I don't own anything I don't.
I'll be honest, I haven't really had a sense of where I was taking this story.
That has all changed now however – a vision has presented itself, and it was most glorious indeed.
This has unfortunately meant that I've had to change a few things in the Introduction with the Illusive man in the first chapter. I'm sorry for the confusion, but it was very necessary.
So, in order to understand this chapter, perhaps it is necessary for my older readers to go back and re read the first part of Chapter 1. It's shortened, and less than 500 words, so it shouldn't be too much trouble.
Pardon the confusion.
Anyway, let's begin people – Just Walk through the Doors starts NOW!
IV: No pressure
9th September 2185: Unknown Cerberus Facility – 13:40
The reclining man took out another cigarette from a pocket in his elegantly tailored black and white jacket.
He lighted it, choosing to wait for his conversational partner's reaction to the new information he had revealed behind a rideau of smoke. The man exhaled the smoke in the form of a dusty cloud, reminicent of the many forms of nebulae spread across the vast galaxy.
"This dossier is special Shepard. At first, you might feel tempted to dissmiss certain parts of the information in those files as inaccurate or..." the Illusive man took a blow on his cigarette, "...perhaps even as typing errors."
The Soldier leaned back, arms crossed in a skeptical expression.
"I have a feeling there's alot more to this than you're letting on."
If you wouldn't sense I wasn't telling you the whole story, I would be questioning the value of having brought you back... He took another blow on his cigarette.
That, however is not in itself an argument for letting you in on what's really going on here.
"You are right to be sceptical Shepard, but know that I have it on very good authroity that he, might prove to be a very important, perhaps even critical addition to your team. You will need as strong a team as you can get for your raid on the Collector homeworld."
The Illusive man paused, and reclined in his chair dramatically.
"There is more to the information in that dossier than meets the eye."
Shepard made a curt nod.
"I'll look into it."
"That is all I ask. My sources inform me that he is currently on Omega. As you are already on your way there to pick up Archangel and Doctor Mordin Solus, now would be an excellent oppurtunity to try looking for him."
"Anything else?"
"Try meeting up with this new candidate as soon as possible. If you take to long, there might be... consequences."
The hologram flickered, and finally dissapeared.
A look of apprehension spread across the Illusive Man's visage. He turned his chair towards the star behind him. He blew out his smoke in the direction of the star, the cloud seemingly vanishing into the vast emptiness of the universe.
Just like there might be for all of us if we don't act quickly enough.
"Quite correct."
I don't think I'll ever get used to that.
"Few ever do."
The man chose to ignore his new conversational partner's remark, and instead looked pensively into the holographic projection before him, letting his thoughts move together with the star's dance of blue and red.
"I'm still not sure this is wise."
"I'm taking a huge gamble listening to you, adding someone without any combat and military experience what so ever to Shepard's team defies all forms of conventional wisdom. Taking what you've told me about his personality and manners into account, Shepard might not even end up recruiting him! For all we know, he could just as easily simply dissmiss him as a bad joke".
"I will interwene, should complications arise."
"He is sixteen. That is a complication in itself."
"We have both reached the conclusion that bringing him here in his adolescent form, with all the positive and negative consequences it entails is in all likelyhood the most effective way overall to stop Shepard from falling from the right path. Debating this again serves no purpose."
The speaker made a short pause, letting his words sink in.
"This is the best solution for improving the odds of all organic life succesfully repelling the Reaper invasion. You know this to be true, do not let your petty objections get in the way of better judgement."
The seated man nodded, grudgingly accepting the truth behind the speaker's words.
"And anything that improves our odds against the reapers are in line with Cerberus' goals."
"We are in agreement, then."