Chapter 12

I was marched down the hallway by eight heavily armed guards and two phantoms. I had no idea where I was being taken or why. They had simply arrived at my quarters, at five in the morning and announced that I should get dressed and go with them immediately.

I was briefly tempted to make a run for it. After all, it doesn't take a genius to understand that if armed guards call on you in the middle of the night it might not be so you can attend another meeting about the overflow accounts. I swiftly rejected that option however choosing to remain, temporarily, compliant. It wasn't that the number of guards fazed me but the fact that I didn't know of a way off of the station did.

It requires a special type of courage to be a spy on this kind of mission. To walk unflinchingly into the jaws of the enemy knowing that the cost of detection would be very high and very horrible. Even without an obvious exit route, there was still a very real temptation to try and flee, but that would mean leaving without the intel I needed and I had no idea what other leads I could pursue if this one failed.

So I steeled myself and marched on alongside the armed guards, never once acknowledging them with even a glance. Ignoring the weapons all around me that could rip me apart in seconds if their owners suddenly decided to turn them against me while I was busy ignoring them. All I allowed myself to focus on was the maintaining of the disguise that was my only line of defense until at last, we came to the office of the Director.

"Sub Director Larona, I apologize for the lateness of the hour," he announced, not looking very sorry at all.

"Thank you, Director," I replied. "How can I be of assistance?"

His office however was a surprise, both in its size and its lavish furnishings. Money had clearly been thrown into every aspect of it. Everything from the large ornate desk, to the carpet, to even the drapes (pointlessly set in front of windows that opened out into the void) spoke of wealth and privilege. Most striking of all were the plinths that flanked his desk and the huge statue of Saren Arterius that stood imposingly behind it.

Immediately he noticed my interest.

"Mementos taken from certain enemies of Cerberus."

On closer inspection I saw what he meant, one plinth displayed a Turian ceremonial dagger, another replicated the dog tags of Admiral Kahoku.

"I'm surprised you feel the need to put them on display," I replied.

"I would consider them a crude waste of space," he agreed. "were it not an efficient reminder to my subordinates of the achievements I expect of those under my command."

"You were personally involved in Cerberus' victories over them? What about that one?" I asked indicating the massive statue behind him.

"The Spectre Saren's anti-human agenda made him an issue for us even before our existence became public knowledge. I saw to it that his campaign against us ended prematurely. Now if we have finished discussing the decor we can return to the matter at hand."

His expression made it clear he didn't want a reply. Frustratingly small talk, or any talk outside of our work for that matter, wasn't going to go down well with him. That would set back my efforts to learn something useful from him but I could be patient. It was only a matter of time before I found a way into his confidence.

"Do you have any family Sub Director? Any ties outside of Cerberus?"

"You know that I don't sir," I answered, knowing that was what Elise's file indicated and hoping that there was nothing that had been left out of the official report.

He nodded briefly.

"That is why I accepted you for this post. Normally I would not have allowed myself to be dictated to when it comes to the selection of my staff even when they have a record as impressive as yours. Unfortunately this war requires that I find employees that will not be distracted by any lingering attachments to the outside world. I expect your focus to be here, on this project at all times."

"You can expect my full commitment," I answered but I received no sign of acknowledgment from him. As far as he was concerned that was in the job description.

"Unfortunately, the staffing requirements for this project have left us no choice but to burden ourselves with several employees that lack your singular conviction Sub Director. I grow concerned that as this war progresses there will be further attempts to leave this project prematurely out of a misguided desire to protect loved ones."

"Such desires can be a powerful motivator," I replied carefully.

"If properly directed perhaps but in my experience, they more often serve to make our employees volatile and reckless. Our workers must understand that this project is critical to the outcome of the war. To say nothing of the futility of attempting to rescue those already trapped within Reaper controlled territory."

All perfectly valid and reasonable arguments, logical in their pragmatism, and completely devoid of any emotional empathy whatsoever. The Illusive Man seemed to have a soul mate.

"Of course I understand. Have you considered isolating the station from all war reports?" I replied after a moment's thought.

"Briefly but the revocation of such a valued employee privilege might have more drastic consequences than we intend. And to forestall your next question, I did also consider falsifying the reports but if such a deception were to be discovered the outcome might be even worse. No, if any such approach were to backfire it could lead to open resistance to our authority."

"The station's security force is more than adequate to put down any mutiny if the need arises," I pointed out, trying to decide how best to use the Project's internal divisions to my advantage.

"While you are obviously correct, the interruption to our work and subsequent loss of productivity would be intolerable. No, we will require more information before any decisive action can be taken."

"What are your orders, sir?"

"After the foolish actions of Larson and Simmons were so clearly thwarted I suspect that anyone still interested in removing themselves from the station will be seeking an ally to help them achieve their goal. A recently transferred Sub Director known to have considerable field experience would be an ideal candidate I would think."

And there it was. My mission would be to try and tempt the loyalties of Cerberus agents worried about their friends and loved ones. To deceive them into thinking that I too was thinking of betraying the organization and to coax them into trusting me. And if they showed even the slightest hint of basic human compassion I would have to turn them over to Cordanoy and his Phantoms.

"Do you have a list of employees whose loyalty is suspect?" I asked casually knowing that I still couldn't afford to show the slightest reluctance or hesitation.

He nodded curtly.

"You will begin with these," he said, offering me a datapad. "Once you are confident of their loyalty we can discuss further assignments."

"Of course Director, I'll begin at once."

From his expression it was clear that he expected nothing less.

I exited the room, my mind racing at the possibilities. Who was this test most directed at, those on the list or myself? Did he suspect the truth? Was my position safe?

An old litany of questions for any experienced spy but ones that had helped keep me alive all this time. As always I remained calm as I asked them of myself. Stillness was always the key to success, but the stakes now were higher than they'd ever been. In a small corner of my mind, a voice whispered that I was out of my depth, desperately delving into the familiar while outside these bulkheads the galaxy burned. The voice was one of reproach. Spies need to be at their best in order to survive it reminded me, and you aren't at yours.

I pushed the thought aside. This wasn't the first time I had pushed myself beyond the limits of 'ordinary' operatives. If my bloody genetic heritage was worth anything then it would get me through this regardless. In any case, I still had a job to do.

Looking down at this list I had six people that I needed to speak to. The first was Phillip Poole, the chief of one of our maintenance teams. Hmm according to his schedule he was meant to be working on fixing one of the mining lasers we were using to excavate the station but from what I heard he often wandered about doing odd jobs for most of the day. Perhaps this assignment gave me a legitimate excuse to see more of the base?

Acting on this impulse I headed towards the back of the station where the rooms were still being cleared of debris. It was certainly the right area to find Poole but more to the point it gave me my first opportunity for taking in the layout of the main station as it looked before Cerberus moved in to "refurbish" sections prior to their occupation by most of the staff. But like other times I had seen it done, the work was only ever skin deep.

Obviously in this situation, removing wall panels hadn't been an option so it was only now in these unfinished areas that I got my first glimpse at what lay underneath. What struck me immediately was that the station was old, much, much older than I had anticipated. When I found an abandoned area I tried running a few limited scans with my omnitool that wouldn't attract attention.

The results were startling, to say the least. I was able to confirm conclusively that the alloys used to build this structure predated at least the last two cycles and probably several more. It was so old I reflected that maybe it hadn't been built inside the asteroid at all but that the asteroid had formed around it as it had lain dormant for hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of years.

With that in mind, the station's true alien design wasn't really surprising but that made it no less striking. The walls were made of a strange green tinged metal that had flecks of purple and lilac running all the way through it. Their artwork was layered on top of this, all done in the same material. The walls were covered in elegant sweeping arches under which they showed scenes that I guessed might have been from their history, though equally, they could have been fictional. There were figures depicted in many of them but whether they were of the alien races or some animals or creatures that lived in that time I honestly couldn't say. All I could think of was what a shame it was that it would soon be covered up by the bland corporate decor of our organization.

I stayed there for longer than I really should have, almost mesmerized by the images that served as the only insight into the lives of a species long since destroyed by the Reapers. But no distraction was going to keep me from my goal for long. I passed through several more such hallways, some of them filled with workers busily using handheld laser drills to clear away the smaller debris from the interior rooms. Occasionally I would be stopped by a patrol of Phantoms but I was able to field their questions by confirming I had a legitimate reason to be there.

I eventually found the mechanic working away on the laser drills exactly where he was supposed to be. He didn't notice my arrival (too engrossed with his work) but when he did finally turn around I could see his eyes widen with shock. I learned a lot from that first moment, which was precisely why I had sneaked up on him so quietly (not that it was too difficult, his equipment had been making such a racket anyway). There was fear laced with suspicion there, not to mention a strong side helping of guilt.

Not a brilliant start to be honest. His reaction suggested my mark already knew (or suspected) that the bosses weren't happy with him at the moment and he realized what kind of consequences Cerberus usually brought to bear against those it was unhappy with. He would likely be hostile or unhelpful to any inquiries I made and unlikely to fall for the 'softly, softly' approach.

Instead of speaking I just stared down at him as he worked to switch off equipment and pack tools away so that we could speak. When he stood back up it rather spoiled my height advantage but rather than back down on the intimidation attempt I simply crossed my arms and waited. As expected he made the mistake of trying to fill the silence.

"Look if this is about the fault with the elevator in section C, it's just an issue with the power regulator. I'll have a new one installed just as soon as I'm finished up here."

"I'm glad to hear it, Mr. Poole but that hasn't been the only issue around here lately has it?"

"Look, the staff are under stress and overworked, we all are. You have to expect a few more mistakes to slip in here and there," he protested.

"Let's cut the crap for a moment," I replied harshly. "You're more than capable of testing a regulator for faults. Letting one get though untested was a sloppy mistake. You're slipping Philip."

And there it was, right on his face, panic. Exactly the thing I needed to bring out in him. Knowing his employers as well as he did Mr. Poole was expecting my next order would result in his immediate termination and not just of his contract. Now all I had to do was offer him an out.

"Look Phil, can we pretend for a moment that I'm not your boss?" I asked, my tone deliberately softening.

"Just tell me what's really going on here."

"So you can tell the director?"

"It wasn't the director's idea for me to come and talk to you," I lied while looking the man squarely in the eyes.

"I got permission to come down here to investigate the reduction in efficiency. He hasn't looked into the numbers himself... Yet, but if I can't improve things quickly he will soon. And when he does it won't take long for him to notice just how far your successful repair averages have fallen recently."

My expression told him just how dire the statistics really were. His informed me of his shock because he hadn't really been keeping track of how bad it had gotten for a while. Of course, his failure to realize how bad it was could just as easily be because it wasn't all that bad at all. Having not seen the figures myself I wouldn't know, but Poole didn't need to know that.

"It's that bad?" he managed to ask after taking a few moments to recover from the shock (not unreasonable given his life was in danger).

I just nodded and stayed silent, waiting for him to start speaking again.

"Look, you know it's because of Anna. It's all my file, right? Ever since her husband died I'm the only one she and her little girl have left looking out for them."

"You joined Cerberus so that your sister would receive the medical payments she needed to keep her daughter in St Helen's specialist hospital for biotic complications in infants," I confirmed. I didn't mention that the file also listed half a dozen different suggestions for forcing his cooperation if he refused to work, most of them involving his niece.

"And those payments have always been made on time. Your skills are too valuable to us to lose Phil."

He snorted in amusement.

"And what difference will money make when the Reapers show up? We both know the war front is getting closer to Elysium every day."

I widened my eyes in response, putting on a look of pure shock.

"She's living on Elysium? Phil, the Alliance just announced they've ceased evacuation efforts for the entire Petra Nebula."

"What?" his face had gone completely white and he gripped his soldering tool so hard I thought he might actually break it.

"According to the news announcement they're losing too many ships to keep operating in that theater. Cordanoy's been doing everything he can to keep it quiet but my access level allows me some outside contact. Apparently, there were riots on the Citadel over the decision."

"Shit," moaned Phil, no longer able to keep the pain and fear from spilling across his features. Bracing his hands on his knees he bent down, looking like he was trying to keep from vomiting. I had him right where the director wanted me to, not that I felt particularly proud about that.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because..." I began before stalling slightly, suddenly unsure of myself in a way I couldn't remember being since I left my father.

"Because I have a sister too," I finished softly, crouching down as I tried to reassure him.

He looked up at me and even through his distress I caught the skepticism in his eyes, he knew the woman I was pretending to be didn't have a sister.

"I've been keeping her a secret from them," I said, jerking my head towards the nearest Cerberus logo on the wall by way of an explanation.

"I came here because I think she's in danger."

He looked confused. "Why would you come here to help her?"

"It's too complicated to go into right now. I think Cordanoy might know something about my sister's disappearance so I requested a transfer here."

"You thought you could find something out about Cerberus' activities from a high level operative like the director," he muttered, filling in the gaps with his own reasoning.

I nodded eagerly, letting some panic and fear creep into my voice as I confirmed his suspicions.

"But it's all going wrong. I've been here for weeks and I haven't found out anything and those things- the Phantoms, keeping staring at me wherever I go like they know I shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, they give me the creeps too. But listen," he said, his eyes lighting up as he started thinking up a plan.

"I can give you some intel on the project here."

"Really?" I sniffed a little, sitting down so that I would be looking up at him.

"Yeah, I know more than you'd think. Cordanoy doesn't tell me much but I'm a mechanic. I can go anywhere and I know half the systems of this place better than the geeks trying to puzzle it out in the lab. If you think it'll help I'll tell you everything I can about this place."

"But what about my sister? What you know won't help me find her."

"What I know is good enough to convince the Alliance to send a fleet to take control of this place. Soon as they have that creep Cordanoy in handcuffs, you'll have a shot at getting some info out of him."

It would never work. I'm sure the Alliance would be delighted to shut this place down but even if they actually managed to take prisoners alive, there's no way they'd ever share that intel with a former Cerberus operative.

"That's great, you'd really do that for me?" I asked aloud.

"On one condition."

"What's that?"

"You help me get out of here."

I flinched as he said that.

"What? That's crazy. I mean if we somehow managed to pull it off what would you do? Run off and take on the Reapers all by yourself?"

He sighed and stood up straighter.

"I don't really know, but I can't just sit here tinkering with machines while she's out there and not try to do, well something. I just... can't do it."

I followed his example, standing up right next to him, to look him straight in the eye.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

He snorted in response.

"I'm the one trusting you here, you could have the Director's goons drag me away. I'm putting everything I have on the line, right now."

"I know, I know, but if I help you I need to know you'll have the intel I need. Tell me something about this place, anything, just to prove you're not exaggerating."

He paused for a moment looking reluctant as he cast his mind through all the knowledge he had to offer, looking for something suitable to whet my appetite.

"The station's not Cerberus, it's alien."

"I knew that already."

"It predates the Protheans!"

"You realize that I can run a dating scan too? Sorry but if that's all you have to offer.." I let my voice trail off as I turned my back and started walking away.

"Wait! It's a weapon," he practically shouted at my back.

"What?" I asked, turning to face him.

"This station and I mean the whole station is some kind of ancient weapon. I don't properly understand how it works but Cordanoy wants us to study it to find out. That's what the project's about."

"You're certain?"

"I've spent the better part of the last two years repairing this place. If there's one thing I can promise, it's that I know what it does."

"Alright, I'll make arrangements to get us off the station. You'll be assigned to take a shuttle to make an inspection of the station exterior in the next few days. Once we're outside I have a ship nearby that can grab us and run before Cerberus even realizes what we're up to."

"That, that sounds like a good plan," he said cautiously.

"What do I do in the meantime?"

"You should return to work as normal. Don't do anything suspicious until you are on board the shuttle."

"But what about my repair averages? I thought Cordanoy already wanted my head."

"I will inform him that you were receptive to my conversation with you. It should be possible to convince him to give you a few more days to see if performance improves. Just keep your head down and try to focus on the job, it's all you can do for your niece until the time comes."

"Yeah okay, I can manage that," he said before, just as I was turning away adding.

"Oh and Elise? Thanks."

I gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment before turning away and marching off at speed. As I dealt with the other names on the list I had been given I tried to understand quite what Cerberus' angle was on this station. As much as I understood their desire for a new weapon of possibly alien design I would have thought its sheer age would have ensured that the costs involved in restoring it would far outweigh the potential benefits. What were they playing at?

More to the point the discoveries I was making, while intriguing, weren't getting me any closer to my real goal. Oriana was still lost, god knows where and I was only barely scratching the surface of Cerberus' secrets. It was more than frustrating, it was intolerable.

Those problems made it harder than usual to focus on my work but oddly I also kept finding my thoughts pulled back towards Phil Poole and his sister. Their story had hit closer to home than I cared to admit. As for the others on the list, it was the usual litany of bad excuses for poor performance or other 'suspicious activity'. Affairs, addictions, bad attitudes, and grief accounted for most of it but there were also plenty of personnel worried about friends and family at risk in the war. Some were even willing to agree to betray Cerberus over it, but not many. Fear, as usual, did a good job of keeping most of the staff compliant.

And I knew that fear would only increase as I handed the list of suspected traitors over to the Director.