Chapter 4: Questioning Vows

In a sing-song voice, "Asari-vorcha offspring have an allergy to dairy, and… da-di-di-dee-di-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-di-di-di…" Suddenly, the door to R&D Lab opens. "Shepard, how can I be a service to you?" Mordin said while he poured an orangish liquid into another strangely colored liquid.

Both Cole and Tali look at one another and enter the room. "You know, I've been meaning to ask. How do you always know it's me?"

Mordin turns away from the various liquids he was experimenting on and directs his full attention to Cole and Tali. "Simple. Everyone else knocks first."

"Huh... there's something we want to run by you and hope you can help us with it."

"About your relationship with each other; I know. Doctor Chakwas came by to talk. Worried about your health." He inhales. "Wondered if I could help."

Tali just scoffs. "She needs to stay out of our business."

"Can't stop Chakwas from worrying Tali. I worry too." Mordin said as he gestured to himself. "Your relationship complex; deadly even, but not impossible. Did what I could to ease complications."

"I know, and I appreciate your help, Mordin." Tali pauses for a moment to ready herself for whatever Mordin's response was going to be to her question. "I want…"

Cole cuts her off, "We want."

"Right… we want to acclimatize my body to our quarters."

"Hmm… dangerous, but makes sense." He paces back and forth. "Part of Quarian physiology to adapt to environment and to others. Though would take longer with alien species. Would have to install sterilization devices for both cabin and the room just outside of it."

Cole interjects, "Which we can find on Omega, or at least parts for them and build it ourselves."

Mordin stops his pacing and turns to look at Cole and Tali. "Correct. Would also need to introduce Tali gradually into the environment. No more than an hour a day for about a week. Then increase to an additional hour every week until your fully acclimatize. You'll also need daily doses of antiseptics and antibiotics. Then…"

"Mordin, I'm not waiting that long. I can't." Tali said as she crossed her arms.

"Why not? Have plenty of time together. Length of acclimatization irrelevant."

Cole grabs ahold of Tali's shoulders to ease the rising anger that was probably building up at this point. "Apart from Tali's… impatience about this, there's also another reason. My… time out here is growing short." Mordin just stands there patiently – waiting to hear a valid reason. "I've arranged a meeting in five minutes with everyone about this, so I'll explain that shortly. If there's anyway we could speed up the process, we'll take it."

"Genetic altering, then. Problematic… dangerous… lethal even. Not recommended."

"Mordin, please." Tali begged.

Silence filled the room as Mordin mulled over all potential outcomes of undertaking another complex project. After taking in a deep breath, he looks directly at Tali. "After meeting, will need sample of your blood." He then looks to Cole. "Yours as well. May need several."

Cole nods, "Thank you Mordin."

"Yes, thank you."

Mordin nods back, "Will do my best."

"EDI, have everyone meet in the communications room in five minutes. We have some important things to talk about."

"Very well, Shepard."

Cole, Tali, and Mordin arrive together followed by Jacob and Kelly. A few minutes go by as the rest of his squad files in and takes their seats. Grunt was the last to enter and positions himself in front of the door.

"Alright Shepard, I'm here. What is all this about?" Grunt said as he crossed his arms.

"I know you don't like being cramped in here with everyone Grunt, but what I have to discuss is going to change all our lives. Have any of you been debriefed about my last mission?"

Miranda raises her hand to interject. "Well, Shepard, we really haven't heard much, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened. We were the last ones to leave the system that got wiped out seconds later."

Cole just nods, then tells everyone what happened with his mission. As he finished telling his tale, he scanned the room to get a feel for how everyone took it. Most looked shocked. Thane and Samara kept their stoic look while Grunt and Jack had the beginnings of a smile showing.

Jack leans back and kicks her feet up onto the table. "Damn Shepard, this makes what I did to that moon seem like child's play." Miranda stares at her and gives her a dirty look. "What? I was just kidding. You gotta develop that sense of humor, cheerleader."

Grunt interjects, "So you had a good fight and killed a bunch of Batarians along the way; big deal. The only thing I don't like is that I wasn't invited." He said with a chuckle.

Garrus leans forward and rests his arms on the table. "I know this might have been hard to do, but I know you, you wouldn't have done this unless it was the only option. If you didn't do what you did, the galaxy would be swarming with Reapers right now."

Cole watches as everyone in the room nods in agreement with what Garrus said. "I'm glad that you all believe I did the right thing. It doesn't change the fact that they will hold me accountable for my actions."

"You did nothing wrong, Shepard." Miranda said, as she leaned against the table.

"Unfortunately, it doesn't matter what any of us think. The Alliance and the Council will spin this as a terrorist attack to save their ass. It also doesn't help that they all think I'm crazy already because of my stance on the Reapers."

"Which is ridiculous." Miranda retorted.

"I know." He lets out a sigh, "There's no way around this. The Council has already been notified by the Alliance, which means I don't have long."

Grunt takes a step forward and points at Cole. "If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get."

"That will not solve the issue, Grunt. There's no stopping this." He pauses to let his words sink in. "However, there's still time for everyone here to get out before I go down."

Jack, who was no longer sitting back, gets up and slams her fist onto the table. "What the fuck, Shepard."

He looks directly at her. "Jack?"

"You're giving us an opportunity to leave after everything we have fucking been through? Seriously, fuck you."

Miranda shakes her head, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have to echo what Jack said. After everything we've been through, everything you've done for us… I can't leave; not now."

"So, you would rather go down in a blaze of glory and get imprisoned than get away while you can?"

"Yes." She said without hesitating.

"Does everyone else feel the same?"

Before anyone could respond, a crackle came over the intercom, followed by Joker's voice. "We're with you, Shepard, to hell with the rest of them."

"Well said Joker." Jacob said as he leaned back with a smile.

"Alright." Cole said while he nodded. "Blaze of glory it is then. I'm going to need you all at your best and alert at all times." Everyone nods. "We're currently on course to see Liara. Hopefully she'll have some information for me. It's also a good place to lie low for a bit to see what happens next."

Suddenly, EDI's holo pops up in the middle of the table. "My apologies, Shepard, but you have an urgent call from Admiral Hackett."

EDI's holo switches to the image of Hackett. "Shepard, I've been ordered to tell you that your time is up."

The room goes silent just as a chill goes up his spine. "What?"

"There's more. If you don't turn yourself in within twenty-four hours, then they'll come after you. They will use anything or anyone to bring you in."

A sinking feeling hit Cole's system when Hackett told him what was going to happen. The potential time he thought he had vanished. It also brought no comfort to him about who would take on the mission to capture him. There was only one person in the galaxy that he was close to and worked with.

"Ash…" Cole said in a whisper.

"Shepard?"

"It's nothing. Unfortunately, you already know I won't turn myself in… not yet at least."

"Indeed, I do. Just… do what you need to do as fast as possible before things get any worse. Hackett out."

A tinge of pain hit his spine as the gravity of the situation fully hit him. "Options?"

Miranda was the first one to speak up. "Honestly, what you've come up with already is good enough for now."

"Also," Mordin cut in as he raised his hand. "should go to Omega for supplies. Will dip into my own savings just to restock."

Thane gets up from his seat and places his hands behind his back. "If we are to lie low after all this, I suggest we go through the Omega 4 Relay to do so."

"That is a brilliant suggestion." Miranda said eagerly.

Cole nods in agreement but then winces in pain as the heat in his spine worsens – causing him to grip the table.

"Shepard, are you alright?"

"I'm not sure… Argh!" The pain in his spine explodes into a sensation he had never felt before. What originally felt like heat suddenly shifted into shocks pulsing internally through his spine and up into his head, heart, and leg muscles.

I told you it was inevitable.

"Get… Chakwas…" Cole said as fell onto his knees. He could feel the darkness creep in with each shocking pulse and somehow it brought a comfort to him – even with the pain. What didn't bring him comfort, though, was hearing Harbinger in his head.

Watch as everything crashes down upon you.

With Harbinger's voice ringing in his head, his eyes roll back and collapses onto the ground, convulsing. Mordin, Tali, and Miranda quickly rush to his side and roll him over to check his vitals.

"Oh god… his skin it's… We need to get him to the Med-lab. Now!"

――――――

"Williams."

"Yes, Admiral Hackett." Ashley said with a crisp salute.

"He's not coming in on his own volition." He said as he returned her salute. "His twenty-four-hour window is no longer in effect."

"I understand, sir."

"I know you are taking your orders directly from the Council, but this is an Alliance mission and I expect you to follow my orders as well." Ashley just nods. "Good, because this situation will get bad if we do not handle things correctly. You must bring Shepard in alive."

"The Council doesn't want…"

"The Council would rather prefer him dead. Better to write him off as the villain than get answers. We need him alive. He's the only man that can get us through the Reaper invasion."

"Agreed sir."

"Now," He gestures for her to follow him down to the docking bay. "The ship we're providing you is a prototype. Though, technically speaking, the design of the ship is no longer in the prototype phase. Normally we decommission the prototypes, but this one is far too valuable to scrap."

As they pass through the docking bay door, the room lights up section by section – slowly revealing the prototype ship.

"Admiral… it looks like…"

"The original Normandy, though a bit more refined. Trimmed down on the weight and size, but she's just as fast and far more agile. She also has the stealth system from the Normandy. The only drawback right now is that she's not weaponized."

"Then, how will I be able to handle Shepard's ship?"

"She was never meant to go toe to toe in combat. Her original purpose was pure scouting. Get in and get out, no fighting in between. In the coming months that will change, but you'll have to make do without weapon systems."

Ashely turns her head to look at Hackett in disbelief. Hackett just smiles, nods, and turns to take his leave. "Cunning Williams. Cunning will win you the day. You leave as soon as you are able."

――――――

"Shepard? Shepard, can you hear me?" Doctor Chakwas said as she shined a light into Cole's eyes.

Slowly coming to conscience, he darts his eyes back and forth to regain his awareness. What he sees however were many concerned faces. "Chakwas? What… what happened?"

"We…" She takes a deep breath in, "we don't know."

Still feeling the remnants of pain in the base of his skull, he cautiously sits up and rubs the back of his head. "Man… my head feels like it's about to explode." He stops to look at everyone once again. Mordin, Miranda, Chakwas, and Tali were hovering around the bed – all still expressing a look of concern and discomfort. "What… what's the matter?"

Chakwas reaches for a mirror on a surgeon's table and holds it up to Cole's face. The sight he saw choked him up – causing him to breathe heavily. "What… what is this?" He reaches over near his right eye and pulls on his skin. "My cybernetics implants… they're showing, and some of my scaring has returned."

"It's nothing like I have seen before. You made a complete recovery since you first woke up at the Lazarus facility but whatever happened is now making it regress."

"Wait, my cybernetics… they were never light blue. They were orange." He pauses for a moment to work out the reason why. Then it hits him. "Miranda."

She takes a step forward, "Yes, Shepard?"

Suddenly, he throws the mirror to the ground – causing it to shatter. "Why the hell did you use Reaper tech to rebuild me!"

She looks everywhere else but where Cole was sitting. "I uh… This is something best discussed in private."

"No! This gets discussed now!" Anger passionately burns through his mind, which showed through his cybernetics. The light blue coloring had shifted to pure white and intensified in its brightness. When Miranda didn't speak up, Cole decided that a more physical approach was necessary. Pushing himself off the front-end of the bed, he makes a move towards her, but keels over in pain – clutching at his heart.

Both Chakwas and Tali were quick to grab a hold of Cole and help him up. "Miranda," Tali said as she finished propping Cole up. "you need to tell us."

"Interesting proposition." Mordin said, ignoring the tension that was building up. "Miranda, did you use Reaper technology to rebuild Shepard?"

"Yes, I did. The Illusive Man said that in order to bring the best back, you must use the best technology." Everyone but Mordin stared daggers at her. "He insured me it was safe, that it was deactivated."

"Well, it doesn't look like that is the case right now, does it?" Tali said as both her and Chakwas help Cole sit back up on the front edge of the bed.

"Fascinating." Said Mordin.

Chakwas turns to Miranda, "Right, so we know what is affecting but not why."

"Hmm, interesting conundrum. No documentation on potential effects of using deactivated Reaper technology. Can't ask Illusive Man for further information." Mordin takes a deep breath. "Not good." He then paces around. "Underlying trigger to reactivate tech? No, no doesn't help Illusive Man. Tech able to regenerate? Hmm… probable, but not likely." He stops in place, "Tech reactivated due to direct contact with active tech. Shepard, you said a Reaper artifact knocked you out?"

"Yes, it sent out an electric pulse. I remember feeling the initial hit of the pulse, then a sharp spike of pain shooting through my spine."

Miranda interjects, "But we were on a dead Reaper when we went to get the IFF and he wasn't affected."

"True. However, tech could have still reactivated there if given enough exposure. The pulse, while meant to incapacitate, probably had an underlying effect on tech and caused it to reactivate."

"That sounds… plausible." Miranda said as she rubbed her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Shepard."

"Too bad you didn't feel this guilty when you were putting them in." Said Tali.

"That's not fair. Had I known that they could reactivate, I would have never agreed to put them in."

Cole just scoffs. "You had to have known it was a possibility."

"No, I didn't. This was the first time Cerberus had ever used Reaper tech."

"Then what about the Illusive Man?"

Everyone turns to look at Cole. All of them but Miranda had a confused look on their face. "He never got implanted… he already had them. It's a long story, but he too was in contact by a Reaper artifact." She shakes her head subtly, "How did you figure it out."

"I've fought hundreds of Husks in two lifetimes now. Let's just say that once you've seen the eyes of the enemy, you never forget them. I had my suspicions when I first saw him… those eyes of his exactly matched Saren's, and now… I have them too." Tali reaches over to grab his hand – which he eagerly accepts.

Mordin takes a step forward, "Can you tell us what happened before you passed out?"

"Pain. It was subtle at first, then quickly intensified. Harbinger spoke to me as well. Just hearing it speak overwhelmed me and made me feel worthless."

"Hmm… using emotions to break people. Common technique used by all species. Makes sense Reapers would use technique too."

"The thing that worries me most right now is the Illusive Man. It's obvious that he's been hearing them, perhaps even Harbinger, and is slowly being turned. Hell… maybe he has already been turned if he thought using Reaper tech was a good idea."

"True. Must focus our efforts on deactivating tech or block Reaper's connection to you. With Miranda's help," he gestures to Miranda. "am certain we can figure out a way to do either."

Miranda nods, "Agreed."

"Will have to figure out a safe way to alter cybernetics. Problematic when already implanted into the body. Depending on how much and what they are all connected to," he takes in a deep breath. "could have major repercussions."

Tali grips Cole's hand tighter. "Like what?"

"At worse, paralysis. At best, minor discomfort." He pauses, "During surgery that is."

Cole rubs his temples, "Regardless of which one happens, what would be the outcome?"

"Hmm…" Mordin said as he rubs his chin. "Ideally, connection would be blocked. Block connection, block transformation. Uncertain if damage already done would reverse." He turns to head to his lab but stops midway. "Also suggest that you relax as much as possible. Stress might be the trigger for the initial attack. May trigger more." He then turns to Miranda. "Will need all data regarding the procedure in bringing Shepard back to life."

Nodding to him, "Of course." She then turns to Cole. "And Shepard… I'm sorry that I kept this from you."

Looking towards her, "Just…" he then shakes his head with a sigh. "just figure it out." Somberly, she nods her head and heads out with Mordin.

"Doctor Chakwas, could you give me and Shepard some time to ourselves?"

"Of course, Tali. I was going to lend my services to Mordin and Miranda anyways. Just make sure he's stable enough before he leaves here."

"I will." Chakwas nods to her and then takes her leave. Once she left, Tali gets up and pulls Chakwas' chair in front of Cole. "How are you feeling? Is the pain subsiding?"

"I suppose." He said while shrugging. "My head doesn't feel like it's pounding anymore, and the feeling I had going on with my heart is going away too." Instinctively, Tali reaches out with her right hand and lays it over his heart – causing his body to ease the tension in his muscles. "Turning myself in is no longer an option anymore."

"To be honest, it was never an option in my opinion."

"Tali, I can't…" His face contorts to show the conflict that's growing in him. "I'm a military man and there are consequences to the things I do."

"You're also a Specter. You don't answer to the Alliance anymore."

"But I answer to the Council, and believe me, they're far worse than the Alliance." Tali just sighs and nods in agreement. "One day, I will turn myself in to answer for what I did, but it won't happen until I'm free of Reaper control."

Giving him another nod, Tali pulls her hand away from his chest and looks down at the floor. The momentary pause hit him with a bit of confusion and a thought that there was something else on her mind. "Tali." He said as he reached down to lift her head towards him. "What else is on your mind?"

She sighs, "When you were talking with Admiral Hackett, and he said that they were going to use anything or anyone to bring you in… you mentioned Ashley."

"Well, yeah. It was evident that her and I had a relationship. What better person to use than her?"

"Will it be a problem?"

He let her words linger in the air like a heavy perfume as he weighed what she was asking. "I don't know." He said just as the tension between them became uncomfortable.

"That's… not the answer I was hoping for."

He nods, "Me too."

――――――

After they took Cole down to Med-bay, Thane took it upon himself to gauge everyone's reaction to what he had said to them all. Everyone, except Samara, reacted exactly how he thought they would.

Garrus gets up from the conference table. "All of you should prepare for what's coming next. We all are about to be hunted."

"Good." Said Grunt. "I was getting bored these last few days."

Jack immediately chuckles. "I love your crazy ass shit, Grunt."

Everyone gets up and files out of the room. Thane however was quick to catch Samara before she left. "Excuse me, Samara, may I have a word with you?"

She stops mid step to turn towards Thane. "Of course."

"I couldn't help but notice that you were unaffected by what Shepard said. In fact, I would say you reacted just like a Justicar would."

"You are correct."

"I know how Justicars are. What Shepard has done could be considered as an act of injustice and I have to know if you will go after him."

Samara turns her gaze to the floor, then back to Thane. "No. I am obligated to the oath I made to him."

"And when your oath to him is finished?" Thane said as he slightly tilted his head.

Placing her hands behind her back, "I will not pursue him because he did nothing unjust. Shepard is much like a Justicar, he's bound by a code and will never waver from it. He will do whatever it takes to accomplish his task based on his code." She pauses for a moment to gather the rest of her thoughts. "I've done terrible things to kill my daughter. Slaughtering an entire village that she had enslaved was the worst I've done, and I would do it all again. He destroyed an entire system to stem the tide of the Reaper invasion; possibly saving trillions of lives with a sacrifice of a few hundred thousand. In his place, I would have done the same."

Satisfied, he gives her a slight bow. "I apologize if my questioning offended you."

She smiles at his response. "No apology is necessary. You were just concerned for him; just as I am. He has much to overcome before this is all over."

"Indeed."