Year 2182
"Shepard did everything right, more then we could have hoped for. Saving the citadel, even saving the council. Humanity has the trust of the entire galaxy and still it's not enough" the smooth female voice of Miranda Lawson spoke as she stood in the office of the Illusive Man. The shadow figure in charge of Cerberus, an Alliance black opts organization turned human supremacist group, sat calmly smoking a cigarette.
Looking out of the large window Miranda gave a final glance at the large red super giant star that illuminated the entire room "our sacrifices have earned the council's gratitude but now that Shepard's gone, we've lost our best hope" he added with a solemn tone.
"the council will never accept Cerberus, they'll never take our help, neither will the alliance. If we had Shepard then would have had a chance" she calmly said back as she turned around and made her way towards him, stopping in front of him and planed a hand on her hip.
The Illusive man took another poof on his cigarette and let out a breath "and you're sure the Lazarus project will be of no use?" he asked.
Sighing Miranda shook her head "if his body was simply in held in the vacuum, then I believe that project Lazarus would be of use and would succeed but that's not possible anymore, he wasn't just killed. His body fell into the gas giant the Normandy was orbiting when it was attacked, it's been completely vaporized. The reapers are still out there, we've lost Shepard and now humanity might well follow" turning back around she faced the many screens that where hovering in the air all full of data.
"Shepard was our best hope" he said back "but he wasn't out only hope, Shepard was our best chance to get the council behind us in our goals in getting ready for the Reapers. Now that option is no longer available, the plan has changed and so we must change accordingly"
It took a lot more effort not to scoff then Miranda expected "who else can do what Shepard would have?" she asked.
"nobody can do what Shepard would have" he added back calmly "but as I said, Shepards not the only one who will be able to see the threat the Reapers pose and have the means to fight against them"
Miranda couldn't help but tilt her head to side in confusion "who else could possibly do this?" she asked "I hope you're not talking about the other members of the Normandy crew, they wouldn't even come close to what Shepard would have been capable of"
"no" he shook her head as he pressed on one of the small hollow-graphic screens in front of him.
Before she could ask any further questions a dozen smaller screens appeared out of no-where and seemed to hold images of news broadcasts but based on a number of things she could tell that these were old, early twentieth centry she would say. However, that wasn't what she was so shocked by, no that was what they were talking about.
'Is it really that surprising that the most powerful man in the world should be a figure of controversy'
'we as a population on this planet have been looking for a savior'
'a regular farm boy from Kansas'
'we're talking about a being whose very existence, challenges our own sense of priority in the universe'
'are there any moral constraints on this person, we have international laws'
'he hasn't been seen since the incident'
'human beings have a horrible track record of following people with great power down paths that led to huge human atrocities'
'the murder of famous businessman and entrepreneur Lex Luthor'
'power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely'
'an everyday reporter Clark Kent'
'maybe he's not some sort of devil or Jesus character, maybe he's just a guy trying to do the right thing'
'Luthor said to be connected to the death of famed reporter Lois Kent'
'the world has been so caught up with what Superman can do that no one has asked what he should do'
Dozens of people talking about the same topic. Superman, the most powerful alien being that the human race has ever encountered. The man that changed the human race by simply existing, let alone the abilities he displayed when he went on his outings. Even to this day scientists still try to understand how it was possible for him to do what he did, and they still haven't found a definite answer to any of them.
"the last public sighting of Superman was a hundred and sixty-five years ago" she said quickly, knowing that information by heart. Turning back to face him he continued "while the return of Superman would an astronomical moment for humanity and would shake the Citadel races to there core, there is a very low chance he's still alive. He probably died of old age decades ago" she added.
"no miss Lawson, I don't believe he did" he calmly added taking another poof of his cigarette "The return of Superman has always been something I've wanted and dreaded at the same time, while I would be more than happy for him to never make an appearance, even I can't deny that Superman would have the means of helping our cause against the Reapers"
Miranda turned once again and starred at the screen which showed various video clips of Superman in action using many different abilities that simply defy physics. Of course, she would be lying if she said she wasn't interested in meeting the 'man of steel' after she ran away from her father and Cerberus took her in, gave her the best education in Harvard where she got her bio engineering diploma. Her thesis was based on Superman and how he was able to do what he could do. It was centered around his body taking advantage of a type of fuel to charge his cells with power, she theorized that it was a type of radiation as it was the only thing that made sense which could provide him with that type of power.
"do we have any idea where he is?" she asked crossing her arms making it clear she was accepting the mission.
"no" he said back "but before you go and assume that he is dead and buried. I would like to tell you that he was spotted twelve years ago"
Miranda immediately turned to face him "what?" she quickly asked confused at what was stated, Superman being sighted would have sent shockwaves throughout the galaxy, oh of course there are still those who believe in the man of steel but they're usually just nutcases spouting nonsense but the Illusive Man wouldn't say Superman was spotted without hard proof.
"twelve years ago, the human colony of Mindoir was attack by Batarian slavers" he started pressing another bottom on the arm rest of his chair and a handful of other screens appeared this time holding information on the colony and the attack "they destroyed the alliance defenses in orbit and made landfall in the city, the local militia didn't stand a chance, the salvers where ready to leave with over ten thousand human colonists, however before they can even transport the people to the ships, every single one of them explodes leaving them stranded" Miranda's eyes found a screen that showed the still smoking wreckage of the five war ships parked on the outskirts of the city "there's no footage of it happening but witness reports state that they saw the figure hovering in the air around the ships before they were destroyed. Of course, that's not enough for us to believe that he was really there. No, what really compelled not only us but the alliance that Mr. Kent was indeed present on Mindoir is the statement of a small girl that claims Superman saved her from a group of Batarians. She made it clear that she could clearly see that it was him. Her name is Samantha Traynor and she currently works as an Aliance communications specialist"
"she'll be my first stop" Miranda quickly said.
"Miss Lawson I'm giving you a blank check for this mission" he said in a serious tone "you'll have whatever you need to complete your task, credits, equipment, personnel, information, contacts" he listed "Shepard is no longer with us, Mr. Kent is now our only option in combating against the Reapers"
"and if he has no reason to want to join us in our fight?" she asked.
Taking one last smoke from his cigarette before placing it in a nearby ash tray "failure is not an option operative Lawson" he added sternly.
Miranda has her answer, saying she must not fail is simply saying that she has permission to use her looks and body to emotionally manipulate him into joining the cause, something she has done in the past though not just for recruiting high value targets to the cause of Cerberus but also for her work in espionage, spying on targets that could prove a threat, retrieving intel from terminals as the target slept once she wore them out with her sexual skills or creating blackmail on married targets who she seduced into an affair. It's not a part of the job she liked nor one she hated; it was simply part of the job.
"I understand sir, I'll get started immediately" she before turning to leave.
Earth - Vancouver
2 weeks later
Miranda sat calmly within the over the top expensive hotel bar full of people of all kinds of ages and ethnicities, there were even two Asari on the far end. All of them having fun. There was a large crowed dancing on a nearby dance floor while loud music boomed out of the speakers and holographic spotlights flickered colorfully lightening the room.
She had done her homework on the target, just like she always did. Her target Samantha Traynor would be here in a few moments, she was just recently placed on shore leave in the city and as a reward for her hard work in high jacking batarian ship signals and communications. From what a Cerberus contact had said she was being given a room in this hotel with an all exclusive deal but that wasn't all Cerberus had learnt about her, considering how important Traynor's testimony file is to her investigation Cerberus did a very thorough research check on her. And Miranda was just as thorough when she read through it, which is how she knew that the target had a kind and caring personality, was shy, smart and most importantly in this situation. Gay.
Which is what lead Miranda to the situation she was in now, while sitting on the bar stool she looked across the counter to the mirror that was placed on the wall behind the bottles of wines, whiskey's, Vodka's and some alien beverages such and Turian mead and Asari wine. Looking past that however and to her reflection, she saw her work. Long red hair swayed down her shoulders, lipstick that shined in the light but not too much that it would leave a mark on the skin. A silk single strap blue dress clung to her body showing off her perfect curves, showing a healthy amount of cleavage, not the same amount you would want in a professional showing, but the exact amount that made it clear she not only didn't care if people starred but she wanted people to.
The plan is simple; considering the shy personality of the target Miranda would make contact, talk and manipulate Traynor to being her up to her room, once there she would seduce her and lift the face plastic cap off the one of the fake Dimond's on her bracelet revealing the very small needle that she would use to knock out the target for the next eight hours, from that point she would head to the computer terminal in her room which she has already logged into. The file of her testimony has been redacted by the alliance and she has one of the only copies and only because it was her own testimony to begin with. She had every confidence that the plan would work, after all there's not a lot of people who can say no to a sultry Australian party girl who had your preferred hair color.
She waited another five minutes before she caught the reflection of the target entering the hall in-between all the people. Traynor was wearing a Minnie skirt and white blouse, not a bad combination she thought to herself. But she knew that time was of the essence and she needed to act. Paying for her drink she left the stool and made her way to the dance floor, she moved in sequence with the music, waving her body to the rhythm along with many other people. There were many songs she danced to while keeping an eye on her target, like she had predicted Traynor had moved straight to the dance floor. But like any predator Miranda took her time with the target, she needed to be careful and everything needed to seem natural.
After the thirty-minute mark Traynor was in position. Miranda stopped dancing and started to move back to the bar, she purposefully walked in a brisk pace, swaying her hips as she walked with a small spring in her step causing her well rounded breasts to bounce slightly and a happy healthy smile on her face. Once she was a few meters away from the counter Traynor came into her path a few feet on the right who was till swaying her hips to the music, however her eyes saw Miranda and her whole head turned to face her. Miranda herself kept a face of ignorance pretending she didn't notice how she was starring until the last second and glanced at her as well. She gave Traynor a smirk and playful wink as she walked past no doubt causing the communications specialist to blush.
She sat back down on the bar stool and ordered a drink for herself, she didn't even have to wait two minutes before she saw Traynor sit down at the corner of the bar and steeling glances at her every chance she got 'time to get started' she thought to herself turning her head slightly to the right she glanced at the target and made eye contact expect this time Miranda held it a little while before giving a telling glance to the cleavage of Traynor who had two buttons on the blouse undone that where done up before. Of course, she wanted Traynor to know she was looking as she needed to give the target an idea that she found her attractive, she needed to give her hope that this could end very well for her "excuse me" she asked the bartender who moved other towards her.
"yes ma'am, what can I get for you?" he asked stealing a small glance at her himself, though he did keep it professional "there's a woman at the far end on the right, dark skin and hair, I want you to give her an apple teeny, put it on my tab and I'll have the same" she added.
"I'll get right on it" he smiled as he got to work.
Within the minute the drink was made, and it was placed in front of a surprised Traynor who looked at the drink. Miranda didn't hear was she was saying to the bar tender gave a thumb over his shoulder aimed at Miranda. Once he left her to the drink, she looked over to Miranda who simply gestured to the empty bar stool next to her and resisted the urge to laugh when she saw Traynor's jaw lower slightly in shock. She closed her mouth slowed and moved over towards her.
Miranda turned her whole body to face her as she walked towards the empty stool "Hey there darlin" she said as the target sat down next to her, she even turned the accent on a little more than usual.
"er..." she stammered for a moment before finding her baring "Hi, sorry I just wanted to say thanks for the drink" she added taking a sip "how did you know this was my favorite?" she asked.
"is it?" Miranda asked sounding amazed "I had no idea, I just ordered you my favorite. That's a coincidence and a half" she smiled taking a sip of her own drink which was placed in front of her "so is there something I can help you with?" she asked.
"I'm sorry" Traynor asked confused by the sudden question.
Miranda gave a half shrug "oh I just noticed you starring so I was wondering if there was something you needed" she said innocently.
"Oh" Traynor's face went as red as Mirandas hair as she stuttered furiously "I'm sorry... I didn't mean... I shouldn't have..." she stood up from the stool "I'll just leave you to your drink" she finished in a quite tone.
"why?" Miranda quickly asked before giving a small shrug "I didn't mind" she added quietly.
"really?" Traynor asked in a hopeful tone as she lowered herself back down on the stool.
"really" she smiled "are you staying in the hotel or do you live nearby?" she asked smiling.
"staying in the hotel" she answered "I'm only here for the weekend" she took another drink and Miranda could easily tell she was getting more relaxed "what about you?" she added.
"I'm here for a bio science conference" she casually mentioned with a shrug "you've probably never heard of it, it's only gonna be here for another week or so"
Traynor's eyes widened as she heard that "wait, you're not talking about the Tyson bio science conference, are you?" she asked.
Miranda fined surprise at her "err... yeah, you know about it?" she asked knowing full well she knew about it. After all she was very attracted to smart people, something Miranda played to her advantage.
"know about it" she laughed "I've always wanted to go to that but it so exclusive. What do you do for a living?" she asked leaning in very interested.
Miranda smiled leaning in as well and based on how Traynor's nostrils flared and her breathing accelerated, she could smell her perfume, it was working "I'm a genetic specialist and molecular engineer. What about you?" she asked.
"oh, I just work for the alliance" she answered with a shrug "it's not that interesting"
"you're a solider" Miranda asked with a surprised and happy tone, weaving her hair behind her ear and placing her hand on the counter, giving off the very tale-tale cliché signs on interest "how can that not be interesting?"
Traynor looked down with a small blush "it's really not, I just work in commination's"
"but you did training and stuff like that right, all that solider stuff?" she asked.
"yeah" she nodded taking another sip of her drink "everyone has to do some basic training back in boot camp"
"good to know" Miranda said as she gave her chest a glance.
"yeah?" Traynor chuckled "why is that?"
"oh, nothing important" she said back with a casual "it's just good to know you have stamina" she mumbled but was loud enough for Traynor to hear her. And it did have the desired effect, the targets breath quickened, and her body turned to face the bar in an attempt to hide her blush "I'm Jessica" she smiled.
"I'm Samantha" she said back with a smile
Miranda took a break from the heavy flirting for a while not wanting to lay it on too thick, so she used her charm and because of it they fell into a comfortable conversation, the two got along well enough and as they started talking about a wide range of topics but Miranda couldn't help but steer it towards light topics such as her own fake job which greatly helped Traynor relax. After ten minutes the conversation into a much more one sided one as Miranda was the one doing the talking while Traynor just looked at her chest and legs while trying not to show it but of course due to the one or two more drinks they've had she was getting worse at hiding it "I'm glad I got you that drink now Sam, not sure I would be having this much fun with someone else" she said.
"You're telling me" she smiled "I'm still amazed we're talking; I never meet anyone this interesting in a place like this. I'm not this lucky"
"I'm glad you said that" Miranda said leaning forward placing her hand on Traynor's.
Traynor herself leaned forward copying her actions "why's that?" she asked in a voice that was but a whisper.
"it's just that" Miranda's free hand reached over and landed on Traynor's thigh with a light caress that caused the specialist to shiver "It's really hot in here, why don't we leave and continue out drinks in your room. And I can show you just how lucky you are" she said in a seductive voice.
She resisted the urge to laugh at the targets actions, it looked like her brain had just stopped working "I... I er... really?" she asked.
Miranda stood up and used her omni-tool to pay for the drinks "really" she said stepped closer towards her "are you coming?" she asked before turning and walking away.
Traynor's body was stiff and hot as they made their way to her room and when they reached in, she could see that the alliance really did treat Traynor for her good work as this looked more like a pent house then a regular room, a large spacious lounge with a large thin television screen on the wall, one large brown leather L-shape couch, sturdy class table, plants she didn't recognize I spiral staircase on the far left which she could only assume led to the bed room and the a small section of the kitchen was visible from the doorway position as well "wow, this is much better than my place" she said.
Her voice seemed to be able to get Traynor out her daze "yeah, I know right. This is so much nicer than I was expecting, it even has a hot tub attached to the bedroom" she said.
She walked forward into the living room looking around the place "So where's that drink Sam?" she asked with a smile.
"right" she said turning to face the kitchen which she could see through a viewing hole "what'll ya have?" she asked.
Miranda smiled at first, she just had the perfect way to get this started "oh whatever you have, I'll be too busy to drink it anyway" without another word she slipped out her high heels, left them on the ground and made her way to stairs. Once halfway up she undid the zip on her side and slid out of the fabric leaving her in a very revealing red lace underwear.
She dropped the dress on the top of the stairs, just low enough for Traynor to see once she came back. Once out of view of downstairs the smile on her face lowered slightly as she walked straight to the bedroom, ready knowing exactly where it was. She tried to remember the mission, Superman needed to be found and right now Samantha Traynor is the best lead she has to find him. Whatever the cost, though she didn't really care too much. In fact, it's been a while since she's been sent to seduce someone and she's gotten an orgasm out of it. There's not a lot of people who can keep up with her long enough to give her that, thankfully woman have a better track record then men so there was some hope "Jessica?" Traynor's voice from downstairs echoed.
Miranda quickly unhooked her bra and left it on the ground in front of the doorway. Opening the door, she moved into the bedroom and without really looked moved to the attached bathroom, stopping at the door before removing her panties leaving her completely nude, stepping inside she found a full body mirror in front of her and even though she did try to be modest but she couldn't help but smile slightly at her perfect body, large, round perky breasts. Small but tone muscles all over her body, her long smooth tender legs that led up to her shaven pussy that was ready to get to work.
Stepping into the bathroom she made a B-line straight for the hot tub and didn't hesitate to step in and move to far side, once seated she pushed a small button that was next to her and the bubbles started the flow. She knew full well that she was undercover, but she couldn't help but let her head fall back and closed her eyes to relax a little. That lasted for around a minute before she heard a loud gasp.
Opening her eyes, she lifted her head to see Traynor standing in the open doorway holding her bra and panties in her hands "Jess... I err..." she struggled to say.
"sorry, you don't mind, do you?" she asked lifting her hands and resting them on the sides, in the processes lifting her chest slightly, her nipples where now visible to the target.
"NO!" she shouted before she stopped herself "no, I don't mind at all" she found herself smiling brightly as she starred directly at her chest, not even trying to hide it "I'm just surprised"
"Sam" she said over the sound of the bubbles.
"yeah" she said.
"are you just going to stand there, or are you going to join me?" she asked.
Traynor instantly dropped her clothing and stepped inside, fumbling to undo her own. Miranda gave her a seductive smile as she watched the target undress and even found herself getting turned on by the show. Once the body was exposed and she was shown the full naked body of Traynor as she walked forward and stepped into the hot tub, sitting opposite her.
That was a moment of silence as the two starred at each other "Sam, before we go any further, I just want to make something clear" she said with a serious voice.
And it was that tone of voice that seemed to knock Traynor out of her sex ready daze "wha... what's that?" she asked sounding suddenly nervous.
"I'm not looking for a relationship or anything" she stood up exposing her full body for the target and moved over towards her "I just want some fun, some tension relief after a hard few days of pretty much non-stop work" she sat down right next to her, their bodies facing each other. Her hand reaching up and cupping her cheek. She leaned in and kissed the target who immediately let out a gasp and moan as Miranda stuck her tongue in her mouth. But as quickly as it happened, she pulled back licking Traynor's upper lip as she did "is that ok with you? Or should I just cut my loses and leave?" she asked as her hand fell from her cheek and dipped below the water and rested just above her pussy and based on her reaction, she knew she's got the answer she wants.
"just one night?" Traynor said with a smile "I can live with that" she mumbled. Miranda could only smile as placed his finger inside of her causing the target to moan louder slightly.
"Good" was all she said before she moved forward and kissed her again, this time though Traynor reciprocated, kissing her back and wrapped her arms around Miranda's neck as she continued to pull her finger out and in.
45 Minutes later
They were both on their backs on the king-sized bed, their sweaty bodies pressed against each other as the ecstasy of the pleasure still present in the "wow" Traynor said as she continued to gasp, her breasts bouncing slightly as she did "that was amazing"
Miranda smiled as she let out a chuckle "I feel like I should be thanking you" she said calmly as she calmly and quietly moved her left hand to the other side of her body and pulled the fake diamond off revealing the small needle "it's been far too long since someone's gotten me all the way"
Traynor couldn't help but laugh "you are welcome, it's only fair though. You did the same for me" she turned to her side to face her "though, I'm worried that may bruised these" she reached and grabbed Miranda's left breast, giving it a squeeze and fondle causing the operative to moan "they're just so… perfect, big but not too much, round, perky" she leaned over and sucked on the nipple.
"well, if that's the case" Miranda said as she pushed Traynor onto her back "it's only fair I give you a bruise too" she pounced on the target causing a squeal of delight but what she didn't know was what Miranda was planning.
"Ouch!" she loudly said as Miranda's wrist landed on her stomach causing a prick. Miranda pulled back looking concerned.
"are you ok?" she asked before looking down to her wrist "oh sorry" she sat up and pulled her bracelet off "you'd think that after all this time I wouldn't fall for the rookie mistakes" she through it to the ground before turning back to her one night lower.
"it's ok, I've done that myself more times then not" Traynor smiled "why don't you make it up to me" she smirked suggestively.
"oh, I intend to" she leaned down and kissed her immediately sticking her tongue in her mouth causing the target to moan in pleasure. Though after a few seconds Miranda began to notice that the kiss was getting one sided, waiting another ten seconds she pulled back to see her completely knocked out.
The smile left her face immediately as she stood up and left the room, not bothering to clothe herself as she was alone, moving into another room she saw the computer terminal. Sitting down in the chair she rolled up and turned on the screen, using her Omni-Tool she deployed the hack and it immediately broke through the weak hotel firewalls and she was in.
It didn't take long for her to find the fly she was looking for and she immediately clicked it without another word, what opened was the standard lay-out for a witness testimony document.
Systems Alliance Survivor Witness Statement
Witness Name: Samantha Kim Traynor
Age During Statement: 13
Agreement: I, Samantha Kim Traynor. Claim that the statement I am about to give are the facts that come from my personal knowledge of the events that happen on April 11th 2170 during the slaver attack on the systems alliance colony of Mindoir.
Statement:
Just keep running, just keep running. I don't remember that much about what happened that night but I do remember that I just kept on telling myself that over and over and over again. It wasn't anything new really, I was on my way home from school when the first explosion was heard, after that I just kept running. I honestly don't know for how long I kept it up, the only think I could really notice was that it now looked like it was the middle of the night.
Dark clouds hung in the skies, heavy rain smashed into the ground and the city was almost unrecognizable. I don't think there was a single building that wasn't in ruins or at least had a massive whole in it, or was on fire.
Running down another street, I didn't know which one exactly. They all looked the same at this point. But I froze when I saw flashes of light followed by loud bangs it was some type of firefight, knowing that if I ran towards that even though some of those guys where police. Chances where high that I would just get shot, I took right turn instead down a dark and damaged alley way. When I was half way down I found that there was a large piece or pieces of rubble that where blocking the path, but knowing that going back was a big risk I just latched onto it and started the climb. It was that hard an in a few minutes I was over.
But the second my feet hit the ground on the other side I tripped and landed face first in a puddle. I was going to pick myself up and I was on all fours before a boot kicked me in the face and I was forced back, my body leaning back against the rubble I just climbed over. It took me a while to hear realizing what was going on, the sounds of gunfire were replaced with a ringing in my ears and my eyesight got really bleary. I could barely see anything just three shadowy figures in front of me.
"Hey look, it's a young one" the one on the left said as it stepped closer to me "female, seems developed enough"
"Fine" middle said but it seemed like it sighed as it did "just hurry up, the fighting is getting heavier" I closed my eyes and shaked my head slightly and the figures came into view, once I saw them, saw what they were. It was the most scared I'd ever been. It was them, the aliens that had come for my home.
"so why don't we take some of the loot for ourselves" left said "We can just break her in now, she'll be going to the pleasure houses anyway. Why not test her out, you can't tell me that you're not wondering if these humans are as good as the Asari" I tried to pick myself up but my body barely moved and I didn't know if it was because of the fear I felt that made me seem paralyzed or if I just had some injury I didn't know about.
"fair enough" middle said "Alright, I get first go though" he stepped forward.
He stepped forward towards me I all I could do was close my eyes and pry for whatever's about to happen to be quick "AAAAAHHHHH" my eyes snapped open at the sound of a scream that wasn't mine. All three of the aliens turned to the dark alley way on their left. Something I didn't notice at first, the alley I was in had two directions, one at the far end and one on the right. It was a 'T' shaped alley crossroad between three buildings.
The three aliens all aimed their weapons at the alley on the right which was close. They took a step forwards but within the next five seconds a body shot out from the darkness and slammed into the opposite wall with enough force to crack the brick wall and turn the body into mush. Not even waiting to see who the body belonged to the three aliens raised their weapons and fired randomly into the dark, at least I thought it was dark. I couldn't really tell, it was in front of me on the right so I couldn't see down it.
But as they kept firing, I assumed they had a target but I stopped looking at them once I was distracted by the growing red light that was coming from the alley. I was forced the close my eyes when the light got brighter for a moment but the sound of screaming made me open them again and I saw one of the aliens on the ground and I felt like throwing up, I probably would have done if I had anything in my stomach.
The alien was ripped in half, his arms where twitching around like he was trying to crawl away. The other two still standing kept on firing but there was a blur of movement and I looked to the left, even in this situation. A smile came to my face as I saw a man, a human man holding one the aliens by the front of its face forcing it against the wall. The other continued the fire it's weapon but from what I could see the ammo wasn't doing anything, it was like they were just bouncing off him like the rain was me and I knew that the weapon was firing because the man's jacket was getting shredded.
The man reached down for the weapon that the alien he was pinning was still holding and ripped it from his hand, turning back to look at the one that was firing at him, raised the weapon and fired. The alien screamed as the bullets impacted his face and he fell to the ground in front of me dead with blood coming out of his face.
The sound of a snap drew me back to the man who dropped the body of the alien who looked like its head was snapped at the neck, it was only held to the body through the skin and muscle.
He just stayed there for a moment looking down to the bodies of the aliens "he..." I said finally able to find my voice "...help..." but even when I could say something it was barely a whisper. The amazing thing though was when I said it, he turned to face me.
I looked to him as he starred at me, for a moment I thought he was just going to turn around and leave me, I was about to say something else when there was a large explosion close by, I looked up and saw that was of the buildings the alley was made from shook as something impacted the top of it and tones and tons of rubble fell towards them.
I screamed as I saw what was coming and pulled myself into a ball just hoping was about to happen would be quick. I don't really know what happened next, the only thing that really registered in my mind was the feeling of something soft and warm wrapping itself around me, then came the large bangs and rumbles coming from all around me. When I opened my eyes all a saw was the dark with some cracks of light. That was until I felt the warm presence around me let go followed by the sound of the rubble moving.
There was a final huff before the large piece of rubble was lifted from me and I could see the sky over my head again, followed by the silhouette of a man. Once he had a look around, he reached down and picked me up. Though when he did, I couldn't help myself from wrapping my arms around his neck and hid my head in his chest like I was a toddler being carried by daddy. I didn't know when I started crying but I did know that I was soon wailing into his chest.
I think I was like that for a few minutes before I felt him place me down on top of a green trash bin. I let go of his neck even though I really didn't want to "you... you saved me?" I asked finding my voice again. It wasn't that I wasn't ungrateful but he could have gotten hurt but he still did it "why?"
He looked to the ground for a moment and let out a sigh, he turned back up the face me and answer in a calm but also deep voice "old habits die hard I guess" before either of us could say anything else he looked up the sky, I didn't know what he was looking at but when I looked up to see, a small smile came to my face as I saw three alliance ships dip below the clouds "wait here" the man said "don't move until the soldiers get here and take you somewhere safe" he turned to leave.
But it was only when he turned his back that it clicked, I remembered all the bedtime stories my mom used to tell me when I was little, all the history lessons in school, the confusion I would get in science class, the wishes the kids in my class would make on their birthdays "your... your him" I whispered, before without even thinking I stood up on my shaking feet "You're Superman, aren't you?!" I shouted after him.
He paused, stopped just in front of the dark vail that he had come from. He turned his body ever so slightly and then turned his head, though it was only enough for me the side of his face "not anymore" he said in quiet voice of his own and I could easily hear the sadness in it.
Miranda leaned back in her chair as she finished reading the report "fuck" she muttered to herself. That wasn't what she was expecting, honestly, she still held a small amount of doubt that Superman was even alive but this statement was so vivid, there was no way a thirteen-year-old girl could make these details up so soon after such a traumatic event like this.
Honestly Miranda was surprised that Traynor was as sane as she was, though that did explain why while she worked in communications for the Alliance, and why she seemed to target Batarian ships. Must be some kind of revenge for the attack. Being honest with herself Miranda started to wonder why Cerberus hadn't tried to recruit her earlier, seem like she'd be a good asset to their cause. And she wasn't just saying that because she was good in bed, being honest even if she worked for Cerberus Miranda would probably never see her again, couldn't risk that cover being exposed.
This was helpful though, despite not having any idea where he might be now, it told her a handful of very important things. Number one: Superman is still alive, did that mean he had a really long-life span like the Asari or was he even immortal. That could mean a lot of things, what does that do to someone physiology speaking, how does out living everyone you love effect your mind. There's no doubt that emotional damage would be caused but could that effect someone's base instincts? It's always been theorized that Superman's instincts where based on helping others and even after all this time, he clearly was still helping others. It seems those people where right.
Number two: it seems the morality that he once held so dear is now not a part of him at all. Superman's last documented public appearance was in the year 2014 when he interrupted a press conference outside of Alcatraz prison where the famed businessman Lex Luther was about to be released from incarceration due to an insufficient evidence of his crimes, evidence that was supposedly in the hands of a well-known reporter Lois-Kent. At least it was before an explosion went off and destroyed the entire top half of the building along with everyone in it. Seventy-eight confirmed casualties, Mrs. Kent among them. Superman just interrupted the conference and killed Luther without any hesitation, everyone was in a state of shock at his actions that they barely noticed that his wasn't in his famous suit, it was on a half burnt off business suit. When he flew off a name tag was dropped at it was from that, that it was discovered that he was Clark Kent.
That was the first time he killed but it seemed that it wasn't a one off like some people thought, it seemed with his age, his mortality went with it and now he didn't care.
This has given Miranda a lot to think about, turning off the monitor she stood up and made her way back to the bedroom, there was no need to stay the night. She had too much work to do, simply writing a note about how she had to get up early due to a conference she needed to get to and how she had a great night. Picking up her clothes and getting dressed she headed for the exit and called for an extraction. She had work to do.
Illium
2 years later
A calm sigh escaped his lips as he looked out across the balcony over towards the horizon. He was sitting at a table on the top floor of a large sky scraper, the hotel housed a very nice café that over looked the entire city, his chair was pressed against a glass balcony that allowed him to look at the ocean that was hugging the sun as it set. Though the view wasn't really anything special, nothing he hasn't seen a thousand times before.
He had to give the Asari credit, they knew how to how to build a view. The entire city was beautiful, as the sun began to set the buildings almost gave off this type of almost ethereal purple glow. Even despite how what this city and even the planet was known for. The capital city of Nos Astra was a breeding ground for crime as practically everything criminal groups would need to watch out for such as trafficking, drugs, weapons etc. Everything was legal. It was only obvious stuff like murder that was against the law. Yet despite all of that Illium was the Los Angeles of the Asari colonies.
"your shadow breath sir" a voice said to his left.
Turning his head, he looked to the waitress who arrived with his hot beverage "thank you" he said as the drink was set in front of him. Though he wasn't very fond of alien foods and drinks he could admit that there were a handful that drew his attention. The shadow breath being a good example, an Asari tea. The drink itself was pitch black but it tasted like pure gold, he had to admit that it was a favorite of his. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, trying to imagine what this would look like to himself from when he was a teenager, sitting calmly on an alien world drinking alien tea.
Picking up the cup from the table, he lifted it up into the air in a toast gesture "Happy birthday Clark" he said to himself before taking a gulp. Honestly if it wasn't for his eidetic memory he wouldn't even remember when his birthday is. Let alone how old he was but that wasn't the case so here he was, having a lone drink celebrating his 193rd birthday. If there was one thing he wish he could forget it would be his birthday, This was the hardest day of the year for him, whenever it came along he was plagued by his memories of his family, his mom and dad singing him a happy birthday, making him his favorite meal. Lois standing in front of him in a very sexy lingerie she brought out only on his birthday.
But before he could go down that rabbit hole and not come out until he went to the bar in the lobby and took someone to his room, which wasn't really hard considering the Asari have this desire to find a strong mate and there wasn't anyone stronger than him. According to a former Asari lover of his he had an aura around him that drew others in.
Before he could think of anything else a woman suddenly sat across from him, looking up from his drink he saw a beautiful human woman with long black hair in a tight full body suit looking at him, trying to remain neutral but with his eyes he could tell she held a slight frown "two years" she said out loud randomly.
He couldn't help but raise an eye brow at her "excuse me?" he asked.
"Two. Years" she said more sternly "it took me two years and cost around ninety-eight million credits to find you" she informed.
"is that right?" he asked in a board tone as he reached down and took another gulp of his drink. In his mind he immediately knew several things, one of them being that she knew who he was. He could tell she was being honest when she said she took that time and spent that much money to find him. She knew exactly who and what he was "and what exactly do you want with me?"
At hearing the question, she sat up a little straighter getting ready to give a speech she's either practiced or made before "My name is Miranda Lawson, I've been sent to find you by Cerebrus"
"Cerebrus" he muttered to himself though it was loud enough for her to hear her "and what exactly does a human supremacists group want with me?" he asked "in my experience they don't have meetings with their number one enemy, just aim and shoot. Believe me, I have a lot experience in this area"
"I'm well aware" she quickly said back "Superman had many enemy's"
A chuckle came from his lips "that he did" he agreed, not even trying to deny what he was. He just couldn't be bothered to try and hide it at this point, not like he was protecting anything, he didn't have anything left. It's happened a few times over the decades and when it does nobody ever believes the one who figured it out "honestly I'm surprised Cerebrus hasn't tried to kill me before" his eyes met hers "though I suppose there's a first time for everything"
She shook her head "I'm not here to kill you Mr. Kent, I know I can't" she admitted "I'm here because I need your help" she added.
Clark rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair "there it is" he said out loud, not even trying to lower his voice "I stopped helping people a long time ok Miss Lawson" he said looking out over the horizon as the sun disappeared give way to the night sky.
"well we both know that's not true" she immortality said back "how do you think I found you in there first place?" she asked.
He let out a sigh "there's always a trail of breadcrumbs for someone to follow"
"exactly" she agreed "but thankfully for you, I'm not some wicked witch you need to escape from. Being perfectly honest..." she started.
"bet that's a first" he said interrupting her.
"what" she said back with a more prominent frown on her face.
"I've been around a long time Lawson I know a spy when I see one"
"oh is that right?" she asked leaning back in her own chair and crossing her arms "please, do tell"
He rolled his eyes yet again "the way you walk, the way you carry yourself. Everything about you says military, now that could make you a solider but you can't because you're too beautiful for that" he said nonchalantly "no blemishes on your skin, no scarring, no bags under your eyes from a lock of sleep. I doubt you've spent any prolonged period of time on the front lines of a war. So that leaves a handful of other options, you could be a mechanic, medic, maybe even an engineer but if that was true you wouldn't be here. So, you're clearly an agent of some kind. Now Cerebrus works outside the law of the Citadel and the Alliance so you guys probably have more types of agents then I do abilities and that's saying something. But the most damning evidence is that you're here with me right now, the illusive man wouldn't give that job to just anyone, not with me. Not to mention the fact you said that it took you two years and a lot of money, meaning this is a long-term assignment for you"
Miranda didn't want to admit it but she was impressed and annoyed at what he was saying because he was not wrong, she hated the idea of someone being able to read her like a book, that was her job.
"but you're not just some rookie because even with all the money it would take a at least a decade for some agent to find me with my travel schedule. Even the STG are still having trouble looking for me, even though the Salarian unions official stance is that I don't exist. So, not only must you be very good at what you do, in order for you to follow leads, hack into accounts, blackmail certain people for information, bribe a few other, go to some questionable places as you followed my trail. You must also be trusted enough to come here, talk to me and convince me to join you. Must be a very good talker. You're not a contractor, you're not an information broker. So here we are, you're a spy" he finished "now I've proven I know who you are. What do you want with me?" he asked.
She decided that it would be best not the comment on what he just said, he just gave her a chance to make her pitch. She just had to sell it "where you on the Citadel two years ago?" she asked, knowing that right now the best thing she could do is be honest.
"no, but I heard about what happened" he said answering the question she would have asked next.
"and like everyone else in the galaxy you most likely think that the Geth are the ones responsible for it" Miranda did hope that he would know better but she also knew that he had no reason to think otherwise.
"that is what the council are saying though I don't think so" he added looking down to his drink with a look of thought.
"you don't" she asked back surprised but she was also hopeful.
He looked back up to her "well it's not hard to believe that a race of AI's left to their own devices for hundreds of years like the Geth would eventually surpass the technological advances of organics but at the same time things just don't add up"
"that's because there's more to it than meets the eye" she said as she uncrossed her arms and leaned forward towards him "the reason Cerberus tasked me to find you is because of what the late commander Shepard discovered during his hunt for Seran. The large cephalopod like ship that led the attack and completely decimated the Citadel defense fleet" she stopped making sure he knew what she was talking about.
He nodded "yeah, I saw the pictures and vids" he said.
She nodded "according to Shepard that wasn't a Geth creation but was in fact a completely sentient machine called a Reaper" he tilted his head at her and raised an eyebrow "based on what Shepard and his crew discovered, that Reaper was the vanguard for a complete Galaxy wide invasion force. The council are completely ignoring what Shepard claimed and now that he's dead considers the matter closed. Cerberus have chosen to believe his words and are trying to find ways to combat the Reapers for when they arrive, we'd like your help to do that but since we're well aware the chances of that are low, we'd like to ask you something else" she quickly added before he stopped listening.
Clark did sigh slightly but he also gestured for to continue "during my search for you, human colonies on the edge of the Terminus systems are under attack"
"so" he shrugged "the colonies that close to the terminus get attacked constantly, it's not that surprising" he calmly said back.
"you're right it's not" she agreed "but this is different, there's no alarm or warning given. No signs of a fight or a struggle, no bodies or blood, no sign that anything is wrong except every man, woman and child is gone. It's like they just disappeared into thin air"
Clark did frown at that, raiding and kidnapping a colony or at least attempting too is pretty common but what she said was interesting. He had to admit that there are a handful of ways to do something like this but no one he could think of had the tech along with the motive. Maybe the Salarian's could come up with the technology to do this with a few years of research if they don't have it already have something that could do the job but they don't have a reason to do this to human colonies "and what?" he shrugged "what do you want me to do about it?" he asked.
"two days ago" she started "we lost all contact with Freedoms progress, a colony on the edge of the Terminus, right now it's been left untouched but we want to get there before anyone else and have a look around. Hopefully we'll find something others won't. The Alliance will mobilize within the week which means we have three days to get there and however more days to examine the scene if we do find something" she informed in a professional manner "The Illusive man would like you to lead a small team to the colony and see if you can find anything. If you do find something then you continue to lead the team and follow any trail you find" she finished.
He tilted his head at her yet again "so you don't want the power?" he asked rhetorically.
She rolled her eyes "don't be naïve" she said clearly in an annoyed voice "anyone with half a brain would want what you are, if the theories about you and your power are true then you could take out the citadel if you wanted to. Maybe even the entire fucking galaxy" she gave a wave of her hand in his direction "a god among mortals"
There was a flash of red behind his eyes, it was subtle, he barely felt it himself but he could diffidently tell she saw it because she stiffened, her eyes hardened, her lips tightened and her hand went to her hip only realizing that there wasn't a weapon there "careful" he warned.
She seemed to relax, understanding that it was just a warning even if it wasn't intentional on his side "the point still stands, we need your help" silence was his answer.
He just sat there for a few moments, there was eye contact between them but he glanced at the horizon, which held a beautiful luna glow. He sighed before downing the rest of his drink and placing the cup back on the table between them. He turned back to Miranda and held her eyes for a moment longer 'what do I have to lose' he thought to himself "three days to get there" he said.
She didn't respond for a moment, he could tell that she was in a small shocked state that he seemed to be agreeing with him "at minimum, if we do find something then it would be better if you stayed to carry on but..."
"but there's no way you could stop me from leaving" he interrupted her, she looked like she wanted to say something sarcastic or snap back at him but held herself. She simply nodded "alright" he nodded "I'll go with you, have a look at Freedoms Progress and see if I can find something. I must admit I'm finding myself curious and doesn't happen a lot now a days" he stood up and Miranda immediately jumped up after him "well then Miss Lawson, let's get going" he finished before paying the waitress with a nice tip and headed for the exit, Miranda right behind him.
Ok guys, I'm not gonna lie. This was a surprise even for me, I know I should be focusing on A New Origin and Age of Hero's but you know how it is, once you get an idea sometimes you kind of just go with it. And you know how much I love my Superman stories, I recently read a massive Mass Effect 3 story (seriously massive, over a million words. I don't think I've seen a bigger story ever)
Though I don't plan on this replacing the others as the next chapter for this won't be as long, think a chapter for every mission and some for the bit in-between would do it.
Of course, there's the obvious stuff, Shepard is dead and Superman is replacing him and because this is Superman, he would just blow right past pretty much everything expect an actual Reaper itself so that in itself presents a challenge which I do like, so because of this the reason for most of the crew during the second game being there becomes null. We don't need Grunt or Jack or Garrus but at the same time I know that they present a large part of the game and an even larger reason why the story was so good. It's gonna be interesting trying to work around that.
Anyway, let me know what you guys think, reviews this early are very useful. I'll see you all in the next chapter.