Chapter Thirty Two: Lair of The Shadow Broker-Part 2
"Liara, stop giving the enemy tactical advice!"
Somehow, he wanted to both laugh and cry at the asari's carelessness. They were on the fucking Shadow Broker's ship, which was hurtling through an incredibly powerful storm, and Liara was supplying the enemy with sound ideas on how to defeat them. Surreal didn't even come close to covering it.
"Who taught them tactics? I mean they can't even concentrate all their defenses," she said, "They don't even have the basics down."
"Liara!" He roared. He caught another vanguard in his biotics and lifted her upwards. As soon as she flew out of the ship's shield, a lightning strike vaporized her. He turned to face the rest of the battle field and realized that the enemy was starting to group together. Before Liara had so graciously supplied them with ideas, they were coming out of the ship three or four strong, making them relatively easy to pick off. Now they were coming in groups of ten.
"And are you sure that fucking shunt is working?" He yelled. "We don't seem to be getting anywhere! It's been like ten minutes now! That door should be open!" A bullet screamed past his helmet and hit the wall behind him. That was way, way too close for his comfort.
"Door crackers aren't exactly legal, even on Illium. It's not like it came with a warranty."
"Well, sure, but at least you tested it beforehand...Right?"
"There's more coming!" She said.
No fucking way. They were gonna die on this shithole ship, on this shithole planet, in this shithole solar system. At least Alchera had the decency to be scenic. "Tell me you tested it!" He cried.
"No time to talk."
Shepard stood and unceremoniously tossed a group of soldiers upwards. The force of his attack scattered them above the shield. Some were vaporized almost immediately and some flew down the ship a ways before lightning struck them. He looked back down just in time to watch Liara pull a similar move. Good. Despite the enemy's improved tactics, their numbers were starting to wane.
Colt crouched back down, put in a new thermal clip, and glanced at the door. The shunt was still trying to open the damn thing. "Remember when we could just slap omni-gel on everything and call it a day?"
"That security upgrade made a lot of people mad."
"Myself included." He peeked around a corner and blasted an approaching vanguard with his shotgun. Three more took her place. "We can't keep this up for much longer!"
"It's almost done," Liara shouted over the intercom. Bullets were now getting dangerously close to finding their mark. His biotic shield was taking a beating, and his ability to recharge it quickly had yet to be honed.
"It better hurry!" A bullet grazed the armor on his side. It hadn't hit flesh, but it was only a matter of time. Soon, he'd have to make a run for better cover.
Liara slid next to him and caught the approaching vanguards in a singularity. "It's done, let's go!" She yanked him towards the door and shot a nearby enemy in the head. Colt ran after the asari, who still had a vice grip on his left forearm. She practically dragged him inside before letting go.
Their heavy breathing was the only sound in the small airlock for a few minutes. "We killed so many out there, there can't be very many inside," she said, interrupting the silence.
He couldn't help but laugh."I'm sorry, but I thought you'd been on a few combat missions. Am I mistaken, T'Soni?"
"Optimism, Shepard."
"I've been fighting far too long to be optimistic. Now, let's go." With that, Colt stood and raised his weapon. The longer they waited around, the more likely Feron would be killed.
He punched the door's controls with the side of his fist and rushed out. He could feel Liara right behind him. About ten of the Shadow Broker's soldiers scattered as they emerged into the new room.
"More?" Liara said, "How many troops does the Shadow Broker have?"
"Told you so."
…
"Feron?"
"Liara? And Commander Shepard?"
The asari ran past Shepard and started to type at what was probably the controls to Feron's prison.
She hadn't been this excited to see Colt.
"We're going to get you out," she declared. The drell was in the center of a medium sized room, slightly reclined in a plain black chair and surrounded by holographic panels. If Colt had to say, he'd guess that was life support. Orange restraints located on his hands and feet kept him in place. The rest of the room contained what looked like recording devices and more medical equipment. How many times had Feron been tortured to the brink of death before being brought back? And Shepard thought he had it bad with his resurrection.
"Why are you here?" Feron asked. He strained against the cuffs holding him down. His eyes were locked intently on Liara. It was a little fucked up to be jealous of a person who was in such obvious pain.
"I just found out you were still alive." She looked up from the panel before speaking, "I would've come sooner had I known."
He nodded his head slowly before turning to look at Colt. "I have to say, Commander Shepard, it's a bit of a shock to see you alive. And with your head attached."
"Let's start a list of things we're never allowed to say to each other and put that as number one."
The drell grinned before a look of pure terror crossed his face. "Wait-no!"
Electricity surged through him, causing his body to arch away from the seat. He let out a blood curdling scream that sent shivers up Colt's spine. The electricity stopped just as soon as it started, but the damage was done. Smoke rose from the drell's body and his tongue rolled out of his mouth. Colt wasn't sure he was still alive until he blinked.
Liara stepped back from the panel, her eyes wide. "...Feron?"
"It's a security protocol, Liara," Feron panted out, "The equipment is sensitive to tampering. The Shadow Broker knows what he's doing."
"He?" Colt asked.
"Yes. I haven't seen much of him, but I've heard his voice a few times. And he's big too."
"A krogan?" Shepard said.
"Maybe."
Colt looked at Liara before turning to Feron once more. "How do we get you out?"
"This chair is hooked up to the Broker's information network. You'll have to shut off the power," he said, "If you try to free me now, my brain will cook."
"Jesus."
"Where can we cut the power?" Liara asked.
"It won't be easy. You'll have to go to central operations."
"Don't worry about it being easy or not. We'll get you out of there," Colt said, "That's a promise. Now, what can you tell me about the mercs?"
"He's raised his own private army. They're completely loyal. And I'm not exaggerating when I call them an army."
"We don't have time for questions," Liara said. She was right, they had to end this.
"Where's central operations?" Shepard said.
"It's just down the hall," Feron said, "You know that the Shadow Broker's waiting for you, right?"
Colt smirked. "I'm counting on it."
"We'll be back for you," Liara said.
Feron let his head roll back into the seat before saying, "I'll try not to go anywhere."
Colt laughed while pulling out his shotgun. He was so damn ready to kill. "Let's go, Liara." He stalked to the end of the hallway and took a deep breath. He glanced at the asari, who gave him a small nod. He pressed the door's controls and stepped through carefully, gun raised.
A creature, twice or even three times the size of a krogan, sat behind a desk. The dim lighting made it difficult to see any other defining features. If he had to guess, he'd say the Broker was a yahg. Not that it really mattered. Colt was gonna kill him no matter what.
"Here for the drell?" He said, his voice impossibly low, "That's reckless, even for you, Commander."
"Death made me bold."
"It should've done the opposite. You should've stayed away."
"And you should've stayed away from the Spectres," Colt said, "You got Vasir killed."
"The asari was expendable. All she cost me was time," he said, "And I believe it was Dr. T'Soni who actually killed Vasir. Speaking of which," he turned to Liara, "You caused all of this because of your interference. Feron betrayed me when he gave you Shepard's body. He's simply paying the price."
"Did you think you could work with the Collectors and get away with it?" Colt growled, "You had to know I'd come after you."
"I was hoping you'd stay dead. And the partnership was mutually beneficial. In fact, I'm glad you've come here. The Collectors' offer for your body still stands."
Colt was not to be bought and sold. He wasn't fucking property. Neither was his dead body. Fuck the Shadow Broker and fuck the Collectors. "How the fuck are you supposed to run this ship without a crew?" Shepard spat. "I just cut through them like they were nothing. I'll do the same to you."
"You operate under the assumption that people are irreplaceable. I labor under no such delusion. They can be replaced, easy, " he answered, "Now, enough talk. My operations won't be compromised by a traitor and the misguided efforts to save him."
"You're quite confident for someone who has nowhere left to hide," Liara said.
Once again, the Broker turned to the asari. "You travel with interesting companions, Doctor. I didn't think they made former gang members Spectres. And I certainly didn't think the Alliance accepted drug addicts. The Commander continues to be the exception to the rule, I see. Perhaps bringing his body to the Collectors will benefit the galaxy in more ways than one."
"You're not laying a hand on him."
Colt turned his attention to Liara. He'd never been forthcoming about much of his past and she'd just smoothed over it without any hesitation. Maybe he'd been wrong about her. Maybe she did still care.
"I don't know what you hope to achieve, Doctor T'Soni. I know every secret, while you fumble in the dark."
"Is that right? You're a yahg, a pre-flight species quarantined to your homeworld because you massacred the Council's first contact teams. This is base is older than your planet's discovery, which probably means that you killed the previous Shadow Broker sixty years ago, then took control. You were taken from your homeworld because someone wanted you as a trophy... Or as a pet. How am I doing?"
The Yahg said nothing when he stood up. He was probably ten feet tall and thousands of pounds. Holy shit. Pissing him off may not have been the greatest idea. Colt backed up a little bit. Liara did the same. Silence stretched between the three before the Broker slammed his fist into the desk. It crumpled easily beneath his gigantic paw, splitting in half. He picked half of the desk up and hurled it towards them.
Shepard leaped over the twisted metal and plastic, and landed just in time to see it smash into Liara. She flew backwards like a ragdoll before landing in a tangle of limbs.
He backed up slowly, eyes and gun still trained on the Broker. He knelt next to her and laid a hand gently on her arm. "You okay?" Colt whispered. There didn't seem to be any outward damage. Her barrier was up, which probably absorbed most of the impact. Still, that had to hurt like hell.
"Ya, hard landing," Liara replied while starting to stand. He nodded before standing quickly. They couldn't afford to be down too long. He grabbed her outstretched hand and pulled her up.
The Yahg was crouching down, recharging or something. A barrier crackled around him and he stood once more. Liara raised her gun and fired a few shots. The bullets seemed to ricochet off his newly found shields. Colt threw a couple warps to confirm his theory. He wasn't surprised when they bounced off the Broker harmlessly.
"The shield's kinetically sensitive!" Liara said, "Energy and projectiles are just bouncing off."
"Then we'll do this old school." Shepard shoved his gun onto his back, and cracked his knuckles.
"Shepard..."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Colt had no idea what he was doing. But thinking too hard was dangerous in any situation. At least, that's what he liked to think.
He charged the giant creature and punched his shield, hard. Biotics crackled from the shield and coursed through Colt's body. His cybernetics must've dampened the effects because all he felt was a slight twinge. The Broker tripped backwards, exposing the full length of his body. Colt moved in quickly and landed a fist on the yahg's jaw. He felt it snap under his hit.
The Broker stumbled away and tried to bring the shield out in front of his body, but Colt was faster. He kicked the yahg half heartedly in the leg before bringing his full strength down on the arm holding his shield. His elbow exploded out of his skin and sent a smatter of blood across the ground. The Broker screamed in pain and let the shield drop to the floor. His other arm swiped across Colt's shoulder, which sent the Commander sliding backwards on the balls of his feet. He felt blood starting to trickle down his shoulder.
The Broker looked him up and down before letting out a triumphant roar. He actually thought he'd won.
"You stupid fuck," Colt said. Green numbers started to flit over his slightly glowing skin. He turned his head to watch his shoulder heal itself. In a matter of seconds, the two sides of his cut came back together and reformed into a scarless patch of skin. He turned back to the Broker and couldn't help but grin at his wide eyes.
The Shadow Broker wouldn't be getting another hit in.
Colt charged the Yahg again and landed a fist on his chest while dodging his flailing arms. The chest piece shattered and sent the Broker backwards into a concrete wall. Shepard's hand wasn't even scratched. Colt moved in again and connected once more with his chest. The already shattered armor caved in, causing blood to leak between its cracks. Shepard leaned his left hand against the wall and used his right leg to kick the shit out of the Broker's upper body. He stopped after a while to observe the damage. The yahg's face was unrecognizable but he was still alive. Tendrils of blood and saliva flew out from his mouth and a strange clattering noise rose from his chest.
The Broker's shields flicked on pitifully, so Colt started in again. He drove his fists down with as much force as he could. This time his blows were primarily to the face. His fists sunk deeper and deeper into the yahg's head. Blood and bits flew up and sprayed across Colt's visor. He only stopped when he felt the metal ground.
He jumped up from the body, peeled his helmet off, and prowled around the scene. The scent of blood was so thick, Colt could taste iron in his throat. "Are you okay?" Liara touched his shoulder, making him jump at the contact.
"Me? You should ask him." Shepard looked down at his own fists, and aside from the remnants of the Shadow Broker's brain and skull, everything was fine. He turned to find Liara staring at him with wide eyes and a slightly agape mouth.
"You just...just-"
"It was him or us, and he wasn't going down without a fight," he said, "It's not like I wanted to do this."
"I understand that, it's just, you made it look so-"
"Easy?" He guessed.
"Yes."
Footsteps behind them made Colt whip around. He could go a few more rounds. "Feron?" He asked while lowering his biotically charged fists. "How'd you get out?"
"There was a power outage. Looks like the Broker fell into a breaker during this...fight. You do this?" The drell nodded to the pulp formerly known as the Shadow Broker.
"We did," Colt confirmed.
"Shadow Broker, this is Operative Murat," an unfamiliar crackled out, "We had a momentary connection failure. Can you confirm status?" Shepard almost laughed when he looked at the yahg's body.
He turned towards the voice, which came from a huge monitor filled with what looked like separate cells of information. It must've been the central hub that the Shadow Broker used to communicate with all of his agents.
"Operative Shora requesting update. Are we still online?"
Another agent reported in, and then another, and then another. He focused on Liara, who looked as overwhelmed as he felt. Were they just supposed to leave and let his information network fizzle out? She bowed her head for a second before looking up once more. Her jaw was set and her eyes blazed. She walked stiffly to the monitor and started tapping at some controls.
"This is the Shadow Broker," she started. The voice scrambler deepened her tone. "The situation is under control. We experienced a power fluctuation while upgrading hardware. It disrupted communications momentarily. However, we are now back online. Resume standard procedures. I want a status report within the next solar day. Shadow Broker out."
He looked at Feron, who shrugged his shoulders. Did Liara just become the Shadow Broker?
"Goddess of Oceans, did you just...Are you...how?" Feron stammered.
"Everyone that's ever seen him in person is dead, so-"
"So you're the new Shadow Broker?" Colt said. She nodded.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked. "It may not be a great idea."
"It was that or lose the network. A network we so desperately need."
"Ya, you're right," he said.
"Now, I can give you…" She tried. "I can…"
Feron looked between them before saying, "I'll, uh, check the power systems." He limped away and out the door.
Colt watched him leave before approaching Liara. Tears were flowing silently from her eyes, but as he got closer, she started to sob. "Hey," he said gently while placing a hand on her shoulder. "Liara, what's wrong?" He turned her around to face him.
"It's over...it's finally...for two years."
He reached out for her hands and took them gently in his own. She was trembling. "It's done," he said, "You did it. You can be free of this whole thing."
She extracted her hands from his and looked up at him with swollen eyes. What was going through her head? Her arms wrapped around his waist and she planted a quick kiss on his lips. It felt like a friendly peck, if such a thing existed. "We did it," she whispered.
No, they hadn't. Colt may have killed the Shadow Broker, but Liara had done all the intellectual heavy lifting. This was a shallow partnership. There was no 'us' or 'we.' They both had very good reasons to want the Broker dead, and they'd accomplished just that. Anything beyond that simple objective was a nuisance. The past was the past.
"Like you said. It's been two years. We're both different people," he started, "I have my mission and you have yours. Let's just leave it at that. I should probably go. You have a lot to figure out." He pulled away from her arms and started for the exit.
"Colt, wait."
He stopped walking but refused to turn around. "You saw for yourself, Liara. Cerberus changed me. I should've died when Vasir sent that glass towards me. The Shadow Broker should've crushed me. I know you don't mean too, but you keep giving me this...look. Like you're disgusted. You're never going to forgive me. Let's just cut our losses and move on. We can't keep disappointing each other."
Her boots thundered against the floor as she maneuvered herself in front of him. "That look?" She shouted, "It's amazement. I saw you dead, Colt!...I saw the damage. And I don't forgive you because there's nothing to forgive. I know you too well. I know that you died to save Joker, and I know you'd do it again. You're just that type of person. It's why you saved the Citadel, and why you'll defeat the Reapers. If there's anyone that is in need of forgiveness, it's me."
"Why?"
"I gave you to Cerberus. I had a choice," she said, "But I couldn't let you go."
"Except, you didn't have a choice. You know that I can stop the Reapers. What were you supposed to do? Let the galaxy be destroyed?" He said, "And you know what else? If Cerberus came to me and said they could bring my brother or my dad back from the dead, I'd say yes. I'd even ask them what took so long. I do not blame you. Not one bit."
"But earlier-"
"I said you should've buried me and been done with it. I said you were responsible. But you know what? I also once said that you should pour milk before the cereal, so maybe you should take what I say with a grain of salt."
"Salt? What?"
"I'm saying that I talk out of my ass when I'm upset," he admitted, "I didn't mean it."
"So, where does that leave us?"
"In the same place. What happened, happened. We're not going to change that. I wish I hadn't died. But I did. And we're different now because of it. Whatever happened between us, happened between different people," he said, "Feron seems like a nice guy, maybe you should-"
"But I don't love, Feron," she interrupted. "I love you." She threw her arms around his neck and brought his head down into a fiery kiss. When they both came back up for air, she started speaking in a low tone. "I think you're the same exact person that you were. Who else would've helped me with this foolish plan?"
"So now I'm an idiot?"
She laughed before rolling her eyes. "You're twisting my words."
They both fell silent as he stared into her bloodshot eyes, looking for a lie. But the look she was giving him was identical to the one he'd seen before Illos and their Thessia vacation. He nodded slowly. "...Okay."
"Okay," she said, "Let's stop running from each other."
"I never left."
"Yes, you did," she said, "But you came back." She bit her lip before smiling. "Don't do it again."
"I'll try my best." He planted a kiss on her forehead before thinking of one more thing. "You're not bothered by the Cerberus upgrades?"
"Why would I be? I'll admit, it was a little shocking at first. When you strolled into my office with biotics, I was...surprised. And then I saw you rip that hovercar's door off, and I wondered a bit. But when I watched you go after the yahg with just your fists, I realized that Cerberus may have given you an edge over the Reapers. And we need everything we can get," she explained. "And besides, the important part, the you part, it's still alive and well. That's the only thing that matters to me."
"Well, good thing. There's not a whole lot left that's original. At least I got to keep my winning personality."
"What do humans say? Silver linings?"
"Humans say a lot of things. Most of it stupid."
She chuckled before responding, "So I've seen." They both smiled as a comfortable silence stretched between them. "We should, uh, probably get cleaned up," she said while unraveling her arms from around his neck. They stepped away from each other and she pointed to a fragment attached to his bloody chest piece. "I'm pretty sure that's a piece of skull right there."
"Cleaning up sounds like a good idea. Do you think the bathroom's this way?"
…
"I'm lucky there was a human sized shower and clothes. I guess the Shadow Broker kept them around for his human mercs?"
Liara turned around from her monitor and looked him up and down.
"Smallish mercs, I guess," he said, looking down at his tight shirt. "Lucky you."
"Lucky me," she agreed.
He laughed before moving to stand just in front of her. "So, what's your plan?"
"I think I'll remain here and figure all of this out. You need the Broker's resources and you need someone who can navigate them," Liara explained.
"You sure you want to stay? I could use you on the Normandy."
"I know, but I need to stay here. This is an opportunity that we can't pass up. All I wanted to do was rescue Feron, but I want this too," she said, "Is that wrong of me?"
"No. This information network will be invaluable against the Reapers, and you've worked hard to get here. You've invested blood, sweat, and tears. There's no shame in wanting to stay and learn."
"Good," she sighed out. "I needed to hear that." She looked at the screen and then back to him. "I've only just scratched the surface and I'm already overwhelmed. His network was far more extensive than I ever imagined. He had access to top level access to the turian hierarchy, the asari government, and more than one salarian dalatrass traded information intel. And I get to share it all with you."
"You're not going to turn into a recluse with creepy information on everyone in the galaxy, are you?"
"No...Maybe. I mean, I can certainly understand the temptation," she said, "I've got all the galaxy's secrets at my fingertips. Give me ten minutes and I could start a war."
"Let's not get too excited, damn. We already have a war to fight, let's not make it two."
"Don't worry. I've got a purpose that'll keep me honest-helping you defeat the Reapers," she said, "You know, relatively speaking."
"So fighting the Reapers is supposed to stop you from being creepy? I don't buy it."
"We'll have to cross our fingers, I guess."
"Well, if it all becomes too much and you realize you haven't spoken to another person in far too long, we could always crash this ship, preferably into a Reaper," he said.
"But I feel like I belong here. When I worked on my own, I was always hunting for leads," she replied, "With all the Shadow Broker's resources, it's all about organizing and cataloging a tremendous amount of information. I've got everything, Colt. This is my dream job...Although, the location could be better."
"To each their own, I guess. I mean, my dream job is glueing wigs onto wax figures."
"I'm pretty sure each hair is individually placed into the hot wax and then sealed in when it cools."
He blinked once, twice. "The fact that you know that makes me mildly uncomfortable."
"Your dream job makes me mildly uncomfortable."
"As long as we have an understanding," he laughed.
She shook her head with a grin, turning towards her monitor once more. Her expression turned serious as she watched data continuously sprawl across the screen. "It's hard to believe, but the Shadow Broker knew about the Reapers," she started, "Perhaps that's why he offered to prove Saren's guilt to the Council. There's even some data on the Protheans. I think he knew what was coming and was trying to find a way to survive."
"And did he find a way to survive? Because I'd be pretty interested in that information."
"It's hard to say. Like I said, I've only just scratched the surface. But the I think he thought there was more information out there. Perhaps the Protheans had other plans...Or the Shadow Broker was just grasping at anything that offered some hope."
"Him and me both," Colt muttered. "Listen, this may have the potential to be big. Keep working at it and see if he really did uncover something we missed."
"I can do that."
Shepard tensed his jaw, suddenly remembering their original objective. "Where'd Feron go?"
"He's still checking on the power systems."
"It's been like an hour," Colt said.
"I guess the systems were complicated."
"Liara? Do you, umm, think he's alright? Physically and mentally?"
The asari brought a hand up to cup her chin. Her eyes grew watery as she began to speak, "It's hard to say. It was two years of intermittent torture. I plan to offer him work, but...that's not enough. Goddess, the things he's been through."
"So, umm, are you guys-?"
"-We're just friends, if even that," she interrupted, "I barely spent any time with him before he sacrificed himself so Hannah and I could get away. Plus, I think you made it clear that I'm, as humans say, taken."
"Ya, I think he figured out that I'm not just here to punch things and collect data." Colt moved closer and slid his arms around her waist. "You should come to the Normandy. I've seen your ship, now you have to see mine."
"That seems fair."
"Let's go now," he suggested.
"Now? We just-"
"Joker's gonna kill me if he doesn't get to see you. He's been asking about you every time I see him," he said, "Might as well go now and tick one thing off our To-Do list."
"So Joker's gonna be disappointed?" She said.
"I can think of at least one other person."
"Really? Well, I guess we better go now."
…
"How was the tour?" Shepard asked. He finished pouring wine into two glasses before fixing his cuffs once more. It was the best wine he owned, and arguably his best civilian styled suit. Although, he was rather partial to his dress uniforms.
"Your ship is very beautiful, Shepard. It reminds me of the SR-1," she said with a sad smile. She smoothed down the sleeves on her modest asari dress before continuing, "I also made a point to visit Joker, seeing as how he missed me so badly."
"Oh?"
"He did seem happy to see me. He also asked me to record any parts of our, um, conversation where my eyes did, 'That freaky black eternity thing.'"
Colt walked up the three stairs that separated the bedroom from the bathroom and entryway. He raised an eyebrow before answering. "And did you expect him to say anything different?"
"No."
"Good. You know how he is. If he said anything else, I'd be suspicious we had the wrong Joker."
Liara laughed lightly before turning around and focusing in on something. He came to stand beside her and followed her gaze to his space hamster. "At least Morinth had a good taste in pets," he said, "Almost makes up for the whole brain hemorrhaging thing."
"If you get any more animals, the Normandy will become a traveling zoo." She looked pointedly at the fish tank and the varren toys spread out across his room.
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"You always did have a soft spot for animals," she said with a grin. "Speaking of which, where is Rosebud?"
"Mordin has her today. She loves that man. I can't confirm anything, but I'm pretty sure he feeds her at least three times a day."
"No wonder she loves him."
"Well, that and it's damn near impossible not to love Mordin."
"So," she said, "You're getting along well with the crew?"
"Absolutely. I know Cerberus specifically picked them to fit my personality and leadership style, but the love I have for all of them is genuine. It's a privilege and an honor to know them."
"Well, if they're anything like the SR-1's crew, they feel the same way about you."
He slung his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the forehead before saying, "Something tells me you might be a little biased."
A soft smile ghosted her lips as she looked down at the small frame clutched in her hands.
"What's that?" He asked.
She wordlessly handed it to him before stepping out of his light hold. She walked over to the fishtank, which silhouetted her against its light blue hue.
He looked at frame and felt his heart jump to his throat. "I didn't think I'd ever see these again."
"I wouldn't let Cerberus have them. Or the Alliance, for that matter."
"So you just kept my tags around? Don't you think my mom would've wanted them?"
"Not as much as I wanted them," she replied. He looked back up, but she was still turned away from him.
"Liara…" He placed his dog tags on the nearby desk and came up slowly behind her.
"I keep having this thought," she started, "When this ends, if it ever ends, what happens to us? We've only known each other during the war. Did we only find each other to be comforted under the unimaginable stress? What if find that we're different people once this is over with?"
He stopped a few feet from her and watched the fish swim in lazy circles before answering, "I can say pretty honestly that I'm not at my best. The Reapers have this uncanny ability to bring the very worst out of people. So if can tolerate me now, I like to imagine that the best version of myself will reappear once everything is said and done. I think that's probably true for yourself."
"What do we do when there's no war to fight?"
"Well assuming everything goes as planned, we've got our whole lives to live with each other."
She turned from the fish tank to face him. Her arms were folded over her chest and one eyebrow was slightly raise. "Like what?"
"I don't know. Marriage, old age, and lots of little blue children?" Colt gave his best shit eating grin.
"You just say these things." Liara pushed him a little and then strode down the couple stairs. He followed at a slower pace. There was something still bothering her. "Goddess, you were dead, Colt."
He shrugged. "I got better."
Liara approached the seldom used desk by his bed and leaned heavily on it. "This time. But you'll leave again. I know you. You have to be the hero every damn time. What happens when you find an enemy you cannot defeat?"
"I-"
She pushed herself off the desk and looked up through the skylight over his bed. "When your team is ready, you'll jump through the Omega Four relay. On a suicide mission," she said, "And what if you can't beat the odds this time? What if it's actually a suicide mission?"
He looked down at his feet and tensed his jaw. It's not like he wanted this. He never asked to be the Savior of the Citadel or the Hero of Elysium. And he certainly didn't ask to be killed by the Collectors.
Hands slid over his shoulders and then back down to rest on his chest. "I know I'm being unfair," she whispered.
Colt glanced up at her and then back down. "We don't have to try this again."
"But I want to. I want us. But you have to promise me," she said, "I mourned you for two years. I missed you more than I've ever missed anybody else. It almost killed me. If we're going to do this, you have to promise me that you're coming back. I can't bear to lose you again." A network of tears flowed down her face. A sinking feeling made his stomach turn.
"Oh Liara." Shepard reached for her hands but she pulled away.
"Promise me, Colt."
Shepard sighed "I can't promise you that. I can't promise you that I'll live through the suicide mission or that the Reapers won't kill me. I don't wanna lie to you. But I will promise you that I'll try to make it back. I promise you that I'll fight like hell to be with you. I promise you that I'll try to make sure we get marriage, old age, and little blue children. I mean it. There's no one more important to me than you." Shepard reached out and cupped Liara's cheek. "Plus, I think the odds are in our favor."
"How so?"
He pulled her closer and started kissing her neck. "I have yet to stay dead."
"Hmmm," she hummed in his ear, "You make a compelling argument."
…
How many people ever got this lucky? How many people prayed and prayed to see someone they lost, but to no avail? It was truly unbelievable and almost incomprehensible. She'd heard his dying breath and she'd recovered the tangled mess that remained. And now he was lightly snoring in bed with her.
Blue cast his face into that of an older man. Every angle seemed to deepen and every wrinkle seemed to darken. Perhaps he'd have looked like that had he stayed alive for the past two years. Perhaps the weight of the Reapers would have blackened the skin under his eyes and made his frown lines more pronounced. But in lighting that wasn't otherwise provided by a fish tank, he looked young. Softer, somehow. It was probably just her imagination. After all, she didn't know the human ageing process all that well.
No. He looked younger than when they first met. She closed her eyes and remembered him with perfect clarity. That voice. That grin. Goddess, he just oozed confidence. Or maybe it was arrogance. Whatever it was, it worked.
He was twenty eight then. Now he was thirty, and looked twenty two. Was it this Shepard that saved Elysium at the cost of his brother? Was it this Shepard that completed N7 training?
At least Cerberus kept the eyes. Or knew how to mimic the originals well enough to fool her. They were too old for a twenty eight year old and were downright ancient on a twenty two year old. It was how she knew he was really back. Only a certain soul could fill those eyes, and she saw him every time she looked.
Despite his eyes, she'd still waited to join their consciousnesses. She hated herself for being uncertain. And she hated that he sensed her hesitancy. But he let her go at her own pace. He never pushed or asked. And when the moment came where she was both selfish and brave, his mind was ready to accept hers.
When they finally touched consciousnesses, it was like returning home after a lone journey. Everything was right where she left it. All the pieces that made him who he was were still in full view. All the uncertainty that made her wait seemed to evaporate. How Cerberus had done it, she didn't know. But they had truly brought Colt back in his original form. No teaking or memory lapses. He was the same person, and for that, she owed Cerberus a thousand times over.
As far as she could tell, all his changes were purely physical. Some were more apparent than others, but she remained fascinated with everything. For example, his scars were gone. All but two. And his skin was so much softer. Probably because all of his original skin was the first thing to melt off when he entered Alchera's atmosphere. She closed her eyes, but couldn't get the picture of his lifeless corpse out of her head.
"Hey."
She opened her eyes again and was met with a cool green gaze. "Hey," she replied lamely.
"Everything okay?"
She couldn't stop a large smile from spreading across her face. "For the first time in a long time, I think so." She grazed his cheek with the tips of her fingers and traced along his hairline scar. After a moment, she dropped her hand and sighed. "Thank you, Colt. For everything." She rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed. "I'll see you soon," she said.
The bed creaked slightly as he moved around behind her. His hand cupped her left shoulder and he set his head on her other shoulder. "Don't you want to stay?"
She stood up, pulling out of his hold. Without turning around, she said, "If I stay another minute, I might never leave."
"Okay," he said softly, "Just...come back soon, Liara."