AUTHOR'S NOTE: Got a review that I think would be wise to answer for everyone. All the DLC will be included both in ME2 and 3. This includes Kasumi and Zaeed, so don't worry about that. Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!
Commander John Shepard
What… what the… ugh… my eyes… blinding light. And… voices? But muffled. Everything… everything hurts. Everything aches. It feels like my skin and bone is burning. Like someone splashed acid on my brain even. I made out some words, a man's voice, I think. Aware of his surroundings, he said? My lungs, they have air? Last thing I remember was desperately trying… trying to get air. I blew the air out, and tried to suck more in. It hurt, but I'm a soldier. I fight through pain. The voice, they think he's waking up. He? Do they mean me? It would have to be, right? Did they find and rescue my body in time? Get me to the Alliance? I turned my head to the side, straining. There was a woman. I expected to see someone dressed as a doctor, but this woman was clearly anything but. She had black hair that went down just past her shoulders and wore what I could only describe as a form fitting catsuit. Mostly white, but black on the shoulders, with some kind of logo I don't recognize on the chest. The neck of the top even went down to show just a bit of cleavage.
Everything surged with even more pain. A lot of it. Like my entire body was just on fire. My breathing quickened.
"Damn it, Wilson. He's not ready! Give him the sedative!" I started to groan, cry out in pain, but all that came out, as my ears started to work again, was some kind of gurgling noise. I tried to move my arms. It hurt even more than it was. And they were strapped down by something. Where am I? The woman got down to my face, looking right into my eyes.
"Shepard, lie still. Try to stay calm. You'll be under again soon, and the pain will be gone," she reassured. Where am I? Did the others make it? I need to know. I tried to ask.
"Don't try to speak. We can answer your questions when you've healed."
"Heart rates still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts."
"Another dose, now!" Where am I? Why do I hurt so much? This can't be a hospital. I looked to the side, the Woman was looking at a console. Something monitoring my vitals. My heart rate was soaring. And that only made me even more nervous. I got a glimpse of the room. This didn't look like a hospital. This looked like a lab. What… my vision started to get hazy, to fade. I felt a cool liquid enter my arm. The pain started to subside, I got woozy.
"Heart rates dropping. Stats-" the voices were muffled again. The woman stood over me again. Blue eyes, fair face…
"Where… Tali…" I croaked out. Everything went black.
My head hurt, my face burned, but only a bit. The same burning feeling scattered seemingly randomly across my body. But it was manageable pain. And I heard… an alarm? I struggled to open my eyes, as the light was near blinding again, but it started to subside as my eyes adjusted. I was wrapped in a cloth, no, a medical gown. I was on an operating table. I moved to run my hand across my face and found that I wasn't strapped down this time. My hand was… surprisingly smooth. Lacking the scars and roughness it had gathered over the years. But my face on the other hand, I felt new cuts and marks. Right at the burning sensations. I even felt my beard, trimmed, surprisingly.
"Wake up, Commander," a woman's voice spoke over an intercom. Wait, the voice of the woman from… from before. I heard gunfire. I shot right out of the bed, and felt… invigorated. Already I had glanced around and evaluated the room. A medical bay, with some lab equipment. Some consoles, some machinery. Only one door out, but with a viewing platform above. There was fire. "This facility is under attack. Your scars aren't healed, but I need you to get moving."
"Yeah, I'm up, I'm up," I spoke. "Where am I? Where do I need to go? Can I get a gun? And who are you?" I questioned. Agh, felt a pain in my side, but it went away quickly.
"There's a locker on the far side of the room. You'll find your armor, and a pistol. Call me Miranda."
"Yeah, I see it." The metal floor felt cool on my feet as I made my way to the locker. It was already unlocked. I opened it, and inside were undergarments, an under suit for the armor, and… huh.
"Looks like they made some changes to the armor since I was out. And is this a new model of pistol?" I questioned, speaking aloud, hoping the woman, Miranda, would hear me.
"All improvements. Get suited up as quick as you can." I bore no complaint as I shrugged off the medical gown and got dressed. The under suit felt as form fitting as ever, but despite whatever changes had been done to the N7 armor, it was still just as natural as ever to get the armor on. It felt lighter, much lighter, but I wasn't so blind as to not see how thick the armor was. Or to ignore the ballistic weaves lining the inside of the armor.
"No helmet?" I asked, not seeing one in the locker.
"Unfortunately not. Don't worry, your shields will still protect your head. Take the pistol, and find a thermal clip. It's empty," Miranda continued.
"Hold on, a thermal what now?"
"A thermal clip. We use those instead of heat sinks now. Allows us to make weapons significantly stronger, but a weapon can only fire so much before it requires a new clip."
"Oh. Well, will it still cool over time?"
"Not at a rate even remotely efficient."
"Seems damn stupid to me," I grumbled, taking hold of the pistol and inspecting it. The slot for what I presumed to be the thermal clip was in the handle, much like how old handguns would be loaded. It had two barrels, one on top of the other. I'd bet it just serves the same purpose as the double barrels on our Assault rifles. Just trying to distribute the heat more so that a barrel doesn't start melting. As for everything else, the weapon's safety, trigger, everything, was all more or less standard, in the same place the pistols I remember had theirs. Shouldn't be hard to learn or get used to. "So, what the hell do these clips look like?"
"Small red canisters. Cylindrical in shape. Now, I'll open the door for you. I'll try to stay with you, but I can't make any promises."
"Understood. Moving out," I answered. Rolling my shoulders back as I moved through the now open doors. Stretching as many muscles as I could, rocking my neck around. Feels good to move around now. The slight pains and burnings are going away, or, at least my body is ignoring them for the moment. Through the door, there was a body on the floor. A woman. And beside her, one of those thermal clips the woman on the intercom told me about. I picked it up, fiddled with it and the gun for a moment as I positioned it right for it to slide in and lock in place. Through the next door, in this small little… airlock? A barricade had been set up. Just a bench and some crates. I was about to mantle over when I heard the clanking of metal boots on a metal floor. Weapon out, I peeked the corner, seeing a humanoid mechanical figure. A security mech. Looks like the LOKI line of mechs. Not sure what changes have been made, let's just hope it's central processor is still in the head. The mech clearly saw me, and was starting to take aim, but I already pulled the trigger, and its head exploded into shrapnel. The kick of the pistol barely even registered for me. Damn, that's quite the change. I paused a moment to make sure.
There was a small ticking noise, and then the body of the mech self-destructed. Hardly much of an explosion, just enough to shred itself apart, scorch the floor, imbed shrapnel in the wall it was next to. I followed the only route available to me, up a staircase and into an observation room over the med-bay I was in. The door at the far end had its haptic interface glowing red. It was locked.
"Mechs on the other side of the door. Someone else is in the system, hacking those doors open. I'd keep it shut but you have to go that way," Miranda warned.
"Got it," I answered, sliding into cover, and taking aim with my pistol. The door opened with a cluster of mechs marching out. I shot the head of the one in the center, and let its self-destruct do the work for me. The mechs were using some sort of small submachine gun, judging by the bursts of gunfire passing over my head while I waited for it to detonate. And judging by the marks it was leaving on the wall opposite from them.
Not the most accurate of weapons, but fires rapidly enough that it doesn't need to be at this range. The mech detonated, and it caused a chain reaction with the others. This is child's play. I wonder what this saboteur has done to make these mechs cause so much damage? Separate non-combatants from security personnel? Separate individual guards from others? A coordinated defense, even from a surprise attack, should be able to make short work of LOKI mechs. As I passed through the doors those mechs came from, I got a better idea. There was a man and a woman running in the same direction as my goal in the adjacent hallway, which was perfectly visible to me through large, thick windows. But I saw something long before the pair could. A large, hulking mech of a model unfamiliar to me stomping out of a flaming room.
"Get back!" I shouted. I'm not sure if the glass was too thick, or if it was too late. But the mech opened fire, one of its arms a heavy machine gun, tearing the two to shreds. Splattering the glass with blood. At least the bullets weren't breaking the glass. I was left with no choice but to turn right. There were more bodies of non-combatants in pools of blood, all riddled with holes.
"More reinforcements heading your way, Shepard. There's a grenade launcher in the next room. Take it."
"Gladly," I remarked, stepping through the doors and seeing said launcher still in the grasp of a man's corpse. Apparently, rigor mortis had begun to set in, so I had to pry his fingers off. A door opened below, at the end of a hall, another group of mechs, LOKIs, pouring through. I could shoot one round to likely kill them all. Or I could shoot one explosive round to certainly kill them all, and have fun. It was an easy choice. I arched the launcher up, and fired, the weapon making a satisfying thwump as it lobbed the grenade. It landed at the mech's feet, and exploded. Unfortunately, I realized too late that one of the canisters by the door contained something flammable, and now a jet of fire was raging from the canister. By the time I took an elevator down, the whole tank had not yet detonated.
"Go, Shepard. There are safeties to keep it from detonating fully," Miranda reassured. Eh fuck it. I stepped back, and started a sprint, going much faster than I anticipated. I went down into a slide early, the heat cooking my face as I realized that maybe I instead timed it just right. I still made it past the fire, and I got to my feet. "You're doing great. Head to-" Static interrupted her. "Meet you- Shepard? -ead me? I've got... closing in…"
"If you can hear me, comms are scrambled. Don't know where to meet," I tried to respond. I got nothing back. So, I simply stepped through the next unlocked door I saw. A hallway, with another unlocked door on the other side. The hallway was still open on my right, but let's try the door first. I opened it, and there was a LOKI mech on the floor. Still online, but without its weapon, and missing a leg. I fired into its chest to solve that without causing it to explode. There were X-rays and medical readouts on monitors surrounding the room. Terminals. I saw a terminal still online, a journal entry accessed. I decided to let it play.
"Progress is slow, but the subject shows signs of recovery. Major organs are again functional, and there are signs of rudimentary neurological activity." It was Miranda. "As expected, to accelerate the process we are moving from simple organic reconstruction of the subject to bio-synthetic fusion. Initial results show promise." The subject? That can't be me, can it? My O2 was running short. That's all. This is a bit extreme for that. Who, or what, else is here? I saw another terminal at the other side of the room. I let it play as well. This time, it was the man from that first time I woke up.
"The cost of this project is astronomical. Over four billion credits so far. Nobody seems to care we've gone over budget." I let out a whistle. That is indeed a lot of money. "I don't know where the boss gets all his money. Maybe it's better not to know. I just wish he'd kick a little more in my direction once in a while." The boss? And not knowing where he gets his money? This is the Alliance, isn't it? True, I don't recognize these logos, but it could well just be the logo of some new division. Thoughts for a different time. I left the room and ventured down the hallway, up a staircase. Damn alarm was still blaring.
"Shepard!" a man called out. I looked to the left to see the main in a smoky room. Before I could answer, he turned to one of those massive mechs turning a corner. He cried out, and I looked away before the mech turned him into paste. I stepped through the next door way to find a larger, more open room. By a significant amount. Not sure what its purpose would be. There was more shooting. I continued to enter a firefight between a survivor, and a few more mechs. The survivor, a dark-skinned man with a head nearly shaved, was clearly security personnel. It was in his stance, his armor, if relatively light. He took down one mech, and then, with a wave of his hand, and a blue aura around him, another mech went airborne, spinning and floating slowly towards us. The biotic field dissipated as soon as it went over the railing, causing it to fall down, not sure how far yet, but I'd assume far enough. One mech remained, so I put a round right through its head. The man turned, saw me, and eyes went wide.
"Shepard?! What the hell?" the door across opened again, more mechs coming through. His attention immediately returned to the mechs. There were only three, so two got bullets, and the third went up and over. No more mechs followed. He stood, looking back at me. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress."
"Work in progress? I just woke up. Betting you know more than me."
"Right, right. Sorry. Name's Jacob Taylor. I'm chief of security here and Miranda Lawson's top lieutenant. Served five years in the alliance before this."
"Miranda? She was talking to me over the radio when I woke up. Lost contact just before running into you."
"She's still alive, thought so. She's the head of this facility, led the Lazarus team. It was her job to bring you back to life. No matter what."
"Sheesh. How bad was it? And how long?"
"Shepard, your body wasn't recovered before it entered atmo, before it hit the surface. I'm no doctor, but when I first saw you? Meat and tubes. Nothing but," Jacob explained hesitantly. I felt uneasy. I took a step to the side and steadied myself.
"How… how the fuck am I here, then? And how damn long was I… shit," I muttered.
"Project Lazarus is cutting edge tech. You want details, ask Miranda when we're out of here. As for how long? Over two years."
"Two fucking years? You're fucking shitting me," I exclaimed.
"Sorry, Shepard," Jacob shrugged. "That's the truth. For what it's worth, I know for sure you're not a clone. They wanted your mind back exactly as you were. Your body's the same, but enhanced. Extra bits."
"My crew. Tell me about my crew," I pleaded.
"Nearly everyone got out. The entirety of the ground team, the pilot, the doctor, chief engineer, even that chef you hired. A few servicemen and women didn't make it, unfortunately. As well as navigator Pressly."
"Damn, leaving me torn between relief and mourning here," I muttered.
"I know what you mean. I-"
"Check, check. Anyone on this frequency? Anybody still alive out there? Hello?" A man's voice questioned. Given Jacob's Omni-tool lit up, it was coming from his, on speaker. I hadn't even taken the time to mess with my own Omni-tool yet, assuming one was even in this armor. Which, I'd be surprised if not. Wait, I recognized that voice. Jacob put a finger to his ear.
"Wilson? It's Jacob. I'm here with Commander Shepard. Just took out some mechs over in D wing."
"He's alive?! How the hell-never mind. Get him out of there. Go to the service tunnels and head for the network control room," Wilson stated.
"Roger that. Stay on this frequency," Jacob responded.
"I recognize his voice. And I think Miranda said his name, checking on me one time when I woke up," I remarked.
"That's him alright. Chief of medical tech. Answers directly to Miranda," Jacob nodded. "Now, let's get moving."
"Lead the way." I followed the man through the next set of doors and into a hallway, spotting another clip on the ground along the way. I grabbed it, wondering how long it would take me to get used to this. Well, at least during an op I'm actually prepared for, I'd be stacked with these clips. Hopefully won't need to scavenge every clip I see. We entered the service tunnels, finding and neutralizing two mechs. My shields took part of a burst from one, but they held.
"Damn it, Wilson? Encountering mechs along the way. Can you find us a route that avoids them?" Jacob questioned.
"The station's crawling with them! The most I can do is try and give you a route with the least amount!" he responded.
"Well at least warn us if we're about to meet some," Jacob ordered, allowing some annoyance to creep through.
"Right, sorry. Ah shit, they've found me! Help! I'm in server room B!"
"Damn it, come on, need to hurry." Jacob and I began moving faster. Not breaking out into a sprint, but much faster than a careful approach. We got out of the service tunnels, down a hallway, up a staircase.
"Fuck! I'm hit! Aggh!" Through another door, we found him on the ground behind some crates, clutching a wound. Two mechs at the far side of the room getting closer. We took them out easily. "Jacob! Down here!"
"I got you," Jacob reassured, and applied some Medi-gel to the wound. Wilson breathed a sigh of relief and calmed as the painkillers in the gel did their work, as well as closing the wound. There were three other corpses on the ground. Jacob helped the man stand.
"I thought I could shut down the mechs, but whoever did this fried the whole system. Irreversible," Wilson murmured.
"Why do you even have security mech clearance? You were in the bio wing," Jacob questioned, brows furrowing.
"I came here to try and fix this! And I got shot for it! How else could you explain that?!" Wilson shouted back. Two ways I could chalk this up. Traitor, or just the normal response of a civvie who never thought they'd be in the middle of something like this.
"Is the middle of a station swarmed by mechs the best place for this?" I remarked. Jacob's features settled, and Wilson seemed to take another breath.
"You're right. Just need to find Miranda, can't leave her behind."
"Forget about her, she was over in D wing. Mechs were all over that sector. No way she survived," Wilson stated. Could just be nerves.
"A bunch of mechs won't drop her, she's alive," Jacob retorted, brows furrowed again.
"She was leading me along just before I met Jacob," I pointed out.
"Well that doesn't change facts. We're here, she's not. We need to save ourselves." As they had their little discussion, I let my eyes wander. On Wilson's shirt, mostly white with some grey, he had a logo on his shoulder. It was a hexagon, but longer than it was wide, vertically aligned, and along the bottom half, were a pair of lines against that of the hexagon, it went below, and a bit further than that hexagon, almost looking like it had fangs, for lack of a better word. It was the same logo on Miranda's uniform, and that logo was also on the chest, just over the heart, of Jacob's uniform. Why had I never seen it before?
"The shuttle bay is only a few rooms away," Wilson insisted.
"And so is D wing," Jacob crossed his arms over his chest. "We can-" the door at the far room opened, and three mechs marched in. Already firing. Wilson hit the deck faster than they could begin firing, while Jacob and I took a knee behind the crates. I noticed that by the door, was a large canister, clearly marked with an explosive warning. Fuel canisters of some sort. I fired a pair of rounds at it, just to be safe, and it exploded, destroying the mechs. It was then I noticed the display on my pistol. I had less than half the thermal clip left.
"Hey Jacob, anyway I can add more of a clip, but keep what's still unused?"
"Hm? Oh, right, course. The way these clips are made, they're segmented. Each shot goes into so many segments, not a bit of another segment. Want to put in a new clip early, just go ahead and pop it out. It ejects used parts out of the slot on the side, see?" he pointed it out to me. "Used parts of the clip are ejected right away. Just stick the new clip as far as you can, it'll lock, then just slide what's still outside to the side. It'll segment right off, and you can store it," Jacob even demonstrated with his own.
"Got it, thanks."
"No problem, but I can tell things are a bit tense. If I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" I raised a brow.
"Started getting the idea this wasn't exactly the Alliance a bit before I got around to you. Held out some hope, but, too much I guess." I crossed my arms over my chest. Eying the man. And Wilson.
"This really isn't the time, Jacob," Wilson murmured, nervously.
"We won't make it if he's expecting a shot in the back," Jacob retorted. That's further than I was suspicious of. If that's the length he goes to, who are these guys then?
"You want to piss off the boss? Fine, your ass then," Wilson took a step back. Jacob turned back.
"The Lazarus project. The program that rebuilt you? It's funded and controlled by a group called Cerberus."
Fucking. What?! My right hand flew right into Jacob's cheek while my left grabbed my pistol, shot Wilson in the foot. My right hand grabbed Jacob by the neck, lifted him up, allowing my left to grab him tight by the neck as my pistol was holstered. I lifted him up, pinning him against the wall. Wilson was crying out in pain and cursing. Jacob sputtered, and his hands went to mine, trying to give his throat some respite. How the hell was I doing this? Lifting a man up by his throat single handedly? Doing… all of this so fast even I could barely register it? This wasn't normal.
"What the fuck have you done to me?! What the fuck does Cerberus want with me?!" I shouted. I was absolutely livid.
"My toe! You shot my fucking toe off!" Wilson shouted. With my right I drew my pistol again and shot near the floor beside him.
"Did I fucking say you could speak, you Cerberus scumbag?" I looked back to Jacob. "Answer me, right fucking now, or the next bullet won't be at your friend, but right into your fucking skull." He tried to speak, sputtering, grunting more. Guess I was holding too tight. I loosened my grip. Just by a little bit. He took a few deep breaths.
"I-I only know two things," he coughed. "You're Humanity's best, and the Reapers. Want you to help stop them."
"I left my warnings. The Alliance knew. Anderson knew, the Council knew," I growled. "Why was I needed?"
"They've forgotten. Ignored the warnings. All I know. Illusive Man will explain everything. I promise." I held him against the wall a moment longer.
"Who's the Illusive Man?"
"Head of Cerberus. Poured almost endless resources into this." Damn it. The fucking Reapers. And if he's telling the truth? Nothing's being done to prepare? Goddamnit, guess I need to fix that. And, hell. If I get to meet the Illusive Man? Well, guess I've got a bullet with his name on it. Or I can just strangle him. Then I'll shoot my way out, or die in the process. If I get out, get back to the Alliance, get the crew back together, get word back out about the Reapers, hunt Cerberus down. I dropped Jacob to the ground, he fell to his knees, clutching his neck, coughing. I squatted down, nudging the barrel of my pistol against his head.
"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to give your friend some more Medi-gel. We'll continue along to the shuttle bay, but both of you will be in front of me at all times. When we get to the shuttle bay, we will then leave, with or without Miranda. You will take me to your boss. And if any of you make one wrong move, I will shoot you both, leave here on my own, and head straight back to the Alliance. Got it?"
"Yeah. Got it," he coughed. "Think… think later you can tell me just what the hell happened for that kind of reaction?" I scoffed.
"You expect me to believe you don't know anything about the atrocities your little group has committed? Get on with it," I growled.
Slowly, Jacob stood and got over to Wilson. Applying more Medi-gel, and taking the disconnected toe out from Wilson's boot, putting it in Wilson's pocket. Thinking it might be able to be reattached, I suppose. I didn't miss the terrified glances he kept shooting my way. As ordered, the two walked in front of me, and I kept my pistol out and ready, watching for the slightest move I didn't like. In an adjacent hallway, there were more bodies. Now, I wasn't pitying them. It almost brought a sadistic smile to my face. That many less scumbags in the universe. We kept moving until we got a door, that, according to the others, had mechs on the other side. The gunfire that came through the door, pock marking the wall with bullets is what confirmed it for me though. Jacob got two shots off, before taking cover.
"Uh… can we get some help?" he asked nervously.
"That depends. Is their cover you can take a bit further in?"
"Shepard, really?" Wilson exclaimed, nervous.
"Jacob's a biotic. He can give you two a barrier to move up, and I'll shoot mechs from back here, behind you. You know, I'm actually glad you told me about who you work for, Jacob. Now I don't have to worry about keeping either of you safe. I value your existences less than those of the mechs shooting at us! Ain't that just swell?" I remarked casually, eying my pistol, and then them. I think Wilson was about to piss himself. Jacob was starting to show some nerves himself. He peeked the corner and shot two more rounds
"Wilson, on three." He counted down, and on three, Jacob glowed with biotics and the two sprinted forward. I then casually took position behind the wall. Two mechs were left. On an upper catwalk. I fired two shots off, and two mechs went down.
"Move along, little shitbags. Move along," I urged, stepping out from the corner. I saw a route to the left that would take me towards the end of this room, the shuttle bay, I noticed. The catwalk lead somewhere to the left, and the right. "Which way are we going?"
"Up there to the right," Jacob answered. "Then I'll head up to the left over there, you two can go up along the right then, in case any mechs are over there," I ordered casually. The two glanced amongst each other. But they moved, and I did too. I checked my corner by the door to be safe. Two mechs inside, dormant for the moment. I took them both down before they fired at me. Rounds impacted my shields from behind. Seems there were also more mechs in the area between where the scumbags and myself are, they were just folded up for a moment. I took them both down too, while Jacob got to work on a small group that just came through the door I assume we were going for. I counted five. Jacob shot one in the head, and its detonation took out two more. I shot another in the head, impressive for this distance, but perhaps aided by these enhancements, and that explosion took out the other. We moved along to the door, still keeping my distance.
"Door's locked down, I'll try to open it," Wilson grunted. He opened his Omni-tool, and immediately it opened. That Miranda woman was on the other side. She locked eyes with Wilson, and grimaced. "Miranda! But you were-" he got to say no more. She had apparently drawn her own pistol, placed it against him, and fired. He gasped, and fell to the floor. She fired a pair of rounds into his head.
"Dead?" she asked the corpse bitterly.
"What the hell, Miranda?" Jacob exclaimed.
"Killing each other huh? Doing my job for me. Splendid," I remarked, arms crossed over my chest. Miranda eyed me with a brow raised, no doubt wondering, suspecting, perhaps, why I said that.
"I'm doing my job, Jacob. Wilson betrayed us all. Seems the Shadow Broker paid him off. He caused this," Miranda explained coldly.
"The broker, huh? Assume that has something to do with me."
"When we were attempting to recover your body, The Broker proved an obstacle. We had to retrieve you from them."
"Great. Then let me tell you exactly what's going to happen." I began.
"I already know what's going to happen. We-"
"Word of advice. Don't interrupt me. I know who you work for," I sneered. Miranda frowned at Jacob.
"I see someone's conscience got in the way again."
"Lying to him is no way to get him to join our cause," Jacob retorted.
"Nothing, will ever make me join your cause. Now, shut up. You can get marriage counselling later, if I decide to let you live. We're going in that shuttle, and reluctantly, I will allow you to take me to your boss to see just what he wanted me back for. We'll go from there. I will remain facing the cockpit from the back of the shuttle, pistol ready. Any wrong moves, and I shoot you both."
"Good enough for me." Miranda glared back. The three of us stood there, no one moving. "Well? Are you coming or what?"
"By all means, you first," I gestured towards the shuttle with my pistol. She sighed and muttered under her breath. We entered the shuttle, I took a seat near the back, Jacob by the cockpit. Miranda passed through the door into the cockpit. And I watched. Keeping focused.
An hour or so later, Miranda entered the compartment, and took a seat by Jacob. I've been struggling not to let my mind wander.
"Before you meet with the Illusive Man, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition," Miranda began.
"Fucking pissed. How's that for my condition?" I glared.
"He took down those mechs without any trouble, and his memory is clearly intact. What else do you need," Jacob asked.
"It's been two years and twelve days. He knows Shepard isn't exactly happy, and yet, he still wanted questions. Verify that both his personality and memories are intact. I'm going to ask," Miranda retorted. She raised a brow towards me.
"Ask, I'll be sure to make the answers quite colorful."
"Tell us about your childhood. Just the generics, what anyone would read in your service record or news report."
"Born on Earth, April 11th, 2154. Hannah and Adam Shepard. Alliance family. Spent most of my childhood on Arcturus."
"And what of your service before becoming an N7?" Miranda questioned.
"Glad you asked. Now I can list off some of my grievances with you bastards. First, it was Akuze. Lone survivor of my unit. Or, so I thought."
"Wait, wait, wait. Other's survived?" Jacob asked, eyes wide.
"Two others survived the thresher maws. But only one of them survived you. While I was running around, chasing down Saren, Hackett gave me a tidbit of scientists turning up dead, all with a history of some project on Akuze right around that time. Went to go find the last, and find a bunch of mercs where that Scientist was. Lo and behold, who do I find pointing a gun to the head of the scientist? Corporal Toombs, my second. He told me everything. What you did to him. Injecting him with Thresher Maw acid, for starters. Yeah, I know all about how you bastards lured us down here, killed most of my men, tortured one to death in sick experiments, and nearly killed another," I growled.
"What the fuck…" Jacob murmured. "Miranda, did you know?"
"First I've heard of this. I suspect Toombs to be mistaken as to who's responsible."
"Oh yeah? Well, how about the fact that on Edolus, I did a favor for Rear Admiral Kahoku. His men had gone mission on that planet. I investigated, and a Thresher Maw had wiped out his unit, just like mine. His men lured by a distress beacon. Just like mine. Kahoku followed up on this, and sent me a message while he was on the run from Cerberus. You were responsible for that too. Followed coordinates in his message, and damn, what I found… Cerberus experimenting on Rachni and Thorian creepers. And Kahoku dead by some sort of injection. And don't you dare say we're mistaken. We found plenty of Cerberus files there, and elsewhere.
I couldn't help but notice Jacob leaning back in his seat, thinking. Miranda still seemed skeptical.
"Where did you go after Akuze?"
"Elysium, with my father. Psychological leave ordered by Anderson. Helped fight back the pirates and slavers. My dad gave his life for mine. You ask me, if not for Akuze, my dad wouldn't have been there. He'd be alive too."
"Satisfied, Miranda?" Jacob asked, quietly.
"Almost. Two more questions. Virmire. Which of your squad mates was left behind?"
"Left behind? Really? That's how you're phrasing that?" I glared. "Williams gave her life. I saved as many lives as I could that day. And, fair warning. My trigger finger is feeling really itchy right now."
"Seriously, Miranda. Drop it. He's clearly the same man he was," Jacob urged.
"Listen to your toadie."
"The last question couldn't possibly irritate you, Commander. It's simply asking who you recommended to take Humanity's seat on the Council."
"Anderson. How's he doing? I still remember him taking the seat."
"He's doing well. The public and Alliance military like what he's doing, even if the politicians grumble a bit. Though he seems to prefer military life," Jacob remarked.
"Your memory is clearly solid, and I can accept from the station that your skills are sharp, if perhaps, a bit rusty as you get used to the new technology. I'd test for personality, but I believe that requires an environment we simply cannot reach."
"Goddamn right about that."
"Then I'll return to the cockpit. But before I do, your Omni-tool is top of the line. Feel free to calibrate it as you wish. In addition, it is fully loaded with combat programs for someone of your skills. If you check your belt, left side, you will find a small metal disc. That's a combat drone. Finally, would you please reveal your hand and touch the shuttle wall?" Miranda asked.
"The hell would I need to do that for?"
"To test one of the cybernetics. I haven't gotten the chance to verify it works, not while you're conscious." I simply stared, suspicious. "Commander, don't fear, it's not anything that can control you. The Illusive Man was adamant that no such devices be installed. He is well aware it would only make you that much more uncooperative. And result in suicide. Please, reveal your hand." I waited another moment, but relented. Undoing the clasps and pulling off the gauntlet on my right hand, then removing the glove over the hand. Everything about my hand seemed normal. I touched the wall, and felt an electric jolt. Much like a shock, but stronger than most I've ever experienced. Not as strong as, say, being hit with an overload, but more than just natural. My hand shot back, and I muttered a slight curse."
"Static discharge. Good, that means it's operational. We can arrange for training later."
"Training? Training for what?"
"The Illusive Man wanted you to be stronger and more capable, but at the same time, to keep you, in and of yourself, completely unchanged. For this specific part of the goal, we were unwilling to do anything with your brain beyond biological restoration. But this was a benefit to not simply be tossed aside. The inside of your skull now houses a piece of experimental technology, You're the first artificial biotic." I leaned forward. Very curious.
"Tell me everything."
Commander John Shepard
It had proved a very interesting conversation. The device more or less lined the entirety of the inside of my skull, but was designed to be completely smooth, and even padded, should any impacts knock my brain around in there. Shock absorbers and what-not. It shielded me from the Eezo radiation, but also allowed my brains electric impulses to influence the Eezo, and generate biotic fields. Though I'd need training to do so properly. My metabolism wouldn't increase just yet, as my body wasn't yet using up that extra energy biotics require, but I of course had a top of the line biotic amp installed as well. I had been made stronger thanks to synthetic fibers in my muscles, as well as in my bones, to increase their density and protect them from breaking. My spine had almost been entirely covered by shock absorbent, ballistic protection and even some metal to protect it from being severed by knife or bullet. My reaction times had been sped up, and my eyesight improved. I could see a little bit farther and a little bit clearer. Not sure how much help that would be. My lungs were partially synthetic, making them more efficient, and even able to store a certain amount of oxygen, like a built in O2 tank. My liver had been improved to better combat toxins, namely poisons that could be deliberately put into my system. All but the most advanced and deadliest ones wouldn't put me down for good. Even then, I could still have enough time to get medical help. Could. Finally, some immune system enhancements. Nothing that special, but it should help keep me well and on my feet.
I couldn't sneak a peek just yet, but I couldn't help but wonder… and hey, it's a completely natural thing to wonder.
Did they make my dick a bit bigger? I couldn't tell. Not without taking a hand or looking at it. But it ain't easy to tell when it's flaccid. Anyways, moving on.
We had arrived at the Cerberus facility a few hours later, like Miranda said. I was getting tired, but like hell was I going to shut my eyes for a nap anytime soon. Miranda got us landed, and led Jacob and I up to a kind of… antechamber? Not far from the shuttle, but had plenty of seats and a console Miranda went straight towards. There was a window looking into a small workspace with three Cerberus members working at other consoles. They kept glancing at me. Think I saw some wonder.
"The Illusive Man is ready to see you, Commander. Follow that door and down the stairs," Miranda pointed. Alright, let's get this over with.
I went through the doors, and patted the pistol at my thigh. Oh, I am going to enjoy this. The hall was barren, with a lone door at the end. The door opened to a dark room, a circle in the floor with a partial blue circle, lit by its own lights along the rim. I slowly stepped inside, and the center of the circle. A scanner activated. Vid screens surrounding the room activated. I saw myself standing in a large, empty chamber. A lone man, dressed in a black suit, sitting on a chair cross legged. His skin was light, hair dark, and he had a cigarette in his hand. This room had only a black reflective floor, and no visible ceiling. It's possible it's just that the ceiling can act as a viewscreen itself, and is showing what one would see without the ceiling. Stars and stars and stars. And behind the man in the chair, a large star. Along the rim it was more blue in color, while the closer to the center one got, more red. But only half of the star was visible. Either the man resides on a space station orbiting this star, or he simply has the display's surrounding the room show this. Either way, my hopes of putting an end to Cerberus' leader were dashed. At least for today. The man took a drag of his cigarette.
"Commander Shepard," he greeted coolly as he breathed out the smoke.
"You must be the Illusive Man. Shame, I was hoping to use this little fella…" I took the pistol out and eyed it.
"I'm no fool, Shepard. I know what you think of my organization, and I know you'd never believe me that those were rogue elements that you encountered before."
"We both would know that would be a bold-faced lie," I sneered. "You may be the reason I'm alive today, but don't think for a second that means I owe you."
"Commander, this is bigger than Cerberus, you, me, and all of the hatred you feel towards my organization. Humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence," he got to the point.
"The Reapers."
"Good to see your memory is still intact. How are you feeling?" he put out his cigarette, trying to be casual.
"You don't have the right to ask those questions. Get to the point."
"We aren't as evil as you believe, Commander. You and I are on the same side, if our methods differ."
"Get. To. The. Fucking. Point." He sighed, and stood from his chair.
"We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack." He walked closer. "While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. All of them human. We believe it's an agent of the Reapers. Just as Saren and the Geth aided Sovereign." He was practically standing in front of me now, and it was then I noticed something. In his eyes. There was a blue pattern in each, some sort of cybernetic. I wonder what it allows him to see. It's unlike any I've seen before. "You've seen it yourself, bested all of them. One of the reasons we chose you."
"Why did you choose me? Could have trained a whole army for what you spent on me."
"Because you're unique, Commander. Not just in ability or experience, but what you represent. You stood for Humanity at a key moment. Every human alive knows your name. You're a symbol. You can be a rallying cry. I don't know if the Reapers understand fear, but one is destroyed because of your actions. They have to respect that."
"Hm. Why is Cerberus even involved? Got tired of running experiments on humans that would make Josef Mengele proud?" He ignored the jibe.
"We're committed to the advancement and preservation of Humanity. If the Reapers are targeting us, trying to wipe us out, then Cerberus will work to stop them. If we wait for Politicians or the Alliance to act, no more Human colonies will be left."
"You expect me to believe the Alliance is ignoring this?"
"They're spread thin, Commander. There were substantial losses against Sovereign, and there are the ships that must be dedicated to the Citadel Defense Fleet. And Alliance space has only been expanding more and more since you've been asleep. They have more and more ground to cover. Rebuilding efforts are still a forefront for Military shipyards, and Anderson is still, seemingly successfully, pushing for expansion of our fleets. But that still takes time. Simply blaming the abductions on mercs and pirates is both easier and convenient."
"And what kind of numbers are we looking at that makes mercs and pirates so unlikely?" He had lit another cigarette and took a drag of it.
"Hundreds of thousands of colonists. The Reapers want to harvest all life? This sounds like the definition of harvesting. No one pays any attention to it because it's random and only in remote locations. And I can only guess as to why Humanity is their target here. You killing one."
"Hundreds of thousands…" Damn it. That's not a number I can ignore either. He's right. I hate to admit it, but it sure as hell seems like he's right. The Reapers are making another play. Whatever the hell it might be.
"Say… say I believe you. Say that it's true, the Reapers being responsible. Well, I certainly want to put a stop to it." he nodded.
"I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this fully without seeing for yourself. So, I have an offer. The shuttle you flew in on has been refueled and there are weapons waiting for you. If you accept, it will take you to Freedom's Progress. The latest Colony to be abducted. It only just happened, and the Alliance has yet to arrive. You leave now, you'll beat them before any evidence can be lost or destroyed. Miranda and Jacob will brief you further." He returned to his seat.
"And why should I trust them?"
"Miranda saved your life in more ways than one. She spent two years of her life on you. She's not about to let that go to waste by putting a knife in your back, or letting a stray bullet find your head. As for Jacob, he's a soldier and never fully trusted me or my organization, and has always been honest about that." Hm. Maybe that also means that Jacob hasn't exactly been privy to many details about the organization's doings. I just tallied his reactions in the shuttle as an act. I won't make friends with him, but I won't be as hostile either. "For what it's worth they've both been ordered to follow your orders for the duration of the investigation on Freedom's progress, if you agree."
"And if I don't?"
"You'll always have a choice, Shepard. While I'd much prefer you agree to Freedom's Progress, if not, the shuttle will bring you to an Alliance port, and we part ways. If you go and find no evidence, we can still part ways. Whether or not you work with us, Shepard, you are more valuable to Humanity, and thus Cerberus, alive than dead."
"Forgive me if I still feel skeptical," I muttered. He just took another drag of his cigarette. "Fuck… Fine, I'll go to Freedom's Progress."
"Then good luck, Commander."
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! Just want to talk about the artificial biotic thing real quick. It's something that I think will be interesting to try. And don't worry, Shep ain't about to become an OP biotic god or any of that shit. He wasn't born biotic like all the others, so that means he has no experience of trying to use and mess with it as a child. This is like learning a foreign language in your thirties compared to learning a language from birth. Except scaled up by like ten degrees minimum. Got plans for him learning to do even the simplest of shit. Anyways, see y'all in the next one!