A/N: Okay. Now that I'm past the hump that is Horizon, let's get going. Hopefully, I should have more constant updates with school out of session. We'll see how well I can keep that between my sudden addiction to Persona 5 (holy shit, it's a good game!) and Horizon: Zero Dawn (which is also really good, and y'all should check both out!). Wish I could say it was the last I had to deal with it, but whatever.

Anyway, I had a few outstanding outliers from the last time I talked politics here, so the only thing I'll say is this: to all the Trump-adulating Breitbart trolls, your anonymous reviews will get deleted from here on out. I didn't want to have to force my hand and have you claim "censorship" on me, but I'm starting to care less and less about that: let's face it, crying "censorship" is the only tactic you'll have left when I refuse to give a platform to your ignorance and hatred. If you want to see your voice heard in my reviews, own up to your shitty opinions and log the fuck in. But until then, I don't have to give you lip service. So I won't.

Okay. Now that that's out of the way, let's get on with the story itself, yes? Here we go.


Chapter Fifty-One

"And how, pray tell, did he manage to hide his secret from us for so long?"

"I... Honestly, I don't know. The Commander never explained it when I was under his employ, and I still don't have an answer now."

"They never told you."

"I'm afraid not."

"I see..."

Dr. Karin Chakwas sat in the interrogation room. Opposite from her, a turian interrogator paced around, his gaze directed at the seat she sat in. Her hands were placed on a table: they had been uncuffed, as everyone knew the doctor posed no danger to the interrogator in the room.

Dr. Chakwas brushed some graying strands of hair out of her face. "He does have... other abilities, of course," she said. She looked to the ground. "If you're wondering why I didn't believe him..."

The interrogator turned, the dim lighting of the room obscuring his black face tattoo within a brown exoskeleton. "Such as...?"

"Well... when he told me the truth about himself, he didn't exactly... tell me," said Dr. Chakwas. She then lifted her hands up. "He... melded with me. Similar to an asari."

The interrogator frowned, blinking as he took in those words. "Really?" he asked. "Like an asari?"

"It's why I didn't immediately fill in a report to send him to psych evaluation," said Dr. Chakwas. "I don't think that leaves room for any doubt, does it?"

"No, it does not." The interrogator moved close, sitting on the table. "Why didn't you tell your superiors?"

"I... I felt impelled not to," said Dr. Chakwas. "I thought about it, even with Shepard's reasoning. But there is always something in the back of my mind, thinking that it's really not necessary for them to know. I..." The doctor exhaled. "I still think that, even right now. And even though you already know everything..." The doctor leaned forward, letting out a gentle sigh. "I still can't believe this is all for naught now."

"I wouldn't say that," said the interrogator. "You'll see: there's more at stake here than just this now." He then stood up, walking to the door. "One last question: did he ever tell you anything about a Reckoning on Balak."

Dr. Chakwas frowned, looking at the turian. "Reckoning?" she asked. "What does that refer to?"

The turian bowed his head. "And he kept secrets from his confidants..." He shook his head, before looking back to the doctor. "That will be explained to you some other time," he said to her. "For now, you are to be returned to containment. Thank you, doctor: you have been exceptionally cooperative through all this."

The doctor nodded, right as two other turians came forward with handcuffs. They gently attached them to her wrists, to which the doctor offered no resistance. The doctor said nothing, letting the salarians lead her out of the room.

And as they walked through the darkened corridors of the prison, Dr. Chakwas could not help but turn to one of them. "You don't plan to hurt the commander, do you?" she asked.

"That's not in my pay grade to know, ma'am," the turian to her left stated. "But I can tell you, that from what I've heard in whispers, that's not the initial plan."

Dr. Chakwas let out a sigh of relief. "Good," she said. "I hope that stays true through everything..."


Jodie looked up at the ceiling of the observation room. Her hands laid over her stomach, and she breathed in and out steadily as she thought about what Shepard had noticed on Horizon. The use of the plasma cannons to take down the Collector ship, the fact that Jodie was fairly certain they had only just done so, the fact that they were there at all...

I guess they never expected Shepard would wind up coming to any human colonies, never mind Horizon, right? she thought.

Aiden trilled softly, before he gurgled. Jodie heard the way the sound moved about the room, letting out an uneasy sigh.

Maybe, she thought. She then looked out of the window, to the stars. You don't think Shepard meant it when he said I'd be rewarded for whatever it is I said that... You don't think so, right?

But Aiden could only reply in a faint whoosh, one Jodie almost did not hear. Jodie closed her eyes, shaking her head gently as she rolled onto her side. It's so tough to think...

Jodie then blinked twice, before swallowing a lump in her throat. "EDI?"

She heard the electronic beep from behind her. "Yes, Jodie?" she asked.

Jodie sat up on the couch. "Is Jacob around?" she asked.

"Mr. Taylor is currently busy talking to Tali about something in the engineering deck," said EDI. "Miranda is likewise occupied in a meeting with Shepard and Thane."

Jodie frowned. "No doubt she's getting shouted down by the Commander again," she said.

"Less so than I have usually observed," EDI noted. "It is apparently a meeting about Thane's son."

Shit, Jodie thought. So they're getting closer than we'd like.

"I see," Jodie replied. She shook her head, shifting her position on the couch. "Sorry, forget I asked."

But before Jodie could lay back down, EDI spoke: "Grunt is presently unoccupied, however."

Jodie blinked in surprise, before abruptly sitting at attention. "Grunt?" she asked. "What makes you think I care about him?"

"I notice the way you get around him," said EDI. "Okeer spends time in his laboratory, doing whatever the Commander asks. When he is down, he lectures Grunt. When you are there, it is different. My logic circuits tell me he appreciates that."

Jodie chuckled, standing up as she regarded the AI. "Don't tell me you're getting all emotional on me, EDI," Jodie replied.

"I do not have the capacity to form emotions," said EDI. "I was not programmed for such things."

"But you're noting emotion," said Jodie. She walked around the couch, leaning back against it.

"I am," she said. "That is all I can do. I do not yet have the capacity to express emotion myself."

"It'd probably take an AI a while to figure that out." Jodie shrugged. She then set off for the door.

"You have much on your mind," EDI noted. "I see you down here, always thinking."

"Are you wondering what I'm thinking?" asked Jodie.

"I find myself curious," said EDI. "That, and Operative Lawson doesn't like secrets on board the ship."

"Well..." Jodie glanced to the side, swallowing another lump in her throat. "Sorry, EDI, but that's classified."

The volume bars around EDI's globe jumped up a bit of their own volition. "I see," she then said. "I wonder: you never want to talk to Jack."

And at this, Jodie sighed, crossing her arms. "She's the kind of person I'm not sure I want to spend too much time around," she said. "It's... well, you know how she is."

"Your point is taken," EDI replied. "Grunt will be alone for some time: Okeer is busy engineering some weapons modifications on Shepard's orders."

"Thank you, EDI," said Jodie. She approached the door, stretching her arms. "I guess it beats laying on a couch for a long while. I'll head on down there, then."

"Noted," EDI replied. "Be aware not to allow yourself to get too close."

"I'll be fine, EDI," said Jodie. "It's gotten me this far, my friendships."

With this, she left the observation deck. As she walked, she heard Aiden rumble softly. As soon as the rumble ended, Jodie gave Aiden a knowing grin, a grin which vanished almost as soon as it appeared, before she walked to the elevator and pressed the call button.


"He can meld?"

"Evidently, Kim."

"Hm... Then it's as I thought. He has the connection to what Jodie would call the Infraworld for sure, but not the spirit to match."

"I guess you need the spirit to be called spirit-touched?"

"Yes. As it is, Shepard is what we'd call realm-touched. The spirit-touched and the realm-touched are related, but not the same, though they are folded into each other since frequently, realm-touched are also spirit-touched. I guess that would explain why he was able to pass as spirit-touched all these years..."

Pravuil sat back, looking at the holographic communicator. General Victus sat to the side, looking on as they both communicated with Kim on the communications array. The room was dark, but not so much that the hologram before them provided the only source of light: indeed, the white lights of the area almost seemed to highlight the blue hue that the hologram took on. As they spoke, Victus sat up, his carapace brows furrowing slightly.

"But they can exist separately," said Victus.

"Yes," said Kim. "I always knew that the guys upstairs exaggerated with their propaganda, but to think they would go so far as to pass Shepard off as a spirit-touched..."

"I see." Pravuil then leaned forward, looking to the panel. "Still, he is not spirit-touched. That means that Jodie will not be discovered."

"Not if she's careful," said Kim. "Still, we do have our work cut out for us. Realm-touched have a greater ability to influence the minds of the people they come into contact with. We better hope he doesn't pull his melding tricks on anyone on this new Normandy's crew."

"That is not for us to discover, though," said Victus. He rubbed the area just under his mandibles, before shaking his head. "Are there other abilities, besides this melding and the Reckoning?"

"Certainly," said Kim. "I'll forward your intelligence crews a full list of realm-touched abilities."

Victus smiled. "Thank you," he said. "That would be most appreciated."

Pravuil then stood up. "Well, now that we can confirm what he is, I think this conversation is over, yes?" he asked.

"For now," said Kim. "Keep me updated on what else she says. Now that we finally have her with us, we might be able to get a bit more information than this."

"We will," said Victus. "Pass all of that on to Punargathana."

"Certainly," said Kim. "And you guys take care of yourselves."

With this, Kim cut the connection, the remaining lights in the room coming up as soon as the blue hologram faded into nothing. As she did this, Pravuil turned to Victus, crossing his arms. Victus could see the barest hint of a smile on Pravuil's face, the closest the aqueron ever gave to expression.

"Well, Jodie is in good hands, then," said Victus. "Realm-touched can't see spirit-touched."

Victus frowned, the turian beginning to walk out of the room. "They can't?" he asked. "But they get their abilities from this 'Infraworld' you and Jodie keep talking about."

"We honestly don't fully understand it ourselves," said Pravuil as he walked alongside the general. "What we know is that the spirit-touched have an entity attached, the realm-touched affect people with their minds, some have both abilities and are labelled spirit-touched, and that historically articians have been the only ones who know about any of it." The aqueron fiddled with one of his fins. "It's one of the most closely guarded secrets of the artician race: not even the most trusted tolahña diplomat would be able to tell you how the articians got those abilities in the first place. And unfortunately, part of that pantheon of questions we have involves why spirit-touched and realm-touched can't see each other as such until they use their abilities."

Victus nodded as they both began walking down the hallway back to the control room. "I see..." he said. "Well, it doesn't matter where they come from: what matters is what they can do. In the meantime, we'll continue monitoring all the intelligence we can."

"And then we hope Jodie remains safe."

The turian let out a sigh, bowing his head once. "Yes," he said. "And then we hope Jodie remains safe."


"And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
"

Jodie looked up as soon as she finished reading to find Grunt leaning back. She then frowned immediately, seeing that Grunt had taken to closing his eyes, letting the silence take over.

After a second, though, Grunt sat up, blinking his eyes as he looked at her. "What, that was it?" he asked.

"Uh... yeah," said Jodie, her frown deepening.

Grunt snorted, turning away. "You call that great? That was boring!" he said. "You could put me to sleep with that!"

"Well, you did ask me to read it," said Jodie.

"I wouldn't have, if I'd have known it would be so boring," he said. "Where's the fight? Nothing's complete without one!"

"Actually, you'd be surprised," Jodie replied as she set the datapad in her lap. "Being strong isn't just about fighting, you know. There are other things in life, too."

"You said that already," said Grunt. He then leaned back. "And if those other things just put me to sleep like that..."

Jodie shook her head, before leaning forward. "I don't think they all will." She paused, looking to the side. "And it's not like all poetry isn't about fighting..."

Grunt frowned. "Then show me one where people fight," he said. "I don't want to hear whining about death. I want to hear about heroes fighting wars. Like the Warlord Shiagur."

"Shiagur?" Jodie asked.

"A female warlord," said Grunt. "And one of the few females left fertile after the genophage. Her exploits were one of the things I heard in my tank, exploits that went on and on. And I looked forward to the next one." He then grinned. "Her death was the last great battle of the Rebellions. More like hers."

Jodie sighed. Aiden then chirred, Jodie turning her attention to the tank. They both looked at it, Jodie's frown softening somewhat as she gazed upon it. She knew she'd have to find something that fit that: there were several things she could think of, some older than others. But the more she thought about it, the more one particular possibility came to her, over and over again.

She then breathed in, looking back at the krogan. "The only thing I can think of is really, really long," she said. "It'd take us a lot of time to get through it."

Grunt snorted. "Good, you humans have something." He then looked at the datapad as Jodie picked it up. "Read it!"

"It'll have to be in installments," said Jodie, typing the words 'Homer' and 'Illiad' into her extranet search bar. "I'm not kidding about it being really long..."


Liara opened her field equipment, looking over the field before them as she began to set up the station. "And you're sure this is where they are."

She turned to look at her partner: the orange scales on his face stood out in what little light there was to be found at that time. The drell remained quiet at first, as he finished calibrating another large piece of equipment there.

"The boss' intel led us to here," he finally replied, stepping away from the equipment. "He said this is possibly a vital outpost, too."

"And we're just here to survey, of course," said Liara as she set another panel down, working on calibrating it correctly.

"Yes," the drell replied as he moved closer to her. He then appraised Liara, crossing his arms. "I still can't believe you managed to get the Shadow Broker to trust you this much."

"Well, you tend to gain his trust pretty quickly when you show him extensive evidence of a secret he somehow managed to miss," Liara replied. She then turned back to the drell, shrugging. "I would think you'd get how that works, Feron."

Feron chuckled then, giving a slight bow to Liara. "Some things just defy explanation," he said. "Was it true you barged right in demanding to see the Broker?"

Liara shook her head. "No," she replied. "That's actually an exaggeration. None of us really knows where he is." She then leaned towards Feron. "I hope the Broker aims to keep it that way. That would be bad news if the Broker's information network were to crumble."

Feron nodded, setting down as soon as Liara finished calibrating the last of the equipment. He then sighed, looking up at the darkening sky as stars began to appear all around. "This galaxy's network really is as big as you say it is, isn't it?"

"We don't know the actual size," Liara admitted. "But yeah, it's big."

"It held back this galaxy's existence from the Shadow Broker for this long, after all," said Feron. He then looked up. "That means we have to cover our tracks even more, though. If they were hiding all this from the Broker's watchful eye..." He turned to Liara, stroking his chin. "I suspect that's why he has so few agents to help out."

"The STG being on the case doesn't help," Liara replied. She then leaned forward. "But this is too vital for them to work with, so that's why we're here, right?"

"Yes." Feron then booted up a system on one of the terminals that had been set up, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. "Now, let's see here... What do we have to report on here?"


Miranda's office was rather spartan in appearance: there was only the bed well behind the desk and a couple of other things, but apart from that there was very little in the way of decoration. It was strangely quiet, too, but the quiet was rather welcome.

So when Jodie shifted her weight on the wall, Miranda noticed when she began gesturing. The operative sat at the desk, watching Jodie lean against a support pillar on the side of the desk she occupied.

"And then Cole and Nathan had to walk out of there, and... well, they carried the charred remains of that dinner with them," Jodie replied, a smile coming to her face. "And that was the last time I cooked anything for a while."

Miranda could only laugh. "I didn't think you had moments of levity in your life, Jodie," she said. She then leaned back. "And this, in..."

Jodie shrugged. "They were my caretakers in... well, a lab," she said. She then looked up. "They were dealing in... red sand? I think that's what it's called."

"Huh, so you're familiar with Red Sand," said Miranda.

"Not really," she said. "I never tried it, you know. Cole made sure I never did." She chuckled, brushing some hair out of her face as Aiden trilled softly. "He was the one always looking out for me."

"I see," said Miranda. "You seem to look on them fondly, this Nathan and Cole."

Jodie nodded, smiling as she turned to Miranda. "They were good," she said. "They did their best."

Miranda leaned back, her expression still as furtive as always. After a second, she looked up, sighing. "Sounds like you got lucky."

"I did," said Jodie. She shrugged. "Still, when Nathan went mad later, it wasn't so good."

"It rarely is," Miranda replied. She sighed. "But they kept you under close lock and key up until they let you go."

"Yeah," said Jodie. "But it wasn't really a captivity." She then pushed off the wall, moving over to the bed. Miranda remained still, before standing up and leaning on the very spot Jodie used to inhabit.

"No," said Miranda. "They tried to treat you like an actual girl, after all."

Jodie paused, Aiden growling softly at Miranda's inflection. "I guess that means you had a similar experience?" Jodie asked.

Miranda looked down, crossing her arms. "You... could say that," she said. "It was not exact, though."

Jodie shrugged. "This is related to what you ran away from, isn't it?" she asked.

"It is." Miranda looked to the floor, tapping her fingers against the wall. "I tell the Commander I was genetically altered. In truth, I was more... created in a lab."

Jodie blinked, tilting her head to the side. "Really?"

"Yes." Miranda then walked towards the bed. "I was bred to be perfect by my father. He wanted someone who could inherit his wealth."

The former CIA operative frowned, crossing her arms as she regarded Miranda. Aiden clicked once, before Jodie paused in her pacing. "I'm going to guess he was the type to use you?"

"He didn't exactly use me for anything, but his intentions were clear," she said. "He gave me the best everything money could buy. An education many would never dream of, beauty beyond belief..." She shook her head, disdainfully. "But he never wanted a daughter: he wanted a dynasty."

Jodie paused. "That's... still kind of using you for his own ends," she said.

"It is," said Miranda. She then glanced at the Cerberus logo on her uniform. "It's why I came to Cerberus. I ran away from my father as soon as I was old and brave enough. Cerberus offered protection."

As soon as Aiden trilled softly, Jodie nodded, a grim smile coming to her. "Your father was going to go a long way to protect his investment, huh?" she asked.

"Precisely," said Miranda. She nodded. "You're rather perceptive there, Jodie."

"Well, I kind of have to be when we've been through kind of the same things," Jodie replied. "I know old employers of mine were very angry when their own investment went really badly."

"And that is how my father would think of it," said Miranda.

Jodie shook his head. "What kind of pretentious prick would act like that, anyway?" she asked. "Creating a child to preserve his dynasty?"

"He was a businessman," said Miranda. "But a very wealthy one." She then shrugged, chuckling. "I like the way you characterized him. He's an egomaniac."

"No kidding..." Jodie said. "And now you make me glad Nathan was just consumed by grief and not anything more..."

"Indeed," said Miranda.

The two women then sat in a more comfortable silence. They regarded each other quietly, Jodie still realizing that she was the only person on the new Normandy that she had breathed anything about Cole or Nathan to. It was an oddly refreshing feeling to have someone other than Ashley know their names, but to hear that Miranda went through the same thing...

I think we can trust her, Jodie thought.

Aiden gurgled uncertainly, but Jodie shook her head. Trust me, Aiden, she thought. I think I know how to broach you to her. But first, you better make sure EDI isn't listening in on this...

As soon as this thought left Jodie's mind, Aiden chirped once. She then heard a whoosh, the silence extending on as Aiden did his work.

She then stood up. "You know, Miranda... I have a secret about myself," she said.

Miranda frowned. "Will it affect the mission?" she asked.

"It might, but I doubt it'll get in the way," said Jodie. She then paused, before looking to the side. "I can't explain it here, though. We should meet off-ship to discuss that."

The Cerberus operative shifted her posture. "Did anyone on the original Normandy know about it?"

"Ash, Kaidan, Wrex, and Liara all knew about it," she said. "Unfortunately, none of them are here..."

"I see." Miranda then looked to Jodie. "You haven't told Shepard."

"I can't tell Shepard," said Jodie. "Not after the things I've seen. There's a lot going on that you don't know about, Miranda, and Shepard's not to be trusted."

Miranda frowned, laying her fingertips against the desk. "That... is very interesting to hear from you." She then leaned forward.

"Trust me, he has lots of secrets of his own, and they will impact you in some way," Jodie replied. "I'll tell you some time, I promise, but now isn't the right time for that."

The Cerberus operative nodded. "It would be best to talk about it sooner rather than later," she said.

Jodie nodded. She then looked to her omni-tool. "Well, I should get going." She then smiled. "I have to say, you're not as hard to talk to as the Commander pretends you are."

"I guess it's just something, given we have a surprising amount in common," Miranda replied. She looked up to Jodie. "I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to the next time we talk, either."

"You don't normally get this close," Jodie replied.

"No." Miranda shook her head. "It's best not to form attachments."

And at this, Jodie smiled, the smile enigmatic yet warm. "The company you keep can surprise you," she said. She then stood up, before walking out of the office. "I'll see you later, Miranda. The next time we land, give me a call and we'll talk more."

"Certainly," said Miranda.

With this, Jodie turned, walking out of the office. As soon as she did, Aiden chirped uncertainly.

Jodie shook her head. I think we can trust her, Aiden, she thought. She's really not as bad as I thought she'd be...

Aiden only replied in a small grumble, before going silent. As he did this, Jodie walked on, hoping that Aiden had made sure to hide the conversation they had just had from EDI.


"Well, we've got the containment cells built, the varren acquired, and the nanomachines injected. Now what?"

"Now, time for tests."

Kalo stepped back, watching as Mordin manned the terminal. The old salarian stood back, looking at the varren within the containment cell. The strange dog growled at the people outside of the containment cell, and it was with a certain cock of the head that Kalo realized the varren was not pleased to be in there by any stretch of the imagination. Still, Kalo remained calm.

It would not do to startle the creature.

Kalo then looked to Mordin, who had the program open on the terminal. "Alright," he said. "Let us execute the program."

Mordin nodded, tapping one part of the hologram. As soon as he did, however, another window appeared. Both Mordin and Kalo leaned in closer, reading the text displayed:

"No therapy specified. Please input a command."

Kalo glanced at Mordin. "Therapy?" asked Kalo. "It must be specified?"

"Hm... would make sense," said Mordin. He then pointed at a text entry bar directly beneath the command. "Why this?"

"I would not know," said Kalo. "Maybe the directory is empty?"

"Must be," said Mordin. "No directory, no commands. No commands, no form of therapy. No form of therapy, program useless." He breathed in, before exhaling roughly. "Still, should be something. Immune system counter, yes?"

"Yes." Kalo crossed his arms. "Something is not right about this, Mordin..."

The two of them stood in front of the terminal, considering the command further. As they pondered, they heard the door open behind them. When Kalo turned, he saw Daniel step in with a datapad in hand. The young assistant turned as soon as he heard the varren's growl.

The quarian nodded. "Oh, Daniel!" said Kalo. "Is there a new patient?"

"No," said Daniel as he set the datapad down. "It's just another offer from that Mahadood guy again. He really wants us to join his side."

Kalo sighed, but Mordin chuckled. "Admire his persistence," Mordin replied. "Still, persistence is wasted. Clinic open to all, cannot choose favorites. Need more than virtues."

"Especially around here," said Kalo. He then looked to the human. "And is there anything else noteworthy here?"

"No." Daniel then turned, laying his sight on the varren once again. "So the vorcha let it come, huh?"

"Offered good price," Mordin replied. "Vorcha glad to take it."

"I see." Daniel frowned, looking at the creature. It snapped its jaws at Daniel, but could not do much more than that. "You've injected the nanobots, no doubt."

"Yes, but we are confused by why we cannot do a therapy..." Kalo looked back at the varren. "There are no commands."

"Hm..." Mordin stared intently at the screen. "Should make commands. But what?"

"It's not sick, right?" asked Daniel.

"No," said Mordin. "Even if not sick, would be useless. Nanobots meant to boost immune system, would not produce visible effects. Therapy general term. Too broad. Need to narrow down."

"Yeah, I can see how you might need to do that," Daniel said. He then rubbed his chin. "Maybe you need to enter your own?"

Kalo and Mordin both looked at the human. "What makes you think that?" Kalo asked.

"Well, maybe these experts had their own things to input," said Daniel.

"And what gives you that idea?" Kalo asked. "That should make no sense! There would need to be some kind of automation, no?"

"Maybe," said Daniel. "But I seem to recall you said there were various automated processes here."

Mordin then glanced to the side. He picked up a datapad laying close by, booting it up and quickly reading its contents. "Hm... Detected presence of several automated processes, yes. All to ferry commands."

"There has to be more," said Daniel. He walked to the doctor, rubbing his chin. "This thing is supposed to monitor diseases, right? You'd think they would automate all those commands. One person can't handle all those things, and you'd run out of workers to do that quick."

"Yes, but why would this be included, then?" asked Kalo as he indicated the terminal on which the program was displayed.

All three of them considered the varren in the containment cell. It had stopped growling by then: it instead laid down on the floor, letting out a loud snort. It remained completely silent afterwards, regarding the three outside of the cell with a certain distaste.

And then, Daniel's eyes widened. "Unless..." He then turned to Mordin. "What if it's not for the diseases?"

Kalo and Mordin both turned, tilting their heads at the assistant. "What do you mean?" asked Kalo.

"Well, that thing is there for a reason," Daniel said. "What if it's not there for any diseases, but rather for the mind?"

Mordin chuckled. "Quite an overactive imagination," he said.

Kalo nodded. "I have to agree with the doctor," he said, crossing his arms. "What use would that serve?"

"I don't know," said Daniel. "But think about it: it's the only thing that makes sense. They would know what to automate to strengthen your immune system, wouldn't they? It seems weird to me they'd take up valuable storage space on something like this unless it had a reason to be there." He shook his head. "Look, I know it's a crazy idea, but crazy ideas are the only things we can use to explain what's going on here."

Mordin then regarded the assistant, rubbing his chin. "Hm..."

Kalo then turned, walking to the terminal. "Hm... I suppose that is true," he said. "I doubt that will be the case, but I suppose it does make sense with their reluctance to agree to my original terms. There was something they must have been hiding..." He then looked at the terminal, bringing his hands forward to type something. "But how do we test that, then? It's tough to find a good command on a non-sentient animal."

"Not certain," Mordin replied. "Would think it better to analyze code in greater detail. Then test results."

"You might be right." Kalo then turned to another datapad, pulling it up. "I will analyze what I have of their code in greater detail then. I will let you know what I find when I do that."

"How long will that take?" asked Daniel.

"A day, at the very least," said Kalo. He then turned to Mordin. "In the meantime, you should tend to patients. You are getting many more by the day."

"Yes," said Mordin. "Omega more dangerous now."

"Yeah, Mahadood hasn't made things any easier," said Daniel. He then turned to Mordin. "Speaking of which, you know he's swinging by today, right?"

"Yes." Mordin then turned to Kalo. "Should avoid stepping out."

"Of course," said Kalo. He then held up the datapad. "I will be in here."

Mordin then nodded, turning to Daniel. "Work here is done," he said. "Will wait for Kalo."

And with this, Mordin walked to the room's entrance. Daniel followed, casting a glance at Kalo as he moved to a nearby bench. As soon as the two left, the varren growled softly. Kalo peered at him from behind the datapad, his face mask giving no indication of his present mood to the varren.

The varren then whined, before settling back and laying down.


Jodie leaned back. "No!"

Jacob leaned forward, the operative giving her a smile. "Yes," he replied. "That was literally what she told me."

In response, Jodie could only laugh, shaking her head. Her hands remained stationary on the tray of food she had gotten from Gardner earlier. The two of them thus sat in the mess hall, sharing stories as the rest of the crew around them did as much. Jodie could see Miranda observing off from the side, though her gaze was not as cold as she would have expected.

Jodie leaned forward. "Well, she certainly sounded like a character," she said.

"Not as much as you might think." Jacob leaned forward, shrugging. "But hey, there was just something about her. And she meant business." He then leaned forward. "She could also tell a great many things just by looking at me. It was... a little weird at first, but I got used to it. And before long, we were hitting each other up a lot on that mission. I think she liked that I kept her close."

"Sounds like you two got close," Jodie observed.

Jacob shook his head. "No, not really," he said. "It was just the job, you know."

But Jodie smiled back, her smile a little more enigmatic. "She gave you her extranet mail, right?" asked Jodie.

"She did, but I haven't replied," said Jacob.

Jodie chuckled, indicating at him. "Then what're you waiting for?" she asked. "This... Brynn, right?"

"Yes," said Jacob.

"Yeah, she sounds pretty good for you to keep in touch with," said Jodie. "You should email her some time. Catch up a little bit."

"Well, I don't know," said Jacob. "It was a job, and we just had to communicate a lot. It helped the-"

"Oh, hush," said Jodie. She leaned forward, splaying a hand. "You're still talking about her, and you're not on the job. Besides, from the way you're talking about her, I think it's kind of obvious you've got the hots for her."

Jacob glanced to the side. "It's tough, though," he said. "She's doing who knows what, I'm here on a suicide mission..."

But Jodie shook her head. "Send her that email," said Jodie. "Worst case scenario, she doesn't reply. Best case, she finds the time to keep replying. What harm can it do, you know?"

Jacob sighed, looking down to his omni-tool arm. "If you insist..."

Jodie nodded. "Trust me, I don't think you'll regret that. And she'd probably appreciate it too." She leaned back. "Take it from me: girls like it when you check in on them."

Jacob chuckled, crossing his arms and placing his hands on his biceps. "I'll keep that in mind, then," he said.

Aiden could only gurgle in annoyance. Before Jodie could even think of having to not roll her eyes, however, she heard the door of the elevator open. She heard the hurried footsteps from there, and she turned, seeing Shepard open the door to Thane's quarters. As soon as he ducked in, though, he was back out, and Jodie watched as the Commander into the mess hall, the arc of his eyebrows betraying the commander's worry more than his unusually quick movements did.

"Where's Thane?" Shepard asked.

Jacob frowned. "What do you need him for?"

Shepard nodded, looking right at Jacob. "I just got a critical piece of intel about the location of his son," he said. "And he needs to know right away, because I'm setting course for it as soon as I get up to Joker."

Jodie's hair stood on end, and she heard Aiden trill in alarm not long after. Oh fuck, already!?

Before she could object, however, Miranda stepped forward. "Commander, wait a minute," she said. "Where are we going in such a hurry?"

"Thessia." The word came out of the commander's mouth with a speed Jodie never knew he could manage.

"Thessia?" Miranda shook her head, stepping towards the Commander. "Oh no. We're not going to a Council homeworld on a Cerberus vessel."

"You forget, cheerleader, that I made a bargain with him for his loyalty in this mission, and this is me upholding my end of it," said Shepard as he turned away.

"I just don't think it's a very good idea going into territory where we'll be considered terrorists without a contingency plan," Miranda replied. "Especially if we are to pull off a mission of the variety that would gain us Thane's loyalty. And need I remind you that Thessia is one of the best-guarded homeworlds in the galaxy, and you are one of the galaxy's most well-known faces. You would not be able to spend two minutes on there without being identified by someone."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" asked Shepard.

"Send a smaller contingency there, of course," said Miranda. "There's a Cerberus base not far from here. I can bring us there, we can change to a smaller craft, and then we can go to Thessia from there. You'll have to pick your ground team here, of course, but after that, we'll head there."

Shepard frowned, his glare remaining constant. However, he finally sighed, waving his hand. "Fine, do what you want," he said. "But we're heading there right now. We clear?"

"Crystal," said Miranda. "I will make the arrangements."

With this, Miranda turned to her office. As she walked away, Shepard shook his head, turning to Jodie. "Jodie, get ready," he said. "We're going plainclothes on this one, so don't bother getting your armor."

It took Jodie a second to register what Shepard had said. As soon as she had, however, she perked up, nodding. "Y-yes," she said. "Of course!"

"Good," said Shepard. "Now where's Thane?"

EDI's globe appeared behind Shepard. "Thane Krios is meditating in the shuttle bay, Commander," she said.

"Thank you," said Shepard. He turned to the elevator, before looking back at Jodie. "Plainclothes."

As he walked away, Jodie breathed out. Aiden murmured lowly, Jodie nodding in response.

I know, Aiden, she thought. Trust me, I know... I just hope it's not too late...