Chapter 3 – "Pollux"
The idea for the memory transfer device came to me during a morning shower. As is my wont, I tend to do most of my thinking in the shower (not much else to do in there while soaking). I was pondering how to have clones of Shepard that were actually useful, rather then mindless physical copies of Shepard intended to eventually be indoctrinated and turned into shock troopers by Cerberus.
Eventually I remembered Javik, the Prothean companion that came with the "From the Ashes" DLC, and his reveal about how Protheans obtained information from things merely by touching them and concentrating. The memory transfer device was an extrapolation of that idea, twisted by TIM and Cerberus into a tool to further their goals. We know from novels and comics set prior to the games that TIM has/had an interest in the Protheans. It seemed reasonable that he had his own sources regarding their abilities and history, and would find a way to make use of the things he discovered. The 'failed trials' sequence was an outlining of some of the problems that might (in this story 'did') occur from putting such a device into actual use.
Sunlight shining through the window fell on a sleeping Shepard. Sounds and images crossed his mind; armies of soldiers in Cerberus armor fighting wars across the galaxy, rolling over armies of Turians and Krogans and Asari like an inexorable tide. And every soldier had Shepard's face.
With a gasp, Shepard woke, clutching at the sheets. Looking around, he found himself in a small room, lit by a single covered window. The bed beside him was empty. Recalling the events of the previous night, Shepard swung out of bed and searched the floor around the bed. A barely noticeable groove circled the bed. Before Shepard could probe further, though, a knock at the door presaged the entry of one of the colonists.
"Good morning, Brother John. That was quite the party last night, eh? Don't worry about the hangover, a bit of sweat and exertion will work that right out of you. C'mon, you'll want to get some breakfast before we head out to the fields."
Looking down, Shepard found himself already dressed in colonial work clothes like those the clones wore. Pulling on a pair of boots, Shepard stamped his feet, a bit surprised at how well the boots fit. Then again, it's not like they don't know my foot size around here.
Leaving the building, Shepard found the rest of the clones gathered near the central platform, talking and eating. "My name's Alex, by the way", his guide said. "You've been assigned to my work crew." Alex shoved a protein bar and a cup of juice into Shepard's hands. "Here, eat up before we head out. I'll go get our supplies from the quartermaster." With that, Alex wandered off, leaving Shepard alone with his breakfast.
Several of the clones wandered by, patting Shepard on the back and welcoming him once more to the family. Some expressed commiseration at his work assignment. Apparently John and Alex had been assigned to the furthest field that day, the trek to which would take the better part of an hour and leave them isolated from the rest of the brothers.
Eventually Alex returned carrying two satchels filled with agricultural tools and a wide-brimmed hat. The hat turned out to be intended for Shepard. "Till you get used to it, you'll want to protect yourself from the sun out there. It's easy to overheat working in the fields and I'm not going to carry you all the way back here if you faint" Alex said, jokingly. At least, Shepard hoped it was a joke.
Shepard reached for one of the satchels, grunting with the weight as Alex released it to him. "Another thing you'll have to get used to, I'm afraid. The soil where we're headed is a bit tougher then the other fields, so our tools have to be denser to cope. Alright, let's head out. Sooner started, sooner finished, right?"
Shepard sighed. "Right."
After an eternity spent working in the broiling sun, Shepard's body screamed with exhaustion and wear. Leaning against his hoe, Shepard watched as Alex patiently turned the soil in a long furrow on the opposite side of the field. Reaching the end of the row, Alex looked up and spotted Shepard. "Time for a break" Alex called, setting down his hoe and walking over to where they had left their bags. Shepard longed to join him, but his body refused to listen. Instead, he sat down there in the field.
Soon, a shadow fell over him as Alex approached, carrying a water bottle and a soaked rag. The rag was put over Shepard's head, once his hat was removed, and immediately began cooling him as the water leaked over his face and down his neck.
"It's tough working out here, but this field produces the best melons you've ever tasted, trust me. It'll all be worth it come harvest time. My wife makes a scrumptious baked-melon bread, just you wait."
Alex sat down next to Shepard, taking a long swig from the water bottle before handing it to Shepard. Shepard fought the urge to pour the bottle down his throat, instead taking a long swig like Alex. The water was luke warm and tasted of leather, but in Shepard's dehydrated state it tasted like purest glacial spring water.
"So, picket fence or blue barn?" Alex asked while gazing at the field.
"I'm sorry?" Shepard asked, puzzled.
"Your dream last night; white picket fence or a blue barn? Everyone here dreams of one or the other. It's odd, really. None of us remember actually seeing either of those things. We had to ask the wives what they were. But, for some reason, everyone dreams of one or the other."
Remembering his dream of armies of Shepards conquering the galaxy, Shepard suppressed a shudder. "I don't remember my dreams, Alex, so I couldn't say."
"Maybe it's a family thing. Funny, though, if you think about it. Take our family, for instance. I'm sure you've noticed by now that we all look alike, right? Alex asked while tucking his medium length sun-bleached hair back behind his ears. "Our wives tell us that that's natural, since we're all related. But I happened to overhear a couple of the wives talking awhile back. Turns out they're sisters also, but they looked nothing alike."
Shepard remained silent, unsure what he should say and mindful of Dr. Martin's warning about revealing the truth to the clones.
"Something is off about this place, John. Watch what you say, especially around your wife." With that, Alex stood up and went back to work.
The day mercifully came to an end with the field plowed and ready for seeding. "Alright, good work today, John! I don't know about you, but I'm craving a big bowl of soup and a nice warm compress when we get home. Tomorrow we'll bring a couple of brothers with us and start seeding."
Shepard could only nod numbly, dreading the long hike back with the heavy tools on his back.
"So what kinds of meals does your wife make?" Alex asked cheerfully as they began walking back to the settlement. "Mine does a wonderful vegetable stew, full of big chunks of vegetables and a delightfully thin broth. She even does biscuits on special occasions, and they barely get burnt at all. I don't mind saying, our brothers talk all the time about how well-off I have it, having such a wonderful wife."
"Liara doesn't really cook." Shepard tiredly responded.
"Is that your wife's name? Liara, huh? Seems a bit of an odd bird, what with that weird cap and all. No offense meant, of course. It's just that she didn't seem to be getting along too well with the other wives. Ah, well. I'm sure she'll perk up once she gets to know them. It never seems to take the new wives long to get into the swing of things around here."
Shepard grunted in agreement. Alex eyed Shepard for awhile as they walked, as if assessing him somehow.
Finally, Alex's voice dropped into a low whisper as he pulled close to Shepard. "Thing is, none of us really know much about the women, even our own wives. How we met, what made us fall in love, or even why we decided to come here. One minute nothing, the next we're being introduced to our long, lost family, with loving wives on our arms. Oh sure, we all have memories of our parents and childhood, but nothing between then and coming here."
Shepard listened closely, no longer quite as tired. Could these clones have figured out the truth on their own? "Have you talked about this with anyone?" Shepard asked, dreading the answer.
"Out in the fields, we talk. No one there to listen in and lots of time to sit down and compare notes. That's where we figured out about the dreams, how we all had either the one with the picket fence or the blue barn. One of our brothers decided to talk to the women about it, so he went to his wife. Only thing is, that night he got real sick and had to be taken to the med center. And the next morning we had a body to bury. We'll pass by the graveyard on the way back to town and you'll be able to see the grave."
"What about the wife of the dead man, the one he talked to? What happened to her?"
Alex shrugged. "Don't know. We never saw her after that and the wives refuse to talk about either of them. It's like they never existed." Alex studied Shepard more closely. "And your lack of a reaction tells me you know something about this. Don't you?"
Shepard struggled with a response while Alex waited, studying him. Finally, Shepard gave up. "I'll tell you what I know, what I've figured out, but only out in the field. Tomorrow. You said we'd need some more brothers to help plant the seeds? See if you can get some of the brothers you've talked to before about all this; try to get them assigned to our field. The ones who have questions like you."
"Alright" replied Alex after a moment, "I'll see what I can do. I can think of a couple of people who'll want to hear this. But first, tell me this one thing. Are you really our brother?"
Shepard sighed. "In a very general sense, yes, I suppose you could say I'm related to all of you. We'll talk about the specifics tomorrow."
That night, Shepard finally had a chance to talk with Liara again. Like the other wives, she met him at the edge of the settlement to welcome him home. Taking her in his arms like the other men, Shepard whispered in her ear. "We have to talk. Not here. Somewhere loud, somewhere we won't be overheard." Liara nodded, inclining her head towards the kitchen area where a large number of couples had gathered.
Putting his hand around her waist, Shepard walked with Liara over to the kettles where Liara ladled out a bowl for Shepard and herself. Sitting down next to a particularly loud generator, Shepard took a spoonful of the vegetable stew. It was incredibly bland, with very few spices and severely overcooked vegetables. Liara leaned against his shoulder, holding her bowl, and began talking in a low voice.
"They told you what's going on here last night, didn't they?"
Shepard nodded, eating another spoonful from the bowl.
"I'm so sorry." Shepard looked into Liara's eyes. "James was right; we should have 'glassed' this place from orbit rather then come down here."
Shepard shook his head "No, we needed to learn about this place. If the Illusive Man went this far with his plans, who knows what else he has out there. Maybe a fleet of Normandys flown by clones of Joker, just waiting for my clones to command them?"
"In that case, what are we going to do about it?" Liara asked, looking back down at her untouched bowl. "You're out in the fields all day, while I'm constantly being watched by the researchers. Even now they're monitoring us, waiting to see what you're going to do."
"I've got a plan. Some of the clones have started to figure things out for themselves. If I can get them to understand the whole truth, and organize them against Cerberus, maybe we can disable Martin and her crew before they decide to kill us."
Shepard took another spoonful of the stew, willing himself to appear casual as he continued. "They disabled my comlink with the Normandy, and they said they did the same to yours. But EDI and Garrus should still be keeping an eye on us from orbit. While I'm talking to the clones, I want you to find a way to signal them, make sure they're ready to assist should things go pear-shaped down here. Blinking lights, smoke signals, I don't care how. Just find a way to warn them."
Liara finally ate a bit of her stew, grimacing at the taste. "I think I know a way. When we were first caught, I convinced them I was assigned to your crew by the Illusive Man himself, as part of your support staff. They seemed to buy it since they think you're still working for him."
Liara continued after another spoonful of soup. "I'm being watched, but I should be able to get access to the communications room below for a moment. That would be all I'd need to contact the Normandy."
"Just be careful, Liara. The clones have been telling me about others who asked too many questions. They're not squeamish about cleaning up loose ends around here."
"Leave it to me, 'husband', this is woman's work after all" Liara said with a smile.
The next day, Shepard and Alex left for the field with three other brothers, each of them carrying a large sack of seeds for planting. After working for several hours, the men took a break, taking shelter from the blazing sun under a large tree. Each of the men looked towards Shepard expectantly.
"Alright, first I should probably introduce myself properly." Shepard took a deep breath before continuing. "My name is John Shepard and I'm the Commander of the SSV-Normandy, an Alliance space vessel."
"A lot of what I'm going to say isn't going to mean much to you. A lot of information has been kept from you, things about who you are and what your role is in the larger galaxy. I'll answer what questions I can, but first I need to explain why I came here."
The men looked at each other but otherwise remained silent, waiting for Shepard to continue.
"Nearly four years ago, my ship was attacked by a group of beings called the Collectors. They destroyed my ship, killed most of my crew, and nearly killed me. An organization called Cerberus found my body and spent the next two years trying to bring me back to life. Eventually they succeeded. For their own reasons, they provided me with a new ship and a crew to hunt down the Collectors and make them pay."
"During that time, I learned a lot of things about Cerberus, things I don't agree with. Once the Collectors were dealt with, and due to those reasons, I severed ties with Cerberus and rejoined the Alliance."
"A week ago a threat from outside our galaxy, called the Reapers, attacked Earth, my home and home to many more like me. I barely managed to escape with my ship and crew and set out to find allies to help drive off the Reapers and take Earth back. That's what brought me here."
Shepard paused for a moment to think before continuing. "Here's where all of you come in. While I was being revived by Cerberus, the scientists healing me tried many things, like cybernetic enhancements and tissue augmentation. One of those things, I've recently learned, was cloning. Cerberus took my genetic information, the basics of what makes me who and what I am, and created identical copies of me."
Shepard looked into Alex's eyes. "When you asked me yesterday whether I was your brother, I told you that, in a general sense, I was. That was a lie. You are not my brothers, you are me. You are clones of me, made by Cerberus just in case I died before doing what they wanted me to do. You were given memories, temporary memories, and artificial lives until Cerberus could come for you and turn you into weapons."
Shepard expected denials, angry denouncements, even claims of insanity. Instead the men looked troubled, and thoughtful. Alex merely nodded, as if it all made sense. After a while, Alex asked "So then, our wives? Who are they?"
"Cerberus scientists," Shepard responded, "responsible for monitoring you and keeping you safe and ignorant until Cerberus comes for you. That's why you don't have any memories of meeting them. Until you arrived on this planet with them, you had never met."
"What about the children?" one of the other men, Shepard thought his name was Marcus, asked.
"More experiments. They wanted to know what would happen if you or I were to conceive a child."
"That explains why I'm never allowed to play with Sarah, I guess. Damn witch! First she steals my life then she steals my daughter." Marcus muttered angrily.
Each of the men agreed with Marcus, patting him on the shoulder. Alex turned back to Shepard. "So, what are we going to do about this? If what you say is true, they're not going to just let us go if we ask nicely."
"There's a command center buried under the settlement, a sort of common building where they can meet in secret and review their notes. My first night here, I was drugged and brought down there so they could question me."
"Tonight, when we go back, I'm going to find a way down there on my own. While I'm doing that, I want each of you to talk to your brothers and tell them what I've told you. When we act, it's going to have to be fast. The woman I came with, Liara, is my friend, not a Cerberus agent. She's finding a way to contact my ship now. They'll support us once we begin, but the initial conflict is ours to deal with."
Shepard propped himself up on one knee and began sketching in the dirt. "Here's my plan…"