I can hear all of you mutter: Finally, Salmon.

Lol. Enjoy. Many thanks to Elantil for beta-ing too. :)

Hope this chapter finds you well.

Chapter 5

The first lie was her name.

As a human biotic, Jane Shepard learned at a young age that she would never really belong with normal people. As a biotic prodigy, she was even more isolated by kids her age—all this she took in as normal— there weren't other children like her, they were only afraid.

Until she turned six, undergoing advanced CQC and biotic training with the best of the Alliance and the asari handlers who were former Commandos—Jane Shepard had no idea who she really was and how everything that was happening to her wasn't normal at all.

It began first as dreams. She woke in a cold sweat, a name in her lips she could barely recall. She watched as a batarian struck down a little girl, a teddy bear she was holding fell—smeared in dirt— and houses cast in flame.

Beside her, her younger twin John was sitting, facing her with both curiosity and fear.

"This dream." She whispered to herself. "It's gonna happen again. I just know it."

"Janey," John Shepard reached forward to rest his hand on hers. "It's okay. It's just a bad dream. It's nothing, okay?"

Jane nodded, even if she didn't agree.

The next morning, it was reported that batarian raiders had attacked a human colony. The holograms showed birds eye footage of the burning suburb. Jane Shepard caught the small clip of that teddy bear in the few seconds it flashed.

"Madam Milian," She told the asari handler who was in charge of training. "I saw something in my dreams and it happened. What does it mean?"

"My," The asari put a hand to her cheek. "Sometimes biotics translates itself into more than just tools of destruction. It's only temporary so there's no need to worry about it, dear. Today, we're going to practice Warping."

Madam Milian's smile was there the whole practice session and her voice as soothing as it was. Even if she never really met Jane Shepard's eyes again.

The dreams went on for two years. She knew things she couldn't know—attacks that happened somewhere else, accidents that happened around her. She knew other biotic kids didn't see what she was seeing—during lunch hours, as the older children sat on the other table—she sat on the far end of the cafeteria writing down her dreams. All of them sat together, whispering and looking over their shoulders as if there were ghosts about them.

They lived in fear of their gift. On the other hand, Jane Shepard was perfectly content to learn that the salarians were planning to do another test on the genophage in Tuchanka—a team of specialists and scientists were heading in a frigate right now. She also knew that today their mother had planned to order pizza instead of cook because she was buried in paperwork.

The last night—she called it—she had a dream about the past instead of the future. She was four years old, sitting before a mini grand piano. A man with dark hair and dark eyes looked at her smiling. His hands buried deep inside the pockets of his lab coat.

"Kaida." He called her as he patted on the head. "Kaida, my little dragon."

The second lie was her life.

After the night of the last prophetic dream, she woke up and saw her baby brother again. He looked down at her with the same fear and curiosity—but this time she was sure because she could hear his voice in her head.

"Is something wrong with the world again?" Eight years old and John Shepard already had his cheeky smile in place.

"No," She shook her head. "But now I can hear your thoughts."

"What? Really?" He bounced excitedly. "What am I thinking about now?"

"That maybe if you played your cards right, you could trick an adult into buying you a Fornax."

He gasped. "That's amazing, Janey! We should—"

"My name isn't Janey." She blurted out. The twins looked at each other wide eyed before Jane Shepard sighed. "Forget what I just said. It's nothing, John. But don't tell anyone about this."

"What? Why not?"

"Because, they didn't really want to listen last time—I don't think they'll like it a second time."

The next morning, their mother had left early—her expeditions could stretch on for a long time too— and the housekeeper had made breakfast for them. Just as Jane was about to leave through the door, she caught John's thoughts: Janey has to go to the academy for reading again. It's so boring at home without her.

"John, where did you say I was going?"

He jumped. "Oh. You're still having problems reading right? Mommy said you have to head to a school for—Janey?"

How could John not know she was training her biotics? Havent they ever talked about it before?

"Janey?"

"It's nothing, John." She smiled. "I'll see you later."

It all went downhill from there.

There wasn't a mind she couldn't read. And every dirty secret, every ulterior motive—all of them were for her to read. Mom called them every night from her ship and Jane Shepard would let John do all the talking. Jane spoke about the new gift to no one, she progressed even more speedily through her training—going through handlers until there wasn't much left but to refine the techniques. Over time, she read John's mind and knew he had no idea where she was going and what she was really doing.

Never mind, Jane thought, everything was normal, everything was ordinary. She could always ask Mommy about it when she came back.

She never saw the man in the coat in her dream again.

Four years later, she was twelve years old and her mother had finally returned. Jilian Shepard had always been a doting and caring parent, even as a Captain—she had split her time between family and work well enough. Jane Shepard admired her, loved her. She spoke caring and considerate words, always. Jilian Shepard's thoughts were never Jane's concern until today.

"Janey? How was your day?"

Are you less dangerous now?

"Janey? Are you all right? You've gone pale."

Great, is she sick again?

"Janey, talk to me."

This stupid child—why won't she answer me?

From the recesses of her mother thoughts, she saw the man in the lab coat again. His smile was bright, his eyes narrow. His name, Jane managed to clutch from the hatred of her mother's thoughts, was Masato Ryuuki.

"Yes, mother." Jane smiled. "Today was fine."

The last lie was that everything was normal.

All those years she had deluded herself into thinking everything was as it should be. Only it wasn't, all the thoughts she read and the secrets she had uncovered all pointed to one thing—she was a child that wasn't supposed to exist.

Getting into the classified files was easy when she knew all the passcodes and hacking methods. It was easy to wave a hand so that cameras would look the other way. It was easy to know shift changes and give herself enough time to download the files and read or watch them in private.

Jilian Shepard's twins were tested as Element Zero positive. The chances of them being biotic children were as high as 92.456 percent. The test showed the male twin was strong and robust. The female—was destined to die at birth. Jilian Shepard's physician went by the name Masato Ryuuki, a doctor from a strong line of physicians, whose interest in biotics and biotic children lead him to Jilian Shepard.

"There's still a chance." Jane heard his voice for the first time through the recording, huddled in her closet so that John wouldn't interrupt. He knew not to enter when she was in there. "Your child could still survive. The girl—has astronomical potential in biotics but will be born with a weaker body. Studies show that humans with biotic potential usually show later in age but if we sped up that process—"

"I don't want to rely on false hope, doctor." She heard her mother cry. "Just please, please let this issue go."

Dr. Masato Ryuuki never let it go.

Shortly after Jilian Shepard gave birth to the twins—the older, the girl—was born with barely a heartbeat. Modern medicine wouldn't be able to save her. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, children in the womb exposed to Element Zero often came out as either deformed or stillborn. Only a small percentage would be as healthy and as fit as John Shepard.

As a child exposed to eezo, however, the girl was destined to be tested and studied before she would draw her last breath. They would peel her, layer by layer, and maybe she would be the answer to preventing less stillborn deaths among eezo exposed children.

Except the baby girl's body disappeared and so did Masato Ryuuki.

Many of the files on the database had belong to the doctor. He had recorded her progress as everyday he would put his theories into action. He had created a serum that would potentially unlock her biotics early. Months of notes and audio recordings, there was little progress—the baby was destined to draw her last breath soon.

"Kaida. Your mother never named you but I will. Kaida, you can grow stronger just—live."

There were more detailed notes about how everything became better from then on. Notes on how the baby was now relying on biotics to survive, about how dangerous it would be if her biotic levels dropped too low—training would have to consist of strengthening her stamina and using less energy to do things. There were notes on how much more advanced Kaida could become not just as a human biotic but as a biotic in general. Even asari children didn't exhibit powers until a decade. But Kaida's power had been unlocked earlier and stronger than anyone in history and ever before.

There were other notes too—Kaida's favorite food, favorite songs, her first word: Papa. There were sketches of baby dresses, of her tiny little mittens, even notes on the perplexity of changing diapers.

The last of the salvaged data was an entry on how Kaida exhibited a love and potential with music. He had already bought her a mini grand and she had played a song by ear at four. He was now investing in a classic violin, hard to find and expensive to boot but if he loaned from his family—

Jane Shepard didn't leave the closet. Lying down, she looked up at the clothes, the dark ceiling—she stretched out her hands to touch the hem of one of her hanging jackets and imagined a white coat.

Everything in John's timeline about their lives was wrong.

She intended to keep it that way.

She started biotic training from the moment she was born. John thought she had started at 12 and he at 14. John Shepard thought he didn't have memories of Jane until they were four because he was just forgetful. Jane knew he didn't have memories because neither did she—she was living as Masato Ryuuki's daughter, Kaida, until she was four years old.

That was until Masato Ryuuki was sentenced to life imprisonment for child abduction and child abuse, his medical license revoked—he died in prison with her name on his lips and a sincere prayer that she would remain strong and steadfast. John didn't need to know that their own mother thought her a monster—a child who survived because of morbid experimentation and horrific powers. Jane knew she could never forgive them, never work for them for all the wrong they've done to her and Masato Ryuuki.

John didn't need to know that Kaida existed before Jane Shepard did. He didn't need to know that she relied on her biotics so that her body could go through the normal functions—breathing, walking, living. All he had to know was that she was born with a weaker constitution—not that it had anything to do with biotic fluctuations or the possibility of an untimely death.

John didn't need to know all of this. He should remain as he was—as a child, only knowing the good things. All he needed to know was that the handlers were afraid of her now because she revealed her ability to read minds. And that she left home because she didn't need the Alliance or anyone—not to learn more about her gift, not to learn more about Masato Ryuuki and his family, and not to survive. All she needed was the music she loved as a child and Ryuuki Masato's wish that she live strong and steadfast.

She wanted her father's message to reach as many as people as possible.

Live strong and steadfast.

Protect John. All she really had left that was hers was John. And the few people whom she considered as family- Oriana and the Masato family.

"I know what you're afraid of." Vakarian stood in front of her; a soldier's stance matched his soldier's build.

"What am I afraid of?" She asked, even if she already knew.

"The deeper you and John get into politics—the more likely he is to find out."

"About?"

"Everything you're hiding from him—from me—from Oriana, even." He paused. "About your powers. Your—headache this morning. About the Ridge."

"Do you want to know?"

He turned away. "If I lied, you'd find out."

She swung her legs off the side of the bed and stood. Rather than feeling threatened, she felt oddly comfortable. This Vakarian—Spectre, turian—maybe she could trust him enough with these secrets. Nihlus, she laughed inwardly, he had an uncanny knack for reading in between the lines.

"I like your honesty." She smiled. "If you stick around long enough after I become Councilor—maybe, I'll tell you my secrets. Only—"

She waited for him to shuffle. "Only?"

"If you survive the week—then Oriana would have to approve."

He groaned and she laughed behind her hand. Never mind her fears, she thought, live strong and steadfast.

She lived with lies long enough. Now was the chance to finally break free.