III
Dylan loosened his grip. So caught up in facing Dienz again and dealing with the hurt he brought upon Hannah and Miranda, Dylan did not even consider that his old cohort knew about the Reaper's approach and was stalling for time. To have them join him in death.
"It's got our scent now… how far… how long… do you think you can run…?"
Dylan called out to his squad "Both of you get to the shuttle…NOW!"
Hannah began to close up the holoscreens when Miranda directed her attention to a data file, an audio recording that was marked and indexed to several other files. It appeared to be from Dr. Charles Wilson of Project Lazarus whom Miranda had killed when she learned he sabotaged the space station where Cadrina Shepard was housed with the intent to kill her. Miranda handed over Wilson's body and his effects without examining them, leaving it to other Cerberus agents to investigate why he would suddenly try to scuttle two years of his own work. Miranda successfully persuaded Hannah to save this last piece of intelligence before they logged off and started for the floor entrance only to turn and look to the general's direction, realizing Dylan wasn't with them. He had armed his pistol and was aiming at Dienz's forehead.
"Yes… " Dienz growled "I want you… to end me… take your revenge… you'll finally be rid of me… do it… shoot me…"
Dylan stood above the general repeatedly tensing and relaxing his finger around the trigger.
"Shoot me, Dylan…! Just shoot me….! Shoot me! SHOOT… ME! DO IT! EVERYONE ELSE HAS!"
Dylan wanted very much to oblige Dienz, only doing so would violate a promise he made to never again take a life, especially in cold blood. It would not absolve his complicity in Cerberus or the rift he created that allowed the Illusive Man to take control. Liberating Earth from the Reapers should have taken priority for the general; he was the last thing Dylan expected to find during this operation. Miranda crept closer to give support while Hannah waited on the entrance ramp. Dylan had little recourse but to confront his past one last time, to destroy what remained of the monster he helped create. But not here with Dienz; not by his hand. Dylan squeezed hard on the grip of his Phalanx pistol and willed it back to his side.
"No," he stammered "No… I won't kill you… and I won't save you."
Dienz began to whimper "Pleaaase…. I can't die like this…."
Marcus Dienz, who had feared no human, non-human or even death in the service of his country and species, feared dying impotent and alone. Knowing how the Reapers repurposed the dead terrified him more.
"I don't want them… to take my body…. I want to die… while I'm still… human… I want to die human… human… h-h-hu-m-man…"
Broken, defeated and sitting in a pool of his blood, the general dissolved into tears, sobbing as Dylan looked upon him. No pity was shown him by anyone.
"To think… I used to be afraid of you… goodbye, General…" were his last words before he turned towards the chamber entrance. He passed by Miranda as she sat in the chair and reactivated its screens.
"What are you doing?" he asked as he observed her bringing the station's weapons systems on line, stepping closer "Miranda, come on… They won't even dent it!"
"They may slow it down, keep it occupied while we escape on the shuttle," she explained.
Hannah called out "I can activate 'em by remote, remember? And Sunday Punch can really slow it down while it's munching on the station! Now, let's get the hell outta here!"
The walls resounded again and the whole of the station shuddered. Dylan lost his balance momentarily and used the back of Miranda's seat to steady himself. Miranda seized the opportunity and jammed her elbow into his gut, stunning him. She then biotically threw him into Hannah, knocking them both down into the entrance. She spun a holo-dial on the display and tapped it, causing the entrance to close up. Another command sent a high voltage through the door, fusing it shut. Hannah and Dylan scrambled to their feet and crouched against the clear plasteel door, pounding their fists on it, demanding that Miranda open it and leave with them. Miranda ignored their cries and programmed the targeting array to commence firing on the Reaper. The station rumbled with each shell that discharged at it. Hannah could not undo the damaged locks with her omni-tool; Miranda was effectively trapped inside…
Jacob… Oriana… gone. Nothing left… nothing left now but my mistakes. I didn't know…I never questioned… I didn't even care how far he would go…
As she brought up another command screen, her companions' voices began to force their way past the commotion and her thoughts. Miranda needed Hannah and Dylan to leave; the immense machine would overwhelm the station at any moment. She swiveled her chair to face the door.
"Miranda!" Hannah's muffled shouting could be heard through the door as she keyed her comset "You can use your biotics… you can take this door apart! Please! Or use the vents, but you have to go!"
"We're not leaving you behind! We need you!" added Dylan over their frequency. Miranda's preoccupied look on the shuttle flight in returned.
Hannah pleaded "Please…Miranda…! The woman who took our daughter… that's not who you are anymore! I was hard on you in the beginning… I'm sorry… I never said that I hated you!"
Miranda slowly rose from her chair and padded to the door. Hannah nodded furiously and waved her over with small motions of her hand, as if beckoning to a child. Miranda kneeled in front of the door and placed her hands on her lap. Hannah then motioned for her to force the door open, but Miranda would not comply. Her mouth hung open and drew a breath. Dylan knew what she was about to say; it registered in her eyes as she keyed her earpiece.
"It was never my intention… to go back with you… I'm sorry…"
Hannah pushed against the glass "Why? Why are you doing this?"
"Why?" Miranda quivered "…why…"
Why was I made to be perfect, and yet have been so imperfect? Why couldn't I hold on to the two things that were most precious to me? Why couldn't I have seen then what Jack Harper truly was? Why did it have to be your daughter I was tasked with bringing back?
Miranda pressed her hand firmly against the clear plasteel door. Hannah and Dylan placed their hands under hers, sharing in silent understanding.
Why couldn't I have had a mother and father like you?
They could have denied her outright, subjected Miranda to the same torture as Dienz or continue on their way but they did not. They cared for her, in spite of Miranda's past work with the Illusive Man to use Cadrina Shepard to serve Cerberus' ends. She had earned their daughter's friendship and trust. And she had theirs as well. Nonetheless, Miranda was resolved to her fate.
"Thank you… for your forgiveness… but that's something I don't have for myself…"
As her face faded back to stone, she permitted one last sentiment. They needed to remember why they came to this place.
"Save your daughter."
As the bulkheads rattled and groaned once again, Dylan pulled Hannah away from the door, urging her to escape the station with him before it became impossible. Miranda waited until they were out of sight before she returned to the chair. She typed furiously on the hologramatic console:
*/ACCEPT PRIORTY OVERRIDE CODE: RUBICON666
…
OVERRIDE ACKNOWLEDGED…
ACCESS GRANTED TO CERBERUS SEALED SYSTEM COMMAND LINE
Hannah swiftly navigated back through the maze of zero-gravity shafts with her husband in tow, helmets deployed and clearing debris from their path. They were halfway to the cargo bay…
0/ACCESS STATION SCUTTLE PROTOCOL: LEVEL III BREACH
PASSWORD: SHIVA
…
Miranda thought back to the moons of Palaven, where her old love Jacob Taylor lost his life when Husks stormed through the plaza she and Cadrina were trying to keep secured. She remembered Garrus trying to comfort her afterwards, thankful for her support, the sacrifices and efforts made to help his homeworld. Miranda thought she could sense a connection, although she denied it then. Nearing the end, she admitted her feelings for a non-human, a turian, that went beyond friendship…
LOGIN SUCCESSFUL…
SAFETIES DISENGAGING…
ANTI-MATTER ORDNANCE PRIMING…
The made-over shuttle was still waiting in the cargo bay undisturbed when Hannah and Dylan ran to it and punched its door release. Making sure that nothing had stowed away on board, Hannah closed up and got to her seat in the cockpit. Dylan switched on the flight console and energized the shuttle's drive core…
ORDNANCE ARMED
SPECIFY ACTIVATION TYPE (TIME DELAY/REMOTE DETONATOR):
Miranda finalized the station's destruct protocol as she remembered searching the casualty manifests from the initial attack on Earth. She cross indexed them with her sister Oriana's family travel plans, which included a stop in Oslo, Norway to visit her foster parent's relatives. It was one of the first cities to be completely decimated by the Reapers.
No survivors could be found…
0/REMOTE DETONATOR
…
REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGED
DEVICE ENABLED – COLLECT FROM PORT IN FRONT OF CONSOLE
The shuttle's launch cycle started as Hannah strapped herself in. Dylan did not wait for the bay doors to open completely; he engaged the main thrusters and the shuttle blasted into space. He steered and banked, making certain to keep the crumbling Cerberus space station between him and the Reaper's line of sight. Yellow pulses from the station's guns could be seen as the shuttle accelerated…
A small opening formed just in front of Miranda's chair and an object resembling an inverted silver metal teardrop was elevated upon a thin black rod. Miranda traced her finger along Dylan's flight path on the sensor net grid, relieved that he and his wife would be out of harm's way.
"Go…"
She then bent down to pick up the detonator. It was completely smooth save for the single large, blue light-rimmed button on top. Palming it, Miranda stared at the device. Then the station's further warping under the Reaper's gravity wake made her look upwards at where the injured general lay. Bright beams began to shine down and pass about the Illusive Man's office through the viewport. She could discern Marcus Dienz in the play of light and shadow, lips drawn into a maniacal grin, having been loosed from sanity and consciousness. Looking further upwards, the Reaper loomed large and imposing, drawing ever closer, its gleaming black segmented plating bordered by an orange and white glow. Its kinetic barriers shrugged off incoming cannon fire with no signs of weakening; its tendrils undulated and demolished any cannons within reach in a further show of superiority. The whole of the office chamber buzzed and vibrated at the mercy of the Old Machine.
Miranda drew herself to her full height and stepped further away from the control console. She showed no fear and no longer lamented. She stopped directly underneath the Reaper and emitted the strongest biotic field she could summon, floating free of the reflective floor. Miranda still needed to focus the Reaper's attention solely on her, allow Hannah and Dylan to gain more distance. The guns had served their purpose and were now either destroyed or depleted of ammunition. The Reaper raised two of its largest tentacles and thrust them downwards into the station on either side of the chamber, cracking the glass viewport. Miranda maintained her field as the Reaper's voice thundered inside her head:
(INSECT - YOUR EFFORTS ARE FUTILE! THERE IS NO ESCAPE! WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU COULD DO AGAINST US?)
Miranda shut her eyes and drew three increasingly large breaths, counting down to inevitability. She exhaled a final, long draft and raised her detonator. Her eyes snapped open to the Reaper above. Miranda whispered her answer, her sentence, before her thumb pushed down on the button…
"…burn…"
Dylan steadied the attitude of the shuttle, now moving beyond the range of the sensor net. He threw a switch above his head to a transponder, alerting the Orizaba of its captain's return. Suddenly the field of stars in his view became an enveloping bright white that poured into the cockpit. The shuttle rattled and tumbled out of control as Hannah accessed the life support systems on her side and her husband fought to regain control. Warning lights and tones were active. The shuttle pitched and yawed violently, but Dylan managed to get the shuttle back on course. Hannah was able to rebalance the cockpit atmosphere settings and cancelled the alerts. The radio crackled to life as the brightness outside faded to black.
"…SV Orizaba to Shuttle 3, Orizaba to Shuttle 3! Captain Shepard, do you copy?"
Getting her bearings, Hannah answered, still squinting from the light "Orizaba, this is Shepard! I'm still here!"
"We're monitoring an immense explosion centered on the enemy's location…"
"Really, Kendrick? Do you have anything else?" Hannah's elbow propped on an armrest, her fingers pushed into her forehead.
"…confirmed, we have a Reaper energy signature, reading at 86 percent... drop-ping to 71 percent…. 43 percent… 28… 19… 4… signal's gone…. looks like you got it."
"…hallelujah…"
"We have you on scanners - we can bring you in on auto."
"Copy, Orizaba," said Dylan, keying in a sequence "Transferring control now. Bring us in smooth."
"Certainly… Must have been one hell…"
"We'll debrief after we're on board Kendrick. Thank you." Hannah interrupted.
"I'll have a med team meet you in the docking bay…"
"That'll be all, Commander; Shuttle 3 out!" Hannah switched off the radio and massaged the bridge of her nose "Damn home-schooled officers…"
Dylan snorted involuntarily in his seat and crossed his arms, looking blankly at the flight console, no longer flying the shuttle. Minutes went by with no words between him and Hannah, only the hum of the drive core. Reviewing everything that happened, he exhaled audibly every so often. On Dylan's fourth breath, Hannah looked to him.
"I am going with you." she stated with authority, sensing what he planned to do next.
"No, you are not," Dylan corrected, eyes still on the flight console.
"We are in this together. You need me."
"I need you back on your ship, alongside Cady."
"Going after Harper… alone?"
"I'll stand a better chance."
"Chance of what? Dying?"
Dylan turned to face her. "I can handle myself!"
"I'm not losing you…"
"You won't lose me, Hannah…"
"We both do this…"
"You're staying!"
"I won't lose you…"
"Hannah!"
"LIKE I LOST MIRANDA!"
Dylan clasped her forearm firmly with both hands, her hand draped over them.
"…we lost Miranda…" Hannah panted, her lower jaw twitching. Dylan rubbed and massaged her gloved fingers, attempting to comfort her.
"I… am coming… back!" he promised. "I should have stopped them years ago… but all I wanted then was out…! I –have- to do this…" It was wasted effort for Hannah to get her husband to reconsider. Dylan swallowed "The alternative…"
Hannah averted her eyes to the deck "Dyl… I can't live without either of you. But if you… can't… if you don't…"
"You wait!" Dylan stressed as he shook her arm "You hear me… you wait for me!"
"How long?"
"… give me four days…"
"Four days isn't enough to…"
"Then I should hurry."
Hannah held his head to hers and gasped.
"Cadrina is the only one who can end this nightmare," Dylan went on "Everything… every-one… depends on her."
"I am thinking of everyone," said Hannah "And her… When you find him, you kill him, Dylan. No posturing, no speeches, just kill him. Don't let him take her away from us again! Send him to hell!"
Dylan bit his lip and nodded quickly, fully aware of the daunting task that was ahead of him…
Alone in another shuttle Dylan listened to the recording again by Dr. Wilson who explained how he had stumbled on to the Illusive Man's true identity and intentions and why he needed to terminate Cadrina Shepard. Dylan and Hannah absorbed as much as they could of the Interface documentation and the mechanisms Jack Harper would use to access it. While his wife had some issues with her executive officer, she spoke highly of her science officer's abilities and recommended that Dylan work with her to figure out a way to track Jack Harper's personal starship. Hannah had informed him over an encrypted com channel that Cadrina had located the Interface, but had not yet triggered it.
There was still a chance.
Achieving orbit over the prothean world, he used the recalibrated scanners to search for telltale signs. His work with the science officer was not in vain; readouts showed that Harper had definitely come here after the Normandy 2 departed. Dylan had the scent, but where to search next? From what the late General Dienz confessed, Harper may be somewhere in Reaper-controlled territory, perhaps a few steps behind Cadrina. Dylan could follow her as well but not too closely. No one else could know of what was done to her, nor could Cadrina suspect. There was one more piece of information could help get a fix on his whereabouts. Setting off again, Dylan used his backdoor clearance codes to access the Alliance covert intelligence net and ran a search on current sightings of known Cerberus operatives.
Dylan thought of a line from a poem he once read: God casts a shadow so wide mortals cannot perceive it. The Reapers had not been driven back so Jack Harper was still mortal and still cast a visible shadow. But he would not risk capture or defeat out in the open or lying in the QE transmitter, waiting for his chance to possess Cadrina. Like Dracula, he would need someone nearby to guard him while in this vulnerable state. Someone he trusted implicitly, with the skill and the hardware at their disposal to keep his master safe. This guardian also cast a shadow. This shadow could give the Illusive Man away.
Kai Leng.
DESTINY IS AT HAND…
Author's Notes and Thoughts:
- Suggested soundtracks (from Tron: Legacy, a great film score worthy of Mass Effect):
* From the point the Reaper is first spotted to when Miranda sends away Cadrina's parents - Adagio for Tron
* From when Hannah and Dylan start running back to the shuttle to the Reaper's threat to Miranda – Recognizer (inthe last third of the song, you can picture the Reaper descending over Miranda)
* For the verbal confrontation in the shuttle - Nocturne
- I forgot to mention in the last chapter end notes: in Mass Effect 3 Cerberus troops are dispatched to kill Shepard, supposedly by the Illusive Man since they've been indoctrinated by the Reapers. Seemed a bit trite and obvious, though I plead guilty to using a few well-worn scenes and devices myself. I thought it would be more interesting if it was someone else who gave the order – Illusive Man needs Shepard alive after all, if she's to activate the Interface. Someone connected to Cadrina in some way, like through her father. An old nemesis of his that sees sending in the troops as both the way to save humanity as well as to get back at his former protégés.
- My apologies to Miranda fans out there. As she worked more with Shepard, she eventually came around and becomes more of a sympathetic character than an ice queen. But for me her upbringing, the loss of a secure foundation and identity that Cerberus provided coupled with the loss of her sister and Jacob Taylor, was more than she could deal with. Dienz's revelations were the last straw. She could only see one more mistake she needed to answer for and at least made sure her death counted for something…