Title: Ghosts
Author: May Chang
Warnings: general, adventure, AU
Pairings: M!Shepard + Ashley, M!Cousland x Zevran
Disclaimers: Dragon Age: Origins and Mass Effect are the property of BioWare.
Author's Note: Shepard is a Paragon/Earthborn/War Hero/Infiltrator.

Ghosts

Interlude I

There was no way that a body could disappear so completely that even the Shadow Broker could not find it. Miranda paced her office in frustration, trying to figure out where the body had disappeared to. With the angle, trajectory and speed, coupled with any of the other factors, the body should have been there.

Except from what Liara T'Soni reported the mercenaries who had been working for the Shadow Broker found nothing. The wreckage of the Normandy was present, bodies of the crewmen who didn't make it off the ship were there, but the one person that everybody in the universe seemed to want wasn't.

Where the hell did Shepard's body go? With the speed as he fell to the planet there would still be a charred body. Even though it had been a few weeks since the Normandy was attacked, the planet had no signs of scavengers so Shepard's body should be there.

Ms. T'Soni was equally frustrated and confused about the whole situation and just had to bring in more bad news: apparently the Shadow Broker had agreed to find Shepard's body for the Collectors. Miranda wasn't sure why the Collectors wanted it but she had the feeling that it spelled trouble for humanity if they had gotten it.

There was a knock on the door and she stopped her pacing as Jacob entered her office.

"Jacob," Miranda greeted curtly.

"Project Ankou has started," he said, crossing his arms before he shook his head. "Miranda, this is a bad idea."

"I agree," Miranda replied, "but it's out of my hands. The Illusive Man wants Shepard."

"And cloning the man is suppose to help?" Jacob scoffed at that. "This is not going to help us or humanity at all. The clone won't have any of Shepard's experiences or memories. Hell, he won't even have Shepard's personality if this is done. You know that I don't like some of what Cerberus has done, but this?"

"I know." Miranda turned away from Jacob to scowl out of the window, crossing her arms. "And this time I completely agree with you Jacob, but right now we can't do a damn thing." She heaved a sigh before she turned back to Jacob.

"Jacob, you still have contacts in the Alliance?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?" he asked as he crossed his arms. Miranda moved to her console and pulled out a datapad, handing it over to Jacob. He looked down and back at Miranda, eyebrows raised. "Wait, are you serious about this?"

"See that it gets to Lt. Alenko and the Councilman, Jacob," Miranda said. "Project Ankou must be stopped." With that she turned away from Jacob, watching him leave her office from the reflection of her window. It took her another moment to decide on the next course of action and Miranda wondered if she'd be able to pull it off.