"Seems to be undefended. I'm not getting any AA type energy signatures. Just a low level power source, barely enough to run a small facility." pilot Grellus says of the scans. "If there's anything down there, it's probably underground. I'm getting almost no built-up structures."
The team are in the Disciple cockpit, assessing the risks of the target site as they orbit the planet.
"Pill boxes? Is this one that old?" Miranda says.
"Possibly. The shadows I'm getting could be pill boxes."
"Do we just go down?" Charlotte asks.
"This doesn't mean nothing's going on down there but looks like we might have to." Miranda agrees. "Grab your gear, Charlie."
Upon an initial fly-by in the shuttle, indeed there are several pill boxes dotted around the green landscape but only one looks active. Seeing no immediate threats, Miranda lands a short distance from the box so as to give them some breathing space between the craft and any potential threats from the entrance.
"Be ready." she says to Charlotte as she pulls out her SMG.
Charlotte pulls out her pistol side arm and follows Miranda out of the shuttle in her new black armour. They cautiously make their way to the pill box entrance.
"Haven't seen one of these in years." Miranda says. "Most facilities were moved into deep space after Shepard nearly ended Cerberus operations entirely during the Sovereign War. What is this that it's still in use?"
In the wake of the Reaper War and Shepard's sacrifice, previously dismissed events and assertions have been included in history. It is now accepted that the Reaper Sovereign was the true enemy in the formerly named Geth War.
"Shall we?" Charlotte says, offering the elevator door.
"Panel's active." Miranda says as she attempts to call the elevator. The readout seems to register that the elevator has been called and the pair stand back from the door with their weapons ready. The doors open and the elevator is empty.
Miranda enters the elevator and presses the button once Charlotte has followed. The elevator creaks slightly with the sound of age and probable lack of maintenance but descends smoothly enough. As it slows, they ready their weapons again. The elevator stops and the doors open to what looks like a lobby. A large dusty table adorned with candles and pot pourri stands in the middle of the large room with lounge chairs dotted around the walls. It is a typical pre-fabricated Cerberus facility from a different era but has been domesticated somewhat.
"Errr..." Charlotte says.
"Hm. Yes." Miranda agrees.
An asari in what was once an elegant white gown but now is dirty and ragged swishes into their view, her expression strangely manic.
"Greetings!" she says. "How may I help you?"
Charlotte looks at Miranda and raises an eyebrow.
"Really?" she says.
"Get away from them, Lesh! Who's there?" a male voice calls from around a corner of a passage that leads to the left. Then a human's face pops out and back in quickly.
"Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here? We want no trouble here!" he shouts.
The asari seems unperturbed and continues to blankly smile, looking back and forth at Miranda and Charlotte.
"Step out where we can see you!" Miranda shouts back.
"Why?"
"We're armed! Step out, now."
The middle aged man in scientist garb shuffles out sideways with his hands in the air, evidently posing little threat, and Miranda and Charlotte step into the room.
"What do you want? I've nothing you want here. Please. Don't hurt us."
"We know what this place is. Well. What it was, at least." Miranda accuses.
"What do you mean? This is my home!" the man says with some righteous indignation.
"This is a Cerberus facility. You've still got the insignia on you right there."
"Cerberus?" Lesh says with a pained look on her face.
"Sh, sh, sh, it's okay, Lesh." he reassures the asari. "Oh. That. Yes, well they haven't been here for a long time. There's just me."
"And..." Charlotte says, gesticulating towards the asari.
"Oh. Lesh. Yes. She can't leave here."
Miranda holds her nose and closes her eyes, preparing for the worst.
"What have you done to her?" she sighs.
"Nothing! Well. Personally, I've done nothing."
"What did Cerberus do to her?" Miranda says, now with impatience.
"Early mind control experiments. Lesh was one of the ones they wanted to use for hospitality. Subservient species and all that. I never bought into it, you know!"
"So you've turned her into a sex slave?"
"No! Not specifically. She was just made... compliant. Though the process Cerberus used was not refined and at times the subjects became lucid so this project was abandoned."
"Cerberus? Mother? Where's mother?" Lesh begins to become panicked.
"Now look what you've done!" the scientist shouts at the pair then goes to the asari and holds her hands. "Come on, Lesh. There's a good girl. Come on, sit down for a moment. There we are. Just think about dinner later. Mmmm, you like dinner time, don't you? What would you like?"
"Ooh... can you decide?" she says, his soothing tones subduing her once more.
"Of course I can. Now you just sit here and be good, okay?"
"Yes..."
Miranda thought she'd seen the lowest depths that Cerberus could reach but this? There are extra levels of 'wrong' here she never knew they were capable of.
"So there's just you two here?" Charlotte asks.
"Yes. When the project was being shut down, the other operatives were going to just abandon poor Lesh here. She would have died of starvation if I hadn't stayed. So I took advantage of the situation, I'm only human. Besides, she doesn't know any better most of the time."
"Maybe not. But we do. What's your name?"
"Doctor David Stephens, why?"
Miranda steps back into the elevator for relative privacy and activates her omni-tool. A few moments later she steps back out again.
"This is ending. Lesh? Can you come with us, please?"
"Where are they taking me?" Lesh stands up with panic on her face.
"Yes. Where do you think you're taking her?" the doctor protests.
"Charlie. Get her into the elevator." Miranda says as she gives Lesh a push towards Charlotte.
"Lesh!" the doctor calls as he attempts to move forward and reach out to her.
Miranda stands between them and pushes the man back with a shove. Charlotte grabs Lesh's arm and pulls her towards the elevator when there is a gun shot. She looks to see Miranda standing with her gun raised and the doctor laying on the floor, shot in the head. Lesh looks back, sees the sight and begins screaming.
"Tsk, I was hoping she wouldn't see that." Miranda says.
"You shot him?" Charlotte says, a little in disbelief.
"Yes. I checked with our Cerberus records, he's not worth anything. We can discuss that later. Right now, we need to take care of her."
Lesh's screaming subdues until she is just gasping and they go up in the elevator. By the time they reach the top, it is as though Lesh has forgotten already and just beams a smile at the pair.
"What are we going to do with Lesh?" Charlotte asks as she guides her towards the shuttle.
"Asari consulate, I suppose. They'll be able to look after her best."
"Hm. Good."
"What's for dinner?" Lesh asks of her new masters.
"You can have anything you like, Lesh!" Miranda replies.
"Oh good!" she says, then seems content without even offering a suggestion.
"Poor thing. I wonder who she was." Charlotte says.
"This way, Lesh." Charlotte says, as she and Miranda guide her down to the crew deck.
Juseia and Malan had seen them exit the elevator and follow behind slowly, a look of anger on their faces Charlotte hasn't seen before or expected.
"Cerberus?" they eventually say with annoyance.
"Who else? We're going to make sure she's okay, though. Don't worry."
Their angry faces turn a little sadder.
"Thank you." they say, then look at Lesh who just smiles her blank smile at them. The twins move into a brief hug with the asari. She is surprised but seems to enjoy the kind action.
"Actually, twins?"
"Yes, Miranda?"
"Can you help with Lesh? Charlotte and I need to speak."
"Yes. We want to help."
"Great! Use my quarters and if you could get her cleaned up and something to eat, that'd be great."
The twins break contact to take a hand each and lead Lesh down the corridor.
"Hm." Miranda says as she watches them.
"Hm?" Charlotte says.
"They don't usually like not to be in contact with each other." Miranda ponders for a moment.
"You wanted to speak with me?"
"Hm? Oh yes. Now. I get the feeling you are not impressed with how things went down there."
"Was killing him necessary? Shouldn't we hand people like that over to the authorities?"
"It's a pointless exercise. The likes of him get virtually nothing. He left Cerberus and knowing how things usually go, he would have cried humanitarian reasons for staying with Lesh. At best, he would have got a few years in a light security facility then he'd be back out there. I can't allow that. People like him can't be allowed to live for what they've done."
"It did seem like he had good intentions at first..."
"Regardless, the guilt was written all over his face. You saw it."
"Hmm. Just... you should have let us go up in the elevator first."
"He wasn't going to allow that and that could have become messy in itself. We all try to do our best in the moment but things don't always go according to plan, things sometimes go completely FUBAR, you know? I didn't intend for Lesh to get freaked out like that anyway."
"Hmm. I suppose."
"So? Are you sticking around then or what? I'd understand if this put you off. Wasn't the most straight forward of missions to start with but if it's any assurance, most of our discoveries so far have not been quite this... disturbing."
"Apart from the twins..."
"The twins... as much faith as I have in them, I'm not comfortable leaving them alone with Lesh for too long. We'd better go and check on them."
They walk the short distance to Miranda's quarters and open the door. Seated in the centre of the couch is Lesh, with the twins sitting either side, their heads pressed against hers, holding her hands and each others across her lap, all three silent and eyes closed.
"What are they...?" Charlotte begins to ask.
"Sh." Miranda interrupts, then whispers. "I think they're melding with her."
A few moments later the twins lift their heads from Lesh's and she sits back and smiles. This time, a genuine smile, almost with relief. Still holding her hands, the twins look up at Miranda with a few tears in their eyes.
"Her name is Leshia A'Maan. She will be okay. In time." they say, then stand and return to holding each others hands.
Lesh seems to drift off to sleep, still with the contented smile on her face.
"I'll stay with her." Charlotte offers as she sits next to Lesh and takes her hand to stroke it. One of the twins puts her hand on Charlotte's shoulder for a moment, she turns her head to see it was Juseia. Or possibly Malan. But they both smile as they say, "Thank you."