There was complete silence within the captain's quarters. Clark was leaning backwards on the couch starring off into space trying to focus on anything else apart from the other occupant. Kelly was doing her best not to smile but this was clearly a dream come true for her, being honest Clark really didn't know why he agreed to do this. Maybe it was just to make the rest of the crew feel better. Even someone who is as socially inept as Clark could tell that people seemed on edge, though he had no idea why.
He couldn't help but sigh, the things he did for other people "so, would you like to talk about what you saw?" Kelly asked.
Oh yeah, it seemed EDI had recorded him talking to the ghost of Lois that his mind had randomly created. Which seemed to prompt EDI to follow the Cerberus protocols which had to be a meeting with someone who was qualified to give an evaluation. Because there was definitely a chance of him getting kicked from his position as the leader, he thought sarcastically "I really don't see the point" he said back calmly.
"When somethings bothering you, talking about it usually helps" she said back calmly.
Clark was about to open his mouth to respond that he already knew that but stopped when he realized that she would just ask him if he has tried talking about this with anyone and after a moment, he realized that in all this time he never has talked about this with anyone. Sure, he's talked about his past but never that before. He let out a sigh before responding "I saw Lois, that happens sometimes" he said.
Kelly was trying his best to seem impassive, but he could tell that his answer had shocked her. She calmly wrote down his answer onto a data-pad "you saw your deceased wife?" she asked.
Clark nodded "yes, that happens sometimes"
"Is it just her?" she asked.
He just shrugged "it's mostly her but sometimes it's other people as well"
Kelly started to look slightly concerned "you don't seem alarmed by this, when people start seeing other people that aren't there. They at least start to worry" she added with her calm demeanour.
"that's because people usually don't like what they see" Clark shrugged "or they think it's wrong to see people that are no longer there"
She raised an eyebrow in response "you don't think there's anything wrong with it?"
Again, he simply shrugged "it's a matter of perspective. What's wrong with getting to see your loved ones after they're gone?" he asked.
"And yet" Kelly quickly started back "you asked her to 'get out of my head'" she quoted "if there's nothing wrong with it then why did you ask her to do that?" she asked.
Clark was quite for a moment, thinking about what to say "because when I see her, she doesn't talk" he replied honestly "she just stands there, sometimes she wears different sets of clothes, but she never talks, just looks at me, sometimes with a smile sometimes without" when Clark stopped talking he looked over Kelly's shoulder he could see her, just standing their calmly. She wasn't talking this time, just looking at him with a smile.
"But this time she spoke?" she quickly spoke back, typing some notes on the pad.
He looked back "yes, this time she spoke" he confirmed.
"What did she say?" she was quick to capitalize on.
Clark crossed her arms and from an outside perspective it seemed that he was being guarded "the last thing she ever said" there was a certain hollowness in his voice.
Kelly seeing that it was making him uncomfortable decided that it would be best to not dig any deeper so soon into their first meeting "but you've told others that you have a photographic and perfect memory recall and it's the most advanced case of either. You remember everything" she said, and it was clear from the get-go that EDI told Kelly about that considering Clark only told that to Kasumi after their little heist "I imagine that makes it difficult to forget... the bad things in life" she added tactfully.
"I try not to think about them" he quickly said back.
"But sometimes you just can't help it, can you?" she was quick to say back, almost catching Clark off guard "no matter how smart or advanced your mind may be it's still an organic mind meaning you don't get to control it. Sometimes the bad things just show up without you even meaning too"
"I know how the mind works" Clark was quick to say back, surprising himself with how snappy it seemed to sound "I know we don't get to control when memory's just turn up, but I've learned to live with it"
"Have you?" she asked without skipping a beat "I think seeing the people you've lost isn't really a sign that you can live with it" she challenged "and from what you've described, you don't live with it. Seeing memories are one thing but seeing a ghost standing there is another"
Being completely honest that brought Clark up short, he never really considered that point of view before. He always just assumed that it was his mind messing with him, or torturing him, depending on how you want to look at it "so what then?" he asked "you're saying I have issues with her death. Yes, it was hard at the time, and I miss her dearly, I avenged her and I mourned her. It was nearly a hundred years ago and I've moved on. What else is there?" he asked.
Kelly was quick to shake her head "I'm not saying you haven't moved on, but maybe your recent activity has brought up issues your subconscious is trying to tell you" she suggested.
Before Clark could start to think that maybe Kelly knew what she was talking about, a voice interrupted him "sir, we are coming up on Illuim. Executive Lawson is requesting your presence in her office" EDI's voice filled the room.
Clark looked over to Kelly before standing up "I'll head down now EDI" he said before heading towards the exit, not even glancing back at the yeoman.
"Understood sir" the A.I spoke.
When Clark stepped out of the elevator and into Miranda's office. He found the officer sitting behind her desk with a worried look on her face "Clark, I don't want to do this, but I don't have a choice here" she started "I really need your help" she said as she stood up and walked around her desk until she was standing in front of him "As you know I don't really like talking about my personal life... but this is important"
Clark tilted his head slightly at her tone, being honest he was surprised by what she was saying. He never would have thought Miranda would need help, she seemed to be one of the most capable people on the ship "ok, I'm listening" he said though not before noticing how surprised she seemed at how quickly he agreed to help.
Miranda leaned back against her desk before taking a deep breath "you remember what I told you about my father... about building a dynasty?" she asked though he suspected that she already knew that he did "there was another reason I went to Cerberus for protection" she announced before stopping. Clark didn't say anything, just letting her come to terms with what she was saying as it must have been difficult "I have a sister. A twin. And he's still hunting her. Cerberus has kept her safe as long as I do good work for them. Until now. She's living a normal life on Illium, safe and hidden from my father"
He kept quite for a moment, thinking about what was said. Now that was an interesting piece of info, so Miranda doesn't just work for Cerberus for herself, they're the only ones that can keep a family member safe. Clark had to admit, it was a good reason, she couldn't go to the Alliance, not if her father was as rich as he's been led to believe. Her location would be bribed out of someone within the week, Cerberus doesn't have that issue. Oh sure, they could be bribed but the Alliance can't... silence the rat who had proven to be a security risk.
"I see" he nodded "what makes you think your father is the one who's found her?" he asked with a shrug "maybe it's just a regular problem, drug dealer, mugging gone wrong, could have been kidnapped by anyone"
Miranda was quick to shake her head "no, she couldn't" she rejected his idea quickly "I have a protection detail on her. Nothing too intrusive but enough to keep a good eye out. I know my father is involved because I've been informed that the protection has terminated the contract they had with me. When I asked why they said they've been given a better deal" she explained.
Clark gave a slow nod "yeah, ok that sounds like it could be your father. Assuming he's as rich as you said"
She stopped mid rant to look at him with a confused eye "you don't know?" she asked.
He could understand her surprise, based on everything he's told her. It would be surprising that he hasn't looked into her more closely "sometimes I like to keep the mystery alive" he shrugged and that was true. When it was the more common pieces of information like family ties Clark would prefer to not know, makes it more fun to guess.
Miranda opened her mouth to say something but stopped when she remembered the important topic of their conversation. Then she quickly shook her head "anyway, I know he has her location. I've done everything I can to protect her with really impacting her life but I'm out of options here. I need to relocate her and her family before it's too late"
Clark crossed his arms and nodded "ok, that makes sense but what do you want me to do about it?" he asked.
"I already have everything planned out and Cerberus is ready to re-locate the family but I know how persistent my father can be and I don't doubt he'll get violent to get her back. I'd like you to be with me when I oversee the transfer to make sure she gets away" she explained before taking a step forward until she was right in front of him "I really need your help" she added.
"ok" Clark said quickly.
Miranda took a step back surprised by his quick response "really?" she asked.
He gave her a shrug "sure, it shouldn't take too long" he reasoned.
She let out a breath he didn't realize she was holding "that was my hope too. Thank you" she added.
"Captain, we're entering the planet's atmosphere. Your presence is requested on the bridge" EDI spoke through the ships com.
"I'll be right up" Clark called up as he took a step back "shall we?" he asked Miranda who nodded but before she turned and picked up a data-pad from her desk.
As the two stepped out of the elevator and onto the command centre, Miranda started to speak "Clark, there are two dossiers for people on Illium that are open for recruitment" she said as the two walked forward towards Joker and the Cockpit.
"A Drell" Clark said as he looked at the name and got some basic info "an Assassin could be useful in getting the Hanar to hear the Reaper threat" the Hanar where weird like that, they didn't care what you did but if you were good at a profession then you got respect and if what he's reading is right, Thane Krois is the best there's ever been.
"True, but the other is going to have to be the priority" Miranda said calmly "she's going to be our chance at getting the Asari involved"
"Oh?" Clark asked as he moved to the next page and saw the other dossier. He stopped walking when he saw the picture "oh" he added with a tired tone "Justiciar Samara" he said as his head fell backwards and he let out a long sigh "shit" he scowled "why does it have to be her?" he asked no one.
"You know her?" Miranda said as the two stopped near Joker's seat.
Clark gave her a nod "we have history" he replied honestly as the beautiful city skyline came into view.
"Hey Cap" Joker turned to look at him "we're getting a lot more traffic than expected and EDI thinks somethings off" he added with a dismissive tone but after a second he coughed into his hand "which in this case may be true" he added quietly as the heat from entering the planet's atmosphere began to leave and the clouds greeted them.
"what's this now?" he asked with a raised eyebrow before the image of EDI appeared next to Joker.
"It seems that we are being followed by three different vehicles who are keeping a discreet distance, but I have noticed" The A.I spoke.
"Well" Miranda mused "it was only a matter of time until people noticed the ship you were using" she reasoned.
Clark hummed "true but they're just following us instead of outright trying to arrest me, which is a good sign, seems the council knows they can't force me. Better than a lot of Earth governments back in the day" he added.
"It also means we can go in quietly" another voice joined them. The three turned around to see Garrus walking towards them "which is a good thing for us. Provides an opportunity" he mused.
"To do what?" Clark asked, intrigued by his words.
"Make our lives easier" he said calmly "we're going to Nos Astra, right? Well, there's someone there who can help us get what we're looking for. Liara T'soni, she works as an information broker and does good work"
Clark eyebrows rose "reaaly?" he asked.
Miranda looked down to her data-pad and started to type. After a moment she spoke "yes, it is" she answered "how did we miss that?" she asked out loud.
"Either way, it's good to know" Clark said looking at Garrus "good work, fancy meeting your old friend?" he asked.
Garrus was quick to nod "that's why I brought it up, I'll be bringing along Tali as well. She and Liara where quite close"
"Not Williams?" he asked.
Garrus tensed for a brief moment before answering "no, Ashely and Liara never really got on well to begin with and when Shepard got involved, things got awkward really quick" he informed before turning around and leaving, most likely to get Tali.
As Joker brought the ship over the city Clark glanced over towards Miranda "I'll take Tali and Garrus to speak with Liara, after that I'll find you and we'll deal with that problem" he spoke avoiding the topic.
"Thank you" she said before turning to leave.
Turning back forward he spoke "EDI, let everyone know that they have some shore leave when we land"
"Understood sir" the A.I spoke.
Clark turned his head to look at the bright skyline of the city as he, Garrus and Tali made their way off the ship and into the dock "I've never been here before" Tali said as she looked at all the bright lights around them "it's beautiful" she commented.
"don't let that get to you" Garrus warned "sure it looks good, but this place is a criminal hub. Everything is allowed here, everything is sold here. So, for spirits' sake don't sign anything or we'll have to save you from slavers"
"you're kidding?" she quickly said back.
"No, he's right" Clark agreed with a small nod "I've been here a couple of times, but I never try and stay long"
The three turn a corner and get closer to a large trading hub "why's that?" Garrus asked.
He gave the Turian a small shrug "I can only ignore people begging for help for so long before I have to get involved" he explained.
He didn't need to turn in order to tell that the other two glanced at each other though before they could ask any other questions, EDI spoke into the com "customs records indicate a justicar named Samara is visiting this port, Captain. Liara T'soni has an office overlooking the trading floor who may have more information. While you are there, I would like to recommend you speak regarding the whereabout of Thane Krios"
"I'll be sure to do that EDI, thanks" Clark said as the three stepped through a customer's area.
Though as they did the sound of the many different TV screens spread about the large room that was filled to the brim with Asari and a couple of other aliens where in there as well started to show the same feed "our top story continues to be the confirmed sighting of the Superman on the human colony of Horizen during an attack led by the Collectors. This has led to both wide spread panic and praise" the three stopped to see what was being said on the news "The Citadel Council has issued a statement confirming the sighting as true and offers the Superman an official invitation to the Citadel and meet with them. The topic of conversation they would have has yet to be said" the news anchor spoke as an image behind her showed the four councillors standing at their podiums within the Citadel tower answering questions from the press.
Clark made a mental note to watch that interview later, might be worth a listen "are you going to take them up on that?" Garrus asked as the three continued to walk.
Clark hummed as they stepped out onto the main trading floor past customs "not if I can help it" he answered.
"Even though you want to unite them against the Reapers?" Tali started "you have an invitation to meet with them but you're not going too?" she asked talking like it was such an obvious thing and in a way, it was, the Council could make his job a lot easier the problem is that they won't.
"Because I know what they're going to do" he announced "they'll take what I have to say seriously, at least more seriously than they took Shepards warning, but they'll be held back by politics. And keep in mind they'll only take my word because they'll want something in return, which I won't give them. But Government heads don't have that problem. They can have a closed-door meetings where work gets done far faster" he explained.
Tali didn't say anything back to him as the they walked down the busy walkway and into the open plaza. The interesting thing didn't happen until they walked a couple of feet and Clark caught the eyes of a purple skinned Asari with orange lines going across her face "you're Clark Kent" she said quickly and stepped forward before he could try and get away without causing a scene. She grabbed his arm and stood in front of him "I was told your aura would be different from any other. I was told to give you a message if I ever found you. From someone who needs your help" she added cryptically.
Clark titled his head at her, he had to admit. This was a first, there was something off about this woman "what's the message?" he asked.
The woman stepped forward and gave a slight jolt before her eyes rolled up into the back of her head leaving them white "Kal-El" the woman said but this was different, her voice seemed to be layered with another. Clark almost took a step back in shock, it has been a very long time since someone called him by his birth name. It was public knowledge true but no-one ever used it "we hide, we burrow, we attempt to leave but the path is blocked. All songs call you kind, heroic, a saviour of all. We do not want our song to end, we ask for your help" the woman spoke the message.
"Rachni" Garrus said as he and Tali both moved forward and tried to separate the two, but Clark was quick to look at them.
"What do you mean Rachni?" he asked with a shocked face.
"The song of our mother was spared" the woman continued "we ask that you save our own. Take us away from those we have harmed. So that we may begin again"
"A psychic message" he spoke as he leaned in closer to the woman and looked in closely or more accurately her brain and the chemistry going on within it "how are you doing that?" he asked quietly.
Though instead of answering her eyes returned to normal "peace, Mr. Kent" she said and took a step back getting some personal space back "I have no answers for your questions. I encountered the Rachni queen on an uncharted world. She saved my life. More than that, she gave me a purpose. They really are an amazing people, commander Shepard made the right choice saving them" she said with a smile looking over Clark's shoulder and towards Garrus & Tali.
"ok" he glanced over his shoulder and towards the Turian "I would very much like to hear that story later" though before Garrus could say anything else he turned back around "what do you mean they need my help?" he asked.
"From what I could understand during my time with them" the woman started "the Rachni want to start again but they know this galaxy would never allow it. They heard of you, what you can do" her eyes glossed over slightly as she took a step forward "I was told that I could find you with your aura but..." she stopped just in front of him "I never expected it to be so... intense" she lifted her arms and placed her hands on his shoulders "you are..."
"you guys want some privacy?" Garrus asked with a smirk though he and Tali did start to get a little uncomfortable.
"No/Yes" Clark and the woman both said at the same time "the help?" he asked.
The woman seemed to compose herself and took a step back "yes, the message. I apologies for my boldness. They know what you can do, the queen would ask that you come to her and that you take pity on the situation she and her people are in. She asks that you take her and her children away from this place. To a new galaxy for them to live in peace, for them to begin again" she stated.
Clark's eyebrows rose at the question and it seemed he wasn't the only one to be surprised "oh come on" Tali added "I'm happy they're surviving but how can he transport and entire species to another galaxy?" she asked.
"Well..." Clark started but decided not to go into the whole, massive kryptonian hybrid ship he was building. Probably best not to bring that up until he had to.
"you're kidding?" she said back placing her hands on his hips "how could you possibly do that?"
"The same way I'll do it for your people" Clark said back quickly before stepping closer to the woman "where are they?" he asked.
The woman didn't say anything else, but she did reach forward and grabbed Clark's arm. When they made contact, both their Omni-tools turned on, he looked down to see that a message was being sent "the coordinates" she stepped back "please, help them" she said before turning to leave.
None of them spoke for a moment after she left "come on" Clark said as he led them towards the office.
"Are you going to take her up on that offer?" Garrus asked as they started to go up some stairs.
"I'm not sure" he answered honestly "but I will definitely be thinking about it"
When the three reached the top of the stairs there was desk to their left where a receptionist sat. When she saw the trio, she stood up to face them "Hello, my name is Nyxeris. How can I help you?" she asked with a smile.
Clark looked at her and smiled "we're here to see Liara" he answered as he turned to the door. Looking through it, he could see the former Normandy crew member talking to someone.
"Do you have an appointment?" Nyxeris asked calmly.
"no" he simply said back with a smile as he turned back around.
The woman gave him a knowing smile "I'm sorry but miss T'soni is very busy right now, if you like I can make you an appointment I can set one up for you" she offered.
Clark smiled back and took a couple of steps forward towards her "do me a favour and tell her that Garrus and Tali are here to see her" he added.
The woman seemed confused by his words but falling victim to his aura like so many other Asari, all she could do is nod and make her way towards the door to her office. When the door opened the others could hear a little of the conversation she seemed to be having with some man "Have you ever faced and Asari commando before..." that was when the door closed.
Clark turned around to face the other two though he didn't say anything. Instead, he lifted his Omni-tool and looked at the coordinates that had been given to him "so, where are they?" Tali asked as she got a closer look herself.
He gave her a small shrug "somewhere in the outer rim" he answered when the door opened.
"Garrus, Tali" Liara said with a bright smile as she moved forward and quickly brought both of them into a hug. Which they were more than happy to return "it is so good to see you both again" she added before pulling away and looking at Clark who just stood calmly, watching the reunion "with... Goddess" she gasped when she realized who he was "perhaps it's best we take this inside?" she asked her friends who nodded before they all entered her office.
Clark had to admit, the office was nice. Spacious, clean, organized, not to mention the view of the city was incredible "not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?" she asked as she took a seat behind her desk while the others took three seats in front of it "with him" her eyes lingered on Clark briefly and he knew that it was more than just fascination. She sensing aura was getting the better of her just like it was for every other Asari, though he was surprised that she was able to hold herself back.
"we're going after the Reapers" Garrus quickly said suddenly causing Liara to turn to him.
"You have a lead to follow?" she asked back just as quickly but before he could answer, she seemed to answer her own question "The Collectors"
"yes" Clark said speaking for the first time "there's a very good reason as to why the Collectors seemed to be so advanced"
"hhhmmm" Liara hummed as she thought about what was said "it's not outside the road of possibility but what will you do when you find them?" she asked "I know you're... you. But surely you cannot fight an entire war on your own?" she asked with raised eyebrow.
Clark raised both his eyebrows before leaning forward and placing an arm on her desk "the plan, is to find proof and tell the heads of each race. Not the Council but the real leaders. Primarch Fedorian, Dalatrass Linron, the Asari Empress, et cetera" he explained.
"But in order to do that" Garrus started "we need to start gathering those who could get that audience. Me because of my farther"
"Tali for the same reason" Liara finished leaning back in her chair "it could work, but the proof you'll need would have to be completely undeniable. I thought we had that before Shepard died. It wasn't enough" she added sullenly.
"You didn't have me then either" Clark was quick to say "but I'm here now and I am going to help. But before I can, I think you can help me"
Liara was quite for a moment as she looked at the Kryptonian "how could I help with that?" she asked.
Clark gave her a smile that he could hear made her heart flutter "I'm looking for a Asari justicar named Samara, do you know where I could find her?" he asked.
She looked down to her computer and started to type "a Justicar, if you can get the whole order to believe the Reapers then that would certainly get the republics moving" she added "Samara... Yes. She arrived recently and registered with tracking officer Dara. You'll find her at the transportation hub" she informed them.
Clark nodded at her "thank you" looking to the side his eyes found a clock and it was time for him to meet Miranda "I'll speak to her soon" he stood up and turned for the exit "Miranda wanted my help with something so I'm going to meet up with her. By all means, you two stay with Liara and catch up. I'll message you if I need anything" without another word he headed for the exit and the door closed behind him.
Clark walked into the large club and stood at the entrance for a moment, looking around for Miranda. After a few seconds he found her talking to what he could assume was her contact regarding, they were further inside, in what he could assume was a VIP booth. Calmly walking towards them, he turned and entered just in time to hear Miranda "what happened? Is Oriana alright?" she asked.
"she's fine" Lanteia assured her "but... you listed a man named Niket as your trusted source? He contacted me, warning that your father has sent Eclipse mercenaries to make a sweep. He suggested that the mercs might be watching for you personally. He's offered to escort Oriana's family to the terminal instead" she informed.
"And who is this Niket?" Clark asked as he joined to conversation, both woman turning to face him as he walked closer.
"Clark, I'm glad you're here" she said with a smile "He's a friend. He and I go back a long way" she explained.
"Do you want to bring in any of your other Illium contacts, Ms. Lawson?" Lanteia asked.
"No" she glanced over to Clark "I won't be needing any more help at this time"
Clark looked back at her before turning to the Asari "what kind of information do you have on the mercenaries?" he asked "Numbers, how close they are, what they're planning" he asked.
All she could give was a small shrug "all I have is that they're Eclipse and that they're working for an organization Ms. Lawson warned us about. I could try to alert the authorities but so far they've don't nothing illegal"
"that's the right thing to do" Miranda interjected "we'll handle this ourselves"
He nodded back at her "so what's the plan?"
She was quite for a moment before turning back to the Asari "Lanteia, we'll follow Niket's suggestion. Clark and I will take the car and draw their attention. Have Niket escort the family to the shuttle, give him full access to the family's itinerary, just to be safe" she ordered.
"Understood Ms. Lawson" she nodded.
Clark tilted her head and faced his colleague "So we fly in, distract the mercs while your friend gets your sister out?" he asked.
"I hope that once they see you, they'll know it's impossible and abandon their mission" she countered.
He gave her a shrug "unlikely, one moment" he turned forward for just a moment, doing some math. He turned back "there is a ninety eight percent chance that they'll just throw grunts at us while the leaders rush getting her out"
"Then we better hurry" without another word she turned around and headed towards the exit, Clark close behind her "thank you Clark, I do appreciate this. I hadn't planned on Eclipse... but they never planned on you"
Clark kept quite as Miranda drove the two through the city sky traffic, though they could be pulled over for speeding at this point "you don't need to panic" he said calmly as he looked out the window.
"I can't help it!" she quickly snapped back "she's the only family I have, the only good thing to come from my childhood" she turned away from the front window and looked at him "I can't let that... monster have her" she snarled.
He looked at her with a calm face "he won't, I promise"
She looked like she was about to retort but when she glanced over his shoulder, she swore "Damn it, Eclipse mercenary gunship. They'll be dropping troops in the cargo areas" looking over his shoulder, he could see said gunship flying next to them for a moment before zooming past and heading towards the port.
"Good call" Clark nodded "oh wait, no. There're three gunships" he pointed and a little further down, two more gunships came up from the other side of port "they're blocking the exits, landing on all sides"
He could almost hear Miranda grit her teeth as she saw the troopers. Quickly she brought the car down and followed the ship into the cargo area "bring us down behind them, I'll handle it if there's a problem" he said. She nodded and the dip of the car lowered, view from the window gave them both a better view of the ground area and they could both see a squad of soldiers. Though when they saw them, they quickly raised their weapons and started to shoot "guess they don't care what attention they attract" he said calmly as Miranda started to have trouble steering while being shot at.
When they got closer, the firing stopped and Clark could hear someone speak "HOLD FIRE! I SAID HOLD FIRE DAMN IT" that was when the car had a small crash at the far end of the port.
"That wasn't too bad" Clark said as he looked over to his partner who rolled her eyes.
"let's go" she said as the doors opened and the two stepped out. When he looked, Clark could see that the Eclipse had already positioned themselves ready to shoot them.
"I got this" the leader said as he ordered one to lower her weapon and he stepped forward.
"Since you're not firing yet, I trust you know who I am" she said with the confidence Clark was used to seeing in her.
The leader walked forward with two others behind him "Yeah. They said you'd be in the car. You're the bitch that kidnapped our boss' little girl"
Her eyes widened "kidnapped? This doesn't involve you. I suggest you take your men and go" she warned.
Clark frowned in confusion before he slowly turned his head to face her 'kidnapped' he mouth.
Miranda looked at him "it's not what you think" she was quick to say "I'll tell you everything later"
"Think you've got it all lined up, huh" the leader was quick to say "Captain Enyala's already moving in on the kid. She knows about Niket. He won't be helping you" he finished with a smirk.
"You killed him?" Clark asked.
The leader shook his head which brought a realise of breath from Miranda "no, nothing like that. Nobody's going to get killed unless you do something stupid. You walk away now, the girl goes back to her father and everybody's happy" he said at least trying to defuse the situation.
"Everybody but my sister... and me" Miranda frowned back.
Clark stepped forward not even caring for the weapons being aimed at him, the leader took a step back and stopped in a guarded stance, he was expecting someone in a bar to punch him "this woman, is an adult" he stated "I don't care what your reasons are or how much you're being paid. You're planning on kidnapping her. I'm not going to let that happen" he stated.
The leader was quite for a moment, while there was a chance that he was taking Clark's word seriously, it was far more likely he was just surprised by how little fear he was showing in the face of so many guns aimed at him "what? You two gonna stop us?" he asked with a small smirk, a couple of others laughed.
Clark's face showed no emotion as he took another step forward "I use to have thing about killing" he stated randomly "I didn't like it, it made me feel wrong, I hated watching the light leave the eyes. It's one of the reasons why I always did everything I could to avoid it. The other reason is because I was young" he added with a hardened tone. Taking yet another step, the leader found himself stepping back "I was naïve, I thought that everyone, no matter how bad, how violent or how cruel. Deserved life. And I've seen how giving that mercy is often a death sentence for others"
When he finished talking, he moved. Within one millisecond, before anyone could even process what happened. Clark had his hand around the captain's neck and lifted him off the ground, the force and speed of the movement was almost enough to break of the man's neck. Though he did survive, he heard Miranda pull her weapon and aim it at one of the other mercs. Clark pulled the leader towards him until their heads where only a few meters apart "this is you're one chance, leave"
The leader coughed as he tried to recover from the sudden attack though when he looked back up, Clark had his answer "go... go to hell" he snarled in rage.
Clark let out a disappointed breath before he gave a small amount of pressure and the bones in the leader's neck offered no resistance and the man died in his hand. Dropping the body Clark quickly zoomed to the right and his fist connected with a face.
Too someone looking at the scene before them who was not Clark, like Miranda. Clark simply disappeared and reappeared from one merc to another and every time he did, a body of the Eclipse merc dropped dead in a pool of blood. She could see two more standing off in the distance of the section they found themselves. She then briefly saw him stop behind a large container, Clark lifted his foot and kicked it, it flew with enough force to not only turn to two mercs into mush but caused the container to fold in on itself.
After a moment of silence, he appeared by her side "come on" he spoke as he started to calmly walk forward. She was quick to follow him, surprising even herself at how quick she was able to get over how fast he proved to be "we need to get to Niket" she said with quickening steps.
"Have you tried calling him?" he asked as a couple more mercs started to run towards them firing their weapons, Miranda was quick to step behind Clark, using his body as cover which he didn't mind. His eyes lit up with a red glow and both mercs found themselves torn in half with smouldering wounds.
"no" she shook her head "there's something jamming all signals" she informed.
"they're blocking signals at a space port?" he asked clearly surprised that Eclipse could get away with doing something like that.
"It seems they have a lot more political pull then I once thought" she said as they reached an elevator which would take onto the next level.
"Team four, do you read?" a voice said and the two turned to look at one of the melted bodies, that was where they saw a small radio on the ground "team four"
As Clark pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive while Miranda made her way towards the radio. Though when Clark glanced over his shoulder to see what she was doing, he couldn't help but stare at her perfectly formed rear as she bent down to pick up the radio. That surprised himself to be honest, sure he noticed how beautiful she was, but this was new. When was the last time he so blatantly checked a woman out? After a moment, he remembered. Around fifty years ago when he first met an Asari.
"Hang on" Miranda interrupted his thoughts "I've got one of their radios. I'll patch us in, see if I can get an idea what we're up against" she said turning around to face him. Clark gave a silent thank you to God for her being too busy to notice him as when she did turn around, he was still staring "Clark, I owe you an explanation" she stated "Oriana is my twin, but my father... grew her when I was a teenager. She was meant to replace me. I couldn't let my father do to her what he did to me. So, I rescued her. She's almost a woman now"
Clark tilted her head for a moment before speaking "so before when I said the mercs were kidnapping a grown woman who was old enough to make her own choice. Was I lying?" he asked.
"no" she was quick to say "not really, she's not a child. She'll be nineteen this year. Not an adult I admit... but not some kid. You were right, she is smart enough to make her own choices" she defended herself.
Clark nodded at her "Miranda if you want me to help you do this, you need to tell me with absolute certainty that you were in the right to take her from your father"
Miranda didn't respond immediately, she just looked him in the eye and then responded "I wasn't the first of my father's daughters" she stated causing Clark to tilt his head in confusion "he made three more legacy's before I was created. When they failed to meet his expectations, he had them disposed of and replaced with another" the look of disgust and sadness that crossed her face really surprised him "that was what he was going to do to me. When I found out his plan, what he did with my... my older sisters" she turned and started pace bag and forth.
"ok" he took a step forward and placed a calming hand on her shoulder, which stopped her movement "ok, I believe you. Come on" he turned and entered the elevator "let's go get Niket then"
"If they've got to him somehow, this is going to be harder than I'd planned" she said turning back to professional mode "according to the buildings specs I reviewed, we'll need to cut through the cargo processing yard to get to Oriana"
"so" he started as the door closed and started to go up "Niket, he can be trusted right?" he asked.
She smiled "absolutely. Niket is one of my oldest friends. I guess you could say he was my only real friend. When I left, he was the only person I didn't cut ties with"
Clark opened his mouth to talk but closed it after a moment, thinking it may be too obvious. Though he mentally shrugged "does your father know about him?" he asked.
She nodded "yes but I'm sure he's tried to get to Niket before when I first left. Thankfully he's one of the few people who knows what my father is really like. I trusted him with my life when I ran from my father. He won't betray me now" he couldn't help but note the defensive tone in her voice.
He quickly nodded "ok, let's go"
The journey upwards didn't take more than a couple of seconds and as they moved Clark took the time to look up and see what they were facing "ok, it shouldn't be a problem" he announced "I can see maybe three dozen mercs, give or take" he said.
Miranda crossed her arms and looked a little nervous "Clark, I know you might not like this, but I really need to keep my sister safe" she said calmly "I hate to ask, but could you..."
"You want me to go and blitz's them before they can even blink?" he asked glancing over his shoulder to see her guilty expression "fine" he agreed "but for the record, you're right. I don't like to do this" turning forward the doors opened.
Miranda blinked as a gust of wind hit her, she looked around for a moment before moving forward. She only got one more step outside the elevator before he came back with a stony expression on his face "come on" he said.
They both walked forward without anything in their way. She did her best to not look down as they walked past the bodies on the ground though it seemed she couldn't help herself. He didn't grimace or even offer a look of sympathy, but she did notice the broken necks. What Clark did it seemed was kill them quickly at the very least "This is Enyala" a voice came through the radio Miranda picked up said "all teams head towards level three, we've lost contact with everyone on level four and five. Find whoever's killing our guys and deal with it" she added with a demanding tone "Niket is nearing the transport terminal!"
They started to move forward "this place is a maze" Clark said as the two moved through a large open container in order to get to the next elevator. When they stepped out a few mechs made their way towards them.
"Hostiles detected" one said as it rose to from its kneeling position, raised its weapon and started to shoot. Clark didn't need to do anything to that one as Miranda was quick to shoot it and to be fair, she made a headshot immediately
"Surprised I didn't see the mechs" he said to himself.
The other five that came later didn't last much longer "I don't care how many mechs you lose! Get me eyes on, damn it. I want to know who's killing my people" Enyala yelled.
Clark felt a tingle on the back of his head which reminded him of a round coming from a sniper, turning around he saw said sniper on the scaffolding that made up the ceiling. His eyes lit up and he could see the snipers' eyes widen "IT'S SUPER..." that was all that she was able to say before she was ripped in half.
"we're running out of time" he announced as the two picked up the pace.
"Are they moving on her?" she asked with a worried tone.
As they moved Clark looked up to the ceiling, looking through it he could see the large terminal full of people of all races "I don't think so" he answered "keep in mind I don't even know what she looks like. Assuming she's within the crowd then no, Eclipse are keeping to the outskirts" he answered which did a great job of reassuring her.
"Everyone be advised, Superman is present. It's FUCKING SUPERMAN" Clark heard someone shout and based on the way Miranda turned around as well, she heard the last part at least. When he looked closer, he could see another sniper in the rafters, one he missed. His eye lit up and a red beam hit the target.
"They know we're here" he said and he grabbed Miranda's hand and they started to run down the containers towards the elevators "we need to hurry"
She wasted no time in running beside him, she knew that he could get there in a heartbeat but while she really was in a hurry Clark only gave a small effort to get them their quicker "what do you mean Superman is there?" Enyala asked "that guy's supposed to be on the other side of the galaxy. Everyone, get down there and stall him. I'll get Niket and move in on the kid before they arrive" she said.
"…... well, isn't that cute" he said to himself with a small smirk.
Miranda quickened the pace and started to run past him though their hands where still connected "Damnit, I'm not letting them get her" she snarled.
Just before she could turn a corner, Clark stopped moving and pulled her back. Good thing too as a small explosion just engulfed the area she was standing, and he used his body to shield her from the blast "be right back" he whispered in her ear.
Clark felt the air around him simply move out of the way as he walked forward, looking down the ground itself started to bend and creak as he stepped on them with such speed when he turned a corner, he saw a full squad of mercs all standing there looking at him but completely frozen in place. To them Clark was nothing more than a blip and to the humans, well their brains wouldn't even be able to process what their eyes saw so he would be nothing at all.
Walking forward he reached a small trench that was used as a conveyor belt Clark didn't step down it, he simply stepped on the air as he walked across nothing. When he reached the other side and saw the people around him, he couldn't help but sigh. Why couldn't they have just left when they learnt he was here? walking towards the first he delivered a quick but strong punch to the back of his head. Once he returned to normal speed, the shockwave of his punch would spread, and his brain would almost shake itself apart. Painful true but it would only last half a second before death.
Giving the others an equally quick death. When he returned to Miranda's side and time returned to normal speed. She picked herself back up and turned to face him "come on" he said as they both walked.
After a few moments they reached the elevator but when Clark pressed the button to call it, all they got was a red message that said 'error' "Eclipse operative have attempted to delay you by disabling the elevators. I am overriding their lockdown" EDI said through the com.
He let out a breath before glancing at Miranda who still had a nervous and scared look "don't bother EDI" he said back before he jammed both his hands in-between the locked doors and ripped them away from each other. A gust of wind hit them as the pressure from the empty shaft was released, taking a step forward Clark looked up and saw where they needed to go "come on" he added reached a hand out.
Without any hesitation, she reached out and grabbed it. Stepping forward she looked at him "how do you want to do this?" she asked not really know the right way to hold onto him.
Looking back at her "stand on my feet" he answered. She did so and he stepped backwards into the empty shaft and they just stood there in the middle of the air. Miranda quickly wrapped both her arms around him for a tighter grip, though after a moment she loosened the grip and leaned backwards, looking down towards the good seventy-foot drop.
"huh" she said as one of her feet left Clark and she waved it around "I didn't know what it would feel like, but it wasn't this" she announced.
Clark gave a small shrug as he wrapped one arm around her waist as they started to go upwards "well, you're not the one flying. I'm kinda just taking you for the ride" he added.
"So, what does this feel like for you?" she asked as they continued to slowly rise.
"hhmm" he thought for a moment "when I first started it used to feel like I had pins and needles all over my body, a slight tingling. Could feel all my cells moving in one direction pushing me upwards" he explained "not anymore, now I just don't notice it" he said as they stopped outside of the large set of doors "hang on. There on the other side" he added.
Miranda stepped off his feet and onto the small ledge in front of doors. Just big enough to fit her feet onto "how many?" she asked knowing that they couldn't hear her through the large doors.
"a squad" he answered looking through the solid metal door "Enyala is sitting on some creates talking to someone who works at the port. Some guys there too..." he answered trailing off and getting a bad feeling. He looked at Miranda and gave her a sympathetic glance which in turn caused her to look confused, raising his right hand he pushed a finger against the line where the two doors met, he did it slowly as to not make too much noise. Of course, the metal was no match for him and soon the tip of his finger peaked out of the other side. Pulling it back a small light came from the large warehouse like area "listen" he said softly.
She frowned at him in confusion before leaning forward and pressing her ear against the hole "listen to me. I've got authorization to change their booking!" a male voice said though based on way Miranda's face shifted to confusion. Clark's fear was confirmed, this must have been Niket.
"I've told you sir" the woman who worked there said "we're under security lockdown. As long as Eclipse gunships surround the port all transports are grounded" she explained.
"Niket, I've lost contact with everyone on the lower floors" Enyala warned.
Miranda quickly looked up to face Clark, pure fury etched into her face "get this thing open" she snarled.
Clark nodded "I don't care at this point; I need to get the kid out of her before this... Super-freak gets here"
He didn't care about the sound he made, moving quickly he pressed both his hands against the doors and pushed them forwards and they fell to the ground with a large thud. The three people turned to face them as they walked forward, Miranda's eye never left her... former friend.
The fear on Nikets face was already bad when he saw Clark and realized who he was, but it got even worse when he saw Miranda "Miri" he said quietly.
"This is gonna be interesting" Enyala said as she jumped off the create, she was sitting on and raised her shotgun at them, not even a second later and all the rest of the squad joined her surrounded the two and aimed there weapons as well.
Miranda raised her own weapon not even caring for all the others pointed at her. The woman who must have worked for the port, looked around at all the weapons and panicked, quickly turning she started to run away. Clark watched as Enyala looked at her and raised her weapon, ready to shoot her in the back. When the merc leader fried the weapon, he moved. In the blink of an eye, Clark was able to kill every merc who aimed their weapons at him and Miranda, grabbed the worker and got her out of the area and returned to her side.
When time returned to normal the still standing bodies of the dead mercs fell to the ground. Niket and Enyala looked around in horror, but Miranda didn't even blink "Niket. You sold me out?" she asked in a very neutral voice, but Clark could tell she was one step away from killing him right there.
"You want me to leave you guys alone for a moment?" he asked.
She didn't even acknowledge the words "why Niket?" she asked "you were my friend, you helped me get away from my father"
He didn't say anything back, just kept looking down to the ground at the dead bodies then back up to Clark "you're... you" he stammered.
Clark only just rolled his eyes "I'm not the one you need to worry about right now"
"Why!" Miranda yelled, her calm demeanour slipping.
When he turned back to Miranda, he seemed centre himself "I have never regretted helping you Miri and would do it again" he declared "but if I had known you stole baby from the crib..." he tried to explain.
"I didn't steal her! I rescued her!" she stated with an almost proud tone.
Niket almost scoffed "from what?" he asked "A life of wealth and happiness? You weren't saving her; you were getting back at your father"
"So, I take you only found out about Oriana recently?" Clark asked.
Niket looked at him with a frown before answering "they told she kidnapped her sister when she left. They said I could help get her back without a fight. No trauma to the family" he took a step forward and pointed at his own chest "I told them you'd never do that. That they could all go to hell" he let out a sad chuckle "then you finally told me what happened, what you did. I called them back that night" there was a sadness in his tone and being honest Clark could understand, no-one likes being lied to by friends.
"Why didn't you call me Niket?" she asked "we've been through a lot you could have at least let me explain" another good point.
"Would you have explained!" he shouted back, the past fear he held gone "I had every right to know you'd stolen your sister. I deserved to know you were with Cerberus! For crying out loud Miri! You're a terrorist. If I really was your friend, you would have told me that but no, I had to hear it from your father" counter point.
Has much as Clark wanted to say that was wrong, it wasn't. It seemed both parties have done some wrong, though it wouldn't matter, he wasn't going to let some women be kidnapped "ok, that's enough" Clark took a step forward "whether or not you agree with Miranda or her father. Oriana is a grown woman; you can't just take her from them" he reasoned.
"Her father can still give her a better life" he said back.
"You have no idea what my father wants for her" she said just as quickly.
"I know I've been poor Miri, I didn't much care for it"
"He wants to take a girl away from the only family she's ever known. Doesn't that tell you what he really is" Clark had to admit he was surprised, despite how angry Miranda seemed to be, she was still trying to get Niket to see her point of view.
Clark looked over towards her before mentioning the most obvious thing "if Niket knows about your sister, then your father will too" he said, and the realization started to dawn on her face, clearly too distracted by everything to have noticed "relocating her won't work anymore"
Niket looked down before answering "Miranda's father has no information about Oriana" when he said that the weapon she was aiming dropped slightly as she looked at her old friend surprised "I knew you had spy programs in your father's system, Miri, so I kept it private. I'm the only one who knows" he confessed.
Clark didn't even need to hear what Miranda was saying to know what she was immediately planning, what she could do to save her sister, at least in her own mind, it's what she believed "which means you're the only loose end" she raised the weapon again and a look of horror crossed Nikets face "This isn't how I wanted it to end, Niket. I'm going to miss you..." she said sadly.
Though when the loud bang of her weapon being fired echoed through the large room. Niket had his eyes closed in fear but when he didn't feel pain, when he opened them, he looked across and saw Clark placing his hand on front of Miranda's weapon "trust me on this" he said to Miranda "you don't want to do it" he stated.
"you're right I don't" she quickly replied "but I need to keep my sister safe"
Turning his head Clark looked at Niket "it's over" it was all he said.
He looked like he wanted to argue but the sheer presence of Clark seemed to deter him, he simply nodded "I'll say you got to him first, that he's gone"
Miranda almost sniffed "I never want to see you again Niket" due to Clark turning his head to make sure she wasn't going to shoot him, he didn't notice Enyala raising her weapon.
Though he quickly turned back when the sound of the gun going off and Nikets body falling to the ground "done" she smiled "now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to start a recruiting drive"
She didn't even get to turn around before Miranda seized her in a biotic hold "You'll die for that bitch!" she shouted before hitting her with a blast of biotic energy sending her flying.
Though before she could hit the ground, two red beams shot from Clarks eyes and she was torn in half, falling to the ground in a bloody heap. Miranda stood there for a moment taking a couple of deep breaths, no doubt trying to calm herself after seeing her friend getting killed in front of her. Something that she seemed to do quickly "there could be more Eclipse mercs near the shuttle" she said as the two started to walk towards the final elevator that would take them to the public terminal "I want to make sure Oriana and her family get on safely"
The door opened and the two walked in. Clark pressed the right button which would take them up "I can't believe Niket sold me out. I didn't even see it coming" Miranda said as she paced slightly.
Clark turned back to look at her "friends have a habit of getting us to lower our guards, ones when we were kids can do that more than any other" he explained.
She nodded "you're right, I let it get too personal and I nearly lost my sister because of it" she turned around and held a small frown on her face "why didn't you let me kill him? I could have handled that. But watching him get gunned down by that asari bitch..." she trailed off.
"What you're feeling right now is the anger at him for what he did" he spoke calmly "once that goes, you're going to remember the friend he was and the regret you would have felt at being the one who killed him. At the end of the day, despite the betrayal. He was your friend"
Her head fell and she let out a sigh "and my father knew it. He used that against me. It's always been like this. My father gave me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long-term plan. I threw away everything he ever gave me when I ran. Except Niket. Weakness on my part" she looked up at him with a hallow chuckle.
"Weakness?" Clark asked "or humanity. You're not a machine, there is always something you care about. Something you won't want to loose"
"Maybe you're right, even with all the genetics, the modifications. Guess I am still human. Another one of his failures" there was a smile when she said that.
"Was there anyone else, someone your father could use against you?" he asked.
She shook her head "no. I cut ties with everyone else. Anyone I'm close to now works for Cerberus...or you" she added after a pause, he admits, that did make him slime slightly "my father may be powerful, but he won't cross the Illusive man" she added with an air of confidence.
"TIM" Clark corrected quickly "and hey, at least you still have your sister" he added.
"My father didn't give her to me. I rescued her. But... yes, you're right. I still have something. Thank you" she smiled.
The two walked together through the terminal after checking everything to make sure the Eclipse didn't have any more of a presence in the area. They stood in front of a small food stall looking around at all the people walking about enjoying their time "No sign of Eclipse" Miranda said as they both turned forward "It looks like we're clear" leaned closer towards him and used her head to gesture to a group of three humans "there she is" Clark looked and guessed that the young woman was Oriana "she's safe, with her family"
The smile of her face was bright, though when he looked over, he could see that it soon faded and she looked down "come on, we should go" she said turning around and starting to walk.
Though before she could get far a gentle hand grabbed her arm, keeping her in place "come on, go say hello" he said with a smile.
"I can't" she said though when she turned to face him, he could tell that she really wanted to "she needs to be kept safe, which means keeping her away from me. She has a family, a life, I'll just complicate that for her"
"She doesn't need to know the whole story" he reasoned "but what's the harm in letting her know she has a sister who loves her?" he asked.
She licked her lips and took a step back, no doubt trying to think of a reason to not do this, not that she didn't want to but because he was worried. Clark took a closer step towards her "go and talk to your sister" he said calmly with a gentle tone.
She looked at him, then after a moment. She smiled "ok" she simply said before walking past him and made her way over towards her sister.
Clark had a small smile on his face as he watched but knowing that it would be wrong to just eavesdrop on their reunion. Walking over to the large balcony that gave a good few of the city, he simply leaned against a railing and waited for her to finish, after a few minutes a voice interrupted him "Mr. Kent" a voice spoke, of course he couldn't just wait for a few moments.
Turning around Clark was met with a Asari he hasn't seen before though within the second he could tell she was some type of solider based on the heavy blue armour she was wearing and the weapons she held, so she wasn't trying to hide what she was. Interesting
Though she was quick to introduce herself "I'm Tela Vasir, special tactics and Recon" she offered a hand.
Clark shook before leaning back "a Spectre" he stated.
"Yes sir" she nodded standing at attention "I don't know what you were doing downstairs with all the dead mercs but don't worry, I've got all cleaned up and all security footage is being destroyed" she added.
Clark nodded "well, isn't that nice of you. What do you want?" he asked.
She was quick to shake her head "not here" taking a step forward she activated her Omni-tool and send something to Clarks "meet me at this place in two hours, I'll fill you in on the situation with the council" without another word she turned and left leaving Clark on his own.
Before he could try and think of best way to go about things. Miranda once again entered his vision; he couldn't ignore the bright smile on her face which in turned made himself smile too. They didn't say anything to each other, just walked towards to main entrance to the port which they could then head back to the Normandy.
Ok guys we'll call it there. I hope this larger chapters makes up for the smaller one last time. Now we can start to get to better know the squad mates and we can start with the romance now.