…
"I remember, May 1944. I was 15-and-a-half, and I was thrown into a haunted universe where the story of the human adventure seemed to swing irrevocably between horror and malediction. "
(Elie Wiesel)
…
Unidentified Cerberus Frigate, March 22nd, 3:19 PM, 2184
…
For the first time in several years, I had no idea what to do. I was trying my best to regulate my breathing, but it wasn't doing much. With all the ship systems locked and no way to stop the jump without reducing ourselves to subatomic particles, we were thoroughly trapped.
We had all met up in the hangar to try and come up with possible solutions. We had nothing. We were down to seven minutes before the jump was completed.
"There's got to be s-something we can do, there's got to b-be something!" Dan repeated out loud to himself as he paced back and forth.
"No, there isn't." Dimitri rejected in a calm tone, his eyes closed as he thought about the current situation. "Even if we did have control of ship, we would need three minutes to charge drive again. Cerberus will certainly have ships waiting for us."
I looked up at Dan, and I could see the transition from cool to furious happen in seconds.
"Fuck!" Dan shouted, grabbing a piece of metal and chucking it across the hanger as he lost control of himself. "These pieces of shit are not getting us without a fight! I'm not letting them do what they did to us after Aldrin again! Never again!"
"They only want us alive, Dan. If we try to fight back, they'll kill every last one of these men without a second thought." I said, nodding to the group of quarian marines on the other side of the hanger. "If we surrender and just do what they tell us to do, maybe they'll spare them."
"You want to give up and surrender?" Dan questioned with venom dripping from his voice. "You just want to give up?! What happened to the Sean I knew?! He would have fought these bastards alongside me until the end!"
"Screw you!" I yelled, standing up from my crate and getting in his face. "I'm not going to risk the lives of these men! It's my duty as a ship's captain to protect everyone under my command, and I'm not going to let a blood knight jeopardize that!"
"Both of you, knock it off!" Jack demanded, putting himself between us. "This isn't what we need right now!"
The volume of Jack's voice actually shook me, considering I had never heard him significantly raise his voice before. I took a moment to look at both him and Dan before I lowered my head.
"Sean has point, Dan." Dimitri said, arms folded as he stared at us. "Despite how undesirable the thought may be, it is true. There exist no chance for Cerberus to spare sergeant and his squad if we fight back."
"Sira! Isn't there something you can think of?" Dan asked, grasping at straws to try and find a solution.
"No." She answered, barely keeping herself from breaking down as she focused on the deck plates with a deadened look in her eyes.
Dan's face then sagged slightly as his face relaxed, switching from "pissed off" to "defeated." I had only seen his face like this one other time my entire life. He put his back to the shuttle, letting himself slide down to the floor.
"Sean, you should tell the men before we enter system what is happening." Dimitri suggested, as I tore my gaze away from Dan and back to them.
I took in a deep breath as I walked over to the men on the other side of the hanger, knowing they weren't going to like this.
"What's the word, Captain?" The sergeant asked as all six of his men turned to focus on me.
I hesitated for a second before speaking up. I really didn't want to give an order like this.
"There's no way we're going to avoid capture, sergeant." I announced as he and his men shuffled slightly. "The best thing we can do right now is surrender and live to fight another day. If we attempt to repel borders, there's nothing stopping them from killing you and your men."
He stayed silent for a few moments as a couple of his men shook their heads or gestured in another fashion.
"I… understand sir." He slowly acknowledged, taking on a somber tone much like the rest of us. "I'll have my men surrender their weapons and destroy their exos."
"I'm so sorry, sergeant." I tried to comfort, putting my hand on one of his shoulders.
"It's alright sir. I understand." He finished, turning back to his men as I walked back to our group.
"It's done." I informed, letting another staggered breath out as I reached under my coat and undid my shoulder holster, pulling my 1911 out along with my two additional mags. I threw it to the deck.
Dan and Dimitri pulled out their firearms and did the same before we all stood there in silence.
Several minutes later, the ship shuttered as we completed our jump. A feeling of dread filled my stomach as I waited for the inevitable.
We felt something make contact with the ship half a minute later. They then began cutting through the hull to get inside of the ship, showering sparks all over the hanger deck near us.
"Dan, promise me one thing." I said as we all watched the cutting torch make its way through the hull.
"What's that?" He replied without breaking eye contact.
"If I don't get out of here, take care of my child." I asked, a single tear making its way into my right eye.
He turned and looked at me without a word, not saying another word as the torch stopped and the heavy piece of hull plating hit the hanger deck with a loud bang.
Over a dozen Cerberus commandos wearing thick heavy armor then rushed through the breach, immediately noticing all of us in the corner of the hanger. We all raised out hands as they raised their rifles towards us.
"Get down on the ground!" They demanded in heavily distorted voices as all twelve of us complied, getting down on the cold metal deck.
They encircled us very quickly as several policed our weapon pile. They then began slapping plastic handcuffs on our wrists to make sure we couldn't try anything. One of them then took a scanner to Dimitri, Jack, Dan, and I, ignoring our escorts.
"These are the two we're looking for." One of the commandos said to someone I couldn't see.
Dan and I were then pulled up by our cuffs and dragged in front of their commander, who wore no helmet and slightly different armor than the rest of them. He examined us for a few moments before speaking.
"Doctor Michaels, I presume you're the one in charge here?" He asked, hands folded behind his back.
"That's Captain Michaels to you." I defiantly corrected, looking down at the floor to avoid his eyes.
"Are there any more of you on this ship?" He asked, getting in my face so I'd focus on him again. He had dirty blond hair, a clean shaven face, and thankfully, didn't have bad breath.
"No, it's just me, my four colleagues, and our seven marine guards." I answered truthfully, not wanting to give them any reason to hurt anyone.
The commander then looked from side to side as if he were looking for something.
"Are you sure, doctor?" He asked, giving me a snide look. "If I find anyone else aboard this ship that you aren't telling me about, you're not going to like what happens next."
"I swear, there is no one else here." I repeated, pausing for a few moments before he gave out a huff of approval.
"Take the doctors to section three, and send these… marines to section four." He ordered one of his men before looking back to me. "You're lucky, Michaels. The Director ordered no unnecessary use of force."
"Maybe I should thank him." I replied, getting a little flippant in my tone as I cracked a small smile.
His omni-tool then beeped several times before he raised his hand to his earpiece to listen to a message. He looked confused for a few moments before his expression returned to "normal."
"The Illusive Man wishes to speak to you." He announced, looking back to the rest of my comrades before looking at his second in command again. "Take him to the QEC while we move the rest of them to the facilities."
"Yes sir." His lackey obeyed as he and another commando pushed me towards the boarding craft.
I let myself release a small sigh of relief as a walked, knowing I had saved those men's lives.
…
Cerberus Space Station "Barn", March 22nd, 3:31 PM, 2184
…
"Move it!" The trooper behind me shouted, giving me another hard push forward as I walked down another bright hallway.
This place was big, much bigger than I had initially anticipated it being. It was all very wide open and airy from the looks of most of it, and the lights were way too bright. It hurt just to look around. Not only was this place big, but it was heavily guarded. There seemed to be guards just about everywhere I looked, and that wasn't even counting the LOKI mechs and automated celling turrets. I was so disoriented by these fucking plastic cuffs forcing my hands behind my back that I could barely walk in a straight line, let alone ponder escaping.
Apparently, I was being sent to talk to some character known as "The Illusive Man". I had heard his name several times over the years, which led me believe he was some kind of head honcho.
The troopers then led me into a darker room with nothing inside of it but a circle in the center of the room. One of the troopers cut my plastic cuffs with a knife, freeing my hands.
"Step onto the scanner." The trooper who had cut by bonds ordered before I had even rubbed the sore part of my wrists. I silently obeyed his command, stepping onto it as a holographic field formed around me.
I was then greeted by the sight of a man who looked to be in his forties or fifties sitting in a chair in front of what appeared to be a dying star. His face was half shrouded in darkness, while the other half was engulfed in the glow of the star. His eyes were the first feature that immediately caught my eye. They looked to be cybernetic replacements of some kind, similar to the one Richard has, and glowed a brilliant blue. He appeared to be wearing a casual outfit of some kind, likely tailored.
He took a moment to light a cigarette before looking directly at me, acting as if all of this was just a casual event.
"Doctor Michaels… nice to finally meet you." He greeted, taking a puff of his cigarette before continuing. "I've heard a lot about you and your colleagues. You've been making a name for yourself in the world."
"I assume you are The Illusive Man?" I said, only just now realizing how dumb that name sounded coming out of my mouth. "The almighty leader around here?"
"That's an odd way to put it, but yes, you would be correct." He confirmed, standing up from his chair and walking towards me. "That's not what's important right now, however. This is about you. I don't think you realize it doctor, but you and your colleagues are more valuable than a fleet of starships and all the resources in the galaxy."
"If you're trying to butter me up, it isn't going to work. I know what Cerberus is, and I've seen firsthand what your organization is capable of." I shot back, attempting to deflect any kind of statement he was trying to start. "Death, destruction, and the slaughter of innocent people."
He took another drag from his cigarette, letting my statement hang there for a few moments.
"Aldrin Station was a… unfortunate setback. I had no intention of disturbing anyone's work on Aldrin, but Agent Embry decided to take it upon herself to purge the entire station due to one security leak." He remarked, walking off slightly to the side as he spoke. "If it's any comfort, I apologize for what happened to your staff."
"Save your sympathy for someone who wants it. We've had years to grieve." I replied, my tone as cold as I could get it as he walked back towards his seat. "Aldrin Station wasn't the only time, either. Attacking defenseless people in the Migrant Fleet and trying to destroy the Idenna."
"As I stated before, this meeting is about you. Specifically you." He redirected, pointing towards me with the burning cigarette between his fingers. "Believe it or not, I've read you and Dr. Nemo's dissertation on theoretical particle physics, and I must admit… I was impressed. Not only experts in the field of physics, but engineering, chemistry, and other fields. You two were modern renaissance men."
"Cut to the chase. What do you want from us?" I asked, crossing my arms as I mentally braced myself for whatever he was going to say.
He took a quick sip from his glass before tapping in a few commands on a small holographic screen, bringing up a large 3D hologram of something I never expected to see again.
The Spatial Distortion Device.
"I assume you remember this?" He asked, maintaining his cool tone as I barely managed to keep my mental cool. "This single device is capable of breaking the barriers of known science and throwing conventional physics out the window. Whoever controls it has access to the entire universe, both past and present."
"How did you find out about the SDD?" I stammered out, unable to keep my voice from shaking.
"We have our ways, but then again, did you really believe that interest in the device would simply disappear over the years?" He deflected, taking a final drag from his cigarette before pushing it into his ashtray. "I want you and the other doctors to rebuild this device. Make it better than it was before its untimely destruction."
"You have no idea what you are meddling with." I argued, putting my foot down as I leaned forward and felt rage building up inside me. "This thing is more dangerous than any weapon, and you can't control it. We tried it once before, and it didn't work."
"On the contrary, I know it worked. You and Dr. Nemo wouldn't be here otherwise." He rebuffed, freezing me up as he crossed one of his legs. "Don't try to wax philosophical with me, doctor. You will build this device."
"What makes you think we'll cooperate with you?" I asked as he took another sip of his drink.
"I think it would be in you and your team's best interest." He shot back with a small grin on his face. "From this point on, you'll be taking your orders from the Director. He runs this facility, and is one of my most valued agents."
He then lit another cigarette before going on.
"I can speak for him when I say he doesn't take kindly to those who don't follow his orders. I'd suggest you follow his commands very carefully." He finished off, his smirk crossing his face again. "Goodbye, doctor."
With that, he cut the transmission as his office space faded away around me. I was left one again with a darkened room.
"Welcome to the Barn, Dr. Michaels." I heard a new voice announce from behind me.
I flipped around to see a man dressed in a simple, perfectly fitted lab coat. He appeared to be of African-American descent, and immediate gave me an off-putting vibe. I couldn't really give it a name, but it reminded me of Gus Fring from Breaking Bad. Just from the way he stood there, it gave off an air of calculating superiority that chilled me to the bone.
"I'm sure you'll come to enjoy working with Cerberus." He said with a simple smile, motioning for me to come his way. "Follow me, I'll show you where you'll be working."
I silently obeyed, walking past the two troopers as I followed him away from the room.
He led me past a few occupied labs where people wearing clean suits were working on various things. From what I could tell at a glance, it mostly seemed to be medical or biological in nature.
"So, what do you people do here?" I asked in an attempt to gauge this man. I wanted, no, needed more information about this place.
"What happens on the rest of the station is none of your concern." He immediately shut down without even looking at me. "All you need to be concerned with is your work."
Once we had passed them, he led me past a security checkpoint into another region of the station, dubbed X3. After another short walk down a hallway we entered a massive empty room with what appeared to be a skeleton of the Spatial Distortion Device in the center.
"This is where you will begin working tomorrow. We will monitor your progress on the device and provide you with resources as you need them." He said as I walked towards the shell. "What do you think?"
I ran my hand along it, actually feeling a shiver run up my spine as I did so.
I'd be lying if I didn't admit how badly I actually did want to work on this again now that the means were available to me. It was hard to let go of it, considering it was not only Dan and I's specialization, but we had previously spent three years working on it back in the 2020s. Maybe if…
"No." I thought to myself, closing my eyes as I pressed my hand into the metal. I wasn't going to let myself become absorbed in this again, especially under the eyes of an organization such as Cerberus. This could be used for terrible things, and I wouldn't let them have it. I refused to let myself end up like Colonel Nicholson from A Bridge over the River Kwai. That would be the greatest disservice I could possibly commit.
I looked back at the Director, and the two troopers who were staring directly at me. I sucked up my pride and walked back towards them, knowing that I'd have to get used to this until we could either find a way to escape or send out a distress call.
"Maybe we can work together after all." I remarked in an attempt to build up a false sense of trust. "If you can give me a copy of the original designs, my team and I can begin work immediately."
"Tomorrow, doctor." He rebuffed with a cautious look in his eyes. "Come now, I'll show you where you and the rest of your team will be staying."
I nodded in acknowledgment, pursing my lips before I followed him once more.
After exiting the X3 wing, the Director broke off and left me with the two troopers. They escorted me down a few levels to some kind of residential section. If it weren't for the fact that this entire place was being run by a terrorist organization, I'd have to admit it looked like a nice place to stay. The area lacked the cold metal feel of the rest of the station, and instead looked a lot darker and comfortable.
In an odd, disturbing way, it kind of reminded me of Aldrin Station.
"These are your quarters." The trooper said, stopping at one of the doors. He then slid and access card through the scanner, opening it to reveal a strangely lavish room. It appeared to have every single thing I would need to live comfortably, including a bathroom, small kitchen, and a full bedroom.
The door closed behind me and locked, leaving me alone for the first time since being here. I realized that wasn't a fact however as I looked up to see a small camera mounted on the ceiling. It tracked me wherever I went in the room, keeping a constant eye on me.
I threw myself onto the bed, letting out a deep breath as exhaustion took over. I fell into a restless sleep.
…
I looked around, seeing I was inside a dark room, and that I was under the only light source to be seen. The floor was concrete, old and grimy much like you'd see on the Hoover Dam. I walked forward to the very edge of the darkness, only for the lights in front of me to turn on, revealing the old SDD. It appeared old and rusted, as if it had been left out in the rain for decades. I walked to the lone computer in front of the device, seeing nothing but the word "PROGRESS" carved into the screen's glass monitor.
I then looked up at the SDD as it began to run once again, the stabilizer emerging from the bottom of the machine and spinning up as a wormhole began to form. The sirens from the emergency system began to blare as the wormhole began growing out of control, consuming the device as it got bigger and bigger. I began to run away from it back into the darkness as the air became increasingly cold. I could feel the hairs all over my body stand up as darkness surrounded me.
No matter how far I ran, I couldn't get away from the wormhole. I eventually gave in to exhaustion, getting sucked into the wormhole before ending up in vacuum. I flipped myself around to see Reach, but its surface was dotted with massive fires as settlements all over the planet burned. The echo of the choir from Ghosts of Reach began to play around me as I watched Reapers descend on the planet, effortlessly destroying the defending ships and orbital installations as thousands of quarians died to the slaughter.
I heard the deafening blare of one of the Reapers as I turned around to see one barreling towards me. I screamed, knowing there was nothing I could do as I closed my eyes and prepared to die.
…
Cerberus Space Station "Barn", March 23rd, 7:30 AM, 2184
…
I woke up to the sound of a sharp ringing sound, jolting me out of my sleep. I slowly leaned forward, rubbing my forehead as I quickly tried to put together what my fucked up subconscious had made me experience. Failing that, I looked over to my side to see a neatly folded set of clothes sitting on my bed. I silently cursed, realizing that someone I didn't know had been around me while I was asleep. The thought alone made my skin crawl.
The alarm was coming from the computer already on the desk. I looked at it in my drowsy state, seeing that the alert was for the beginning of the work day, along with a station-wide announcement from the Director.
"I'd like to congratulate the X1 division for the breakthrough they made yesterday, and our security staff for how quickly they took care of the MSV Specter situation yesterday. Everything you do here in Cerberus furthers humanity more and more each day." The announcement read, further filling me with small amounts of anger.
After splashing my face with some water to further wake myself up, I walked back over and inspected the clothes. It appeared to be a simple Cerberus-branded science uniform with an ID tag already built into it. I checked the tag inside the collar, seeing it was my exact size. Next to this was an active datapad with a short message on it.
"This uniform is mandatory for all Cerberus science personnel, and already contains a built-in access card for the X3 labs." I read as I examined the ID more carefully. "Your team members and quarian associates have already been informed that they'll be working in the labs, but it's your job to get them up to speed and ensure their cooperation. Don't disappoint me, doctor. –Director"
I shook my head and allowed myself to let out a deep sigh. I took the uniform into the bathroom where I had some privacy, slipping it on with a surprising amount of ease. I wasn't used to wearing these types of uniforms, they always seemed to be too tight and lacked warmth. This one fit very well.
Once I had finished putting on the outfit, I walked over and opened the door to be greeted by two fully armed Cerberus guards. They lacked the heavy armor that the commandos yesterday wore, but they could easily mess me up if they tried.
"Follow me, doctor." One of them ordered, nodding towards the hallway as I silently obeyed.
I had made a focused effort to begin memorizing the layout of the station as I walked, taking note of guard placements, turret locations, and other factors, such as light levels. Anything that could possibly prove useful in the future. Six minutes later we were back in the X3 lab. The Director was here waiting for me.
"Good morning, doctor." He greeted with an air of hidden, smug superiority. He had the same calculating look practically tattooed on his face.
I ignored his greeting, instead walking down the entrance ramp and looking directly at the skeletal outline of the Spatial Distortion Device before me.
"Doctor?" He asked as I continued to stare at the device.
Looking once more at the device, I pondered my options, which numbered in the single digits. I could either build this device for Cerberus, giving them the means to cause untold damage to space and time, refuse to cooperate and be put in a situation where I can no longer have any possible free movement, or get myself killed while trying to escape. None of these seemed like appealing options, but I had to choose one now and stick with it.
"I have to apologize for yesterday, things were moving fast and I wasn't thinking quite clearly." I feigned with as much sincerity as I could.
"I'm sure we'll be able to work out a productive relationship doctor." He began before letting a frown cross his face. "I'm more worried about your colleagues. Will you be able to ensure their cooperation?"
"Don't worry about them, I'll make sure they do what they're told." I replied rather coldly as I crossed my arms and looked back to the skeleton. "What I need in the meantime is access to copies of our old research papers related to the SDD, an uninterrupted flow of high grade titanium, and as much coffee as possible. You do this, and I'll make sure you have the SDD by the end of April."
The Director looked hard at me for a few moments, likely trying to ascertain any hidden motives or ideas I could be plotting. Failing to find any in plain sight, he allowed his expression to soften slightly before speaking.
"Very well then, doctor." He agreed as we shook hands. "As long as you and your colleagues cooperate, I can guarantee you will have all of that and more."
I nodded in stern agreement, knowing the easy part of this complicated process was over. Now it was time for the hard part. Convincing everyone to play along.
…
Cerberus Space Station "Barn", March 23rd, 8:49 AM, 2184
…
It took a while for these Cerberus crones to get everyone here, but finally there were all here. I was happy to see that no one had been hurt in the time since our abduction, but it was readily apparent that no one was currently pleased about our situation. There was no better example of this than Dan, who had already been able to tell what was behind me. He looked as if he was barely containing his fury.
He was certainly going to be the biggest rouge factor in this little improvised speech of ours. I needed his cooperation in this not only to help in the project at large, but also because I didn't want to leave him with any lingering animosity. I didn't want these Cerberus bastards to ruin our friendship.
I took in a deep breath, looking hard at everyone before starting.
"Well… uh… I'm glad to see you all here today." I began, only just now realizing how badly this could go. "There's no real easy way to explain this, so I'll just put it all out now. Cerberus is assigning us to this portion of the facility to work on what is known as the Spatial Distortion Device. Me and Dan have a sordid history with this thing, but I think if we all work together, we can build it and make it work."
"Alright, time out for a minute." Sira interjected, walking towards the platform I was standing on. "First off, what the hell kind of device is this? Second, do you really expect us to work with these bastards?"
"In layman's terms, the Spatial Distortion Device is capable of making traversable wormholes to any point of the universe. Utilizing strong magnetic fields and specially designed micro particle accelerators, we utilized a rewritten iteration of the Schwarzschild metric in order to transmit matter across space in an instant."
"You say this as if you've done it before." Jack discerned, making is way forward. "Is this what you and Dan have been so hesitant to talk about all these years?"
I stared long and hard at my friends, knowing that this would be the first time every telling them about Area 51.
"Look, the truth is… Dan and I used to work in a United States Air Force facility known as Area 51. We were hired to finish the work on this device, and actually succeeded." I explained, beginning to pace back and forth. "Unfortunately, the device was struck by a massive power surge that originated somewhere else on the base, and the device was subsequently destroyed."
"Wait, United States Air Force?" Dimitri questioned, looking understandably confused. "United States Air Force hasn't existed since 2096. How could you have worked for them?"
"Sean and I weren't born in the 2150s, we were born in the 1990s." Dan answered for me, chiming in while avoiding my gaze. "The accident occurred in the 2020s, and through sheer freak luck we ended up here in 2180."
"Hold on, are you two serious?" Sira interjected, wrinkling her brow. "You two traveled through time? How is that even remotely possible?"
"We have no idea how it happened, it just did." I finished, shaking old thoughts from my head. "So, what do you guys think?"
All of them looked conflicted, which boded well for my in a really scummy sense.
"I refuse to work for any of these Cerberus bosh'tets!" One of the marines shouted at me, sounding understandably heated. He was shouted down by the sergeant, who gestured to be quiet.
Seeing him give out that gesture gave me an incredible idea.
"Guys, pay attention to me for a few moments." I asked, waiting for them to face be before beginning.
"If we just do what they want, we'll be treated well and we can still contribute to humanity." I buttered up, knowing that the Cerberus bastards were listening to every word I was saying. "Maybe we've been looking at them the wrong way, and I don't think there's any harm to giving them a chance."
While saying this bullshit, I used a mixture of human and quarian sign language to vaguely convey what I really wanted to say. Roughly, I said "Cooperate, build trust, build escape plan. Trust me."
I was fortunate that everyone caught on to what I was doing. Slowly but surely, they recognized my hand signals and facial tics.
"Well… when you put it that way, maybe we can create beneficial relationship." Dimitri agreed as he and the others smiled.
The groundwork was set. We would play The Director's little game for the time being.
…
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait for this chapter. It's been stressful this last month and a half with job troubles, financial difficulties, and my grandfather being hospitalized. All of this, coupled with a bad writer's block and little free time have not been making story progress easy. I'm very sorry.
The gang is in a difficult position now, having been fully ensnared by Cerberus and the Barn's leader, The Director. I know most people shun Mass Effect: Infiltrator, but I always thought the Barn was an interesting location that didn't get the attention it deserved. Things will change, don't worry.
I'd love to read any reviews, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Stay tuned!