Chapter 21
The laboratory
Epilogue
Normandy sr-2. Infirmary. 3 March 2185. 01 24 ship hour
Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep
The quiet humming of medical machines thrummed inside Shepard's ears as the commander regained his senses once more. Shepard felt tired, panting, more drained than he had ever felt before. He was dimly aware that people were looking at him, more out of instinct than actual sight, but his muscles refused to even move despite giving them the orders.
"Doctor, tell me that this reckless fool is still alive, please."
"Barely. Thirty more seconds and it would have been too late, even for this new body. EDI, oxygen rate?"
"Stable doctor. Waste gas properly discarded from the tubes. Oxygen level rising at optimal levels. No internal infection detected."
"And what about his brain? He stood without air for almost a whole minute! Is it...is."
"Tali, please. Get out of my infirmary. This is not the time for a visit."
"But.."
"Out! All of you too. Not you two. Miranda, you can stay. Watch Jacob while I am busy there. Mordin, help me with these."
The chatter buzzing inside Shepard's ears finally ended, leaving the commander alone to his thoughts. He was alive, that much was certain, but why he could not even move from his place? Had he suffered spinal damage? Was he tied on a medical bed for his own good? Was he about to die? He could not know. He could not move, he could not scream.
He simply stood on his place, waiting. Praying. What little mind still working only reminded him that he wanted to survive, nothing more.
The room became silent, save for the quiet, whirring sound of machines working in the background. A ray of light pierced Shepard's shadows and, for a second, the commander saw a familiar figure, albeit blurry. Tall, grey and white, and silent.
"Soldiers." muttered the figure "Always trying to get themselves killed. Reckless fools."
An assortment of machines and drones descended on Shepard as the blurry figure came ever closer.
"I only hope I can save you this time, Shepard. Just hold on in there."
Two days later.
Split and tired lips cracked open for the first time in hours as a lament escaped from them, so quiet that even Shepard barely heard it.
The commander's body screamed in pain as he forced it to close his hands, more in defiance than anything else. Even breathing sent ripples of pain through his shattered flesh, and yet the commander drank the recycled air of the ship deeply as if it was the sweetest of nectars. It felt like a new life, a third chance, and he gorged himself on it until he became drunk.
"Doctor, I think he is waking up!" said a voice near him, and this time he recognized it. Miranda's voice.
"Let me see."
With a titanic effort, the commander wrenched his eyelids open. White light blinded his tired pupils as he did so, but he also witnessed the shape of two feminine figures next to him.
"Easy Shepard." chided one of the figures. "You pulled it out once again. I swear you have more life than a cat, but your body still needs rest. Miranda, increase the Eximo dosage of three millilitres before his body collapse from stress."
"On it doctor."
A raw gurgle escaped from Shepard's lips as he desperately tried to say something, anything, but one of the figures prevented him from continuing.
"Relax Shepard. Go back to sleep. Soon you shall feel much better."
Then the medicine kicked in, and Shepard felt into a dreamless sleep.
One day later
The commander woke up once again, but this time, the pain was gone. No more burning shadowed his poor bones like knives in the dark. His eyes opened easily as ordered, not refusing to obey his every move. And the limbs opened and closed like expected as the blood flow inside them as intended. Shepard felt empty and yet euphoric at the same time. He had grazed death twice in his life, and once again, he had survived.
"Good God! Life is beautiful!"
He whispered full of joy as he slowly rose from his bed. No ties stopped his limbs this time, only a light blanket that fell on his healing body, leaving him covered only by the medical vest. Caves and tubes still stuck on his chest. They whirred in protest of the sudden movement and some almost snapped.
"Shepard!" exclaimed a voice inside the infirmary. Doctor Chackwas. The woman had just dozed off, her posture on the chair in front of the infirmary's desk, covered in coffee mugs and data-pads all over the place, made it clear. Still, she quickly rose from her seat as she saw one of her patient waking up.
"Good Lord, you pulled out once again."
"That I did doctor, to no small amount thanks to you I suppose!" smiled Shepard, "Said it once, will say it again, you are the best doctor of the Alliance."
"Flattery will get you nowhere Shepard" replied the doctor, the professionality back in line as sleep escaped her eyes. "Lie back down on the bed and let me do a check-up. Now! I refuse to have all my work squandered."
It was an order, and the commander quickly complied. He stood still, immobile as Chackwas's Omni-tool flared into life and analyzed every inch of Shepard's body, stopping in particular on his respiratory system. The analysis took long minutes when no one talked, and the commander merely swatted his head around looking for people. The infirmary was crowded, he could see it now.
Garrus was sleeping soundly on a medical bed near the exit, his legs completely covered by a medical plaster and an IV keeping his vitals. He looked fine judging by how much he was snoring, but he didn't like the way the IV spoke about his bones.
Samara was also there, naked save from a medical coat that failed to hide a bandaged and heavily treated stomach. She looked pale for an Asari, but her calm smile and gentle eyes shone as she saw the commander waking up.
"You are alive" she simply commented, "The Goddess accepted your sacrifice you made for the innocents and granted you life."
"More like it that Ste could believe at the stupidity of his plan, and decided to save him out of sheer amusement," murmured Chackwas quietly. Shepard smiled at this. Samara too, but it was a warm smile, filled with respect. Then her eyes became white once again and moved back to her meditations, escaping from the world and its pain.
Jacob quietly snored on a more secluded bed, medical machines cheeking his pulse and kept under sleep by a constant stream of medicines. He looked fine, mostly patched up already by what he read on the monitors checking his vitals. At the base of his bed, the commander saw a small gift wrapped in bright red paper.
Kasumi maybe? The commander had no idea if she had survived or not. Speaking of which...
"EDI, status report. Did we lose any operatives during the mission?" he asked the ever-attentive AI. A small, azure ball quickly appeared in front of him in response.
"None Shepard. All operatives are accounted for inside the ship. Current operatives ready for services, eight. Current operatives in the infirmary for treating, four. Current operatives discharged by the chief medic of the ship but still on watch, one."
"Kasumi." concluded Chackwas for her as she kept doing her job. She didn't even rose her head from the streams of data regarding Shepard's synaptic connections. "Physically, all is fine with her. Scrapes and bruises at worst. It is her mental health that worries me: for two days she outright refused to sleep alone to the point that I had to prepare a bed for her in the infirmary so that she could stay next to Jacob. She is past that now, but everyone inside the ship can see that her behaviour has changed. More skittish, and hyperreactive. Even her usual cheerful behaviour has switched. Of course" snorted Chackwas "Had we still a counsellor inside the ship I would feel much more at ease, but she is locked inside C-Sec gallows right now, so forget that!"
"True...that." snorted Shepard at that mention. "Did we manage to save some data about that hellish circus?"
"Don't ask me. I have been far too busy trying to save your skins, Shepard. Didn't waste my time on recreative films. Now stay still and let me finish this. I am almost done."
"As you order, commander!" chuckled Shepard. Chackwas smiled back, never stopping working.
More seconds passed as the ticking sound of working machines echoed in the air. The Omni-tool whirred and worked as every inch of Shepard's body was analyzed, checked and quickly moved on.
Finally, after what felt an eternity, the doctor stopped.
"Well, I can accuse Cerberus of many things, but not of doing a bad job." commented the doctor as she deactivated her machines.
"You are mostly fine Shepard. Of course, according to all laws of human biology, and common logic, you should be dead already, or presenting at least some severe brain damage after your excursion on the void. But I found nothing. The brain is functioning at peak capacity, no damage revealed on the limbs. Lungs clean and working. You are good as new."
"Glad to hear it, Doc. Does that mean that I can go?"
"No, I want to keep an eye on you for at least two more days. And no mission for three more days for you once you are out. At least three days." warned Chackwas. "Am I clear, commander?"
"Crystal clear, doctor. Not that I wish to go back that quickly into the fray. Speaking on which, where are we heading right now?"
"The Citadel. Miranda's order, in case you needed more professional help."
"Not some Cerberus secret lab?" Shepard raised an eyebrow.
"I know, it surprised even me, but those were her orders as acting captain. Maybe what she saw inside that facility shaken her confidence in Cerberus."
"Maybe. Any other news?"
"Yes, one." frowned the doctor "Jacob was not the only prisoner of the awakened being. The lead doctor was also there, and God forgive me, but I wished she had been eaten by the mutants."
"The lead...you mean that Abigail woman?" queried Shepard.
"Unfortunately, yes. God Shepard! You know that I am not the swearing type, my job trained my patience, but that woman is...God!"
The commander rose an eyebrow at this sight. Was her best doctor about to have a break?
"Trying to get into everyone's nose without the proper competence and acting like a queen! She even tried to teach Joker about flying. Joker! He almost broke his legs out in rage because of this. Thank God Miranda was on the bridge and quickly defused the situation. The less I say about how many time she tried to enter inside your personal medical logs while on the infirmary, the better."
Now both of Shepard's eyebrows rose in amusement.
"She really is the piece of work Miranda said."
"Even worst. Please try to deal with that fool when you get out of here Shepard. Although you being male might even worsen the odds."
"Great." Sighted Shepard "Whatever, a problem for another time. EDI, call Miranda and tell me to bring all the data we managed to scrape from the mission site."
"Acknowledged Shepard" the blue ball replied
"Data?" asked Chackwas "Why?"
"I have to stay here for days, no? Might as well educate me about that hellish place with all the video-feeds we managed to save."
The doctor groaned heavily at this remark as she massaged her tired temples. She murmured something that remarkably resembled a long swearing.
"Just...try to get some rest between a reading or two, okay? Please."
"Promised doctor." smiled Shepard back.
Normandy Infirmary. 6 March 2185. 00 31 local hours.
The infirmary was silent. The soft snores of its inhabitant the only sound betraying the presence of life inside its clean, metallic halls. Buzzing machines whirred in the night as they performed they hourly check-ups on their patients, monitoring vitals and counting pulses. Two of the patients didn't even notice. Garrus snored loudly as his locked leg protested against the cage, locking it inside, while Samara slept on her bed with the innocence of an angel.
In the farthest angle, however, where Shepard's bed stood, things were quite different. Here a flickering light betraying the awakened commander as he gazed again and again at the video-picts moving across his eyes. Earplugs muffled the sound, preventing any noise from awakening the sleeping patients, but the mere gnashing of his teeth against each other threatened to betray his fury. His breath became shallow, and not because of his wounds, as the images revealed scenes that chilled a soldier veteran of the Batarian raids, Saren and the Collectors to his core. The screams of anguish echoed once again inside his ears as the monotonous voice of that damnable woman kept talking as she did her work with a smile on her lips. He heard her deranged discussion about the future of mankind and the praise she would receive from such discoveries as another limb popped under the black, liquid sludge made from the residue of Lena's shattered arm, making Shepard retch in disgust.
His fist clenched, ready to explode, as another feed began appearing on his Omni-tool. Another experiment. Another spectacle. This time about Maria, the same creature now floating into the void that had almost killed him.
He understood her hatred now, the disgust blossoming within her. The vendetta she grasped from the doctors' screaming lungs.
How could you not hate humanity, after suffering as she did? How could he expect to have Lena behave as a normal being if this was what she had endured?
The rage threatened to overwhelm his flesh as the commander gripped the bed's steel handles. The metal groaned under its new pressure, and on his bed, Garrus and Samara shuffled in their sleep, sensing in their sleep that something was wrong.
When the last pict ended, the bed's handles were almost torn, and an expression ever seen by anyone on the ship marred Shepard's features.
Shaking fingers deactivated the Omni-tool as the commander tried to regain some semblance of control but, in doing so, weak, white light washed away Shepard's features, turning his machine briefly into a mirror.
Inside it, the commander saw the face of a human and, for the first time in ages, this knowledge disgusted him.
Mess hall. Normandy sr-2. 7 March 2185. 14 31 ship hour
When the door of the infirmary opened, more than half of the squadron was waiting for him. This had been the closest call their commander and friends had ever suffered since the beginning of this insane mission. Many had wondered inside their chambers if this had been the last straw, even for tough and experienced soldiers like them. Grunt chewed loudly on his meat as he gazed at the opening door from his post while Zaeed and Thane sipped something from their mugs. Miranda worked on some data-pads with Kasumi next to her of all people. Lena and Raina quietly ate their breakfast that betrayed a tension between the two unknown before the incident. Tali waited alone, mumbling something to herself as she fiddled with her fingers and muttered something in her language. Jack just wolfed down her meal as if there was no tomorrow.
Everyone rose their heads on unison as the first figure came out from the infirmary, clutching on the good doctor for support.
"Garrus!" exclaimed Tali first as she recognized the familiar shape of her old friend back in his usual attire and looking warmly at the mess hall. His leg was still covered by a medical cast, but apart from that, he looked spotless. The Turian left a strained smile as he slowly hopped on the nearest chair and let his body rest for a minute.
"Is he..."
"I am fine, Tali." reassured Garrus warmly "It takes more than an oversized octopus to kill me. This annoyance will disappear in a week at most."
"As long as you do not do anything stupid like forcing your leg with unnecessary work." finished the doctor for him. "And that means standing too! No combat training, no shooting standing, no calibrating. I want to hear from EDI that for one week all you did inside the ship is sleeping on your bed and let the leg rest, am I clear?"
"Not even calibrating the gun?" answered Garrus with fake pain "You hurt me, doctor. How I am supposed to pass my days without it?"
"Any way you want, as long as it is not standing," commented Chackwas curtly
"You can try meditating, Garrus." answered another Samara as she came out from the door. She glowed in the light of the room as she deftly moved inside the mess hall, her old battle armour back on her chest, the scarring of the previous battle still shoving on the dented metal. But her skin looked flawless thanks to the doctor's ministrations, and no traces of pain marred her ancient features.
"It is a relaxing experience, one that does not need you to be standing for feeling it." Gardner was quick to bring the Justicar a cup of her favourite tea that she gently accepted and began sipping.
"Ehi Gardner, what about my beer?" asked Garrus with fake outrage.
"Sorry, scarface!" replied Gardner "No beer for you, or any other drink like that. Only water or tea. Doctor's orders."
Garrus groaned in fake disbelief as Chackwas chuckled.
"Jacob!" screamed Kasumi all of a sudden as the girl stormed from her chair. She almost tackled the marine with her arms in a hug as tears washed her face in droves.
"You are alive! I thought...I thought that...after losing Keiji, I would...would"
"It's alright Kasumi" chided Jacob as he replied to the hug "It's alright. It takes more than a monster like that to keep me down."
Kasumi replied with an ever greater hug, pouring her fear and soul into this embrace. Jack whistled loudly.
"Get a room you two." she half said as she munched her eggs "I am eating here."
"Don't be a sourpuss Jack. I think they both have good reasons to be happy right now." finally said the last voice they wanted to hear.
"After all, everyone unwinds their way."
"Shepard!" shouted Tali as the commander came out from the room, dressed in civilian clothing. The girl beamed as the rest of the squad, and every memebr of the crew present, jostled and whistled and his arrival. The commander smiled at the warm reaction and quickly moved away from the door.
"I knew you were too tough to die in the void like in the past, battle master." growled happily Grunt as he moved a hand toward Zaeed. The old merc grumbled and gave some kind of card to the young Krogan.
"Did you two bet on my survival?" asked Shepard as he grabbed some breakfast from Gardner.
"Not exactly." grumbled Zaeed "You better use that pass well, you fucking lizard."
"And you shouldn't have bet against my battle master." replied gingerly Grunt as he looked at the card. Shepard sighed and moved on, sitting next to Tali. The girl barely acknowledged his presence, almost afraid to see his commander disappear into a puff of smoke if he dared to breathe. Her hands fidgeted wildly as the commander came ever closer to him.
"Cat got your tongue Tali?" taunted Shepard playfully as he began wolfing down his breakfast.
"Cats cannot eat my tongue, Shepard. They are Levo-amino creatures and would spat it out. Are you really okay? Your wounds are healed?"
"Totally!" confirmed Shepard as he wolfed down his meal. Meat, bread and fried potatoes "Doc did a splendid job. Why?"
"In that case..."
The slap caught Shepard square into the cheeks with enough strength to make him baulk. Forks fell on the ground as theplate of fries threatened to fell off the ground. Shepard barely saved the plates before they became a mess on the ground. The commander lightly swore as he felt the pang of pain surging through the skin. He was going to feel this for days.
"What the hell Tali?" asked Shepard confused as he placed the plates back on their places
"I told you, didn't I?" Her voice was sweet, but the tone betrayed her anger "Everything goes exactly as planned or I will slap your face until the end of time! Time to make true of that promise."
A second slap hit Shepard again in the cheeks, still too surprised to react. A third one tried to follow, but this time Shepard caught her hand in mid-air.
"Okay Tali, you proved your point. Now stop."
"Stop? STOP!?" the girl roared this time. "Do you have any idea how I felt after I saw your body dragged in the infirmary? When I saw you plugged inside so many machines that you resembled a Geth. How much I cried fearing that you were gone? Again!? You stupid, reckless, imbecile..."
All the people around Shepard smiled as they saw their battle-scarred commander under the receiving end of the mother of all lashings. Some even cheered at Tali.
"Listen, Tali. I understand your rage, but I am alive and well now. Can we not simply...bury the hatchet?" proposed Shepard helpful as Tali tried to free herself.
Judging by her renewed assault, it didn't work.
"Oh, I will" she whispered "After burying you. Go get him, Chatika!"
A blue drone suddenly appeared in the air as it attacked Shepard with small electrical discharges. Shepard swore and let Tali go from his grip. He tried to protect his face with the arms, but the small machines proved vicious in its assault.
"Aim at the sensors Chatika. At the sensors."
"No Chatika, don't!"
One-shot came dangerously close to the eyes as Shepard opted for a quick retreat as everyone inside the mess hall burst into fits of laughter. Jack even began rolling on the floor as Garrus quietly recorded this moment.
"For the posterity" would say days later after being interrogated about it.
"Glad to see you are all having fun!" said a voice all of a sudden, saving Shepard from being fried from Tali's drone.
All faces turned toward the newcomer, allowing their eyes to see Miranda entering inside the room. The usually silent and youthful woman looked tired, dishevelled and spent. Her eyes showed long bags and her hairs in dire need of some work. She merely found an empty spot and sat with a cloudy sight as she barely gave a cursory glance at Shepard.
"Miranda," said Shepard once she got at least one cup of coffee. "You look like..."
"Shit." finished Jack for him with her usual charm.
"Thanks, Jack, I hadn't noticed it!" replied Miranda acidly as she sipped her coffee.
"Never saw you like this." asked Jacob "What happened?"
"Keeping this ship floating as Co AND acting captain while being constantly hounded by a stuck up bitch happened. That and supplying as a nurse alongside Mordin as we tried to keep all of you alive. I haven't had a decent night of sleep since this mess started."
"I am guessing that with stuck up bitch you are talking about our new guest, right?"
"Unfortunately, yes." nodded Miranda. "Defusing that situation proved to be a bitch, but the one with Lena was the final nail on the coffin."
"Lena?" asked Shepard.
"She assaulted my daughter once she discovered that she possesses Yoma flesh inside her and does not transform." rumbled Lena in disgust.
"And Lena tried to strangle her, especially after doctor Abigail used her hands to convince Raina to comply. I had to use my biotic to separate those two, alongside Thane's help, and it barely worked."
Shepard swore and groaned at this notice.
"Speaking of her, Shepard." intervened Lena with venom "What are you going to do with that bitch? Not letting her go, I hope. Not after everything she has done."
"Oh, but I have no intention of letting her go after this," replied Shepard quietly as he found a free chair. Thankfully Tali had stopped hounding her with Chatika and merely waited for his response.
"...Really?" Asked Miranda stunned "Knowing your past I was ready to bet you would have consigned to the proper authorities and move on?"
"But I will consign her to the proper authorities, Miranda." Replied Shepard candidly "And said authority will deal with her with all the power he rightfully possesses. Miranda, how long before we reach the Citadel?"
"Assuming we keep the current pace, twelve hours at most."
"Good, listen up people, I want all of you to be at their best behaviour. Be polite with our guest and, if she does any more unreasonable demands, just evade the question and bid for time, say that you need my authorization. As for me, because of my wounds, the doctor will discharge me only after reaching the Citadel."
"Why?" Miranda asked as her eyes narrowed "What are you plotting this time, Shepard?"
"Her end." Deadpanned the commander. "And the end of her cursed circus of horror, but for this, I need to keep her sated. Distracted. Let her think she is safe. Miranda, come inside the infirmary in half an hour, I need to speak with you. Oh and Tali, I need you and Mordin to do something for me before going. If you please."
The people inside the mess hall saw an unusual glint appearing on Shepard's eyes, one never saw inside the usually calm and collected soldier. Grunt and Jack smiled eagerly at the prospect as Garrus and Tali swallowed a lump as they witnessed it. Lena's smile proved nothing more than evil.
Because they glint inside the eyes was a promise of vengeance and death. A promise not seen since the death of Kaidan, and the last battle against Saren.
12 hours later. Normandy sr-2. Dock of the Citadel
"Miss Abigail, we have reached the Citadel, and soon commander Shepard shall be here for the docking procedures." Said Jacob.
"Finally!" huffed the woman dressed in standard Cerberus attire. The doctor had never bothered to hide her symbols like Jacob or Miranda and proudly showed the symbol of her sleeves and chest piece, despite knowing that she risked being arrested the moment she would get out the ship.
"I understand that I cannot expect much from a ship crewed by a bunch of male gorillas, but this was getting ridiculous even for you. Tell him that we need to speak immediately before disembarking. Some things must be done before reaching those C-Sec dimwits and their scanners!"
Tali, some meters behind Jacob, twitched loudly but kept silent as she waited for Shepard to arrive. She was not alone: Shepard had declared that after such a harrowing mission the crew need one day to unwind, especially the one still wounded, and gave shore leave to the whole ship for 48 hours. Even the wounded ones were out, a long and hard bargained pact between them and doctor Chackwas had allowed them to be free to wander for at least two hours before going back to the ship. Garrus had needed a crutch, and had already booked a visit to a clinic among the shore leave, but at least he was standing.
"What a piece of fucking work," murmured Jack behind her. For once, everyone agreed with the convict.
"I understand your necessity Miss Abigail but, as long as Doctor Chackwas does not discharge the commander, we cannot dock. Our position is already thin as it is with the rumours of Shepard actively working with Cerberus. As such, we need to wait for his arrival for docking."
How Jacob managed to both keep his cool and lie so smoothly was a mystery for everyone to ponder. Even Miranda, the one that knew him the most looked puzzled at his colleague. Who knew that he possessed such self-control?
"Oh, you know you stupid primate? I highly doubt that. Why the Illusive Man didn't leave full command on Miranda or me is beyond me." remarked the doctor acidly, all but satisfied.
"To think that all of this could have been avoided had we decided to implement the policy of installing a control chip on Shepard, but nooo, we had to maintain his free will."
Many recoiled in horror after hearing such words, Garrus and Tali in primis. Miranda shook her head and sighed while hoping that that brazen fool did not reveal that it had been her idea to plant a chip.
"Then I thank the Illusive Man for his foresight." announced a voice as the main deck's lifter opened, revealing Shepard in full battle gear and ready for a battle. His shattered armour was good as new now, and his weapons glistened in the light of the ship as he quietly sauntered his way inside the main deck. Curiously enough, he also sported a long combat knife on the sides, a recent addiction on his arsenal.
"You might be a great scientist, but apparently know nothing of warfare. A meat puppet that moves only if the master pulls strings is worthless on the battlefield."
"I would have never put something as uncivilized as a full control inside your brain, commander." replied matter of fact Abigail "We women are more subtle and delicate that you brutes. My programme would have changed you during your sleep, like a scalpel inside your mind. Less than a month and you would have embraced the new mindset like a glove."
The tone of her voice, the confidence oozing inside her words, the woman was utterly convinced of her own ideas, and the members of Shepard's squad recoiled at such words. Even Miranda looked annoyed by them.
"And they say they are doing this for us." murmured Jack "Fucking hypocrites. I prefer being a free asshole than a -great- slave."
Shepard's hands curled into fists for a split second, but his calm demeanour remained unchanged as he came ever closer to the exit hatch.
"Forgive me if I remain...unconvinced. Still, we are not here to talk about probable history but to deal with the problem of your presence here inside my ship."
Doctor Abigail arched one of her eyebrows at this.
"My presence here? I am a renowned doctor and geneticist well known among my peers. These aliens could not harm me even if they wanted."
"You are a renowned geneticist well known for her sympathies for Cerberus, sympathies that you are literally showing with that uniform of yours, and a person that has recently disappeared from the world stage for doing what journalists and paparazzi tried to discover for months. Whether you like it or not, your arrival will cause an uproar inside the Citadel, especially after discovering that you came with me. But this is not the biggest problem right now."
"And what is it, commander? Please enlighten me."
"Your data."
Doctor Abigail, for the first time, stopped her tongue as a furrowed expression appeared on her face.
"My...data?"
"Yes, your data. An intelligent person such as yourself must have certainly thought about a way to save your laboured hard work inside the planet of Trelyn in case of potential loss or discovery by enemy forces. A way to make sure to not lose everything in case of defeat."
The doctor grumbled something but said nothing more.
"Unfortunately, because of this sudden arrival, a new platoon of C-sec officers is now waiting for us just outside, and as much as you might consider them outdated and stupid, their machines are not. They will scan us, they will check on us, and they will check the ship once we are gone."
"But this...this is preposterous!" screamed the doctor at this. The rest of Shepard's company looked at their commander with puzzled eyes. What the hell was he talking about?
"But the truth. And no matter how well you hide it, they shall find it. Turians can be quite stubborn when looking at something. And leaving inside EDI's databank is out of the question: they would discover that she is an AI and tear us apart because of this."
"Correct." added EDI all of a sudden "My programme forbid to reveal myself in front of anyone not belonging to the registered crew, even after receiving a direct order from the acting captain. Doctor Kane, this is a prime directive installed by my creators to avoid potential discoveries."
"Thel let's move toward one of Cerberus's bases," she replied hotly.
"Park me there and be done with this charade!"
"Impossible, I am afraid." returned Shepard cooly "The Citadel's authorities have already hailed us. Running away now would be...suspicious. We need to dock and play the role."
The doctor snarled for a second before regaining some control.
"You clearly have an idea, so speak already!"
"As a matter of fact, I do. Give me the data."
"Excuse me?" recoiled the doctor. "Why? You are not with Cerberus!? Everyone knows it."
"But I am working with them. The Illusive Man made this quite clear for the rest of the galaxy, whether I wanted or not." Countered Shepard. "And right now being discovered with such pieces of information carried by such a suspected person like you would be the end of my mission, and probably a lot more than that. However, as a Spectre, albeit a watched one, I still possess some vantages that no one inside this ship owns. One of this is having the C-sec not allowed to lift a finger unless holding a pass from the Council itself. Pass that they have no reason to ask. Meaning that as long as the data are in my person, we risk nothing."
Now the rest of Shepard's squad was even more confused than ever. None of what Shepard was saying made sense: the Council still had a modicum of trust toward him, and Bailey was practically a friend of Shepard! Many exchanged looks of puzzlement inside the ship as they tried to understand what was happening as the few ensigns still at work kept a respectful distance between the scene. Only Miranda stood motionless as if waiting for something. As the crew watched each other, they saw Grunt, Zaeed and Jack of all people placing themselves between any access exit.
"Your proposition is...sound." the doctor was forced to agree "You are the -saviour of the Council- after all, and this will certainly play to our advantage. The fact that you surround yourself with aliens does not hurt either. Miranda, what do you think about it?"
"The commander has my full support," replied Miranda in an almost sybilline way
"I vouch and recommend any decision he makes."
"Awfully submissive from you!" snarked the doctor "Ah well, I guess. If we don't have any other choice, and the only trusty person here vouch for you...Then I can lend my secrets to you for a little while." The doctor smiled as she put her hands on a small compartment of her new dress, one piece at the base of her sternum recently ripped and hastily sewed back by the look of it. What it took out from it revealed to be nothing less than a memory card, smaller than a finger and made of black metal. It looked pristine and well maintained, ready to be placed on a computer. And big enough to keep mountains of data.
"Impressive," commented Shepard as he gently took it from Abigail's hands.
"How did you managed to hide it for so long after being captured back on the station?"
Uncharacteristically from the haughty doctor, the woman's cheek reddened as Shepard asked said question.
"That...well...It was an idea that came during the revolt. You see, a trick used by Gypsies. I was...reading a book about them and...well."
"You lodged it inside your vagina for weeks, girl?" asked Jack of all people all of a sudden
"Shut up, you convict!" shouted back Abigail. Jack chortled at this.
"Regardless, here it is. Where shall you hide it? Inside your Omni-tool? Or you shall keep it on a secret part of your armour."
"I was thinking of something more...radical!" smiled Shepard with all his teeth, and this time he let his true emotion out.
With a deft motion, the commander gripped the small, metal object now on his hands and squeezed it. Hard. The small device shrieked and moaned as the commander's metal glove gave more and more pressure, and the first cracks emerged.
"No!" screamed doctor Abigail as she dashed toward Shepard, but the commander, in a fit that surprised everyone inside the ship, kicked away the doctor with enough strength to make her slump on the ground.
Abigail fell, and panted and groaned in pain as she spat a mouthful of blood from her broken lips. Her hands wavered on the ground as she tried to regain some sort of support. When the strength finally came back to her limbs, her weary eyes saw something broken falling down on the ground.
What was left of her recording device. Months of works...gone.
"Nooo!" the sight of such devastation broke a nerve into doctor Abigail as she paddled back on the ground. Frenzied hands grabbed what was left of the devices in a futile attempt to reattaching the parts. A fruitless endeavour, and a blaze of fury smouldered inside the young doctor's mind as she saw the futility of it.
"You!" roared the doctor, spitting blood from her lips as she stormed her way toward the responsible for this disaster.
"YOU!" if looks could kill Shepard would have been a smear on the ground, but the commander merely looked back smugly at the doctor as his hands curled once again into fists, ready to strike. Behind him, Jack and Lena smiled savagely at this spectacle as the others looked with mixed expressions. Miranda stood calm, alongside Samara and Thane, Garrus snickered. Tali looked worried at the sight while Zaeed and Grunt grinned with malice. Kasumi hid behind Jacob.
"Do you have any idea of what you have just done, you stupid male?! Months of tireless works, of priceless experiments and hard-fought discoveries! Months of sacrifices and sleepless night...gone! The greatest discovery since the revelations on Mars and maybe the next step on our evolution...gone like this!"
"Damn right, and I am proud of it!" replied Shepard with candour
"What you call priceless experiments were nothing more than a circus of horror where you and your butchers opened the stomach of children just to see what would happen next, like in Russian roulette. In less than three months, your people have broken more laws against human rights than the entire cadre of history combined."
"Like every damn male: weak and narrow-minded. I killed some children, so what?" replied evenly Abigail "Power needs sacrifices, every scientist worth her salt knows it. Some streets urchins and dregs of society die so that the whole human race benefit as a whole. I was doing good! But what would a mere grunt like you know about sacrifice."
Faster than a snake, Shepard's hands grabbed the doctor by the throat and almost lifted from the ground. Abigail croaked and swore as the air became a precious commodity inside her lungs, and her hands banged at Shepard's armoured hands, for nothing."
"Don't spout your drivel about sacrifice in front of me." snarled like a beast Shepard. His eyes blazed with fury as he tightened the grip on Abigail's throat.
"You sacrifice something when you place your life on the line for the greater good of the others! My comrades sacrificed everything when the Skyllian Blitz began, and they died by the droves in seconds so that the Batarian could be repelled. So that I could move the civilians away from their hands. This crew sacrifice their existence so that the colonists of the Terminus systems might live another day. The Alliance fleet sacrificed their lives so that the Council, and the peace and cooperation between the races, could last. I sacrificed my life when the Collectors attacked the Normandy so that Joker and the others could survive."
The more words he spoke, the bluer Abigail's face became to the point that she could barely breathe at one point. Shepard swore and released his grip, allowing the woman to collapse on the ground, panting heavily. Her neck was red as one hand quickly covered it.
"You know nothing of sacrifice. All you did was killing children because you could not bother being human."
Behind him, Mordin's eyes narrowed in sadness.
"Foolish male. Incapable of seeing the greater picture." wheezed back Abigail undeterred. "Is a miracle than we evolved until then with a mindset like this. No matter, once I am out of this blasted ship, I will recontact the Illusive man and continue my research. I will discover that woman's secret" she promised as she pointed the finger at Lena "And use it for the humans that deserve it."
"And what makes you think that you will get out of this ship alive, doctor?" asked Shepard.
The stupor on everyone's faces was a sight to behold.
"What...what do you mean?" demanded Abigail, fright creeping inside her.
"Doctor Abigail Kane. By the authority granted me by the Citadel council I, Spectre Shepard, declare you guilty of murder, multiple violations of human rights, kidnapping and illegal experimentations." suddenly declared Shepard formally in front of everyone present "The crimes are confirmed by my testimony, and the sentence is death."
A deathly quiet covered the ship as everyone on the bridge understood the weight behind Shepard's words.
"Ah, aha. Ah ah ah!" laughed the doctor nervously, the first to regain some form of sense "You...you cannot be serious. This is a joke, right?"
"Try me!" grinned Shepard. A grin that promised death.
One that shattered the doctor's confidence.
"No, no no no!" in a mad, desperate dash, Abigail tried to run toward the lifter, away from Shepard. She did less than three steps when Shepard put a warp round on her leg.
"Nooooah!" the doctor screamed as she thrashed on the ground, blood spurting freely from the wound. Her legs refused to obey her as the steel bulkheads below her became slick with blood.
"I can't die like this. Miranda stop it. STOP IT!"
"I will not, Abigail." answered Miranda calmly "People like you are the reason Cerberus is so hated among the galaxy and, as I said previously, I vouch for any choice made by Shepard. My only regret is not putting a bullet on your chest years ago."
"Traitor!" spat the doctor alongside her blood.
"You know" smiled Shepard back "In the galaxy, I am known as a Spectre and war veteran. A tough guy. And yet, despite this, I seem to have the unfortunate problem of being seen as soft," murmured Shepard as he casually walked toward Abigail.
"People see my attempts of using diplomacy, to not shoot at every problem that bares its face toward me, to deflate conflicts peacefully as a weakness. -Shepard cannot stomach war anymore- -Shepard has lost his touch- -Shepard is too soft.
How many times I heard these hushed words back on High command, across the Citadel, on Omega or just back on Earth. They mistake my kindness for frailty, for not having the steel for doing what must be done. They think that saving the Council somehow broke me. Even, now, that my supposed resurrection did not bring back the right Shepard." Abigail tried to crawl away from the commander, leaving a trail of blood behind. Shepard merely stomped her chest, pinning her on the ground like a fly.
"What foolishness. Now, dear doctor. Any last words?"
"You...you...you cannot kill me! You cannot! The Council reinstated your Spectre status only on the Terminus System. You cannot kill me!" screamed Abigail as the gun glinted at her head, a pale shade returning from her drained face.
"You goody two shoes would never break the laws like this! Now leave me! Leave!"
The muzzle of the gun stood still for long, painful seconds, but no bullets escaped from the gun. Abigail held her breath.
"True" admitted Shepard candidly as he moved the gun back on its holster. "I technically cannot execute you. Neither can I protect you."
The commander turned toward his squad, one foot still on Abigail's chest.
"Justicar, please satisfy this curiosity of mine. Does the code possess any geographical limit in its implementation?"
"No, Shepard," answered Samara.
"And, did the dear doctor Abigail broke the Code with her reckless and brutal actions?"
"She did, Shepard." a wicked smile appeared on Shepard as the realization hit the doctor.
"Then, could I ask you to deal with this criminal in my stead, Justicar?" finished Shepard as Abigail tried to wriggle herself away.
"No no, NO!" panic gripped the wounded doctor as she saw the Justicar moving away from the now whispering group "You cannot leave me into the hands of that...alien. Don't do this!"
"She is all yours." smiled Shepard back as he freed the doctor from his foot. The woman still on the ground dashed away in a crawl toward safety, only to have a blue halo of power capturing her body in an instant.
She was trapped now, helpless and alone.
"Well? What are you looking at?" barked Shepard to the group still witnessing the scene. "Show's over, and you all have some shore leave to do. Go out and have fun."
"Can I watch it?" asked Lena of all people. The smile on her face was so brutal that even Raina looked away from her, covering her face on Jacob's legs.
"No" answered Shepard sternly "Executions are not a spectacle. This includes everyone here. Clear the bridge until the Justicar is done with her job." Many of the orderlies still entranced by the scene quickly complied.
"Not on my planet," murmured Lena quietly, but she relented. Everyone else behind hr began obeying Shepard's orders, either unnerved by Shepard's surprising twist of character or smiling savagely at the doctor's desperate stare inside the stasis field. Samara kept herself impassible as she began walking toward the hapless doctor. One twist of her hand and the bubble covering Abigail disappeared, replaced by the Justicar's hand.
Abigail's screaming filled the air as Shepard and her group moved away from the bridge, some unnerved, other vindictively satisfied. Such shrieks of rage slowly faded away as they became wailing first, then begging for life.
The last sound they heard before the doors closed behind them, was Samara's voice calling the Goddess for receiving Abigail's soul.
Hi people, sorry for the delay but, unfortunately...well, it is hard to explain, but the best way I would have it to describe it is "Mental fatigue". I lost count of how many times I wrote and rewrote this character, both for being uncertain at it and feeling physical tiredness at writing it. It is not a good moment of my life, and I blame this for this. (This is also because I practically stopped writing the second story, I can't find any drive for it.)
I hope I shall be able to get out of it as fast as I Can because the story is almost done.
See ya. And feel free to comment if you do not like it.
