Chapter 42

"Miranda!" Shepard rushed over. "So glad to see you."

Miranda clicked across the Summit's crowded back stage. "Glad to see me, Shepard? Or your dress uniform?"

Shepard snatched the hanger from her. The roar of voices from the auditorium around the corner felt like a ticking clock. Shepard darted though the crowd of award recipients and past the buffet table.

"That Alicia Mason?" Miranda asked.

"Uh, probably. Getting some award," Shepard said.

"Wrote a brilliant paper on cross-species transplant. Her work was innovative for medic supplies and protocol. Finally, someone's getting an award for something more having a fast trigger finger. Surprised she's here with her brother and father …"

"Sick?" Shepard said quickly and nodded as they passed two Alliance officers in dress uniform. "I'm a little surprised myself. Must be an important award."

Shepard's eyes keyed in on the back hall off the reception area.

"Don't forget our picture together, Shepard," a smooth voice said.

Shepard stopped short. Miranda stumbled against her. A slender figure lounged on a sofa against the wall.

"Aria?" Shepard said. "Hey. You know, I actually needed to talk to you."

"Shepard, the Summit's starting in minutes," Miranda murmured in her ear.

Aria ran her eyes up and down Miranda before turning to Shepard with a smirk. "Better mind your celebrity handler, Shepard."

Shepard checked the time on her Omni-Tool and gave a growl. She pointed at Aria. "Later. I have a proposition you're going to like. There's someone I need to run it by, but—"

"Shepard," Miranda hissed.

"Later." Shepard pointed at Aria again.

Aria returned a lazy shrug. Shepard turned away with a skip and rushed toward the back hallway. She slipped out of the crowd and around the back corner into a dark hall.

Miranda squinted standing at the corner. "What's back here?"

"It's labeled." Shepard pointed at the exit sign glowing at the end of the hallway. She dropped the hangered dress uniform on the floor and untucked her shirt. "Be my lookout."

"You're changing here? Really, Shepard?"

"I don't have time."

Miranda sighed, hand on her hip, and tipped her head back to look out at the crowd.

"You look unkept," Miranda said turning back to her.

"That's what I'm trying to rectify."

Shepard threw her pants against the wall. They slid on to a heap atop her discarded shirt.

"If we'd taken the first corner, Shepard, you could have warmed up the crowd for the Councilors' entrance."

"I was waiting for you to say something like that."

Shepard lifted the hanger of clothes off the floor.

Miranda sighed. "They're probably wrinkled now."

"Five-second rule." Shepard stripped a dress shirt off the hanger. "See? Just fine."

"Can you even tell in the dark? The councilor next to you onstage is going to be pointing out the wad of chewing gum on your sleeve."

"You can give me the once over."

"And if you don't pass? The Plan B you just took off is now also a wrinkled mess on the same floor."

"Ha!" Shepard buttoned her jacket. "Plan B's what you're wearing."

"I don't think so, Shepard."

"What? You'd take a bullet for me but not swap clothes?"

"I've seen how you treat clothes." Miranda nodded at the lump against the wall. "If I take a bullet for you, I'd better get better treatment than that."

"So morbid." Shepard tugged on the bottom of the jacket and stood tall. "Passable?"

Miranda flashed her Omni-Tool light into Shepard's face.

"Miranda." Shepard raised a hand and squinted through her fingers at Miranda.

"Passable." Miranda turned the light off. "Now where do you want us? Your posse's in the backroom."

"Was there a good turn out?" Shepard brushed past Miranda.

"You said come armed and ready for trouble. Of course, they came. You say show up for silent bingo and Beethoven, they'd show up, Shepard."

Miranda snagged her arm, and turned Shepard to face her.

"What?"

Miranda picked at Shepard's hair shifting strands down her part. "You're unkept, as I said."

"Fixable?"

"There." Miranda nodded. "Your makeup …"

"I tried not to wash it off in the shower. I can only do so much."

Shepard walked back into the backstage reception hall.

"You sleep on your side? Your makeup's worn off on the left side."

"I'll make sure to only face my right side to the audience then."

"The Summit gains in entertainment value."

Faces smiled and nodded as Shepard rushed around them.

"Quite the guest list," Miranda murmured. "Afraid of offending someone so they invited everyone?"

Shepard skirted along the wall. "Opening ceremony. Lots of awards. Introductions. Photo ops."

"Congratulations by the way. The Laurel."

Shepard loosened the button on her collar and shrugged. "I should split it a dozen ways. It's not just mine."

"It's yours, Shepard. It's for the crucible. None of us were there."

"I know. Not a day goes by I don't know that."

They turned down away from the crowd and down a hall lined with doors.

"What on Earth does that mean?" Miranda asked catching up with her.

"It means …" Shepard stopped in front of a door. "No one knows what happened up there. Maybe I shouldn't be getting a damned award."

"Damned award?" Miranda put her hands on her hips. "Hope that isn't going to be in your acceptance speech."

"It's already on my cue cards."

"Don't be cheeky."

"Cheeky?" Shepard jabbed the door's open button. "I like that."

"After you," Miranda said as the door slid open.

XXX

Shepard glanced at the faces as they started to stand.

"Any questions?" Shepard asked.

She only got headshakes around the small backstage room. Voices swelled as people moved around.

"We know what we need to do, Shepard," Garrus said coming up to her. "Can't do much with that kinetic shield enclosing the stage."

"I know. Just keep your eyes open. There could be trouble in the crowd or from outside."

"I've studied the nuclear warhead's schematics." Tali came up beside Garrus. "Downloaded some upgrades on my Omni-Tool. I think it's very doable if … well, hopefully we won't need it. Where's Kaidan?"

"By the stage."

"He's seen the schematics too?" Tali asked.

"He's the one that gave them to me. Pearls before swine. But I knew where to get them."

Tali sighed and turned her head to Garrus. "I wish I wasn't scheduled on stage. I want to pace around with a gun like you."

"You'll be plenty of help where you are, Tali," Shepard said.

"Shep. What the hell are we gonna do out in that bony ass hallway for eight hours?"

"Jack." Shepard turned to Jack. Grunt and Javik flanking her. "It's important. Trouble will be either coming in or going out."

"Did I ask why we're doing it? Not my question."

"Do whatever you want for entertainment," Shepard said. "The Summit's streaming live."

Jack rolled her eyes. Javik and Grunt seemed equally thrilled.

"Trade off with someone for a few hours if it's such a death sentence," Shepard said and glanced around the room. She waved at Miranda. "Hey, Miranda. You're starting at the stage. After a bit, why don't you trade off with Jack?"

"Shepard, please." Miranda tossed her head and gave Jack a once-over. She smirked.

"The fancy bitch thinks she's too good to stand in the hallway?"

Miranda rolled her eyes away with a hiss of breath. "You'd actually need to put on clothes if they let through the front door."

Jack's face cut into a grin above brightening eyes. "If you—"

"Enough," Shepard said putting up her hands. "Everyone to their spots. The Summit starts soon. Now where's … Ah! Liara."

Liara stood rigidly in the corner, a dark wrinkle between her eyes, and snapped off her Omni-Tool screen. She looked up with a hard glint in her eye.

"I was listening," she said in a soft voice, "but I never heard my part."

"Keep your ear to the ground," Shepard said and walked over to her. "You have sources out there?"

"Of course. I have sources everywhere." Liara folded her arms and looked levelly at Shepard. "I hear all sorts of things."

"Good." Shepard nodded. "Anything unusual, let me know. The whole of HQ building could be a strike zone. If the Scorpion's here, he'll have something lined up to escape."

"That's all?"

"Check in with Kaidan and Miranda. They're watching the stage. They may need you to stand in."

"Very well."

Shepard frowned at her. "Everything good?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Liara's mouth stiffened. She glided to the door. "I'll let you know if anything happens, Shepard."

Shepard nodded and scanned the group for the anyone she hadn't touched base with yet.

"James!" She came up behind him. "You got the Summit itinerary I sent?"

"Uh, think so," he said turning to face her.

"Check before I head off." Shepard pointed at his Omni-Tool.

James brought up the extranet browser. "You messaged it to me?"

Shepard squinted at his screen and moved in closer. "What's that?"

James flipped over to his messages. "What?"

"That other page you had up. Some Alliance soldier's profile." Shepard frowned. "Why? You know him?"

"No. Do you?"

"No." Shepard studied him. "Why are you so shifty?"

"Shifty? I ain't shifty, Lola."

"Uh, yeah. You are. What's with that soldier? Why you checking him out? You know something."

"What? No. This has nothing to do with that." James avoided her eyes. "Just seeing what he's about, you know?"

"And?"

"Seems all right." James shrugged and turned to his Omni-Tool. "This the itinerary, Lola?"

Shepard peered over his shoulder. "Yep."

"Chido."

"Now, tell me the truth. I'll just keep bugging you."

"Lola, come on." James looked her in the face. Shepard put her hands on her hips. "Okay, fine. Saw him taking Rebecca out. Just, you know … curious."

"Sizing up the competition you mean."

"Competition? Nah. That ain't it. Just curious."

"Uh huh," Shepard stifled a grin. "Well, just make sure you read the agenda. Let's head out. Everyone, move out. Comms online."

Shepard head to the door. James and Miranda followed her out.

"You sure you want me backstage?" James said. "Shouldn't Jack be here. I ain't a biotic."

"Exactly. You're Alliance. Wandering around should go unnoticed. Besides, bullets take down a biotic terrorist just as well as a biotic throw."

"Damn good point, Lola."

The noise level ratcheted up as they neared the stage entrance. Shepard halted short of the bright light peeking through the curtains. She raised her voice to them.

"Take side entrances. I'm going onstage for some intro thing."

"Not your award?" James asked.

Miranda gave a slanted smile and shot Shepard a look.

"What?" James said.

"You think anything gets accomplished during the first two hours of a meeting like this?" Miranda asked.

James frowned. Shepard hesitated at the corner of the stage and listened. Wait … damn. They were already introducing the agenda items for day three. They'd probably called for her when introducing the key people on stage. They must have finally just pushed ahead when she never came. She'd better join the pack. She turned back to Miranda and James and waved the off.

"Go," she said.

She took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage. A salarian subcouncil attendant paused between sentences at the front podium, and a few murmurs moved through the audience as she joined the cluster of Alliance VIPs. The stage lights' glare blinded her from seeing the audience, but the heavy noise rolling onto the stage told her enough about how many there were.

The salarian cleared his throat and continued as Shepard stepped in beside Admiral Hackett. The frown he gave her out of the corner of his face said enough. He sighed and focused back on the salarian as he introduced the agenda for day four.

Across the stage on the other side of the statue, the Councilors stood at their lecterns. They had a heavy presence even pushed off to the side to allow for a stage-full of the top honorees and war figures. There were only three Councilors just like the olden days. They obviously hadn't been receptive to the Alliance's other options for human council alternate. Admiral Wilson had to be fuming somewhere. Maybe that's why it was so hot up here. Or maybe it was just the lights.

If the Council meant to strong arm her into the spot by turning down other Alliance options, they were going to be mistaken. It only made her want to dig her heels in further. That reflex was one thing she did share with the council. Damn, she was glad she wasn't over there with them - swaying under the overhead lights, gripping a lectern as the hours wore by, voices droning, opinions traded, but nothing decided, on and on. In a little while, she'd file off stage and wouldn't need to come back up until she received the damn award. If they really knew what it meant, they'd be glad she wasn't standing at a lectern directing all the big decisions.

She swallowed and straightened. Her eyes were starting to adjust. Kaidan was a shadowy figure to her right standing below the stage. He leaned almost idly against the stage just inside the kinetic shield with his arm resting on the stage's surface. As if feeling her watching him, he turned away from surveying the crowd. Their eyes met, and he gave her a thin smile.

She wished he was in armor, but it would be too suspicious. He was still in his uniform from the night before. Shepard smirked. She should have had Miranda bring him something too, if only for his reaction. His face alone when he realized she'd dug through his clothes, then the patronizing way she'd present the outfit she'd chosen for him to wear - if Shepard had only thought of it. It would have required a little breaking and entering, but nothing Miranda couldn't pull off.

A shadow moved next to Kaidan, and Shepard strained to make out the slim silhouette. Liara. She stood just off to the side toward the back. Shepard frowned. They should be spread out, not grouped together. Spread out, you could close in and surround. Packed together and a few well-placed grenades or biotic bursts, and you were down not one but two. Kaidan knew better. Shepard gritted her teeth and tore her eyes away.

She stared into the bright lights. Somewhere along the line, Liara had decided she was more Kaidan's friend than she was Shepard's. It was a childish thing for Shepard to care about, and that's if 'friends' was even the right word. Shepard's imagination spilled open with images of them together – Kaidan's thumb tracing Liara's cheek as his lips brushed down her jaw to her throat, her fingertips digging into his skin as they trailed down his back, the soft moanings and sighs. Shepard drew in a sharp breath like pulling in specks of glass and shoved the images away.

"And on the agenda for day six-" the salarian continued.

Shepard shifted on her feet and forced her mind to focus on ceremony. It was going to be a long day.