A/N: All right... so now we've gotten the spoiler-tastic recap of Heavy Rain in place. So with that said and done, Madison is now loyal. And we still have a lot to cover before MV2 can finally end. So what will that cover?
Well... I'll go ahead and set stuff up for later, that's what. So stay tuned and I'll provide some set-up exposition.
Chapter 35: Developments
Okay... so now we're back in front of Bailey's console with Madison, Shepard, and myself there. The C-Sec captain is busy typing away at his terminal, nodding his head in various forms of approval as he sifts through the paperwork.
"Well, that should take care of that with the Origami Killer," he mentions. "Who would have thought a fat man would have been able to steal children in plain sight like that?"
"I bet he just asked them nicely," says Shepard jokingly.
Madison shook her head. "He still had police vestments when he was on Earth," she says. "I doubt that would've worked today, but..." Hm, that is a good question. How did Scott manage to steal Sawrik away, anyhow? He doesn't have the police uniform, so...
"It probably had something to do with that mole Yultar hypothesized about," says Bailey. "We'll interrogate him soon, see if he's willing to talk about who his mole is. Personally, I'm just glad we found the killer. And even if he does escape, we can find him all over again. There aren't that many buildings that were in as bad a shape as that building. As of now, I think it's safe to say you've saved a lot of lives, Shepard."
"I didn't save the children," says Shepard. "I couldn't have done this without Madison's knowledge of how the Origami Killer works." Or mine, but you kind of have to omit my knowledge of the Origami Killer or else that will get suspicious fast for everyone not in the know...
"Well, you'll be relieved to know that Eltarn's hand should be all right given some treatement," says the captain. "And Sawrik will live."
"I feel pretty bad for him, though," I mention, shaking my head. "I mean seriously... the crap the poor kid went through was really, really bad."
"You and me both," he mentions. "As for Scott Shelby... We'll be keeping him in C-Sec custody for a long while, barring us not finding his mole in time. But we'll be fast, and we'll find the mole quickly. And if he escapes, he'll have his efforts blindsided at every possible juncture now."
"That's good," says Madison. "Thank you for all you've done, Bailey. You've done me a big favor, as well as for Eltarn."
"It's all in a day's work," replies Bailey. "Now... I've got other business to take care of. You should go seek out Sawrik and Eltarn and say hi. They should both still be in the clinic."
Madison nods. "I'll be sure to do that then," she says. "Thank you again for all you've done."
And with this, she gives Bailey a nod. The journalist hurriedly walks over to where the clinic is, disappearing behind a door or two after a little bit. We follow her with our eyes, and then watch as she begins talking with Eltarn and Sawrik. I smile as I watch this, crossing my arms.
"Looks like they'll get along well," mentions Bailey as he turns back to Shepard. "Thanks a lot, Shepard. You've made my job easier once again."
"Anytime, Bailey," she says. "I should go."
"I'll see you around, Shepard," he says. "And if you need anything, I'll be right here."
With this, Bailey turns back to the terminal. With this, Shepard and I both exit the office on the Zakera Ward, looking back out as we exit through customs, letting out a rather large sigh of relief. I nod, looking over to Shepard with a calm expression on my face.
"Well... that takes care of all that," I say as we're screened out of customs.
"That it does," she says. "You think Madison will be all right?"
I nod. "She'll be good," I reply. "She's nothing if not resilient. And with the original Origami Killer out of the way, we've got it covered." I glance back. "And now he's been brought to justice."
"Why not just kill him?" asks Shepard.
I roll my eyes, crossing my arms as I smirk. "Apparently, the first time it happened it didn't stop him," is my simple reply. "I guess it's better this way." I turn to her. "Still, he kinda deserves it. Especially for what he did to the person he tried to 'help'."
Shepard raises her eyebrow. "Oh, boy," she says. "I don't think this ends well..."
I shake my head. "That it does not," I say. "He picked up an unofficial partner while he was killing who was trying to find answers to who the killer was. Her name was Lauren Winter. Her son was one of Scott's victims back on Earth." I shake my head. "The things Scott did to her mind... they were fucking cruel. I want the guy dead, trust me. But it's probably better now that he's been brought in alive."
"Can't say I disagree with you there," says Shepard. "You think Yelena and Mangdalar will be here soon?"
"With Kasumi, hopefully," I say. With this, I stretch my arm a little. Man, my arm is sore right now. "We did take a damn long time. I'll bet Kasumi got quite a bit of artistic enlightenment."
"From here... I guess it's just a matter of waiting," she says. "And then comes the beratement."
"Hey, Mangdalar's life got saved by my timely intervention, even if he did hear things he didn't want to know," I mention. "Yelena won't be too bad about it." I glance to the side, chewing briefly on my lower lip. "I hope."
And with this, we end up waiting for the aforementioned turian and his asari partner. Yeah... I hope she's not to bad about it. I did just up and leave them there. Though Tali went back over there to tell them that I was finished now.
Shame we're leaving at the moment, though. Shepard says she's had enough of this thing. We still need to get Jack and Jacob's loyalty missions out of the way, after all, and we have a derelict Reaper we've gotta go through. And that's not counting the final mission or bumping into Legion. Man, dealing with Legion's thing is gonna be rough. Especially with Tali in the picture. Though... I just realized something, too. How's Rael going to deal with Legion? He doesn't know I know about him, and yet Tali does... I need to tell him soon. And this time, I actually need to make a physical reminder in the form of Tali slapping my hand every time I see him before we get to the derelict Reaper.
I nearly lost more hiding my secret from the rest of the crew...
But I shouldn't dwell on that. Because there goes Tali, Kasumi, and my two music friends on the Citadel from Rapid Transport. Yelena is a little cross, it looks like, but Mangdalar looks like he's taking it with a grain of salt. And as I keep an eye on their expressions, they come forward, and somewhere in front of the C-Sec checkpoint we meet.
Yelena shakes her head. "Seriously, Art?" she asks. "You just ditched us like that?"
I nod. "I know, Yelena," I say. "Let me just explain that really wierd stuff happened. I... don't think you'd understand the whole story unless Mangdalar told you..."
"He did," she replies. Okay... so now Yelena knows as well. "You have some serious explaining to do, about what he told me and about what just happened."
"That I do," I concur. "Let me start from the beginning..."
And with this... I explain myself in great detail to the asari.
Okay... now that we're all standing in the airlock of the Normandy... things went pretty well, I think. Though Yelena definitely didn't take my explanation all too well. But then, she's being told that I basically put Mangdalar and herself in danger through no fault of my own. But she is fairly understanding. After all, what asari in her maiden stage isn't that way? So she more or less understands, even if she's miffed. And so, they went back to the Citadel, and the rest of us got to return to the Normandy.
So now... Madison is happy, Shepard is happy, Garrus is happy, Kasumi looks pleased, Tali looks pleased too, and I feel happy. So we're all a bunch of merry people. As the doors of the airlock open, then, I feel quite good about everything.
Man, everything is so good. We've brought a killer to justice, I've freed myself even further to Yelena, and we've gotten Madison's loyalty.
What could possibly break this reverie?
"Mr. *********, the Illusive Man wishes to speak with you in the comm room."
...
Damn it, EDI! You just had to kill it, didn't you?
I let out an annoyed groan at this. Damn it, you just ruined my day! And it's been a long one too! I just wanna go to sleep! "Can it wait a bit?" I ask. "I'm in the middle of falling asleep here."
"Or calibrations," replies Garrus.
Oh, God damn it! "The link is already open, Mr. *********," replies EDI. "He does not tolerate having to wait, you understand."
Well, damn it. There's no dodging this bullet, is there? Oh, well... I might as well get this conversation over with. I look over to Tali, biting my lower lip. "You planning on staying at my room tonight?"
"If you'd like," says Tali. "I... uh... I can sleep in the pods tonight... Not that... well..." She stops speaking, and I can tell that she's a little flustered.
"Yeah... I'd like you there," I say, placing a hand carefully on her arm. "I'll join you in a few minutes." Well... "Concealed Cerberus agents possibly trying to steal me before I can go back for my secrets not withstanding, of course."
"I detect no persons in the Comm Room, Serviceman," pipes up EDI.
... "That is a joke, EDI." I pat Tali's arm comfortingly. "I better go talk to him then. Soon as I get down there, I'm plopping into bed."
And with this, I walk towards the comm room, going right through the tech lab. I see I caught Mordin in one of his incredibly rare sleep cycles, where he's just standing off to the side away from all that data. I swear to God, that guy doesn't sleep at all. Suffice it to say, he's wierd when he sleeps. Well, at least he doesn't snore. That would be annoying if he snored just as loudly as Wrex did back on the original Normandy.
But... that's not important.
What's important is the comm room. Which I am now in.
I look into the room, blinking in surprise. Okay... there's the little orange circle around the ground where the table's been lowered. Yeah, I just walk into that, and then my image gets broadcast several light years away to wherever the Illusive Man is. Yeah... Doing that now.
As I enter the circle, though, I feel a little odd. Here I am on this end of the comm array, and all I see for the Illusive Man is a hologram of him sitting at his desk. And it's all orangey and stuff. I can't tell what his expression is, even as he brings a lit cigarette to his mouth. It's just so unreadable like that. Especially when it's all orange and stuff. And it looks wierd too... I can't see the detail of his artificial eyes, or of that black suit that I have to admit looks rather cool on him. Or the greyish-brown hair. It's just... this doesn't feel the same as watching the camera cut straight to TIM.
I glance around as I enter the orange circle, my gaze seeming clueless. I bite my lower lip, crossing my arms as I close my eyes, imagining myself in that place... Hm...
"Is there a reason you have your eyes closed?"
Ah, hello Martin Sheen. "Eh, I'm just trying to imagine the cutaway shot right now," I mention. "What with you sitting in that huge room of yours with that view of whatever star you're in front of as the light reflects off the shiny black floor tiles. Also, your eyes shine blue, always with artificial light. It's just so much easier to imagine that than to talk to a hologram for a few minutes. Especially when you're more used to it." I smirk at this. "By the way, nice view of that star. I'm sure a lot of people would kill to get a view of a star that's so close and personal. Makes me wonder why you don't burn to death from it, but there you have it."
I feel not so much as see the blink that comes afterwards. "Then it seems Miranda's report was correct," says the Illusive Man. "You do know more than you let on initially. This is... a very intriguing development." I open my eyes, looking right at the hologram to see he's stood up. "You knew things about the future Saren would have killed to find out. I would say you did the galaxy a very large favor by keeping such information secret. I cannot even begin to imagine what Saren would have done if he had known about the existence of your knowledge."
Pfft, he almost did find out. It was kind of a shame he found out after he died. Well, that Sovereign found out. I don't think the Reaper fleet caught on, though, so it's not worth mentioning. After all, I don't think even Sovereign can communicate many thousands of light years away...
I shake my head. "It doesn't always feel like that, Illusive Man," I reply with a shake of my head. "I don't like justifying it with 'it's for the good of the galaxy', since keeping some events secret kinda sucks in its own wierd ways. And besides, that knowledge works against you too." I point at his hologram as I frown slightly. "I know what you're planning on asking Shepard to do when we get to the Collector base. About the fact that you want to keep it for study."
"I have been considering that option, yes," he says. "That base could have useful technology that could help us in the fight against the Reapers. We may not know what technology is there, though."
I blink, taking a step forward. "You forget that I know what's waiting for us there," I comment. "Trust me, all the technology in that base is sure as hell not worth the amount of human lives lost there. It's not worth keeping at all."
"Think of the advancements we could make, though," says TIM. "The technology on that base may save many human lives."
What about turian or quarian lives, then? "It's using Reaper technology to fight against the Reapers," I mention. "I mean... we're still going along the path they want us to."
"And what are you suggesting?" asks the Illusive Man.
"I don't know," I say, throwing my hands up. "But I don't think that base is the answer to all our problems. Many tens of thousands of people are being turned into genetic paste over there as we speak. It's working to humanity's detriment, trust me. All the stuff we could find at that base isn't worth keeping it." Well, with the possible exception of... No, I shouldn't mention the prophecy. Not even TIM should know about that unless it plays into things later. "Also, I'm not trusting you to leave us alone if Shepard blows up the base as she originally plans to."
"Think for a second," says the Illusive Man as he gestures with his hands. "I spent billions of credits to bring Shepard back from the dead. As the leader of Cerberus, I have quite a bit of pull, but even Shepard was a big investment. I would not be likely to waste resources to get back such an investment when I know that she and I will still be working for the same goal."
I shake my head, holding my finger up. "I'll hold it to you, then," I say. "But until we get out of the Collector Base, let me just tell you that I'll hold you at arm's length. You know things are bad for your trust when even your own voice actor wouldn't trust you if given the option to work under you."
"Fair enough," says the Illusive Man. "In the meantime, though, there is a larger issue: this issue of what you have hidden from everyone. About the fact that you are from an alternate dimension." He nods. "The report mentions that you have no knowledge of how it occurred."
"That's right," I reply with a nod. "And I'm pretty damn sure it wasn't science, either. To be honest, I have no idea in the world what it could've been. I just remember sitting playing something to give me hallucinations, and when I black out I wake up in some alley on the Citadel. Whatever happened in that time... I have no god-damn idea..."
"I see," he says. The leader of Cerberus takes a long drag of his cigarette, perhaps disappointed. Hm... I guess he wanted further results. "This could have put us with a technological advancement. But... seeing as how even you are unsure of how it happened..." He gives me a look. "The report mentions that two other people on the ship had this happen to them too."
I nod. Hm... Better not mention Scott Shelby. "Yeah, and they don't know either," I say. "Let's just say that nobody knows how it happens, and I really, really doubt you can control it."
"Then that settles that," he says, returning to his seat. "I trust you have sorted out any personal quarrels that may have arisen?"
I... Have I? I take in a deep breath, exhaling as I look at TIM. "I don't think so, sir," I reply. "There were the people that knew before I let it all fly, so they're okay, and Miranda and Shepard are both fine with it... but everyone else... I don't know."
"Then perhaps you should make your peace with the ground team," he suggests. "You had your reasons, but I doubt that hiding such a thing for so long would be so accepted by everyone around you."
I chuckle darkly at this. "Trust me, when it's come down to it, I think people have been taking it a lot better than I think they really should," I say. "Hell, Shepard had the most extreme reaction to me blabbing about it that I had ever gotten."
"Nevertheless, it may help you bring your own peace of mind," replies the leader of Cerberus. "At any rate, you have your reasons. I will assure you that this information is safe with me."
I blink. "I'm still not trusting you," I reply.
"Would I have a reason to expose your knowledge of such events?" he asks. "The results of releasing such information would be very bad for the fate of the galaxy if it fell into the wrong hands. It would do very little to aid the cause of humanity, as well, especially amongst the Council. Your distrust of me seems to be supported by your experience, but you must remember that I am not as short-sighted as you might think."
"Then I'll hold you to it," I say. "Though for reference, my precognitive powers are beginning to fail me."
"Logically, then, I would have even less to gain from such exposure," he comments. "I would say your distrust of me makes you seem more than a litte paranoid in my presence."
"Better paranoid than dead, as my campus safety back at school used to tell me," I reply with a shrug. "But I'll hold you to it for now. Just know that if I hear about my secret from someone who shouldn't know and said person is not the Shadow Broker, you're the first person I'll be pointing my finger at."
"That is the best I can ask for." He takes yet another long drag of his cigarette, looking at me. "This is all I wished to speak to you about. Be safe."
I give him a simple nod, and then the holographic interface all around me gets cut off. I stand on the table as I watch it all get stowed away. Yeah... and that is that. I bite my lower lip, taking a breath as I turn to the-
Whoah!
"Uh... Hi Mordin."
The salarian doctor is just standing there, looking at me in his newer labcoat with a calm expression on his face. He regards me, and then nods.
"Ah, Serviceman," he says. "Had heard conversation from outside of briefing room. Assume it went well."
I shake my head. "You sure got over the fact that I hid the fact that I knew everything ahead of time quick," I mention. "I take it your nephew who's doing really well in school is doing fine?"
Mordin blinks. "Ah. Suspected you knew about that," replies the doctor. "Good to see I was correct." I step away from the table just as it starts to rise up, and then Mordin gives me a nod. "Salarian thought process faster than that of humans. Also, less emotional. I can see you had your reasons to hide secret. Still curious about certain things, but from what I heard you are as clueless as I on questions I want answered. Not good for either of us. Just," -and here he sniffed- "a few questions. Could we have saved Maelon? What would ultimate fate of krogan be without genophage cure?"
I blink. Well, that's a random question to ask after the fact. I bite my lower lip before nodding quickly. "Yeah, we could've," I mentioned. "Tela wasn't even supposed to be there. If she hadn't shot Maelon, we could've let him run off." I shrug. "And to be honest? I don't know what the outcome of curing the genophage would've been. I'm afraid the game hadn't quite gotten to the point where the plot was ready to address it, so I have no way of knowing if it's for the better or not." I shake my head. "Actually, at the point we're at in the game, I'm reaching the end of my precognitive abilities. That technically means I won't know what's going to happen next for much longer. So... once we get out of the Collector base, we'll be shit out of luck for me being able to tell you what's gonna happen next."
"I see," says the scientist as he nods. "Very well. Was just curious. Either way, I am still grappling with genophage cure. Still a good idea?"
"I'm sure it is," I mention with a hand gesture. "But... it seems you didn't want to say just that to me."
"Ah, no," he says. "Had other things I needed to mention. About the seeker poison." He looks at me with a smile. "Have new piece of equipment for you. May come in handy in future battles."
Oh? I blink, looking at Mordin with a smirk as I cross my arms. "Hm, this should be fun," I mention. "Lead the way, doctor."
And with this, Mordin steps out of the comm room. I'm following behind rather quickly as the two of us walk towards the tech lab.
"So, Doctor, what do you want to talk about?"
We're both in the tech lab, and he's away from his console. He's proudly standing in front of a small little module that he's developed. Hm... I swear that looks like the thing that would be used for toggling various kinds of ammo. I frown, looking at the little thing as I glance back at Mordin. I raise my eyebrow, looking to him as I cross my arms.
"Examined seeker poison," he says. "Of variety that almost killed you."
Oh, yeah... "Because a reminder of that time I almost died is exactly what I need with half the ship having lost my trust," I comment with a shake of my head.
"Not the point," reiterates the salarian.
"I know," I say, taking a sharp inhalation. "It's just... What did you do with the poison?"
"Found practical application," he says. "Should suit your needs. Poison in large amounts can kill. However, further testing proves that in small amounts, toxin is more liable to dizzy an opponent. When used in small doses, good for paralysis of the kind found in other people stung by seeker poison." I frown at this. "Seeker you were stung by unusual. Injects too much toxin into the blood stream. Could have killed you. But in small doses..."
I blink, looking at the little contraption. "So basically, you're saying you've developed statis rounds?" I ask.
"'Stasis' implies biotic activity," replies Mordin. "Misleading term. Would prefer to dub them 'poison rounds'."
Heh, poison rounds. "What's next, Short Round?" I ask. "Because God knows I'm not going to exactly put up with guys taking still-beating hearts out of other guys for some unholy ritual of stuff."
The silence after this is palpable, and then Mordin turns to me slowly. He's got the biggest look of confusion on his face as he just stops and looks at me. Okay... Apparently, he didn't get the reference. Yeah... I need to make my references more relatable.
I wave my hand. "Never mind," I say. "Temple of Doom reference. Old human movie. You need to watch it sometime, along with Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade."
The doctor simply blinks, looking back at the thing. "As I was saying," he says, perpetuating it with a very light cough like what he gave at the end of that really awkward singing of the Gilbert and Sullivan aria. "Prefer to dub them poison rounds. One shot has small enough dose to disorient target. Disorientation takes a little, however. Pepper them with bullets, and stasis can take effect on target. Should note that with increased dose the target's health will begin to decline." Hm, so it's kinda like the poison status effct from the Fire Emblem series, only with extra stand-still properties as well. Huh.
"Well, that looks like it could come in handy," I mention, taking the thing gingerly. "I take it it has to actually enter the bloodstream, though. Nothing on shields?"
"Yes, must enter bloodstream." The doctor looks on as I eye the little toggle thing. "Inefficient otherwise."
Hm... "Sounds like fun," I say. "And plus, I get to give the Collectors a small taste of their own medicine." I smirk at this, looking right at the doctor. "I'm gonna love this new ammo."
"Figured you would," says Mordin. "Keep in mind that ammo only works if cartridge is supplied with poison. If you run out, come see me here. Should be able to have more Collector toxins produced here. Should also have enough toggles for all weapons. Most of them have been left at your quarters."
I nod. "Excellent," I say, looking at him. "But why not give it to Jacob?"
"Relationship with armory officer... strained, from looks of things," he mentions. "Shouldn't be too difficult to do yourself."
I sigh. Yeah, Jacob and I aren't on the best footing right now. "Yeah, you've got a point," I mention. "I'll see what I can do. Thanks, Mordin."
"No trouble," says the salarian scientist. "You've had a long day."
"Oh, yeah," I comment, nodding as I find myself chewing on my lower lip yet again. "I'm gonna jump into bed and sleep for a bit. I'll see you around, doctor."
Mordin says nothing as I walk out of the tech lab. Okay... so now I apparently have a new loyalty power. Or something. As if I had any other powers by now, but I'm taking my victories where I can get them.
Because really, at the end of the day, I think I'm doing splendidly for myself. And going off even with everyone knowing who I am. I guess life is still going to be a bit rough.
When I get to my room, I find Tali still awake in my bed. I blink at her, giving her a soft smile as I set the poison stuff down on the desk close to where the terminal is. Yeah... there are other things like it there, so there's everything I need. I watch Tali as I get near the bed, watching the way her suit shimmers in the dull blueish light of the drive core. Hm... her suit actually looks kinda beautiful in this lighting. I need to get this lighting more often. Because it's spellbinding in so many ways.
I climb into bed next to her, her body moving slightly as I move in under the covers. "Hey, Tali," I say as I move into bed.
"I take it your talk with the Illusive Man went well?" she asks.
I shrug, my head settling on the pillow. "As well as it can when you know about the kind of stunts he's going to pull on you at the game's final mission, querida," I reply. "I still don't think it's a good idea for him to know that. Even if he went to quite a few lengths to tell me that he has nothing to gain from releasing the information." I scoff. "I'll bet he'll change his tune depending on what happens when we get to the Collector base. I'm half expecting he'll blackmail me with some of that information."
"I see," says Tali. "Do you know what exactly he's planning?"
"Well... it's really easy to explain," I mention. "But... I want to tell the whole Brotherhood."
I can feel the quarian's hand tighten around mine. "You know... with the whole ship knowing about your secret, I would hardly call it what we've been calling it."
I blink. "Damn it, you're right..." I say, frowning in distaste. "Shit... now that the secret is out, I don't really have much else to fall back on..." I shake my head. "But I still consider you guys to be close. Maybe it'll be for the people I trust most on this ship that are allowed to come."
"That could work," says the machinist. "But... you'd think everyone would want to get in on the action..."
"Then they'll just have to earn my trust," I mention. "If I don't trust them enough, they don't get to listen to us talk about our secrets. Let me tell you that Kaidan probably won't be getting himself into one of those meetings in the near future."
"About that." The girl I've been falling for turns to me slightly, her voice a little icier than usual. "I... I still don't think you made a good call with him there."
Oh, seriously Tali? "Hey, he kind of asked for it," I reply, frowning slightly. "I wanted him to know what it was like to be unable to explain yourself to someone hard-headed. You treat people the way you want to be treated, you know?"
Tali shakes her head. "Your definition of reciprocity is very strange," she states. "You should have been the better man. But you sunk to his level. I would even say you went below his level."
Below his level? Tali, I haven't mistreated you by not staying by your side when you need me... Okay, maybe I kind of did, but even then I wasn't outright telling you I wouldn't have anything to do with you. Hell, I even tried ot help you, and succeeded, which Kaidan didn't even try. So yeah.
I close my eyes, letting out a soft sigh. Okay... here we go. "Things like that aren't about being the better man, Tali," I mention. Yeah... that should work. "I was trying to prove a point to him. That he should've listened to Shepard, instead of coldly brushing her off. I figured, what better way to prove a point to him than to give him a taste of his own medicine?"
The reply comes almost instantaneously.
"You're bullshitting me."
W-what? I... Oh, why is she...? Oh, Jesus, she's sounding just like my mom! "W-what?" I ask. "T... Tali, you know I..." Wait, I can't say I'd never lie to her. A lie of omission is still a lie. "Uh... You know I'd be honest with you about how you feel."
"Or how you think you feel." She shifts against me, looking at me. "When you had finished speaking with Kaidan... you had looked almost angry. I just... I don't think you were trying to prove a point to him. I think that's just an excuse."
W... She thinks that's an excuse? I... Damn it! The little-!
...
No, Art, calm down. Now you really are sinking to Kaidan's level. Tali's far from being a little bitch. She's the most caring, kind person in the whole world. And you are an idiot to make yourself call her a little bitch, even in your mind.
She's right, anyhow. And besides, it's not like she asked me for a reason behind it; she's actually trying to help me sort out my emotions. Much unlike daddy dearest who constantly brushed off any attempts to explain my reasoning behind certain things by telling them what I was thinking with the same little 'I don't want to hear excuses' bullshit, she actually does have a point here.
Yeah... I shouldn't get pissy over that.
I close my eyes, trying to get the image of my father out of my mind as I bite my lower lip. "Maybe you're right," I say. "I just..." I shake my head. "It felt good to get revenge on the guy who did wrong to someone I know for once. I felt so coy about it, you know... Here's the guy who wronged someone, but he's not the one who gets the last laugh, you know?"
Tali shakes her head. "You can be really twisted sometimes," she says. I can just see her biting her lower lip.
"Comes with the baggage, I guess," I say. "You've got no idea how many people I've wanted to hit over the head with something."
"You're a little more vengeful than I thought, then," she replies. "Art... Have you ever learned how to reign in your anger?"
I shake my head. "Never really did, I guess," I say. "I get really pissed off at people if they don't let other people explain themselves. And if I have to be a hypocrite when I make that clear to the other person... well, I'm fine with it really. Because usually I'm too pissed off to care. And in a way, I don't want to care."
She looks right at me, turning and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't let it get to you..." Her tone is almost pleading. "I don't like seeing you the way you were with Kaidan."
I chuckle. "Trust me, Tali, I try," I reply. "I keep on trying to check my anger. Even if a lot of times it's just starting to burst through the seams..."
Her hand strokes my cheek gingerly, and I can feel some measure of happiness in here eyes. "Good to know," she says. "I'll hold you to that, though. And if you do break it again, I won't hesitate to point it out on the spot."
The crooked smile I give her says enough. But... not for me. I've gotta say something to make that official.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, querida."
She shakes her head. "Now I know what you felt like when everyone was calling you my hesh'alan," she states.
"Indeed," I say. "But... I guess if you find out on your own, the sweeter it gets."
I can feel her smile in return, and then I turn on my back. "I'll hold you to that too," she states. Her helmet rests squarely beneath my right armpit, and my right arm comes around her. She snuggles up to me then, and I smile as I lay there, looking up at the ceiling. Hm... Well, I have a loyalty power...
Wait. Didn't we get an alternate outfit too?
... Yes... yes we did. Miranda got that black jumpsuit (which I've gotta say looks a lot better on her than that white piece of crap. Why she's not wearing it here is beyond me), Mordin got a color upgrade, Grunt got completely different colors... hell, even Jack covered some of her skin up.
"Say, Tali," I say.
I get a gentle grunt in reply. I glance down at the quarian as she snuggles a little closer. Well... I'll take that as a requisite 'yes?'...
"I'm wondering... Do you know where we can find any paint around here on the Normandy?"
So when we woke up the next morning, we ended up scouring the Normandy for any extra paint that there might be lying around. And... eventually, we found some paint. So then Tali and I brought it right to the armor, working painstakingly all morning to paint something new on the armor. Neither of us are painters, and we've gotten paint all over myself and on pieces of Tali's veil, but we were just laughing about getting paint on ourselves the whole time.
And... Okay, just draw the brush carefully there... and we're done!
Tali and I step back to see the full set of armor as it lays on the ground. Still standard-issue stuff, but god damn it if it doesn't look absolutely badass now. We've painted the entire armor black. Midnight black, I should probably mention. So it's all dark and stuff. But the orange is still there, though it is a little more prominent. Now instead of the one floral pattern over my heart, it's four little vine things that stretch out from my shoulders and over both sides of my chest. And now the floral pattern has thorns on it. Probably a little silly, but hey.
I smile at Tali, looking right at her. She shakes her head, her eyes gleaming as if she's just had the time of her life.
"Your definition of badass is definitely different from mine," she states.
My smile turns into a smirk as I cross my arms. "It wouldn't be anywhere near as fun if they were the same, trust me," I reply.
The quarian lets out a chuckle at this as we look at the newly painted armor. Yep... I think I'm gonna like this. I may not strike fear into the hearts of every man, woman, and child that dare get in our way, but... it would be pretty damn close, I think.
"Well... either way it looks nice," she says. "I can't wait for this thing to dry."
"Yeah, neither can I," I say, uncrossing my arms. "It's gonna be pretty awesome when people see my new paint scheme on my armor." I turn to Tali. "By the way, Tali... You mind telling people to gather in Kasumi's quarters?"
She frowns at this. "We haven't had a brotherhood meeting in quite a while," she says. "And I don't think we can call it what we've been calling it any longer."
"Then we'll just term it 'the Brotherhood'," I comment. "It's all we can do, right?
"Yeah, it is," says Tali. "All right then. You have people you want to talk to beforehand?"
I nod, looking right at her. "I need to talk with Jack," I say. "When the crew found out... I brought up a really personal memory of hers. Probably a really bad move on my part, but I wasn't exactly given much of a choice given where we are in the game. So... I just want to clear that up with her."
"You should," says Tali. "She hasn't been the most friendly person down in the engineering deck as of late. Come back when you're finished with your business with her."
I nod, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I will," I reply with a slight smile. "I'll see you soon."
And with this, we both exit our quarters, leaving the newly repainted set of armor laying there to dry.
Okay... I'm in engineering right about now... Okay... Jack's little hideyhole is over this way. Either entrance is acceptable, so... I blink, biting my lower lip as I enter the door that would take me to the drive core. But... Man, looking down at those stairs has never intimidated me more... I... I don't know if I want to say anything. But... I did use a very personal memory for Jack. And I really shouldn't have done that.
No. I need to talk to her about it. And now's the best time to get to that.
So I descend the staircase, feeling my heart thumping in my chest as I do so. This isn't gonna go well, I know it. But... it has to be done.
I eventually descend the staircase the whole way, seeing Jack sitting there silently. Al isn't there. Hm... I didn't say I wanted to see her, but she looks like she wants to be left alone. The datapad she usually writes poetry on is sitting next to her on the cot, and she looks like she's been thinking a little too much. I can't say I blame her, after all. I did reveal a very personal memory, which, thinking back on it now probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world.
As I step closer to her, she looks up, giving me a look that I for the life of me can't actually read. I step forward, taking in a deep breath as I look to her. I pause right at the entryway, not daring to go closer. She simply looks at me quietly, and I bite my lower lip. Damn it... how the hell do I start this? I... It's just tough to find something to say.
What can I say, after all? I can sense her eyes water, looking right at me.
"You want to fuckin' say somethin'?" asks Jack brusquely. "Then fuckin' say it!"
I blink. Well, that takes care of that, I guess. But it doesn't make me feel any less guilty.
With a sigh, I lean against the bulkhead, looking right at the biotic. "I just..." I say. "You know how Murtock was. A guy. Used you for sex, biotics, that whole thing."
"You didn't say a goddamn thing up there," she says. "I guess I should thank you for not saying that in public. That's too fuckin' personal."
"I know, Jack," I say, closing my eyes. "And I'm sorry for that. I really shouldn't have brought it up." My head shakes, and I push off the bulkhead while opening my eyes. "I really shouldn't have brought him up, of all people. Especially since..." I bite my lower lip. Damn it... I shouldn't say this. But... "Especially since he loved and he was sorry things didn't work out. And no amount of saying 'I had to' can really make it better."
"Make that two of us, you fucking prick," she says, her voice raising in volume slightly. "You fucked with me just like you've fucked with all the rest, you son of a bitch! I should kill you where I stand!"
I glance at her sadly as she stands up, walking right towards me. I look right at her, biting my lower lip as I glance to the side. "Then have at me," I say dejectedly, not moving from where I am as she glows biotically blue. "I know there's nothing I can say that can make having lied to near on everyone I've known here a good thing. I don't deserve any less..."
I leave the sentence hanging in the air, but out of the corner of my eye I can see the biotic aura die from Jack. She simply stands there, looking at me with a bewildered expression. Hm... I got her confused.
"Okay, what the fuck, Art?" she asks. "Nobody that's fucked with me has said anything like that. So what the fuck makes this different?"
I look right at her as I push off of the bulkhead. "Because I can't excuse the fact that I made a conscious choice to lie," I say. "I had my reasons... but I had to consciously say to myself 'okay, now I'm going to lie to everyone'. That was my choice." I look right at her, feeling my eyes water slightly. "And it sucks, Jack. Because then it fucks with everyone I ever become friends with. And the worst part is that even my reasons never seem like they're enough."
She stares at me, shaking her head. "You expect me to feel sorry for your ass?" she asks.
"No," I say candidly. "I don't expect you to conform to what I want you to feel. The only thing I came down here for is to apologize for nearly putting you on the spot. Even if there's nothing I can really say that will make it better, I just... I needed to get that off my chest with you." I look right at her. "So I'm sorry. For everything."
She stands there with a shocked expression on her face, not moving a single muscle. I simply avert my gaze to the ground. Yeah, I fucked up. I'm ready to admit that, Jack. So I'm sorry.
And then the biotic shakes her head, beginning to pace around like she would've when she found out the Normandy was a Cerberus ship. "I just..." she says. "What the fuck, Art? This shit... I don't know..." Finally, she makes her way back to the cot, and she sits there shaking her head. "I need to think about this shit. Leave me alone."
She needs to think about it? I...
Well... that's an improvement. But it doesn't mean it's still solved.
She gives me a glare to my back as I leave, ascending the staircase. Al wasn't there, so... I imagine he was off somewhere. She may think she'll just want some time alone. But... I can't disturb her for a while. So yeah.
I reach the top of the stairs, and glance at the door for engineering briefly. No... I shouldn't disturb the engineers. Not like this, anyhow.
I then end up walking over to the elevators. Yeah, they'll be expecting me up in Kasumi's quarters right about now. I guess I better go there and-
Whoah!
I find myself face to face with Jenny McKansa as I look at her. She's just as surprised as I am to find that we've bumped into each other like this. She blinks briefly, neither of us daring to move.
Okay... Yeah, this is kinda awkward. Especially after having just spoken with Jack. Yeah...
She looks at me once, and instantly I can see some kind of insecurity in her eyes. "I... uh... I gotta go calibrate the Hammerhead, mate," she says a little too quickly. "I'll see ya around."
And before I know it, she's walked right past me, leaving me standing there as she enters the drive core.
Wait... But the way to the cargo bay is in totally the opposite direction! So why's she heading...?
Unless she's trying to avoid me. But why would she be trying to avoid me? Unless there's something I didn't realize about her when I revealed my secret to the crew and ground team, but... Hm... This rings kind of strange to me. I don't know why, but it does.
But I shouldn't go talk to her now. I'll... I'll go see if I can chase her down later.
Besides, I've still got a Brotherhood meeting I need to get to.
When I show up at Kasumi's quarters, she's handing out drinks to Garrus and Madison. Okay, so they're here, as is Tali, who's busy working with a port. Yeah, drinks for quarians are always a little crazy. I guess we all need some alcohol in our systems after what happened. Okay... who else...? Okay, so there's Sturge and-
Wait, what? Why's she...?
"Dr. Chakwas?" I ask.
The aforementioned doctor looks over in surprise, crossing her leg where she's sitting on the couch next to Sturge. "Oh, Art," she says warmly, standing up. "We were wondering when you would arrive."
"You weren't expecting me to show up with a black eye and several broken bones, were you?" I ask.
"Oh, no, don't be silly," she says. "I'm sure you know that Sturge... well, he mentioned your past. Your real past." Her expression turns a little sour at this.
... Oh. "No," I say. "He didn't mention it to me at all."
"I kinda had to after you told everyone else," says the old science teacher as he stands up. "You put a few of us in a very uncomfortable position with that revelation." He shakes his head. "You should hear some of the crew talk about you now. It's actually kind of... unsavory."
Oh dear... I blink, looking right at the old man as I let out a soft sigh. "I figured as much," I say. "I'm pretty sure I've lost Jenny's friendship, and I'm pretty sure I'm on the track to losing Jack's friendship as well. Everyone else... I imagine I've lost their friendship."
"I wouldn't say that," replies the medical doctor. "You still have those of us in here who know and are still willing to listen. I'll bet that there are a few people on the crew who still feel that way. I just wish you could've told me sooner." Her expression is pretty serious. "I've had many people tell me things about themselves I've never told anyone. Doctor-patient confidentiality, you know?"
I shake my head. "It's not that simple, Dr. Chakwas," I reply sadly. "Knowing everything that I know isn't a very easy thing to swallow. Especially from someone else's point of view. You go along one day and suddenly you find out someone you thought you knew well was completely different. You know? Even if you tell them the truth straight away..."
"I don't know how I would've reacted either," replies the doctor. "But I would've wanted to know the truth."
"I guess..." I say, letting out a soft sigh. "But you know how it is. I guess you've come to terms with it."
"Not immediately, of course," comments Sturge. "She had to get used to it a little bit. Took her a little, too."
"But... here I am," she says, holding her arms out. "I guess that I've known that you wouldn't do anything unless it was for our good sort of helped put things in perspective."
I nod, crossing my arms. "I guess," I comment. "It doesn't make me feel terribly comfortable that I was hiding what I was, but you know how it is."
"Indeed," says the doctor. "I'm surprised by how many people here knew before you told the whole crew."
"And remember, some of us knew since we first bumped into him," mentions Sturge. "Hell, I was in the same place he was before I ended up on Horizon."
"Indeed," says Chakwas, nodding her approval. "So... who else is coming here?"
I shrug. "Well... we're waiting on Thane," I mention. "And after that, we may-"
The door opens again with a whoosh. Whoah, that was unexpected, but then Thane wasn't in the room, so yeah. I blink, pausing mid-sentence as our gazes all turn towards the door. Okay, so there's Thane, and he's walking with a rather cheerful gait. And...
And Shepard is next to him?
"Art," she says, looking right at me with a rather calm expression on her face. "I believe Thane may have mentioned the existence of something like this after he returned from visiting his son..."
I blink, looking at the commander as I cross my arms. "So he did," I say, sparing a glance and a brief nod at the drell as Shepard stood there. "I take it you're here for a reason?"
"Well..." she says. "Your most trusted friends are here, right? I think I better join in if that's the case."
Yeah, because I do trust her with a lot, truth be told. And I did kind of suggest to Thane that maybe she'd like to get in on what's going on in the secret society of secrets now that she's in on the biggest secret of the whole group. Especially since it could help strategically speaking.
I nod, giving her a smile. "Figured you would see it my way, Joc," I reply cheerfully. "Welcome to the Brotherhood."
"Of Secret Keepers?" asks Joc. "It's a really silly name."
"Honestly?" asks Tali as we all walk further into Kasumi's quarters. Shepard and Thane take a place on the couch close to Garrus and Madison. "With what happened recently, we might not keep the 'secret keepers' in the name anymore."
"We must just call it 'The Brotherhood' from now on," I say, crossing my arms. "I always wanted to make an X-Men reference like that."
Sturge shakes his head, frowning in distaste. "I'm not even going to ask."
I shrug. "I was a nineties kid," I mention. "Who in the nineties didn't grow up with some exposure to the X-Men cartoon?"
"The really poor ones," replies the science teacher.
Ooh. Yeah... "Point taken," I say, visibly cringing. "Yeah..."
Near on everyone else in the room blinks at this, before Kasumi shakes her head. "Never mind," she says. "We should get this thing started."
That we should. I look to Shepard then. "Then let's get started," I say with a smile. "I've gotta get you and Chakwas in on most of the stuff that's been happening as of late. Hell, I could probably tell you the future."
"Actually, that's one reason I'm here," says Joc as the door closes behind her. "I got a new mission from the Illusive Man. I'm wondering if you know anything about what goes down on a planet Aite?"
Hm? Aite? Hm... Unless she means Aeia... No, she knows about Jacob's loyalty mission already. So she wouldn't confuse it. Besides... she's usually really good about that sort of thing... So... No, there was no Aite in the Mass Effect universe... But why's that important?
I shake my head. "The name doesn't ring a bell," I mention. "The closest thing I can think of is Aeia, but I imagine you're talking about a different place."
"I am," replies the Commander.
Yep, that complicates things... Damn it, there goes my precognition failing me again!
I nod. "This is a little confusing, then," I finish. "Because I don't ever remember a mention being made to it." I look at her then. "Why?"
"We're heading there soon," says the commander. "The Illusive Man himself contacted me that a VI at a research station on that planet has just gone rogue."
"And we're the only ones who can deal with it," I finish for her. At her nod, I bite my lower lip, shaking my head. "Why am I not surprised that he's leaving us to clean up his mess?"
"Maybe because we are the best ones to do it," points out Madison. "I mean, I don't even know everything we can do, and I've already seen this crew do very crazy things. And survive."
"When she puts it like that, Madison does have a point," adds Dr. Chakwas. "This crew has survived many things that by all rights we shouldn't have. And yet, here we are."
I nod, shrugging. "True, I guess," I reply. "But... I don't know anything about this mission you're mentioning." I bite my lower lip. "And to be honest, my precognition is going to be dying off pretty soon. So I don't think I'll be able to help you with predicting the future much longer."
The commander nods, a slight grimace taking form on her face. "Shame I had to find out about it so late, then," replies the commander.
"I know," I comment, glancing to the side. "But I can't tell you anything about it. You're heading there now, you said?"
"Yeah," she replies. "I'll be taking you, Tali, Kasumi, and Thane on the ground team." I nod. Hm... If we're dealing with a VI, we've got a good crew. Two tech specialists, and everything is great. Yeah, that would work.
I nod. "I see," I say. "I'd like to see what's down there, anyway. If it's something I don't know about... I don't like to wait for the curiosity to kill me."
Besides, it's a simple mission to take down a rogue VI. I imagine it'll be like that one mission in the first game where we had to go to the moon to disable that one rogue VI. Then it'll just be shooting a bunch of generators, right? And that's god-damn easy. Simple things are done like that.
"Figured you'd say that," says Shepard. "It'll be great."
"Yeah," I mention with a smile. "I mean, what's the worst that could happen?"