Right in Two - Tool
Shepard was furiously cleaning her armour, reaching into each crevice with a soft cloth until it was sparkling clean. When she was interrupted by the buzz of her door, she grumbled and threw the cloth and solution on the table.
"Shepard?"
That was a bit of a surprise. "Liara?"
"Can I come in?"
She ran her fingers through her hair and let out a huff. A little company could help her concerns dissipate. "Yeah, alright."
The door slid open and her asari friend floated in, her flattering dress clinging to her curves. It always came as a surprise to Shepard that the woman who exuded both grace and strength had never settled with a lover.
"Is this a good time?" She was holding a datapad and looked eager.
"As good as any."
Zoey took a seat on her couch and Liara followed suit. "How are you, Shepard? Really."
She ran her fingers through her hair again before pulling it up to remove the temptation of playing with it. "Honestly?" She snorted. "I'm sitting here angrily cleaning my armour, entirely frustrated at the universe and all the Gods for putting us in a place where a sentient race exists that has deemed it necessary to so utterly destroy us."
"...And?"
Damn Liara and her ability to read Shepard like a book. "And I'm realizing I may have been wrong for getting so upset with Garrus."
"Why do you say that?"
"I have limited relationship experience, and a great amount of commanding experience. So when the two intersect, I let the commanding officer portion of myself win."
"Our relationships with others can force us to become introspective. However, I did visit you today for a particular reason today." Getting right to the point, she typed briefly on the data pad. "After Udina's death, I was able to tap into some previously restricted resources. Phone logs, message logs, that sort of thing. I found something that may interest you."
Shepard raised her brow at Liara. "Go on."
"We can safely assume from the coup that Udina had connections to Cerberus. I discovered that these connections are long-standing. I found message logs between Udina and The Illusive Man that run back to 2183."
"Before the Battle of the Citadel?"
"Yes, Shepard. But there's more. Do you remember, back on the SR-1, you were assigned a mission from Udina to track down Cerberus research?"
Now Shepard's brow had set into a furrow. "I remember the mission, but the details are a bit fuzzy."
"I wasn't on the ground, but the mission report stated that you had infiltrated the base, took out the Cerberus hostiles, and retrieved data for Udina which he paid you for."
"Ok, that rings a bell. Go on."
"In the message logs I found, that mission had come up. It sounds like the Alliance caught word of the research and wanted to get their hands on it, so Udina offered to oversee the mission personally. The Illusive Man paid Udina to have you retrieve it and give it to him so that he could give it back to The Illusive Man."
"What was the research?"
A sad smile crossed the asari's face. "This is where it becomes strange. Everything was very classified, but I managed to find the name of the research: Pluvia."
Shepard's heart skipped a beat. "That was the name that The Illusive Man gave to the project heading my regenerative cells!"
"Exactly, Shepard! We can't jump to any conclusions, but we can make an educated guess that Cerberus-"
"-Has been planning this the whole damn time!" She covered her mouth with her hand. A realization suddenly hit her like a charging krogan warload. "Liara," she muttered, "do you think Cerberus planned for me to die?"
"If they did, Shepard, that would imply that they've been working with the Collectors the whole time."
"You and I both know that if they've been working with the Collectors, they've been working with the Reapers." She leaned back into the couch, covering her hand with her mouth. "This is huge, Liara. Great work."
"Thank you, Shepard."
"If Cerberus has been working for the Reapers since the days of Saren..." She let out a humourless laugh. "Then in a twisted way, wasn't I working for the Reapers?"
"You were never truly working for Cerberus. They were a tool used for resources to take down the Collectors."
She rubbed her forehead in frustration, her gaze focused at a far off point. "It would explain why The Illusive Man continued to put us in situations where we were vulnerable to the Collectors. And why he wanted to data from the Collector base so badly." She began to chew a fingernail, a horrible habit she had denounced years ago but which came up on occasions of deep thought. "Really, aren't the Collectors just a pawn of the Reapers? They wouldn't care if I took out the Collectors; it was something to keep me busy while they amassed their forces in dark space, with the additional benefit of the beginning of the harvest of humanity." Chew, chew, chew. She imagined if her mother was present she would smack her hand away from her mouth. "But if The Illusive Man is working with the Reapers, why would his sole intention be to take the Collectors down? It makes more sense to assume that he's working for the Reapers."
Liara was leaning forward with her hands across her lap, enthralled in Shepard's musings. "You think he is indoctrinated?"
Her gaze flickered to Liara. "Makes sense, doesn't it? The Reapers like to get people on their side without them knowing it, just look at Saren. Fuck, maybe Saren and The Illusive Man are old pals! They can make you do exactly what they want... you... to..." She trailed off, her body suddenly feeling entirely numb.
She heard Liara's voice, but it sounded like it was coming from the other end of a tunnel. "Shepard? Are you alright?"
Her throat was dry, drier than a desert, and she had to force down the bile that was rising in her throat. Liara was speaking, but her mind was so focused she couldn't hear a word she said. "I'm ok, just a lot of information to take in. I think I need some time to process everything," she finally managed to force out of her dry lips. Liara took the queue and stood to leave.
The only sound was a series of crunches as Shepard broke off part of one of her nails. "One question before you go. We know nothing for certain?"
"We only know without a doubt that Udina was working with Cerberus, and Cerberus created Pluvia before you died. Whether that means that it was originally intended for someone else, or Cerberus had more disturbing plans, is impossible for us to ascertain right now."
Chew, chew, chew. "Thanks Liara. See if you can dig anything else up about this."
Liara nodded curtly before escorting herself out.
Shepard's mind was reeling ceaselessly. What if Cerberus was working for the Reapers and Cerberus had planned for the Collectors to kill her to bring her back? They had no idea where Cerberus got the technology to not only bring her back, but to keep her alive. If Cerberus was under Reaper control, the Reapers would have been the ones who wanted her back. This made it possible that the implants that create the regenerative cells in her body were Reaper technology.
Was it possible the Reapers had been controlling her?
She broke out into a cold sweat. It was impossible; she had taken out a Reaper on Tuchanka only a week prior.
But how could she ever judge the motives of a force like the Reapers? Could it all be part of their plan?
She could have sat for hours contemplating the potential. But if she did, she would drive herself mad. It made her sick to her stomach to think about it, but she would have to keep this matter to herself and reserve it for the deepest chasms of her mind. If anyone found out, she could be considered compromised and taken off the mission.
One thing was certain: she needed to get in touch with Sparatus.
Shepard didn't know how it was possible, but she had a blinding headache.
She was standing in the cockpit behind Joker, bouncing on the balls of her feet in anticipation as they neared one of the arms of the Citadel.
"Too much coffee, Commander?" Joker commented at her apprehensive demeanor.
"Too little sleep," she responded, moving to stand near the air lock.
"Standing by the air lock won't make me dock any faster," he shouted over his shoulder, receiving a grumble in response.
"Humans are the most impatient species," EDI commented. "They do not understand that attempting to rush processes as important as docking increases risk."
"Both of you can just keep your comments to yourselves," Shepard snapped.
"Uh-oh, someone had a bowl of grumpy-Os for breakfast," Joker mocked.
Shepard gave him the I-will-tell-EDI-about-your-feelings look, promptly shutting his mouth.
As soon as the air lock doors opened, Shepard jogged into the Docking Bay, making a beeline for the elevators.
"Shepard?"
She froze on the spot at the sound of the familiar voice. "Miranda?"
Before her stood her old friend, and Shepard gratefully accepted her embrace. The ex-Cerberus operative looked just as beautiful as when they had departed.
Miranda pulled out of the hug, holding Shepard's shoulders as she studied her face. "Good to see you, Shepard. You look like you haven't aged a day."
Shepard was unable to resist Miranda's charm and laughed. "Same goes to you, Miranda. So good to see you." She sighed sadly. "I wish we could talk more, but I have to urgently meet someone. Can we meet next time I'm here, or catch up over vid comm?"
Miranda's brow furrowed. "I'm on the run from Cerberus, Shepard. I never stay in one place too long and I can't trust that any comm channels aren't being monitored."
"Those bastards," Shepard muttered.
"I do know one thing: Oriana is in danger. I have to find her and protect her."
Shepard clasped her shoulder. "Protecting her is what you do best."
"With your help it is."
The women embraced again. "Keep in touch if you can."
"I will, Commander."
Shepard approached the elevator again, her concerns for her father resurfacing.
The walk through the Presidium was a harsh reminder of how many people needed Shepard's help. Although she listened to each request, by the time she neared Apartment F, her patience was as thin as rice paper.
"Commander Shepard? Commander Shepard! Khalisah al-Jilani, Alliance News Network. Care to give a few words to the soldiers fighting on Earth?"
It was that horrid reporter again. Shepard clenched her teeth, took a deep breath, and turned to face her. "Can we schedule an interview at a later date? I'm very short on time."
"Are you saying you don't have time for humanity? We need your inspiration to carry us through this war."
"Ok, I'll answer a few questions. But please, let's keep it brief."
"Very well." She turned on her camera and microphone. "Commander, is it true that you left Earth directly after the Reaper attack, abandoning your fellow humans for your own benefit?"
Shepard shifted her weight. If only she knew... "I did what was necessary for the preservation of Earth. Humanity can't do this on its own; we need the help of the other races to defeat the Reapers."
"It seems that you're looking for a little more than that out of aliens, Commander. Are the rumours that you're currently engaged in a romantic relationship with a turian true?"
That was the last straw for Shepard. After everything she had been through since leaving Earth, she was like a pot boiling over. "I've been patient with you for both of our previous interviews and this is what I get? A direct inquiry into my personal life? What sort of smear journalism bullshit is this?" Shepard took a swing at her smug face, but the reporter was too quick: she ducked both her right and left hook. But Shepard wasn't going to let this bitch get away with that: she head butted her so hard that Al-Jilani collapsed onto the ground.
"Next time," Zoey snarled, "instead of reporting on gossip, report on something that really matters, like the Reaper invasion." She stomped towards the apartment, leaving dozens of open-mouthed citizens in her wake.
She jogged up the stairs to Apartment F, knocking on the door while tapping her foot impatiently. The door swung open almost immediately, revealing her father. He looked exhausted and grief-stricken, aged well beyond his sixty years.
"Zoey." He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. "The most terrible thing has happened."
"What is it, dad?"
"Come inside, I'll tell you everything."
A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Sorry for the cliffhanger ending. I did want to comment that, for my long time readers, the mission that Liara mentions was the one in chapter one! Everything starts to come full circle. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll see you tomorrow.
