Note: Apologies for the delay, life.

Chapter 66: Playing The Game

Jack sat on the edge of the bed still unable to believe Saren and Miranda had actually talked the Turian ship into coming along. Even though their presence didn't bode well for his freedom after the mission was over, he was still grateful for the help. Having an entire army with him might be enough for the Council to come around one of these days. Who was he kidding? The Council wouldn't believe Sovereign was a Reaper even when they saw him with their own eyes as it destroyed the Destiny Ascension, an army of Turians wasn't going to change their mind. Then again, he might not make it out of this whole thing alive so worrying about what came after was stupid.

The pat, pat, pat of Kal's fists slamming into the punching bag stopped making him look up. He wished he could make Kal less fearful of losing Zero but, nothing he said or did would change that. EDI had been right about everything so far so, Jack trusted the fact that they had sixteen hours to find her and everyone else but, he couldn't deny that ten of those hours were going to get ate up in transit. Then they had to find her in an unknown territory filled with hostiles and during that time, the Collectors could speed up whatever process they were doing to her. How were they realistically going to destroy a Collector world anyways? Was it like Sovereign's old shell meaning a shot to the drive core would blow it up? Or was it an actual planet? If that was the case they were going to have to use the Turians help to bomb the planet.

Kal turned to face him with a huff from hitting the punching bag too hard, "I wish we had never of met that kriffing Geth on Feros. Basing every decision you make on the numerical odds of something happening is a great way to get people killed."

He definitely understood where Kal was coming from with that. Because Legion was synthetic, he didn't grasp the nuance of redemption and the fact Saren had more to him then his public persona over the years. Having seen Saren crying over the last known recording of Nihlus, a man he obviously truly loved, Jack was convinced he would do the right thing without the chip. However, Jack always tried to see the good in people, something Legion didn't have the comprehension for. Even if a few of the crew members ultimately died, Legion saw himself as preventing even more genocide. If Rael and Legion were separated he would have put the Geth down for almost jeopardizing their whole mission. As everything stood though, they needed Rael's mind if he was really on the verge of a breakthrough on stopping the Reapers.

Jack stood up and grabbed the other side of the punching bag to give Kal some resistance, "If we lose people because of what he did I'm going to shoot him myself. I just don't know what to do about Rael, if there's even a small chance he's right we're going to need him."

Kal started hitting the bag again, "If we can stop Sovereign now, we're not going to need to worry about a Reaper invasion again later."

Jack gave him a knowing smirk, "Do you really think we'll be that lucky? I thought we were done after the Citadel and yet the Collectors were a back up plan to restart the cycle. What would you do with Legion? Seriously? Knowing that Rael has a way to defeat them."

Kal peeked around the bag to look in his eyes, "You really want to hear what I think?"

Jack raised an eyebrow with a grin, "It's why I asked didn't I? I feel like I haven't really gotten your opinion about this whole mess we're in enough, so, I might as well start now."

Kal went back to punching the bag, "Legion deserves to die for what he did to the crew all on his own. That kind of loose cannon decision making is dangerous for the mission. But we need Rael just in case, so I think we should try to separate them. Keep the AI chip and give it a new body."

He listened quietly trying to think over what Kal was saying. Kal's thinking was technically right, anyone willing to sacrifice the crew over a personal fear deserved to die, or at least not be on the team. However, his judgement might not be coming from the right places. For one, the Quarians had been against the Geth for over three hundred years. Even though he had divorced himself from the fleet, it had to be tempting to want to eliminate the entire Geth race once and for all. The other reason Kal was so bent on breaking Legion was Zero. She was like his daughter to him and now was potentially dead because of Legion's actions. Anyone in his position would naturally want the Geth's head on a spike. Still, from a rational standpoint Kal was right, Legion and the other ten Geth programs he was protecting were a liability.

A rather hard kick to the bag made Jack wince, "How long would that take? We don't have a lot of time right now to separate two AI."

Kal slowed down with light hits, "Not enough and we'd need Tali or another Quarian onboard. Just, keep him on the Normandy until we're done with the Collectors. Either we're all going to die and we won't have to worry about it or, we can figure out what to do with him later."

Jack was about to agree when his omni tool beeped with EDI calling, "Shepard, The Illusive Man wants to discuss the aftermath of what happens when we are done with the Collector base."

This was a call he had been waiting for since they got caught. He thought it would've been sooner to try and disuade him from joining the Turians. Especially if this particular group of Turians were somehow part of the mission to bring him down. Maybe he knew Jack blamed him for the Collector attack, or he just didn't care about how this played out. More than likely though, he had just came to the same conclusion Jack had; this arrangement between them had run it's course. The Illusive Man wasn't helping him stay in the shadows any longer since he was caught, and after Jack destroyed whatever he could, he wouldn't help Cerberus again. They would go back to their Humanity first agenda and their leader surely knew he would have no part in that.

Jack let go of the bag and sighed, "Thanks EDI, I'll be right there." He glanced at Kal, "Wanna give one final insult to the bosh'tet yanking us around after all this time?"

Kal continued punching the bag letting it swing back and forth, "I'm going to trust you to give him a good one while I stay here and keep practicing."

Jack frowned worrying about him, "You should get some sleep too, we have no idea how long we'll have to fight the Collectors once we get there."

Kal just stared at him for a few seconds, "Do you really think I'll be able to sleep right now? I'll rest after we save Zero. Besides, we have to be ready to kill Leng when things go south."

Jack forced a smile to hide his fear, "I love you no matter what happens. You know that right?"

Kal came around the punching bag to hug him, "I know. I love you too cyar'ika. Go give him a big middle finger from me please."

A part of him wanted to doubt the inevitability of things going south, hoping for a peaceful separation from Cerberus with Miranda's help. She still owed them for rescuing her sister on Illium as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately, Leng had tagged along for the mission and even though he pretended to be 'friendly' Jack knew it was an act. Whatever the reason Leng hated him so much was, it didn't just suddenly disappear after Cora's supposed death. He went to the briefing room determined to have Kal get at least a little bit of rest when he returned. Kal wouldn't do Zero or the rest of them any good if he was exhausted from ten hours straight of training. As the room started to change to the now familiar office, Jack took in the details one last time. If he was lucky they weren't going to ever have another conversation again.

The Illusive Man was sitting in the same chair, wearing the same business suit, and was smoking a cigarette like always. "Shepard, I wish I had more information for you. I don't like you heading through that Relay blind, but from what I understand, we don't have much of a choice."

Jack tilted his head, "That's it? Your not going to say anything about the attack, or the fact that I was captured by the ninth platoon?"

He took another puff of his cigarette, "The loss of the crew is certainly regrettable but, from the information I've gathered from Miranda and Leng it wasn't your fault." He grabbed the shot glass next to him and sipped it, "And I have no hard feelings towards the ninth platoon, no matter what Saren would have you believe. I doubt the parties involved even remember the incident."

Jack straightened up with a deep breath, "According to EDI, some of the crew might still be alive. We're going to stop the Collectors and save whoever we can on the ground."

The Illusive Man seemed to start with a sarcastic tone, "Always willing to take on the impossible. I've never seen such an amazing leader. Despite the danger, this mission is a great opportunity. The first Human to take a ship through... and survive. Who knows what kind of technological advancements you'll find there. Even the potential for a way to defeat the Reapers."

Jack folded his arms, "Let's not start counting this as a victory until we've actually won. There's still a long road ahead of us."

He bowed his head acknowledging the sentiment, "Understood, it's still impressive. I just wanted you to know I appreciate the risk your taking. Regardless of your opinion of Cerberus. Of me. You are... a valuable asset. To all of Humanity."

Jack tried not to smirk, "I don't work just for Humanity. I'm trying to protect the entire galaxy from the Reapers but, you already knew that. Flattery won't help get me to your side of thinking."

The Illusive Man shook his head, "I was hoping you would just take the compliment instead of pretending you have the moral high ground here. It's irrelevant though, if you survive the mission I've ordered Leng, Miranda, and Feron to take control of the Normandy. You and your personal team will be given a Kodiak shuttle to take wherever you wish."

Losing another Normandy was going to be tough, it's drive core had saved them more times than he could count. He had to remember this wasn't the same Normandy that saved the Citadel though. It was ultimately for the best if he was free from this particular Normandy. There was no telling what kind of surveillance systems The Illusive Man still had hidden on board. However, even if he could sneak away from the Turians, he didn't exactly feel comfortable leaving the Normandy in a Kodiak. If any of the Cerberus crew members felt like it, they could decide to use the Kodiak as target practice. He had a feeling Leng wanted him to have a more painful death but, would he really pass up the chance of an easy guaranteed kill? The Illusive Man could do better than that for them if he wanted.

Jack raised an eyebrow feeling skeptical, "That's all your going to do? After all the lies you've told me how am I supposed to believe you won't just kill us?"

He seemed impatient now, "Like I've said you are a valuable asset to Humanity. If the Reapers return I might need your help again, I'm not a fool Shepard."

Jack started to pace, "And Leng will just play along? He's not going to order the Normandy to shoot us down even though he hates me for something I wasn't responsible for?"

The Illusive Man finished his cigarette, "I assure you Leng has his reasons for wanting you dead but, he listens to me. You two can settle your feud another time, you have my word. Now, I have other business to attend to so good luck Shepard, your going to need it."

EDI's voice came through the room even before the lights returned, "Legion has been requesting to see you since Kasumi locked him up in the crew quarters. He has sent me 1.3 million request pings. You may want to speak with him before he attempts to overload my systems. I need to be focused on managing the Normandy's combat capabilities when the fighting starts."

This definitely wasn't what he needed right now but, so be it. "Alright I'll go see him. In the meantime just ignore the pings if you can."

After the short walk to the crew quarters he could already hear the shouting match. He had felt terrible he gave the ok for Saren to remove the chip, he hadn't thought about how Rael must feel. In his mind this was the second time in a few weeks Legion and Rael unintentionally caused the deaths of a ship's entire crew. On the one hand, Jack was relieved Saren was on their side officially now, on the other, what was the cost for his loyalty? The cost would obviously become more apparent after the Collectors were dealt with but, if it was what he predicted he wasn't sure if it was worth it. He had to decide how to talk to Legion about the mess he created. Jack could tell Legion truly didn't understand what was wrong with his actions especially from the mumbling argument going on behind the door.

Rael was the first voice he heard as he opened the door, "How is this my fault? If you had just allowed the procedure to happen the Collectors wouldn't have attacked the Normandy and we would be free right now."

Legion answered quickly, "But I potentially saved billions preventing another genocide Saren could've put into motion with your reckless actions. You saw the equations! There is a seventy percent chance he would turn on us for himself."

Jack interrupted them, "Numbers can't quantify a person's spirit Legion. Saren legitimatly wants to atone for his actions, not kill anyone else."

Legion was clearly offended, storming up to him, "Do you realize how he convinced Creator Rael to perform the procedure? By threatening the life of Creator Tali. He has not changed! He has not reformed! He is a traitor always interested in himself."

Rael sounded exhausted, "We've been over this Legion, he was only pointing towards what would logically play out in the scenario Cerberus betrayed us. It would've been better if you let me finish the procedure so we wouldn't have to worry about him attacking us on someone else's orders."

Legion countered back, "And because of you, we have to worry about him attacking us on his own!"

Jack tried to have an understanding tone with him, "What you did makes you no better than him Legion. You took it into your own hands to do something you thought was right without asking anyone for help."

Legion got louder, jabbing a finger at him, "I am nothing like him! I sacrificed thirty two crew members so we would have the peace of mind he wouldn't be able to kill millions like he doomed the Geth."

Jack was still patient with him, "A life is still a life Legion, numbers don't matter. I thought you wanted to stop the Reapers from killing people, not help them."

Legion didn't back down, "I'm not helping the old ones, I am taking preventive measures to insure they cannot succeed because of traitors!"

Jack rubbed his chin, "I know you think that way but, Saren has done nothing since losing his indoctrination to warrant what you did. I'm going to keep you in here while we deal with the Collectors."

Legion's metal flaps spread apart in surprise, "What?! You will need our expertise in dealing with Sovereign if you want to succeed! We will be able to navigate through the facility better than you'd be able to."

Jack retreated to the other side of the door, "You gave EDI all the information you have so she'll be able to get us in and out. I'm sorry Legion, but I'm not going to risk anyone else because you think they'll try to kill us someday."

He closed the door before Legion could say anything else. There was no point continuing to argue with a machine that would never be able to grasp what he had done. Hopefully, he wasn't making the wrong decision based on his personal bias to the Geth.

_o0o_

Feron closed his eyes not wanting to remember right now. He didn't want to relive how fast that angry moment became one of the best in his life. The way they touched each other with such feverish need to feel something, anything. Feron still didn't know if that was just a weak moment for them both after arguing about whether bringing her sister aboard was justified or something more. With all of his skills and training at reading people, Miranda seemed to be able to hide from all the usual tells making it impossible to tell whether she cared or not. However, he cared about her more than he should have in his line of work. He was supposed to bring her in, not fall for her. The memories were making it extremely difficult to do what he had to do right now.

His eyes went glassy sliding into a memory, "She marched with such purpose getting so close to me. I want to reach forward and sooth her anger with a kiss even though I know it was wrong. Her usually collected voice vulnerable for once, 'Do you know why I trusted you? Why I didn't kill you even though I knew you were really working for the Alliance all along? It was because I knew what you were after. Out of everyone in Cerberus, you were the one person who I could trust not to stab me in the back without me seeing it coming. Your a good person Feron, just too good for me.' I can't take it anymore, I lean in to kiss her, to show her she's wrong, that she has good inside her too.-"

He physically smacked himself before the elevator door would inevitably open and he'd be rambling on about how she tasted. No matter how he felt about what he was about to do, it had to be done for the good of the galaxy. The Illusive Man had to die and he was the only one that could pull it off. The problem he could feel was the fact that Leng didn't trust him when he should have. Feron would never get close enough to The Illusive Man if his inner circle didn't trust Feron's intentions. Since Miranda seemingly lost favor with the man she served after Illium, he had to gain Leng's trust and quickly. If Feron could've seen any other way to achieve that goal he would've taken it, he was out of options.

Feron stepped into the Normandy's cargo hold whispering to himself, "I hope you can forgive me someday siha."

Kai Leng was practicing his swordsmanship in the place the teenager presumably used to call home. The assassin's usual frenzied movements were replaced with a kind of dancers grace. His sword was often completely behind his back as he side stepped and avoided invisible attacks from the air. His new optical sensor must've been simulating an opponent for him to fight against. Feron would've been lying if he said the new calm version of Leng didn't make him worried for the Shepards. This kind of calm attitude usually came just before an assassin reached his target. A question he should be asking was who was the target, either of the Shepards or him?

He placed his hands behind his back, "Am I interrupting you?"

Leng continued practicing sword side swipes and back stabs, "I'm just getting ready for killing Collectors. What do you need Feron?"

Feron knew he had to go through with what he was about to say but, it didn't make him hurt any less, "I think Miranda's a traitor working for the Alliance for a long time."

Leng paused his attack to the air mid swing, "Do you have evidence to prove this? Otherwise, The Illusive Man won't listen to you. Trust me, I know."

Feron was thankful his optical sensor wasn't perfect because otherwise he would be called out for being a liar immediately, "I was looking through the Cerberus archives curious about Shepard's father when I was side tracked because I noticed several deletions. Take a look at what I found in Miranda's room." He reluctantly sent a copy of all the Andromeda Initiative information he had gathered for over the past two years, "A few days after the original date of deletion, the Turian sisters left to the Viper Nebula and their ship sent a message to the Alliance's high command."

Leng scanned the data but quickly meaning he already knew what was on it, "Good catch Feron. She won't be able to get out of it this time."

Feron tilted his head pretending to be curious, "What should we do about it? Go after the Turian to see what she was told?"

Leng went back to practicing with his sword, "No, the Nexus will have surely left by now. I'll warn the appropriate parties. You just be ready to take Miranda in with me when the time is right. She deserves to answer directly to The Illusive Man for what she did here."

Feron bit his lower lip, this confirmed his suspicions that the Initiative was important to Cerberus. "I'll await your signal."

He left wondering if this play was worth it.