May 1st 2184 CE 03:02
Eyes milky white
The stench of death.
His mouth frozen agape
Still trying to gasp for breath
Suddenly a moan escapes the cold, stiff corpse
It spurs to life. Its creaky joints twitch in new found animation.
A cold dead hand reaches for her throat
Eyes accusing.
"How could you?"
Liara woke with a shriek. Rain hammered against the large portrait windows of her Ilium apartment. She pulled her legs into her chest, allowing her head to rest against her knees. It wasn't possible right? And if it was possible what would he be like? Would he truly be Shepard? Could science ever defy death? Or did she hand her friend over to something, someone truly evil for no good reason? Oh goddess, What have I done?
And if he ever did come back, could he forgive her? Love her? Or would he forever see her as the traitor that handed him over to a reclusive terrorist organization? One who had executed a friend and fellow Alliance marine? Shepard avenged Kohaku's death personally by wiping out several of their sickening projects. The man she knew would never absolve her of this. He was harsh but fair and already she found herself accepting his hatred.
She shuddered. How did Cerberus know about her feelings for him? She often wondered if her emotions clouded her judgment, allowing them to manipulate her. Their experiments crossed every line there was and she just handed over the man she loved like a sack of meat. The memory of Shepard's bloated carcass laid bare on a cold, hard slab while dozens of Cerberus scientists poked and prodded haunted her every moment. If she had an ounce of decency left in her, she would have taken his body back to The Alliance and let him rest. But she couldn't be so selfless. She couldn't lose him.
There would be no more sleep tonight. Liara pulled on a bathrobe and made her way downstairs with the vain hope that some tea would sooth her nerves. Once the kettle was on, she settled into her desk and flicked on the monitor. For now, her primary focus was finding Feron. If he was alive, she didn't dare dwell on what The Shadow Broker had in store for him.
More messages from Garrus and Kaiden graced her screen.
To: LiaraT2145
From: Garrus_VK2180
Hey T'soni,
I hope you're doing alright. My squad is growing. One guy doesn't have any prior combat experience but it's nothing I can't handle. We're making these thugs think twice before hunting down the innocent using their own methods – obliterate them with overwhelming force. Violence is the only thing these assholes respond to.
Well, don't get into too much trouble without me there to save your ass.
Garrus
To: LiaraT2145
Kalenko
Liara,
Look, I know this is the third message. And I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. But I can't get it out of my head – how you left The Citadel. Guess I'm a little worried. You were one of my students and a friend. Just let me know you're okay? I'll be heading back undercover in a few days and won't have access to my email for awhile.
Kaiden
She sighed. Maybe it was cruel refusing to reply, but what could she say? Every time her cursor sat on the screen idly blinking, the words seemed to slip away. It was as futile as cupping water in one's hand, the liquid would always escape through desperately grasping fingers. She felt like a traitor. Her friends were writing to the woman she once was, not what she had become. Part of her could scarcely believe the things she had done to complete her mission, the people she had sacrificed. And the crazy part was, she'd do it all again – even handing Shepard over to Cerberus. A slim hope was better than none.
Instead, she began secretly spying on her former squadmates. It was her way of looking out for them; that's what she told herself anyhow. There were various security cams throughout the galaxy she'd acquired access to using her ties as an information broker. Garrus was the most entertaining. The looks on merc's faces as some crazy turian swooped down out of nowhere and began shooting was priceless. Kaiden's footage was, to put it bluntly, rather boring. He seemed to be busying himself by filing endless reports and training young biotics. Tali wasn't showing up on any of her cams, although that wasn't surprising. The Migrant Fleet was very insular. Obtaining access to their security cameras, if they even had them, would be nearly impossible. Very few had the skills to hack quarian encryption. And those that did were usually quarian themselves.
For the first time in a long while, Liara felt alone. She had never minded the seclusion of a dig-site. In fact, she thrived on solitude. Yet, that was before Shepard and The Normandy. She was over a century old, but one tour on a human ship had completely changed her perspective. With a weary sigh, Liara pulled up her latest client file – a wealthy business man looking for a leg-up in his impending divorce. Already she had gathered proof of his ex-wife's unfaithfulness yet there was evidence the young woman had several off-planet bank accounts. Before making a move, she needed to locate and freeze her accounts. It may not be exciting or life-changing work but it paid the bills and kept her busy. That was all she could do now. Keep busy. Keep the nightmares at bay. And somehow, someway, learn to live with the guilt.
