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The winds were picking up on the surface of Mars, a dust storm on the way. Shepard and her team would have to get in and out quickly. And they weren't the first ones here. Shepard frowned behind her mask as she drew close enough to the figures ahead to recognize the insignia on the hardsuits. Cerberus.
Her comm link crackled, Kaidan's voice coming through. "What the hell is Cerberus doing here, Shepard?"
"I haven't been in contact with Cerberus for months. I don't know why they're here."
His answering silence said he didn't believe her, but there was nothing she could do about that right now. The Cerberus troops had seen them, and it was a firefight.
Kaidan hadn't lost any of his skill, Shepard was glad to see, and James was solid, if a bit on the unsurprisingly aggressive side. He followed orders well, though, and turned out to have a keen eye for enemy movements, taking out a Cerberus trooper just as he was about to open fire from behind Kaidan.
In the half of her mind not taken up by the fight, Shepard worried about Liara. If Cerberus was here, were the people inside safe? Was Liara?
Once the field was clear, they went inside the facility, shutting the doors behind them. Shepard got the elevator in motion, carrying them up into the main part of the facility.
Kaidan approached her, his body's tension evident even beneath the hardsuit. "I need a straight answer from you."
"About what?"
"About Cerberus. Why they're here."
"I gave you one. What makes you think I know what they're up to?"
"You worked for them!"
"Months ago! In order to take down the Collectors—a problem the Alliance was all but ignoring, may I remind you."
Kaidan glanced at Vega, who hastily looked away and pretended to be studying something on the railing of the elevator, then stepped closer to her. "They—they rebuilt you, from the ground up. They gave you a ship, resources. Do you expect me to believe they just … let all that get away? That they didn't do anything to you to … protect their investment?"
Shepard understood. She'd had similar concerns herself, and it was her body and her ship. "Kaidan. I'm telling you this straight out. I have had no contact with Cerberus since I blew up the Collector base. None. Dr. Chakwas cleared me—there's nothing in me that has been altered, nothing changed. It was a clean rebuild. I have no idea why they're here, or what they want. Look, I know we haven't … spoken in a long time, but you have to trust me."
Vega cleared his throat. "Commander Shepard has been under constant surveillance since coming back to Earth. No way she's communicated with anyone from Cerberus."
She nodded crisply at him. "Thank you, James."
"Sorry, Shepard. It's just that …" Kaidan shrugged, spreading his hands out in front of him.
The pressure equalized as the elevator came to a stop, and Shepard took off her helmet so she could see him better. "I get it, Kaidan. I do. But I shouldn't have to explain myself to you. And I wouldn't have had to if you had ever been willing to have a conversation about this before."
He took his helmet off, too, stepping even closer to her, his eyes searching her face, looking for the Juniper he used to know.
"Please trust me," she said softly.
In the same tone, he replied, "I do, I swear. It's just that …"
"I know. But we have to get past that now."
He nodded. "I'll try. I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
Rattles and clanks in the ductwork above them cut off the rest of what he might have said as they all sought tactical positions. Much to Shepard's relief, the asari who fell from the ductwork—and neatly took care of the two Cerberus troopers following her—was a familiar face.
Reaching out, Shepard put a hand on Vega's uplifted weapon, pointing it down at the floor. "She's with us."
At the sound of her voice, Liara turned and came toward them, her face lighting with relief. "Shepard! And Kaidan. So good to see you both. I'm … I'm sorry about Earth."
"Thanks."
"It was hard to leave it like that," Kaidan said somberly.
But there was no time to dwell; with Cerberus already here, every moment counted. "Hackett sent us. What's going on?"
Liara stepped closer, lowering her voice. "I've discovered plans for a Prothean device. One that could wipe out the Reapers."
"Hallelujah. Let's get it and get back to Earth." Vega shouldered his weapon.
Liara frowned at him. "It's not that simple, I'm afraid. Mr. …?"
Shepard pointed between them. "James Vega, Liara T'Soni."
They nodded at each other while Liara continued. "The Archives are filled with an overwhelming amount of data. Sorting through it and understanding it could take lifetimes." She smiled a little. "But we don't have lifetimes, so I hurried."
"So you found something?"
"A blueprint."
"That's what Cerberus is here for?" Kaidan asked.
"I would assume so."
"How did they know it was here?"
Liara shook her head. "I wish I knew. I barely knew it was here, and then all of a sudden they showed up." She reached out to touch Shepard's arm. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you."
"Same. Let's get your blueprints and get the hell out of here."
"After you."