach Nepheron. Is Ashley done with the weapons?" She asked as she took a bite from the bar and Kaidan nodded. "All this technology and they can't make these taste better," She mumbled as her face twisted and he grinned.
"I was just thinking the same thing," He commented, there was a thick silence over them as they ate. He thought she seemed a bit more relaxed than she had in awhile, "You good, Shepard?" He asked her and she looked up at him, her surprise at his question evident in her wide eyes and lifted eyebrows.
"Yeah, I am," She answered simply, he nodded, not really sure if he believed her and she must have been able to tell. "You know, I've told you, there has been a lot of personal stuff these last few weeks. The good thing is that it's allowing me to work through it and finally put it behind me in ways I thought I already had. After helping Talitha and Toombs, it's almost like… I don't know… an absolution, one I thought would never come. Now, we have the opportunity to take out their main base, I'm grateful for it," She explained and he smiled at her, glad she was taking these situations so positively. It spoke volumes for her state of mind.
"And here I was thinking you were damaged goods," He teased, turning her words back on her, and she blessed him with her rich, breathy laugh as she made eye contact. He couldn't help but notice the brightness in her eyes. It did seem like some of the shadows that had haunted her had lifted. He thought she looked almost happy for the first time since he'd met her. Her smile fell slightly, her cheeks darkened and she bit her lip as a pleasant heat infused itself into their moment. His hands itched to reach out and touch her face, like he had the day before. Then he remembered Joker's comment about cameras and he clenched his fist at his side to stem the urge. Instead, since their hands were blocked from the camera due to his console, he reached out and took her hand briefly and she graced him, again, with a genuine smile.
"Commander, we're five minutes out from the Drop Zone," Joker's voice rang out overhead, and instead of dropping her hand he squeezed it. Neither one of them looked away as she thanked the pilot. They waited, attempting to hold on to this moment for as long as they could. Her gun-shy accusation rang loud in his ears and he was determined not to be the one to let go.
She chuckled, gave his hand a tug as she dropped her eyes, "Let's go," She ordered with a grin as she dropped his hand and he powered down his station while she turned and went to the elevator. By the time he met her there, the elevator had arrived to take them down to the cargo bay. They stepped inside and leaned on opposite sides of the elevator. He was roughly eight feet away from her, but he could feel her presence like she was standing right next to him. Whether it was her biotics, or just her, he didn't know and he didn't care. He enjoyed it. The elevator reached its destination much faster than he would have liked, and they exited. They met Ashley at the Mako and climbed in, assuming their expected seats. After strapping themselves in, Shepard looked over to Kaidan, then twisted to look at Ashley. "Let's get this done," She said simply as the Mako was dropped to the planet's surface.